"Jasper..." Remy muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Gusts of wind howled from the sky to the forest floor.
Jasper and Remy exchanged a knowing look and smiled. In that gaze of absolute trust, nothing more needed to be said.
Jasper stood at the helicopter's cabin door, clad in a fitted tactical outfit that accentuated the taut lines of his muscles. He wore black cargo pants and a pair of sturdy military boots.
The dazzling moonlight cast a cold sheen over him, highlighting his aloofness and ferocity. He was like an unsheathed blade, gleaming with icy brilliance that compelled others to lower their eyes.
Remy let out a soft chuckle. "He's pretty cool."
The compliment came straight from the heart. In truth, Remy had never praised anyone before. It was almost an honor to receive such words from him.
Though the helicopter hovered midair, Jasper stood steady at the cabin door. In one fluid motion, he raised his gun. Calm and precise, he pulled the trigger, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
He fired once. Twice. Thrice.
With each shot, a man crumpled to the ground. He had not aimed to kill but to disarm, striking them with exact precision despite the darkness. Every bullet hit exactly where he intended.
This was the exceptional skill engraved into the very bones of the man who once stood at the top of the military academy.
The helicopter descended slowly, and a rope ladder dropped toward Remy.
"Come up!" Jasper called, eyes bright as he extended his hand.
Without hesitation, Remy climbed swiftly. When their hands finally clasped tightly together, a surge of electricity seemed to pass between them. Their hearts pounded in unison.
As Remy was lifted off the ground, tears welled in his eyes. To him, the man before him was a beacon of salvation.
This was the closest he had ever come to the light.
Ear-piercing sirens blared throughout the laboratory base. Chaos erupted
everywhere, like a hive thrown into disarray without its queen.
"Shit... What the hell is going on?" Sheryl roared as she glared at the surveillance footage covering the wall.
"M-Ms. Gillis, Special Forces have surrounded the entire base. We're completely encircled by the authorities!" a subordinate reported frantically.
Another rushed in, trembling. "Ms.
Gillis, Remy and Number 72 have
escaped Remy was taken away by a
helicopter and the one
one piloting i was the former president of Beckett Group... Jasper!"
"I should've known... I should've known!"
Sheryl slammed her fists against the desk repeatedly, her expression
twisted with fury "That traitor t
must have joined forced with asper long ago. He betrayed Mr. Justin after being spared, and he repaid Mr. Justin's trust and careful training with treachery!"
"What should we do now, Ms. Gillis?" one subordinate asked anxiously.
A sudden thought struck her. Sheryl immediately rushed to Amber's ward. By the
time she arrived, two subordinates were already there.
Amber was gone.
In her place lay a female corpse mottled with greenish-black decay.
"M-Ms. Gillis... that woman disappeared..." a subordinate stammered, head lowered, sweat pouring down.
Sheryl flew into a rage. She sprang forward and slapped each of them. "Useless! All of you are utterly useless!"
She had anticipated the possibility that Remy might rescue Amber amid the chaos. What she had never expected was that he would persuade someone within the base to betray them and help him.
"What do we do now, Ms. Gillis? Please make a decision!"
Everyone was frantic, like ants on a burning nest.
"Extract all core experimental data. Destroy everything else."
Sheryl closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, they were bloodshot, demonic.
"As for all experimental subjects..... eliminate every single one. Leave no survivors!"
A chill swept through the room.
The so-called experimental subjects included children as young as five and elderly individuals up to seventy. Yet in the eyes of this cruel and bloodthirsty woman they were nothing more than lab rats. Than lives held no value to her.
"They'll become witnesses once the authorities rescue them. You all participated in
the experiments. Do you really want to stand trial in court?"
Her icy gaze swept across their pale faces.
"Some of you have more than one person's blood on your hands. Once you're
arrested, you're finished. If you want to live, do exactly as I say."