Douglas tapped play.
The video revealed a damp, shadowy, subterranean room.
Mr. White was strapped to a heavily rusted iron chair, his face slick with blood. A filthy rag was shoved into his mouth, and the cold barrel of a pistol was pressed firmly against his temple. The esteemed doctor was shaking uncontrollably.
The man holding the gun spoke through an encrypted voice modulator. The distorted, mechanical tone was chilling. "Rex. It's been a long time."
"I hear you acquired a very lucrative toy recently. You're holding The Ghost Alliance Neural Chip, aren't you?"
"I'm giving you one hour. Trade the chip for his life, or else..."
The distorted voice let out a sickening, raspy laugh. The man's free hand violently
plunged a tactical combat knife straight into Mr. White's thigh.
"Mmph!" Mr. White released a muffled, agonizing scream through the gag.
The metallic laugh echoed again. "Consider that a small greeting. I hear... Holden's
upcoming surgery relies entirely on our good friend Mr. White here. If he bleeds out,
I wonder how long the old man will survive without him?"
The video abruptly cut to black.
Douglas stared at the frozen screen, fixated on the final frame of the hand holding the gun to Mr. White's head.
On the gunman's forearm... there was a very clear tattoo of a bleeding, venomous wasp.
"The Phantom Hornets!" Douglas's sharply chiseled face was obscured in shadow, a terrifying, bloodthirsty rage surging in his eyes. "Those rapid dogs are still coming after me!"
Serena frowned. "The Phantom Hornets?"
"A syndicate based here in the United Realmon States. They rank among the top five most lethal underworld organizations globally. They're notorious on the dark web for their sheer brutality-they have zero boundaries." Douglas's gaze was ice-cold, yet filled with gr
caution as he looked at her, Years ago, I hijacked a territory they were fighting for, and we've been locked in a blood feud ever since. But I never imagined..."
He never imagined they would catch wind that he had won the auction for the Ghost Alliance chip. Or that they would stoop low enough to kidnap Mr. White, using a civilian doctor to extort the tech from him.
Not only had Serena already reclaimed the chip, but even if he still possessed it, there was no way in hell he would ever hand it over to the Hornets.
However, his father's surgery... truly couldn't happen without Mr. White.
Douglas's eyes darkened as he hit a speed dial number. "Mobilize every man we have. Load up the heavy artillery and move out to Western Ferropolis!"
He ended the call and glared at Nicholas. "Take Serena back to the hotel immediately. Pack your bags and fly straight back to Elyndor! I'll explain everything to my parents."
The Phantom Hornets were explicitly targeting him. Their tactics were filthy; they were complete and total psychopaths. He couldn't risk dragging Serena into this level of bloody cartel warfare.
"Douglas." Serena looked up, meeting his grim expression just as he shoved his chair back to leave. "If I fly back, who exactly is going to operate on Grandpa?"
Panic flickered in Douglas's eyes. "I know you're incredible in a fight, but the Hornets are suicidal mercenaries. When they pull the trigger, it isn't some back-alley scuffle."
He knew Serena had unparalleled
combat skills, and he knew she was affiliated with the Ghost Alliance. But the Phantom Hornets were a different breed They were vipers. striking from the sewers vous,
cunning, and lethal. For them to openly challenge him like this, they had undoubtedly laid an inescapable trap!
How could he possibly allow her to walk into an ambush?
"Someone is trying to steal my property and bleed my people..." Serena let out a soft laugh, but her bright eyes were as sharp and freezing as glacial ice Douglas, I'ma not generous enough to let a pack of useless thugs dance on my head." Cóntent
She stood up. "Head back to the hotel. Leave the Phantom Hornets to me."