CHAPTER 7 â THE ASSASSIN WHO NEVER EXPECTED REX TO STAND AGAIN
The first person to notice the rifle was a young nurse standing by the reception desk.
She froze.
Then screamed.
"Gun!"
The peaceful morning at the veterinary clinic instantly descended into chaos.
Doctors pulled patients into examination rooms.
Pet owners threw themselves to the floor.
Someone hit the emergency alarm.
Outside, the black SUV remained idling.
A tall man in a black jacket slowly stepped out, carrying what looked like a rifle case.
His face was hidden beneath a baseball cap and dark sunglasses.
He walked toward the entrance without hesitation.
Inside the recovery room, Rex suddenly sprang to his feet.
Only hours after major surgery, the German Shepherd should barely have been able to stand.
Yet every instinct in his body was screaming that danger was near.
Alex looked at him in disbelief.
"No, buddy... you can't move."
But Rex ignored him.
His ears stood upright.
His eyes locked on the hallway.
Then came the familiar growl Alex had heard hundreds of times during police raids.
Low.
Controlled.
Focused.
The growl that always meant one thing.
The threat was real.
Alex instinctively reached for his service pistol.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, the clinic's front doors burst open.
The armed man rushed inside.
"Nobody move!"
People screamed.
Animals barked wildly.
The gunman raised his weaponâ
But before he could aim...
A blur of black and tan exploded across the floor.
Rex.
Ignoring the pain from his fresh stitches, he launched himself through the air.
His full weight slammed into the attacker.
The rifle flew across the lobby.
The two crashed into a row of plastic chairs.
The gunman tried to push Rex away, but the German Shepherd locked his jaws onto the man's forearm.
The attacker screamed in agony.
Alex and two nearby officers tackled him to the ground within seconds.
Handcuffs clicked shut.
The lobby erupted in applause and tears.
Even the veterinarians stood speechless.
Rex had just saved lives...
Again.
Despite everything he'd been through.
As officers searched the suspect, they found fake identification, multiple passports, cash in different currencies, and a satellite phone.
Then one detective opened the rifle case.
His expression changed immediately.
"This wasn't an ordinary attack."
Everyone looked at him.
Inside the case was not only a suppressed rifle...
There was also a powerful explosive device.
The bomb squad arrived minutes later.
After examining it, the commander made a chilling announcement.
"If this device had detonated inside the clinic..."
"The entire building would have collapsed."
Dozens of innocent people would have died.
Alex looked down at Rex, who was breathing heavily from the effort.
He knelt beside him and gently hugged his partner.
"You just saved us all..."
Once again.
But while investigators celebrated outside...
The arrested gunman suddenly smiled.
A cold, confident smile.
"You think it's over?"
He laughed quietly.
"You only caught the messenger."
Alex frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The man leaned closer and whispered,
May you like
"You still don't know who gave the order."
Those words sent a chill through everyone in the room.
