Chapter 367: First Chance!!
Frankfurt Outskirts
The city lights slowly disappeared behind them.
Towering office buildings gave way to empty highways.
The traffic became thinner.
The streets quieter.
Soon...
Only the stars remained above them.
Miles sat silently in the rear seat.
His white mask still covered his face.
The Conclave had ended.
Yet...Tonight wasn’t over.
The black sedan accelerated onto a lonely stretch of road leading towards the outskirts of the city.
No buildings.
No pedestrians.
Only endless asphalt cutting through the darkness.
The driver quietly looked into the rear-view mirror.
"They’re still behind us."
Miles didn’t even turn around.
"I know."
Several metres behind...
Three black SUVs maintained the same speed.
Their headlights pierced through the darkness.
Then Without warning...
The sedan’s tyres screeched violently.
The steering wheel spun sharply.
The entire vehicle skidded sideways across the road.
Screech!
Rubber burned against the asphalt.
The sedan stopped sideways...
Completely blocking both lanes.
The pursuing vehicles had almost no time to react.
Tyres screamed.
Brakes locked.
One after another...
The SUVs stopped .
Doors burst open.
Armed men flooded onto the road.
Assault rifles.
Submachine guns.
Every weapon immediately pointed towards Miles’ vehicle.
The driver didn’t panic.
Miles calmly opened the door behind.
"Get down."
The first muzzle flash erupted.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
Gunfire exploded across the empty highway.
The deafening sound echoed beneath the night sky.
Bullets tore into the sedan.
Glass shattered.
Metal screamed.
Spark after spark exploded across the bodywork.
On the other Miles and the driver immediately took cover.
Bullets struck only inches away.
The continuous barrage became almost impossible to distinguish.
One endless roar.
Miles calmly listened.
"They really want me dead."
The agent beside him loaded his handgun and passed one to Miles.
"I didn’t expect this much firepower."
He glanced towards the surrounding darkness.
"Good thing we prepared."
Miles looked sideways.
"They arrived before us?"
The agent nodded.
"Yes."
"I was instructed to stay behind and follow at distance."
"Just enough for them to believe they controlled the ambush."
More bullets struck the car.
The side became riddled with holes.
Suddenly...
The radio clipped onto the agent’s vest crackled.
Static.
Then a calm voice.
"Smoke out."
"Take cover."
Two small objects rolled across the asphalt from opposite sides of the road.
Pop!
Pop!
Dense white smoke erupted almost instantly.
Within seconds...
The entire battlefield disappeared beneath a thick blanket of smoke.
Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
Miles smiled beneath the mask.
"Straight ahead."
"You go left."
"I’ll move right."
The agent immediately nodded.
"Copy."
He removed a compact encrypted radio from his vest.
"Take this."
Miles caught it effortlessly.
"Thanks."
The gunfire intensified.
The attackers had noticed the smoke.
"They’ve got smoke grenades!"
"Damn it!"
"Don’t let them escape!"
The attackers blindly emptied magazine after magazine into the white cloud.
Muzzle flashes lit up the darkness.
More smoke grenades landed nearby.
The hidden security team expanded the smoke screen even further.
Under its cover...
Miles disappeared to the right.
The agent sprinted left.
Neither silhouette remained visible.
...
Several metres away...
Another luxury sedan slowly opened its rear door.
A man wearing an expensive black suit stepped onto the road.
He calmly observed the smoke-covered battlefield.
"Stop firing."
The gunfire gradually ceased.
One of the gunmen hurried over.
"Boss."
"They’re clever."
The suited man smiled confidently.
"It doesn’t matter."
"They’re outside the city now."
He slowly adjusted his tie.
"They’ve got nowhere to run."
He looked towards the smoke.
"So this is the famous Genius Strategist."
He chuckled.
"I never imagined..."
"He’s actually this stupid."
...
Hidden among the darkness...
Miles quietly pressed the radio.
"Positions?"
A calm voice immediately answered.
"In position."
"Nine confirmed targets."
"Every one of them is inside effective range."
Miles remained crouched behind a roadside barrier.
"What about their leader?"
Another voice answered.
"The last man who exited the vehicle appears to be in command."
"We’re running facial recognition now."
Miles checked his surroundings.
"Make it fast."
Only a few seconds passed.
The reply came.
"Match confirmed."
"Sending profile to your phone."
His phone vibrated.
Miles glanced at the screen.
A photograph appeared.
Followed by the name.
Schmidt.
Several details followed beneath it.
Miles quietly smiled.
"Some people..."
He locked the screen.
"...Never change."
He pressed the radio again.
"Take them down."
A brief pause followed.
"Leave Schmidt alive."
"Copy."
A different voice spoke.
"All Agents."
"Fire in..."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
Pfft.
Pfft.
Pfft.
Almost silent.
Only the suppressed rifles could be heard.
The gunmen never understood what happened.
One after another...
Bodies collapsed onto the road.
Some dropped instantly.
Others barely had time to turn around before falling beside their vehicles.
Within seconds...
The ambush had completely reversed.
Schmidt’s confident expression disappeared.
"Damn!"
He looked around in disbelief.
"It’s a trap!"
Without hesitation...
He sprinted back towards his car.
The engine roared to life.
The tyres spun.
He slammed the accelerator.
Only to freeze.
Two black SUVs suddenly emerged from the darkness behind him.
They stopped sideways.
Blocking the road completely.
There was nowhere left to go.
The driver’s door slowly opened.
Miles stepped out from the smoke.
His white mask remained untouched.
He calmly walked onto the centre of the road.
Headlights reflected softly across the smooth surface of the mask.
He stopped a few metres from the trapped vehicle.
"Schmidt."
His calm voice echoed through the silence.
"Come out."
"It’s over."
Inside the vehicle...
Schmidt gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Damn...
How...
How did he already know my plan?
His breathing became uneven.
Outside...
Miles waited patiently.
"I’ll let you live."
"I don’t plan on getting blood on my hands tonight."
For several long seconds...
Nothing moved.
Finally...
The driver’s door slowly opened.
Schmidt stepped out.
Both hands raised.
He had no other choice.
Miles watched him quietly.
A faint smile appeared beneath the mask.
Schmidt forced a nervous smile.
"Light..."
"We can solve this with words."
Miles slowly tilted his head.
"Hm?"
He looked down at the road.
Hundreds of empty bullet casings glittered beneath the streetlights.
Then he looked back at Schmidt.
"Look around."
His voice remained calm.
"Those bullet shells..."
"Do they look like words to you?"
Schmidt clenched his teeth.
"This is your fault!"
His voice suddenly rose.
"Because of you..."
"My brother..."
"My sister..."
"They died!"
His breathing became ragged.
"They never even touched you."
"They would’ve never harmed a child."
His eyes filled with rage.
"And then..."
"You disappeared."
His fists trembled.
"How dare you come back?"
..
Schmidt slowly lowered his raised hands.
His face had already lost the anger from a few moments ago.
Only exhaustion remained.
He gave a bitter laugh.
"Then..."
"Kill me now."
"And end this."
The empty highway became silent.
The only sound was the distant wind brushing across the road.
Miles let out a quiet sigh.
"You were my age when all of that happened."
His voice remained calm.
"I don’t know who filled your head with that hatred."
"But I was never involved in your brother’s or your sister’s deaths."
Schmidt’s eyes immediately turned cold again.
"You think I’d believe that?"
He took a step forward.
"You were behind that deal."
"You cheated us."
"You took our merchandise."
"And then you murdered my brother and sister."
His breathing grew heavier.
"You call yourself a genius strategist?"
He laughed bitterly.
"No."
"That’s cowardice."
Miles simply looked at him.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of anger behind the white mask.
"Is that..."
"What your uncle told you?"
Schmidt didn’t answer.
Miles continued.
"Then answer me something."
"If we really planned everything..."
"Why would we kill our own supplier?"
Schmidt frowned.
"You were important to us."
"We had worked together."
"The transaction benefited everyone."
Miles spread his hands slightly.
"So tell me."
"What exactly would I gain by killing your brother and sister?"
Schmidt hesitated for the first time.
"My uncle..."
"He saw everything."
"He told me."
"He witnessed the entire incident himself."
Miles sighed again.
"You’ve believed him for eleven years."
"So answer one more question."
"Who benefited the most from their deaths?"
Schmidt looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Miles looked directly into his eyes.
"Are you really that blind, Schmidt?"
The words struck much harder than shouting ever could.
"Your father died in the hospital."
"He left everything to your brother and your sister."
Schmidt remained silent.
Miles continued.
"What did your uncle receive?"
"...Nothing."
Silence.
"But after your brother and sister died..."
"He inherited everything."
"The businesses."
"The properties."
"The money."
"Everything."
Schmidt’s breathing slowed.
His eyes gradually widened.
Miles calmly continued.
"That day..."
"Our deal was successful."
"We paid exactly what was agreed."
"In cash."
"We left."
"Only afterwards did we hear that both of them had been murdered."
He slowly shook his head.
"For eleven years..."
"You lived under the same roof as the man who gained everything."
"And somehow..."
"You never questioned him."
Schmidt clenched his fists.
"No..."
He shook his head repeatedly.
"You’re trying to manipulate me."
"That’s what you’re famous for."
"You’re the Genius Strategist."
Miles smiled faintly.
"I manipulate people when I need something."
He took another step forward.
"But today..."
"I gain absolutely nothing from lying to you."
Schmidt couldn’t answer.
For the first time in over a decade...
Doubt had appeared.
Miles quietly looked at him.
"I don’t think you’re beyond saving."
Schmidt slowly raised his head.
"I know everything about you."
"Your achievements are impressive."
"You rebuilt your family’s businesses."
"You expanded into legitimate industries."
"You stayed away from most of your uncle’s criminal dealings."
Miles nodded slowly.
"You’re not a bad person."
"You simply inherited someone else’s hatred."
He looked around at the bodies lying across the road.
"I don’t want to kill you..."
"Just because you tried to kill me."
Schmidt stared silently.
"So..."
"I’m giving you one chance."
His voice became firm.
"Find the truth."
"Start with your uncle."
"Visit the old bar owner where our deal took place."
"He was there that day."
"He definitely remembers everything."
Miles looked directly into his eyes.
"You’ll find your answers."
A brief pause followed.
"And if..."
"You need my help."
"You’ll find me in Haven."
A faint smile appeared beneath the mask.
"I’ll know when your plane lands."
Schmidt said nothing.
His mind had already become a storm of questions.
Miles slowly raised one hand.
A simple signal.
Immediately...
The two SUVs blocking the road started their engines.
They slowly moved aside.
Opening a clear path.
Without another word...
Miles turned around.
He began walking towards his own vehicle.
Step by step.
Never looking back.
Schmidt remained standing alone in the middle of the road.
Watching.
Just before entering the car...
Miles reached up.
He removed the white mask from his face.
The cold expression known as Light disappeared.
Miles casually tossed the mask behind him.
It spun through the air.
Before landing at Schmidt’s feet.
The young man slowly bent down.
He picked it up with trembling hands.
He stared at the smooth white surface.
"...What really happened?"
His voice barely escaped his lips.
"...Am I..."
"...Wrong?"
He looked toward the departing convoy.
"...Then why..."
"Why didn’t he kill me?"
The convoy disappeared into the darkness.
Leaving Schmidt standing alone beneath the stars.
Holding the mask of the man he had hated for eleven years.
...
Inside the moving vehicle...
Miles leaned comfortably against the seat.
He stretched his neck before letting out a long sigh.
"Finally."
"I got rid of that mask."
The driver glanced through the rear-view mirror.
"Boss."
"Are you certain letting him go was the right decision?"
"He just tried to assassinate you."
Miles looked out of the window.
Streetlights gradually returned as they approached the city.
"He isn’t my enemy."
The agent remained quiet.
"He’s another victim."
Miles spoke softly.
"Children born into criminal families rarely get to choose their lives."
"They inherit hatred."
"They inherit revenge."
"They inherit sins they never committed."
He smiled faintly.
"So..."
"What’s wrong with giving them one chance?"
"The first real chance."
He thought of another face.
"He’s no different from Johanna."
"She also grew up surrounded by rules she never chose."
"Everyone deserves an opportunity to become a better person."
The agent slowly nodded.
"I understand, Boss."
After a brief pause, he smiled.
"You really are wise."
Miles immediately laughed.
"Don’t flatter me."
"I’m just tired."
He rubbed his eyes.
"Let’s go."
"I want to sleep."
The driver chuckled.
"Of course."
Silence settled inside the car.
Miles rested his head against the window.
Then another thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"I wonder how Mom’s doing."
A gentle smile appeared.
"And Chloe..."
"She asked me to call her."
He looked at the time on his phone.
"They’re probably asleep."
He locked the screen again.
"I’ll call them first thing tomorrow morning."