Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate

Cain stayed put in the car, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he got killed, whether inside the car or not.

Mad Dog ordered his underlings to attack, firing shots at the car, but of course, it was no use—the car was bulletproof. "Hah, Cain, always the smart ass. Well, you see, tracking the car was not the only thing; knowledge of the specifics of the car you rented was also provided. I wouldn't be dumb enough not to find a way against it, you know, right?" Mad Dog smirked, gesturing for one of his minions to come forward, a bazooka held firmly in the minion's hands.

"You know, smuggling a bazooka into a country like Mer is extremely difficult, but I did it nonetheless after paying steel prices. You have been outsmarting me for so long, but not this time. I smuggled the bazooka to deal with situations like this. Now I'm counting to ten. Step out of the car or die in it—the choice is yours, Cain."

Mad Dog took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, plucked one from the pack, and an underling lit it for him with a lighter.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," Mad Dog counted slowly.

"7, 8, 9, 10. Burn him down," he ordered.

The minion aimed at the car, but the explosion Mad Dog expected didn't occur. Instead, a minion lay on the floor, dead, the bazooka falling from his grasp.

---

CAIN'S POV

Cain couldn't hear anything Mad Dog was saying, but he could get the gist of it. Seeing the guy with the bazooka step forward and Mad Dog lifting his fingers to count, he braced himself for his demise. He wished he could have lived longer—to bring Maria back—but that seemed impossible now. His death was closer than he would have wanted.

Ding!

A notification appeared on the burner phone he was using to contact Annabelle.

[Remain inside the car and don't come out till I say so.]

Cain read the message, a smile appearing on his face. It seemed he was going to live longer, help arriving in the nick of time.

He watched as the bazooka man fell, blood staining his chest—it was evident he had been shot.

"Spread out!!!" Mad Dog ordered. Everyone scattered, seeking shelter from the unknown shooter. "I want eyes searching for the culprit—fast!" His eyes were bloodshot with rage. Someone had dared to attack him, and it was infuriating. It wounded his pride.

"Who the hell dares to attack me?! Get the fuck out and face me like a real man, not some coward!" Mad Dog yelled, hoping to incite the culprit.

"That's pretty bold of you," a female voice replied to his taunt, walking toward Mad Dog and his group. "Asking one person to come out and face the rest of you? I wonder who the actual coward is."

"You know that and yet you came out in the open? You must be extremely stupid and dumb," Mad Dog mocked.

"Not stupid and dumb. I prefer the word confident—knowing you can't hurt me," the lady replied.

"Kill her!" Mad Dog ordered his men.

Obeying instructions, they pulled out their guns and fired at her. Mad Dog turned his back, convinced that she was dead, then looked at Cain.

"Was that stupid lady the backup you requested? How pathetic. But well, I guess it wasn't all bad. Thanks to that nuisance, the police will be arriving anytime soon, so I'll have to deal with you quicker than I would have liked, but… what? Want to come out? No? Then what exactly are you pointing at?"

Mad Dog frowned in confusion at Cain's persistent pointing inside the car. After a few seconds of trying to process Cain's action, he turned around—and to his surprise, the dead lady was not dead.

"You dumbasses!!! How horrible were your misses that she's still standing?! I didn't ask you to scare her—I ordered you to kill her!!" He yelled before turning back toward Cain.

"Where were we? Forgive my stupid subordinates. I'm sure they raised your hopes for a minute, but don't worry—it won't happen again. This time, I made sure I gave the actual order to kill her. Unless they all want to be buried next to their parents, they wouldn't be stupid enough to defy me," Mad Dog sneered, returning to his one-sided conversation with Cain.

"Where was I? Concerning killing you swiftly? Ha, I was in—WHAT?!!!"

Mad Dog yelled, his rage boiling over.

Cain was pointing again.

Mad Dog spun around, and his breath hitched—the supposed-to-be-dead lady was still standing.

"What the fuck is wrong with you all?! I said kill her!! If she is not dead soon, I will ensure your families are used as targets for the new members' shooting practice!" Mad Dog roared, infuriated at his underlings.

"But boss—" one of them tried to protest.

"No buts!" Mad Dog yelled, silencing him.

"Yes, they're stupid. They suck at shooting. I'm just realizing that now. But no need to worry—there's little she can do by herself. No matter how unlucky they are, there's no way a bullet won't hit her. These imbeciles are making me look bad in front of—"

Mad Dog stopped mid-sentence.

He saw Cain pointing again.

His expression darkened.

"You fuckers, I told you to—what the fuck is going on here?" Mad Dog asked, bewildered.

The foolish lady who should have been dead was still standing.

She was walking toward him.

And his minions?

They were all dead.

Dead.

Mad Dog's blood ran cold. Sweat dripped down his forehead. He reached for his gun, aiming at the woman, and fired—

Nothing.

His bullets missed. Every. Single. One.

He wasn't deterred. No—rather, he was too terrified to stop shooting. He kept pulling the trigger, round after round, emptying his magazine.

Not a single shot hit her.

"Are we horrible shooters?" Mad Dog muttered in disbelief. But deep down, he knew that wasn't possible.

His voice cracked as he took a step back.

"Who the hell are you?!"