?Chapter 2893:


    A scream ripped through the tunnel, followed by the sickening thud of a body hitting the ground.


    “Ow, ow!”


    Ellis ignored the pounding in his head and swept his shlight forward. The harsh beam revealed a man sprawled across the dirt floor—the very buyer tied to Locke and Joy.


    The man groaned, struggling to rise under the re.


    “Thought you could run?” Ellis sneered. Without hesitation, he hurled his shlight like a weapon.


    It struck the man’s leg with brutal precision, sending him copsing again.


    “Argh!” Another scream tore out.


    Ellis lunged, pinning him with a tackle. In one swift move, he wrenched the man’s arms behind his back.


    “Wait—wait! Easy!” the man cried out, squirming.


    “Don’t move!” Ellis snarled, pressing him down with unyielding strength. With his free hand, he yanked a pair of handcuffs from his belt and snapped them onto the man’s wrists.


    “Run again, if you dare. Weren’t you good at that?”


    “No! No more running!” the man whimpered.


    “My arms—please, they’ll break!”


    Ellis’s tone turned icy.


    “Talk. Where are the children?”


    “I’ll tell you! They’re with my wife!”


    The shouts drew the rest of the team back.


    “Perfect.” Ellis stood, shoving the man toward his subordinates.


    “Take him.”


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    Pulling out his phone, he dialed quickly.


    “Mr. Flynn—it’s me…”


    Meanwhile, Eric and Hadley waited anxiously outside, every second stretching unbearably.


    Atst, Ernest and Phillips emerged from the shadows of the tunnel.


    “Ernest?” Hadley called, her voice trembling.


    She scanned the darkness behind him—no sign of Locke or Joy.


    “Let’s talk as we move,” Ernest said briskly, already striding forward.


    “Alright!” Eric replied.


    As they hurried, Ernest exined, “Ellis’s team has the man. He confessed. Locke and Joy’s location is confirmed. This way—quickly!”


    “Then we waste no time!” Eric exchanged a determined nce with Hadley, and they followed.


    At the entrance, Ernest and Phillips descended first.


    Eric turned to Hadley.


    “We’ll go slower. Don’t worry—I’ll manage.”


    Hadley hesitated, eyes filled with concern, before finally nodding.


    “Alright.”


    She slipped her arm under his, steadying him as they went in. The tunnel’s low ceiling forced Eric to stoop, his injured back ring with pain at every step.


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