Chapter 432: I just killed you once

BANG!

"What the hell are you doing?!" one of Zoren’s bodyguards smacked his partner’s head. "You almost shot me, you fool!"

The other man, who had accidentally fired the gun, laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, sorry. I forgot it was loaded," he apologized, quickly emptying his pistol to avoid any more accidents.

He hadn’t meant to fire, but the sound of the shot brought others rushing toward them.

"What was that?!" Mark slowed his pace as he arrived, noticing that no one was fighting.

The first man glared at his partner while the other scratched the back of his head. "I’m sorry, Captain. I was just joking and forgot it was loaded."

"You forgot?" Mark snorted, resting his hands on his hips. "You forgot?"

The two men lowered their shoulders and heads, already bracing themselves for a scolding. But before Mark could say anything, the sound of shattering glass grabbed their attention. Turning toward the noise, they saw a black panther sprinting toward them, followed by several colleagues who had appeared through the broken window.

"Ah, shit!" the man who had fired the gun hissed. "Looks like the black cat’s in the mood for a fight, huh?"

"Take him down," Mark ordered solemnly, keeping his eyes on Renny. "Let’s see how long you can last."

"Yes, sir!" The men nodded, showing no fear as they dashed forward to meet the panther.

Renny saw the two men rushing at him with such enthusiasm that he felt obliged to match it. He picked up its speed, but at the last second, he sidestepped, throwing them off balance. When one of the men stumbled, Renny charged at him.

"Ack!" The man felt the force of Renny’s strike against his leg, sending him flying through the air as if hit by a truck. He landed with a thud, only to feel sharp teeth clamp down on his leg. Though Renny’s bite was controlled, not piercing the skin, it was enough to incapacitate the man.

He knew that if he struggled recklessly, he might end up driving the panther’s teeth deeper into his flesh.

"Renny!" one of the men yelled, tackling the panther off his comrade. Despite Renny’s weight, the man managed to roll with him. However, unlike Renny, the man took the brunt of the fall. Still, he managed to dodge Renny’s next attack.

But Renny, having learned quickly, abandoned biting and instead jumped onto the man’s stomach, pressing him down with a single paw on his chest.

While all this was happening, Mark watched closely.

’It’s different,’ Mark thought, furrowing his brows. It seemed like Renny was toying with them. This wasn’t how Renny usually fought. In the past, the panther would’ve bitten them for real, though not enough to tear their flesh.

Now, Renny’s actions were almost comical, like he was performing CPR.

"What kind of fighting style is this?" Mark whispered, noticing more men emerging from the mansion’s other wing. At first, he thought they were coming out to join the fight, but then he realized they were retreating.

"They’re falling back," Mark muttered, shifting his gaze to the broken window. His eyes narrowed as he saw one of his men fly out of it.

"Who —"

BANG!

The sound of another gunshot made Mark’s heart lurch with concern. At the same moment, Renny stopped, turning toward the direction of the shot.

Lifting his paw off the man’s chest, Renny jumped up and sprinted back to where the sound had come from. He had left Penny earlier because he sensed danger. Now, he feared that Penny had been hurt.

Seeing the panther retreat, Mark quickly decided to follow. He didn’t know where his men were going, but he sensed that many were retreating to protect Zoren’s main residence. If this was an enemy, Mark knew he had to put an end to them.

---

Meanwhile...

BANG!

Penny didn’t even blink as she fired at the man who had pulled a gun on her. The man, sprawled on the floor, stared at her with wide, unflinching eyes. Despite her lack of hesitation, there was no fear in his gaze.

The muzzle of her gun smoked, hovering between them. The deep crack in the floor, just an inch from the man’s leg, also emitted a thin wisp of smoke.

She had fired, but purposely missed.

"I just killed you once," she whispered coldly, still not blinking. "Where’s my Blacky? Were you the one who fired?"

The man kept his unwavering gaze on her. Instead of answering, he bent his knees and kicked the back of her ankle. But Penny simply raised her other foot and kicked him in the chest. Her body didn’t budge from his kick.

He coughed up blood from the force of her strike, but Penny remained indifferent. She pressed the muzzle of her gun against his forehead, this time ready to shoot if he gave her a reason.

"It seems death doesn’t scare you," she muttered. "Very well —"

BANG!

Penny ducked and rolled as she caught a movement from the corner of her eye. Kneeling on the floor, she saw Mark standing with a pistol in his hand.

"Get away from him!" Mark shouted, preparing to fire again, but Renny suddenly pounced on his back.

BANG!

Penny jolted as the bullet barely missed her. She was about to return fire, aiming for a sure kill, when she noticed the black panther walking calmly over Mark’s back toward her. A smile of relief spread across her face.

"Blacky~!" she called out excitedly, only to watch Renny leap through the window again. "Huh?"

Penny blinked, then grinned. "Right!" she shouted, leaping over the man she had kicked and following Renny through the window.

"Blacky, wait for me~!" she called happily, certain that Renny had found a way to lead her to Nathaniel.

Meanwhile, Mark groaned as he lifted his head. "You..." he hissed, pushing himself up, his face turning red with anger. "You’re not getting away!"

With that, Mark stepped on his own comrade and jumped through the same window, following the audacious woman who seemed to have poisoned Renny into following her orders. Unfortunately, he didn’t recognize the woman was also the same person he was told to guard.

Well, good thing for Mark, tonight, everyone would wonder if they were even needed for this job anymore. He wouldn’t be the only one questioning his purpose.