Chapter <b>172 </b>
Xylia felt this year was her unlucky year, a year full of adversity.
Kidnapped three <b>times </b>already.
This time, however, it was she who took the initiative to get in the car.
After she saw the figure in the rearview mirror give her a sinister smile<b>, </b>her mind became dazed.
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Only now did she realize that the unusual fragrance in the car was capable of inducing unconsciousness.
However, she realized it toote; in just two seconds, shepletely lost consciousness.
Upon awakening once more, a ticking sound echoed around her.
Xylia slowly opened her eyes, her heart seemingly under pressure, making her almost unable to breathe.
The air was damp, and thunder rumbled in the distance.
The wind rushed in from all directions, making her slender figure look as if she were about to fall.
The ce was an industrial ruin exposed on all sides.
Dense fog shrouded the outdoors, yet the naturalndscape remained faintly visible.
The tree branches, tossed by wind and rain, resembled ghostly shadows, baring their teeth and ws as if poised to lunge and tear at her at any moment.
Xylia lowered her head, shielding herself from the wind as she took several breaths until she gradually <b>rxed</b>. Yet her body <b>shook </b>violently from the cold. Worse, her arms and legs were bound to a <b>chair</b>. She couldn’t move.
Beep… beep….
Amidst cold <b>winds </b><b>and </b>heavy rain, she heard a strange sound.
She looked at her abdomen and, to her surprise, found it encircled by a ring of explosives.
She stared wide–eyed in terror, unable to believe what she was witnessing.
“Help! Is anyone there?” she screamed.
The storm swallowed her voice. No one came. She was alone, trapped between life and death.
Meanwhile, Joshua <b>was </b>watching the scene on the surveince screen. His eyes were bloodshot.
He seized Burke’s cor and red at him fiercely.
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
8:20 <b>Thu</b>, Sep 18 N
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With a smile, Burke tried to <b>pull </b>Joshua’s hand away from his cor. However, Joshua increased his grip; his hand suddenly clenched, causing Burke to be unable to breathe.
“M–Mr. Garcia<b>, </b>are you sure you want to make an enemy of me here?” Burke wheezed.
He smiled, <b>but </b>his eyes, venomous as serpents, tightly seized Joshua’s eyes.
The people around moved from <b>the </b>shadows into the light, each of them tall and robust, their <b>hands </b>full of firearms
Another man smiled warmly at Joshua.
Joshua, don’t be angry. As long as our agreement remains valid, your girlfriend will not be harmed.”
The man wore <b>an </b>eyepatch over his left eye, leaving only his right eye exposed–sharp with killing intent.
He has regr features and an upright physique, exuding an aura thatmands respect.
Joshua released Burke, who stumbled to the ground.
Joshua didn’t look at him. His gaze, however, remained fixed on the one<b>–</b>eyed man–Dexter Smert. Hatred burned beneath his calm exterior.
“Old grudges and new ones,” Joshua said coldly. “We’ll settle them all tonight.”
Dexter’s lips curved into <b>a </b>bloodthirsty smile.
Joshua, to be honest, it was truly beyond my expectations that you found me so quickly.”
He gazed at <b>Joshua </b>with apparent longing. “You <b>are </b>still so clever… clever enough to make me want to silence you forever.”
Joshua’s expression was icy; he sneered.
“You’re as vile as ever. You deserve to be shut up for good.”
As he looked at Dexter’s repulsive face, his memory suddenly returned to the ce engulfed in the smoke and mes of war ten years ago.
That was the battlefield of Kregonia.
The bullet seemed to fly past, brushing by the car.
He was injured and protected by his <b>close </b>friend Nelson Lomas as they attempted to break out.
However, just as they were about to seed, Dexter stopped them..
<b>To </b>save Joshua, Nelson lost his life, but he only injured one of Dexter’s eyes.
The <b>blood </b>feud would be repaid tonight.
8:20 Thu, Sep 18 N
Dexter let out a derisiveugh. “You’re still as young <b>and </b>impetuous as ever.
He pointed at the group of people who had formed a circle nearby and spoke to Joshua.
“At this point, you don’t <b>think </b>you can emerge unscathed, do <b>you</b><b>?</b>”
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His expression suddenly turned ruthless. “If you don’t sign the contract today, neither you nor your girlfriend will survive.”
Joshua looked at the screen, where Xylia appeared on the verge of copse in the wind and rain; his hand hanging at his side was clenched tightly <b>into </b><b>a </b>fist.
If he signed, the entire Garcia Group would be implicated. Once the truth parents would end well.
If he didn’t sign. he could leave unharmed, but what about Xylia?
me out, neither he nor his
The <b>hall </b>fell silent but for the echoes of Dexter and Burke’s maliciousughter, as piercing as that of demons.
Back in Norhill, despair gnawed at Xylia.
She boarded the wrong vehicle, was restrained here by unknown criminals, and had explosives strapped to <b>her </b>body.
As if her life was about toe to an end at this <b>very </b>moment<b>. </b>
But she didn’t want to die.
Her career had only just begun. Her life was only just starting again.
She still needed to wait for Joshua to return and respond to his parting words.
Facing the cold wind, she lowered her head to look at the bomb on her abdomen. Ten minutes left on the
timer<b>. </b>
Her wrists were bound with thin wire, but one finger brushed against the wheelchair’s control button.
She moved her wheelchair to the wall of the abandoned building and sheltered there from the cold <b>wind</b>.
Meanwhile, in the Golden Castle, all eyes remained on Joshua. No one noticed that the figure on the screen. had vanished.
When he looked up again, an expression of incredulity appeared on Dexter’s face.
‘Where’s she?‘ he wondered. ‘She was tied up there a moment ago, yet disappeared in less <b>than </b>a second?”
The surveince footage only captured the spot where Xylia had paused. Now the spot was empty.
Joshua noticed Dexter’s gaze and tilted <b>his </b>head toward the screen.
As soon as he turned his head, the screen was switched off.
8:20 Thu, Sep 18 N
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Dexter deliberately feigned indifference as he coldly threatened Joshua.
You’ve seen enough. Sign the <b>contract</b>, and she’ll be released.”
Joshua remained silent for a moment and walked to the side of the table.
A contract and a pen were ced on the surface.
Joshua picked it up, his face unreadable, and scrawled his name.
“Can you let her go now?”
He turned his head and looked at Dexter coldly.
Dexter put away the contract and said to Joshua, “Of course.“.
“Bring up the surveince screen, show me <b>she’s </b>safe.”
Dexter smiled and said, “Don’t rush, my men need time to reach the site.”
Joshua’s expression suddenly turned icy and bone–chilling.
“You left her there alone?”
Dexter had no time to react before Joshua seized his cor and delivered a forceful punch.
Upon witnessing the situation, Burke and those beside him immediately wanted to rush over.
Dexter stopped them.
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m yourself, Mr. Garcia. Our deal isplete. I guarantee that Ms. Sadler will be safe. Would you prefer to
stay for dinner, or return first to prepare the thing I asked for?”
Joshua exuded a chilling aura. Before he could <b>speak</b>, the driver’s voice sounded in his car.
“Mr. Garcia, your father has rescued Ms. Sadler.”
Light glinted off the ck studs in Joshua’s ears as his lips curled <b>into </b>a cold smile.
“Of course, I’m going back to preparing what you want.”
Without another word, he turned and strode out of the Golden Castle.
Burke walked over to Dexter.
“Mr. Smert, do you think he’ll really prepare?”
Dexter smiled <b>and </b><b>said</b>, “He signed the contracts. Once I release it, the entire Garcia Group <b>will </b>be ensnared. Whether he prepares or not, he’ll have no choice