Chapter 742
Through the haze of smoke, Matthew glimpsed figures darting in
n and out of sight ahead. He knew they were hunting him down.
The gang members, relentless <b>as </b>ever, were scouring the area, desperate to confirm whether he was dead or alive Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Matthew surveyed his surroundings. The building was half–destroyed from the explosions, with chunks of debris sporadically crashing down. This <b>ce </b>was anything but safe.
If he wanted to evade capture, he’d need toe up with a <b>n </b>quickly.
The
men, armed and closing in, were getting nearer by the second. Matthew grabbed a stone and hurled it into the distance.
ng!
The sound immediately caught their attention. “Over there! Someone’s over there! Go check it out one of them shouted
As they moved in the direction of the noise. Matthew swiftly darted behind a copsed wall, crouching low, Just as he concealed himself, two <b>more </b>men appeared, taking cover behind a pir nearby.
“Where’d <b>that </b>kid go? Did he really get <b>blown </b>to bits?”
Who knows? The boss ordered us to find him. Let’s keep searching”
<b>Watching </b><b>as </b>the two split up, Mathew scanned the area, his mind racing. He picked up a loose brick and, stripping off his suit jacket, draped it over the broken wall before sneaking to another hiding spot.
Sure enough, one of the gang members noticed the jacket. As he cautiously approached, Matthew silently moved behind him and knocked him out cold with the brick.
He picked up his weapon and changed into his clothes. He quickly plundered his body and quickly changed to another ce to hide. Setting a trap. <b>Matthew </b>ced a bomb behind the pir where the man had just been, then aimed and took out another one of the gang members with a single
shot.
The gunshot drew the attention of the rest of <b>the </b>group, who <b>quickly </b>doubled back, furious and on edge. Meanwhile, Matthew had already climbed to a higher vantage point.
“<b>Dammit</b>, he’s still alive! Find him, now! one of them barked, seething with rage.
At <b>that </b>moment. Matthew <b>took </b>aim and fired at the bomb.
Boom!
The explosion rocked the already fragile building, sending chunks of concrete crashing down and instantly killing four of the men. The remaining four, enraged and panicked, opened fire wildly in all directions. “Matthew, <b>you </b>son of a bitch! Get out here!” one of them screamed, his voice thick with anger.
Matthew nced around. He knew it was only a matter of time before they found him if he didn’t make his escape so
The explosion <b>had </b><b>surely </b>alerted others to his presence. If the gang’s reinforcements arrived, he’d be trapped for good.
Quickly recalling theyout of the area, Matthew set down the phone he had <b>taken </b>earlier, setting a timer on the rm. Then, inching his way forward on his stomach, he carefully moved our <b>of </b>their line of fire, intent <b>on </b>slipping away before it was toote,
Five minutester, Matthew reached the other side and cautiously peered out, mentally counting <b>down</b>. One, two, three… Just as be finished, a sharp, clear sound rang out from upstairs, drawing the attention of the four men.
They rushed toward the <b>source</b>, and Matthew seized the opportunity to <b>dash </b>in the opposite direction, sprinting away from the building <b>and </b>out of the gang’s firing range.
But hiding like this couldn’t <b>be </b><b>a </b>long–term solution.
He had briefly caught sight of Ethan among the group earlier, though it <b>was </b>just <b>a </b>fleeting glimpse. He wasn’t entirely sure it
e it was him. Still, considering how the <b>gang </b>seemed to be targeting him specifically, Matthew couldn’t help but wonder what they were after.
Finding cover in a corner, Matthew pulled out his phone and nced at it. The screen disyed a picture of Valerie and their baby. Seeing Valerie’s <b>smiling </b><b>face</b><b>, </b>he made a firm decision. He bad <b>to </b>survive. <b>As </b>long as he was alive, there was hope.
The city <b>was </b>in <b>chaos</b>, with constant bombardments, and allmunication had been cut off. There was no inte, no way to reach the outside worki. But Matthew knew there was still one <b>ce </b>that might offer a way our, the ck market.
In times of turmoil, the ck market continued to operate, always prepared for situations like this. If he wanted to take action, that was his best bet,
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<b>10:12 </b><b>AM </b>
Chapter 742
Although he didn’t fully understand the gang’s intentions, he realized that heading to the ck market was the only viable option left
Using what little he could find, Matthew <b>disguised </b>himself. His once–handsome face now looked utterly unremarkable. But at least it was safe. The <b>gang </b>would <b>have </b>a hard time recognizing him.
Outside, the fighting <b>had </b>momentarily subsided, but Matthew knew this <b>was </b>just the calm before the storm. A new round of intense battles would erupt soon
After losing the gang members, Matthew wandered through the city. asionally, locals would dart past him, panic–stricken like birds startled by a mere <b>gust </b>of wind.
The recent violence had left everyone on edge. But there were also those who took <b>advantage </b>of <b>the </b><b>chaos</b>, <b>looting</b>, and piging. Thankfully, Matthew had a pistol tucked away, which gave him some sense of security. As long as he stayed alert and avoided stray bullets, he’d be fine.
Eventually, he found a cybercate. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside. As he suspected, the <b>ck </b>market was buzzing with activity. The entrance to the cybercafé was in the remnants of a bar, its wooden doorpletely blown of, leaving only a doorframe. Several burly men stood guard at the <b>entrance</b>, watching as people came and went.
They eyed Matthew briefly but didn’t bother to stop him
Once inside, Matthew scanned the room and made his way to a corner.
The ce <b>was </b>sparse, with just a few basicputers, nothing fancy
Yet, there was a line of people wating to use them.
This was one of the few ces in the city that was still functioning
Mathew approached one of the avableputers. It wasn’t much, but it would do the job.
There were eight <bputers </b>in total, <b>and </b>as he assessed them, a bearded <b>man </b>approached, hand outstretched. <b>Matthew </b>quickly realized he wanted
money.
He <b>nced </b>at the others<b>, </b>noticing one <b>man </b>being forcibly dragged out for not paying. Frowning. Matthew felt his pockets, empty. He had no mancy on <b>him</b>.
The bearded man was about to signal for his removal when Matthew stopped him, thinking quickly. He slipped off his wristwatch and handed it over. “Here you go. Hold onto it. I’ll be <b>back </b>to redeem it‘
The bearded man eyed the watch before pocketing it. He signaled the guards to stand down, though he sneered at Matthew with evident disdain
Everyone who pawned something in this ce imed they’de back to redeem it, but no one ever did
The man knew the watch <b>was </b>a high–end brand, worth a lot more than the use of a beaten–upputer. No way would he let the man reim it,
But Matthew’s gaze was <b>steady </b><b>and </b>resolute. He fully intended toe back for it
After all, that watch was a gill from his wife.
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