Chapter 48: Taking Action
With a "bang" of a gunshot, Phillip Johnson didn't hesitate at all; the moment he saw the Black-Clothed Person, he immediately fired his weapon.
The desert eagle in Phillip Johnson's hand was known for its powerful force and terrifying recoil, but these were no problem for Phillip Johnson. He continuously fired "bang, bang, bang" at the Black-Clothed Person.
All the bullets he fired hit the Black-Clothed Person's body, but a sudden surge of white mist completely obscured the Black-Clothed Person, preventing Phillip Johnson from seeing the effect of the bullets.
The mist rapidly flowed into the room, almost instantly filling the entire space. Phillip Johnson instinctively retreated several steps. He knew there were countless skilled individuals in this world, and who knew if such mist was poisonous.
Thinking of this, Phillip Johnson quickly went to the door and flung it open.
As soon as the door opened, a rush of cold wind blew in from outside, instantly connecting the inside and out. A gust of wind quickly dispersed the mist inside the room.
The mist rapidly thinned, and Phillip Johnson soon saw the Black-Clothed Person's figure. He had already picked up Holly Robinson, who was lying on the ground, and was walking towards the window, preparing to leave. The three small cloth bags on the table had disappeared at some point.
The sudden thinning of the mist clearly took him by surprise. The Black-Clothed Person turned his head and glanced at Phillip Johnson.
A chilling gaze instantly penetrated Phillip Johnson's heart, causing him to shiver. He instinctively pulled the trigger, and with a "bang" of a gunshot, the bullet grazed the Black-Clothed Person's neck and flew into the mist outside.
In an instant, a cold killing intent surged in the Black-Clothed Person's eyes. He gently tossed Holly Robinson aside, and she, like a thin piece of paper, softly landed on the ground, her injuries completely unaffected.
Meanwhile, the Black-Clothed Person instantly transformed into three figures, charging straight towards Phillip Johnson.
At this moment, an infinite regret surged in Phillip Johnson's heart. This person had no intention of fighting him before; he clearly only intended to rescue the person and then leave. But his sudden shot had obviously enraged the other party.
At this moment, Phillip Johnson dared not hold back at all. He continuously fired three shots from his desert eagle at the central figure, but the three bullets passed directly through the Black-Clothed Person's figure; it was an illusion.
At this moment, the Black-Clothed Person's remaining two figures had already closed in on him. Phillip Johnson only had time to fire one shot from his desert eagle at the closest figure, and then he hurled it at the other figure.
Besides its power and strong recoil, the desert eagle's terrifying weight was also one of the reasons it could not be widely deployed in the military. This shot was aimed squarely at the head of the third figure, but this figure moved in an instant. He gently waved his left hand forward, like swatting a fly, and deflected the incoming desert eagle to the side.
At this moment, seeing the closest figure to him, after being pierced by a bullet, advancing expressionlessly, Phillip Johnson finally distinguished the true from the false among the three illusions. He was so unlucky as to continuously shoot at two of the illusions, and both of them turned out to be fakes.
Phillip Johnson didn't have time to think further. The Black-Clothed Person's true body had already closed in on him. Johnson suddenly took a step forward and threw a right hook at the Black-Clothed Person's chest. A hazy white glow enveloped his fist. This punch was already extremely powerful, and at this moment, it brought with it a whistling sound as it slammed into the Black-Clothed Person's chest.
However, the Black-Clothed Person in front of him did not dodge at all. He also threw a punch at Phillip Johnson's heart. Almost in the blink of an eye, the Black-Clothed Person's arm suddenly swelled, and his fist was twice its original size.
Both of their speeds were very fast, and neither had time to dodge. Only two dull thuds, "dong, dong," were heard, and both of them struck each other's hearts.
In an instant, both of them froze in place. After half a minute, one of them rubbed his chest vigorously and walked towards Holly Robinson, who he had placed on the ground not far away. He glanced around the room, his gaze falling on Holly Robinson's chest, where a pool of blood had soaked her outer garment.
The Black-Clothed Person glanced towards the fireplace and, seeing no drops of Holly Robinson's blood on the ground, nodded in satisfaction. He picked up the girl from the ground, then securely tied her to his chest with a rope. Only then did he walk to the window, spread his arms, and jumped down.
That's right, this Black-Clothed Person was Ling Xiao. It was he who, using his glider, arrived at Phillip Johnson's apartment on the sixth floor in time, saving Holly Robinson's life at the critical moment.
This black glider itself was of good quality and had been carefully modified by Ling Xiao. Supporting the weight of two people was not a problem at all. Coupled with Holly Robinson's naturally light body, and Ling Xiao performing two Light Body Arts, he finally landed silently in a nearby alley, then fled with Holly Robinson, disappearing into the depths of the alley.
Not long after Ling Xiao left, Phillip Johnson, who had been standing in the room, suddenly collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Time gradually passed. As the sun rose, the mist gradually disappeared, and the long-awaited sunlight finally shone into the room.
Two hours later, Kate Beckett appeared downstairs in this apartment building, holding a cup of coffee. After greeting the patrol officers below, Kate Beckett entered the apartment building. A few minutes later, she was already outside Phillip Johnson's apartment on the sixth floor.
Placing her half-finished coffee outside the door, Beckett put on the shoe covers handed to her by a patrol officer and entered the apartment.
"Espo, Kevin, what happened?" Kate Beckett first scanned the room, then asked her two colleagues, who were discussing something, about the situation.
Esposito and Kevin exchanged glances, then walked towards Kate Beckett. Esposito spoke first, saying, "The room seems to have experienced a shootout that escalated from a theft. However, there's only one type of bullet here, which should be from the victim's desert eagle."
Esposito pointed to the remaining traces in the room and said to Beckett, "Kate, the victim must have heard an unusual sound while showering, which is why he walked over wrapped only in a towel. He saw the thief in the house, and then there must have been a struggle. The victim was stabbed in the heart with a dagger, but before he died, he must have shot at the thief, but unfortunately, he missed."
Beckett looked at Phillip Johnson, who was only wrapped in a towel, and the open safe, and nodded slightly. However, her gaze fell on the shattered floor tiles and scattered glass shards on the ground, and she frowned slightly, but she didn't say much.
Kevin followed Esposito closely and said to Beckett, "I asked the neighbors nearby. They vaguely heard a few gunshots around two in the morning. But you know, this is Los Angeles, and no one wants to meddle."
"I understand." Beckett pondered, looking at the two of them, and asked, "Has the victim's identity been confirmed?"
"The name on this person's driver's license is John Stone, 36 years old. He just rented this apartment half a month ago, and the lease still has six months left." With that, Esposito spread his hands and said, "That's all we've found so far."
"Hmm!" Beckett nodded and said, "Espo, continue to investigate the victim's identity. Kevin, go a bit further and see if anyone saw anything."