Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 1198 - 1203: You Have No Chance to Repay

Chapter 1198: Chapter 1203: You Have No Chance to Repay

There were six cleaners, and Yang Yi’s team had three people. Whether it was luck, skill, or the cleaners intentionally going easy on them, Yang Yi’s team managed to survive the most dangerous first round of attacks.

But what about next?

The cleaners were starting to act like they were playing for real.

Yang Yi’s face was struck by several shards of glass. Luckily, his eyes were unharmed, but his face was ruined.

Yes, Yang Yi’s face was ruined. Large shards of glass were embedded in his face, though they were all small fragments. His face was smeared with blood. While it hadn’t turned into a pockmarked mess or a perforated sieve, it would undoubtedly end up with several permanent scars.

Anton’s face was ruined as well, but since Anton wasn’t handsome to begin with, it didn’t make too much of a difference.

Of course, at this moment, as long as they didn’t lose their lives, appearances didn’t matter.

They talked about retreating, but where could they retreat to?

This wasn’t an assault on an enemy position, nor was it a defense against an attack on their own. It was a battle where they didn’t know where the enemy might appear from, nor where they should head to.

Yang Yi and Anton exchanged a glance, and then both, without any prior agreement, pointed in the same direction.

Forward, toward Gong Yang’s location, rather than retreating backward.

Whether to maintain appearances or simply to survive, they had to move inward rather than outward.

Yang Yi felt that relying on the CIA for backup was now the only chance to escape intact. Trying to fight their way out on their own seemed nearly impossible. If all the cleaners were as skilled as the ones they’d faced earlier, survival was out of the question.

Anton opened the trunk and took out an automatic rifle along with a tactical vest. He casually donned the vest, lifted the rifle, and said, "Let’s go!"

The three of them moved forward in a triangular formation. Yang Yi urgently spoke into his walkie-talkie, "We’ve been ambushed! I suspect the locator device has been compromised. I’m shutting off the signal now. The target is just ahead of us. Respond immediately! Respond immediately!"

As Yang Yi spoke, Anton also shouted urgently into his own walkie-talkie, "We’re in a firefight! The enemy is certainly closing in fast, the situation is very dangerous."

When Yang Yi was done speaking, Anton turned to look at him, and Yang Yi shook his head, saying, "Don’t let her come!"

Anton immediately said into his walkie-talkie, "Don’t come!"

Anton’s words were meant for Bonnie. Yang Yi didn’t want Bonnie coming because her showing up alone would not effectively help them escape.

If the cleaners were truly putting on a show and not intending to kill Yang Yi, then he would remain safe. In the final moments, the cleaners would certainly find a way to let Yang Yi go in a manner fitting the situation.

But if the cleaners truly intended to kill Yang Yi and weren’t just pretending, then no backup—Bonnie or anyone else—would make any difference.

Yes, Yang Yi had begun to strongly suspect that the cleaners were out to kill him, not putting up an act anymore.

The three of them moved quickly forward. Suddenly, Yang Yi stopped in his tracks, and Anton immediately raised his firearm, firing without hesitation into a dark corner.

Yang Yi sensed danger, but Anton seemed to have spotted it.

True enough, almost simultaneously with Anton’s gunshot, a stream of bullets erupted from the dark corner. But Anton had hit the enemy first, and the one who died was their opponent.

Now, there were no allies left—only enemies.

Xiao Ran pivoted and turned back, firing consecutive shots. After two shots, she fell onto the car. Waiting a brief moment, she fired again.

"Two down. Confirmed kills!"

Xiao Ran said calmly.

Yang Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Get closer to Gong Yang!"

The CIA would only prioritize capturing Gong Yang, not rescuing Yang Yi.

To receive any assistance, they had to move closer to Gong Yang so the CIA could conveniently extend support—though only as an afterthought.

How truly hopeless this was—aware that countless enemies were hidden in the shadows, yet forced to brace themselves and push forward.

"I’ll lead the way!"

Yang Yi steeled himself, deciding that as long as he remained a cooperating party to the cleaners, they wouldn’t kill him. If he wasn’t, then he was already doomed. Faced with this reality, he might as well use himself while he still could.

So, despite only holding a small handgun, Yang Yi took the lead, followed by Anton and Xiao Ran.

The next step was rounding the street corner. But just as Yang Yi was about to turn, he felt the side of his neck burning as if scalded with a red-hot iron. Initially numb, the sensation quickly surged into sharp, searing pain.

Yang Yi’s body instinctively staggered, then his reflexes kicked in. Raising his handgun, he shouted, "Sniper!"

Xiao Ran raised her rifle, firing once, hitting a sniper hiding in the building ahead.

Shot once, Yang Yi realized he was still alive—and that fact gave him clarity.

Yang Yi believed he should’ve been killed. But surviving proved the cleaners didn’t want him dead after all.

The cleaners didn’t want him dead, but the price was an exceptionally skilled sniper’s life at Xiao Ran’s hands.

"I’ll lead the way!"

With newfound resolve, Yang Yi resumed the lead position. He wasn’t afraid of injury anymore—no matter how bad it was—as long as he survived. Facial scars, lost limbs—none of that mattered. All that did was staying alive.

The only problem was that the cleaners wouldn’t stand in the open to be shot—that meant danger still loomed.

Yang Yi finally rounded the corner. Anton was behind him, but this time, Anton took the hit.

Yang Yi hadn’t seen the enemy. Then, from one of the doors, a Mexican man stepped out, wearing loud streetwear that screamed amateur, holding a rifle.

Anton’s reaction was quick, but before he could fire, a shot pierced his stomach, penetrating cleanly.

The rifle—a Mk 14 Mod 0/1 Enhanced Battle Rifle, derived from the M14—was issued for close-quarters combat. Used by SEAL teams with shortened barrels for stronger penetration against armored targets, it undoubtedly fired armor-piercing shells. This wasn’t any ordinary weapon.

Yang Yi pulled the trigger, blasting the shooter’s head apart, but Anton was already hit.

From an adjacent doorway emerged only a barrel. Yang Yi’s left shoulder shook violently as he was struck, but Xiao Ran immediately returned fire with her rifle at close range, killing the shooter before Yang Yi could take another hit.

Dropping her rifle to hang by its strap, Xiao Ran pulled out her handgun. At that moment, yet another gun barrel appeared, aiming for Yang Yi’s head.

Xiao Ran shot first, narrowly missing Yang Yi’s scalp as the bullet grazed past.

The cleaners!

These bastards were indeed playing for keeps. They genuinely wanted Yang Yi dead.

Yang Yi was sure that if not for Xiao Ran’s quick response, that bullet would’ve ended him.

At close range, every shot was fatal; each trigger pull determined whether one would live or die.

The worst part was that the cleaners weren’t just skilled—they were masters of combat strategy.

The shooters didn’t rush out one by one, and Yang Yi never faced fewer than two guns aimed at him.

Xiao Ran reflexively positioned herself in front of Yang Yi, and then together, they fired. At less than twenty meters, Yang Yi hit a shooter in the face while Xiao Ran nailed one in the brow. But not before the shooter managed to fire back, hitting Xiao Ran.

Because Xiao Ran had placed herself ahead of Yang Yi, she was the first to shield him. Yang Yi was taller than her, so when bullets grazed him, she remained untouched.

Xiao Ran avoided the first shot but couldn’t escape the second. She was hit.

After multiple exchanges of fire, casualties mounted on both sides. No one fired again for the moment, but Anton and Xiao Ran were down, and Yang Yi had been hit in his left shoulder.

Yang Yi should’ve died—Xiao Ran had shielded him.

If Xiao Ran hadn’t positioned herself ahead of Yang Yi, would she have been shot? Would Yang Yi?

No one would ever have the answer to that question—not now, not ever.

Was Xiao Ran foolish? Did she not recognize that the cleaners might truly spare Yang Yi’s life?

She was aware. But she wouldn’t risk it. At that moment, the sight of the shooter aiming at Yang Yi didn’t look like he intended to miss or divert the shot.

So Xiao Ran wouldn’t take the chance.

No, Xiao Ran wasn’t foolish—she simply refused to gamble. She opted for action over rationality.

Xiao Ran collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from her abdomen.

"Get inside!"

Anton weakly cried out. Yang Yi discarded his handgun, grabbed Xiao Ran, and charged into the nearest shop. He’d been shot, and his strength was waning, but he still dragged her along.

Xiao Ran suddenly raised her arm and clutched Yang Yi’s arm. With a smile on her face, and despite Yang Yi’s panic-stricken expression, she said softly, "Three times! You’ll never get to return the favor..."