48 Chapter 48: The Bullet That Turns

Owen was certain he saw a look of pride in her eyes just then, the kind of pride one has in saving someone's life.

With a clang, the room's double doors were opened again, and another guy with a submachine gun appeared at the doorway, aiming directly at the smug female assassin.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang

Before the submachine gun could fire, Owen's gun sounded first. To ensure accuracy, Owen fired two guns at the same time. When the gunfire stopped, he was standing in front of the female assassin, whose expression had turned to panic, while Owen wore a smug smile.

"No need to thank me. Now we're even."

His remark was met with a cold snort from the female assassin.

Together, they kicked open the door. No gunfire came from the room. Owen glanced inside and saw only an old man with white hair, a middle-aged man, and a few girls, with no other security personnel. The two guys from before were probably the last armed individuals.

Owen and the female assassin entered, surveying the scene. The white-haired old man and the middle-aged man were hiding behind two girls, using them as human shields, while the rest of the girls, terrified, were scattered around the room.

Owen quickly spotted Kem, prominently positioned as the middle-aged man's human shield.

The other girls, terrified, huddled together, trembling at Owen's glance. With a wave of his hand, the girls ran off en masse.

Owen had just received a call from Brian, who had rescued Amanda and was on his way here, thankfully, Owen had also found Kem.

"Brian? Brian, come out. We can talk..."

The middle-aged man screamed hysterically, much more professionally than the old man, almost completely hidden behind the human shield, unlike the old man who, despite also hiding, left his entire head exposed, an obvious target for professionals.

Owen recognized the middle-aged man as Ken, Brian's former colleague, the guy from the movie.

This man was no good, acting as a protector for the Albanians for money. After Brian's daughter was involved, he not only offered no help but also kicked them when they were down. Owen wondered why Brian spared his life in the movie.

"Found who you were looking for?"

The female assassin's question came from the side. Owen nodded, indicating the girl in front, who was Kem. Kem had recognized him too, crying silently, with tears streaming down her face.

"Gaspard Nasri?"

The female assassin took out a photo, looked at it, and suddenly asked the white-haired old man.

"Who sent you to kill me? No matter how much they're paying, I can..."

Bang, bang...bang, bang, bang

The female assassin didn't wait for the old man to finish speaking. Bullets killed the human shield in front of the old man and then burst his head before he could react.

"What are you doing?"

Owen's voice was tense and somewhat distorted with anger. He was a policeman and hadn't expected the female assassin to coldly kill the human shield before taking out the target.

Efficient, but...inhumane.

"Look at her hand?"

Owen was speechless. Upon inspection, he saw the dead woman had been holding a mini-pistol, obviously in league with the old man, leaving Owen sweating with relief.

"My job here is done..."

The female assassin didn't even look at Owen as she turned and left.

"Back off, everyone back off..."

Ken's expression turned vicious, fearing a repeat of the old man's fate. He nervously pulled the human shield backward, retreating behind a pillar.

Owen didn't have time to apologize to the female assassin, his focus entirely on Ken. He had hoped to find an opportunity to shoot Ken in the head, like in the movie, but found no chance.

Ken was too experienced, always hiding behind the human shield and pillar, making it impossible for Owen to find a shot.

Those sent abroad by the US government for special missions were indeed no ordinary people. Even if Ken wasn't as capable as Brian, he wasn't far behind.

Stumped, Owen was unsure how to proceed when the female assassin, without warning, swung her gun in a wide arc, not directly aiming at Ken, and fired.

The next second, Ken, hidden behind the pillar and human shield, suddenly had his head burst open, collapsing backward.

Owen didn't dwell on the shock. He dashed forward, pulling Kem behind him, kicking Ken's gun away and aiming his gun at Ken, only to find him already dead, a bullet hole in his head with blood still flowing.

Kem, still in shock, felt something splash on her face before being pulled by Owen and realizing it was Ken on the ground.

Realizing she was finally safe, the pure-hearted girl broke down, her pent-up emotions bursting out in a hoarse, silent cry.

Owen held her gently, comforting her, but still puzzled by how the female assassin's bullet had hit Ken, given his careful hiding. Unless the bullet could turn corners, a ludicrous thought that crossed his mind only briefly.

With gunfire erupting outside, Owen didn't know who was involved in the shooting, but it was clearly not the time for questions.

"We need to leave now...huh?"

Owen turned to discuss their exit strategy with the female assassin, only to find she had already left.

Characteristically elusive, Owen didn't dare delay. They were still in danger, and consoling Kem would have to wait. The priority was to leave the area.

...

Downstairs, the Albanians were decimated, mere desperados against the disciplined GIPN, quickly taught a lesson.

Mark witnessed his men's conflict with the police unfold. Initially, he wanted to intervene, but before he could react, gunfire erupted, and with his men dying in large numbers, he dared not approach.

Holpas was in disarray, his group halved by the firefight. He lay on the ground under a hail of bullets.

"Retreat, let's get out of here..." Holpas prioritized escape over rescuing Mark. As his men ran to the car, one was shot dead, collapsing in a pool of blood.

Angered, another man attempted to return fire but was immediately shot in the head, his skull blown off, leaving nothing but a mess on the ground.

Not all were as unlucky as Holpas. Those at the back, shielded by the fallen, managed to escape by car, though facing the dilemma of explaining the debacle to their gang, if it still existed.