American variety show: Sniper Elite

Chapter 165 A Shot from the Dark

Affairs in New York were not as complicated as one might imagine. Or rather, given Beta's status and position, most trivial matters would never even be presented to him for a decision.

After giving his instructions, Beta no longer thought about the arrangements for the public safety incident in London.

He was lounging lazily on the deck of his private yacht, basking in the sun. Katalia, wearing a sexy one-piece swimsuit, ran past him, deliberately stepping on the edge of his lounge chair, making the whole chair sway.

"Hey!" Beta had barely a chance to protest when she saw her leap off the railing like a mermaid, tracing a graceful arc in the air before plunging "plop" into the azure sea.

She swam dozens of meters underwater before surfacing, her long, wet hair plastered to her cheeks, and laughed wildly at Beta.

Beta shook his head helplessly.

Since joining his side, this once cold and glamorous female assassin has become increasingly unrestrained, completely disregarding her image. Catalia laughed so freely in the sunlight, as if releasing all the repressed nature she had harbored over the years.

Or rather, Katalia has a restless gene etched into her very being.

For her, life always presents only two options: to act, or to prepare to act. Stillness? It's never in her vocabulary.

Beta gazed at the figure swimming and tumbling on the sea, a smile playing on her lips. Ever since their first encounter twenty-three years ago, she had always been this restless, like a tireless hummingbird, forever searching for the next nectar.

Beta's gaze followed Katalia as she frolicked on the sea, a doting smile playing on his lips.

As he bent down to pick up the towel that had slipped from his ear, he caught a sharp "whoosh" sound. The sound was all too familiar to him; it was the deathly whistle of a supersonic bullet cutting through the air.

His body reacted before his brain did.

Before his mind could process the situation, muscle memory propelled him forward, lunging toward the deck. Almost simultaneously, the tempered glass behind him shattered, a bullet piercing through and leaving a hole in the cabin wall.

"Sniper!" Beta shouted. He remained prone, quickly scanning the surrounding sea, and yelled towards Katalia, "Dive! Now!"

Another bullet flew by, grazing the hull and hitting the cabin window.

Shards of glass flew and landed on Beta's back, but he remained motionless. His instinct for bloodshed made him immediately determine the trajectory of the bullet, which came from the reef area about 800 meters to the southeast.

"Fuck!" Beta uttered a curse through gritted teeth, his voice filled with suppressed rage.

Well-trained bodyguards surged in from all directions, folding bulletproof shields rapidly unfolding in their hands to form a protective barrier around Beta.

"Kataria is still in the water!" Beta shouted, his voice cutting through the roar of the engine.

The crew reacted swiftly, the fuel-jet propulsion hummed, and the luxury yacht, weighing tens of tons, drew a sharp arc across the sea. Amidst the spray from the hull, the yacht lay between Catalia, who had just surfaced, and the gunman, completely shielding her in safe shadow.

Beta peered through the gaps in his bulletproof shield at the distant reef area and shouted, "Give me a rifle! Hurry up!"

The bodyguards on deck remained on high alert. One of the snipers on lookout turned around at the sound and tossed his M24 sniper rifle to Beta. Beta caught it steadily, cocked it, and knelt by the railing to take aim.

The moment the butt of the rifle touched his shoulder, he became one with the weapon. Through the high-powered scope, every shadow in the reef area was clearly visible. Beta held his breath, and a red pre-aiming circle appeared in the center of his vision. With each slow exhale, the circle visibly contracted.

A dark figure flashed among the rocks.

Beta lightly placed his index finger on the trigger and clearly captured through the scope a figure carrying a black waterproof bag, leaping and bounding with astonishing agility among the jagged rocks.

The man avoided the slippery seaweed with every step, his movements agile—a level of skill far beyond what an ordinary assassin could achieve.

Beta's breathing nearly stopped, and the red aiming circle in his scope had shrunk to the size of a pinhead. The yacht rose and fell gently with the waves, but he remained motionless, as if he were one with the hull.

In the footage, the dark figure is reaching for the car door parked behind the rocks—now!
"boom!"

The muzzle of the M24 burst into a dazzling flash of light.

The bullet sliced ​​through the humid air above the sea, striking its target a second later. The windshield shattered, the figure jolted violently, the bullet piercing the temple and spraying a blinding blossom of blood at the back of the head.

The body slumped onto the steering wheel, and the out-of-control vehicle slowly slid forward in drive. After sliding for more than twenty meters, the front of the car crashed into a lamppost with a loud bang, finally coming to a stop crookedly in the middle of the road.

Beta casually tossed the sniper rifle to the bodyguard beside him and strode toward the stern of the ship.

Katalia was climbing up the gangway, her soaked swimsuit clinging to her body, water droplets constantly dripping from her hair. She showed no panic, after all, she was an assassin who had experienced countless life-and-death situations.

Beta took the towel from the bodyguard, carefully wrapped it around Katalia, and put his arm around her shoulder as they walked toward the cabin.

As he walked, he said, “First, send someone to bring the body back intact. Second, contact the Frank family and have them wait at the Continental Hotel, but don’t reveal any details yet. Third, immediately find the middleman, Blue, the one Lady Gianna trusts the most. Ask him to come to Pier 3 to see me within an hour. Remember, it’s an request, it’s a commission.”

The bodyguards quickly dispersed to carry out the orders, the yacht's engines roared, and it began to change course. Beta, with Katalia in his arms, walked into the cabin; the heavy hatch closed behind them, shutting out the sunlight.

Beta unwrapped the towel from Katalia's body, cupped her face in his hands, and examined her carefully: "Are you injured?"

His fingertips gently brushed across her collarbone and shoulders, confirming that every inch of her skin was intact.

"I'm fine." Kataria shook her wet hair, water droplets splashing onto the teak floor. "What happened?"

“That’s exactly what I wanted to know.” Beta walked to the wardrobe, pulled off a custom-made suit, and threw it on the bed. “Change your clothes. Looks like some people need to get to know me again.”

As he fastened his cufflinks, he said, "Wearing a suit doesn't mean I've become a civilized person. I'm still that professional killer, just not now."

Beta turned, a chilling glint in his eyes: "I have more money, more manpower, and more power. And that means I can cause more destruction than ever before."

Kataria looked at Beta's reflection in the mirror; the assassin who struck fear into the hearts of the entire underworld was back.

(End of this chapter)