Chapter 74 : Chapter 74
Chapter 74: An Open Gambit, Successful Withdrawal
“Hehehehe...”
Ryan was so infuriated by Marcus’s calm expression that he laughed.
“What if I say that I am taking Lady Greta away tonight no matter what?”
“That still depends on whether you can do it. Let me remind you that I am not your only enemy.”
Ryan knew exactly what Marcus meant.
While they were talking,
the guards from the entire castle were already rushing over.
In less than five minutes, they would have this place surrounded.
“Marcus, let me tell you something.”
Ryan spoke slowly. “In my eyes, every last one of you rabble is trash. No matter how much trash you pile together, it is still just a garbage heap. It will never become gold.”
“W-What?”
“Trash?”
“You damned brat, I’m going to kill you!”
...
Marcus’s expression did not change.
But when the other guards beside him heard Ryan’s words, they were furious.
Ryan frowned.
He had wanted to provoke Marcus with words and force him to reveal an opening.
But he had not expected Marcus to be this composed.
“You’re trying to provoke me with words? It’s useless.”
Marcus shook his head as he spoke.
“Heh...”
Ryan chuckled softly.
Then he turned to look at Nika, Nila, and Fina.
The three women immediately understood what he meant.
Nila moved to Lady Greta’s side and took hold of her.
Ryan and the three women raised their guns and fired wildly at Marcus and the others.
Marcus had long since seen the power of Ryan’s firearms.
After all, Marcus had been present when Ryan sparred with Alfred and when Isabella practiced.
So Marcus and the others immediately cast their strongest magic shields and blocked Ryan’s barrage.
However,
Ryan’s goal was not to attack them.
He was merely buying time.
As they fired at Marcus, Ryan and the others moved toward the window.
When the first wave of bullets ran dry,
they had already reached the window.
Nika and Fina jumped out through it.
Nila followed close behind with Lady Greta.
Ryan went last. After firing off the rest of his bullets, he also jumped out after the women.
The moment Marcus and the others saw this, they immediately leaped out the window and chased after them.
But after jumping outside, Ryan and the others did not run.
Instead, they stood there waiting for Marcus.
Marcus frowned as he looked at Ryan. “Mr. Ryan, what exactly are you doing? By jumping out onto this open ground, are you not making it easier for yourselves to be surrounded?”
Ryan did not answer Marcus directly.
In the next moment,
Ryan raised his right hand, shaped it like a gun, and pointed it at the man standing beside Marcus.
That man looked at Ryan in confusion.
“What? Are you trying to beg for mercy? Too late. Since you dared come to the Jurgen Family and cause trouble, we’ll definitely make you—ugh, AAAAAH!!!”
Before he could finish speaking, his words turned into a scream.
BANG!
Only then did the deafening gunshot ring out.
The man dropped on the spot.
His thigh had been shot clean through, leaving behind a gaping hole as blood splattered everywhere.
Ryan’s finger shifted and pointed at another man.
The moment that man saw Ryan pointing at him, a chill shot up his spine.
But before he could even react,
a burst of agonizing pain tore through his body.
Just like the first man, his thigh was shot through as well.
“UGHHH, AAAAAH!!!”
That same familiar scream rang out again.
BANG!
Another gunshot sounded.
Marcus did not dare move. He merely frowned at Ryan.
“Well, Marcus? Remember what I said? You people are trash. No matter how much trash gathers together, it is still only a garbage heap. Do you believe me now?”
Ryan said calmly.
Marcus seemed to be trying to locate the source of the attack.
But no matter what he did, he could not find it.
“Don’t waste your effort. I’ll tell you the answer. The one attacking is Isabella. She’s several hundred meters away from here. You won’t find her.”
“W-What? Several hundred meters?”
Ryan’s words were like a thunderclap, terrifying every guard there, including Marcus.
From that far away, she could still take down two of their men.
They had never even heard of such a method before.
“So this is the power you’ve been hiding, Ryan?”
Marcus asked.
“You could say that.”
Ryan nodded.
He had already made this plan beforehand.
If everything had gone smoothly, he would not have wanted to kill so many people.
As long as they had successfully reached Lady Greta, they would have left through the secret passage.
But if anything went wrong,
then they would come out onto the castle grounds
and prepare the field for Isabella’s shooting.
That hand gesture just now had been the signal Ryan gave Isabella.
That way, if Ryan and the others wanted to leave,
Marcus and the others definitely would not dare pursue them too deeply.
“Well then, Marcus? We’re leaving. Are you still going to chase us?”
Ryan asked.
“Miss Isabella’s killing power is indeed terrifying, but she cannot fire continuously.”
Marcus voiced his conclusion.
After witnessing only two attacks, Marcus had already identified the sniper rifle’s weakness.
“That’s right. There is an interval between each shot.”
Ryan nodded, agreeing with Marcus.
That really was the sniper rifle’s weakness.
“But so what?”
Ryan glanced at Marcus and the guards behind him. “Can you guarantee that the next shot won’t hit you? You people earn only a few Gold Coins a month, so why are you risking your lives?”
The guards looked at one another, and for a moment, they all fell silent.
What Ryan said was true.
Some of them earned as little as three Gold Coins a month, while the better-paid ones earned five.
If they were expected to throw away their lives for three or five Gold Coins, that was obviously impossible.
They had all seen what happened to those two men just now.
It was clear that Ryan had only shot their legs as a warning.
If the shots had been aimed at their chests or heads instead,
then perhaps those two men would not be badly wounded right now.
They would already be dead.
If Hermann and Otto were here, they might have been able to force the guards forward with direct orders, or perhaps offer a hefty reward in Gold Coins.
But those two cowards had hidden themselves away the moment they learned that someone had invaded the castle.
In their own eyes, their lives were far too precious.
Driving away enemies was what the guards were for.
Marcus could order them to work, but if he expected them to risk their lives,
then Marcus was not worthy of that.
This was Ryan’s open gambit.
He was betting on the guards being afraid of death.
And now it seemed the result was excellent. Isabella’s two shots had already intimidated them completely.
Next,
as long as he dealt with Marcus,
this rescue operation could be declared complete.
Unexpectedly, Marcus’s expression remained calm. He did not seem shocked by Ryan’s methods in the least.
“To be honest, Ryan, your strength is astonishing. What surprises me even more is that in only a few short months, you trained the young miss to this level.”
Marcus’s voice rang out.
“I imagine the young miss hates me by now, doesn’t she? If I continue the pursuit, then her next shot will surely be aimed at my head.”
“Very well, Ryan. You win.”
Marcus lowered his head and admitted defeat.
When most of the guards heard Marcus say that, they immediately let out sighs of relief.
To them, Isabella’s two shots had put them under immense pressure.
They had not even seen the attacker.
They had not heard any warning sound either.
And yet two men had dropped with grievous injuries.
They had not even been able to defend themselves.
Now that they no longer had to pursue Ryan and the others, and no longer had to face that terrifying attack, the guards were naturally delighted.
That, however, was what most of them thought.
A few of the guards, on the other hand, were far too eager to get ahead.
After all, the compensation of the Jurgen Family’s guards was far better than that of other families.
If they could distinguish themselves here and capture the intruders,
then the higher-ups of the Jurgen Family would surely notice their ability.
And when that happened, they could demand better pay.
With that thought in mind,
those few guards who wanted to rise higher did not obey Marcus’s order.
As Ryan and the others began to retreat, they stepped forward and closed the distance.
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
There really were people this unafraid of death?
Then Ryan raised his hand again in that same gesture.
The guards panicked the moment they saw it.
That was the exact same gesture from before, and two men had been gravely wounded because of it.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three muffled gunshots rang out.
They struck the three guards who had moved closer to Ryan and the others.
“Ugh!”
“AAAAAH!!”
“UGHHH, AAAAAH!!”
The three men dropped at once.
This time, Ryan did not let them off.
He raised his gun and fired three more shots at them.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
Before he had even emptied a single magazine,
the three men had already been riddled with bullets.
The first two men had only been warnings, so he had not finished them off.
But these three had still dared to come after him. Did they really think he would not kill?
Ryan’s ruthlessness shocked the remaining guards.
Only now did they truly understand.
The moment Ryan and the others stepped onto the open ground, they had already placed themselves in an unbeatable position.
At that point, the rest of the guards who had wanted to distinguish themselves also stopped in their tracks.
No matter how badly they wanted to get ahead, they still needed to stay alive first.
Given Ryan’s posture,
if any of them took even one step forward, they would be severely wounded.
So they no longer wanted advancement.
In their hearts, they only prayed that this fiend, Ryan, would hurry up and leave.
Ryan and the others slowly backed away while still facing Marcus and the rest.
Once they had put enough distance between them,
they turned and ran toward the forest.
Marcus and the others watched all of this unfold, but did not pursue.
The guards had been thoroughly frightened out of their wits by Ryan’s methods.
“Let’s go. We should check on the situation at the magic tower.”
When they arrived at the magic tower and saw the twenty-three corpses, they were silent for a very long time.
So close.
They had come terrifyingly close to becoming part of that pile of bodies themselves.
“Sigh, let’s go. We need to report this to the family head.”
Marcus led the guards toward Hermann’s location.
Along the way, Marcus kept staring in the direction Ryan had departed, no one knew what he was thinking.
“If it’s Ryan, then he will definitely be able to take good care of Isabella, won’t he?”
For some reason,
Marcus had that kind of feeling.
He had lied just now.
He was absolutely certain that Isabella would never shoot at his head.
He had only said that to give the others an excuse not to pursue them.