Almost the moment the trigger was pulled, and a flash of fire erupted from the barrel of the Silver Dancer in Lok's hand, Fox instantly tensed.
Fox's left hand flew off the steering wheel, whipping out her pistol in the cramped confines of the car!
Boom!
— Goddammit! — Wesley yelled, not expecting such a turn.
The moment the two bullets collided mid-air, sparks flew, and then they dropped in unison to the ground.
Lok's lips curved into a smirk as he floored the pedal, tearing through the streets of New York towards the Manhattan Bridge.
— Damn it!
Fox cursed angrily and sped after him.
But...
Suddenly, something flickered in Fox's heart. For a second, it seemed to her that the man in sunglasses in the car ahead was unfamiliar.
Boom!
— Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
— Can't that bastard drive any slower?!
— Damn it!
— Get out of the way! — Fox yelled, swerving into oncoming traffic as she pursued the silver car.
— Tsk!..
Boom!
It was almost nine in the evening. Manhattan's streets were still bustling with people — New York is a relatively safe city, with only a few areas truly dangerous.
And it was especially clear now that this particular district was among the safe ones.
And so...
Three minutes after someone called nine-one-one to report an Audi R8 and a red Maserati speeding down Third Street, NYPD patrol cars began converging on the area.
— George.
— What?
Sheriff George Stacy, who was wrapping up a visit to a textile factory with Sheriff Colum, suddenly froze upon receiving a call from the police station, then said into the phone: — I'll be there shortly.
Whup-whup-whup!
Lok looked up: a New York Police Department helicopter had appeared.
The red Maserati, which had been tailing him closely, seemed to change speed.
An opportunity!
— Time to switch roles, — Lok said grimly.
Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes, leaving a long trail behind him.
The driver's door swung open quickly.
Lok unbuckled his seatbelt and, in the same second, stepped out of the car.
He instantly began firing his pistol!
Fox, contemplating whether to continue the chase, looked at the man in sunglasses, who seemed to have stepped right out of a movie, cursed everything living, then abruptly yanked the wheel and floored the gas pedal.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Silver Dancer roared in Lok's hand, bullet after bullet spitting from the pistol's muzzle — tiny yellow darlings showering towards the red Maserati, which spun in place before him like a raging hurricane, kicking up countless plumes of smoke and dust.
Inside the car, Wesley felt completely sick.
He was nauseous beyond belief.
Executing a graceful maneuver, Lok returned to his Audi R8 and buckled up.
The patrol officers, having arrived from the NYPD, were equally shocked.
— Headquarters, we have a 415 incident on Third Street!
— 415 incident, requesting backup!
— Backup requested!
Incident 415 is an NYPD case code, meaning someone is using firearms! In simpler terms — a shootout.
At this moment, the roles of attacker and runaway had swapped.
Now, where the Maserati had been, the Audi R8 was hot on its heels.
What did this mean?
The situation had turned completely upside down!
Lok sat in his Audi R8, sunglasses on, licking his lips like a madman. His eyes gleamed behind the shades.
What a scene!
This was the main reason he wanted to come to New York.
The more thrilling the scene, the greater the reward!
What if he got caught?
That wouldn't happen.
Lok had already reported the Audi R8 stolen, with the report time precisely matching the moment Lok drove out of the Star Building in it.
Of course.
— Currently, a carjacking suspect is driving the silver Audi R8; he's already been declared wanted and is pursuing the red Maserati. Both vehicles are heading towards the Manhattan Bridge, we require additional backup!
The person in the helicopter was transmitting information live directly to headquarters.
— Damn it!
— Block off the Manhattan Bridge!
— Quickly! Move!
Fourteen bridges lead from Manhattan Island to the outside world.
Several bridges can even be raised.
However, there are bridges that cannot be closed off except by creating a barrier of cars. Essentially, to block such a bridge, police would have to resort to a "human wall," obstructing the path with their vehicles. Fortunately, there were few such bridges.
But...
Closing off the Manhattan Bridge wasn't a decision the NYPD could make, especially now, when no officers had been harmed and it was simply two cars shooting at each other. Thus, they could only hope the two cars would head for a drawbridge.
For now, it was a minor incident.
But if they took further action... New Yorkers could panic!
They didn't have the right to blow a small party into a massive "bash" for thousands of people.
— Goddammit to hell!
Fox, who had transformed from hunter to prey, was driving at top speed and couldn't help but curse.
Wesley, sitting in the passenger seat, hardly looked human, he was so pale. One might have thought a ghost was sitting in his place.
— Who is that?!
Wesley quickly replayed the events that had just unfolded in his mind, then added: — That's not our target!
Fox said in a low voice: — That's the Unrivaled One!
Wesley froze for a moment: — What?
The Unrivaled One?
The same Unrivaled One from Texas?
How is that possible?
Fox looked in the rearview mirror. Their cars were practically colliding, so she could clearly see the man in the silver Audi R8, licking his lips. She quickly tried to figure out when their target and the Unrivaled One could have switched places without them realizing.
Perhaps...
In the alley?
It must have been!
Damn it.
— What do we do?
Wesley heard the hum of a second police helicopter now. Although Wesley was an assassin, he was specialized in killing a single person — Cross — so he had never witnessed, let alone participated in, anything of this scale.
— We're surrounded!
— Stop whining! — Fox said in a cold tone, then looked into the distance at the Manhattan Bridge, which was their salvation and escape route to the outside world.
— ...
At that very moment.
The Manhattan Bridge, it seemed, was slowly rising.
— Damn it!
— Stay quiet! — Fox said, and began picking up speed.
— ...
Behind them.
The silver Audi R8 sped after them.
Lok's lips curved upward as he watched Fox, who had picked up speed again.
Well, since he was already planning to wait until Monday for the Brotherhood to resume work, there was no harm in having a little fun with Fox tonight.
With his sunglasses on, Lok wasn't afraid of being exposed!
And...
Before arriving in New York, he had spent days poring over a city map, studying every nook and cranny. He had devised over a hundred contingency plans for various situations even before he arrived in the metropolis.
The New York Police Department wasn't even worth mentioning.
Even if Hydra, currently in hiding, or Hydra's benevolent twin brother, S.H.I.E.L.D., decided to track Lok down, the guy had a hundred ways — not necessarily to make Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D. struggle — but certainly to shake them off his trail.
The Manhattan Bridge!
The bridge began to separate in the middle, gradually opening wider.
Boom!
— Damn it!
Fox floored the pedal, and the Maserati, leaping off the "ramp," soared like a plane.
Whoosh!
Mid-air.
Fox gripped her pistol and fired two shots, aiming directly at the helicopter that was shining its spotlight on them.
One moment later and...
Darkness fell.
Boom!