Hattie and Elena exchanged glances, both wearing bitter smiles.
"It's fine… it's just that the car was a little too fast," Hattie muttered, still shaken by the memory of yesterday's speed.
Remembering how the two women had looked like frightened deer, Leon couldn't help but smile faintly.
Hobbs, his eyes wide as a bull, leaned forward with curiosity.
"So… how do you two know each other?"
"I'm a mechanic. She came to me for car modifications. Problem with that?" Leon shot him a sideways glare, his tone dismissive.
The moment Hobbs realized Leon was a mechanic, his surprise deepened. Someone this skilled, yet not tied to a syndicate or trained by a powerhouse organization, was… impressive.
Clapping Leon hard on the shoulder, Hobbs grinned.
"Brother, I like you. Ever thought about joining the police force?"
The firmness of Leon's build caught Hobbs off guard. For an Asian man to achieve this physique was no easy feat.
"You serious?" Leon's lips curled into a playful smirk.
"I street-race, speed, blow up helicopters, crash into cars just for fun, and run illegal street races. And you really want to invite me into law enforcement?"
Leon ticked off his crimes one by one—he didn't even mention the missiles.
"Uh…" Hobbs awkwardly pulled his hand back, suddenly sheepish.
"Well… the mission is what matters now. Let's focus on that."
Leon's refusal was clear, which made Elena stifle a laugh.
Shifting the conversation, Hattie spoke up:
"The Snowflake Virus is inside me. To extract it, we need to find Andrek. He's in New York."
"I know him," Hobbs said, recalling his intel.
"He's a Russian scientist. Lives on Wall Street. Every day, he buys a Russian newspaper at a specific kiosk near Nasdaq. That's the only place in New York where those papers are sold."
Given the tense U.S.–Russia relations, getting a Russian newspaper on American soil was difficult. That made Andrek's movements easy to track.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move," Shaw said, standing up.
But before Leon could respond, the familiar mechanical voice of his system echoed in his mind:
Ding! Side Mission triggered: Intercept Brixton alone. Prevent him from reaching Wall Street. Reward: Twin-Engine Chassis.
Current cars, due to industrial and technological limits, only had single engines—like early computers with a single CPU core. But multi-core development was inevitable.
A twin-engine chassis had now emerged. With two engines running simultaneously, it promised greater speed and monstrous performance.
Such a car would be a beast—Godzilla and King Kong rolled into one!
Leon's eyes lit up. Was this preparation for the showdown with Eteon? Looks like he's getting closer.
He immediately spoke:
"We'll need to split up. Together, we won't make it in time."
Hobbs and Shaw froze, exchanging confused glances. What did Leon mean?
Crash!
The glass windows shattered as intruders stormed in.
Hobbs and Shaw instinctively dove for cover.
Leon drew his handgun and pressed himself against the wall near the door, Hattie and Elena huddled behind him.
That sight made Hobbs and Shaw glare. Really? Now that they've got him, we're chopped liver?
Brixton's voice boomed arrogantly from outside.
"I know you're in there. You've got five seconds to come out."
His confidence dripped from every word.
Leon ignored him and instead looked toward Shaw. This guy always carried grenades as casually as others carried phones. Sure enough, Shaw fished one out of his pocket and tossed it to him.
"Damn, you just carry grenades around town?" Hobbs muttered, wide-eyed.
"None of your business. Want to arrest me for it now?" Shaw snapped, rolling his eyes.
The tension between them was palpable—they were always one step away from pulling the trigger on each other. If not for Hattie, Shaw might have done so already.
Leon yanked the pin and whispered, "I'll hold them off. You go find Andrek. We'll meet at Wall Street. Don't break my promise."
Hattie and Elena both nodded firmly.
Leon kicked open the door and hurled the grenade.
"Shit!!" Brixton cursed outside.
The next second, a deafening explosion rocked the floor, chairs overturned, and thick smoke billowed through the meeting room.
Hattie and Elena's ears rang painfully; their heads spun.
"Go!" Leon barked, charging out with his gun, firing mercilessly.
But Brixton, impossibly resilient, emerged unscathed, standing tall amid the chaos.
Hattie and Elena shook off the dizziness and bolted for the door.
Shaw and Hobbs followed, covering them as they piled into the elevator. Weapons raised, they prepared to gun down any ambush waiting outside.
Thanks to Leon's stand, they made it safely to the ground floor.
But when the elevator doors opened—
a line of black-clad mercenaries stood ready, guns aimed at their heads.
Elena and Hattie froze in horror.
"Maybe we pretend to surrender?" Hobbs muttered.
Shaw was about to agree when—
Screams split the air from above.
"Ahhhh—!"
Thud!!
Two dark figures plummeted, smashing into the glass-bottom pool overhead. Water exploded into the air, scattering into a rainbow under the sun.
Leon had tackled Brixton mid-air, both of them crashing down. Leon smashed the glass bottom with a brutal punch—an avalanche of water cascaded downward like an inverted waterfall.
"Run!" someone screamed.
The mercenary formation crumbled as torrents of water swept them away. Those who didn't flee in time were slammed to the ground, writhing in agony.
Leon landed heavily, crushing Brixton into the floor. The impact cracked tiles and shook the entire lobby.
Guests shrieked; the receptionist gaped in stunned disbelief.
"Holy shit… too brutal!" Hobbs muttered, rubbing his bald head, jaw dropped.
"I think I understand now… why they follow him," Shaw admitted thoughtfully.
Hattie and Elena pursed their lips, as if saying, Took you long enough to realize.
"Come on—we need to get to the cars," Hattie urged.
With Leon's monstrous skills, they didn't need to worry about him.
If anything, they should be worried whether Brixton could even survive.
The four of them sprinted toward the parking garage.
~~----------------------
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