16: Chapter 16 Sudden Incident: Gunshots in the Sunlight

...

[Evacuation Countdown: 00:31:36]

Looking at the evacuation time, Lin Fang stretched. It should be fine now; even if they broke in, it would take some time.

Unless...

"Mr. Cassius, are you there?"

Suddenly, a rather gentle male voice came through the earpiece.

Someone new?

Lin Fang's eyes narrowed. It seemed someone of a higher rank had arrived. Who was it?

"Before greeting someone, you should state your name first."

"Carlton Drake."

The other party was very polite.

It was him! Ever since he realized this was the world of "Venom," Lin Fang had combed through the plot in his mind countless times, so he naturally remembered the villain.

Carlton Drake, the head of the Life Foundation. To think he'd run into him here. What was his personality like? Lin Fang began to recall, wondering if there were any differences from the movie.

If it was the same, then that gentleness was just a facade.

"Never heard of you," Lin Fang said, feigning ignorance. "Are you from the Drake Family?"

"All you need to know is that the person you killed yesterday was my uncle's daughter." In the corridor, Carlton Drake gave a look, and a nearby bodyguard quickly stepped inside to stick a flat black object onto the wall.

As the countdown on the black object hit zero,

Boom—

A large hole was blown into the wall. Mitte Wester, who was still muttering to himself, was close by and was blown away, his fate unknown.

Carlton, dressed in a well-tailored suit, stepped over the rubble and entered. He first looked at the empty floor in the center, then at the Asian youth who seemed stunned by fear, and Carlton Drake flashed a confident smile.

"As expected, it was for the server.

Now you have only one chance to live, and that is to tell me your secret."

"..."

Looking at the large hole in the wall,

and then at the bodyguards filing in, Lin Fang blinked and very submissively raised his hands.

[Evacuation Countdown: 00:28:26]

It's the last half hour; I can't die no matter what.

...

Outside the Research Institute,

"This is private property! This is private property! You are breaking the law, breaking the law...!" the large loudspeaker hanging at the entrance kept shouting.

Beep—

The speaker was knocked down by a punch from an old man in his seventies who jumped up, and it was subsequently trampled into pieces by the crowd.

When Drake and his party came out and saw the situation outside, their scalps tingled with apprehension.

People, there were people everywhere, estimated to be nearly ten thousand, completely surrounding the Research Institute. The horse-faced bodyguard grabbed Karl, who was guarding the door. "What's going on?"

"Sir, that article went viral. They're all here to rescue Cassius." Karl pointed at a tablet with a long face; the view count on the post had already exceeded a hundred million.

"They're about to rush in!"

The defense of the Research Institute's security department was crumbling, and some bodyguards had to join them.

Lin Fang was also startled to see so many people outside. It was practically a sea of people. What were they here for?

The faint shouts made Lin Fang understand everything. Looking at the passionate American people, Lin Fang exerted some force to break free from the bodyguard's grip and couldn't help but wave at them.

Then, the Asian youth shouted in perfectly fluent American English,

"I'm OK. Are you ok?!"

Wah—

The crowd outside erupted because they saw the besieged Asian youth. They were very familiar with this young man, especially the two band-aids on the bridge of his nose.

"It's Cassius!"

"It really is Cassius! He's still alive! What are they going to do to him?"

"Cassius, we are with you!"

"..."

Faced with this situation, even Carlton felt somewhat powerless. Trying to break through the crowd to take Cassius back to the Foundation was simply wishful thinking.

But they had to leave. He had received bad news: the American CIA and the military were on their way. The only thing that could alert them was the secret Cassius held.

He hadn't expected to have their spies around him. At this thought, Carlton's expression darkened, but in the next second, he put on a gentle smile.

Stepping past the bodyguards,

Carlton endured the spit from the old man in front of him; the smell of leftover fried chicken emanating from him almost made him gag.

"Everyone, I am Carlton Drake. Please rest assured, we will not harm Cassius. On the contrary, we are saving him. He is a hero of America. I want to thank him for exposing the Research Institute's misdeeds. I will hold a press conference once we return. Please, rest easy..."

Carlton continued speaking,

His warm yet powerful voice, projected through a loudspeaker held by a bodyguard, spread in all directions, making people believe his words.

The restless crowd gradually quieted down.

"Mr. Cassius, if you don't want to die, don't say a word," the horse-faced bodyguard whispered into Lin Fang's ear.

[Evacuation Time: 00:21:10]

Lin Fang quietly checked the evacuation time. While responding to the enthusiasm of the American people, he said very amiably, "Of course, Mr. Horse, I won't say anything reckless."

Ten minutes passed quickly.

Carlton's face was nearly stiff from smiling before those people finally opened up a narrow path.

"Young man, this is America. Remember what you said."

The old man in front was still rambling.

Carlton Drake almost couldn't contain his rage. After a polite smile, the group began to walk out through the crowd.

During this time,

people kept wanting to high-five Lin Fang, and the righteous and sunny Asian youth responded to each one.

His smile was infectious to everyone.

Reaching the perimeter, two helicopters were right in front of them.

"Cassius, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a reporter. I'll be following your story closely once we're back."

Lin Fang looked at the tall, sturdy reporter who was speaking and felt he looked very familiar. He was about to speak and confirm.

Bang—

A gunshot rang out.

Next to Eddie Brock, a Black man's hand holding a pistol wouldn't stop shaking, yet a hideous, gleeful smile was on his face. "Who told you to light up the night sky? The night sky belongs to us Black people! You deserve to die!"

"NO!!" Carlton was the first to react. Horrified by the scene, he pushed past several people and rushed to the shot youth's side. "Cassius, hang in there!"

"Get a doctor over here, now!"

Carlton shouted at the horse-faced bodyguard.

Seeing this, the Black man tried to fire again, but he was instantly riddled with bullets by the bodyguards.

The crowd was stunned by the sudden turn of events. Those in the back had no idea what had happened, only hearing a chaotic burst of gunfire.

—Damn it, is it really going to end like this?

Lin Fang clutched his chest and fell to his knees. Unlike the instant kills before, this was the feeling of facing death.

So swift, so powerless...

[Evacuation Countdown: 00:00:10]

[Evacuation Countdown: 00:00:09]

Only a few seconds left. I really can't accept this. Make this body move again! Lin Fang stared fixedly ahead.

Don't go back yet. Just hold on a bit longer.

Don't die!

No longer able to sense anything around him, Lin Fang's eyes were bulging out.

[Evacuation Countdown: 00:00:05]

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