Chapter 209: All About Acting
Tom, disguised as Black Widow, seemed to have truly transformed into her. With a gun in each hand, he exuded an imposing and heroic presence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I advise you not to move recklessly. Be careful, or my guns might misfire. I have eyes, but bullets don’t.”
Facing the dark muzzles of Tom’s guns, Capricorn displayed an eager expression.
To them, only the strong mattered. The weak were merely sacrifices.
“My beautiful lady, I’m quite timid. I suggest you stay still, or you might scare me. If that happens, this bullet could go astray.”
Tom, a well-known assassin on the Black and Red List, easily noticed Capricorn’s subtle movements.
Being called out on her intentions, Capricorn wasn’t embarrassed. She simply put her plans on hold—for now.
But giving up? That was impossible.
This thief dared to play the role of the unexpected challenger. He had to be eliminated. Otherwise, where would her dignity go?
Capricorn wasn’t the only one with this mindset. Helan Xiaoyue and Yu Tianqi shared the same thought.
If one wanted to challenge the strong, they had to prove their worth. Otherwise, anyone could just barge in and provoke the powerful.
Among those present, only Taotie watched the unfolding drama with a bystander’s mindset, simply enjoying the show.
“Doesn’t your country have an old saying? No matter how skilled a martial artist is, they still fear a kitchen knife.”
“The thing in my hands is far deadlier than a kitchen knife.”
Tom didn’t care what Capricorn, Helan Xiaoyue, and the others were thinking. He continued showing off his guns as if they made him the ruler of the battlefield.
And to be fair, with his marksmanship and skill, he wasn’t wrong.
Tom knew it. Taotie knew it. But Capricorn and Helan Xiaoyue did not.
The Standoff Intensifies
“This handsome and tall gentleman, would you be so kind as to hand me that painting scroll?”
“I do love ancient paintings, you see.”
“I imagine you wouldn’t refuse me, would you?”
Tom looked at Taotie with amusement, grinning as he spoke. As he spoke, he twirled his gun and pointed it at Taotie’s forehead.
If they were going to put on a show, they had to do it properly.
Both Tom and Taotie were masters of deception, skilled actors in their own right.
“You’re playing with fire, lady.”
Taotie put on a fierce expression, glaring at Tom as he spoke menacingly.
“Oh~”
“Sir, threatening a beautiful lady is not the behavior of a gentleman.”
Tom exaggerated his reaction, waving the gun playfully. The barrel moved across Taotie’s body as if deciding where to shoot.
“Even a gentleman doesn’t like having a gun pointed at him.”
Taotie bared his teeth in a cold smile.
“Oh? But I insist.”
Tom chuckled. It was all just a game to him.
“I bet your gun has no bullets.”
Taotie smirked, uttering the classic challenge.
“Oh? And what if it does?”
Tom’s finger rested on the trigger, ready to fire.
Seeing this, Helan Xiaoyue and Yu Tianqi exchanged a subtle glance.
Yu Tianqi gave Tom a sideways look before slightly raising his machete, silently asking Helan Xiaoyue if they should strike.
To them, Tom was just an overconfident fool—stylish but full of openings. He was too busy looking cool to even demand they drop their weapons.
Helan Xiaoyue barely nodded, tightening her grip on her dual blades.
Receiving her signal, Yu Tianqi smirked and lunged at Tom, swinging his massive machete at Tom’s gun hand.
The blade sliced through the air, producing a sharp, whistling sound.
Taotie was startled and instinctively gripped his weapon, preparing to assist Tom.
But to his surprise, Tom was even faster.
He had anticipated their moves all along.
The First Shots Fired
Yu Tianqi moved, and Tom immediately fired.
“Bang! Bang!”
Two gunshots rang out.
Yu Tianqi froze mid-charge. His machete flew out of his grasp, clattering to the ground. Embedded in its solid blade was a golden bullet.
Then, with a heavy thud, Yu Tianqi collapsed to his knees.
A fresh bullet wound gushed blood from his thigh, soaking his pants and forming a small pool beneath him.
Everything happened too fast.
So fast that even Helan Xiaoyue hadn’t reacted before Tom’s precise shots had incapacitated Yu Tianqi.
One bullet knocked away his weapon.
The other crippled his leg, eliminating him from the fight.
Yu Tianqi wasn’t entirely powerless, but if he forced himself to move, his leg would be permanently damaged. The risk of excessive blood loss also made any rash actions unwise.
He gritted his teeth, clutching his wound as he glared at Tom.
Tom smirked. “Ladies, would you like to try my bullets as well?”
He aimed his guns at Helan Xiaoyue.
Tom wasn’t blind—he had seen how she had been about to strike while he was dealing with Yu Tianqi. If not for his quick shots, she would have severed his tendons.
Helan Xiaoyue hesitated.
This mysterious woman had terrifying accuracy.
She had blindly fired and still taken down Yu Tianqi in an instant.
Helan Xiaoyue prided herself on being faster and stronger than Yu Tianqi, but Tom’s gun was now pointed directly at her.
She felt a chilling pressure—like an invisible lock on her body.
If she moved, Tom would definitely shoot, and the bullet would find its mark in an instant.
Even if she managed to kill Tom, she would die as well.
After all, Capricorn was still watching.
And Taotie—the human beast—was also there.
Helan Xiaoyue knew that Capricorn and Taotie were both on the Blacklist. No matter their disputes, they were part of the same underworld.
If a fight broke out, she and Yu Tianqi would be the first to die.
Seeing the hesitation in Helan Xiaoyue’s eyes, Tom smirked.
She had backed down.
At least for now.
Capricorn watched Tom, her eyes flickering with thought.
Tom didn’t care what she was thinking. He knew they were of equal rank as assassins, meaning whoever had the gun had the advantage.
He was confident he could take her down with minimal damage.
Even if he got hurt, Taotie was still there.
Worst-case scenario, he’d just be exposed.
No big deal.
Only the treasure map mission would be compromised.
That was all.
The Final Exchange
“Taotie! Attack!”
Capricorn suddenly shouted.
At the same time, she slashed her dagger toward Tom’s gun hand.
However…
Tom didn’t turn to look at Taotie.
Instead, he immediately adjusted his aim—both guns now pointed at Capricorn.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Tom fired four times.
Two bullets struck Capricorn’s dagger and abdomen, taking her down.
The other two bullets shattered Helan Xiaoyue’s twin blades, splitting the skin on her palms.
“Heh…”
“Ladies, fighting is unbecoming of you.”
Tom’s playful tone vanished. His expression turned cold.
“Bang! Bang!”
Two more shots.
Capricorn and Helan Xiaoyue collapsed, their legs now useless.
Tom had chosen his shots carefully. Like with Yu Tianqi, their wounds weren’t fatal, but moving would permanently cripple them.
With the real threats neutralized, Tom turned to Taotie, smirking.
Taotie, as if realizing something, lunged at Tom, pretending to attack.
A performance had to be completed.
Everyone else had been shot.
If Taotie remained unharmed, it would look suspicious.
Tom fired two more shots.
“Bang! Bang!”
Taotie collapsed, pretending to be knocked out.
Tom checked—Taotie’s black-tech armor had held up.
With everything in place, Tom retrieved the treasure map and vanished into the night.
As he drove off, he grinned.
Who would be the unlucky one to find his final surprise?
He looked forward to it.
(End of Chapter 209)
