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Midnight at the Eastern Dock: A Deadly Chase
The salty sea breeze carried the scent of the ocean, sweeping through the city cloaked in darkness. Aaron, clad in a black trench coat, moved swiftly between cargo containers, his breath ragged, his heart pounding.
Time was running out.
His terminal displayed a countdown—less than three minutes remaining. The message from L.S. was clear:
[Autonomous speedboat will depart in 3 minutes. Miss it, and you're dead.]
But Aaron knew the real danger wasn’t missing the boat—it was the fact that the Dark Alliance would never let him leave alive.
As if confirming his fears, a chilling voice echoed from the shadows—
“Aaron, you have nowhere left to run.”
Aaron’s heart sank.
From the darkness emerged a familiar figure—Jack. Once a comrade-in-arms, now holding a pistol equipped with a tactical sight, aimed steadily at Aaron’s forehead.
Jack’s expression was devoid of emotion, his eyes cold.
Aaron slowly raised his hands, his gaze locked onto Jack’s. His voice was low and steady:
“Five hundred million dollars… is that what loyalty is worth?”
Jack chuckled softly, his finger grazing the trigger.
“You should know—everyone has a price.”
Aaron’s fists clenched. His mind raced through possible countermeasures, but Jack was too fast, too precise. Any mistake would be fatal.
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“You can kill me, but you know the Dark Alliance won’t let you live to collect that five hundred million.”**
His words were calm, but his pulse hammered like a war drum.
Jack’s expression flickered. The gun didn’t lower, but doubt crept into his gaze.
“If I were you, I’d put down the gun and leave with me.”
Jack remained silent.
And then—
BANG!
A gunshot shattered the night.
But it wasn’t Jack who fired.
From a distant tower at the dock, a sniper’s laser sight flickered over Jack’s shoulder. A split second later, a bullet tore through his jacket, and blood splattered into the night.
“Damn it!” Jack cursed, rolling behind a container for cover.
Aaron seized the moment, lunging forward.
“Aaron! You really think you can escape?!”
Jack gritted his teeth and raised his gun, but Aaron was already upon him.
He grabbed the barrel, forcing it downward. The two grappled fiercely, locked in a brutal fight for survival.
Jack struggled to aim, but Aaron drove his fist into Jack’s stomach, then followed with a crushing elbow strike to the jaw.
THUD!
Jack staggered back, and Aaron yanked the pistol from his grasp. Without hesitation—
BANG!
A bullet buried itself in Jack’s leg. He collapsed, blood seeping into the cold ground.
Through clenched teeth, he let out a pained chuckle.
“You… will never escape…”
Aaron, breath heavy, looked down at him, his expression unreadable.
His terminal flashed red with a new alert—
[Hunter squad en route.]
“Shit…”
No time left.
Aaron broke into a sprint toward the dock’s edge.
The autonomous speedboat’s engine roared to life, its propellers churning the dark waters.
But overhead, the Dark Alliance’s gunships had already locked onto his coordinates. From the distant tower, the sniper’s laser sight reappeared—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets whizzed past him, tearing through the night. One grazed his shoulder, sending a sharp sting through his body.
Faster. He had to be faster.
With one last burst of energy, Aaron leaped.
The world seemed to slow as he soared through the air—
CRASH!
He landed hard on the boat’s deck, rolling painfully before catching himself.
VRRRROOOOM!
The speedboat surged forward, cutting through the waves as a hail of gunfire chased after him, bullets splashing into the sea.
Lying on the deck, Aaron gasped for breath, his sweat-soaked clothes clinging to his skin. His eyes remained cold, unwavering.
He had survived.
But he knew—this was only the beginning.
Next Chapter: The Hunt Continues—What is Aaron’s Next Move? What Are L.S.’s True Intentions? The Dark Alliance’s Wrath Has Just Begun!
