627: [Bonus chapter] Siren

[Bonus chapter] Siren

[Event Hall]1

"Ahhh!!!!" Dane yelled, his lungs out, hiding behind the pillar, slumped on the floor. His hands were covering his ears, eyes shut, screaming at the endless gunfire. However, his scream grew louder when he felt a person's presence in front of him.

"Ahh!! Please don't kill me! I'm innocent — ahhh!!!"

"HEY!" Tiger squeezed Dane's shoulder, squatting down in front of him. He shook Dane as the latter kept screaming as if he was riding a roller coaster. "Hey! It's me — fuck!"

"Ahh —" Dane abruptly stopped as he peeked through one of his eyes. It was still dark, but his eyes immediately adjusted, recognizing the person squatting in front of him. "Tiger…" A thick layer of tears immediately coated his eyes at the sight of his partner. 

"Tiger!" Dane instinctively leaped up to hug him out of relief, only for a hand to block his face and push him back slightly. 

"Ey, ey. I know I always tease you, but man, I'm straight." Tiger clenched his teeth and looked at Dane in dismay. "Don't get me wrong. I don't care about people's sexuality, but it's just not my thing."

"I'm just happy!" Dane yelled in defense. "Do you know how scared I was when you left me here all alone?! If you're going to save me, then you should've stayed with me!"

"Ew." Tiger shivered a little as Dane's complaints sounded like a love confession. "Stop crying, okay? I dragged you here because I know you'll be safe here. You're alive, are you not?"

Dane pressed his lips into a thin line like a tamed puppy. He sniffed hard, nodding at Tiger in response to the latter's previous remarks. That was true. When the shooting started, Tiger immediately dragged Dane somewhere. Dane didn't even know what happened and how he got behind this pillar. 

All he remembered was Tiger telling him to hide here until he returned. And so he did! However, Dane wasn't as fearless as Tiger or the other bodyguards. He was smart, but physically weak despite his regular exercise. Even if he hid behind this pillar, he could still feel the impact whenever a bullet hit it. 

"Damn!" Tiger huffed as he retrieved his hand from Dane's shoulder. "I need to get out of here, alright?"

"What?" Dane panicked. "You can't leave me all alone here!" 

"I know. That's why I'm taking you with me."

"We're going out?!" Dane's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he flinched when more bullets hit the pillar hiding them. "In this situation!? I'd rather just hide!" 

"Then hide, but I need to go."

"No!" Dane mindlessly clutched his chest in panic. "Don't leave me!" 

"Mr. Zhang." Tiger breathed out in distress as he closed his eyes for a moment. "CEO Zhu just left this place to follow Silas. Do you understand? I can't just let him be. After all, our people and Silas's people surround this place. He's lucky if he meets his people, but if the enemy sees him, they'll kill him on sight. He might hold up for a while, but I'm not confident to say he will survive."

Hearing the reason Tiger wanted to leave the event hall made Dane hesitate. The shooting still raged on, but this time, Dane found a little bit of peace to not jolt or scream. He simply held Tiger's pair of eyes that screamed seriousness. 

"What about Mr. Cruel?" Dane blurted out under his breath. 

"He went out with Butler Fu to chase after No One. Primo Rossi took the Old Madam Zhu."

Dane's lips quivered as his heart thudded against his chest. "So, CEO Zhu is all on his own?"

"I just said that, didn't I?" Tiger raised his brows briefly. "Now, you can either hide in here or tag along with me. Make your choice because I'm not wasting another five seconds in this place."

"Then what about everyone?!" Dane exclaimed once again. "If you leave, then your men might lose their morale! You're the one keeping them fighting fearlessly. If you leave them, there's a chance they would lose advantage."

"Mr. Zhang, I've always thought you're smart. But right now, I'm having second doubts." Tiger frowned, planting his hand on his knee as he rose to his feet. "You were the one who assessed the guards to protect Mr. Zhu. They weren't the main characters of this story, but they got into this security unit for a reason."

His eyes fell on Dane once again, cocking his head a little to the side. "Not to mention, we screened these guards multiple times last year. And none of them got in through sheer luck or because of a recommendation. They are a part of my team because they are capable. Moreover, I trained them myself. So, it's a little insulting that you're basing their percentage of winning without considering what they went through just to be in my team."

"Now, don't be so dramatic anymore. Are you coming or not?" Tiger added with a trace of impatience in his tone. 

Dane pressed his lips into a thin line as he clutched his hand close to his chest. Since Tiger became the head of the security unit, Dane and Tiger bantered on a daily basis. All those times, Dane often had a comeback, no matter how nonsense it was. After all, Tiger was nonsense himself, and using his brain cells to argue with him would just go to waste. 

But at this very second, Dane couldn't rebut. Tiger was right. Although Dane had a point, it didn't really matter. 

"I'm going," he breathed out, seeing Tiger offer him a hand. Dane gulped a mouthful as he clasped his hand, letting Tiger pull him up because he couldn't do it on his own. Dane's knees were still shaking. It wouldn't be surprising if he tripped on the way. 

"I just don't want to die," Dane remarked airily. "How do we get out of here alive? Please. Don't do anything crazy! At least, have some plan."

"Who said I don't have a plan?" Tiger arched a brow while Dane squinted his eyes suspiciously.

"You do?" asked Dane. "What is it?"

"We go straight to the exit. Stay close." Tiger slipped his hand inside his suit and fished out a pistol, shoving it into Dane's chest. "Shoot anyone who tries to stop us. That's the plan."

What kind of plan was this?! This wasn't the plan Dane was talking about; it was the complete opposite of his wish! Despite his reluctance, Dane still followed Tiger, screaming his lungs out like a firetruck's siren from the moment they stepped out of the pillar till they reached the exit. 

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