Hawkeye

"Bang!"

A gunshot pierced the silent night sky. The captain wiped the blood from his face. "Your mistake was collaborating with us. How could you ever trust the words of a devil?"

The leader of the Skull Gang collapsed to the ground with a clatter, tears in his eyes. Blood gushed from the bullet hole in the center of his forehead, staining the ground red. Even in death, he clutched the briefcase tightly in his hands.

"Sir, the mission is complete. Shall we withdraw now?" a soldier asked.

"No. Clear the entire factory. Ensure no one leaves here alive." The captain's eyes were cold.

"Boom!"

As he spoke, he saw three streaks of blue light appear in the air. Three micro-rockets spiraled through the sky, slamming violently into the chest of the soldier standing before him. The immense force blasted the man away, leaving him dead or alive unknown.

"Enemy attack!" the captain shouted immediately. The surrounding soldiers raised their rifles, trying to locate the enemy, but the speed had been too great; they hadn't even seen where the attack originated.

Just then, the captain heard a sound near his feet. He looked down and was startled to see a smoke grenade emitting thick white fog.

"Cough, cough, cough..." The smoke grenade created a visual barrier for the enemy. The thick white haze quickly blinded the soldiers. They stood on high alert for further attacks, but after waiting for a long time, nothing happened.

When the smoke slowly dissipated, they were shocked to discover that the silver briefcase was gone!

Soldier: 76 transformation time remaining: 0:10.

William hugged the silver briefcase and sprinted forward; it was he who had snatched the case.

He had just witnessed the Skull Gang leader being killed and was surprised to realize that the Golden Question Mark he had been searching for was this mysterious case.

William had originally only intended to complete the main quest, which was why he had gotten involved with the Skull Gang. He never expected to be inexplicably dragged into a massive conspiracy. The arrival of those mysterious soldiers had nearly wiped out the entire gang.

From their conversation, it was clear these people were likely connected to the briefcase. It was a mission they had entrusted to the Skull Gang, and it seemed they were now tying up loose ends—or perhaps covering up certain secrets.

So, who exactly were they?

Soldier: 76 transformation time remaining: 0:00.

At that moment, the transformation time for Soldier: 76 ended, and William reverted to an ordinary human.

The transformation time for Soldier: 76 was now a mere three minutes. He had originally hoped to grab the briefcase, but who could have foreseen these special forces appearing halfway, attacking him and killing the Skull Gang members alike?

"William, if you don't escape today, you will likely die here," Athena said.

"I know, I know." Reverted to his normal self, William didn't dare stop; he kept running toward the dense forest ahead.

He was now just an ordinary man with no power to truss a chicken. If he were caught by those special forces, he would be done for. The main quest required him to uncover the secret hidden by the Skull Gang, and if he wasn't mistaken, this secret was definitely related to the briefcase.

Although he had secured the case, the mission wasn't over yet. It seemed he had to reach a safe place and shake these guys off to truly complete the task.

Unknowingly, he had fled deep into the forest. The moon was gradually obscured by dark clouds, and the forest at night felt like an endless labyrinth.

William didn't know where he had run to. His Sprint skill was now on cooldown. He panted heavily, struggling to keep moving forward. He didn't know when the enemies might catch up, so he didn't dare stop for a second.

"Bang!" Just as William thought this, a gunshot rang out not far away.

The sound gave William a jolt, and he hurriedly quickened his pace. He ran toward a small hill, but in his haste, he tripped over a stone and tumbled down the slope, landing in a pile of fallen leaves.

William opened his eyes, feeling dizzy. He felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and stars danced before his vision. He struggled to climb up, but suddenly heard footsteps approaching nearby.

He knew the enemies were close, though they hadn't spotted him yet.

If he panicked and ran out now, he would surely be discovered and his position exposed. But if he stayed put, they would catch up to him soon enough.

Stole someone's stuff and they're chasing you—what do you do? Asking online, it's urgent.

In a panic, William looked at the fallen leaves around him. He quickly lay down, rolled into the pile, and grabbed handfuls of leaves to cover himself, hiding until only his eyes were exposed.

"Damn it, where did that guy run off to?"

"Don't let me catch him; I'll make him pay!"

Hearing their conversation, William couldn't help but swallow hard. The footsteps drew closer. He could see the special forces soldiers now, rifles raised as they peered around cautiously. He quickly covered his mouth, held his breath, and chanted in his heart:

They can't see me, you can't see me...

The soldiers looked around, found no trace of the enemy, and prepared to leave. William was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard a soldier walk toward his position and say coldly, "Stop hiding! I've found you!"

William was startled, thinking, Holy crap, my camouflage is that good and you still found me?

In reality, the soldier hadn't found him; he was just trying to bluff. The enemy kept walking toward his hiding spot, and it looked like he was about to spot the eyes peeking out from the leaves.

At this critical moment, a sharp whistling sound suddenly tore through the air. A black phantom descended from the sky and instantly pierced the soldier's chest. The man collapsed on the spot.

William looked closely and saw it was a black arrow!

"Enemies!" the captain shouted. The soldiers looked around vigilantly, but they saw no one. Just then, another arrow flew, instantly piercing another soldier's throat.

The soldiers finally panicked, raising their guns and firing wildly in all directions. Bullets flew everywhere, shattering branches and trunks, and shredded leaves drifted down from the air, but they still couldn't seem to hit their attacker.

William had been saved just in time, and he was curious about who had rescued him. He couldn't help but look up, and there, standing on a tree not far away, was a silhouette.

The clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and the mysterious figure appeared in the bright moonlight. He had short golden hair and wore purple clothing. His face was shrouded in shadow, and he held a longbow in his hand with a quiver on his back.

At this very moment, the black longbow was drawn to a full moon, with two arrows ready to fly.

It was an archer!

William was stunned, as he thought of the attacker the Skull Gang had been guarding against—a terrifying archer. It seemed the mysterious archer had finally appeared.

"He's over there!" It wasn't just William; the soldiers had also spotted the figure. They opened fire one after another, trying to take the enemy down, but then, something unexpected happened.

In a flash, the archer leaped down. Dodging the bullets while still airborne, he immediately loosed two arrows. The pair of afterimages whistled through the air, slamming squarely into the chests of two soldiers!

A master marksman! William marveled to himself. Taking down one soldier with a single shot wasn't particularly impressive, but eliminating two targets simultaneously with a double-shot was a different story.

Wait a moment—superb archery, never missing a mark... he finally realized who this person was.

Hawkeye!

Goodnight~