Chapter 834
Chapter 834
Late at night, inside a farmhouse in a small town in the southwest, Sofie, dressed in her combat gear, leaned against the eaves, squinting at the starry sky above her.
Right then, a bodyguard dressed in black approached and nodded, saying, “Ms. Carr, Mr. Doyle has sent someone over again to urge you to hurry. They're asking if you've made your decision yet.”
Sofie gave a cold laugh, lowered her head to look at him, and asked lightly, “Do you think I should shake hands and make peace with him?”
“I...” The man in black pondered.
Sofie added, “Although I used to be Leo's mistress, that old man was always wary of me. He only took me to the Tarragon Headquarters once. I have no knowledge of the defense system inside. If I really join forces with Mr. Doyle to attack, and if he decides to abandon one's benefactor once his help is not needed, then triggering the trap will doom us, leaving us utterly defenseless. After all, he has spent most of his life at the Tarragon Headquarters. It couldn't be any easier for him if he wants to pull some strings behind the scenes.”
The man in black, her bodyguard, met her gaze. He saw a chilling, deadly seriousness in her eyes and cautiously asked, “So, are you still determined to burn bridges and engage him in a fight to the death at the foot of the mountain?”
Sofie raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the courtyard next door. With a smile that wasn't quite a smile, she said, “The great elder is knowledgeable about the defenses of the Tarragon Headquarters, and I'm sure that young Holden does as well. Why would you think I'd choose to fight him to the death at the foot of the mountain, only to pay a terrible price in the end? I could simply lure him up theNôvelDrama.Org owns this.
mountain, then have Holden help me ambush him. Wouldn't that be better?”
The black-clad bodyguard's eyes sparkled with excitement as he exclaimed, “Ms. Carr, that's a brilliant idea! Since you have Holden under your control, he wouldn't dare to go against your command. If you tell him to go east, he won't even think of going west. If you were to order him to assassinate Mr. Doyle, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment. And if you asked who knows the defense system of the Tarragon Headquarters best in this world, I'm afraid he would be the one.”
A sinister smile crept onto Sofie's lips. She was about to turn around and contact Holden, planning to have him assist her in plotting against the great elder.
Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the adjacent courtyard, breaking the silence of the night.
“Oh no! Someone's targeting Wendy. Hurry over and check it out.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
The master and servant quickly dashed out of the courtyard. They immediately met with a strong, pungent smell of blood.
The light was too dim, and they could barely make out the shadows strewn haphazardly across the street.
“Ms. Carr, we're in trouble! We've been attacked by an external force.”
Sofie's pupils constricted, and she rushed toward the nearby courtyard, heedless of the winding trail of fresh blood beneath her.
If someone were to take Wendy away, she would lose her leverage against Holden.
If she could not control Holden, she might as well forget about attacking Tarragon Headquarters.
“D*mn it, is there still anyone alive out there?”
With a resounding bang, a dull gunshot echoed through the courtyard.
Sofie hurriedly rushed in, only to find that it was her own people who had killed the last assailant. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Where's Wendy? She hasn't been kidnapped, has she?”
“Ms. Carr, she's still in the room. Thankfully, the assassin hiding in the shadows arrived just in time, or else the other party would have succeeded in their plan.”
The man in black examining the body suddenly cried out in surprise, “Heavens, isn't that the top killer from Mr. Doyle's side?”
Sofie clenched her fists tightly and strode over to him. She reached out and forcefully pulled him aside.
“Are you certain this is the assassin from Mr. Doyle's side?”
“Yes, the undercover agent who was previously hidden among Mr. Doyle's ranks has sent a document
of information to my subordinates. It contains mostly the trusted aides of Ms. Doyle, and there's a picture with this face. So, I can be sure he is Mr. Doyle's man. Now they are attempting to kidnap Ms. Hoffman, things are clearly not as simple as they say. That sly old geezer claims he wants to collaborate with you, to storm the Tarragon Headquarters together, but behind your back, he's playing dirty. He's aiming for the biggest card in your hand.”
Sofie suddenly raised her foot and delivered several fierce kicks to the top killer.
“Old geezer! Two-faced jerk! Does he really think I wouldn't dare to have a fight to the death with him at the foot of the mountain?”
“Ms. Carr, please calm your anger. Now that you have Ms. Hoffman at your disposal, there's no need to bother with that old geezer. Let's bide our time for now. Once he follows us to the Tarragon Headquarters, then you can force Holden to activate the trap to kill him.”
Sofie abruptly closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she said, “Connect me to Holden right now.”
“Of course.”
A moment later, the bodyguard came over with a communicator in hand.
“Ms. Carr, the call has been successfully connected.”
Sofie snatched the phone, gritting her teeth as she laid out her conditions to Holden.
“Kid, you don't have the luxury to refuse. You must help me take down Mr. Doyle, or I'll kill your woman.”
After a moment of silence, Holden's sigh came through the speakers.
“If you had any other requests, I might be able to assist you somewhat, but this one is truly impossible.”
“Why?”
“The defense system of the Tarragon Headquarters was set up by Mr. Doyle himself. While I may know the locations of some traps, he is equally aware of them. Killing him in a trap is not a feasible option. On the other hand, if you bring him along, he might foil your plans where you are most confident. Despite being in charge of Tarragon, he, as the great elder, possesses knowledge of far more secrets than I do.”
Sofie's grip on her phone tightened as she spoke with an icy tone, “It seems to me like you're intentionally stalling. After Mr. Doyle's betrayal, didn't you replace the defense system?”
Holden chuckled. “Why should we change our defense system? Let's just wait for him to attack, then we'll wipe him out in one fell swoop.”
“You—”
Sofie took a deep breath, gritting her teeth as she warned, “Kid, you'd better not be lying to me, or I'll make your woman's life a living hell.”
After she finished speaking, she abruptly hung up the phone.
If Dominic also knew about the defense system of the Tarragon Headquarters, then she could not let
that old guy go up there.
Otherwise, she would become the mouse in a trap.
“Send out the order, summon all the assassins to gather in the small town. Tomorrow, we will engage in a fight to the death with Mr. Doyle. We'll discuss further once he's been dealt with.”
“Of course.”
At the same moment, two specter-like dark silhouettes darted through the dense forest. A palpable aura of murderous intent spread throughout the woods.
Finally, the dark silhouette leading the way gradually slowed their pace, their thin lips curling into a smirk that was neither a smile nor a frown.
“You've fallen into the trap.”
The person behind them paled and instinctively wanted to retreat.
Unfortunately, it was too late for him.
Before he could even turn around, a thick mist suddenly wafted across his nose.
It was colorless and tasteless.
But in an instant, all his strength was drained from his body. His legs gave way, and he fell to his knees on the ground.
“Who are you, really?”
Artemis slowly turned around, a smile playing on his lips. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What's the matter? Don't you recognize your own master?”
The assassin in black's pupils, his face filled with shock as he looked at him, “You— You're actually not dead? Are... Are you betraying Mr. Doyle and the others?”