Just as he was about to speak again, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the other end of the call, startling Melvin into seriousness. “Atlas! Are you alright? What was that, gunshot?!”
Atlas held his phone in one hand, struggling to keep his body from lurching forward.
“I’m fine. Hanging up.”
“Damn it!” Melvin was left listening to the dial tone, nearly exploding with frustration. “What the hell is going on?!”
As anxious as he was, Melvin knew something had gone wrong on Atlas’s end. But without knowing the situation, he didn’t dare call again.
Meanwhile, Atlas’s cold and dangerous eyes were locked on the road ahead. He was on a remote stretch of highway, on his way to a construction site when it happened.
His car had been surrounded by four vehicles. From the lead car stepped out a group of burly men wielding metal rods.
Jay, sitting in the passenger seat, turned p
Naomi anxiously supported Atlas.“Naomi, don’t ignore me!” The man stared intently at Naomi, as if afraid she’d vanish the moment he blinked.Naomi glanced at him. “I’m not ignoring you.”“Then why won’t you talk to me?”“I… I just don’t know what to say. Atty, I was so scared… scared you’d be gone.”Her hands at her sides slowly curled into fists, her manicured nails nearly breaking.Atlas quickly took her hand in his. “Naomi, it was just an accident. I’m fine.”“Fine? Do you even realize that if I had found you a little later, you would’ve died from blood loss?” Naomi was clearly displeased with how lightly he treated his own life.Atlas, however, was stunned by her mention of finding him—‘was it Naomi who found me?’That meant the voice he’d heard before
Kael obviously saw Naomi too. His eyes froze, as if they couldn’t move, his face full of disbelief.“Heh.”She knew something was wrong. Why would Tristo claim that Wicked Talon had no ties to Atlas, yet still try to kill him? Now it made sense. It was Kael. Kael Rhodes!Naomi stared at Kael like she was looking at a dead man. Kael clearly hadn’t processed why she would be here.But that didn’t matter anymore.Naomi pulled out her gun and, without blinking, shot Kael.BANG!If you looked closely, one of the bullets hit the exact same spot where Atlas had been injured.“Kael!”Even injured, Jax’s first reaction was to rush to Kael’s side.Naomi scoffed coldly at the scene. “Let’s go!”Before leaving, Finnick glanced at Kael with clear contempt in his eyes.When Shadow Blade and Shadow Reaper arr
Kael was so furious his whole body was trembling. Something as critical as a system breach was only discovered now?Jax's pupils contracted sharply. This meant they were now constantly in danger. Instinctively, he assumed this was the work of Atlas’s people.“Kael, it must be Atlas. It has to be him. What do we do now?”Kael’s hanging hand clenched slightly. Who exactly was this Atlas?“Get someone to repair the system immediately. Also, start moving out all important items from here.”Jax’s eyes shrank. This place was their base—moving everything now would be nearly impossible.Of course Kael knew that. But he had a gnawing sense of danger. With the system breach and the recent arrests, too many things were happening one after another. He had to take it seriously.“Do as I say.”“Got it. I’ll go now.”...When Naomi woke up from her nap
When Atlas was rushed into the emergency room, Naomi and the others were on edge. No one could guarantee that the person entering the operating room would come out alive.Even though Finnick had contacted Bard, there had been no response from that end. Even traveling at the fastest speed, it would still take nearly five hours to get back.Four hours later, the sky had already begun to lighten when the doors of the operating room finally opened.“Doctor, how is he?”Jay’s voice was trembling with tension, as if it were about to leap from his throat.Naomi had wanted to go ask herself, but she had been standing for too long—when she moved, she nearly collapsed. Tristo quickly caught her.“He’s stable now. The patient lost a lot of blood, but fortunately, he was brought in just in time. He’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days. He’s still under anesthesia, so he won’
Of course—the cliff was covered in tree branches. There could be a cave or ledge hidden in the rock face. Considering how powerful their boss was, there was no way he would still be in the river after all this time without surfacing.Tristo curled his lips. Just a while ago, these people were looking down on his sister. Now they looked surprised and impressed.“I’ll get the ropes ready right away,” Shadow Reaper said before running off.Jay didn’t leave Naomi’s side for a second. If the boss found out Naomi had come here, he’d be furious.Shadow Blade silently observed Naomi, but Finnick quickly blocked his line of sight.“Naomi, let them do the search. You should go rest in the car,” Finnick said.Naomi was stunned for a moment. She was surprised to hear Finnick call her “Naomi.”“He’s right, madam,” Jay added. “Let us handle the search. If our
After getting off the plane, Naomi headed straight to the Regal Haven aircraft location. All their gear was there, and they needed manpower to help with the search.“Sis, Bard and Jess are out on a mission. Should I call them back?” Tristo wasn’t sure about Atlas’s current condition, but having Bard—a top-notch doctor—on hand would definitely be reassuring.“Call Bard back. Have we confirmed the last known location?”As Naomi stepped into the Regal Haven aircraft, she scanned the surroundings. Nothing stood out. In fact, the moment she entered, the place felt strangely familiar.Finnick was just about to say something when Naomi sat down in the main seat. She pressed a spot on the chair, and a dagger along with a handgun popped out effortlessly into her hands.Finnick watched, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile.Even with memory loss, muscle memory doesn’t lie.Naom