There was no time to fire a second shot, but the first shot's impact had bought Beta precious time. He decisively abandoned his sniper rifle, rolled behind cover, and drew the pistol at his waist.
Almost at the same moment, a dense hail of bullets poured down, blasting the spot where he had just been into flying debris. With his back against a pillar, Beta slowly rose and held his breath, carefully pinpointing the positions of the three remaining guards.
After seeing their companion killed with a single shot, the three guards quickly scattered and took cover, each bracing his weapon to lock down every exit on the floor.
One of them quickly reported in a low voice, "Emergency! There's a gunman on the company's first floor, armed with a large-caliber sniper rifle! We've secured the scene. Requesting immediate backup!"
The air seemed to freeze. The two sides faced off in a brief, deathly silence, neither daring to make a move.
Beta knew time was running out.
He quickly pulled out his magazine and checked it. Only three rounds remained. The earlier exchange of fire—whether the shots had hit their targets or missed—had consumed nearly all his ammunition.
He decisively removed the suppressor from his pistol and tossed it to the left from behind the pillar. The metal suppressor bounced sharply off the broken glass with a crisp clang, then bounced twice more across the floor before rolling several yards away.
The sudden sound immediately drew the three guards' attention. They swung their muzzles toward it almost simultaneously, gazing warily in the direction of the noise.
In that split second, Beta gained a precious opportunity to move. He rolled sideways, steadied himself, and brought his pistol up in an instant.
Pop, pop, pop! Three precisely aimed shots hit the guard