The next day.
Early in the morning, after dropping Carrie off at school, Lucas Reed drove straight toward the Luthor Group headquarters.
"Why did I even agree to bring you along?"
Lucas complained as he drove, clearly a little irritated.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Elaine Belloc folded her small hands together, carrying a maturity completely at odds with her youthful appearance.
She turned her head to look at Lucas.
"Because you're worried about the man named Luthor."
"You seem to know him very well," she continued calmly,
"perhaps even… his future?"
"Who is Superman?"
Lucas's expression immediately hardened. He cut her off before she could continue.
"If you still want to live peacefully in this household," he said coldly,
"then you'd better stop using that mind-probing ability of yours."
"At the very least—never use it on me or my family."
Elaine did not hesitate. She nodded.
"Alright. I understand."
After that, she quietly stared out the window, seemingly lost in thought, and did not speak again.
Lucas welcomed the silence.
---
Before long, the two arrived at the Luthor Group's headquarters.
As soon as they stepped out of the car, they ran into Lex Luthor, who appeared to be heading out.
"Lucas, your timing is perfect," Luthor said warmly.
"I'm about to head to one of the group's branch offices to handle some business."
He stepped forward, gave Lucas an enthusiastic hug, and then pulled him straight toward his extended Rolls-Royce.
"Mr. Reed," Luthor said as they got inside, glancing at Elaine seated nearby,
"you really are bold—bringing a child from home to work."
"She's not used to being alone at home," Lucas replied with a laugh.
"So she tagged along."
Elaine, however, spoke up politely.
"If my presence disrupts your discussion with my brother, please allow me to apologize."
Luthor raised an eyebrow slightly, surprise flashing in his eyes before he smiled warmly.
"Nonsense," he said.
"On such a dull journey, having a well-mannered and knowledgeable young lady like you as company is quite a pleasure."
---
"Now, back to business," Luthor continued.
"When I left this morning, I received another threat letter."
As he spoke, he took an envelope from the compartment beside him and handed it to Lucas.
Lucas opened it and scanned the contents.
The message was the same generic threat—but one detail at the end caught his attention.
"It seems you've offended more than one faction," Lucas said, crushing the letter in his hand.
"Is it serious?" Luthor asked grimly.
Bang!
Screee—!
Before Lucas could answer, a high-caliber bullet struck the front tire.
The immense force blew straight through the reinforced tire, instantly throwing the vehicle off balance.
At high speed, inertia sent the car skidding violently across the road. The interior descended into chaos.
The driver desperately spun the steering wheel, trying to regain control—
But before he could stabilize the car, a second shot blew out the rear tire.
Even so, this was a custom vehicle built to presidential standards.
Despite both front and rear tires being destroyed, the reinforced chassis prevented it from flipping. Under the driver's skilled control, the vehicle began to stabilize.
Boom!
The next instant, a violent explosion erupted beneath the chassis.
The entire car was lifted more than ten centimeters into the air.
Yet once again, the mine-resistant armored underbody held firm.
Before the driver could recover—
A massive explosion detonated in the engine compartment.
A deafening roar echoed as the Rolls-Royce was blasted skyward, its reinforced frame warped by the terrifying force.
Moments later, the vehicle crashed back to the ground and was engulfed in raging flames.
---
Several hundred meters away, on a hillside.
Floyd carefully stowed his heavy sniper rifle, collected the spent casing, erased all traces of his presence—and prepared to leave.
"Are you really that confident your target is dead?"
At that instant, Floyd's expression did not change—but a handgun slid smoothly into his wrist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Without even taking time to aim, the bullets seemed to grow eyes of their own, striking Lucas Reed's heart and forehead with pinpoint precision.
Floyd's pupils shrank.
The bullets failed to pierce even Lucas's clothing.
They slammed into something invisible, deformed instantly, lost all momentum, and dropped harmlessly to the ground.
In the same instant, Floyd fired two more shots—this time straight at Lucas's eyes.
The result was the same.
The bullets struck an unseen barrier and fell uselessly aside.
"Excellent marksmanship," Lucas said, clapping his hands in appreciation.
Watching in movies was one thing.
Witnessing it in person was another.
Maintaining flawless shooting accuracy under such pressure—
he truly lived up to the name Deadshot.
Floyd still didn't give up.
Without replying, he drew two large-caliber pistols from his thighs.
Bang! Bang!
Rapid trigger pulls sent bullets screaming from the barrels.
This time, Lucas raised both hands and casually caught the bullets in his palms.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gunfire continued. Under Floyd's precise control, every bullet struck the exact same point.
Yet even so, Lucas's hands remained completely unharmed.
"Give it up," Lucas said calmly.
"Unless you want Zoe to get hurt."
The gunfire stopped abruptly.
"What did you do to my daughter?"
Floyd's hoarse voice carried barely restrained murderous intent from beneath his mask.
"What happens to your daughter depends on what you decide to do," Lucas replied evenly.
At that moment, a figure emerged from nearby—Lex Luthor, confirming the area was secure.
"Who sent you to kill me?" Luthor asked.
"Sorry," Floyd replied flatly.
"Professional rules. I can't say."
"So your daughter's life doesn't matter, then?" Luthor asked coolly.
"I've already made preparations," Floyd said, staring straight at Luthor.
"If I die, all my savings will be released as a bounty on your head—permanent and unrestricted."
"I don't believe this man can stay by your side twenty-four hours a day."
"I'll make sure you live the rest of your life in constant fear."
Lucas clapped again.
"Impressive. From the moment you accepted the job, you planned for every outcome."
Luthor fell silent for a second, then said,
"How about this—I'll release your daughter. In exchange, you abandon the mission and never target us again."
"I'll also give you a one-million-dollar check as compensation for canceling the job. Deal?"
Floyd's eyes flickered.
He glanced at Lucas, then nodded without hesitation.
With a monster like this standing guard, the mission was impossible anyway.
Taking the money and walking away was the smartest option.
After Floyd took the check and rode off on his motorcycle, Luthor turned toward Lucas.
"If it weren't for you today, Mr. Reed," he said seriously,
"I would've been in real trouble."
__
T/N:
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