From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 740

Chapter 740: The Last Barrier

Both Stephen and Na wasted no time closing in on the Trickster, but a glaring issue immediately plagued their momentum: Stephen was practically running on empty.

He had pushed his heart and lungs far beyond their natural limits during his high-speed charge into the tree. His entire body was screaming for oxygen, feeling impossibly heavy—apart from his arms, which were still being mechanically supported by the exoskeleton frame. Knowing the Trickster was still an erratic, highly dangerous opponent, Stephen forced his legs to move. He didn’t attempt a full sprint, settling instead on pacing Na to press the assassin from both sides.

Na unleashed a flurry of heavy, compact strikes, but the Trickster’s evasive instincts were sharp. The blows missed, slicing through thin air with a loud whoosh. As the young assassin ducked and slipped away, he threw out a series of desperate counter-kicks, praying the blade extended from his boot toe would pierce a vital organ in Na’s torso.

Before any of those lethal kicks could connect, however, Stephen reached out with his exoskeleton arms, systematically swatting and knocking the assassin’s legs off-target.

It’s only a matter of time, Stephen thought, his chest heaving as sweat poured down his neck. The moment I catch my breath, I’ll grab him again... and Na can end this for good.

Stephen’s assessment was entirely accurate, and the Trickster could feel the walls closing in. Desperate for a reversal, the young assassin kept darting his eyes around the courtyard, searching for any fellow Black Hand operative who could step in and relieve the pressure.

It was in that terrifying moment that the Trickster realized a bitter truth: their squad was losing.

Nearly every single Black Hand operative had already been beaten, disarmed, or laid out cold across the temple grounds. The only exception was their Rank One monk, who was currently locked in a tense duel against Aaron.

The two martial artists were fighting in a strangely quiet, calculated manner—hardly striking, endlessly circling each other in tight perimeters, only throwing out a single testing blow every few minutes. The Trickster knew why: at their level, the stakes were absolute. The first man to land a solid, damaging hit would instantly secure a decisive advantage to end the fight.

Even so, how had the formidable Black Hand been dragged to the brink of defeat by a mere street gang?

Are we really going to fall to a bunch of gangsters? the Trickster thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He wasn’t the only one plagued by that unsettling realization. Off to the side, Commander Blark, who had spent most of the battle with his arms folded and a confident smirk on his face, was no longer smiling.

Commander Blark knew full well that the situation had completely flipped against him. He still retained a degree of confidence because of his Rank One fighter—in truth, based on what he had observed, the monk alone possessed enough raw lethal power to finish off the remaining, battered Rangers.

However, Blark was a pragmatic operative. The absolute priority in his line of work was guaranteeing that the contract was executed, no matter what. He needed a backup plan immediately.

"Things haven’t turned out exactly as I expected," Blark muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing. "It’s foolish to assume the rest of this fight will go my way automatically. Time for me to step in."

Blark turned toward the wooden platform where the five tied-up university students were cowering.

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