Chapter <b>273 </b>


    Ashton’s survival instinct went into overdrive as he gently took the boning knife from Briar’s hand, trying to


    soothe her.


    He said with a coaxing smile, “Honey, this man deserves to die, but will torturing him to death in one go really quench your anger?”


    Briar nced at the bloodied and unrecognizable Brody and raised an eyebrow. “Alright, that’s enough for today.”


    This was music to Brody’s ears. He stopped screaming and stared hopefully at Memphis, who was watching the show from the sidelines, thinking he would be let down.


    But then, he heard Ashton instruct Brandon, who had followed him in, “Brandon, take him away and take good care of him. Interrogation is rough work; we can’t let Mrs. Wade dirty her hands.”


    Brandon replied respectfully, “Understood. Rest assured, Mrs. Wade. Our interrogation methods may be simple, but they are definitely more effective and brutal.”


    Brody nearly passed out from horror.


    Monsters!


    These people were all monsters!


    Ian, ever resourceful, found a few towels and handed them to Ashton.


    Ashton carefully and gently wiped the blood from Briar’s hands. “Honey, should we go home first?”


    Briar lowered her head, watching as Ashton patiently and meticulously cleaned her hands until they were spotless again.


    After a long moment, she finally responded, “…Okay, let’s go home.”


    She no longer felt the same attachment to home she once had. The house remained, but her family… was not the family she thought they were.


    Briar followed Ashton out, her expression… serene. When they reached the mainboratory, she came to a halt.


    She turned her head, looked at the mainboratory, and refused to go any further.


    “Ashton.” Briar’s voice was low and faint. “Can you find me a cold storage unit specifically for preserving


    blood?”


    Ashton followed Briar’s gaze to a pane of transparent ss against the wall of the main room.


    Through the ss, he could see a cold storage room. Inside, various blood samples were stored in separate containers.


    B5 vouchers


    The weight that had just lifted from Ashton’s heart settled back in. “Alright, I’ll have someonee immediately to transport and seal everything.”


    If Zeke’s concealment and betrayal were a sharp sword piercing Briar’s resilient heart, then seeing her mother’s body exploited and studied was the final blow that shattered her will.


    Briar nodded and withdrew her gaze.


    This time, she walked out of the cave without looking sideways.


    But anyone could see the despair and devastation reflected in her ramrod–straight back and slender shoulders.


    Hamish shook his head silently and turned to leave with Reece.


    “What do we do now? I think Briar is deeply shocked.” Reece managed a wry smile. They had rushed over after getting Ashton’s call, but it was already toote.


    Especially when they saw the entire wall of Mrs. Jennings. It was no wonder a young woman like Briar couldn’t handle it; even they, two men ustomed to life and death, nearly went mad with anger.


    “Are the Lopezs even human?


    “They are utterly depraved.


    “Carving flesh, breaking bones, collecting blood…


    “No matter how one looks at it, this is perverse,” they shouted.


    “It’s not just a minor shock; she’s on the verge of snapping.” Hamish could read the determination on Briar’s calm face. The Lopezs and the Jennings were probably finished.


    If Ashton couldn’t keep her in check, it was possible that the Lopezs and the Jennings would bepletely wiped out.


    But this was Shoneport. If their entire families were really wiped out, it would be too big an incident to cover <ol><li>up. </li></ol>


    Some troublemakers in high ces would definitely seize the opportunity to stir up trouble.


    “We’ll have our people keep a close watch on any activity for the next few days,” Reece said helplessly.


    Hamish nodded. “Yeah, we have to keep an eye on things. Otherwise, if the situation gets too big, Ashton might be overwhelmed.”


    Ian chimed in with a chuckle, “Reece, Hamish, you can rx. If Briar really wants to cause trouble, I guarantee she’ll do it without anyone noticing, leaving no trace behind.”


    Memphis nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, that’s right. Briar is an expert at this. Don’t forget, her medical skills are among the best in the world.”


    Reece didn’t know what to say.


    So did Hamish.


    “What does that mean?


    “Are you saying your Briar doesn’t just handle the killing and burial, but can also destroy all evidence?” they


    asked.


    But Reece and Hamish fell silent when they met the bright, intense gazes of Ian and Memphis.


    After a long pause, they both eximed, “Holy shit! Badass<b>!</b>”


    No matter how articte they were, only those words could describe their feelings at that moment.


    Destroying a body without a trace was easy to say, but actually doing it was no simple task.


    They were already shocked when they heard from Ashton that Briar was one of the eight instructors at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base.


    Hearing Ian and the others proudly discuss how Briar could dispose of a body without a trace felt even more surreal.


    “How old is Briar, anyway?


    “She has just turned 18!


    “How on earth did she manage to juggle so many roles?” they wondered.


    What made them feel most inadequate was that each of Briar’s personas, on its own, represented a level of achievement that most people could only dream of reaching in a lifetime.


    In traditional medicine, she was a legend for curing Griffin’s chronic illness. She was also the sole disciple of the master physician Tristan, possessing medical skills far beyond her peers.


    In the entertainment world, she was the international racing legend, Speed Queen Bree. At such a young age, she had already imed multiple world–ss racing titles.


    The most frustrating part was that this skill was merely a hobby for her.


    Then it was revealed that she was the world–ss Legendary Hacker Bree, a core member of the Hacker Alliance… Damn, being omnpetent was supposed to be an inspiring fantasy, not a real–life requirement!


    Now, they were told that Briar was one of the eight instructors at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base, a global organization.


    Others might not grasp the meaning and weight of the title “DDC Vanguard Base, one of the eight instructors.”


    But as former soldiers who had also reached the pinnacle, the two were acutely aware of thebat capabilities of the eight instructors at the DDC Vanguard Mercenary Special Operations Base.


    :


    That was the very best in the mercenary world!


    485


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    Ian said smugly, “So, don’t worry too much about Briar. She’s not that fragile. She just needs a moment to


    recover…”


    Reece asked curiously, “So, what will she do when she recovers? Is she really going on a killing spree?”


    Memphis cleared his throat. “Reece, listen to yourself. How can you call what Briar does a killing spree? That’s called ‘an eye for an eye!”