Chapter 4

Christopher sounded aggrieved. "Gabriella, I'm scared. Just thinking about it makes me shiver.

"Daniel died a horrible death, and so many of our comrades are gone too. It's all because of Victor. And now Oliver, who's about to be executed, is trying to clear his name? How many more people is he going to hurt before he stops?"

Gabriella's fingers tensed. His words had shattered whatever brief calm she had just found.

"Don't overthink this. Stay in bed, okay? I'll have the family doctor drop by now."

"I don't want the family doctor. I want you to come home."

Christopher's voice came through more clearly. "Gabriella, you believe what Oliver said, don't you? You think he's not a traitor. Have you forgotten how he nearly killed you back then?"

Gabriella's breath caught, and she didn't answer. Of course, she remembered.

Back then, Oliver sent word that I was at a warehouse at the dock. Without hesitation, Gabriella led a team and stormed in, only to find the place rigged with bombs. If her teammate hadn't shielded her from the blast, she would have died on the spot.

"Back then, you lay in the warehouse, covered in blood and trapped by the flames. I was the one who risked my life dragging you out of the fire!

"I also took a bullet for you during the evacuation. That's why my heart hasn't been the same ever since!" Christopher's voice rose a few notches before cracking with emotion.

"Victor and Oliver set that trap from the very beginning. Gabriella, you can't forget what he did just because time has passed. Don't let him fool you."

I became frantic. I wanted to tell Gabriella that wasn't the truth, but she couldn't hear a single word I said.

Gabriella stayed silent for a long time. Finally, she ended the call and drove to the Gakoli Police Department.

The narcotics unit was still waiting in the office for updates. As soon as they saw her walk in, everyone stood.

Gabriella tossed the application form for drilling onto the conference table.

"According to Oliver's testimony, this was a trap that he and Victor had planned in advance. They probably wanted to lure us under the bridge under the guise of reopening the case. Then they'll trigger an explosion."

At her words, the entire office fell silent.

"It would be a disservice to our comrades who sacrificed their lives if we let the testimony of a death-row inmate overturn the judgment we made back then."

Everyone in the room exchanged glances in silence.

Back then, after the warehouse explosion, most of them had taken part in the rescue operation. They had seen Gabriella carried out, covered in blood, and the bodies of their fallen comrades.

After that tragedy, no one was willing to take such a risk again.

Gabriella slammed her hand down on the conference table. "I'm submitting the application immediately. Coordinate with all relevant departments. We'll be conducting a controlled demolition of Pier 17 at the Joy Bridge. We're going to put an end to their plan."

Once submitted, the application was quickly given the green light.

The explosion was scheduled for the early hours of the morning. The authorities made sure everyone was evacuated beforehand to ensure everything went off without a hitch.

While preparations were in full swing, Gabriella drove alone to Gakoli's maximum-security prison.

Oliver was led into a visitation room, separated by thick bulletproof glass. The moment he saw her, he grinned from ear to ear.

"Chief Campbell, what brings you here? Aren't you going to demolish the pier?"

Gabriella stared at him coldly. "I know all about your plan with Victor. You wanted to trick me into leading a team to the pier and wipe us all out.

"I've already submitted an application form. At dawn, we'll conduct a controlled explosion at Pier 17. No matter what you're hiding in the pier, it'll be blown to pieces."

Hearing that, Oliver froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.