Chapter 302: A Predestined Ending, A True Mercenary Is Never Taken Alive

“Are you kidding me?”

The taxi driver, who had been cheerfully whistling and debating whether to have roast lamb or grilled fish for dinner, suddenly paused when he heard Gray Wolf’s words.

He looked at Gray Wolf with a puzzled expression, then followed his pointing finger to the meter.

Seeing the fare had already climbed into the hundreds, the driver’s face froze in embarrassment. He coughed awkwardly and pretended not to understand.

“Huh?”

“What? Go? Sir, I… I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Gray Wolf, already anxious about not reaching Lingling Circus on time and worried about failing his mission, snapped the moment he heard that forbidden word.

His eyes widened in fury as he glared at the seemingly honest driver and roared.

“That? That?”

“What? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?!”

Faced with Gray Wolf’s blazing eyes, his barely contained rage, and—most intimidating of all—his clearly non-human physique with bulging muscles, the driver felt a chill run down his spine. He had no idea what Gray Wolf was saying, and he was at a complete loss for how to respond or explain the fare on the meter.

After all, even if Gray Wolf wasn’t from the Dragon Country, he could certainly understand the numbers on the meter.

The driver glanced around nervously, then suddenly recalled a travel video he’d once seen about India. A lightbulb went off in his head, and he thought he finally understood what Gray Wolf meant.

He quickly gripped the steering wheel with his left hand, then brought his right index and middle fingers to his lips, blowing exaggerated kisses into the air.

“Oh, oh.”

“Kiss, kiss, brother! Kiss, kiss!”

Watching the driver’s ridiculous display, Gray Wolf felt a vein in his temple throb. If he couldn’t take care of Ghost soon, then what was the point of coming all the way to the Dragon Country?

Thud—

Gray Wolf suddenly slammed his fist into the dashboard, making the entire car shudder.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket, his eyes cold and furious as he stared down the driver. He pointed to the address in a text message and growled in a low voice.

“Go? OK?”

“OK, OK, OK!” The driver, now truly frightened, nodded like a pecking chicken at the sight of Gray Wolf’s murderous expression.

Then, without another word, he reset the meter that had already climbed into the hundreds, starting it from zero again.

After doing all that, he stole a glance at Gray Wolf, who was still holding up his phone and pointing at the address.

Swallowing nervously, the driver slammed his foot on the gas and sped off toward Lingling Circus.

The man who had only seemed like an honest driver was now completely living up to that image—obedient and silent.

…

Meanwhile, at Sanhe Square in Jiahe City—

Bang—

The iron door to the rooftop of the building where Priest was hiding was kicked open by a SWAT team member with such force that it crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Tian pushed past the other SWAT officers and rushed onto the rooftop.

The next second, he saw Priest lying on his back, blood pouring from both arms, his injuries severe. His pupils were dilated, and he showed no signs of resistance.

Most importantly…

Something was off about Priest’s condition. If it were just injuries to his arms, he shouldn’t look like this.

Even with the police breaking in, he should’ve reacted in some way. But now, he was lying there like he was in shock, completely motionless, with no response at all.

Even his pupils were dilated—he looked like someone at death’s door.

But under normal circumstances, having both arms pierced wouldn’t lead to such a rapid decline.

From the moment the shots were fired to now, barely ten seconds had passed. There was no way he could’ve lost enough blood that quickly to be in this state.

In that instant, Lin Tian’s eyes narrowed. He quickly stepped forward and approached Priest.

Just as he was about to reach out, a strong bitter almond scent hit his nose. He immediately stood up and raised his hand, calling out to the other SWAT members rushing in.

“Don’t touch him!”

“I suspect he’s ingested a large amount of cyanide. To avoid secondary poisoning through skin or mucous membrane contact, medical personnel must wear gloves and masks during resuscitation.”

After giving his warning, Lin Tian stepped aside and let the medics through, sighing inwardly.

With his extensive experience in criminal investigations, he knew that such a strong bitter almond smell likely meant Priest had taken a significant dose.

Given cyanide’s lethality, just a few seconds were enough to make someone never wake up again.

Even a small dose was hard to treat, let alone the large amount Priest had clearly taken.

It was probably… too late to save him.

Thinking this, Lin Tian clenched his fists tightly. He pressed a finger to his earpiece and spoke in a low voice.

“Xiao Ming.”

“If I’m not mistaken, Priest just committed suicide by ingesting a large dose of cyanide.”

“He’s in shock, and his pupils are already dilated. I doubt we’ll be able to bring him back.”

“This is such a waste.”

“All that effort, and in the end, we don’t even get to ask a single question. This is just… sigh…”

Though Lin Tian didn’t finish his sentence, Su Ming, who was on his way up the building, slowed his pace slightly.

He frowned in thought for two seconds, then pressed his miniature earpiece and said decisively,

“Cyanide?”

“Then there’s probably no need for any rescue efforts at all.”

“Come to think of it, we’ve already done everything we could. For a seasoned mercenary like Priest, if he truly intended to take his own life, it would’ve been nearly impossible to stop him, no matter how cautious we were.”

“Besides, if K trusted Priest that much, he must’ve been absolutely certain that Priest would never betray him like Ghost did.”

“Using suicide to silence himself forever… that’s exactly the kind of method a mercenary would resort to.”

“After all, mercenaries don’t have the protection of the Geneva Convention. If they’re captured on the battlefield by enemy forces, what awaits them isn’t the treatment of a regular prisoner of war, but all kinds of torture and abuse.”

“In that case, suicide becomes the best option—to avoid capture and end the suffering.”

There was a brief silence.

Su Ming quickened his pace again, eyes filled with unwavering determination as he continued,

“Chief Lin.”

“Forget about Priest. His fate is already sealed.”

“Our only objective now is to… track down the fugitive Ghost!”