2026-03-18 23:46:55
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 230: The Second Link
The bullet hit him before he even heard the shot. Pain exploded through his shoulder — hot and sharp — forcing his body to stumble backward.For a second his mind went blank, not because of the pain but because Hawkeye had done the impossible yet again.He had seen them."Fuck." Johnny grabbed his shoulder, feeling blood running between his fingers.The stealth ability had been perfect, the system hiding their presence completely. Nobody should have been able to find them.Nobody except him.…[INSTANT HEALTH RESTORATION ACTIVATED]…A second shot cracked through the air before Johnny could even breathe. His body moved on its own. Not thought — instinct.The part of him that had survived a hundred fights took over, grabbed Mia by the arm, and dragged her across the concrete toward the cover of a nearby container stack, as three more shots followed in quick succession, the bullets tearing through the spaces his head had occupied a moment earlier. His wounded shoulder screamed. His le
Chapter 229: The Girl Who Would Not Stay Behind
Johnny turned and started walking toward the port. His footsteps were steady. He knew he'd made the right call.Bringing her along would have been reckless — she'd slow him down, and more than that, she was an unpredictable variable. A wild card. And in a place like this, wild cards got people killed.Mia would only create more variables. She was unpredictable, emotional, and after everything she'd already done tonight, the last thing he needed was another person to protect. One mission. Save Margaret. Nothing else.Behind him, the car door opened."Johnny!!"He turned around, and his jaw nearly dropped.Mia was running toward him. Free.Without Darren. Without the handcuffs."How the hell did you pick that lock?!"She stopped in front of him, breathing hard — chest rising and falling fast beneath her shirt — and gave him a smile that was equal parts pride and mischief."It's one of the many ways I can be useful to you."Johnny closed his eyes. Of course she could pick locks. He opene
Chapter 228: Why did you lie
Johnny's hand slowly tightened into a fist, as he just stood there, because somewhere deep inside he had already suspected it. He had wanted to believe her. That was the part that annoyed him most."Why did you lie?" Mia's hands dropped from the wheel. She looked down at them for a second, like she was gathering pieces of herself."Because I wanted to be in your life," she said quietly. "No matter what.”For a moment he didn't say anything. The words were simple — I'm not actually pregnant — and a few minutes ago they would have destroyed him“I know what I did was horrible. I know what I took from you. I know I don't deserve to just walk back in and pretend nothing happened. But I didn't know any other way." She continued stepping closer."The pregnancy was the only thing I thought would make you listen. The only thing that would stop you from shutting me out completely.""That's the same reason I did what I did in the red room."Johnny's eyes narrowed slightly. "Speaking o
Chapter 227: The Lie
The silence in the car was the kind that had weight. You could lean on it. The kind where everyone inside had too many things to say and no idea where to begin.Johnny sat in the passenger seat staring out the window as city lights passed by. His wrist was finally free, no handcuffs, no chains. But the tension inside the car felt heavier than any metal that had been holding him.Mia drove with both hands on the wheel, eyes fixed on the road ahead. She had saved his life. That was the problem.Johnny didn't know what to do with that.In the back seat, Darren sat with his door locked and his hands folded like a man in the world's most uncomfortable taxi ride.He was technically a prisoner behind locked doors with nowhere to run, yet somehow he still carried himself like he was the one in control. Maybe it was confidence. Maybe it was insanity.With Darren, Johnny wasn't sure there was much difference."The next left, then straight for a few kilometers," Darren said, for the third time.
Chapter 226: The Hunter and the Hunted
Back to the present.Johnny stood outside the facility, his wrist still locked to Darren Zemo's — and on the rooftop of the nearby building, standing completely still, was the one person he had hoped he wouldn't have to face.The masked sniper. Hawkeye.Darren looked between them, a nervous smile appearing. "Well... this is awkward."Johnny glanced at him. "You said you avoided all the cameras.""Of course I did.""Then explain why we're suddenly being shot at."Darren gave a small shrug. "Didn't you see me avoid them? Every visible camera was avoided."Johnny stared at him. Then he sighed. "You're unbelievable."Darren's smile widened slightly, because he knew Johnny didn't have the whole story. When they'd moved through that dark corridor, Darren hadn't ignored the cameras out of carelessness — he'd led Johnny through the darkness deliberately, knowing what was hidden inside it. Night-vision cameras. Cameras that didn't need light. Cameras that saw everything. He had led Johnny str
Chapter 225: Hawkeye
Mia smiled. A slow, dangerous smile that made his stomach flip.She shifted her weight, and he felt the heat of her body settle against him—Beep.A crackle of static from his earpiece.He tried to ignore it. Not now. Not now. Not now."Hawkeye, are you there?"The voice broke through the haze, and he felt reality crashing back down around him. His muscles tensed. His focus fractured.He tried to push through it, to stay in the moment, but the voice came again, sharper this time."We have a Code Black. I repeat, we have a Code Black. The host has been captured. Mr. Darren Zemo is in trouble."His Boss.He sat up so fast Mia almost fell off. His hands moved to his earpiece, pressing it firmly against his ear. "Talk to me. What happened?""Surveillance caught it on night-vision. Darren led someone through the dark corridor."He straightened. It was him. It had to him. Only he could pull of something like this.Mia's fingers found his shoulder, soft and coaxing. "Hey." Her voice was hone
You may also like
Rise of the Useless Young Master
AFM3133.4K viewsThe martial Lord
Supreme king96.7K viewsAncestral Heir System
Dark Crafter50.4K viewsThe Invincible Arthur Gardner
Herolich104.4K viewsLevel 999: The Glitch King
Utopian Brooks506 viewsThe Garbage God's Trillion-Dollar Burden
velqiane393 viewsOverflow Novice: 10,000 Years in Tutorial Hell
Tasneem274 viewsDaily Love Roulette System
Cilia304 views