With severed hands and feet, a face marred by glass shards, and blood flowing freely, Russo looked downright miserable.
“Mr. Linden! This matter is complicated. You must take this guy down right away!” Russo yelled.
“Release Mr. Vern, or I’ll blow you to bits!” warned Aster with a fierce edge to his voice.
“Where’s Lisa?” Dustin spoke coldly.
His expression remained unchanged.
“Who the heck is Lisa? I’ve never heard of her. I command you to release him, or I’ll spray you!”
Aster pressed back on the gun, the bullets loading with a metallic click.
“Mr. Linden! This thing has serious firepower. Be careful not to hit me accidentally.”
Russo’s eyes widened in fear.
It was a shotgun, commonly known as a “sprayer” or the great equalizer. One shot unleashed hundreds of steel balls with immense power and caused wide- ranging destruction. If Aster fired, there was a high chance of collateral damage.
“Mr. Vern, rest assured. My marksmanship is precise. I guarantee you won’t get hurt.”
Aster exuded confidence.
“Marksmanship?”
Russo’s lips twitched, momentarily at a loss for words.
He didn’t think that Aster possessed marksmanship of any kind with hands that couldn’t even hold a gun steadily. He felt that anything Aster could hit would depend entirely on luck. He thought that if the sprayer missed, Aster might as well gouge out his own eyes.
“I’ll ask one last time, where’s Lisa?”
Dustin grabbed Russo by the throat. His patience was wearing thin.
“In… in the basement of the assembly hall.”
Russo pointed downward as his face turned red.
“Open the basement and release her!”
Dustin’s voice was stern.
“Fuck! You think you can just order us around? Who do you think you are?”
Aster glared, his eyes wide.
“Irritating!”
Dustin’s eyes turned cold as he pointed a finger.
There was a loud bang, and Aster’s body sailed through the air as if colliding with a truck. He crashed heavily into the wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth and nose, and he wailed in agony.
The sudden turn of events left everyone in shock. No one could quite grasp what had just happened. They had only witnessed Dustin raising his hand, and Aster was sent flying. It was downright eerie.
Aster was curled up on the ground.
He roared, “Why the heck are you all standing there? Shoot this guy! Kill him!”
“President, Mr. Vern is still in his hands.”
The profligates hesitated.
“Stop the nonsense! I told you to shoot, so shoot him!” Aster shouted in frustration.
“Fire… fire!”
The profligates exchanged glances, ultimately making a decision.
The intruder was already here. They couldn’t just swallow their pride. As for Russo, it was best if he stayed alive. But if he didn’t, he couldn’t blame them.
The dense gunfire echoed in the assembly hall. Sparks flew, and shell casings scattered. The profligates initially believed they were having a grand time. They assumed Dustin was as good as dead.
However, they were dumbfounded by the sight before them.
Dustin stood quietly amidst the hail of bullets, completely unfazed. In front of him, a semi-transparent force field appeared.
The bullets struck the force field, creating a cacophony of pops and clatters. Despite the apparent commotion, the force field remained unscathed. Upon contact, the bullets morphed and fell to the ground, utterly ineffective.
