The heater made the air inside the car rather stuffy. Adrian Jennings tugged at his tie and rolled down the car window halfway. Cold wind rushed in, instantly refreshing the atmosphere. Talia cautiously began to speak: "My dad’s intention, you just..." Talia’s words were cut short as Adrian suddenly hit the accelerator, causing her to lurch forward and swallow the rest of her sentence. She pressed her lips together and silently fastened her seatbelt. Adrian was driving fast, clearly emotional. Talia sat in the passenger seat, terrified. The bodyguard trailing behind suddenly exclaimed, "Damn! Where’s the young master’s car? How did it disappear in the blink of an eye?" For original chapters go to NoveI[F]ire.net The companion in the passenger seat was sweating profusely, "No way, bro? You’re telling me we lost track of it?" The driving bodyguard frustratingly punched the steering wheel, "Shit, the young master was driving fast, that’s a Bugatti La Voiture Noire, no way this junk vehicle could keep up! What do we do now?" The passenger-side bodyguard hurriedly pulled out a phone, "I’ll call to ask the young master where he drove to." The black Bugatti sped down the road, the scenery outside rapidly receding. The supercar’s roaring sound was deafening, drowning out the faint phone vibration alert. Talia’s heart clenched tightly, her face pale, as she gripped the seatbelt firmly, "Adrian, could you drive slower?" Adrian focused ahead, jaw tense, his side profile etched with a cold hardness, distinctly conveying his foul mood. His face impassive, he didn’t respond, but the speed of the car gradually decreased. Talia’s tense body slowly relaxed as she looked out the window. The surrounding buildings and scenery were foreign; this wasn’t the road to Whispering Waves Garden or the Jennings Family’s estate. "Where are you going?" Adrian answered coolly, "Whispering Waves Garden has been compromised. You can’t go back there for a few days. I’m taking you to a manor in the outskirts to lay low until I handle things here and come to fetch you." "Not far, there’ll be someone to meet you ahead. You get out of the car and go with them. There are professional bodyguards in the car to ensure you’re safe." Talia immediately retorted, "But what about you?" "Don’t worry about me." The car continued to drive forward. The towering skyscrapers of the city gradually diminished, replaced by low-rise houses and wilderness scenery. Wild greenery stood lush and verdant on either side of the road, unfolding in a refreshingly healing vista. "We’ll be getting off not far ahead, Talia. You follow them when we arrive." Talia turned to look behind, "Are there no bodyguards today? Didn’t they say we always have to bring bodyguards when going out?" Adrian’s voice was deep, "I noticed someone tailing us after leaving the hospital, sped up to lose them, and that’s likely when the bodyguards fell behind." Talia’s heart clenched, "Then won’t you be in danger when you return later?" At this moment, Adrian’s phone vibrated again. The car speed now reduced, this time he answered the call. The bodyguard’s voice on the other end was urgent and serious, "Young master, where are you and the young mistress? We lost track." Before he could finish. A sudden "bang" sounded, a bullet hit the car, simultaneously, a black Aston Martin appeared in the rearview mirror. Adrian jerked the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding a bullet aimed at the tire, the bullet hitting the car body, thankfully the tires were intact. Talia instinctively screamed. The Bugatti’s tires screeched sharply against the ground. Adrian pressed Talia down in the passenger seat, "Watch out, Talia!" Talia had just been pushed down when a bullet shot from the side-rear; had Adrian not acted quickly, Talia would have been shot in the head. The bullet slanted through the passenger seat, striking the windshield, instantly creating a hole with cracks fanning outward. Cold wind whistled through the bullet hole. Talia curled up with difficulty, trembling in fear. Just now she narrowly escaped death once again. At this moment, she clearly sensed Vincent Fletcher’s murderous intent! Vincent dared to openly use a gun in Veridia; he truly was a complete madman! Faced with the sudden emergency, Adrian remained calm and composed. "They came prepared." Adrian’s voice was low, his speech quick, "Talia, stay down and don’t move." He underestimated them. Adrian thought he had shaken them off, yet they still caught up. His Talia nearly got shot. His brow furrowed, eyes tinged with murderous aura. Adrian cranked up the speed of the car, the steering wheel swung left and right in his hand, the car swerved unpredictably, changing lanes like a nimble dragon, deftly dodging a shot aimed at the driver’s seat. A "bang" sounded, the bullet hit the rearview mirror, shattering the glass instantly, fragments flying in all directions. Talia was tossed around, her body swaying and bumping. Two cars caught up behind the Bugatti. A black Aston Martin and a silver Porsche 918, both speeding up, trying to encircle the Bugatti. In the passenger seat of the Porsche 918, a man held a heavy sniper rifle, the source of the earlier gunfire. Adrian slightly slowed the car. He drove with one hand while reaching for a gun beside the driver’s seat with the other hand, loading it single-handedly. Originally, there wouldn’t be a gun in Adrian’s car, but he prepared it specifically against Vincent Fletcher. Just as the Aston Martin was about to catch up and drive alongside the Bugatti, Adrian suddenly slowed down, letting the Bugatti align with the Aston Martin, and in that brief second, Adrian swiftly raised a hand and fired, the bullet shooting out through the car window gap. The Aston Martin’s window glass got a hole. No one in the passenger seat, the bullet hit the person in the driver’s seat, causing the car to veer sharply from its original path, crashing into the right-side guardrail on the roadside. The Aston Martin’s front caved in, the guardrail twisted and deformed, black smoke billowing from the chassis at once. The Porsche 918 slowing noticeably upon seeing its companion in trouble, the driver’s attention clearly split. Adrian seized the opportunity, steering with one hand and holding the gun with the other, turned and quickly fired several shots at the trailing car. The bullets pierced the rear car’s windshield. The driver in the Porsche seat frantically turned the wheel to evade the sudden bullets, unlike Adrian’s steady composure, losing control, the Porsche swayed left and right before crashing through the left guardrail and plummeting down the cliff. Talia lay on the car, not witnessing the chaos outside, she sensed the car had slowed slightly just a moment before and quickly heard loud sounds, as if a car had crashed into the guardrail. Outside was thrilling and frightening, Talia kept her head down without peeking, obediently staying put. The Bugatti finally shook off the two tailing cars, accelerated forward, driving a long distance, and Adrian relaxed only after confirming they were out of danger, "Alright, Talia, you can get up now." Adrian eased the speed, glanced sideways at her, Talia’s face pale, eyes still filled with lingering terror, clearly shaken badly. Talia heard herself anxiously asking, "Was Vincent Fletcher himself here just now?" Adrian shook his head, "He probably wouldn’t come out personally now, the gunman earlier was likely someone brought from Aridia, using such weapons should be one of his mercenaries from Aridia." Talia still unnerved, her body sweating coldly, "He really is a madman." Adrian felt guilty inside, "Terribly scared, Talia, sorry, being with me endangered you once again." Perhaps Shawn Rhodes’ words should be given serious thought...