But after giving it some thought,
Happy slowly unclenched his fists.
Suddenly, he felt somewhat relieved.
He thought of Luca and Tony's usual unrestrained indulgence and nightlife.
Or how Tony spent all day in his lab studying his machines, usually unwilling even to look at company documents, and shouting for a hamburger whenever he got hungry.
Luca was even worse.
Aside from conducting biological experiments, he spent all his remaining time dating Hollywood actresses and Victoria's Secret models of all kinds.
So, from Obadiah's perspective,
He was bound to feel resentful.
He must have been wondering why, whenever the company ran into trouble, he was always the one working hard behind the scenes to clean up the mess and deal with those difficult military representatives and shareholders.
Meanwhile, those two greenhorns, Tony and Luca, could do nothing but have fun all day and still receive the biggest share of the company's dividends.
At the thought, Happy shook his head helplessly.
What could he say? That was human greed.
As Happy sank into thought, he subconsciously turned his head again and looked toward the brightly lit hotel entrance.
Just then, he saw a figure emerge from the hotel's main doors.
The man walked in a very peculiar way.
One leg seemed badly injured and unable to bear weight, so he could only drag it along the ground.
Overall, he was limping.
Happy narrowed his eyes and took a closer look by the light of a streetlamp.
The man was dressed in a tattered black combat suit. He was one of the three men in black who had questioned him in the hotel lobby just now!
Happy was puzzled to see him.
Why did he come down alone?
All three of them clearly went up in the elevator together.
And where are the bosses?
Why didn't Luca and Tony come out with him?
Happy's eyelid twitched, and a terrible thought flashed through his mind.
Could the bosses have been killed?!
Could this limping guy be the assassin who killed both bosses?!
Once the thought appeared, it was hard to dismiss.
Happy instantly flew into a rage, blood rushing to his head!
"Damn assassin! I'll kill you!"
Happy cursed through gritted teeth.
He immediately reached for his waist and drew his pistol from its holster.
He pushed open the door and quickly got out of the car.
But Happy hadn't lost his head to anger.
Nor was he foolish enough to charge at the man shouting and fight him to the death.
He knew the man was a professionally trained assassin who might have powerful weapons on him.
So Happy bent low under cover of the night.
Then he quietly followed the man, keeping close to the cars and greenery lining the road.
He planned to find a chance to subdue him from behind and ask where the bosses were.
Up ahead,
John limped down the empty street, dragging his two bleeding thighs.
A cold wind swept past, and John couldn't help shivering.
He felt that he couldn't possibly be more miserable.
He cursed furiously in his mind.
Damn Luca Stark! Damn Tony Stark!
Two bastards with no principles!
How dare they torture me like that!
Luca not only hid the fact that he had superpowers, he deliberately aimed for my face!
His face was now swollen all over, and he had even lost several teeth.
And that Tony! He's even more of a freak!
He actually implanted a bomb in my heart!
Now, whenever he breathed, he could feel something cold beating in his chest.
According to them, it was a bomb that could blow him into mincemeat at any moment!
John let out a deep sigh.
Why is my life so miserable?!
Complaints aside, John still had no idea what to do next.
He faced an enormous problem.
He was about to return to Hydra Base.
But once he got back, his superior would surely interrogate him upon seeing that he was the only one who had returned alive.
And he still had to lie as Luca had instructed, saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had ruined the mission.
The people in the organization were so shrewd. Would they believe that story?
What if they checked and discovered he was lying?
Even if the organization believed him, what then?
In his current condition, the organization would surely think he was no longer of any use.
Hydra never kept useless people around.
His superior might even draw his gun and kill him on the spot to punish him for his failure.
Either way, he was dead!
As these thoughts ran through his mind, John began to slow down.
God could see.
He really didn't want to return to that cage of nothing but cold-bloodedness and cruelty.
That was right. Hydra was a cage.
At least, that was what he thought.
But if he didn't go back, Tony would detonate the bomb.
So now he was a poor wretch caught in the middle.
His fate was essentially in his enemies' hands.
For someone living like him, there was no need to go on living.
As John walked, imagining how he would deal with the questioning from his superiors,
A sudden rush of footsteps came from behind him.
Immediately afterward, a warning rang out, and a cold object pressed against the back of John's head.
"Don't move! Raise your hands where I can see them!"
John took a moment to register the familiar sensation against the back of his head.
As a professional assassin, he knew all too well what it was.
In that instant, John truly despaired.
Why isn't this over?! Who is it this time?!
Could that bastard Luca have changed his mind and sent someone to silence me?!
Before John could figure out what was happening,
The person behind him had already seized his wrist in an iron grip.
Then the man raised his foot and kicked the back of John's knee.
John's legs had already lost most of their strength.
With that kick, his legs instantly gave way, and he fell heavily to his knees.
The man behind him then demanded loudly,
"You damn bastard! What did you do to my bosses? Talk! Where the hell are the Starks?!"
As he spoke, the man also slapped John across the back of the head.
The slap was extremely forceful.
Luca had already slapped John dizzy, and he still hadn't recovered from his concussion.
Now, struck again, his vision went dark and his ears rang.
But before he passed out, he finally recognized the voice.
Isn't that the bodyguard Happy's voice?!
John cursed furiously in his heart.
You're a bodyguard! Instead of protecting your bosses, what are you doing out on the street in the middle of the night with a gun to my head?!
To save his life, John didn't dare look back and immediately began explaining at the top of his voice.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! It's me! I'm the guy from the hotel lobby just now!"
Because he had lost several teeth, John's words were slurred.
"Your bosses are fine! Nothing happened to them! If you don't believe me, you can call and check right now! They're still in the room!"
After hearing his explanation, Happy frowned.
He stared at John for a few seconds and confirmed that the man didn't have the nerve to lie.
Besides, judging by his miserable condition, he had clearly been beaten up.
If the bosses really had been killed, there was no way this guy would have been beaten up like this.
Thinking that the bosses might really be all right, Happy finally felt relieved.
"Turn around and let me look at you, damn it."
Only after hearing the order did John dare slowly turn his head.
But once John's face was fully exposed under the streetlight,
Happy recoiled a big step in fright and sucked in a breath.
"Fuck! What the hell happened?!"
Why does this guy's face look like a pig's head?!
Both cheeks were swollen enormously and covered in bruises, and his eyes had been squeezed down to mere slits.
Dried blood clung to the corners of his mouth, and his front teeth were gone.
Did he take a spin in a washing machine?!
"What happened?! Did dozens of people gang up and beat you?" Happy asked in surprise.
As the saying went, one man's joy was another man's sorrow.
Seeing the shock in Happy's eyes, John felt utterly humiliated.
An elite assassin of his stature had lost all face.
He didn't want to say another word, nor did he have the face to explain to Happy how he had been beaten like this.
So he simply turned around and continued limping forward.
Damn Happy! Damn Starks!
If I survive this disaster, I'll definitely come back and get my revenge on you!
I'll make you pay!
With that thought, John walked faster and faster.
He had only one thought now: to get away from this place as quickly as possible and put as much distance as he could between himself and the Stark Family!