If the assassins succeeded in killing the mysterious girl that had invited Xavier to meet her, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the armed men managed to get in and sweep the penthouse. He'd eventually be found, interrogated and killed. Even if they didn't, the authorities would have to show up after such an event, which they wouldn't be able to keep under wraps if their boss died. His chances of surviving in that scenario were slightly higher, but everything he had built and his future would be ruined.
No matter how hard he thought about it, even if she had lost control of her organisation, she was still his key out of there. He needed her to get out of the building with his life. And past that, he needed to get his supplies to complete his mission, which he only had a day or 2 left to complete.
'Damn it! How did things get this messed up? I guess I've got no choice but to fight. But she did intend to spare me, so I guess it wouldn't be too bad to save her too,' he said to himself internally while remaining as calm as he possibly could.
Xavier knew he was merely trying to rationalise the fact that he was about to put his life on the line to fight against professional assassins, to try to save a random girl he had just met. Meanwhile, he also realised that his moral compass was weakening.
Previously, he wouldn't hesitate to try to save her even without anything to gain from doing so. However, now he had so much to consider and also to lose. That wasn't to say he had become a bad person, it's just that being a good person in such circumstances is challenging. He was also unsure why they were after her, and she had also attempted to knock him unconscious and take his money, so he didn't owe her anything.
However, no matter how he thought about it, he had no choice but to fight. But he had to be extremely careful while doing so.
This wasn't a sparring match against one of his friends.
This was a fight where the slightest mistake would cost him his life.
Thankfully, it seemed as though he wasn't alone in the fight...
-
Remaining calm and composed, despite the odds of them surviving being very low and having already sustained bullet wounds, the 2 armed men who appeared to be closest to the young boss were ready to fight off the assassins with their lives. Since there were only 4, they'd have to fend off 2 of them each.
However, time was of the essence for all of them
The longer the assassins took to eliminate their target, the more likely the rest of the armed men serving her would be able to break through into the penthouse. Or at least reboot the generator and fix the building's electricity. Meanwhile, the longer the 2 armed men had to fight, the more weakened they would become from blood loss and the more likely they were to die.
So, even without eliminating the assassins, as long as they could hold out for long enough without dying, they'd have been able to fend them off successfully. But simultaneously, the time constraints merely made the assassins more desperate as they split into 2 groups and circled around the flipped table that they were hiding behind.
"There's 2 on each side of us, so there's no way one of us can lunge forward and the other can provide cover fire. We're just going to have to split up and face them head-on."
Nodding his head, the other armed man turned to his young boss with a stern but solemn look in his eyes.
"As soon as we charge at them, I need you to stay low and find somewhere to hide. You have to be quick and remain silent until..."
"But..."
"No buts. Go. Now."
As soon as he said that, he jumped up along with the other armed figure. It was as if they were in sync. They both opened fire at one of the 2 duos of assassins. Then, diving to the ground, their intention was clear to Xavier and the assassins. Seeking to close the distance, they wanted to fight them in close combat. Meanwhile, the assassins appeared to be seeking something similar.
Weirdly, it was advantageous for both parties to engage in close combat. It would allow the assassins to confirm for themselves that their target had been killed before leaving, as well as avoid the slim chances of losing in a shootout. As for the 2 armed men, they doubted that they could win in a shootout and were more confident in their combat prowess. Also, a shootout in darkness with all the obstacles and cover options would drag on for too long.
And so they started to close in on each other.
-
Despite being outnumbered and injured, the 2 men didn't shy away from the silently agreed opportunity to fight them up close. In their minds, as long as they kept them away from their boss and distracted for long enough, their duty was fulfilled. And they were confident that they could take them on for at least a minute or 2. In such a tense situation, that was the difference between the assassins succeeding or failing in killing their target.
However, they had massively underestimated how well they could handle the assassins in the state they were in even after their mutual agreement to relinquish the use of firearms. But backing down wasn't an option.
And it was only when they made a move and began fighting against the assassins that a shirtless figure also started moving in the shadows of the pitch-black penthouse.
-
Navigating his way around carefully, relying on his sharp senses, Gangster Instincts and memory of the penthouse's layout, Xavier moved around silently and headed over to where the young girl was. She was supposedly the same age as he was and yet ran such a large and powerful organisation. Her intelligence also couldn't be underestimated with her managing to control everything from a distance and get as far as she did.
However, intelligence couldn't substitute for experience, and she was completely rattled by what was going on. It was as if her brain was over-functioning while her body was frozen in place.
'Damn it. I need to move,' she yelled internally.
She could hear the sounds of blades clashing and the grunts that her men were making while engaging in combat on her behalf. And even just from the sounds of their battle, it was clear that they were being pushed back by the assassins that outnumbered them, and also weren't injured. But that only increased her fear and worry as she began to crawl away.
However, as soon as she did, she was suddenly grabbed and reflexively went to scream at the top of her lungs...