Chapter 692 - Auction XI

"F*ck you."

****

"Heh. How emotional." The man chuckled as his grip around her neck tightened even more.

As she lost her breath, Zoey tried to struggle for the last time. Her hand groped on the hands strangling her as her feet involuntarily kicked weakly.

Zoey watched as his eyes grew bloodshot. The blood in her head started to make her feel it would explode any moment.

Yet, she didn't want to give up. Using her trembling hand, Zoey pushed his face but to no avail. It slowly crept up to his eyes and Zoey used her remaining strength and unwavering will to poke his eyes.

"Ughh…!" The man growled, shaking his head but her nails dug deeper into his skin. "Just die, b****!" 

He cursed, frustrated that even at her last breath, she was fighting back. But then again, Zoey was raised under the Silva Family. She had trained extensively ever since as a child. 

In other words, holding her breath for a long time was not a problem. Although holding her breath voluntarily and being strangled to death was different, she managed.

The man strangled her even tighter, pulling and pushing her back against the wall with all his might. But Zoey never let go, she dug her thumbs in his eyes until they bled.

Soon, the man let her go, eyes closed before she could completely blind him. Zoey gasped for her as she slumped to the floor, coughing out blood as her heart tightened.

"Ahhh!" The man touched his stinging eyes, trying to open them to see if they were still functioning. Fortunately, they weren't blurry.

However, just as he faced her, Zoey was gone. She had already crawled towards the gun.

"I'm here." Zoey muttered.

"You--"

As soon as the man turned to the direction of her voice, Zoey unhesitatingly pulled the trigger. With her blurring vision and trembling arms, Zoey's missed.

She aimed for his head. Sadly, the lead penetrated his cheek, going up to his brain. Regardless, he died as his body instantly collapsed on the floor.

Blood oozed from the back of his head, his eyes opened. Meanwhile, Zoey lay down there, settling her breathing.

No one came for her, but she was relieved that no one appeared. Because if Matthew or Zion came to her rescue, that man would have found a weakness to kill both of them. 

If her life was on the line, Zoey would fight him to death. It didn't matter if she had to lose an arm or eyes, to win. But having someone to protect while she fights was entirely a different case.

Was having people in her life that she held important a weakness to her? Definitely not.

They were her strength and reason to live.

As Zoey caught up to her breath, she forced herself up forcibly. Her red dress hid the stain of blood from her wound on the abdomen. But her shoulder…

Zoey immediately ripped the hem of her dress. Using it to wrap her bleeding shoulder. Again, Zoey tore the ends of her dress. This time, she wrapped it around her waist, to reduce the bleeding of her abdomen.

She only heaved a sigh of relief once she put pressure on those areas. Fortunately, that man underestimated her and missed purposely.

If only he didn't, he would have shot her dead immediately. That's the rule of the Silva Family.

"A family that is filled with a bunch of annoying and arrogant people." Zoey scoffed as she glanced at the dead body not far away from her.

Without remorse in her eyes, Zoey kicked it lightly. "I never saw anyone who asked 'any last words?'while not ultimately dying in the end." She spat as she shook her head lightly.

"Ah god…" Zoey rested her head against the wall. Her mind was buzzing, her eyes still blurring, and her body steadily getting weaker.

Fortunately, this area was surprisingly empty, no one coming in and out.

Well, this was the exit hall and this man's colleague was blocking the entrance. Upon the thought of it, she stretched her neck in a circular motion.

She remained seated for a good five minutes to rest. When she was certain she could walk and function properly, Zoey clung on the wall as she got up.

Still, her knees wobbled. That goner surely did a number on her, but that wouldn't stop her.

Taking a deep breath, Zoey limped towards the man's corpse. Without regard to the blood on the floor, Zoey placed her hand over his.

"I know you did this because you care for Niko." She paused, closing his eyes. "But I had to do this because I care for someone else too."

Her tone barely above a whisper. Everyone of them had reason to fight to death and Zoey didn't think there's something wrong with that. This man died with his own beliefs and reasoning, and she would continue to live with her own beliefs and reasoning.

She then looted him for weapons. By the end of it, she had acquired two pistols and a spare magazine.

"Well, I'll just loot the others." Zoey raised her brows, reloading the pistols.

After that, Zoey gazed at her dress and ripped the dangling lower part of her dress so she could move freely. When she was ready, Zoey was about to leave, but halted.

Looking up, her eyes sharpened as the sound of guns being fired reached her ear. It wasn't just one, but multiple guns being fired all at once.

The war had begun, and playtime was over. Still, the underlying question remained in her head.

Why was Inigo here, of all places? What was his intention?

"Matty…" she whispered under her breath. Inigo had been blatantly talking about living two lifetimes. Hence, Zoey was certain Inigo would kill Matthew if he had a chance.

Now, not only Nikolai posed a threat to her, but to Inigo as well. "Damn that spawn of evil."

With that being said, Zoey ground her teeth as she rushed back to the upper deck.