Puppeteer didn't say anything and just pulled the trigger. Another energy bullet flew toward Max.
In response, Max dashed forward at full speed with a low form. He used the low fence around the house as a shield to protect his body from the paralyzing bullet.
Stopping right now would be foolish. Not only would Puppeteer use that opportunity to seize the target from him, but it would also give time for the others to catch up.
Using the mini-map as the guide, Max moved to the right, deciding to circle around a little bit. Puppeteer's position was on his left, so it would make him a bit hard to follow.
However...
"Hover Shoes."
Using the shoes' ability, Puppeteer moved to the roof of the building across the street easily, albeit a bit slower than running and jumping around.
Looking at that, Max clicked his tongue. It was no use. His shoes' ability had around 7 seconds of cooldown left, he would like to save it when he reached the school to jump over the fence easily.
'I can't seem to save it. I will use it to run away from him soon.'
The decider would be the next corner, where the residential area ended and turned into high skyscrapers.
'Let's try to shake him off at some alleyway.' He thought as he increased his speed further.
Now, he was confident only Puppeteer could chase after him. He could shake off his worry about the other three. After dodging a few more bullets, he could see the end of the residential area.
Much to Puppeteer's surprise, Max increased his speed again. He ran toward the nearby building and entered it, causing the man to lose sight of him.
"Pretty good," Puppeteer said as he stopped at the edge of the roof. He didn't seem to have any intention to pursue Max any longer and turned around.
Meanwhile, Max reappeared on the other side of the building and immediately moved toward the school. He looked back for a second and wondered why there was no one who chased after him. That thought only stayed for a second before he shook his head.
'I am able to shake him off.' His lips curled into an amused smile.
In front of him was the school's fence. He used his Jump Shoes to leap above it and landed by rolling without decreasing his speed. The nearest pedestal would be the one near the gym. He immediately went to that location and placed the card on top.
It glowed for a second before disappearing with a flash.
[You have gained +1 point!]
"Alright!"
Once again, the target reappeared in one of the four buildings. This time, it was on the Bank again. Twice in a row, what was the odd? It gave Max a disadvantage, but he moved to get the target, or at least tried to.
Unfortunately, Puppeteer beat him to it and got the point. The next target was Max's. He coincidentally was close to the Midnight Club when it appeared, so he snatched it and got the points.
The exchange happened many times. Both knew the tranquilizer gun was useless when dealing with the other party from a game, and the trio had almost given up hope.
The game had two minutes left, and the score was 7-7-0-0-0, with Max and Puppeteer in the lead.
At that moment, a miracle happened. UloTai, who decided to camp in one of the 4 buildings, got the card.
"Third place is mine!" He shouted loudly.
At that time, Max and Puppeteer arrived at the building. They looked and pointed their guns at each other. They knew that this would be the decider.
"I believe you're already rich, so give this junior an advantage."
"No can do." Puppeteer shook his head with a smile, "My pride is on the line. If I lost to you now, what would my viewers say?"
"I guess so," Max responded, shrugging his shoulders.
Both sides stayed silent now. They turned to the Midnight Club and pointed their guns at UloTai, who burst through the door and shot them.
"Shit!"
Seeing the energy bullets coming from him, UloTai panicked. He couldn't move and got hit twice right on the face!
An electrical current ran through his body.
And that was the sign that started the competition from both top players in the final.
Zuu!