From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 752: Don’t Die

Every member of the Black Hand who had taken part in the battle had been defeated.

Aaron was prepared to use his own pill on Commander Blark, the man who had been there since the organisation’s beginning. The Black Hand had originally been created through the funding of a government programme, but it had later separated from that programme and become a private organisation.

From that point onward, Commander Blark had taken control of its operations. He dealt with its clients and oversaw the entirety of the Black Hand’s activities.

With Blark gone, there was a good chance that the agents who hadn’t joined this mission would eventually realise what had happened. Without their commander or the organisation’s strongest members controlling them, perhaps some of them would finally be able to break free from the Black Hand.

However, Blark’s earlier words remained in Aaron’s thoughts.

Even if they killed him and completely destroyed the Black Hand, it wouldn’t put an end to groups like it. Someone would eventually replace Blark, or another organisation would rise to take the Black Hand’s place.

As long as there were people willing to pay for their services, there would always be others willing to provide them.

Aaron looked down at the commander.

There was no longer any need for him to use the special pill he had kept. Blark had been carrying one of his own and had chosen to take it himself.

Aaron wondered why.

Had Blark wanted to remain responsible for his own death so he could maintain some small amount of control until the end? Or had it been a final favour to Aaron?

After winning the fight, Aaron would have one less death weighing on his already heavy hands.

Whatever Blark’s reason had been, the result was the same.

The fight against the Black Hand was over.

The students had been saved, and the injured Rangers were being prepared for transport to a hospital so they could receive proper treatment. They had achieved the purpose of coming here, but the larger battle was far from finished.

At that moment, Aaron’s remaining strength gave out.

He dropped onto one knee.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked as he rushed over.

He offered Aaron his shoulder, allowing him to lean against it and remain upright.

"You did a lot," Eric continued. "You managed to hold out for a long time until we got here. Even with all our numbers, I’m not sure we would have been able to do much without you."

Eric had experienced Commander Blark’s skill while fighting him. The commander had been dangerous enough on his own, and judging by everything they had witnessed from the others, Monk and the remaining high-ranking agents had been even stronger.

Thankfully, their plan had worked in the end.

"We can’t stay here," Aaron said. "We have to move on to the next step. We need to go and help Max. He needs us."

The main weakness in their plan was now becoming clear.

They had deliberately split their forces, allowing them to save the hostages and deal with the Black Hand. Although they had won this battle, the two groups were now positioned on opposite sides of the city.

Travelling from one location to the other would take close to an hour and a half.

There was a good chance that Max’s battle would already be over by the time they arrived.

"I did as you requested," Eric said. "The helicopter is on its way. You’ll be able to reach him much faster using that."

Eric looked at Aaron’s injuries before continuing.

"But I’ll be honest with you. Are you really in any condition to fight right now? If you go there while all those powerful people are surrounding Max, I think you might make things harder for him rather than easier."

Aaron wanted to argue, but there was little strength left in his body.

None of the Rangers were in a suitable condition to help. They had fought hard to defeat the Black Hand, and each of them had suffered injuries or pushed their bodies beyond their limits.

Unfortunately, they were also the people who would be needed most against Max’s opponents.

The enemy had gathered several incredibly powerful fighters. The thought of Max facing someone who could fight Hercules, along with all the others supporting them, only made Aaron worry more.

He wanted to leave immediately, but Eric was right.

If Aaron arrived unable to defend himself, Max would be forced to protect him as well. Instead of helping, he would become another weakness the enemy could exploit.

Aaron forced himself to think clearly.

"The rest of you will have to do whatever you can," Aaron said. "Everyone needs to head towards Max’s location as quickly as possible. I’ll focus on recovering first. Have the helicopter ready to deploy the moment I’m prepared."

Aaron shifted more of his weight onto Eric’s shoulder.

"When I’m in good enough condition that I won’t become another worry for Max, I’ll follow as well."

With the help of the Billion Bloodline members, Aaron and the injured Rangers were led down the staircase and through the forest.

Several vehicles had been parked nearby, ready to transport them away from the battlefield. Aaron and the others were placed inside and rushed towards a hospital facility where their injuries could be treated.

They would also be given something to eat.

If anyone could recover before the others as long as he received enough food, it would be Joe. The power of his Vow allowed him to heal faster by consuming energy from what he ate.

Aaron hoped his newly awakened Vow might improve his own recovery as well.

The power had to draw energy from somewhere. His body couldn’t continue strengthening the electrical signals passing through his nerves without using something to fuel the process.

If Aaron ate enough and received regular medical treatment, there was a chance both would become more effective now that his Vow had awakened.

He didn’t know how quickly he would recover, but he needed to regain enough strength to reach Max as soon as possible.

Aaron rested against the inside of the vehicle while his wounds continued to ache. There was nothing more he could do until they reached the hospital facility.

I don’t know how much time we have left, Aaron thought.

Before the operation had begun, Max had warned Aaron that something like this might happen. He had told the Rangers to focus entirely on defeating the Black Hand and assured them that he would deal with everything else himself.

Max had known that the two groups might become separated.

He had also understood that he might be forced to fight alone until the others could reach him.

You told me to focus on beating the Black Hand. You said you would handle the rest.

Aaron clenched his hands as tightly as his injuries allowed.

You were the one who told me that you had no intention of dying.

There was only one thing Aaron could do now. He had to trust Max in the same way Max had trusted him to defeat the Black Hand.

So don’t die, Max! Aaron screamed inside his head.