Chapter 61: The Descent of Hope

Marielle stood in a secret location on the island—a place untouched by life and undetectable by any of the Vermudez family's radar. Her heart pounded rapidly; each beat a reminder of the looming threat. For four days, she had journeyed through the dense forest, hiding in the shadows of towering trees, and in every moment, she gathered information that could change her fate.

Now, the final phase of her mission was beginning. Her hands trembled with anticipation, but she forced herself to hide the fear. "Almost there," she murmured, staring at her small laptop no larger than a watch box. A masterpiece of technology crafted by the Innovation family—a device capable of infiltrating even the most powerful systems.

After four days of intense observation and analysis, Marielle had discovered a weakness in the Vermudez family's security. Her eyes, fixed on the super binocular telescope with the ability to see clearly up to 100 miles away, had served as a beacon on her path. Now, she was ready to proceed.

"Finally, I can get in," she said, her voice full of determination. Before she could take another step, she thought it best to rest for a moment. Yet, in her courage, she lowered her alert mode, allowing her body to enter a state of relaxation.

But peace was fleeting. In an instant, a loud bang was heard—a sound akin to a battlefield's chaos. Before she could stand, a bullet struck her hand, instantly enveloping the wound in her skin. Fear and pain exploded in her chest, but despite this, she remained steadfast.

On the other side of the Vermudez family, in a tightly guarded secret IT room, their veteran hackers had gathered—individuals hired from various corners of the world to protect their wealth. A shout echoed through the room when an alert was triggered by the radar.

"Dear leader, our radar has detected someone trying to enter our system from a distance!" shouted a staff member, his voice filled with fear and concern.
"Activate the secret satellite!" responded their leader, his voice firm and authoritative. "Leader, this hacker seems to be an expert and knows all the intricacies!" replied another staff member, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Do everything you can to trace the person who used the hacking system! You're being paid millions monthly, so prove that you deserve the amount you're being paid! I won't pay you if you're struggling to solve the intruder. If you don't want to lose your job and if you don't want to die, do your job right! Is that clear?" shouted the leader, his voice blazing with anger.
"Now, we can see on the high satellite that the hacker is only within our mission territory. The target is five kilometers away and in the northwest direction," answered another staff member, his voice filled with confidence.

"Good, prepare the alert system and raise its level!" responded the leader. In an instant, the system blared an alert, and immediately a sniper was deployed, capable of reaching the target's location.
"Fire!" was the leader's command, and a loud crack of the sniper rifle pierced the night's silence. The bullet flew swiftly, directly towards Marielle.

As she ran from her spot, a sharp pain enveloped her body. Her hand, holding the laptop, was immediately covered in blood. "No... it can't be...," she muttered, her vision blurring as the world gradually faded away.
Marielle's eyes widened as she frantically tried to raise her alert mode. She quickly grabbed her sniper rifle and activated the concealing power mode using her high-tech suit. Without wasting any more time, she left her position, trying to escape, but in her haste, blood continued to flow from her wound. Shocked by the sudden attack, she ignored the pain in her hand, believing she had successfully evaded the Vermudez operatives. But in a split second, she found herself face-to-face with a group of assassins, hunters, and mercenaries of the Vermudez family.

These were no ordinary foes—they were experts in martial arts combat, masters in handling weapons, and veterans of such brutal work. They were dubbed as ex-convicted, renowned assassins, hunters, and mercenaries who had broken the laws of their associations and now owed their lives to the Vermudez family, who spared them from death by taking them in.

"A woman, huh?" said a muscular man, his eyes gleaming with malice as he stared at Marielle. His gaze was filled with cruelty, each word hinting at the violence he was about to unleash. "And she's beautiful... sexy... with a fine figure," he continued, letting out a savage grin, lust dripping from his tone.

"Look at that, just a woman daring enough to enter our territory," added another man, clearly entertained by Marielle's fear. "But I won't enjoy it if I end her life too quickly."

Marielle couldn't believe what she was hearing. Despite the fear that gripped her heart, she fought to remain strong. "Who are you?" she asked them, her voice trembling, yet still holding on to courage.
"Huh? Us?" The man's tone was filled with mockery, clearly enjoying Marielle's terror. "You're mistaken, girl. You’re not in any position to ask who we are. You’re in our territory, and we know you're the reason for the heightened alert mode in our family."

In that moment, Marielle felt the cold air closing in on her, as if death itself was creeping closer. Each of her opponents exuded an aura of death—there was no trace of mercy or goodness in their eyes. Their movements were precise, honed from years of killing without hesitation. Their presence filled Marielle with deep dread, urging her to fight for her life.

"This girl," muttered another man, spinning a knife in his fingers, "does she really think she can escape us? She has no idea she's about to be the next one we take down."
A sudden burst of laughter filled the air, a laugh laced with sinister intentions. "There's no escape from us," said a woman standing behind, her eyes burning with rage as she looked Marielle up and down. "Even if you hide, we'll follow you to hell."

At this point, Marielle realized she was in the middle of a deadly battle—a battle for her life. Her enemies were merciless, and she knew she couldn't afford to make a mistake. As the adversaries prepared to strike, Marielle calculated every move, every step that