The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 312 - 320 Hitman

Chapter 312: Chapter 320 Hitman

James Brown didn’t warn Lucy Campbell, nor did he look around hastily. His body was not tensed but completely relaxed. However, his nerves quickly located the source of the murderous aura—a man, an ordinary man, yet extraordinarily unordinary.

He was labelled ordinary because of his forgettable appearance, one glance and he’d escape your memory. Unordinary, however, because of the killer aura he emitted, not something just anyone could manage.

It was an aura of intense murderous intent, though not blatantly exposed but deliberately concealed. Yet James, with his particularly sharp senses in this area, had never failed in any of his missions with Hawk Squad. The only injury he ever sustained was taking a bullet for Lucy Campbell. A big part of that success owed to his sensitivity to such deadly intents.

By perceiving this murderous aura in advance, he could prepare his defenses and greatly reduce the risk of being ambushed. On the real battlefield, direct assaults were scarce; stealth attacks were the most efficient and least costly method.

James avoided countless ambushes thanks to this perception, often turning the tables unexpectedly on his opponents. Just imagine them thinking they’ve set a perfect trap only to fall into one laid by James and his allies, completely unprepared. The victor in such scenarios isn’t hard to anticipate.

James also sensed that the man’s target was not him but Lucy Campbell, meaning that the assassin was unaware of the presence of SSUP Country’s strongest solo operative.

Turning to Lucy, James said with a smile, "You seem in high spirits today, so I’ll take you to enjoy some good food."

"What will we eat?" Lucy’s enthusiasm surged as she looked at James.

"Hehe, you’ll find out soon. I bet you’ve never tried anything like it."

"Really? Don’t you dare trick me." Lucy felt even better. It was late yet James was still up for taking her out for a meal, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the outing. As for a candlelit dinner, she wasn’t in a hurry to experience that.

The two walked along the pedestrian path and turned a corner. James pointed to a small alley ahead, "We just cross here, and we’ll get there."

"Let’s hurry over then."

The alley lay between two old residential blocks, seemingly a result of poor urban planning, leaving only a slim passage barely wide enough for one car, and the streetlights were dim. In the evenings, few people would traverse this path.

"It’s so dark here," Lucy said, taking a few steps and looking at the tall residential walls on either side. The shadows, cast on the walls by the streetlights coupled with echoing footsteps, gave the place a sinister vibe, explaining why people preferred to steer clear at night.

With James by her side, Lucy wasn’t scared, not here, not anywhere—no matter how frightening. But under such an atmosphere, it was only fitting for her, a woman, to appear a bit frail, to highlight a man’s bravery and strength. Besides, given the opportunity, she hoped to exploit her vulnerability to get closer to James.

James didn’t disappoint her; he took her hand and chuckled, "Don’t be scared, the public security in YODC City is excellent. It’s just a bit dark, but we’ll quickly be out of here."

"Hmm." Lucy took the chance to grab hold of James’s arm with her other hand, and they walked through the dark alley, resembling an intimate couple.

The man James had sensed was now following them. Hesitating at the entrance of the alley, he was extremely confident in his skills. With Lucy on her own, this seemed like the best chance to strike. Yet unexplainably, he sensed danger, as if stepping in meant a one-way ticket to his demise.

Could it be that man posed a threat to him?

The idea was quickly dismissed by the man; he felt neither an air of fierceness nor a master’s poise from James. How could such a man be a threat to him?

The prospect of concealed bodyguards for Lucy Campbell was dismissed too. This operation wasn’t a one-man job. If there were other bodyguards near Lucy, his accomplices would have detected them and informed him immediately.

Casting aside the ludicrous notion, the man dashed into the alley. His speed was rapid, nearly instantaneous, and soon he was behind James and Lucy. His target was Lucy; and with James present, to avoid future trouble, he had to eliminate James as well.

He made his move, not against Lucy but James. Holding a dagger, he reached forward to James’s throat from behind. A single pull back could slice through James’s windpipe, not only instantly fatal but also ensuring James couldn’t make a sound before death.

In films and TV shows, where an arrow to the chest silences a person as they die—total nonsense. Even a heart-shot doesn’t kill instantly, so for a true hitman, a genuine slayer, the best way to keep a victim silent is to slit their windpipe.

He was very confident in his move; a slice he had practiced tens of thousands of times. As long as he could gauge the opponent’s height, he could sever their throat with precision, even with his eyes closed. He had used this technique on real people several times and had never once failed.

Therefore, after making the motion to kill James Brown with his right hand, his left hand had already slashed towards Lucy Campbell’s neck. His mission wasn’t to kill Lucy; he was there to abduct her.

But this time he made a mistake. He underestimated James Brown’s strength and shouldn’t have split his focus. Or rather, he shouldn’t have taken action at all. If he had fled right away, James indeed wouldn’t have been able to leave Lucy to pursue him.

By the time he realized his mistake, a heavy blow had already struck his breastbone. He could even feel several of his ribs breaking. The assassination attempt failed, and he himself had been ambushed by James Brown.

This man was truly a master; the strike, though painfully severe, allowed him to immediately retreat backwards while his hand, quick as lightning, threw the dagger forward, aiming not at James but at Lucy.

He knew he had encountered a master, and a more powerful one at that. His knife throw wasn’t meant to injure James; it was to delay his pursuit. By aiming at Lucy, James would surely attempt to save her, which would be much harder than merely evading. That way, he could buy himself a bit more time.

His actions were not mistaken and were indeed clever, but he was up against James Brown, a master far more skilled than himself. With a stretch of his hand, James caught the throwing knife and, with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying back faster than it came.

The man had never anticipated the throwing knife coming back at him, so all his thoughts were on escape, not evasion. By the time he realized the knife was headed his way, it had already buried itself deep into his chest.

There was no scream, no fall, just several staggered steps backward before coming to a halt, staring at James Brown, mouth open as if to say something. But before a word could be uttered, he fell to the ground with a thud.

From the moment the assailant made his move to being killed by James, it all happened in less than half a minute. Lucy Campbell only turned her head when she heard the sound of James’s elbow striking the man’s chest. By the time she looked around, the man was already dead on the ground.

"Let’s go!" James merely uttered this one word, then stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Lucy’s waist, striding forward.

And Lucy didn’t say anything, fully aware that in such a situation, all of James’s decisions were correct. She couldn’t contribute any advice; otherwise, it could easily place her in greater danger.

Once they exited the alley and no one else made a move, James already felt the presence of two masters high on the wall earlier. For Lucy’s safety, he could only take her out of the alley and not concern himself with the man he had killed.

The two figures didn’t engage, clearly having underestimated James’s capabilities. Knowing any attempt now would be futile, they ultimately gave up and quickly removed the body as soon as James left.

At this moment, Lucy wasn’t worried about any dangers or hitmen, not minding them at all. Being held by James in this way reminded her of their time in the dense forest, giving her a great sense of security. She actually wished for more people to come, so she could be embraced by James forever.

But no one else attacked, and soon James released her, whispering softly, "It’s safe now."

Lucy’s heart was still pounding unevenly, but she didn’t want James to notice. She stood up straight, gently swept her slightly disheveled hair from her forehead with a slight smile, and said, "You mentioned taking me to some good food."

James smiled faintly and replied, "It’s just up ahead."

Following where James pointed, Lucy’s face lit up with a radiant smile and she exclaimed, "Stinky tofu, huh? I’ve heard it smells really bad."

"Yeah, it’s pretty smelly. But the stink is just on the surface; it’s actually very tasty once you eat it. Do you want to give it a try?"

"Sure, I’ll try it. If it’s not good, I’ll have you to answer for it."

"No problem."

The two exchanged smiles and walked together towards the stinky tofu stall. They had just gone through a perilous ordeal, but now neither treated it as if it mattered. It was normal for James to be nonchalant, but for Lucy, a woman, to show such bravery was truly admirable.