Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Russell's pupils contracted sharply. His body's instincts reacted even faster than his brain.
Almost instinctively, he let go of Billson and dodged to the side.
"Crash!"
The bottle shattered into pieces upon impact with the ground.
Dark red wine and glass shards flew everywhere, reflecting a hazy light under the dim yellow glow of the lamp.
Wine and glass fragments splashed onto Russell. He instinctively closed his eyes to avoid getting any in them.
The air was filled with the scent of aged wine, releasing a rich, intoxicating aroma.
"Are you an idiot?"
Charlotte stared at Emily. She hadn't been prepared at all for this woman's sudden emotional outburst.
"Run!"
Emily ignored Charlotte and instead shouted at Billson in a sharp, high-pitched voice.
The moment Russell let go, Billson didn't miss the opportunity.
Without even glancing at Emily, he stood up without hesitation and dashed toward the wide-open doorway.
His movements were fast—faster than a person who had just been pinned to the ground.
The survival instinct sent adrenaline surging, making him forget pain and everything else, leaving only one thought in his mind.
Run.
Run toward the door.
Run outside.
Escape to anywhere he could survive.
Emily followed right behind him like a loyal servant.
"Stop right there!"
Charlotte picked up the cane from the ground and threw it in Billson's direction.
But the cane only grazed the side of Billson's body and didn't hit him squarely.
"Damn it."
Charlotte cursed, but Russell, who had been standing nearby, had already regained his composure.
He wiped the red wine from his face and then chased after them.
Billson was indeed fast, but that speed couldn't be underestimated.
The distance between the two objects shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.
But just as Russell was about to use his last ounce of strength to catch Billson, he saw Billson, who had been standing at the door, suddenly stop.
Billson turned around and grabbed Emily, who was still staggering behind him.
"Billson, what are you doing…"
Emily was stunned at first. Before she could understand what was happening, she was forcefully pushed back.
Her body fell uncontrollably backward, in the exact same direction Russell had come from.
Russell immediately stopped. This brief delay gave Billson enough time.
As if dropping a burden, he didn't even glance back at the woman who had bought him precious time, nor did he look back as he rushed out of the basement and up the stairs.
Emily Collins's body charged toward Russell like a puppet with its strings cut.
Russell instinctively caught her. No—more accurately, he had no choice but to reach out and catch her to prevent Emily Collins from falling on top of him.
He looked down at the woman in his arms. Emily was desperately waving her arms, trying to grab onto something to support herself.
Her eyes were filled with terror, her lips parted, but no sound came out. She only occasionally sobbed, as if she were being suffocated.
When she realized she hadn't fallen, Emily's suffering gradually eased.
She glanced at Russell, then unconsciously looked toward the doorway.
In the next instant, the light in her eyes vanished.
The entrance was empty, as though no one had ever been there.
Billson was gone.
She had never imagined that the man she had been prepared to sacrifice everything for would so easily use her as a shield at a time like this.
Emily Collins closed her eyes in anguish.
But at that moment, she heard a cold, displeased voice by her ear.
"Stop playing dead and get up."
Emily Collins noticed the sound and opened her eyes to see a young face.
It was a very beautiful face. Especially at this distance, it looked even more real.
But at that moment, the expression on that face was cold and irritated.
The way he looked at her was as if she were garbage blocking his path.
Emily Collins couldn't accept such blatant contempt and instinctively tried to escape Russell's embrace.
Before she could react, the man let go of her, and she fell to the ground.
Fortunately, he had adjusted his strength slightly before letting go, lowering her gently so her head wouldn't hit the floor hard.
"You—"
Charlotte cut off Russell's unspoken worry.
The girl didn't even glance at the woman on the ground as she walked past her toward the door.
"Capture Billson first. Ignore her."
"Mm."
Emily Collins sat on the ground, blankly watching the departing figures. Her eyes were filled with despair.
The two ran up the stairs to the main hall on the first floor.
But Billson wasn't on the first floor.
"Second floor."
Charlotte said breathlessly, pointing at the top of her head.
"The main entrance is sealed and locked. He can't go there."
So the two rushed up to the second floor.
The situation on the second floor was more complicated than the first, with rooms, corridors, and countless corners.
"We'll search separately."
Charlotte made a quick decision and spoke in a low voice.
"Are you serious?"
Russell furrowed his brows and asked somewhat anxiously.
Charlotte said nothing and handed the cane she had picked up to Russell.
"Here. You know how to use it, right?"
"I can, but what about you?"
Russell looked at her.
"I'll use this."
Charlotte wiped her clothes and showed Russell her weapon.
—Billson's dropped revolver.
"Are you planning to kill him?"
Russell asked. "What about the leads?"
"If necessary."
Charlotte answered. "There's no lead more important than a life."
Seeing this, Russell said nothing and simply gripped the cane firmly.
The two walked to opposite ends of the corridor—one to the left, one to the right.
The corridor was silent. The only sound echoing in the empty space was their deliberately quiet footsteps.
Moonlight slanted in through one of the windows. The light was divided by the window grilles, illuminating the path ahead like a chessboard of light and shadow.
Russell gripped the cane tightly and advanced one quiet step at a time, almost without making a sound.
At this moment, his Listening and Stealth skills were being utilized to their fullest.
Russell was completely focused, capturing every faint sound in the air.
Heartbeats, breathing sounds, and the metallic click of a pistol hammer being cocked in the distance…
That must have been Charlotte. Maybe she had found Billson?
Russell furrowed his brows and instinctively moved closer to Charlotte.
But just as he passed a corner with a painting hanging on the wall…
Suddenly, a dark figure leaped out from the shadows!
"Billson?!"
Russell's pupils contracted sharply, and his body reacted almost instantly.
He instinctively swung the cane upward. A harsh metallic clashing sound echoed through the empty corridor.
"!"
Billson was holding an iron pipe he had picked up from somewhere and struck it against Russell's cane, which was blocking his path.
Russell felt a tingling sensation in his hand. The intense impact had almost numbed his arm.
Billson's first strike missed, but he immediately launched a second one without hesitation.
It wasn't a particularly refined move, but it carried the coldness and decisiveness honed on the battlefield.
Every attack targeted vital points, and every attack was carried out with the intent to kill.
The iron pipe sliced through the air, emitting an ear-splitting whistling sound.
Russell dodged to the side, but the iron pipe grazed his chest, and a gust of wind blew past.
He could even feel the cold metallic scent touching his clothes.
"Charlotte!"
He shouted, "Over here!"
The moment he finished speaking, Billson's third attack exploded.
This time it was a straight thrusting attack. One end of the iron pipe pierced directly into Russell's abdomen.
Russell gripped the cane with both hands and used the handle to deflect the attack while using the momentum to spin his body, swinging the tip of the cane down toward Billson's cheek.
Billson dodged to the side, took half a step back, and stared fixedly at Russell like a cornered beast.
Moonlight slanted in through the window, illuminating the sheets… Sweat and dirt on his face made him look grotesque and terrifying.
His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing ragged and labored, and his chest heaved violently.
The desperate attacks earlier had clearly drained much of his energy.
"Move!"
Billson's voice was hoarse. "I don't want to kill anyone."
"You've already killed quite a few people," Russell said, weapon at the ready.
"If you surrender honestly, you might still save your life."
Hearing this, Billson's lips twitched, and an eerie, almost mocking expression appeared on his face.
"Then I'll kill you first."
As he spoke, he charged forward again.
…
…
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