?Chapter 1227:


    If she had known he nned to sell them out, she would never havee.


    “Drake, you liar!” she screamed, her eyes zing with fury.


    But she was powerless.


    Arlo’s patience snapped. With a low grunt, he gave a sharp signal.


    His soldiers moved in immediately, reaching for William.


    “Don’t touch him!” Nina lunged forward, clinging desperately to William’s hand. “You can’t take him! I won’t let you!”


    Her struggle was futile. The soldiers tore her away as if she weighed nothing.


    Arlo stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. A deep scar split his face, his eyes cold and merciless.


    “You can’t take him!” she cried again, her voice breaking. “Drake, you promised—I—”


    Drake didn’t even nce at her.


    Arlo waved his hand once more. A soldier grabbed Nina and shoved her aside.


    She mmed hard against the wall, pain shooting through her shoulder. Her vision blurred—but through it all, she could only see one thing: William being wheeled out of the room, farther and farther away.


    She tried to run, but the butt of a rifle pressed into her shoulder, forcing her still.


    Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She didn’t dare move, but her eyes remained fixed on William as the men whisked him away.


    Drake’s voice came from the corner, cold and almost bored. “Rx. They’re not going to kill William.”


    Nina spun around, fury shing in her eyes. The sight of that smug, self-satisfied smile on his face made her blood boil. “You knew!” she shouted, her voice raw. “You knew what you were going to do! You’ve been lying to me this whole time!”


    “I promised to take you away, didn’t I?” he drawled. “And I did. If it weren’t for me, you’d already be sitting in a police cell somewhere.”


    He moved closer, the faint scent of smoke and metal clinging to him. His voice dropped, calm and cutting. “But I never said he belonged to you. General White and I—let’s just say we have an understanding. He has no reason to kill William.”


    Something cold crept up Nina’s spine. “Then what are you nning?” she asked, her voice trembling. “He’s still unconscious.”


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    She didn’t know what it was, but she knew it couldn’t be anything good.


    Drake’s expression turned unreadable, though the hint of a smirk lingered. “William’s worth more alive than dead. Arlo knows that too.”


    He leaned in, his words a whisper that crawled beneath her skin. “But before he wakes, we have to tweak him a bit.”


    Nina’s breath hitched. What did that mean?


    It made no sense.


    William was a person, not a piece of equipment.


    How could they possibly modify him?


    Drake caught her look and chuckled softly. “Don’t be naive. None of this is about you. Ste’s mother left behind something world-changing—forms that could tip the bnce of power. And since William was the closest one to Ste, even scraps of what he remembers might hold the answers we need.”


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