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Riley’s sobs gradually turned into cackles as he exclaimed, “I’ve waited a long time for this day! May
this place explode into smithereens!”
Suddenly, he grabbed Winnie’s wrist agitatedly and asked, “Is this your doing? Have you any idea how
great a service you’ve done for mankind? You’ve done an admirable deed!”
Meanwhile, explosions continued all around them. Cracks appeared on multiple surfaces, and the
ceiling above them was beginning to crumble.
Winnie broke free of the professor’s grasp and grabbed his hand instead. She pulled him into a run and
said, “Now’s not the time for this conversation. We need to get out of this place!”
They ran as fast as they could, yet the ground collapsed at a frightening pace.
A slab of cement suddenly broke off from the ceiling above Riley.
Though Winnie reacted quickly and pulled the professor away, the slab still struck him in the leg.
She hurriedly turned back to help him, as did Mason and the others.
Alas, the underground sewage was in a precarious state, and it would not be easy to free Riley.
Worst of all, it was pitch black in the underground tunnel. The torchlights carried by Mason and his men
hardly allowed them to see anything.
Winnie even stepped on a steel rod while trying to move the cement slab off Riley.
Mason immediately turned toward her when she screamed in pain. He shone the torchlight in her
direction, and everyone saw a steel rod impaled in her foot.
That was the only time she screamed. She gritted her teeth through the pain as she pulled the rod out
of her foot.
Then, instead of tending to her own foot, she turned her attention back to moving the cement slab off
Riley’s leg.
The professor could not bear to watch her suffer. Tears welled in his eyes, and he insisted, “The ground
is still shaking. It’s too unstable here, and different parts of the tunnel could continue to collapse. You
must go! Leave me behind. I’ll just die here! Don’t risk your life for an old man like me. I can die in
peace even if this is my final resting spot.”
He added, “You’re Yulissa’s friend, right? Please send my last message to her. She must live a long
and good life. Tell her to perform more good deeds in the future and make up for all the sins I’ve
committed.”
Winnie never imagined Riley would think of ending his life. After all, he had persisted for years in
Harold’s captivity, yet now, he was simply throwing his life away.
“No, Professor White!” Winnie stared straight into his eyes and declared, “You can’t die now! You need
to go outside and watch how Harold and his factory burn to ashes! How can we die before those vile
people?”
Her words struck a chord within Riley. She’s right! How can I die before that devil Harold meets his
end?
He suddenly found the will to live again. Still, he muttered hesitantly, “The whole tunnel is about to
collapse. If you don’t leave now, we could all be buried alive! I don’t want to ruin your chances of
survival!”
“That’s not for you to worry over! You just need the will to live!” Winnie continued pulling at the slab as
she added, “We’ll focus on saving you. Don’t concern yourself about our well-being. There are some
aftershocks now; make sure you cover your head!”
It took four people to finally free Riley’s leg from under the cement slab.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhile his leg was broken, he was at least alive and breathing.
Mason quickly carried Riley on his back. The group pushed on as fast as they could and arrived at the
sewage entrance about ten minutes later.
Mason’s fellow mercenaries were already waiting for them outside.
They knew their teammates like the back of their hands, and they instantly identified a stranger in their
midst.
One of the mercenaries raised his gun and pointed it right at the stranger’s head.
His action gave everyone a huge shock.
Winnie instinctively stepped in front of Riley to protect him. Frowning, she demanded, “What’s going
on?”
The mercenary replied, “He’s a new face. Who is he, and why is he here?”
A new face? Is he one of Harold’s men?
Winnie narrowed her gaze thoughtfully and was about to say something when Riley stepped forward.
He explained, “That man does not work for Harold. He’s my assistant and was captured like me. When
you arrived with your men to rescue me, I begged them to save my assistant.”
“Professor White is right. I really don’t work for Harold!” The stranger raised his hands and pleaded,
“Please save me from this place! I promise I won’t bother any of you again once I’m out of here.”
Riley stared at Winnie earnestly and vowed, “I can vouch for him. I hope you trust me.”
Time was running out, and Winnie did not have time to hesitate. “Fine. Let’s go. We can’t hang around
here any longer.”
“Over here!” Mason led them ahead. They had walked over ten meters when a pair of headlights
blinded them.
Riley raised his hand to cover his eyes. Then, he looked at Winnie anxiously and asked, “Did Harold’s
men come after us?”
The headlights were so piercingly bright that Winnie could not make out the vehicle. Thankfully, Mason
yelled out reassuringly, “Don’t worry! He’s with us! Let’s go. We’ll be out of this place soon!”
They strode ahead as the car drove closer to them.
The car pulled to a stop, and Xavier alighted from the driver’s seat.
The only person he could see at that moment was his beloved Dumbo.
He reached Winnie in a couple of strides and pulled her into a tight hug. At the same time, he bent over
and repeatedly muttered, “You’re safe! Thank God you’re safe.”
Winnie returned his hug, relishing the familiar comfort of his embrace. “I’m fine. Look! We saved
Professor White! We can cure your disease now, Xavier.”
Xavier could sense the joy in her tone, yet he could not bring himself to share her excitement.
Instead, he merely tightened his arms around her and croaked through the lump in his throat, “Thank
you. It must have been grueling in there.”
Winnie chuckled and replied, “Well, we’re out now, so it wasn’t that bad. You should let go of me. We’re
technically still on the run.”
“All right.” Xavier reluctantly released the woman in his arms before turning his attention to Riley, who
stood behind Winnie. He pursed his lips before asking, “Professor White. Remember me?”
Riley appraised the tall man before him and quickly recognized Xavier. He exclaimed, “Are you Xavier?
Xavier Fairchild?”
Nodding, Xavier replied, “Yes, that’s me. Get in the car, then.”
Even if Riley had questioned Winnie’s identity before, all his doubts evaporated once he laid eyes on
Xavier.
Xavier had driven a small military truck to pick them up.
Three people could sit in the front. There were even two motorbikes parked in the back.
Winnie and Riley took the two front passenger seats.
The professor grew emotional as the truck began moving. He asked Xavier, “Will I see Yulissa soon,
Xavier?”
The mention of her name brought a frown to Xavier’s face. Several seconds later, he answered curtly,
“Yes. Soon.”
“Great. That’s great,” Riley mumbled in reply. He subconsciously looked out the window to clear his
jumbled thoughts.
The factory burst into flames at that exact moment, followed by the sound of a massive explosion.
It immediately captured everyone’s attention, and Winnie stuck her head out the window to get a better
look.
Though they were quite far from the factory, she could clearly feel the heat waves from the explosion
on her face.
She stared at the burning factory in a daze.
Xavier noticed the blast later than Winnie, but he quickly realized something was off about her.
He could not help but furrow his brows as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
She explained, “It didn’t just burn; there’s an explosion too. But Christopher and I never planned to
cause an explosion. We only wanted to burn their warehouse to the ground. There must have been an
accident.”
Her anxiety grew as she spoke. She shot Xavier a frantic look and questioned, “Where is he? Didn’t he
come with you?”
“No.” Xavier glanced at Winnie before returning his attention to the road. “We divided our tasks
precisely. I received their signal from where I stood by, but I never saw him or his men since the
beginning.”
“No!” Winnie frowned and muttered, “An accident must’ve happened, or there wouldn’t have been an
explosion. We can’t just leave them there to fend for themselves.”
Xavier silently pondered their options before asking calmly, “What do you want to do? He’s not alone;
he has backup. If anything happens to him, they’ll try their best to save him.”
His logical explanation did little to soothe Winnie’s nerves. Instead, she insisted, “That’s different! It’s
pretty safe for us to escape underground, but they’re out in the open. The enemy could engage them
anytime. They’re in a far more dangerous position than us!”
“I understand your concerns, but there’s nothing much we can do. We have to prioritize our safety.
There’s only one car carrying both you and Professor White. Do you want me to make a U-turn and
possibly get all of us killed?”
“I wouldn’t ask you to risk the lives of everyone in this car, but Christopher’s my partner. I have to go
back for him! I can’t just let him die here without trying to save him. There’s a motorbike in the back.
Stop the car and let me get out.”
Flummoxed by her suggestion, Xavier glanced at Winnie and demanded, “Do you have any idea what
you’re suggesting? You’re willing to sacrifice your life for him?”
“He’s my friend, and he once saved my life! I can’t leave him for dead! He doesn’t deserve that!” Winnie
shot Xavier a steely gaze and added determinedly, “You don’t understand what they’ve gone through.
All of them deserve to live! Their lives are worth so much more than you could imagine! Now stop the
car.”
“Yes! I know they’re heroes! But I can’t allow you to throw yourself into the jaws of death! He wouldn’t
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmwant you to do that either!” With that, Xavier glanced at Winnie and stepped on the gas pedal as hard
as he could.
Instead of stopping the car as she had asked, he sped up the vehicle in defiance.
Winnie frowned at him and pleaded, “Xavier, I know you want the best for me, and I appreciate your
care for me, but you can’t stop me. If I don’t go back now, I’ll never forgive myself for the rest of my life.
We agreed to retreat together, and I can’t leave without trying to save him.”
As she spoke, she resolutely opened the car door.
“What are you doing!” Xavier knew she was about to leap out of the car, but with Riley sitting between
them and the dimly lit road already testing his navigation skills, he simply could not spare the attention
or a third hand to stop her.
By the time he removed his leg from the gas pedal, Winnie had jumped out of the passenger seat.
She rolled forward and got in front of the truck.
Thankfully, Xavier stepped on the brakes just before the truck ran over Winnie.
Infuriated by her mad stunt, Xavier stopped the car and jumped out of the driver’s seat.
He chased her to the back of the truck only to see Winnie riding off on one of the motorbikes.
The engine revved loudly as Winnie shot off into the dark and disappeared before Xavier’s eyes.
“Winnie!” Xavier shouted into the darkness in vain.
He spun on his heels and hopped onto the other motorbikes in the back of the truck, planning to give
chase.
He could not allow her to jump headlong into danger alone.
Alas, he realized that Winnie had brought the keys to both motorbikes with her. She clearly did not want
him to follow her.
“D*mn it!” Xavier kicked the motorbike to vent his frustration. He had no choice but to return to the
driver’s seat.
His best option now was to reunite Riley with Greta and the others, whom he assumed would have a
car. Once the professor was safely in their hands, he would return to find Winnie.
Meanwhile, Winnie arrived to utter chaos at Harold’s base. The underground lab and warehouse
suffered an explosion, while the building above ground was ravaged by fires.
She had no idea where Christopher was and instinctively headed toward the sounds of gunfire.
The gunshots suddenly disappeared as she approached.
She froze, panic-stricken.
Winnie feared that the battle had already ended and Christopher was already dead.
She suppressed her concerns and sped ahead. Even if she located Christopher’s dead body, she
would bring his ashes back to his country.
To her utter relief, Christopher was still alive.
He was fist-fighting with Harold’s men, and despite his excellent combat skills, he was sorely
outnumbered and rapidly put at a disadvantage.
Winnie revved up the engine of her motorbike and rammed straight into the crowd.
Someone tried to stop her and was mercilessly sent flying. The others quickly backed off to save
themselves when they saw that.
Only Christopher remained where he was, crumpled over in exhaustion. When he saw Winnie riding a
motorbike toward him, he even thought he was hallucinating.
“Winnie, why are you here?”
She looked at him, her eyes sparkling with determination as she ordered, “Enough talking. Get on the
bike!”
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