A loud gunshot echoed—and Jacob, quickly rolled behind a broken wall to save himself.
"THEY LOOK TOUGH, guys!" he shouted, loading his gun fast.
But this wasn't just any gun. It was his AK-47M—a powerful automatic weapon with a shooting range of 350 meters. It was heavy, around 4.5 kg.
Still, Jacob handled it easily—like he was trained for this, like he had done it many times before.
His teammates were also hiding behind broken walls. Someone had clearly attacked them. Bullets were flying everywhere. One of his teammates shouted, "Can't we deal with them one-on-one?!"
But the noise was too loud. Jacob didn't hear him properly.
Frustrated, he took out a grenade from his bag, pulled the pin, and threw it toward the area where the bullets were coming from.
BOOM!
Fire. Smoke. A loud blast. Everything shook.
And then—silence.
Jacob's eyes opened.
He wasn't in a fight.
There was no broken wall. No grenade. No gun in his hands.
That whole scene—it was all in his mind.
Maybe it was a memory. Maybe just a dream. Only Jacob knew for sure.
As he slowly came back to his senses, he noticed his arms were tied behind his back.
He was lying on the floor of the same bus.
Right behind him—Noelle.
She was also tied up. Her hands were behind her back. She wasn't moving.
"Why isn't she doing anything? Is she unconscious?" Jacob thought.
But he stayed still. Moving too much might alert someone. He needed to stay calm and quiet—for now.
"My watch is gone… They must've taken everything," Jacob thought, slowly opening his eyes fully.
As he looked around, he noticed the giant man sitting close by—the same one who had captured him. His head was hanging low, eyes almost shut.
"He's falling asleep... Maybe this is my chance," Jacob told himself.
Carefully, without making any sudden moves, he slid his body up and leaned against the wall of the bus. His hands were still tied, but his mind was racing.
"I need something sharp… anything."
His eyes scanned every corner around him—sharp, focused, hunting for hope. And then… he found it.
The wall behind him, right at the edge where he was leaning, had a rough, sharp metal edge poking out.
Perfect.
Slowly, he shifted his position and began rubbing the ropes on his wrists against that sharp edge. Bit by bit.
His eyes, though, were still active—watching every move of the sleeping giant… and the other passengers. Most of them looked normal, talking to each other, unaware of what was really going on.
"Since all the missions I've been part of… I've never been caught like this. I've never failed. This time… it was my fault."
He closed his eyes for a moment. His thoughts rewinding back—every single step he had taken in this mission.
The timing… the passengers… the road… the turn… the jammers… the equipment… the weapons…
"What am I missing?"
He was still rubbing the ropes—faster now.
But suddenly, he felt it.
Someone was standing right in front of him.
He froze. His heart skipped a beat.
At first, he stayed still—hoping it was a false alarm.
But deep down, he already knew.
He'd been caught.
Still… he didn't stop.
Without looking up just yet, he began rubbing his tied hands even faster against the sharp edge.
Then slowly, he lifted his eyes.
It was him.
That same man.
The one and only giant.
The one who had captured them all.
"Welcome back!!" the man growled—and with a rough push of his shoe, he kicked Jacob hard in the chest.
Jacob screamed.
The pain was sharp.
The push was powerful.
He shut his eyes tight as a terrible sound escaped from his mouth.
Everyone turned.
The loud scream had caught their attention.
"Look! He's awake!"
"Are they both awake now?"
"Stay close to your kids!"
People started whispering, their eyes wide with fear. A sense of panic began to spread across the bus.
Ethan and Evelyn, both at work just moments ago, immediately stopped what they were doing.
But the giant man didn't stop.
He kept pushing Jacob—again and again.
Then he grabbed Jacob's shoulder tightly and pulled him up like a rag doll.
Jacob was still crying in pain, but as he was being lifted, his voice got softer…
...and then, his eyes met the man's.
In that exact moment, without thinking twice—
Jacob smashed his forehead straight into the man's nose.
CRACK!
The sound was sickening.
The hit was nasty.
The man stumbled backward, letting go of Jacob and quickly grabbing his face.
Blood.
His nose was already bleeding.
He looked stunned.
Ethan saw it all.
He didn't like where this was going.
"Evelyn! Gather everyone to the front side of the bus. I'll handle this!" he ordered.
Though Ethan was younger and officially her junior, he was leading now—and Evelyn respected that.
Without hesitation, she called out, "Everyone! Move to the front! Quickly! Do it now!"
People got up in fear and confusion, hurrying forward as Evelyn guided them.
Ethan turned to a few men nearby, "Help him! Hold that guy down! I'm going to the driver."
Then, he rushed to the front and leaned toward the bus driver.
"How long? We've been on the highway nonstop for half an hour! Where are we?" Ethan's voice was sharp—tense and frustrated.
The driver answered quickly, "We're on the main highway, sir. For the next 100 kilometers, there's no stop… we're far from any town."
Ethan's mind was racing.
"Something feels off... Was this a setup?" he thought.
"That man we caught earlier kept looking out the window—again and again. Like he was waiting for something. Maybe… maybe that's why they chose this bus. Because no one would expect anything out here on an empty road. No help. No stop."
He frowned.
"But why such a perfect plan? Just for a robbery? Or is there something much bigger behind this?"
He quickly turned and looked toward the back.
Jacob's hands—were free.
He had somehow untied himself.
Two or three men were helping the giant get back up—his face still bleeding from Jacob's brutal headbutt.
But Jacob wasn't focused on them.
He was already kneeling beside Noelle, trying to untie her.
She looked terribly weak—barely conscious. Her eyes fluttered, but she couldn't even speak.
Jacob gently held her face in his hands, shaking her softly.
"Noelle... Noelle, come on. Wake up. We have to finish this... You hear me? I know you're listening. I need you, Noelle. I need you..."
His voice cracked with emotion. Every word showed how broken he was inside.
He wasn't just worried—he was desperate.
But there was no time.
The giant man, now furious, shoved away the people helping him and charged at Jacob.
Jacob sensed him coming—
But before he could react—
SMACK!!
A powerful slap landed right across Jacob's face.
The sound was loud.
Sharp.
It echoed across the bus.
Everyone heard it.
Everyone felt it.
Jacob's face jerked to the side, but he stayed close to Noelle.
Ethan saw it all.
Enough was enough.
Without wasting a second, he grabbed an iron rod from the pile of confiscated weapons—
and ran straight toward the scene.
The man grabbed Jacob by the shoulder again—
Lifted him up like he weighed nothing.
But this time, he didn't waste a second.
He slammed his forehead straight into Jacob's face.
CRACK!
The sound echoed loud and sharp.
Jacob, still in the air, lost his grip on Noelle.
His face twisted in pain—
Blood poured from his nose.
Bones cracked. He could feel it.
But the man wasn't done.
Burning with rage, he slammed his head into Jacob's again—
This time smashing Jacob's skull against the metal wall of the bus.
Blood gushed out.
From his head. His nose.
Every hit made things blurrier. Every second felt heavier.
"Is this it?" Jacob thought,
"Is this where it ends?"
His body hurt… but somehow, his mind felt numb.
Like the pain couldn't even reach him anymore.
The man growled, face twisted in fury.
"I'm going to kill you, you piece of trash!"
He pulled his head back again, ready to deliver a final blow—
But suddenly—
Pain.
The man's grip weakened.
His hands slipped off Jacob's shoulder—
And Jacob collapsed to the floor, gasping.
He looked up—
And saw Noelle.
She was on the ground, barely able to stand—
But she had her teeth dug deep into the man's leg.
Her jaw clenched. Blood dripped.
She bit so hard it looked like a piece of flesh had been ripped out.
The man screamed in rage—
Raised his other leg—
And kicked Noelle right in the face.
CRASH!
She flew back and hit the floor, motionless.
Blood trickled from her nose and lips.
She didn't move.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
A roar broke through the chaos.
A sound that shook the whole bus.
It was Jacob.
A scream so loud, so full of rage and heartbreak—
It felt like a blast had just gone off inside the vehicle.