Chapter 828: Cut Off the Head

Under the pitch-black night sky, a fire suddenly broke out somewhere in the villa. The flames were fierce, rapidly spreading across several rooms. By the time the mercenaries noticed and rushed over to investigate, the inferno was already completely out of control. Furthermore, they were entirely unfamiliar with the villa’s layout.

The masked leader’s eyes were icy. Staring at the raging blaze before them, he coldly commanded, "Search the area. Kill anyone you see on sight. Find Chloe Reed, cut off her head, and bring it back to the employer."

"Understood!"

A synchronized chorus rang out as the mercenaries began scouring the perimeter of the fire, gradually fanning outward.

A lethargic voice crackled through the masked leader’s earpiece. "It’s been an hour. Have you found her yet?"

The masked man’s tone instantly became respectful. "We’re still searching."

"What a bunch of useless trash..." The voice sighed before adding, "Hurry up. If you fail this mission, don’t bother coming back."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, right..." A hint of amusement crept into the voice over the earpiece. "I hear the internationally renowned Lone Wolf has been quite active lately. Is he in Breyburn too?"

Lone Wolf was a top-tier mercenary who operated strictly solo. Every mission he accepted had been executed flawlessly, with the sole exception of his most recent assignment. An employer had offered him one hundred million to assassinate a target. When he failed, he returned and directly compensated the employer with three hundred million of his own money.

This incident had sent shockwaves throughout the entire dark web! Whenever the name Lone Wolf was involved, it meant a guaranteed hundred-percent success rate. Since his debut two years ago, he had never missed his mark. Yet, who would have thought he would actually experience failure? Furthermore, he had owned up to it completely, candidly declaring that he was abandoning the contract. After that, he never accepted another mission. His whereabouts became shrouded in mystery, making it nearly impossible for anyone to track him down.

Hearing his superior bring this up caught the masked leader completely off guard. His tone was hesitant. "I’m not sure about that."

"Then look for him. If you can find him, you’ll be allowed to come back alive and see me. Bring him back with you while you’re at it. Our organization is in dire need of talents like him." The man on the other end mused before abruptly cutting off the communication.

The pungent stench of charred wood drifted through the air as thick smoke rapidly gathered and billowed into the night sky.

Just then, a mercenary sprinted over and reported, "Boss, we found the bodies of Seven and Thirteen. Their guns are missing."

The masked leader’s gaze grew even sharper. "The target is armed. All of you, be extra careful."

"Understood!"

The search perimeter continued to expand. Meanwhile, Preston Vance and Chloe Reed had already slipped into the equestrian grounds. Not far ahead of them were the stables.

BANG!

A gunshot suddenly erupted from behind them, a bullet striking the pillar right next to Chloe! In that instant, the blood froze in her veins. Her eyes flying wide, she whipped around and fired a quick backhand shot at the mercenary trailing them. The bullet struck him dead in the chest, and the man immediately crumpled to the ground.

Preston looked at her in astonishment. "Your marksmanship is incredible!"

Chloe ignored him. Sprinting over, she looted the dead mercenary’s gun and ammunition, then hastily dragged his body into the nearby bushes. Without wasting another second, she darted toward the back of the stables.

Preston didn’t say another word, quickly following her into hiding.