From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 739: Getting Tricked

The Trickster and the office worker from the Black Hand were still brimming with confidence. After all, the Trickster had managed to defeat Wolf, the very man the Rangers were relying on for a miracle. Standing on the worn wooden platform of the old temple, the two assassins exchanged a smug glance. Although Wolf had proven to be a tough, formidable opponent during their duel, the assassins couldn’t see how his mere words from the sidelines could possibly turn the tide of an already lost battle.

Standing side by side, Stephen and Na exchanged a brief, silent nod before charging forward simultaneously.

As they closed the distance, Stephen deliberately refrained from unleashing his super speed, a tactical shift that caught both Black Hand members completely off guard. Up until now, Stephen had always burst ahead first as their primary vanguard. To the assassins, the Rangers’ strategy had seemed transparently simple: Stephen would rush in to pin an opponent in place, holding them still just long enough for Na to step up and deliver a crushing knockout blow. The problem with that pattern was that because the two assassins were working in tandem, they had been able to cover each other’s blind spots effortlessly, rendering the simple setup useless.

Matching each other’s stride pace for pace, the two Rangers reached striking range. Right on cue, the Trickster flicked a coin from his pocket with lethal velocity. He could see Na winding up for a compact, devastating swing, and to disrupt the big man’s rhythm, the metallic coin went flying straight for Na’s eyes.

Na’s fist was aimed directly at the Trickster, but the young assassin suddenly felt a sharp prickle of unease down his spine. Rather than lunging in with a toe-blade kick like he normally would, the Trickster instinctively leaned back, a cautious choice that ultimately saved his life.

Out of nowhere, Stephen slipped in from the side, snatching the coin right out of the air before it could blind Na. After intercepting the metallic projectile, Stephen immediately ducked low to clear the path.

At that exact microsecond, Na’s heavy fist swept through empty space. It missed the Trickster solely because of the assassin’s cautious retreat, the sheer air displacement from the punch ruffling the boy’s clothes.

Immediately after intercepting the coin, Stephen maneuvered directly behind Na, shadowing his partner’s heavy frame so closely that he was completely hidden from the assassins’ sightlines.

The woman in office attire stepped forward, whipping her leg around in a swift high kick aimed straight at Na’s temple. A brutal hit landed flush across his jaw, because Na made no attempt whatsoever to dodge, block, or brace for the impact. He simply swallowed the blow, standing his ground like an iron pillar.

The moment the kick connected, Stephen exploded from behind Na at maximum velocity. Powered by his exoskeleton arms, his entire body slammed into the female assassin mid-air, wrapping her in an unyielding iron bearhug before her foot could even return to the floor. He didn’t stop there. Using every ounce of momentum generated by his Vow, he drove her backward across the courtyard, smashing her whole body straight into the trunk of a massive tree at the edge of the clearing.

The brutal impact shattered the thick bark and echoed loudly across the temple grounds. Stephen pushed himself up, panting heavily as dust settled around him, and looked down at his foe. Her back was bent at an unnatural angle from the sheer force of the collision, her body limp and lifeless against the roots.

"Looks like Wolf’s plan actually worked," Stephen exhaled, wiping sweat and grit from his eyes as he tried to catch his breath.

It was almost hard to believe that a few simple tactical adjustments could resolve a situation that had seemed utterly hopeless moments before.

Wolf had observed earlier from his vantage point that the two assassins were overly focused on rigid offensive and defensive roles. They were fighting side-by-side, but they lacked true unit synergy, failing to maximize their individual strengths as a cohesive team.

That was where Wolf’s tactical advice bridged the gap. Stephen needed to serve as Na’s defense so Na’s heavy attacks could land, while Na needed to act as Stephen’s shield to set up a clean, unavoidable grapple.

The key to making the plan work was Na’s absolute trust in Wolf’s directions. He had to trust that Stephen would intercept the coin in time, forcing the Trickster to step back. Even more challenging, Na had to trust that his own body was sturdy enough to take a direct kick from the office worker without flinching. Normally, a trained fighter’s reflexive instinct to dodge or block incoming damage would prevent them from committing fully to a setup.

The final piece of the puzzle relied on Stephen going all-out on the office worker once she was pinned. The only variable Wolf hadn’t precisely calculated was that Stephen would carry his momentum all the way into a tree, breaking her spine and neutralizing her instantly.

"Well, those bastards asked for it in the first place," Wolf muttered to himself, clutching his bleeding side near the treeline. "Using concealed blades and lethal weapons, they were definitely planning to kill us all anyway. Though... even if we make it out of this, a kill like that might weigh heavily on someone like Stephen. He isn’t a natural-born killer meant for this underworld life."

Wolf carefully pushed himself up against the tree trunk, looking over the battlefield as the dust began to clear. The remaining students held their breath from the wooden platform, their eyes wide as the tides of the fight shifted once more.

"Now that it’s two against one, they should be able to handle the Trickster without my help. It’s only a matter of time before he falls... The real threat we still have to face is the Commander, and getting those kids out safely."

****

Sorry for the lack of updates on this work, I had to travel back to the UK for a wedding, and it was the first time travelling with our 1 year old son, so I was unable to do my usual workload. In the month of September I also have 11th to the 24th. I recommend people to not get Priv during this period, as Priv is based on reading X amount of Chapters ahead and I might not be able to upload B2b during this period.

I will try my best to still upload during this time.