Chapter 1169: Know where to aim

[PRESENT TIME]

Mark rushed to the window to assess the situation, only this time, he heard helicopters approaching. Peeking through the gap, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Help had arrived just in time.

"I need to move him," he muttered to himself as he rushed back to the couch where Zoren lay unconscious. Standing by the side, Mark bent over to carry his boss on his back. Zoren was hurt, and Mark feared this might send him back to square one before his treatment.

But just as Mark reached out to grab Zoren’s arm, the latter slowly opened his eyes. Mark momentarily froze, wide-eyed.

"Master!" he called out in panic. "Help has arrived. I think I just saw Angel. I’m taking you out—"

Mark’s voice trailed off as he noticed a tear rolling down from the corner of Zoren’s eyes. His brows rose, confused by the sight.

Was Zoren hurt that badly to make him cry?

"I’ll get you out of here now," Mark panicked, thinking his boss was more injured than he had imagined. But then, Zoren whispered;

"Penelope." Zoren slowly turned his eyes to meet Mark’s gaze. "Where is she?"

Mark didn’t answer. He had no answer. After finding Zoren and after Zoren lost consciousness, Mark guarded the area. He knew help would come, so he didn’t risk taking Zoren out and encountering enemies on the way. He couldn’t fight while carrying him, after all.

In other words, he hadn’t looked for Penny.

Seeing Mark’s silence, Zoren grabbed his collar and hissed, "Where’s my wife?"

"Master, you—" Mark couldn’t finish his sentence before Zoren pushed him off. "Master, you’re injured. You shouldn’t—"

Zoren glared at him, adrenaline surging, as he fought to search for his wife. But before anything else, he grabbed Mark’s collar and pulled him closer.

"Mark, I sent you to Penny for a reason," Zoren breathed, his eyes trembling with fury. "That reason was to protect her, no matter what. If something happens to her, I’ll kill you. Mark my word."

With that, Zoren shoved Mark aside and started walking. After taking a step, his head throbbed painfully. He stopped, briefly touching the side of his head. But with his wife still nowhere in sight, he had to find her.

"Miss Penny is now the person I report to." Before Zoren could go, Mark spoke again. "I not only listen to her orders, but also her heart. Keeping you safe is what she wanted and needed. I am doing my job perfectly, sir."

Zoren glanced over his shoulder but didn’t say anything. With determination, Zoren marched out to search for his wife and make sure she was alright.

******

Meanwhile, Penny sighed in frustration as she stood in front of yet another door.

"Where the hell do they keep their hostages?!" she yelled in frustration. "Or am I just lost?! I swear I’ve checked every floor!"

Penny ruffled her hair in exasperation. After her initial fight with the men who dragged her out of the office, she had barely encountered any more enemies. This explained why she was still unscathed, even now.

"Third Brother!" Out of frustration, Penny yelled. Her voice echoed across the empty floor, but no one responded. "Third Brother! It’s me, your sister! No, it’s not just your hallucinations! It’s really me!"

She said that just in case Slater had heard her and was thinking it was merely wishful thinking. Sadly, no one answered.

"I’m done with this building," she murmured, her eyes snapping at the window. "Hmm?"

Penny raised an eyebrow and walked over to the window, stopping in front of it. "For some reason, it’s really quiet here," she mumbled.

A deep furrow appeared between her brows as she saw a figure running in the distance. "Third Brother?" she squinted, and she knew she wasn’t mistaken. There, running toward the other building, was Slater.

"Third Brother!"

Penny yelled and slapped her hands against the window. Before Slater could leave her line of sight, she tried to open the window. Unfortunately, it was locked and wouldn’t budge. Hence, she desperately tried yelling and waving to get his attention.

Nothing.

Slater didn’t notice her and proceeded cautiously into the other building.

"Shit!" she muttered, about to run away when she tilted her head to the side. "Is he... armed? I think I just saw a rifle slung over his shoulder."

Penny blinked and then glanced back at the building. "Never mind. Anyone would pick up a gun in this place."

Having said that to herself, she didn’t dwell on it. She naturally ignored how Slater had entered the building with such skill. Even though no enemies were present at the entrance, there was a proper way to enter a place full of armed people.

Slater had just done things properly, instead of casually strolling in. But Penny pushed that thought aside for later.

---

Later...

Just like how Penny hadn’t encountered any enemies on the way in, she didn’t meet anyone on her way out, either. She headed straight to the building where Slater had gone, taking the same entrance he had. But when Penny arrived, she stopped in her tracks.

Her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Bodies littered the ground, and the faint tint of red stained everything.

"What in the world happened here?" she whispered, comparing this building to the one she had come from. This place was more like a battlefield. "Did... Third Brother really walk in here without being scared?"

Penny’s initial thought was that this scene must have been like this before Slater arrived. There was no way Slater could have caused this. He was terrified of even the smallest insect. Her brother might be a little diva, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone.

"Excuse me," she whispered as she walked over the bodies at the entrance, careful not to step on them. Just as she walked over to another person, a hand suddenly grabbed her ankle. "Ahh!"

A squeal escaped her as her hair stood on end. Only when she heard a groan did she realize it wasn’t a ghost holding her. Still, she twisted her neck—her spine creaking as she looked down at the person.

"Help..." the man whispered, struggling to stay conscious. "... please."

Penny furrowed her brows, her gaze shifting to the man’s wound. He had been shot in the thigh. As she looked around, she scanned the other unconscious bodies on the ground.

’No one’s dead,’ she thought, realizing that they were all just knocked out or shot in a way that incapacitated them, not killed them. ’If Mint did this, she’s one hell of a shooter.’

Shooting someone to kill was easier than shooting them to incapacitate. Whoever did this certainly knew where to aim.