Thirteen seconds later, the criminals had completely taken control of the hospital lobby and were preparing to force someone to reveal where their captured companion was being held.
Click!
Suddenly, the lights in the corridor went out.
"Idiot! I told her to shut off the lights in the lobby!" Layla almost stomped in frustration.
Click!
This time, the lobby lights went out as well.
Now!
Layla sprinted forward, dove, rolled across the floor, and raised her pistol to fire.
During her training at the New York Police Academy, her ability to shoot in complete darkness with near-perfect accuracy—often scoring instant headshots—had amazed both instructors and fellow cadets.
But just as she was about to fire—
The hospital's emergency lights flickered on.
The lighting was dim, but it was enough for the criminals to see Layla aiming her pistol directly at them.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Layla wanted to shout, "Police! Nobody move!"
But her instincts told her that saying that would be a terrible idea.
The next moment, as the criminals began turning their guns toward her—
Her muscle memory kicked in.
Her body reacted before her brain could issue a command.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots rang out in rapid succession.
The bullets struck the foreheads of the three most dangerous gunmen with perfect precision.
Layla immediately performed a tactical roll and slid behind cover.
Ratatatat!
A storm of bullets instantly shredded the floor where she had been standing.
Once the criminals reacted, Layla peeked out from behind cover to determine their positions.
When they redirected their gunfire toward her cover—
Layla lunged forward again, rolled across the floor, and braced herself.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more precise shots.
Three more criminals dropped with headshots.
She rolled again and reached another piece of cover.
But even so, six gunmen remained.
They quickly took cover and aimed their rifles directly at Layla's position.
No matter which direction she attacked from, she might eliminate three more at best—
But she would inevitably be torn apart by gunfire.
"Damn it!"
"If only I had a flashbang!"
Layla muttered while instinctively checking her pistol chamber to ensure it wasn't jammed.
Her brain raced as she searched for a solution.
---
'Amazing.'
Lucas watched the scene with genuine admiration.
Among ordinary people he knew, without relying on special equipment, only Deadshot might achieve this level of skill.
Now Lucas was curious.
What was this woman going to do next?
Just as he wondered—
Layla suddenly shouted toward him.
"What are you waiting for?! Shoot!"
Sure enough, the remaining criminals instinctively turned toward Lucas.
Three of them even redirected their guns.
Layla seized the opportunity.
Bang!
One gunman dropped instantly.
In this situation, she had to be fast, precise, and ruthless.
Even one extra second of hesitation could be fatal.
The criminals panicked and immediately returned fire toward Layla's position.
Layla had already taken cover.
She protected her head and torso tightly—if her arms or legs were hit, she could survive. But her vital areas had to remain protected.
"Damn it! Where the hell is the backup?!"
Layla shouted into her radio.
If this were New York or Washington, these criminals would already be riddled with bullets.
"We're almost there! Just hold on!" came the reply.
At that moment, police sirens suddenly echoed outside the hospital.
But strangely, the criminals showed no signs of panic.
Layla felt a small wave of relief.
Then—
BOOM!
A violent explosion sounded outside.
After that…
Silence.
"Hello? What happened out there?" Layla shouted into the radio.
Only static responded.
Layla fell silent.
Then the criminals began laughing.
"Hahaha! Your buddies are all dead, bitch! Let's see what you do now!"
"If you don't want to die horribly, come out and surrender!"
"Otherwise we'll make your death very painful!"
"You've got five seconds!"
As they shouted threats, Layla took a deep breath.
She suddenly peeked out from cover.
Before she could even fire—
Five rifles immediately unleashed a barrage of bullets.
Luckily, she had only exposed her head briefly before pulling back.
"Well… at least they're not professional assassins or mercenaries," she muttered, trying to comfort herself.
"Move in!" one of the criminals ordered.
The gunmen stepped out from cover.
Two in front.
Two behind.
If Layla shot the front ones, the rear shooters would instantly kill her.
In movies, heroes like James Bond might somehow survive situations like this.
But reality was different.
Yet Layla's calm face showed no despair.
She was still thinking about how to break the deadlock.
"Do you regret it?"
Lucas suddenly appeared beside her.
Layla almost shot him out of reflex.
"How did you get here?! And why haven't you run away?!" she asked, confused.
How had Lucas reached her side while the criminals were watching this direction?
"Do you regret your decision?" Lucas asked calmly.
"You could have stayed away and waited for backup."
"I don't regret it," Layla replied firmly.
"Not even a little."
"Now listen—when I create an opening, you run. Whether you survive or not depends on your luck."
Lucas smiled in approval.
"You're impressive."
Layla was about to ask if he had lost his mind—
But Lucas suddenly turned his right hand.
A small object emitting a faint blue glow appeared in his palm.
"I grant you power in my name."
"Never forget your original purpose."
With that, Lucas pressed the Scarab onto Layla's forehead.
Instantly, it glowed bright blue.
Mechanical limbs extended and locked onto her face.
Layla screamed as the transformation began.
The criminals froze in alarm and stopped advancing.
Two minutes passed.
Then—
A figure wearing a black-and-blue armored suit emerged from behind the cover.
Ratatatat!
The criminals opened fire immediately.
Instinctively, Layla raised her arms to block.
Bullets struck her body with metallic clangs—
Yet she felt no pain at all.
"What… is this?"
Layla stared in shock.
When she looked up, a holographic visor activated before her eyes.
Five remaining criminals were instantly locked onto the display.
___
🎉 Shoutout to Steven Lumpkin,Chris Hodge, and Heartless117🎉
A huge thank you to Steven Lumpkin,Chris Hodge, and Heartless117 for joining my Patreon and supporting the journey! Your support means a lot and helps keep the chapters coming faster. Welcome to the VIP club! 🙌✨