Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 168: Don't worry, I'm here

Chapter 168: Don’t worry, I’m here

[Triggered Event: Surviving an Assassination]

[Side Quest: Survive a Long Day (Alive)]

[Reward: Knockout Gas +1 (affects sanity, causing everyone within a 17-foot radius to instantly faint), +1 Skill Point]

The system’s notification echoed in Ryan’s mind, confirming his suspicions.

He swallowed hard, his heart, which he had managed to keep under control, now seemed ready to burst out of his chest.

Sharp noises rang in his ears, and his vision swirled with dizziness.

The system didn’t just hand out quests randomly,they were always tailored to the current situation.

Previously, to help Alice relieve some stress, the system had assigned a massage task.

Now, as they were like lambs to the slaughter, it had given them a quest to simply survive.

But this time, aside from the side quest, a Dangerous Event had also been triggered, something that previously showed up as “???” on Alice’s attribute panel.

Surviving an assassination… At this moment, Tony and his crew preparing to strike couldn’t exactly be called an assassination,this was a blatant attack.

The real assassination was what Ryan had just spotted, the thing that truly triggered his panic.

He noticed an unnatural glint of light on the nineteenth floor of the building across the street.

The building had a single-pane glass facade, and while all glass reflects light similarly, that particular glint was clearly not from the glass.

When he squinted to get a better look, his blood ran cold.

It was a sniper rifle, and an assassin.

His fingertips began to tremble,trouble had followed trouble, and they were truly trapped.

Yet, there was a sliver of hope in Ryan’s heart, or he wouldn’t have bothered to confirm his suspicion.

When he was looking for that reflection, he was actually hoping it would turn out to be a sniper rifle. In this dangerous situation, that was what he wanted.

Hannah was already controlled outside, and the fact that the conference room door hadn’t been opened yet meant that Alice’s bodyguards had been subdued.

From any angle, it looked like Ryan and Alice were done for.

It was exactly this kind of scenario that needed a game-changer, like an assassin not aligned with either party.

“Miss Alice, don’t look so down.”

“Our collaboration was a success, shouldn’t you be happy?”

The man laughed, taking a champagne bottle from his assistant and shaking it in front of Ryan and Alice, no longer hiding his malicious intent.

Alice had already pieced together what was happening, speaking with a hint of self-mockery.

“You’ve teamed up with those old fools.”

“Right, what else could it be?”

“The rules of the game have been the same for so long. You alone wanted to change things, messing with everyone’s piece of the pie. Why would I still stand by you?”

The man mocked Alice’s naivety, shaking the champagne until it was ready to pop, any moment ready to hear the “pop” of the bottle opening.

But the next second, he carelessly threw the expensive drink to the floor.

The smile was gone in an instant,in just a few seconds, he seemed like a completely different person, showcasing his volatile nature.

The bottle shattered, soaking Alice’s pants with champagne. She sighed and stepped back.

The man turned around, ripping off his suit in front of everyone, revealing a grotesque scar on his back.

Ryan also took a sharp breath. The scar, fully revealed, was not just a small mark on the neck.

It looked like a ravine formed after an earthquake, extending from the man’s lower back up to his neck. That he could survive with such a wound showed how tough he was.

“Remember this? Your damn father did this. He’s dead now, but I still remember the debt.”

The man laughed wildly, his eyes raking over Alice’s body like a carving knife, slowly cutting into her.

Alice remained expressionless, having already heard Hannah’s voice and fallen into despair.

Being a mob boss meant facing danger every day, and none of this was what she wanted. She was tired and had long anticipated this day might come.

Yet, caught in a trap, there was still a slight bitterness in her heart.

Ryan was innocent. If Alice hadn’t forcefully dragged him into this mess, and if she hadn’t impulsively agreed to Ryan’s terms yesterday, he wouldn’t be in such a perilous situation now.

Alice ignored the man shouting across from her and turned to look at Ryan. She knew she was doomed, but she wanted to spend her last moments looking at him.

Ryan, however, was still staring at the building across the street, seemingly detached from the situation, even checking his phone for the time.

Alice couldn’t contain her emotions any longer. She didn’t understand what Ryan had been doing since the beginning. Shouldn’t his focus be on her?

Didn’t he realize they were about to die?

With a tone full of resentment, Alice demanded, “What are you still doing?”

“Waiting for your command, Miss Alice,” Ryan replied, checking his phone again before looking up at Alice with respect.

His demeanor was calm, as if he didn’t take the threat in front of them seriously.

Alice was taken aback, wondering if Ryan had lost his mind from fear, but then she caught a secretive glance from him.

It was a look that said, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Could she really feel safe because he was there? Could he actually save her?

Alice’s emotions surged. She had done a background check on Ryan,he was just an ordinary person, unlikely to be of any help in this situation.

Yet, she remembered the clear, determined look in his eyes when they first met.

Wasn’t he the same back then?

Inside, Ryan was far from calm. It felt as if a giant hand was squeezing his heart, waves of panic washing over him.

Everyone fears death, and Ryan was no exception.

He had been terrified as a child standing outside the orphanage, watching it burn, unable to move his legs.

But does fear mean you shouldn’t act? Should he have just watched as innocent children were consumed by the flames?

Those children had looked to him, screaming for help. And now, Alice was doing the same, silently pleading for his assistance.

Could he let fear stop him? For Ryan, the answer was already clear.

He glanced at the frantic man beside him and the bodyguards who had gathered around, then smiled faintly.

“What are you laughing at?” the man snapped, eyeing Ryan as if he were a useless fool.

Though unsure why Ryan was with Alice, he was convinced Ryan wasn’t capable of much.

But Ryan’s demeanor was starting to unsettle him.

People often challenge their own achievements, then repeatedly test them, exposing a flaw in human nature.

And now, the man began to doubt whether things were going too smoothly.

Alice was the daughter of the man who had left him with deep scars. After her father’s death, she had taken on the burden of leading the gang alone.

She had different ideas, aiming to reorganize the gang’s internal order, which led to conflicts with several gang leaders.

Tony had dared to move against Alice with the support of those opposed to her.

But now, his shrewd business mind sensed something amiss. Was Alice truly trapped?

“I thought you were smart, but now… haha…”

Alice didn’t know what Ryan was planning, but she chose to trust him unconditionally, suddenly raising her voice.

It would be great if Ryan really could be relied upon, but bluster alone wouldn’t save them.

“What do you mean?”

“Just reflecting a bit. You’re quite amusing. Here’s a heads-up.”

“Is your support really reliable? If they could take me down, why would they need you?”

Alice’s words triggered a change in the man’s demeanor. He glanced at Ryan. Alice was hard to read, but Ryan seemed naive, and the man thought he could figure him out.

Ryan remained expressionless throughout, just looking at Alice, as he said, waiting for her command.

This unnerved the man even more. His eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation, but he was already considering backing down.

Was someone like Alice, a mob boss, really someone he could easily take down?

Wasn’t he just being used as a pawn?

No, that couldn’t be right. Alice’s bodyguards had been detained,what could she possibly do now?

If Alice was just bluffing and he let her walk away, he’d likely be fished out of the river within days, beyond salvation even by divine intervention.

The man fell silent, his expression ferocious, wishing he could tear Alice apart on the spot, yet a sliver of reason remained.

“You’re still pretending to be calm, aren’t you? Don’t try to fool me!”

“You think you control everything? You think I’m a fool?”

The man roared, slamming his hands on the conference table, choosing opportunity over danger.

No matter how powerful Alice was, she couldn’t fight against the entire gang. She was definitely headed for a dead end.

Now, if he could just take Alice down, this proof of allegiance would secure his and his descendants’ future.

The man was resolute, but his bodyguards suddenly changed their expressions. They had been watching what Ryan was looking at, and now they seemed to have realized something.

“Boss! Get down!”