Chapter 104 Chapter 103

As a water polo player, Robert Langdon has endured far more brutal things than competing underwater.Under the water polo pit, out of sight of the umpires, the brutality that players engage in to win a match is nothing short of the most sinister wrestling match.Langdon had been kicked, scratched, clung to, and even once bitten by a frustrated defender, forcing him to wriggle and writhe away from him. But wrestling in the icy water of a Bernini-designed fountain, Langdon knew, was very different from the Harvard swimming pool.He's not fighting to win or lose, he's fighting for his life.This is the second time they have played against each other. There will be neither referees nor rematch here.The man pushed Langdon's head to the bottom of the pool with force, no doubt intending to kill him.

Langdon turned instinctively, like a torpedo.Get rid of him!But the attacker had an advantage no water polo defender ever had—both feet firmly planted on the ground—turning him back and holding on tight.Langdon bent over and tried to gain his footing under the water.Heixixing seems to only like to use one arm... Even so, he still holds it firmly. At this moment, Langdon realized that he was no match for Heishixing at all.He did the only thing he could think of - stopped trying to surface.Don't bang your head against the south wall.With the last of his strength, he did a dolphin kick, dragging his arms behind him in an awkward butterfly stroke, and leaned forward sharply.

Langdon suddenly changed direction, which seemed to make Heishixing relax his vigilance.Langdon floated in the water, the side of his body dragging outside Heishi's arm, throwing him off balance.Heixie staggered and let go of the chain, and Langdon made another kick.The chain broke with a snap, and Langdon broke free instantly.He struggled to surface, exhaling foul air.But he just took a breath.Heishixing grabbed Langdon again with an astonishing force, put his hands on his shoulders, and put all his strength on him.Langdon scrambled to regain his feet, but Heshixing kicked him down. Langdon sank again.

He writhed under the water, feeling the burning pain in the muscles of his body.This time his tricks didn't work.He looked carefully at the bottom of the pool in the foaming water, trying to find the pistol.There was a blur under the water.The foam here is denser.The killer pushed Langdon to the bottom of the water again, toward the underwater searchlight installed at the bottom of the pool, and a blinding beam of light flashed across his face.Langdon reached out and grabbed the cylinder, feeling warm.He tried to break free, but the cylinder, on its hinges, spun in his hands.He suddenly lost his support point.

Heixixing was still pushing him into the deep water. That's when Langdon saw that.The thing was directly below him, poking out from under a pile of coins to reveal a thin black cylinder.That's the silencer on Olivetig!He reached for it, but when he touched the cylinder, he felt that it didn't feel like metal, but like rubber.He pulled the cylinder, and the elastic rubber tube swung over with a "poof", like a soft snake.The rubber tube was about two feet long, and a long stream of air bubbles was still coming out of the bottom end of the tube.He never found the pistol at all, it was just a non-toxic foamer in the fountain...

Just a few feet away, Bishop Bagger was about to pass out of his body.Although he had been preparing for this moment all his life, he never expected to end his life like this.His body was in excruciating pain... burns, bruises, and the chains that kept him submerged.He reminded himself that this bit of pain was nothing compared to what Jesus had suffered. He died for my sins... Bagger could hear the "crackling" of fighting nearby.He could hardly think about it. The killer was about to end another life...the one with the kind eyes, the one who wanted to save him. The pain intensified, and Bagger lay there, watching the night sky above through the pool water.For a moment he thought he saw stars.

Yangshou is over. Shaking off all fear and doubt, Bagger opened his mouth and let out a breath that he knew would be his last.He watched his soul turn into a string of transparent bubbles, "bubbling" to the heaven.Immediately afterwards, he took a short breath like a flashback, and the pool water was poured into his body from the corner of his mouth like a cold dagger.The pain lasted only a few seconds before it was over. And then... he rested in peace. Heixixing ignored the pain in his feet and stared intently at the drowning American. Now he held Langdon firmly in the churning pool, immobilizing him.Kill him completely!He held on tighter, thinking that Robert Langdon would not survive this time.As he expected, Langdon gradually stopped struggling.

Langdon's body suddenly became stiff and began to tremble violently. That's it, Heixixing thought to himself, when the pool water just poured into his lungs, his body would become stiff. He knew it would only last about five seconds. Langdon held on for six seconds. Then, exactly as Heixixing expected, the victim's body immediately became limp.Robert Langdon sank limply like a balloon deflated.The duel is over.Blackstar pressed Langdon into the water for another thirty seconds, allowing the water to seep into his lung tissue.Feeling that Langdon's body was gradually sinking to the bottom of the pool, he finally let go.The media will unexpectedly discover two dead bodies in "The Fountain of Four Rivers."

"Damn it, Heishanxing crawled out of the fountain cursing, and then looked at his toes that were still bleeding. The toe of the shoe was torn and his big toe was bruised. He was angry at his own carelessness, and from A piece of cloth was torn from the trouser leg and stuffed into the boot to cover the toe. A sharp pain spread from the sole of the foot to the thigh." Damn it, he clenched his fists with a curse, and stuffed the cloth inside again.The wound on the foot no longer bleeds profusely, the blood just trickles out drop by drop. Heixixing forgot about the pain in his feet, and instead thought of enjoying himself soon, he jumped into the van.Roman's job was done, and he knew exactly what would ease the pain of the moment.Victoria Witterer was bound and waiting for his return.Although Heixixing was wet and cold all over, he straightened up unknowingly.

I've got my reward. On the other side of the city, Victoria woke up from a bout of pain.Lying there, she felt that the muscles in her body were tense like stones, as if they would shatter at the touch, and her arms were sore and sore.She wanted to move, but suddenly felt a spasm in her shoulders.It was a moment before she realized that her hands were tied behind her back.She was suddenly bewildered.Am I in a dream?But when she tried to raise her head, the pain in her head made it clear that she was indeed awake. As she surveyed her surroundings, her confusion gradually turned into fear.It was a rough stone house—a spacious but unadorned room, lit with torches, like an old boardroom.

A circle of old-fashioned bar chairs was placed near her. Then a breeze blew, and Victoria felt a chill all over her body.Not far away, a set of double doors opened, and there was a balcony outside.Through the gap between the railings, Victoria was sure she saw the Vatican.