Chapter 196
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Earlier, Lucas could still clench his teeth and let out the occasional muffled groan. But now, with the acupuncture pack wedged in his mouth, he didn’t dare move a muscle, just stared wide–eyed straight ahead, frozen in place.
Maxine moved lightning–fast, she was done in barely thirty seconds. But even so, the pain was so excruciating it nearly knocked the wind out of Lucas. ‘God, this hurts like hell. I’ve never felt pain like this before,‘ he thought. This was the most agonizing experience he’d ever endured.
“All done,” Maxine said, patting his shoulder as she removed the acupuncture mouthpiece for him.
To her surprise, aside from a bit of saliva, there wasn’t a single tooth mark on it.
She couldn’t help but give him a thumbs–up. “Damn, you’re tough. I can’t believe you held out like that,” she marveled.
Lucas slumped to the floor, completely spent, his shoulder and head propped against the wall as he gasped for air. “You’ve got some serious skills,” he managed. “The ER could really use someone like you.”
Maxine hadn’t hesitated for a second, her hands steady and precise, not letting the bloody mess or their personal history get in the way.
Fortunately, their efforts paid off. After Maxine finished bandaging him, Lucas’s wound stopped bleeding, and his dizziness subsided significantly, at least he wouldn’t be a burden during the upcoming negotiation.
The two of them waited anxiously in the small room for the police to arrive. Barely a minute later, a man’s shout suddenly rang out from outside. “Hey! Check this out, someone’s broken in!”
They exchanged uneasy glances. Maxine’s heart pounded with alarm.
‘I didn’t notice anything suspicious when I came in. How did they spot us so fast?‘ she thought anxiously.
The people outside suddenly fell silent, but both Maxine and Lucas knew this meant they were now searching for hiding spots.
It was only a matter of time before they were found, if those outside calmed down and thought things through, they’d realize the space under the stairs was hollow, and then they’d discover the room where Maxine and Lucas were hiding.
[What now?] Maxine typed on her phone and showed Lucas.
Lucas pointed at the stun gun clutched tightly in Maxine’s hand and signaled her to get ready.
Maxine swallowed hard and typed: [Will this really work?]
Lucas was already injured. If he got shot again, he might not make it out of this house alive tonight.
Seeing her remain silent, Lucas grew anxious and blurted out, “We’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. This is our last resort, if they find us,
we’re dead meat.”
“Alright,” Maxine nodded grimly and slipped behind the door.
Their hiding place was found quickly. The man who opened the door spotted Lucas sitting alone in the chair and grinned. “Damn, you’re one slippery bastard. Took us forever to track you down,” he sneered.
Seeing the blood on Lucas, he realized their shots had hit home. Figuring Lucas was too weak to fight back, he didn’t bother calling for backup.
The hallway outside fell eerily quiet. Crouched by the door, Maxine gave Lucas a sharp nod. Seizing the moment, Lucas demanded, “Why did you barge in here out of nowhere? What do you want?”
The man’s face twisted with malice. He snapped, “Shut your trap! Just know you’ve pissed off someone way out of your league!”
He inched closer to Lucas. Just as his fingers were about to touch him, a searing jolt of electricity shot through his waist, one side of his body instantly
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Chapter 196
went numb, his muscles locked up, and he crashed to the floor, completely out of control.
“Go!” Maxine shouted.
As Lucas reached her, she grabbed his arm, and together they bolted for the exit.
