Outside Rosewood Apartments, two men with Ugonland features stepped out of a black BMW.
They quickly approached Joanna. "Ms. Leif, hello, we are friends of Mr. Ramsey."
Joanna eyed them warily, her voice tense. "Where is Robin? What ... what happened to him?"
The taller of the two men spoke sternly, "Ms. Leif, please get in the car. We have something important to discuss with you.
"Oh, and Mr. Ramsey asked us to pass on a message—he insists that you bring the bronze box with you. It's very important to him."
"Joanna, wait!" A voice called out, and Eira rushed over, grabbing onto Joanna's arm.
"Joanna, General Yates is already on his way with his men. Don't trust them!"
Joanna froze.
Before leaving, Robin had warned her not to hand over the Emberleaf Fans and bronze box to anyone.
No one else was supposed to even know she had it.
These two men were clearly up to something!
Sensing her suspicion, the two Ugonland men lunged forward, trying to forcefully drag her into the car.
Eira reacted instantly, unsheathing her Blossomfall Blade and striking at them.
A fierce battle erupted.
But Eira was no match for the two men.
Suddenly, the screech of tires filled the air. More than ten SUVs sped toward Rosewood Apartments.
Simmond arrived with his squad, flanking them from all sides.
Behind them, assassins from the Dark Web emerged, swiftly forming a protective circle around Joanna.
After a brutal skirmish, the two Ugonland men were killed on the spot by the Dark Web assassins.
Simmond frowned. "Why didn't you keep one of them alive? We could've interrogated them to discover who sent them and why they were after Ms. Leif!"
A Dark Web assassin responded coldly, "Mr. Ramsey's orders were clear—anyone who tries to harm Ms. Leif is to be eliminated on sight, no questions asked."
One of the assassins stepped forward and bowed slightly to Joanna. "Ms. Leif, please come with us. This place is no longer safe. Ms. Eira, Mr. Ramsey also instructed that you must stay with Ms. Leif."
Joanna asked anxiously, "Where is Robin? Is it true what they said online? Has he ... really been killed?"
The assassin replied respectfully, "Ms. Leif, the situation is still unclear. Everything online is just speculation. We are doing everything we can to locate Mr. Ramsey.
"Please don't worry—Mr. Ramsey is far more powerful than most people can imagine. The fact that there's no news from him might simply mean he has encountered some temporary setbacks.
"There will be news of him soon.
"Ms. Leif, Queen Sophie has already dispatched the world's top rescue team to Snow Valley. Mr. Ramsey will not fall so easily!
"To ensure your safety, please come with us immediately."
Simmond and his guards stepped forward to block their way. "Ms. Leif, you cannot leave! It's even more dangerous outside. Mr. Ramsey ... he's already gone."
The Dark Web assassins cut in sharply, "General Yates, step aside! Mr. Ramsey instructed you to protect Ms. Leif, but she has complete freedom of movement. You have no right to keep her here against her will!"
Joanna interrupted their argument. "I will stay here and wait for Robin's return!"
Left with no choice, the Dark Web assassins contacted Queen Sophie.
After the call, one of them turned to Simmond and delivered a chilling warning. "General Yates, Queen Sophie has a message for you—if anything happens to Ms. Joanna here, the Dark Web will spare no cost in wiping out you, your family, and your entire nation.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Deadly Assassin Robin