?Chapter 874:


    The rounds nicked the side of the helicopter—one bullet even cracked the windshield.


    Inside the helicopter, Earle stared at the spreading fracture. And in his eyes, a sick thrill lit up like fire.


    The instant the helicopter took a hit, it lurched hard, jerking violently through the air.


    The children gripped each other tightly, their faces pale and stricken, terror etched into every line.


    Lizzie cowered behind Lara, trembling. Her mind reeled—these monsters had ughtered her grandmother and wiped out everyone on the ind. Blood had soaked everything. Why were they being dragged away? Were they next?


    Lara, though the eldest among them and just as scared, nted herself between the others and danger, trying to shield them with whatever courage she could muster.


    A chill ran through Lara as she lifted her eyes to the masked Earle. Their gazes locked for an instant, his eyes gleaming with vicious hunger. She looked away, her heart pounding.


    Earle paid her no attention. To him, these children were nothing more than bait—tools to draw Elena out. As long as they lived, she’d have no choice but toe.


    He was restless, eager for Elena’s arrival. In his mind’s eye, he could already see her raging, her sniper rifle aimed squarely at his aircraft. She’d fire anyway, even knowing she couldn’t bring him down. Was she angry? Even better. That was exactly the punishment she deserved for daring to join the Houis military research institute. A disobedient woman had to be punished.


    From the front seat, an assassin called out, “Mr. Miller, we’re under fire. Want us to take the shooter down?”


    Earle sneered, his voiceced with contempt, “You think you can kill Elena?” He’d learned not to take Elena lightly after their past shes. Her skills inbat and sharpshooting were unmatched. To him, she was divine—a wless creation that thrilled him beyond measure.


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    The assassin bristled. As a top-tier agent from Shadow, he’d never missed a mark and refused to believe there was anyone beyond his reach.


    Earle’s green eyes darkened, sharp as ss. “Keep that opinion to yourself. Mention it again, and you’re bound for Shadowhold.” Shadowhold was the punishment ground for Shadow’s own. Those sent there rarely returned alive.


    The assassin lowered his gaze at once, all defiance gone.


    Shadow’s doctrine demanded absolute loyalty and silence. Earle’smands werew. They’d been trained to obey without hesitation, and it was buried deep in their bones. Only one had ever defied him and lived—Lydia.


    As the chopper broke past Houis airspace, Elena slid her sniper rifle back into its case.


    The situation had exploded into an international emergency. Earle, hailing from Avaloria, had crossed a line—murdering and kidnapping on foreign soil. The Houis military responded without dy,unching a full-scale rescue mission.


    Meanwhile, Wesley’s men were on the ind, digging graves for those massacred.


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