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  Then Jaing attacked. His fist struck The Guardian across the face. Jaing followed through by powerfully kicking The Guardian in the chest. The Guardian backed up. Jaing came at him again forcing The Guardian to launch his remaining dagger at the assassin. But Jaing sidestepped it.

  The Guardian stepped up and caught Jaing’s fist. The Guardian kicked the assassin in both knees with a couple of quick moves and then sent his fist at his face. But Jaing grabbed his wrist and violently twisted The Guardian’s arm.

  Ignoring the pain, The Guardian broke free of his opponent’s grasp. He followed through by using his forearm to strike Jaing’s face before his fist slammed into the assassin’s ribs. The Guardian continued his assault by delivering three quick blows. His fist smashed into Jaing’s face, followed closely by his elbow, before his forearm slammed into the assassin’s jaw.

  The Guardian thought he had the upper hand. But the assassin suddenly stepped up and grabbed him by his neck. With seemingly all his might, he lifted The Guardian into the air as his powerful grasp crushed The Guardian’s trachea. The Guardian tried to break Jaing’s grasp, but it was to no avail. His foot smashed against the assassin’s chest, but it did nothing. Suddenly, Jaing threw him. The Guardian soared through the air and powerfully smashed against one of the pillars before falling to the ground.

  His head was spinning as he slowly rose back to his feet. Regaining his blurred vision, he saw Jaing standing almost twenty yards out. And he saw what he had in his hands: a grenade.

  “Time to die.”

  The grenade landed at The Guardian’s feet. In the next instant, it erupted into a ball of flame, bringing the column down.

  Chapter 11

  Wounded Royalty

  Turning away from the carnage, Jaing picked up his fallen revolver. He ignored the flames and the heat behind him as he quickly reloaded all six bullets before cocking back the hammer.

  “Target’s down. Now it’s time for the bonus round.” Smirking, he spoke his thoughts aloud. “Where are you princess?”

  Feeling a gun aimed at his back, he immediately reacted by moving to the side. The bullets flew right by him, some only inches away, before loudly buried themselves in a far wall. Whipping around, he saw the lone figure that was trying to gun him down.

  It was the princess.

  Her now emptied weapon remained steadied on the assassin. But Amelia’s eyes revealed her fear. Sensing her terror, the assassin maliciously smiled as he aimed his revolver at the princess. “You saved me the trouble of finding you myself. How thoughtful.”

  Right as he pulled the trigger, a new figure appeared. He came with such incredible speed that Jaing did not a chance to react to him. Adam rammed his shoulder right into the assassin, staff in hand. He followed through with a powerful blow from his bo staff. The revolver fell out of the assassin’s hand and skidded across the ground.

  Adam pounced on Jaing with a series of blows with his staff, aiming at Jaing’s legs, torso and head. But the assassin backed up, avoiding every strike and leaving the staff to only hit air. As Jaing ducked to avoid a blow, his open palm struck Adam in the chest, knocking him back a few feet.

  Jaing sensed another person coming from behind him. Without looking, he sidestepped the assault and his gaze fell upon his new foe. It was The Guardian. Jaing showed no emotion, but half thought his eyes deceived him.

  Together, The Guardian and Adam stepped up their assault. The Guardian with his fists and Adam with his staff. On either side of their foe, they attacked with all their strength. All of Adam’s training came to fruition. All he needed was one good hit, enough to stun his opponent. Then The Guardian would do the rest.

  Attacking relentlessly, they backed Jaing up towards a square pillar. The Guardian sent down fist after fist, elbow after elbow, and boot after boot. He struck Jaing a few scattered times on his torso and legs, but almost all of his assaults were dodged or batted away. Adam managed a few strikes with his staff, but none good enough to take Jaing down.

  In a quick move, Jaing stepped up and his palm struck Adam in the neck. With his breath knocked out of him, Adam was helpless as Jaing ferociously swatted away three more quick strikes from The Guardian. Turning back to Adam, Jaing grabbed him by his head and smashed Adam’s face into his knee before kicking him away.

  The assassin turned back to The Guardian and sent down several swift blows with his fist and knees. But The Guardian expertly batted them all away before going back on the offensive. He swiftly dropped down and swept his leg under Jaing’s feet. To avoid it, the assassin did a quick back flip. He soared several feet in the air before landing crouched down. Performing a quick roll, Jaing avoided two throwing knives that were launched at him as he rose to a knee. Looking up, he saw two more small knives flying at him. He effortlessly caught the knives and launched them back at The Guardian.

  The Guardian leapt to the side before launching one more knife.

  Again, the assassin caught it with ease. But he did not get a chance to throw this one away. Right before Jaing caught it, The Guardian hit a concealed button on his belt. And in the next instant, the knife erupted into a ball of flame.

  The blinding explosion momentarily deafened The Guardian as it violently engulfed its prey before sending the assassin flying through the air and smashing into a column. Jaing’s burning body left a dent in the pillar as it slumped onto the ground.

  As soon as the blast ended, The Guardian stood over his scorched and dying foe. Covered in burns and his own blood, Jaing weakly looked up at the man who’d defeated him. This normal man—Ethan’s protégée—had beaten the world’s greatest assassin.

  The Guardian aimed his pistol right at Jaing’s head.

  “I… I killed you… how did you live… how did you beat me?”

  The Guardian coldly stared down at his beaten foe. “It’s simple. I learned from the best.”

  Bang!

  The Guardian slowly turned back to look at the princess. And as he saw her, his eyes suddenly widened in horror. She was lying flat on her back. Jaing’s bullet had ripped right through her. Missing her head, it had driven a hole right through her left ribs and she was bleeding out.

  The Guardian did not waste a moment. Completely ignoring the dead assassin, The Guardian rushed over to the princess and dropped down to a knee beside her.

  A moment later, Adam was at his side. “How bad is it?”

  “Nothing major was hit.” Using his dagger, The Guardian ripped off a long strip of his cloak. “But she’ll bleed out soon.”

  “Can you stop the bleeding?”

  Using his knowledge and expertise of treating the wounded, The Guardian quickly wrapped the cloth tightly around the princess’s injury, doing what he could to slow down the bleeding. Thankfully, the bullet had exited the body without causing any major internal damage. “I can slow it down. Are there any more hostiles in the building?”

  “N—no.”

  “She doesn’t have long. We need to get out of here.” The Guardian scooped up the princess. She was already starting to lose color. “Contact Jonathan. Tell him to get to the base and prep the medical station. We need to get out of here now and she needs to stay with us. If the secret service has been infiltrated, that means that the police might be compromised as well.”

  “I’m on it.”

  ***

  Officer Mason of Crown City’s Finest stood on the airport’s ground floor. With his radio in hand, he looked down at the burnt body at his feet. This man, no doubt the assassin, carried no identification on him. His trench coat and clothing were scorched by some kind of explosion. And it was obvious that the same blast had thrown him here like a rag doll. Bullets were buried in the surrounding walls and columns. A few pistols were scattered across the ground. But more interestingly, a silver revolver with a long barrel also rested on the floor. Maybe it was some sort of trademark of the assassin. Not too far from the fallen guns were two daggers that gave away the identity of the assassin’s killer.

>   The lieutenant turned back and spoke to an officer a few feet from him who was photographing the corpse. “Has the princess been found?”

  The officer shook his head. “No sir.”

  All around Mason, countless officers and armed soldiers scanned the post-battle scene. Not far from here lay six defeated men. Two had been shot. One had a cracked skull. And the other three were beaten unconscious with numerous fractured and broken bones. The two hostages, both Secret Service men, who had witnessed the fight had been loaded up into ambulances before they could be questioned. Mason was still trying to figure out the narrative of it all.

  “Lieutenant Mason…”

  Hearing his subordinate’s voice, Mason spoke into his radio. “I’m here.”

  “The Guardian has been spotted, sir.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He is attempting to get past the police blockade. He’s now on the highway and we are pursuing him.” Through the radio, the sounds of the blaring sirens spilled through as the police attempted to chase down The Guardian. “He’s—he’s too fast for us. He’s getting away. And there’s another motorcycle riding alongside his. It appears that they are working together.”

  “And the princess?”

  “She’s with him… it’s hard to tell because he’s moving too fast but she seems to be on the motorcycle with him. We—we can’t keep up with him but we have air support keeping eyes on him.”

  There was now complete silence in the airport as all the other officers listened in on the conversation. “Have you ordered him to hand over the princess?”

  “Multiple times, but he has not acknowledged the command. He’s trying to escape.”

  “We need to get her at all costs. The president informed me a few minutes ago that the situation has changed and that obtaining her is our number one priority right now.”

  “We’ll do what we can.”

  Why was The Guardian speeding away? They had been working together for over a year now. Why was he suddenly trying to be a lone gunman? Mason looked over at a small puddle of blood not far from where he stood. There was no corpse around the blood. Had the princess been wounded?

  “Sir… he’s completely outrun all of our vehicles. We’ve lost a visual but the chopper is still on him. We ordered him to halt and hand over the princess, but he again ignored us.”

  Mason’s grip around the radio tightened. “Tell the chopper to lower its altitude and cut him off. We cannot afford to lose the princess.”

  “Yes, sir—wait… he’s just gone into a tunnel.”

  There was silence.

  “He’s… he’s still under it along with his partner. The helicopter is hovering over the bridge and is keeping its spotlight on it. Another chopper is cutting him off on the other side.”

  “Are you there yet?”

  “We’re pulling up now.”

  There was a long silence. Mason’s heart beat fast, feeling ready to burst out of his chest. “George?”

  There was no answer.

  The airport was nearly silent now. “What’s the situation?”

  “He’s gone sir. We lost him. We’re searching the tunnel now but there’s no sign of—”

  Mason angrily turned off his radio. He had been ordered to retrieve the princess. It was one thing for The Guardian to speed away with a citizen of Tripton. If he ever did so, it was always for the best. But this was completely different. In the eyes of Northshire’s current ruler, King Maximus, The Guardian had been branded an international terrorist. The fact that the king’s niece was in a so-called terrorist’s hands right now threatened to create an international problem if not resolved quickly.

  Mason turned back to face a few of the officers behind him. His frustration showed in his voice. “Have the unconscious hostiles been loaded up?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Get them to the station. I want Henderson to start interrogating them as soon as they get there. Find out everything they know.” He paused for a moment. “And get me the president. I need to tell him that the princess is gone.”

  ***

  When Ethan’s conversation with Veila had ended, a white light suddenly surrounded him. It blinded him and nearly forced him to shut his eyes. Shrouded within this bright light, nothing was seen or heard.

  When the light dispersed, he found himself here in Beijing. Not only had he been transported to another continent within a matter of seconds, his appearance had changed as well. He stepped out of the light clean-shaven and well groomed. He wore the type of clothes that he was used to wearing while living in Crown City and looked exactly like he did the day he left Govan Cove.

  The way Veila had teleported him was identical to the way Daken had transported him years ago. Somehow, Ethan had expected that to be the case. It was proof that Veila spoke the truth.

  He now sat in a café. The place was practically empty except for him and a group of teenagers sitting around a table at the opposite end of the room. The sun neared its highest point here in Beijing, even though it was nightfall in Crown City. It was only a few hours until he would face Daken’s next soldier in his attempt to save the Chinese President. Ethan knew better than to reveal himself to the Chinese government and expect them to trust him. Half the politicians here labeled him a terrorist. Trust was the last thing he anticipated from them.

  Instead, he would have to watch over the delegation and wait for the implants to reveal themselves. He knew where they would be meeting. Hours ago, he had covertly examined the place and knew the best place to observe it from.

  His full backpack rested at his side. Whatever he may need to take down Daken’s soldier was in there. The aroma from the hot tea on the table in front of him drifted into his nostrils. Next to the cup was a freshly printed newspaper. The attack on Crown City was front page news; everyone was talking about it. The article was written in Mandarin, but Ethan read it fluently. He started with the headline: “Terrorist Attack on Crown City’s Airport! New Facts are Surfacing!”

  Ethan quickly scanned the article, trying to see what the latest news was. He knew what he would find: eyewitness accounts of The Guardian’s heroism as he saved the life of the princess and hostages.

  Hearing a sound come from his right, Ethan glanced in the television’s direction and saw that the reality show was now replaced by a breaking news report. As the logo for the channel disappeared, a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit and red tie came on the air and began to speak. Again, he spoke in Mandarin, but Ethan understood every word he said.

  “This just in. New reports are surfacing regarding the terrorist attack in Crown City. Police have not revealed the identity of the one who orchestrated the hostage situation and attempted assassination on the Princess of Northshire. It is now confirmed that eight secret service men of Tripton and four bodyguards of the princess were shot dead in the initial attack. However, all the hostages were rescued along with two secret service men. The police now have three attackers apprehended while the rest were killed likely by the vigilante and terrorist known as The Guardian.”

  The group of teenagers and the restaurant’s employees stopped what they were doing and glued their gazes onto the report. The workers were middle-aged, and their eyes displayed their less than positive opinions of The Guardian. However, the teenagers’ eyes gleamed when they heard the name.

  “But a new development is in progress. Minutes before many of the attackers were killed, all the hostages were released save for two secret service operatives who witnessed The Guardian’s operation. They are claiming that The Guardian and another masked assailant took down all the terrorists before kidnapping the princess and taking her against her will after shooting her.”

  Ethan’s eyes widened.

  One of the workers loudly spoke up. “Now there are two of them! What’s the world coming to? He’s a rabid dog.”

  However, none of the teenagers paid any heed to the comment, struck by disbelief over what they heard.

  “They are clai
ming that upon taking down the terrorist leader, The Guardian and his costumed accomplice attempted to force the princess to go with them. She refused and they then shot her and took her while she was helpless to resist.”

  Slowly, Ethan rose to his feet.

  “King Maximus has publically stated that he wants a full manhunt for The Guardian. If Villanueva and Tripton’s government continues to support this terrorist—one who is known to be trained by and likely assisted Ethan Daniels in his endeavors before his sudden disappearance—then King Maximus will revoke the treaty between the nations.”

  The screen suddenly displayed Ethan’s face. The reporter continued speaking, but Ethan did not wait around. Without another wasted moment, Ethan picked up his backpack and walked out of the café before anyone had a chance to look at him. However, he heard the reporter’s final words.

  “King Maximus has sworn that President Villanueva must publically brand The Guardian a terrorist and charge him for all the crimes he has committed if he hopes to keep the treaty alive”

  ***

  The two motorcycles came to a sudden halt alongside one another under the warehouse’s bright lights. The masked Guardian quickly stepped off of his vehicle as Adam raced to him and scooped up the wounded princess off of William’s motorcycle.

  Amelia’s eyes were shut as she had lost consciousness halfway to the warehouse. The building’s bright lights revealed her condition. Her skin was slowly turning pale and her body continued losing its warmth with every passing the second. The bandages around her wound were soaked in blood. Some of the blood had managed to get onto William’s uniform, but he could care less.

  As Adam, with the princess in his arms, and William turned around, Jonathan’s gaze focused on Amelia. Next to him, the entire medical station was prepped to treat a gun wound, but Jonathan’s eyes remained glued on the princess.

  “How bad is the hit?”

  Adam laid Amelia down on the table as William replied, “The bullet went straight through her and exited the body. It did not hit any anything major, but she’s lost a lot of blood.”