Doretta and Charlie both hoped the situation would quickly come to an end to avoid any complications. Any unexpected turn of events could put Nicole at risk."That should be the case." Seeing Doretta's smile, Charlie also cracked a smile.Suddenly, a fierce wind blew, carrying sand and howling as it passed."Be careful." Charlie instinctively pulled Doretta into his arms to shield her from the gust.Leaning against Charlie's chest, Doretta felt her heartbeat uncontrollably quicken, a strange sensation for her.After the wind passed, everything returned to calm.Charlie released Doretta, looking down to ask, "Are you okay?""I'm fine," Doretta replied, stepping back awkwardly to put some distance between them.The sudden nervousness made her feel uneasy, even unable to look directly at Charlie.Charlie paused, only then realizing what he had just done.Rubbing his hands together awkwardly, Charlie also looked away.****In San Joto, Ellar came to pick up Patricia from work.
"Please come back safely," Ellar murmured softly, silently praying in his heart that everyone would return unharmed."Mr. Riddle, it's getting late. We should head back," his assistant quietly reminded him.The plane was already in the air, and Ellar knew staying wouldn't change anything. With a heavy sigh, he said, "Let's head back."He didn't like the idea of Patricia facing danger, but after seeing her worry and stress these last few days, he felt he had to support her decision.He understood what she needed and made the tough choice, despite his feelings.He loved her too much to hold her back. He wanted to be her biggest supporter as she followed her heart.Once in the car, Ellar nervously sent a text to Charlie.[Charlie, Patricia's on her way to you. Please look out for her.]He waited anxiously for a response, but none came for a while, making him worry even more. 'What's happening? Why hasn't he answered? Is everything okay?'Finally, his phone beeped with a reply.[
"Can't believe he thought of that. Such a cunning person, yet he has his foolish moments," Doretta said through gritted teeth. "But Nicole would never agree to it.""Or maybe he has a way to make Nicole agree," Patricia said with a grave expression.She was sure that if Lawrence had such plans, he must have prepared well. Fortunately, his plan to abduct Nolan and Lana failed, so he must be more cautious now."Mr. Johnston, could Ms. Riddle be in danger?" Patricia asked worriedly.Jared's gaze darkened as he replied, "Not for the time being," though how long this would hold was uncertain.He knew Lawrence's focus was likely on monitoring his movements, planning how to deal with him, and might not pay attention to Nicole for the moment. As long as Nicole acts quickly and successfully finds the secret passage, they could act at any time."So, we need to buy time now," Patricia said, biting her lip slightly. "When are we planning to act?""We're waiting for a message from Nicole," D
Nicole's curiosity piqued. 'If it's not an exit, then what are they doing?' The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. In a moment of decision right before the two men were about to close the door, she suddenly appeared and knocked them unconscious.She had a hunch that even if this wasn't the secret passage, it must be hiding some secret, so she had to find out.Glancing at the two men lying on the ground, Nicole quickly entered through the stone wall door.What's all this?" Nicole asked, amazed at what she saw.Before her, about a dozen round, heavy objects had been carried out by two men. These objects were made of steel, with no fancy details, leaving Nicole puzzled about what they could be for.She went up to one, touching it, hoping to find a switch or button that might show what it did.But after trying everything she could think of and nothing happening, Nicole looked puzzled and said, "What are these? They can't just be big chunks of metal."As she looked mo
Nicole just shrugged and said, "It was just by chance."That was all she could say casually, because admitting she was looking for a secret passage wasn't an option."Let's go back," Lawrence said; his expression darkened slightly.He had been glad that Nicole had been easy to deal with up to this point, making things easier for him. But now, he suddenly felt uneasy.Nicole walked in front with a calm face, leaving Lawrence to follow, deep in thought."Wake them up," he then ordered his men before he caught up to Nicole.He wanted to make sure she got back to her room himself, as if that would help him relax a bit.The men who had been knocked out were helped up by their teammates, looking confused. "What happened?" one of them asked."Just get back to work," was the reply before the helper hurried off.The two, still a bit shaken, knew they had to get back to their tasks. They picked up one of the round robots and went to set it up for battle.The whole place had been tense
Jared's brows furrowed slightly. They couldn't wait any longer. "Let's move," he said, his voice full of determination."Yes," everyone agreed, showing they were ready to do whatever it took to get Nicole back safely today.The team quickly split up and met again not far from the main entrance of the base.Jared watched the gate with a sharp look."Mr. Johnston, we're all set," Charlie said quietly."Hmm," was Jared's reply.Charlie gave a sign to four team members, who started moving toward the base quietly.They knew there were hidden guards around the base, but the quietness made them suspicious.As they got closer to the gate, they suddenly heard something slicing through the air."Move!" shouted someone.Without needing to see what it was, they knew it was dangerous.They quickly spread out, dodging to the ground, just in time to avoid several explosions.That was a narrow escape. If they hadn't reacted so fast, they might have been seriously hurt. Their ears were ring
Jared discovered the place had yet to be touched by the crossfire but was heavily guarded. He then noticed Lawrence's figure standing at the entrance of the house.Without a second thought, he was certain Nicole was inside.Just as he was about to proceed, Patricia's voice came from behind. "Mr. Johnston."Jared glanced at Patricia, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said, "Draw their attention."Believing the chance of a successful distraction was higher with assistance, he wanted to exploit it."Understood," Patricia responded, signaling to her squad members. She then led a group to charge from the left, while another group attacked from the right.The scene quickly descended into chaos. Patricia took advantage of the turmoil to launch herself at Lawrence with a flying kick.She understood Jared's strategy: only by pinning down Lawrence and his men could Jared have the opportunity to enter the house and rescue Nicole.Jared watched everything unfold calmly, waiting for the per
Moreover, those robots were upgraded from the Brave robots Nicole herself had developed, likely making them even more formidable."Let's get out of here first," Jared said with a grim expression, grabbing Nicole's hand and leading her outside."Warning, warning. Please drop your weapons, or we will initiate an indiscriminate attack." The air was suddenly filled with a mechanical voice, and soon after, several bulky, round objects began to circle Jared, Zane, and the team.They quickly huddled together, eyeing the combat robots with suspicion."What are these things?" Doretta asked, looking worried."Watch out, they're combat robots," Nicole quickly warned."Spread out! Don't let them box us in," Zane yelled.The team tried to scatter, but the robots, now apparently in attack mode, started shooting at them.A few who couldn't move fast enough got hit, and their screams echoed around."What should we do now?" asked Charlie. His expression darkened as he realized indiscriminate a