American variety show: Sniper Elite

Chapter 146 Burning Flame

Fulton danced like a madman on the concrete floor of the hangar, kicking gasoline cans with a loud clang.

"Wow! Yay!" he yelled as he splashed half a bucket of gasoline onto the helicopter's tail. The liquid arced through the air, dripping onto the rotor blades.

Beta picked up two gasoline cans and threw them into the hangar. The clanging of metal echoed in the empty space.

In the cockpit, Fuldi, as if performing some kind of ritual, evenly sprinkled gasoline into every corner.

"Cha-"

Just as McCree pulled out his Zippo lighter, the mute man's hand slapped him across the face with a whooshing sound. The lighter spun through the air before falling into the gasoline slick, splashing up a ripple.

"Are you fucking insane?!" the mute man exclaimed, rarely speaking up. "This place is a ticking time bomb!"

McCree pouted and touched the back of his hand that had been slapped red.

McCree turned to look at the corner of the hangar, where Katalia was leaning against the hood of the Mercedes, moonlight streaming in through the dilapidated sunroof.

Her gaze finally settled on Beta. Beta was standing next to the helicopter, holding an empty gasoline can.

Katalia suddenly realized that her feelings for Beta had long since changed.

Especially at the moment she personally shot Don Louis. The bullets had all gone out, the barrel was hot, and what surged in her chest was not just the pleasure of revenge, but also an even stronger impulse.

Possess him.

She wanted this man to belong to her completely, like a gun that had run out of bullets, held only in her hands.

"Hey!" Fordy poked his head out of the cabin: "Want to leave a souvenir?"

He shook the serial number plate that he had removed from the dashboard.

Beta raised his middle finger without turning his head.

Everyone laughed, except for Katalia. She was rubbing her lips with her fingers, her eyes fixed on the tall figure's back.

Gasoline from the helicopter began to drip from the drain holes, forming rainbow-colored swirls on the concrete ground.

Beta pulled a lighter from his pocket, flicked it with his thumb, and sparks flew from the flint, followed by a leaping orange flame.

"Who's going to do it?" He shook his lighter. "You only get a few chances in your life to burn a helicopter."

Fordy crossed his arms and gestured with his chin toward the Mercedes: "Let that lady handle it."

Beta turned around and met Katalia's burning gaze. Beta's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice unconsciously lowered: "Come on, light the fire."

He handed over a lighter: "Let this fire burn away your past completely."

Katalia took the lighter and rubbed her left thumb heavily against the gears. A flame shot up, and without hesitation, she tossed the lighter toward the helicopter.

"boom--!"

The burst of flames instantly engulfed the entire fuselage. A wave of heat swept over them, casting the shadows of the six people onto the hangar wall.

In the flickering firelight, Katalia suddenly reached out and grabbed Beta by the back of the neck. She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips, reeking of gunpowder and blood, hard against Beta's. The clash of teeth revealed the taste of rust; it was impossible to tell whose lips were broken.

"Whoa!" Fulton yelled and spun around in place.

Fuldi raised his hands in surrender. McCree shook his head, took out an unlit cigarette from his pocket, and bit it between his teeth. The mute gestured to everyone: It's time to leave.

The burning helicopter emitted a groaning sound as metal warped, and black smoke swirled upwards through the hangar ventilation openings.

Four figures vanished into the night, leaving only towering flames behind them, their intertwined silhouettes remaining indistinguishable in the firelight for a long time.
Inside the abandoned hangar, the wreckage of the helicopter roared and blazed amidst the flames. The metal frame was twisted and deformed, the glass shattered into powder, and the burning gasoline consumed everything in its path.

The fire burned all night long, until dawn broke and the last flame was extinguished, leaving only a wisp of smoke that was quickly dispersed by the morning breeze.

Inside the Mercedes, Beta was jolted awake from a short sleep.

His bare upper body still smelled of sweat, and his muscles were clearly defined in the morning light. The moment he moved, Katalia's left hand, which was wrapped around his waist, tightened instinctively.

"Awake?" Beta's voice was a little hoarse.

Katalia used a T-shirt of indeterminate origin to shield herself as she carefully moved her injured right shoulder.

Her movements aroused some hidden pain, causing her brow to furrow slightly, but it quickly relaxed. Morning light streamed through the car window onto her bare shoulders, making the old and new scars stand out vividly—round bullet marks and knife scars, each a testament to her past.

“It’s dawn,” she said softly, her gaze lingering on Beta’s back. There were ten fresh scratches there, marks left from her passionate encounter the night before.

Beta grabbed his clothes and put them on, while Katalia slowly buttoned her shirt. Neither of them mentioned what happened last night, but their relationship had subtly changed; it was no longer the simple, warm friendship they once shared.

Beta bent down to tie her shoelaces and stood outside the car door.

“Let’s go back to the city first.” His voice was hoarse from just waking up. “I’ll change your identity and you can take an afternoon flight to Italy. Gianna will arrange for someone to meet you there, and accommodation and documents will be taken care of.”

Catalia slowly tied her shoelaces, then suddenly looked up, the morning light casting dappled golden shadows on her eyelashes: "Your little lover Ashley... is she in Italy too?"

“I just hope you don’t fight.” Beta paused. “Of course, that’s just wishful thinking. Ashley was arranged by Jaina, even though she won’t admit it. If you two clash, with Jaina around, you won’t come out on top.”

Katalia chuckled as she stepped out of the car, the morning breeze immediately ruffling a few strands of her freshly tied ponytail. She raised her hand and patted Beta's shoulder, the touch neither too light nor too heavy.

"Whether we fight or not" She tilted her head slightly, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. "It all depends on how you treat me. If you take this relationship seriously, I'll naturally be friendly in return."

She paused, a sly glint in her eyes: "But if you just do a perfunctory job..."

She gently tapped Beta's chest with her finger, her voice soft yet carrying a warning: "Then, World War III will break out in Italy."

After saying that, she turned and walked toward the bushes in the distance.

"Where to?" Beta asked, frowning.

"To satisfy physiological needs." Katalia waved her hand without turning her head. "Want to come and see? We saw each other perfectly well last night anyway."

Beta said helplessly, "I suggest you bear with it, it will leave DNA traces."

Katalia turned around, raised one eyebrow, and her face clearly said, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Beta sighed and pointed to the still-smoking helicopter wreckage: "We went too far last night. The FBI will find this place sooner or later and turn it upside down. You're not going to Italy to disappear; you're going to start a new life. Don't let them find you by following the scent."

Catalia stared at him for three seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.

She walked back in a few steps and grabbed Beta's belt: "Then hurry up and drive to a proper toilet with a flush toilet."

(End of this chapter)