Dangers In My Heart (Renewed)

Chapter 13: The Shadow

The arrival of the Singapore assassins had been orchestrated with the precision of a maestro conducting a symphony. Mrs. Black Widow, with her penchant for secrecy and subtlety, had handpicked a group known as The Crimson Vipers—a notorious gang of mercenaries from Singapore whose reputation for leaving no trace was almost as fearsome as their ability to complete any mission assigned to them. They specialized in covert operations, ambushes, and swift executions, earning their name from the deadly crimson serpent that adorned each of their weapons and insignias.

The Crimson Vipers landed in a private airfield under the cover of darkness, their arrival kept off every manifest and report. The moment they touched down, their leader, a woman known only as Nyx, received a message from Mrs. Black Widow: "Strike hard, strike fast, and deliver the message."

It wasn't Lisa they were after—not directly. The Widow was wise enough not to go head-on with someone of Lisa's stature. Instead, she aimed for someone close to her, someone integral to her operations—Seulgi.

The Ambush

The convoy sped through a desolate road, surrounded by towering trees that formed a canopy above, casting shadows that danced in the dim moonlight. Seulgi sat in the middle van, glancing occasionally at the GPS monitor, her instincts alert yet unaware of the imminent danger. Two vehicles, both heavily armed, flanked her van—one in front, the other behind. Her men chatted over the radio, exchanging jokes and maintaining a casual vigilance, unaware of the trap that awaited them.

Nyx watched through the binoculars from a perch high in a tree. Her lips curled into a small, confident smile as she saw the convoy approach the pre-determined point of attack. "Just a little closer," she whispered. She looked over her shoulder to her team—seven skilled assassins, each hidden strategically along the road, camouflaged among the shadows and the dense foliage.

And then it happened.

With a nod from Nyx, one of the Crimson Vipers triggered the remote-controlled spike strip that lay hidden beneath the leaves. In an instant, the spikes shot up from the road, shredding the tires of Seulgi's convoy vehicles. The front car swerved violently, trying to maintain control, but its tires burst, and it careened off the road, crashing into a thick tree trunk. The middle van, carrying Seulgi, skidded sideways, its tires blown out, metal grinding against the asphalt. The rear car attempted to brake, but it was too late—it slammed into the side of the van, crumpling upon impact.

Seulgi felt the violent jolt as her van spun, the crash throwing her hard against her seatbelt. The airbags deployed with a loud pop, clouding the inside of the van with white dust. She coughed, gasping for air, her vision blurring momentarily. She could hear her men shouting, the sound of metal scraping against the road, glass shattering.

"Move! Get out!" Seulgi shouted to her men, struggling to unbuckle herself and push the door open.

Her men quickly scrambled out of their vehicles, some limping, others bleeding but still on their feet. They tried to regroup, instinctively forming a defensive perimeter around their leader, but they were caught in the open, exposed. They looked around frantically, trying to identify where the attack was coming from, but the night was still, too quiet.

And then the first shot rang out.

A bullet whizzed through the air and struck one of Seulgi's men in the chest. He fell instantly, a gasp escaping his lips. Another shot followed, taking down a second man. Panic set in as the men realized they were surrounded. They returned fire blindly, but they had no clear targets. The bullets seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.

Seulgi's heart pounded in her chest. She crouched low behind the van, peering through the shattered windows, trying to locate their assailants. Her training kicked in; she remained calm, assessing the situation. The gunfire was precise, controlled—this was no ordinary gang. They were dealing with professionals.

Another man went down, clutching his throat as he collapsed to the ground. Seulgi's men were being picked off one by one, their bodies dropping like flies. She realized they were caught in a classic ambush, trapped in a narrow stretch of road with no cover and no escape. She counted the shots—each one deliberate, each one fatal.

Within moments, only she remained.

The air was thick with smoke and the scent of gunpowder. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the crackle of burning metal from the vehicles. Seulgi's breathing was ragged, her body tense, her mind racing. She knew she was in a death trap; she knew that if she fired, she would be dead before the bullet even left the chamber.

She saw movement in the shadows. Figures began to emerge from the darkness—clad in black, their faces obscured by masks. They moved with a predatory grace, their steps silent and deliberate, like panthers stalking their prey. The Crimson Vipers had come into the open, confident that their prey had nowhere to run.

Seulgi's hand tightened around her gun, but she knew it was futile. She was outnumbered, outgunned. Still, she wouldn't go down without a fight. She raised her weapon, taking aim at the figure in the front—Nyx, whose eyes were cold and calculating, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Mrs. Black Widow sends her regards," Nyx spoke, her voice calm but filled with a chilling authority. "She wants you to deliver a message to Lisa—tell her not to dig into Mrs. Black Widow's empire, or everything and everyone she holds dear will crumble."

Seulgi's breath was labored, her body aching from the crash. Her lips curled into a defiant smile. "Don't...underestimate Lisa," she spat, her voice rough but steady.

Nyx's smile widened. "We'll see about that."

Without warning, one of the assassins stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch to Seulgi's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She doubled over, pain shooting through her body. Another blow came, this time to her face, her vision going white with the impact. She felt herself losing consciousness, the world spinning around her.

Nyx knelt down beside her, whispering in her ear, "Remember the message, and tell your boss we're just getting started."

Seulgi's body slumped to the ground, her consciousness slipping away. The last thing she heard was the sound of her phone being smashed to pieces. The Crimson Vipers melted back into the shadows, their mission complete.

Back at Seulgi's Office

Back at Seulgi's office, her secretary, Mira, sat behind a computer monitor, her brow furrowed with concentration. She had been keeping an eye on Seulgi's GPS tracker, which had suddenly gone offline. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach—a bad omen, one she couldn't ignore.

She tried to re-establish a connection but found nothing. The signal was dead. Panic began to set in. She immediately called in the emergency response team. "We've lost the GPS signal on Seulgi's convoy. Last location was near the old forestry road. Send a team out there, now!"

Within minutes, a group of Seulgi's men was dispatched, racing against time. They sped through the narrow streets, their tires screeching as they turned sharply, adrenaline pumping through their veins. They knew something was wrong; their instincts told them this wasn't just a technical glitch.

When they arrived at the scene, what they saw left them speechless. The vehicles were wrecked, twisted metal and broken glass scattered across the road. The bodies of Seulgi's men lay strewn across the ground, lifeless, their eyes open in silent horror.

And there, lying in the center of the carnage, was Seulgi—barely breathing, blood staining her clothes, her face bruised and swollen, her body battered.

"Get her to the hospital, now!" one of the men shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

They carefully lifted Seulgi, her body limp and unresponsive, and rushed her into their car. As they sped away, they radioed ahead to the nearest hospital, alerting them of their arrival and the critical condition of their boss.

Seulgi's breaths were shallow, her pulse weak. But as she lay there, unconscious, one thought echoed in the minds of her men—what message had been sent, and how would Lisa respond?