Chapter 472: The Armory’s Gone
When Ashley spun around and leveled both rifles at Red and Gin, even the prisoners held their breath.
For one suspended second, silence fell over them as they stared at the shock on the duo’s faces.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Then, Ashley opened fire.
Muzzle flashes erupted from both rifles with every pull of the trigger, filling the air with the acrid scent of gunpowder.
Yet Red and Gin never moved. They remained standing exactly where they were.
Even after Ashley stopped firing, no one dared breathe.
She casually lowered the rifles and whistled as she looked past the two men toward the building behind them.
"I guess that’s everyone," she muttered.
Her voice was quiet. Under normal circumstances, no one should have heard it over the deafening barrage of gunfire. Yet somehow, everyone did.
"What?" one of the prisoners murmured, instinctively looking toward the building behind Red and Gin.
The moment he did, a body suddenly tumbled from an upper floor.
The fall was dramatic enough to draw everyone’s attention.
They watched the corpse plummet before it slammed into the ground with a sickening thud, followed by the unmistakable crack of breaking bones.
Several prisoners flinched and instinctively stepped back. Dust and smoke billowed around the impact.
As they stared, others noticed movement in the windows.
Bodies.
There were now corpses hanging out of several lower-floor windows that hadn’t been there moments ago. Especially the first-floor windows directly behind Red and Gin.
The duo slowly turned around as well. Their eyes on the body that had fallen.
The fresh corpses.
The shattered windows.
None of them had been there before.
They knew because they had checked the building themselves before stopping to talk.
"How did she..." one of the prisoners whispered, unable to finish his sentence.
He could only stare at Ashley.
So could everyone else.
At that moment, they all understood one thing. Her size, her gender, neither of those mattered.
"Here." Ashley’s voice snapped Old Fool out of his daze. "Thanks."
She shoved the rifle back into his arms.
Old Fool blinked.
Beside him, the other prisoner looked down in confusion.
At some point, Ashley had already returned his rifle too.
Before anyone could process it, Gin’s shrill scream echoed through the area.
"Are you out of your mind?!" he yelled. "How could you point those things at us?!"
"Oy," Red crooked a finger at Ashley. "Come here."
His smile looked anything but friendly. "I just want to have a very gentle conversation with you."
Ashley frowned and rubbed one ear.
"Sorry," she mumbled halfheartedly.
Gin immediately marched over and continued yelling at her.
"I know, I know," Ashley said, raising both hands in surrender. "I’m really sorry, Gin. Please forgive me."
Meanwhile, Red rested both hands on his hips before glancing back at the building.
He didn’t bother counting. He could already tell there were several new corpses scattered across different windows and rooftops.
If he were being honest, he had sensed someone behind them.
Ashley had simply reacted before he could — almost as though she’d been expecting it.
"How could you?!" Gin huffed beside her.
Ashley pursed her lips before leaning toward him.
"Sorry." She lowered her voice. "I’ll make it up to you later with a reward."
Gin blinked. "A reward?"
He folded his arms, pretending not to give in so easily. "What kind of reward?"
Ashley crooked a finger. "Come here."
Gin hesitated, but then curiosity won. He leaned closer.
Ashley cupped a hand beside her mouth and whispered into his ear.
A second later, the anger vanished from Gin’s face as his eyes sparkled.
"Really?" he asked excitedly. "Promise, Boss?"
Ashley nodded. "Yep."
"Yes!"
Whatever Ashley had promised him, it was enough to erase every trace of anger. Gin looked like he might start celebrating right then and there.
Ashley smiled in satisfaction before glancing at Red.
Red merely shook his head.
He still couldn’t believe what she’d just done. But as he watched her turn back toward the prisoners, something else occupied his thoughts.
When Ashley had aimed those rifles... he had seen her expression.
That faint smirk never left her face.
Even with the relentless flashes from the gunfire illuminating her features, he had clearly seen it.
Her confidence, her fearlessness, and almost a little bit of arrogance.
And despite having two rifles pointed directly at him, he hadn’t moved. Not because he was frozen. Because somehow he knew she wouldn’t hit him.
And she hadn’t.
Instead, she’d eliminated every enemy hidden behind them, despite Red and Gin standing directly in her line of fire.
That realization told him more than words ever could.
Tank’s words from the previous night suddenly echoed in his mind.
Red swallowed.
Now that I think about it, she’s always worn that expression.
When she forced them to drive after Lucian at the airport...
When she’d woken up after being shot during the kidnapping...
When she’d stood atop that shipping container during the battle...
She had always looked the same.
He just hadn’t wanted to see it. Or rather... the image he’d already formed of Ashley had been so deeply rooted that he’d refused to look beyond it.
But now, as her right-hand man, everything suddenly clicked.
There’s still so much I don’t know about her. Maybe... I really should start over. Judge her for who she is from this day forward.
When Red blinked and snapped out of his thoughts, everyone was looking at him.
"Why are you spacing out in the middle of a battle?" Gin asked with a puzzled frown. "Is that what right hands do?"
"Uh..."
Ashley waved the question away. "I was just telling them my condition."
"Condition?" Red frowned. "You never mentioned a condition."
"Well, I do now." Ashley smiled brightly. "My condition for letting these guys join the operation is simple."
She turned toward the prisoners.
"They don’t fight until they’re properly equipped." She pointed at their ragged clothing. "At the very least, they need body armor or something."
"Ah," Red nodded. "That’s exactly why we’re heading to the armory."
"The armory’s gone."
Ashley’s casual reply instantly silenced everyone.
Every pair of eyes snapped back to her.
"I saw Tank through the surveillance cameras while I was in the control room," she explained. "He’s probably already at the armory."
"Fuck—" Red’s eyes widened.
Gin slapped his forehead. "That almost slipped my mind."
Charm, Old Fool, and the rest exchanged confused glances.
Old Fool cautiously stepped forward.
"Madam..." he asked. "What do you mean... the armory’s gone?"
Ashley blinked.
She opened her mouth to answer, but as the words rolled out of her tongue, a deafening explosion erupted somewhere in the distance.
BOOOOM!