Owen's sudden appearance caught everyone off guard, but unfortunately, he was directly across from Avril, so the moment he revealed himself, she saw him—her opening shots all missed.
Immediately, her MP5 unleashed a burst toward him. Owen bolted forward and then dove, sliding along the floor and tackling Dr. Susie to the ground.
Meanwhile, the unfortunate male researcher was caught in the crossfire between Glaz and Eddie. He took several rounds to the chest and died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"It's you~~~"
The moment Avril saw Eddie, her eyes went bloodshot. This was the man who had killed her own younger brother, the one indirectly responsible for Zheng Anshun's brutal death. She instantly redirected her fire from Owen toward her real nemesis.
In a confined space like this, automatic weapons far outclass handguns. Eddie wisely ducked behind a support pillar and shielded his head.
Taking advantage of the shift in fire, Owen dragged Dr. Susie behind cover. Sparks flew as bullets ricocheted off the lab equipment—Owen couldn't even lift his head.
Just when Avril's side seemed to have the upper hand, more gunshots rang out—this time from the doorway, and they came from her enemies.
Jason Bourne had arrived. As soon as he reached the second floor, he'd heard the staccato of gunfire. Upon investigating, he found Avril in a shootout with unknown parties.
He didn't know who the other group was, but they were helping him out. Avril's focus was on them—Jason took the opportunity and opened fire.
One of his bullets hit Avril squarely, sending her tumbling to the floor. Owen instantly recognized they had backup. Glaz tried to rush in but was forced back by Owen's covering fire.
Jason emptied one magazine, ducked behind cover, and reloaded before resuming his advance. He had to confirm Avril's death.
Unfortunately, she stood up again.
She was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Eddie cursed—he had just thought the psychotic woman chasing him for so long had finally been taken out. No such luck.
Though still alive, Avril was badly shaken. Her vest was made of Kevlar and designed to stop handgun rounds. But Jason had landed several shots in her back, and the impact had left her breathless. It took her a while to recover.
"Here…"
Grimacing in pain, Avril slid the heavy weapon toward Glaz. He picked it up, gaining a firepower advantage, but his position left him caught in a crossfire between Owen and Jason.
Da-da-da-da~
Glaz popped up from behind cover and sprayed wildly toward Jason's side. Jason and Eddie, consumed with hatred for Avril, focused most of their fire on her. Owen, on the other hand, continued suppressing Glaz's movements, preventing him from unleashing the full power of his SMG.
Glaz advanced cautiously along the edge of the lab, trying to reach Avril. Owen tracked his movement, aiming carefully—when suddenly, his expression shifted.
It wasn't just Owen—everyone stared in stunned silence. Glaz remained unaware.
Avril, too, noticed the change and shouted in alarm, pointing at the large glass wall behind Glaz: "There—what the hell is that?!"
Glaz froze and turned.
Through the reinforced glass wall of the lab, something massive was approaching fast in the deep blue sea.
"A shark…"
Glaz shouted, panic in his voice.
A massive shark had entered their view. Its muscular body propelled it through the water at over thirty miles an hour. Within seconds, it slammed into the glass with a deafening boom. The whole lab shook.
The thick, pressure-resistant glass held, but cracks spidered outward from the point of impact. The shark backed off a few meters, circled, then swam away into the dark, its black eyes—devoid of pupils—leaving everyone with a chilling sense of menace.
Everyone stared in awe at the massive bite mark left on the glass, imagining what such jaws could do to human flesh.
Owen was stunned. It was a great white shark—but the biggest ever recorded was six meters. This one had to be at least eight.
Avril was shocked for another reason—this was the same shark she had shot earlier. She recognized the bullet hole in its dorsal fin.
While everyone focused on the shark's aggression, Dr. Susie had a different reaction.
"No… that's impossible. Sharks can't swim backward. But just now—"
Owen was sure that shark had just swum backward. But before he could dwell on it, the sea monster returned with a vengeance.
The great white hadn't left—it lingered outside, gliding in slow, ominous circles. Its eyes were cold, predatory.
Then, another great white appeared. This one was about five meters long—more typical in size.
Without warning, the larger shark attacked the smaller one, biting down with terrifying force. The smaller shark squirmed helplessly like a fish caught in a net.
And then a third shark surged in from the depths and latched onto the victim too. The two predators tore the smaller one apart, turning it into floating chunks of meat.
Blood colored the sea red.
The giant great white swam gleefully through the crimson mist, reveling in the chaos.
Survival of the fittest. Nature's brutal law.
Bang bang~
Owen was the first to snap out of it. He fired two rounds at the still-stunned Glaz. The others followed suit—the gunfight resumed.
Avril, now recovered, drew her pistol and rejoined the fight. With her MP5 empty, Glaz ditched it and also switched to a handgun.
Owen managed to land a shot in Glaz's leg. The man cried out in pain and fell from cover, exposed.
Just as he was about to be riddled with bullets, Glaz panicked and shouted:
"Stop! Or I'll blow us all up!"
Gun in one hand, his other hovered over what appeared to be a detonator.
Everyone froze, weapons raised but unmoving.
Sweat poured from Glaz's brow. He yelled:
"I planted bombs in the fuel depot! You kill me, and we all go down!"
It was a bluff—but no one dared call it.
After all, Glaz had said earlier the explosives were in place.
And in an underwater base, even a single explosion could mean annihilation.
______
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