Cassius subconsciously tapped the gas pedal, speeding up slightly.
The Chevrolet immediately accelerated to match, sticking to them.
Cassius's heart tightened!
When he focused his attention on the Chevrolet, two lines of glaring red data suddenly floated into his vision:
[Unknown Thug A Favorability: -99 (Desperado, Junkie, Extremely Dangerous)]
[Unknown Thug B Favorability: -97 (Desperado, Junkie, Highly Dangerous)]
Negative favorability!
Desperadoes!
Junkies!
"Kristen, wake up!"
Cassius raised his voice, trying his best to keep it calm.
"Tighten your seatbelt. We might be in big trouble! The car behind us isn't right!"
Kristen woke up instantly, sitting up straight to look in the rearview mirror, her face draining of color.
"What's wrong with that car?"
"Bad people!"
Cassius responded briefly, his brain spinning fast.
He tried to accelerate to shake them off, but the other car's engine roared as it surged forward!
The Chevrolet forced an overtake, then pulled an extremely dangerous sudden brake, cutting right in front of Cassius's car!
"SCREECH—!"
Cassius slammed on the brakes.
Tires screamed against the pavement.
The car came to a thrilling halt just half a meter from the other car's rear, the front bumper nearly kissing it.
Before they could catch their breath, two burly men wearing ski masks jumped out of the Chevrolet.
Even from a distance and through the masks, the restless, dangerous aura coming off them was palpable.
One held a handgun, the other gripped a gleaming dagger. They charged straight for the driver and passenger sides.
"Get out! Fuck! Hand over the money and everything valuable!"
The thug pointing the gun at Cassius roared in a low voice, trembling slightly from drugs, his eyes flashing with a crazed light through the mask holes.
The thug with the dagger slammed the hilt hard against Kristen's window, making a terrifying thud-thud sound. His lewd gaze swept over her.
"Hey! Little missy! Get your ass down here! Let's have some fun!"
Kristen was shaking with fear, clutching her seatbelt tightly. She looked at Cassius for help, tears swimming in her eyes.
Cassius's heart drummed in his chest, but his upgraded emotional control allowed him to forcibly suppress the panic.
He raised his hands to show he wasn't a threat, speaking rapidly in English.
"OK, OK, don't shoot! Calm down! We'll give you the money and everything! Just don't hurt us!"
He signaled Kristen with his eyes to comply while slowly unbuckling his seatbelt.
He noticed the gunman's finger was twitching nervously on the trigger guard—his state was incredibly unstable.
Feigning extreme fear, Cassius turned his body slowly, as if reaching for a wallet in the storage compartment or under the seat. This movement naturally drew most of the gunman's attention.
"Hurry up! No tricks!"
Thug A's gun muzzle moved slightly with Cassius's motion.
Meanwhile, seeing Kristen trembling as she passed her designer bag through the cracked window, the knife-wielding thug was immediately distracted by the luxury item. He subconsciously reached out to grab it, lowering his guard against Cassius to the minimum.
Now!
Cassius moved!
His physical attributes exploded into action!
[Reaction Speed] allowed him to seize this fleeting opportunity!
[Explosiveness] turned his body into a tightly coiled spring as he slammed his shoulder violently into the driver's door!
[Precision Control] and [Anticipation] allowed him to calculate the exact angle and force!
BANG!
He rammed the door open with practiced force, smashing it solidly into the gunman's arm and ribs!
"Argh!"
The thug grunted in pain. His wrist went numb, and the gun dropped from his hand!
Almost simultaneously!
Cassius's right hand struck like a viper. Before the gun even hit the ground, he precisely clamped onto the thug's gun hand, using a [Joint Control] technique to twist it violently!
CRACK!
A clear sound of bone fracturing rang out, accompanied by the thug's agonized scream!
The other thug with the dagger was stunned by this sudden turn of events, but his reaction wasn't slow. He cursed angrily:
"Fuck!"
Abandoning the bag, he lunged at Cassius, who had just rushed out of the car, thrusting the dagger forward!
Cassius was faster!
Using the first thug as a human shield, he sidestepped. His left leg swept low and fast, whistling through the air to land a precise kick on the second thug's knee!
"AHHH—!"
The thug shrieked. A sickening crunch of dislocation came from his knee. He lost his balance instantly, collapsing forward to his knees, the dagger flying from his hand.
Cassius didn't pause for a second. While snatching up the gun dropped by Thug A, his body had already adjusted its stance.
He saw the thug with the shattered knee struggling to crawl toward the dropped dagger, murderous intent in his eyes.
Can't give him any chance!
Cassius's eyes were cold. Without hesitation, he raised the gun he had just acquired and pulled the trigger on the thug trying to reclaim his weapon!
BANG!
The gunshot was piercingly loud in the silent night.
The bullet struck the man squarely in the chest. His body jerked violently, then slumped backward. He convulsed twice, then stopped moving.
The words [Unknown Thug Favorability] instantly vanished from above his head.
Seeing this, the first thug—whose wrist was broken and ribs likely cracked—was terrified out of his wits. Ignoring the intense pain, he scrambled, trying to run back to their car on all fours.
Cassius's eyes remained cold. He raised the gun again.
BANG!
This shot hit the man in the thigh.
"AHHH!"
The thug screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his thigh and rolling in agony, unable to escape.
From Cassius's explosive counterattack to one thug dead and one injured on the ground, the entire process took no more than ten seconds.
Inside the car, Kristen covered her mouth tightly with both hands, eyes wide with horror as she watched the scene unfold outside—real and bloody like an action movie. Her body shook uncontrollably.
Cassius stood there, his chest heaving violently, but the hand holding the gun was as steady as a rock.
He quickly scanned the surroundings to confirm there were no other accomplices. Then, he walked over to the wailing thug with the shot leg and kicked away any other weapons he might have hidden.
He took out his phone and dialed 911, his tone calm, unlike someone who had just been in a life-or-death struggle.
"Two armed robbers. One shot dead, one injured and subdued. Scene is secure. Need police and ambulance. Location is..."
After hanging up, he finally looked at Kristen inside the car.
She was still frozen in that posture, her face pale as paper, eyes full of panic and fear, clearly traumatized.
Cassius opened the car door, trying to make his voice as gentle as possible.
"It's okay, Kristen. Police are on their way."
Kristen snapped out of it. Tears burst forth instantly. She practically threw herself at him, hugging Cassius tightly, her body still shaking violently and uncontrollably.
Cassius stiffened for a moment, then gently patted her back, soothing her.
"It's okay, it's okay. We're safe. It's all over!"