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

Chapter 277 Visiting My Son

For Scarlett, this battle for revenge was not difficult, far less so than the dangerous missions she had carried out for the Security Service.

Although Anne was an instructor at the academy when she was young, that was eighteen years ago.

Her pampered life over the years has caused her hand-to-hand combat skills to become rusty and atrophied.

Unlike Scarlett, who started receiving enhancement serum at the age of seven or eight, how could she, now in her seventies, possibly be a match for Scarlett, who was in her twenties and at the peak of her life?
She was able to hold her own for several rounds thanks to her rich practical experience and seasoned fighting skills.

The real variable lies in the guests and bodyguards that Anne invites.

The security bureau stipulates that all personnel, whether high-ranking or civilian, must undergo shooting training and possess basic self-defense capabilities, not to mention the bodyguards who serve as personal guards to high-ranking personnel.

Fortunately, Scarlett was prepared and shot the guests at the table immediately, giving them no chance to retaliate.

Duke also dealt with the two most troublesome bodyguards decisively, completely extinguishing any remaining possibility of a comeback.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only heavy breathing echoing through it.

"Huhu."

Scarlett straddled Anne, her chest heaving violently from the intense struggle.

Warm blood was still gushing from the carotid artery in the neck of the corpse beneath them, staining both of their faces crimson, a horrifying sight.

However, looking at her enemy who died with his eyes wide open, Scarlett did not feel the expected pleasure of revenge. Instead, a strong sense of emptiness was engulfing her and spreading throughout her body.

Duke, who was not far away, frowned but remained silent as he looked at Scarlett, who was covered in blood and sitting there blankly.

Perhaps one day, when he kills Rorschach, he will feel the same way Scarlett feels now.

The excitement, exhilaration, and ecstasy, followed by the bewilderment and emptiness after the revenge was achieved.

But now is not the time to savor this feeling.

"The nearest police station is about five kilometers away, and there are patrolling police officers just two blocks away. Although we used a silenced gun, the bullet still shattered the window glass."

Duke glanced nervously at his watch: "So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, in fifteen minutes at most, when the police patrol this street, they'll definitely come in and check after finding the broken glass. Worse still, the commotion may have been seen by passersby who called the police, and the officers might already be on their way. I don't want to bother you, but if you don't want a direct confrontation with the police, you should leave now."

Scarlett glanced back at him upon hearing this, and the cold, sharp look in her eyes beneath the bloodstains sent a shiver down Duke's spine.

"Thanks."

Scarlett stood up nimbly, walked to the liquor cabinet, grabbed a bottle of high-proof tequila, unscrewed the cap without hesitation, and poured it directly down her forehead to wash away the blood on her face.

She didn't care that Duke was there. She simply took off her blood-stained outer clothes, leaving only her underwear, and quickly wiped the stains off her body with an alcohol-soaked towel.

The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, as if they were simply completing a routine cleaning task.

Seeing that the other party had regained his senses, Duke secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He strode to the window, cautiously surveying his surroundings while checking for security cameras in the lobby: "Don't bother with formalities, you're my only remaining friend. Besides..."

Duke glanced at Annie's mangled corpse and sighed, "I never imagined you carried such a blood feud. You've endured so much in the Security Bureau for so many years. If I were in your shoes, I believe you would have made the same choice."

Scarlett's lips curled up slightly. Having avenged her great grudge, she felt more relaxed than ever before, and even her smile seemed much brighter and more sincere.

She scanned the room full of corpses, her gaze lingering on Annie's niece—who was of similar build to her and whose clothes were mostly unstained from blood due to a single shot to the head.

After quickly changing into the other person's clothes, Scarlett shouted at Duke, who was still checking the surveillance footage, "Don't bother. Do you think the top brass of the Department of Homeland Security would install surveillance cameras in their own living room? Wouldn't that give the Counterterrorism Agency an opportunity to monitor them?"

"Uh, you're right. I'd forgotten that the Counterterrorism Bureau can access surveillance footage from across the US." Duke scratched his head awkwardly and stopped what he was doing.

Scarlett bent down to pick up the gun, and was about to wipe away the fingerprints with a napkin when she suddenly stopped.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly threw the gun to the ground, ignoring any possible traces left behind.

Seeing this, Duke frowned slightly: "You've made up your mind? To completely defect from the Department of Homeland Security?"

"Um"

Scarlett gave a cold laugh, her voice resolute: "This country no longer deserves my loyalty. They owe me this!"

Duke nodded slightly and didn't try to persuade him further.

In fact, given their professional abilities, they could very well have disguised the scene as an assassination attempt by foreign agents.

For example, it would be perfectly reasonable and not at all incongruous for an Eastern or Russian spy to eliminate the Homeland Security logistics director who was about to be promoted to deputy director.

With a little planning and by erasing their own traces, they might still attract an investigation, but given their status and experience, it would be very difficult, though not impossible, for them to escape unscathed.

Scarlett clearly wasn't interested, and Duke didn't force her.

He couldn't fully comprehend her feelings at that moment, but putting himself in her shoes—if his own father were brutally murdered by his enemy, and the murderer disguised himself as a kind elder, pretending to be his benefactor, and even making him serve him for many years, he would probably have already broken down and gone completely insane.

He was about to speak when he saw Scarlett wiping the pistol he had just used. He pursed his lips and suddenly said, "Don't wipe my fingerprints either."

"what?"

Scarlett looked up abruptly and shook her head resolutely: "No! This is my business, it has nothing to do with you!"

She quickly wiped Duke's fingerprints off the gun, then gripped the handle tightly and said in a low voice, "With Annie dead, your transfer to Europe is definitely off. And after I, the captain, defect, the department will most likely promote you, the vice-captain."

"can you?"

Duke scoffed and interrupted, "Given our usual relationship, it's good enough if the department doesn't suspect that you've turned me to the other side. Forget about promotion, I'd be lucky if I weren't sidelined."

Scarlett paused, speechless for a moment.

Duke's statement is the truth. The Department of Homeland Security has always been suspicious, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free. How could they easily trust someone close to her?

"Sigh," she sighed softly, nodding, "Let's go then, before the police arrive."

The two glanced one last time at the haphazardly laid corpses and bloodstains in the living room, then closed the door and quickly disappeared into the night.

Scarlett tore off the parking ticket on the car window, opened the car door, and nimbly got into the driver's seat, while Duke also tacitly climbed into the passenger seat.

The engine roared, and the car sped off, quickly disappearing at the end of the street.

The villa behind them was still lit, brightly lit yet deathly silent, with only Annie's black hair soaked in a pool of thick blood, a glaring and gruesome red.

"What are your plans? Go overseas? Go live an ordinary life under an assumed name?" Scarlett asked the man beside her, one hand on the steering wheel.

Duke lit a cigarette, took a few deep drags, and replied with a light laugh, "Someone like me can't live an anonymous life. I'm going to the Middle East."

“The Middle East?” Scarlett frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re going to become a terrorist.” “What are you thinking?” Duke rolled his eyes at her, annoyed. “The commander of a military base over there is my old superior. I can hide there for ten or eight years without any problem.”

He suddenly looked at Scarlett thoughtfully, his gaze becoming inquisitive: "As for you, it seems you've already planned your escape route. Now that I think about it, you've been planning to assassinate Annie for more than just a day or two, haven't you? And you're so straightforward in defecting from the Security Bureau, not even bothering to stage a scene. For the sake of our old friendship, tell me, where are you planning to go?"

Scarlett chuckled inwardly as she watched the guy's curious expression.

If she were to tell him who her backup plan was, the deputy leader of the action team who had just joined forces with her to kill a high-ranking security official and defected to the Department of Homeland Security would probably break down on the spot, and in a fit of rage, pull out a grenade and kill himself and her.

She pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I think it's better if you don't know."

"So there really is a way out?" Duke shrugged. "Okay, fine, if you don't want to tell me, then forget it. But I really don't know if we'll ever have a chance to meet again."

Scarlett's expression suddenly turned serious, and her voice was low: "I really hope that, if possible, we'll never see each other again."

"Fuck. You're such a heartless woman."

Duke assumed she was joking.

He held a cigarette in his mouth, crossed his arms behind his head, and casually watched the night view rushing past the window.

at the same time.

The bloodshed inside the villa finally alerted the police patrolling the streets.

As Duke had predicted, upon discovering the broken window glass and facing the silent villa, the police immediately drew their guns in alert.

Before they could even break down the door, a strong, rusty, bloody stench filled the air. Even the experienced officers couldn't help but gasp when they saw the chaotic scene inside.

More than a dozen lives were lost, all slaughtered like livestock awaiting slaughter, with no chance to fight back; the blood even soaked through the carpet.

Shortly afterward, an urgent communication reached the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security.

Soon, all agents of the Security Bureau received this explosive news—Scarlett and Duke, the team leader and deputy leader, assassinated the deputy director and several high-ranking officials, and have now defected. A nationwide manhunt is in effect immediately!

Washington was in a state of high alert, with the Department of Homeland Security deploying almost its entire force to block all major roads.

Not long ago, a bureau chief who had served for decades died, and now, just a few days later, a newly appointed deputy bureau chief has also died.

This behemoth was utterly enraged and launched a massive search in Washington, vowing to bring the traitor to justice!
The outskirts at this moment.

Scarlett and Duke, who were well-prepared, had already changed their outfits.

Scarlett Johansson decisively cut her waist-length burgundy hair into short, finger-length bangs and held the ends down with a baseball cap.

Duke, on the other hand, didn't need to go to great lengths. Although he was handsome and tall, he didn't have any striking physical features. He simply wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, looking like an ordinary tourist.

The two pretended to be a couple and drove casually along the country road.

As the car approached a pasture, it slowly came to a stop.

Looking at the cattle and sheep grazing leisurely in the ranch, Duke said in a relaxed tone, "This is a ranch opened by my brother who risked his life on the battlefield after he retired. He has a strong background and military connections that can get me out of Washington."

Scarlett nodded knowingly.

Before the San Francisco incident, Duke had always been cheerful and easy-going, and would laugh off even when he suffered losses. He was much more popular than her, so it's not surprising that he had a few close friends who were willing to risk their lives to help him.

"But you..."

Duke suddenly frowned. "Since the White House attack, Washington's security system has been completely upgraded. Now that a state of emergency has been declared, getting out is more than ten times more difficult. The National Guard has certainly blocked all major exits and traffic arteries, and patrol planes and drones are patrolling around the clock. As for the sea, the Marine Corps' eastern base is nearby. How do you plan to leave?"

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Scarlett calmly tapped the steering wheel; she had already sent an encrypted signal using the communicator left by Rorschach.

Once the other party receives the message, they will naturally send someone to meet her and take her safely away from this troublesome place.

"I hope that next time we meet, you'll smile as much as you do now."

Duke forced a smile and opened his arms to give her a farewell hug, but his arms remained suspended in mid-air for a long time, and the woman beside him remained unmoved.

He coughed awkwardly, withdrew his hand, and got out of the car: "Take care."

Scarlett gazed at his somewhat forlorn figure, remained silent for a moment, and then couldn't help but call out, "Hey, Duke."

"What?" Duke thought she had changed her mind and wanted to come with him, and a hint of expectation flashed in his eyes as he turned around.

However, Scarlett's voice was low and somber: "I'm sorry, Duke, I'm really sorry."

"Shit, when did you become so sentimental?" Duke thought she was feeling guilty for dragging him into this, so he waved his hand with a wry smile and his figure gradually disappeared into the night.

Scarlett gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest.

Just as she was about to start her car and leave, two blinding headlights suddenly appeared not far away.

The bright beam of light pierced the darkness, appearing incredibly dazzling in the snowy night.

Scarlett's vigilance instantly tightened, and her right hand reached for the pistol at her waist.

But the barking that followed made her pause.

A tall figure, leading a sheepdog, nimbly jumped off the pickup truck and walked towards her at a leisurely pace.

Upon seeing who it was, Scarlett's tense nerves finally relaxed. The exhaustion from revenge and escape washed over her like a tide, and she slumped completely into the driver's seat.

The visitor was Rorschach, who had arrived in Washington ahead of time after receiving a warning from the machine.

“You came faster than expected.” Scarlett rubbed Brian’s head, pressed her cheek against the dog’s warm fur, but her gaze was fixed on the man in the shadows.

Rorschach didn't answer the question. Instead, he looked at her new hairstyle and smiled, "Short hair suits you well. You look more energetic than I expected."

"Ha." Scarlett scoffed, skipping the pleasantries: "Washington D.C. is under martial law right now. Do you have a way to get me out?"

"of course."

Rorschach said calmly, "The current federal surveillance system is practically useless to me."

Scarlett shrugged. "Where are you going? I heard you took over Cobra. Are you going to their base?"

Rorschach shook his head, revealing a rare gentle smile: "Christmas is in a couple of days, I need to go see my son, let's go together."

"Your son?"

Scarlett's gaze involuntarily fell on Rorschach's wrist, where the letters "Daddy" gleamed warmly under the car lights.

(End of this chapter)