Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Do you think we can turn the tables within seven days?
At that moment, Ilsa glanced at Ethan. He immediately unleashed his legs and shoved at the standing Vent, sending him careening to the ground, his head colliding with a steam pipe. With a clang, his hammer fell from his hand. The agents standing in the corner froze at this sudden change. Elio also jerked his head around, looking at Ethan's sudden attack with a bewildered expression.
What is he doing, Elio thought, looking for a beating?
But then, a key slid past Elio and landed precisely in Ethan's hand. It was Ilsa who had done it. The other agents, unable to fail to notice, gathered around, but Elio stood beside Ethan, glancing quickly around the ceiling recess—no surveillance, thank goodness—as the assassin pulled a dagger from his waist and quickly thrust it into the pocket of the agent, who was desperately trying to align it with the keyhole.
"Thank you," Ethan whispered, "but could you help me open the lock?"
"No way," Elio said, rolling up his sleeves. "You have all the keys."
Cornered against the table, Ilsa grabbed something behind her and threw it at the agents. One was hit, but this only further infuriated the two remaining agents. They drew their guns on her, but Ilsa ducked and deftly slipped out of their circle, snatching up a hammer from the ground. The two agents quickly turned their heads.
Behind Ilsa, Ethan hadn't undone the handcuffs yet and was straining his head upwards. "I can't see the keyhole!"
The two agents who survived the attack saluted. Elio, caught trying to fish in troubled waters, tutted and decided to go all out. He raised his hand and swung it back, releasing his hidden blade, which slashed through the handcuffs on Ethan's hands.
"What the hell?" The agent also saw this scene.
"I'm sorry," Elio swung out his two hidden blades, "you saw something you shouldn't have seen."
Beside him stood Ethan Hunt, the legendary agent who had just broken free. The shirtless agent pulled the dagger from his trouser pocket and tilted his head towards the two Syndicate agents. Standing before them was Ilsa, hammer in hand. Like a cheetah, her gaze darted between the two, selecting her prey.
The two isolated and helpless Syndicate agents looked at each other silently and helplessly.
Just then, the iron gate was knocked open, and the guard outside called out, "Is everything okay?"
The agents' eyes lit up as they realized their companions were outside. One of them immediately turned and ran towards the iron gate, while another, gun drawn, opened fire on Elio and the other two. The tide turned, and bullets flew everywhere. Just as the agent reached the door, reaching out to unlock the high lock, a dagger suddenly stabbed him, piercing his palm!
The agent screamed. His hands were nailed to the iron door.
"Beautiful." Elio said from behind the table.
Ethan, who had perfected his throw, smiled at him and reached for the gleaming knife on the table. As they heard the gunfire stop, Ilsa was the first to tumble out, charging at the agent who was still reloading. She hammered his wrist, sending the gun and ammunition crashing to the ground. The agent instinctively grasped his aching wrist, but Ilsa had already kicked him in the stomach, forcing him to bend and lower himself. At this point, Ilsa couldn't lose this close-quarters fight. In a blink of an eye, Ilsa had coiled herself over the agent, her legs locked around his throat.
"No way!" the agent, pinned to the door, yelled. He raised his gun and aimed it at Ilsa.
Ilsa immediately rolled over behind the hostage. But she wasn't alone. Elio grabbed the gun from the floor, just as it was loaded, and pulled the trigger at the agent on the door.
"Bang!"
The knocks on the door became louder. "What happened?!"
Elio turned to look at Ilsa. She had risen from behind the unconscious Syndicate agent and glanced at him. Neither of them said a word, but both were surprised by the other's reaction to this sudden incident. Elio walked to the door and placed his finger on the agent's aorta, testing his life.
"Am I the only one who wants to know the answer to this question?" Ethan said.
Elio let go and glanced back at him. Ilsa, who was prying the gun from the corpse, also glanced at him. Suddenly, someone on the ground woke up and jumped. But before he could get up, Ethan stabbed him with his knife. The unfortunate agent's nerves trembled, and he quickly became motionless.
"Is everyone dead?" Elio confirmed.
"Not yet," said Ilsa.
Then she fired. Two loud bangs, with perfect accuracy.
“Everyone is dead now,” she said.
Someone started banging on the door.
"I won't tell him you gave him the key," Elio said to Ilsa, "and you'll pretend you didn't see what I have. Deal?"
Ilsa said decisively, "Deal."
"Wait," Ethan said, confused, "you're not planning on staying here?"
"Of course," Ilsa said. She put the gun on Ethan's waist, and Elio followed suit and sold the stolen goods. They each put a hand on Ethan's back and pushed him away.
"Why else would we have to kill all the witnesses?" Elio said.
"Hurry up. Time is running out," said Ilsa.
"Come with me!" Ethan was pushed by them and ran into the passage. "It's too dangerous to stay!"
The banging on doors was far behind them. Ethan was running in front, and when he passed through a door, Ilsa and Elio stopped at the same time. Just when Ethan realized something was wrong, Ilsa slammed the door shut. Elio made sure it was locked.
"etc!"
Ethan, who was locked outside, turned his head sharply.
"Hurry up," Elio said, "because we're going to send someone after you next."
Ethan grabbed the railing, "But who are you?"
"Good luck," Ilsa said.
She exchanged glances with Elio, then turned and ran. In the corridor, she shouted, "Someone! Ethan Hunt's gone!"
Elio stumbled past her, about to catch up when Ethan grabbed his wrist through the railing and fumbled with him. Just as Elio was about to shake him off, the assassin's hidden blade suddenly unfurled. This unprecedented suddenness startled Elio. He jerked Ethan's hand away, took two steps back, and clutching his wrist, stared in bewilderment at the visible blade, then at Ethan Hunt.
"Who are you?" Elio asked.
"That's what I wanted to ask," Ethan looked at him, "Assassin?"
Elio stared at him in disbelief. But at this moment, they all heard a loud noise in the distance, the sound of the iron door of the interrogation room being opened.
"Where is he?!" someone shouted.
"He went to the north corridor!" Ilsa's voice said. "He locked the door!"
The sound of overlapping footsteps was coming quickly.
"Now's not the time to talk." It wasn't the time to rush back to report the news either. Elio took out a paper clip from his pocket and waved it in front of Ethan. "I'm going to start picking the lock. You'd better slip away before I finish."
But Ethan didn't run away immediately. He grabbed the railing and stared at Elio. "Promise me you'll come find me?"
"I promise," Elio had to say, "Now run!"
The footsteps had already turned into the corridor. Having received his promise, Ethan smiled brightly at Elio and turned to run. Bullets flew from behind Elio, banging against the railings; if he hadn't immediately thrown himself to the ground, he would have been shot dead on the spot by his "own men."
"Look!" Elio yelled. "I'm still here!"
The bullets stopped. They chased after him, and Elio got up from the ground and continued to pick the lock with the paperclip stuck in the keyhole, while irritably answering the Syndicate agent who was questioning him. The old-fashioned keyhole kept clicking, and Elio estimated that Ethan had run some distance before he exclaimed in a mock surprise, "Alright!"
The locks opened, and Syndicate agents filed out. Ilsa was among them, and, of course, Elio. Luckily, Ethan wasn't injured, save for the bloody marks on his hands and feet from the shackles. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for him to evade so many agents from around the world. When he finally reached the nearest IMF safe house after the epic chase, Ethan finally breathed a sigh of relief and flicked on the light.
"Come in," Ethan said.
There was a mutter or two outside the window, and then the assassin climbed in.
"I have a question," Elio said, looking at him.
"What a coincidence! I have one too." Ethan gestured towards the sofa, indicating that he could sit down. "I'll answer your questions, and you answer mine. Deal?"
"If you knew I was an assassin," Elio said, folding his arms and looking around as he didn't sit down, "then you should also know there are some questions I can't answer."
Ethan poured two cups of coffee and handed one over. "I promise the questions I ask have nothing to do with the fraternity, okay?"
How come he even knew about the fraternity! Elio and the cup of coffee glared at each other for a moment, then finally accepted it in a compromise. "Okay."
"Excellent," Ethan said quickly. "I know what you're asking. It's simple. Your latest generation of optical camouflage and nanotechnology-powered Hidden Blades are technologies provided by the IMF. We also have human skin mask-making technology and so on. I assume you've used them to some degree, right?"
Elio held the cup of coffee in stunned silence.
"One of you is my friend." Ethan took a sip of coffee, trying to sober himself up. "Alot Tristan. We've worked together before. You should know him, right?"
Elio said nothing. His stunned expression gradually calmed down.
It turned out to be another friend of Alote's. He drank his coffee calmly. Then it all made sense.
"You know him." Ethan smiled. "Do you have any other questions? If not, I'm going to start."
If Elio's phone hadn't been taken away by the Syndicate the same day they captured him, Elio would have probably called to confirm. But now he couldn't make that call. The assassin put down his coffee cup and nodded to Ethan.
How bad could an agent who can save the world and cooperate with the assassin organization be!
"I know what you're asking," Elio said. "I'm undercover in a terrorist organization called the Syndicate. Our boss is Solomon Lane, a British agent from MI6. He's currently taking in, and will continue to take in, eliminated agents from around the world, organizing their forces to carry out terrorist attacks around the world because he believes his actions can truly change the world for the better. If you want to take him down, then we're allies."
Ethan finally came to his senses. Before he could ask any questions, the IMF agent pointed at himself, then at Elio, who nodded affirmatively.
"Okay, very good," Ethan winked and held out his hand to him, "We're allies now. Sorry, I haven't asked your name yet."
"Elliot Smith." Elio shook his hand. "One more small matter. Do you think we can bring down the Syndicate within seven days?"
Even Ethan couldn't help but wonder, "What?"
Elio gave Ethan an embarrassed smile and took out the golden card with the crown on it. The clock struck midnight.
"Wrong time. We better defeat the Syndicate and break this card within six days." Elio checked his watch. "Otherwise, I'll die."
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Author's words: *In Chapter 15, Alvin introduced that the hidden blade has a button that will reveal itself when pressed.
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