But that glance became the last one of his life.
"Hiss-ssss!!!" He let out a final, terrified shriek.
The bomb, which should have fallen to the ground long ago, was hovering in the air as if it had wings—right less than half a meter above his head!
I ran so far... I shook off so many people... how...
BOOM!!!!
With a violent explosion, his consciousness turned to ash along with his scream.
Amir silently retracted his "claw."
Watching the bomb fly through the air earlier, he couldn't resist a bold idea. He used the Force to catch the bomb and hold it suspended right above the densest cluster of enemies.
It was worth noting that a certain large spider happened to be running along the exact same path, becoming the luckiest audience member in the arena.
Having pulled off this stunt, Amir looked at the two remaining thermal detonators in his backpack with a devilish smile.
. . .
On the other side, Joan had long since taken advantage of the chaos to leave her hiding spot behind the container. She hadn't expected the explosion to be so effective. Although people were still shooting at her, the sparse attacks posed no real threat. Comparatively, the approaching Imperial Inquisitors were the real danger.
Running and firing back simultaneously, she finally reached the edge of the plaza. The exit gate was right ahead. But then, the blast door in front of Joan suddenly began to open. This unexpected development panicked her slightly. If a squad of reinforcements blocked her now, even for a few seconds, the Inquisitors behind her would catch up.
Sure enough, the worst-case scenario occurred. The blast door opened, and the Dead Hand guards who had been stationed outside surged in.
Joan prepared to abandon this direction; she couldn't stop moving.
But suddenly, a barrage of blaster fire erupted from behind the incoming guards. Joan was about to dodge, thinking she was surrounded, only to realize the attacks weren't aimed at her. Instead, the Dead Hand members at the door were mowed down in an instant!
Looking past them, she saw Amir in the distance.
With her mind at ease, Joan charged toward the door, running past the falling enemies.
BOOM!!!
Another huge explosion sounded from behind, accompanied by continuous blaster fire. All the noise was coming from the same direction—Amir covering her.
Joan raised her gun and fired precisely ahead. Any Dead Hand member trying to rush in was killed by her or Amir's covering fire. The path, which should have been a dead end, was suddenly clear.
Just as she was about to cross the threshold, a spinning double-bladed lightsaber flew toward her head from behind.
Joan ducked violently. The searing heat grazed her scalp, slicing off a lock of her hair.
The crimson lightsaber didn't stop. It flew straight into the blast door's control panel.
The mechanism was instantly destroyed, sparks and fire spraying everywhere. Worst of all, with the controls destroyed, the heavy blast door began to slide shut!
Although she was within touching distance, the heavy door was closing too fast. She wouldn't make it in time!
In the distance, Amir was about to throw a second bomb when he saw this scene and cursed his luck. He immediately drew his lightsaber. He could no longer stay back and provide fire support; Joan couldn't stop an Inquisitor alone. She was in danger.
Just as Amir was about to rush over, a pair of mechanical hands suddenly thrust into the narrowing gap of the closing door, gripping the edges tightly.
Then, with unimaginable force, the hands pried the closing blast door open!
"32!" Amir exclaimed in surprise.
32 had already shed his robe, revealing his alloy body that exuded explosive power and mechanical beauty. Three mechanical arms extended from his back, connected to three blaster barrels, and in his main hand, he held a lightsaber.
The lightsaber was already activated—a double-bladed one, glowing a clear blue.
32 rushed forward, charging behind Joan. He swung the blue blade upward, directly blocking the Fifth Brother, who was slashing at Joan. The plasma blades clashed, emitting a harsh hiss.
Joan was overjoyed to see her reinforcements. She hurried to run outside.
This wasn't the time for sentimental "we die together" speeches. I go first. Joan believed 32 and Amir had strong escape capabilities. Only if she, the one holding the item, left first, could the others fight without restraint.
Amir ran across the scorched ground, moving quickly toward 32.
Suddenly, he saw a Rodian crawling into a corner. It was Nuludin, the boss of Dead Hand. He had survived the explosion, but his underlings had long forgotten him in their terror.
When one couldn't even save one's own life, who cared about the boss?
But in Amir's eyes, this Rodian didn't look as unwilling as expected. Everything that happened seemed to be within his expectations.
The failed transaction, the unachieved goal, the betraying brother, and the disintegrating organization—logically, this should have driven him mad, making him desperate to salvage the situation.
But in the Rodian's eyes, there remained only despair and a final trace of resolve.
Amir walked up to him, and Nuludin saw Amir approaching.
"Heh heh heh... Rob me. Fight to the death. I've already lost. None of you will get that thing!"
Hearing his hoarse voice, Amir had a bad premonition.
"What do you mean?" Amir pointed his gun at him.
"Heh heh heh... The thing in the box is fake. You will never get it..."
Ten thousand mudhorns stampeded through Amir's heart.
Fake?!
Although he had suspected it for a moment, who would have thought Nuludin had such guts?
He had decided to trade with the Empire, yet he put a fake out in the open!
That meant this person likely never intended to conduct a proper transaction!
"What exactly did you want?"
"What did I want? If the Empire had brought what I wanted, so what if I gave them the real thing?" Nuludin turned his head to look at the ceiling, panting heavily, seeming unwilling to speak further.
At this moment, Lindsey crawled over from the side.
"I know... I know!" His eyes were bloodshot. "You're doing this for that child! I miss him too! But he died long ago! It's been ten years! You threw the entire organization and me into danger for a dead person? You're crazy!"
Nuludin looked at his angry brother and struggled to sit up.
"Organization? It's better if this organization is destroyed. How many filthy things have you done behind my back all these years! You knew what I hated most, yet you still captured children to train as pickpockets! It was an Imperial Inquisitor who abducted my child, you bastard!"
Lindsey knew he was in the wrong and couldn't speak.
"I secretly sold off many of Dead Hand's assets. The money will be transferred to your account after I die. Even if Dead Hand falls, you won't starve. When I saw the Inquisitors arrive empty-handed, I already predicted the ending!" Nuludin stood up, though his body, heavily affected by the bomb's shockwave, swayed unsteadily.
Hearing his brother's words, Lindsey choked up.
"You... I thought..."
Nuludin ignored Lindsey. He casually picked up a blaster rifle from the ground and looked at Amir.
"Help me kill the Inquisitor, and I'll tell you where the real artifact is."
---------------
You can read +100 advance chapters on my Patreon
Patreon(.)com/izan24
TIER 1 you'll get +15 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 2 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 3 you'll get +60 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 4 you'll get +100 ADVANCE CHAPTERS