Chapter 555 - STILL STANDING

"…five, four, three, two, one." 

The two people finished the count. The hostages closed their eyes as they listened to the eerie counting from Bonnie and Clyde. They knew that the count was for the bomb to explode, but it also felt like it was for their life. 

After all, once the bomb blew up the building, their captors would probably deal with them.

Bonnie and Clyde were excited and did not care about their hostages. Their eyes glowed as their faces looked toward the Crystal Plaza. The construction of that building had destroyed their little haven. It was only right that it shattered into smithereens to serve as a reminder of their love.

The end of the countdown marked the point at which they would light up the city with their love.

But there was complete silence. 

Even with the two choppers circling the Floating Pavilion, it seemed like there was no sound. At the same time, this silence was deafening. It was a moment of nothingness when everyone expected a defining moment. 

The Crystal Plaza stood like a fortress.

Bonnie and Clyde thought that their count was a little faster than the actual timer. However, even after waiting for ten more seconds, there was nothing. Their faces turned into something indescribably ugly. They could not believe what happened. 

No, they could not believe that nothing happened. 

Bonnie turned from the window, and her vicious eyes landed on Akira and Kaito. Their faces looked neutral and calm, but Bonnie felt like the couple was laughing at them. She saw their smugness and sense of superiority within their dark eyes.

"What did you do?" Bonnie walked towards Akira with vehemence. 

Akira did not even stand up. "I won." 

Bonnie became crazy. "Impossible. That is impossible. There was no way you could have guessed the failsafe code. It is completely impossible."

This time, Akira stood up and stepped away from Kaito. Her eyes were pure and clear, but they were not comforting. It felt like they were an abyss that could swallow someone up. Akira walked closer to Bonnie, who seemed like she was experiencing a mental break. 

"What was so difficult about it?" Akira asked, her lips stretching into a small smile. "You might as well have told me the password directly. That was the easiest password I have ever cracked. I even feel ashamed of being associated with this." 

"No, no. I cannot believe it." Bonnie waved the gun while shaking her head vehemently. 

"But the evidence is right before you. The Crystal Plaza is still standing, isn't it?" Akira's voice was hypnotic. 

"This must be some kind of trick." Bonnie was almost hyperventilating. She had put so much into designing the bomb with Clyde. Its failure to explode was like a testament that she could never be like Pandora, whose legacy of darkness lived on. 

And their password… It was a little silly, but it symbolised, defined everything she and Clyde felt about each other. How could Akira have guessed it so quickly?

Akira stepped even closer to Bonnie. 

"Should I tell you a secret?" Akira whispered, but her voice was still loud enough. "I got the password right on the first try." 

Bonnie wanted to deny this statement. However, before she could say anything, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. It was piercing and painful. She looked downwards and found a knife sticking in her flesh. Blood seeped from her wound and into her fancy dress. 

She looked at Akira in disbelief while stumbling back. 

The most horrifying thing was that she never sensed killing intent from Akira. For a killer like her, she survived by being vigilant. She could discover even the slightest malice towards her. Assassins were highly aware of killing intent. 

But she had felt nothing. 

Even an ordinary person would feel a gaze filled with hate for them. They would feel the sensation of evil in the back of their neck. But Bonnie felt nothing from Akira. 

This meant that Akira was so well-trained that she could hide her killing intent. However, that was unlikely because even an assassin like Kaito would have difficulty achieving that level of discipline and control. 

The second possibility was that Akira did not have any feelings of malice or hate towards her. If this was the case, it was worse. It meant that to Akira, Bonnie was nothing. She was like a bug that Akira was swatting and killing without a thought. 

Bonnie held on to a chair to stop herself from falling. Still, she held on to her gun like a lifeline. Akira noticed the firearm, but she did not know how to wrestle for control without risking injuries. Her big belly put her at a disadvantage. 

Bonnie could feel herself losing blood and life. But she still smiled. She could still take out Akira before she lost all her strength and died.

At this moment, Clyde, who was still frozen at the window, refusing to believe that the bomb had not exploded, noticed the situation. 

"Bonnie!" He screamed out. 

He lifted his gun to shoot at Akira. However, he did not succeed. A bullet flew from the chopper outside as soon as the special CAB sniper got a clear shot of Clyde. The sniper had hesitated because he was afraid that the bullet would go through Clyde and kill a hostage. 

Finally, he had a free and clear shot. 

The bullet flew from the gun and shattered the tempered glass into beads. Unfortunately, Clyde was quick enough and managed to move from the projectile's path. However, this choice brought him to Kaito's path. 

After seeing Clyde aiming at Akira, he was beyond angry. He kicked Clyde's abdomen and followed this with a punch to the face. Then, the two people started wrestling for control of the gun. Outside, the sniper tried to get another shot at taking out the criminals. 

As the situation became tense and impossible, something unprecedented happened. The entire Floating Pavilion building was plunged into darkness. The electricity was completely cut off, leaving everyone in the restaurant blind. 

The hostages screamed as they tried to take advantage of the confusion to escape from the current predicament. 

Amidst the chaos, everyone heard the sound of two consecutive gunshots.