North American riot police: Start by arresting P. Diddy!

Chapter 276 I'll Give You a Head of Red Hair!
The next night.

Scarlett arrived at an ordinary townhouse on time.

Instead of parking in the nearest parking lot, she parked directly on the side of the road.

If all goes well, you'll receive a ticket in half an hour, and an hour later, one of those illegal parking stickers that can only be removed by paying a fine will be stuck to your windshield.

But she didn't care about any of that—or rather, she was certain she could achieve her goal and leave in less than an hour.

With so many cars in the parking lot, if the entrance and exit are blocked, she'll be in a real predicament.

Scarlett opened the makeup mirror and carefully touched up her makeup. Since it was a family dinner, there was no need to dress up like at a formal cocktail party.

She was only wearing a well-fitting casual suit, but her makeup was exceptionally exquisite, making her look radiant and beautiful.

Scarlett stared at her reflection in the mirror for over ten seconds.

Finally, she closed the mirror, carefully concealed a switchblade and two miniature pistols, took a deep breath, pushed open the car door, and stepped into the night.

The doorbell rang, and the door opened just seconds later.

"Scarlett~~"

Anne, who usually wears business attire, was wearing a white sweater today, which made her look exceptionally kind with her gentle smile.

"You're a little late, we've been waiting for you."

"There was a traffic jam on the way, so I bought your favorite cherry cake pie on the way."

"Haha, you're the most thoughtful girl."

The two hugged and exchanged pleasantries at the door for a while before closing the door and going inside.

As the logistics director of the Department of Homeland Security, Anne's annual salary and hidden income easily exceed seven figures, making her a hidden millionaire.

But she lived quietly in this ordinary townhouse. The neighbors all thought that this extraordinary lady was a designer or accountant of a company. Who would have thought that this seemingly kind and amiable woman was actually the future deputy director of the Security Bureau?
Scarlett held the cake pie, a polite smile on her face.

As she passed through the entrance hall, her smile remained unchanged, but her pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

As far as she knew, Anne, who was over seventy years old, had almost no relatives, had never married, and had never adopted children. Her only relative was her deceased brother's only daughter.

However, at this moment, more than ten people had gathered in the spacious hall, including Annie's personal guards and colleagues from the bureau.

The unexpected guest lineup stirred up Scarlett's emotions, and a sense of anxiety arose from the disruption of her plans.

"Scarlett! Don't just stand there daydreaming, come and sit down!"

Duke waved enthusiastically and patted the sofa next to him.

That's right, this burly man was also among those invited by Annie.

Duke made time to accept the invitation from the future deputy director, no matter how busy he was.

"You guys chat first, I'll go check on the kitchen. Dinner will be served in about half an hour." Annie patted Scarlett's shoulder, smiled and nodded to everyone before heading towards the kitchen.

Facing the gazes of everyone, Scarlett calmly placed the cherry pie on the coffee table and sat down next to Duke.

"Did your supervisor invite you?" she asked in a low voice.

"Otherwise what?" Duke swirled his whiskey glass, slightly drunk. "I'm not like you, the supervisor's confidant, who can just show up anywhere. This place is really out of the way; it took me ages to find it. I even taught a few troublemakers from Brother Ni a lesson along the way."

This guy had clearly drunk quite a bit, and he was starting to speak recklessly.

Scarlett was worried that he would misbehave after drinking, so she nudged him with her elbow to remind him.

But Duke seemed to be in a very bad mood. After tilting his head back and gulping down most of a glass of whiskey, he got up to go to the liquor cabinet to get a refill.

Scarlett frowned and followed, snatching the bottle from her: "This isn't the base, it's the supervisor's house! There are four or five high-ranking officers in the lobby. Do you want them to see the deputy captain of the action team drunk?"

"Leave me alone!" Duke snatched back the bottle and downed it in one gulp: "You should drink more on occasions like this."

Scarlett quickly scanned the hall, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, she swiftly grabbed Duke's arm and slammed his head against the liquor cabinet.

"What's wrong with you? I've never seen you drink like this before!" she snapped in a low voice, then softened her tone slightly: "If you have something on your mind, you can tell me. Don't you even trust me anymore?"

Duke gave a wry smile, his voice hoarse: "Scarlett, I may have to leave America."

"What?" Scarlett was stunned. "The Security Bureau approved your resignation?"

“No.” Duke shook his head and sighed. “The supervisor said the European branch is short-staffed and wants to transfer me there.”

"Europe."

Scarlett loosened her grip and rubbed his arm. "There have been frequent terrorist attacks on our own soil lately, so Europe is actually safer. Going there might not be a bad thing."

Duke shook his head: "You know me, I'm not afraid of danger. What I'm afraid of is... never having another chance to avenge my brothers."

Scarlett paused, looking at her comrade struggling in pain before her, and remained silent.

“These days, every time I close my eyes I see Kaisansuo’s face. They seem to be blaming me for deserting my post and living a cowardly life.”

Duke clenched his fist. "I know I'm no match for Rorschach, but I've never given up on my revenge plan. But if I go to Europe, I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to kill my enemy again!"

Scarlett's eyes flickered.

If he knew that he was the mole who passed messages to Rorschach during the San Francisco terror attack, he would probably go crazy in despair.

She gazed at Duke, whose face was contorted with guilt and self-reproach, and couldn't help but think of her former teammates—Parasol, Snake Eyes, Lightning, and Captain.
Scarlett had no regrets.

The moment her memories returned and she learned the truth about her origins, all she felt for the Security Bureau was hatred.

But after years of training and sharing life and death experiences, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

After a moment of silence, Scarlett Johansson stepped forward and hugged Duke, a rare occurrence for her.

"I'm sorry, Duke. But I promise, one day I will make the real culprit pay with blood!"

Duke never suspected Scarlett, assuming that the "culprit" she was referring to was Rorschach.

He patted Scarlett's back gently and sighed, "I understand. Your hatred is no less than mine. Do your best."

After pouring out his heart, Duke stopped drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He leaned against the liquor cabinet and said, "Speaking of which, you're probably not going to have an easy time from now on."

He gestured toward the living room with his chin, "After the supervisor went to Europe, you lost your backing in the bureau. The new director will definitely take control of the action team, and your position as captain is in jeopardy."

Scarlett smiled dismissively.

Whether she will survive tonight is uncertain, let alone her position as captain.

The two chatted about recent developments at the bureau, and soon Annie's voice came from the living room—dinner was ready, it was time to eat.

Duke straightened his collar, put down his wine glass, and was about to go over when Scarlett grabbed his arm.

Turning around, I saw that her face was more gloomy than ever before, and her brows were filled with murderous intent.

"What's wrong, Scarlett?"

"Promise me, Duke," she said in a low voice, "that no matter what happens later, you'll pretend you didn't see anything, okay?"

"What happened?" Duke asked, puzzled. Scarlett didn't answer, but stared straight at him with a look of determination and pleading that Duke had never seen before.

Duke remained silent, still pondering the reason for her unusual behavior.

But Scarlett had already returned to normal, letting go of his hand, putting on a bright smile again, and walking briskly towards the living room.

Although it was a family dinner, the dishes were by no means meager.

In addition to the usual salads and pasta, Annie also personally grilled her secret-recipe ribs. The rich sauce and caramelized onions complemented each other perfectly, making one's mouth water at first glance.

Each guest brought their own specialty dish to share, a local custom where guests bring homemade food to the banquet as a sign of sincerity and to enhance friendship.

Scarlett placed the cherry pie in the center of the table and arranged it carefully.

Duke also took his seat, but his gaze kept glancing at Scarlett, as if he were deep in thought.

As the hostess, Anne sat gracefully in the main seat, warmly greeting everyone and spouting witty remarks.

Strictly speaking, only Duke was an outsider, so the atmosphere at the table was quite harmonious.

"Ding Ding Ding-"

Anne tapped the glass lightly with her silver spoon, the crisp sound silencing everyone.

She looked around at everyone and smiled gently, "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've had a meal with old friends like this. It's a rare opportunity to get together, and I cherish it all the more."

She pointed to each of her old friends present and recounted amusing anecdotes from the past, her vivid descriptions eliciting laughter from everyone at the table.

Soon, the topic turned to Scarlett.

“Scarlett, you are the greatest treasure I have discovered in the Security Bureau, and I am very proud of you.”

Anne looked at her with genuine emotion, "I've always thought that if I had a daughter, she should be as strong and brave as you. Speaking of which, I really hate to leave you at headquarters."

"enough!"

Scarlett slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, making the plates rattle loudly.

Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared coldly at Anne: "You can't bear to part with me? You used the same excuse to kill my father back then, didn't you?!"

Before he finished speaking, the room erupted in uproar, especially Duke, who was so startled that he dropped his wine glass.

Anne's pupils contracted sharply, and her smile froze: "Scarlett, do you know what you're saying?"

At this moment, she had lost all her kindness; her face was gloomy.

But Scarlett, burning with rage, paid no heed to any of that.

She stared coldly at this hypocritical woman, her words dripping with anguish: "In 1992, on the coast of Santa Monica, California, a man named Logan, dressed in rags and unkempt like a homeless man, wandered day and night, searching for his missing daughter. Finally, one day, he received news that his daughter was at the Security Bureau training base. But when he found her there, she had been brutally murdered, her body staged as a surfing accident, with twenty-eight fractures, ruptured internal organs, and a severe head injury."

She slowly rose, her voice trembling: "To fake an accident, you repeatedly ran over his body, subjecting him to inhuman torture. Before his family arrived, you sent his body to the crematorium. And the mastermind behind all of this is you! You killed my father with your own hands!"

In the deathly silence, everyone understood the truth, yet found it hard to believe.

The two, who were as close as mother and daughter, were actually sworn enemies.

Without a doubt, they all possess superb acting skills and profound cunning.

Anne stood up with a sinister look in her eyes. She moved her lips slightly, as if she wanted to argue, but Scarlett had already lost her patience.

She noticed that Anne's bodyguard was quietly getting up.

"puff"

Scarlett suddenly reached into the cherry pie and pulled out a concealed pistol, pointing it at Annie.

But the former instructor was agile and dodged the bullet with a side roll.

As the others were about to step forward to help, Scarlett was already prepared. She pulled out another silenced pistol from her inner thigh and fired both guns simultaneously, hitting her target every time.

“Bang bang bang bang—”

Gunshots rang out, blood splattered everywhere, and guests fell to the ground, shot in vital areas.

But the culprit is still lurking under the dining table.
Anne suddenly sprang from under the table, a sharp knife in her hand. Her movements were surprisingly agile for a seventy-year-old woman; she swung the knife toward Scarlett's throat.

Scarlett dodged to the side, but her shoulder was still slashed. Blood instantly soaked through her shirt, but she didn't even flinch. She retaliated with an elbow strike aimed at Annie's face, but Annie swiftly dodged it.

"You bitch!" Annie spat out a mouthful of blood, nimbly took two steps back, and said fiercely, "Have you forgotten who raised you, nurtured you, and gave you your current status and glory!"

"Ha!" Scarlett sneered, her eyes flashing with cold light. "You filthy bitch killed my father, and you expect me to thank you?!"

"You ungrateful wretch!"

"Damn bitch!"

The two were locked in a fierce battle, exchanging blows and grappling in the restaurant.

As Anne moved swiftly and agilely, she suddenly darted behind the cabinet, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at Scarlett.

Scarlett quickly dodged, using the dining table as cover to close the distance and prevent the other party from firing a shot.

Although Anne was once her instructor, she was old and had not been injected with any enhancement drugs. Her body was no different from that of an ordinary person. In particular, she was over seventy years old and her physical strength was failing. Her speed and reaction speed were far inferior to Scarlett's when she was in her prime.

Soon, Scarlett cornered him, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.

All of this happened so fast that by the time the bodyguards reacted, Annie was already in dire straits.

"stop!"

The bodyguard shouted sharply, drew his gun from his waist, aimed at Scarlett, and put his finger on the trigger.

Another bodyguard immediately drew his gun to help, and the two of them flanked the enemy from both sides.

At this critical moment, Duke suddenly sprang to his feet, grabbed a bottle of red wine from the table, and smashed it hard against one of the bodyguards.

With a muffled thud, shards of glass mixed with red wine splattered everywhere, and the bodyguard fell to the ground.

Having landed a successful blow, Duke then pounced on another bodyguard with lightning speed.

The two rolled and wrestled on the ground, until Duke finally smashed the other's nose with a vicious headbutt.

He snatched the pistol from the other man and fired two quick shots, accurately taking down the two bodyguards.

Duke!

Seeing this, Annie shouted angrily, "You dare to lay a hand on your superior? Do you want to be expelled from the Security Bureau?! Do you want to be wanted?!"

"Ha, you old hag who murdered your subordinates' parents to control them is not my superior! Besides, I've long since given up on working for the Security Bureau!" Duke sneered, turning his gun towards Annie.

Anne quickly bent down to dodge, and Scarlett seized the fleeting opportunity, rushing forward and tackling Anne to the ground.

Her knee pressed firmly against Anne's chest, and her right hand drew a dagger from her boot, the cold blade pressed against Anne's throat.

"You like red hair, don't you?" Scarlett's voice was icy. "Then I'll give you a head full of red hair!"

The dagger slashed across, and blood gushed out like a fountain, turning Anne's carefully maintained black hair a striking scarlet.
(End of this chapter)