From Bullets To Billions Chapter 614: No Witnesses

The two young women navigated the desolate financial district with extreme caution. Their hearts hammered against their ribs. They were deeply worried that more fake construction workers might be lurking within the perimeter, or perhaps a legitimate hazardous materials unit was managing the reported gas leak.

Trespassing was a risk they desperately wanted to avoid, fearing severe legal repercussions. However, the greater concern was the potential life-threatening nature of the gas; if it were real, they needed to evacuate the toxic zone as rapidly as possible.

"This entire situation feels incredibly bizarre, doesn't it?" Cindy whispered, her voice bouncing off the vacant glass storefronts.

"Indeed, it is completely void of people. It feels as though we have wandered into a ghost town," Sheri murmured, wrapping her coat tightly around her frame as she continued to lead the way. This path was her usual route to work, but without the typical throngs of corporate commuters and coffee carts, the sprawling concrete avenues appeared alien and ominous.

"If there really were a city-wide gas leak requiring a four-block lockdown, shouldn't the smell be unmistakably pungent by now?" Cindy inquired, sniffing the sharp morning air.

"I am not entirely sure if the same logic applies to commercial pipelines," Sheri replied, casting a nervous glance toward the nearby sewer grates.

"Actually, I am fairly certain it does," Cindy countered quietly. "Natural gas is inherently odorless. Utility providers artificially inject a rotten egg scent into the lines specifically to alert the public to dangerous leaks. If the volume were massive enough to be lethal, would we detect the stench, or would it suffocate us before we could even notice?"

"They add the odorant artificially? That is certainly news to me," Sheri responded, shaking her head at the piece of trivia.

As they drew nearer—now only a tense ten-minute walk from the looming Fortis headquarters—Sheri abruptly halted and raised a hand, signaling for Cindy to stop.

While they had yet to encounter a single person patrolling the inner streets, she could now hear distinct sounds echoing off the high-rises.

"I will kill you! Die!" a guttural, furious shout roared in the distance.

It was not merely one voice. As they strained to listen, a harrowing symphony of combat erupted around them. There were groans of agony, heavy thuds, and people crying out in physical pain, punctuated by the sharp clatter of metal and non-stop, ruthless swearing.

"Is that… is that a brawl?" Cindy asked, eyes wide. "It sounds like far more than two people, just as I suspected! That official gas leak report was nothing but a fraudulent cover-up. They are conducting some incredibly shady, illegal business right out in the open, and we need to witness it!"

Sheri longed to grab Cindy’s arm and pull her away. Her stomach turned. Lingering trauma from her past kidnapping by street thugs made her skin crawl; the sounds of brutal violence sent a cold shiver down her spine.

She wondered why Cindy lacked the same paralyzing fear, but perhaps her friend’s desperate drive to find the truth and honor Abby’s memory had completely suppressed her survival instincts.

Creeping forward while hugging the shadows of an alley, they soon noticed something bizarre. An alarming number of unmarked vans and black vehicles were parked haphazardly, effectively barricading the front courtyard of the Billion Bloodline building.

"What on earth is going on? I have never seen anything like this in the city," Cindy whispered, edging recklessly closer to the line of vehicles.

Alarm bells rang incessantly in Sheri’s mind.

"Cindy, I truly believe we shouldn't be here anymore. We need to leave, now," Sheri pleaded, her voice wavering.

She yearned to retreat to the safety of the coffee shop, yet she could not abandon her grieving friend.

Finally, they maneuvered around the perimeter and crouched behind the rear bumper of a large black SUV. Peering over the cold metal trunk, they finally grasped what was unfolding in the ruined courtyard of the Fortis group.

"It is a full-scale war! It looks exactly like two private armies clashing. A massive gang fight is happening on your doorstep!" Cindy gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.

When Sheri squinted through the dust, her blood ran cold. The carnage was lethal; men were not just brawling, they were utilizing deadly weapons.

To her horror, she witnessed people being viciously stabbed and beaten right before her eyes. Fighters writhed in agony on the blood-stained concrete, abandoned by their comrades who could not afford to pause for the wounded without facing death themselves.

"So... this is why I was told to take the day off," Sheri thought, struck by the realization. "Max and the executives knew about this siege. The gas leak was merely a calculated diversion to keep people like me out of harm's way." She swallowed hard. "But how did they foresee an attack?"

"I... I think we should head back," Cindy whimpered, her face turning chalk-white. The adrenaline had vanished, replaced by the crushing terror of the criminal underworld. "This is far too dangerous, Sheri. We have to flee. I don't know what kind of nightmare this is, but we cannot be here to see it."

They were finally in agreement. Just as they prepared to retreat into the darkness of the alleyway, a shadow shifted inside the SUV they were using for cover.

A bruised member of the Gilt Rats had been hiding in the vehicle.

Nursing a fractured rib, he had hoped for a quiet shift while his superiors handled the business inside. He had been slacking off in the backseat, leaving the grunts to handle the courtyard fighting.

He assumed the frontline troops needed no assistance, but when he spotted two civilians poking around their transport, a cruel smirk twisted his face. He viewed them as vulnerable targets to vent his frustrations upon.

"Hey there, little birds. Where did you two wander in from?" the scarred man growled. He kicked the car door open, stepped onto the pavement, and retrieved a heavy aluminum baseball bat, resting it casually on his shoulder.

"Ah! No!" Sheri gasped. "Quick, Cindy! Run!"

Sheri lunged for Cindy’s hand to pull her toward the alley, but the thug was too swift. He swung the metal bat with savage force, denting the car hood and blocking their escape path.

They could not even scream; the area was swarming with syndicate killers, and any noise would only invite more armed hostility.

"I am truly sorry, ladies, but we simply cannot have civilian witnesses today!" the man sneered, malice in his eyes as he raised the bat for a final, lethal blow.

Before the weapon could strike, a long wooden stick appeared as if from thin air. It collided with the aluminum bat with such precise, kinetic force that it snapped the metal in two and knocked the remnants from the thug’s hands.

"I won’t allow you to harm them."

Sheri and Cindy stared in disbelief. Standing between them and the thug was the mysterious woman from the street. Her vivid pink hair caught the breeze, and she held a perfectly weighted wooden practice sword in her hands.