Chapter 15
The grand foyer of the mansion had transformed into a death trap beneath the glittering crystal chandeliers. Seven heavily armed syndicate hitmen stood in a tight defensive circle, their assault rifles raised, guarding a sweating, panicked Marcus. The silence in the massive room was deafening, broken only by their ragged breathing. Suddenly, Ryan entirely cut the backup generators. The foyer was swallowed by an impenetrable, suffocating blackness.
"Flashlights on! Sweep the corners! Don't let him flank us!" Marcus screamed, his voice cracking. Beams of harsh white light sliced through the dark.
Swish! A sharp whistling sound cut the air. The outermost guard dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, a throwing knife buried to the hilt in his temple.
"He’s on the mezzanine! Light it up!" The guards unleashed a deafening barrage of automatic fire, shredding the mahogany railings above. But Ryan was nowhere near the balcony.
As their magazines clicked empty and they paused to reload, a heavy metallic cylinder bounced down the lower steps of the staircase. A dense, blinding white smoke violently erupted from the grenade, instantly flooding the marble floor and completely blinding the gunmen. "Hold your positions!" Marcus roared, coughing violently. It was too late.
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Ryan emerged from the thick smoke like the grim reaper himself. Crack! Crack! Two suppressed shots instantly ended the lives of the two closest men. Sliding across the slick marble floor, Ryan swept the legs of a third guard, snapping the man’s knee before executing him with a point-blank shot. Utter chaos consumed the remaining men as they blindly fired into the smoke, hitting their own allies. Ryan moved with lethal, liquid grace, utilizing the darkness and confusion to systematically butcher the squad.
Within five minutes, the roaring gunfire dwindled to silence. As the thick smoke began to settle, the floor was littered with the bodies of seven elite hitmen. Standing in the center of the carnage was Ryan, the smoking barrel of his pistol aimed directly at Marcus’s chest.
