Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 55: Hunter Becomes Prey

Soon, a black SUV quietly pulled out and followed after her.

...

The typhoon had weakened, but the rain was still coming down hard.

Mariella cranked the wipers to the highest setting, barely able to make out the road ahead.

Just as she was about to leave the villa district, something caught her eye in the rearview mirror. A dark shadow was tailing her.

She eased off the gas and watched carefully for a moment, finally confirming it was an SUV.

The black SUV had its headlights off, blending almost perfectly into the night. With the heavy rain as cover, it moved like a ghost, silent and nearly invisible.

But Mariella had spent four years surviving in the apocalypse. Her instincts were razor sharp. Nothing out of place escaped her notice.

Even though she'd spotted the tail, she had no idea who was behind it.

Keeping her expression calm, she maintained a steady speed while scanning the roadside surveillance cameras. Every infrared unit was dark.

Someone had deliberately taken them out. This was planned.

Mariella let out a cold laugh. Using a sharp turn as cover, she disappeared along with the truck and Lucky into her storage space.

...

The moment the truck entered the frozen-still storage space, it came to a stop.

Mariella killed the engine and got out. Lucky jumped down beside her.

She pulled out a raincoat and slipped it on, grabbed a chainsaw, and, with Lucky at her side, stepped back out of the storage space.

The black SUV drove forward for a short distance before stopping. The driver had clearly lost his target.

He couldn't understand it. The pickup only took a turn. How did it just vanish into thin air?

Mariella hid behind a thick plane tree, studying the driver.

She couldn't see his face clearly, but she was sure she didn't recognize him.

The assassin kept looking around, even rolling down the window despite the rain and sticking his head out to search.

No matter how hard he looked, the pickup was gone.

Realizing something was wrong, the assassin quickly turned the car around to flee.

But Mariella wasn't about to let him go.

When a car turns around, that's when it's slowest and most vulnerable. She seized the moment and charged forward.

Rrrrip! The chainsaw roared to life, tearing straight through one of the tires.

The tire deflated instantly, and the vehicle tilted to one side.

The assassin reacted fast, drawing his gun and firing as he spun around.

Mariella dropped low behind the rear of the car, turning it into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Gun in hand, the assassin crawled toward the back seat, peering through the rear window to locate her.

But no matter how he strained his eyes, there was nothing behind the vehicle.

He realized too late that it might be a trap and whipped around to fire again.

Too bad his opponent was faster.

The nail gun fired in rapid bursts, sharp steel nails aimed straight at his face, throat, and heart.

The assassin dove behind the seat. It was clumsy, but it saved his life.

The next second, the car door was yanked open from outside, nearly dragging him out.

He raised his gun again, but before he could pull the trigger, a black shepherd lunged in and clamped down on his wrist.

Pain exploded through his arm. The gun slipped from his hand. With his other hand, he quickly drew a backup pistol.

Before he could shoot the dog, the raincoat-clad figure fired the nail gun again.

He had no choice but to throw up his arm to block it.

The metal guard on his arm stopped the nail from piercing through.

Seizing the chance, he fired again, but the figure in the raincoat vanished once more, and the dog released him and disappeared into the darkness.

Cold sweat poured down his back. He knew he'd run into a real expert.

Isn't the target supposed to be some weak girl? Her skills are terrifying, like something out of a legend. She can appear and disappear without a trace.

He was a top-ranked world-class assassin, yet he hadn't even gotten a clear look at his opponent before being completely forced onto the defensive.

Panic set in. He decided to abandon the car and run.

He rolled out of the vehicle, scrambling toward the roadside bushes, but before he could dive in, that raincoat-clad shadow appeared behind him again.

Rrrrip! The chainsaw roared once more, swinging toward his back.

The assassin stumbled in terror, dodging frantically, dropping his gun again in the chaos.

"Woof!" Lucky lunged, going for his uninjured wrist.

The assassin pulled a dagger.

"Lucky, back!" Mariella commanded.

Lucky sprang away just in time as the chainsaw came at him again like a relentless parasite.

The assassin lashed out with a kick. The metal-reinforced toe of his shoe slammed into the chainsaw, sending sparks flying on impact.

Mariella raised the nail gun in her other hand and fired again in a relentless barrage.

The assassin covered his head with his armored arm and rolled across the ground to evade.

But Mariella had already picked up the gun he'd dropped in the water and pulled the trigger.

Bang! The rolling figure went still, blood spreading through the rainwater.