Time passed slowly, each second stretching into an unbearable eternity.
Chris was still nowhere to be found, and the weight of despair pressed heavily on everyone. But Seraphina refused to give up. She had become a whirlwind of relentless determination, her hands raw and bleeding, the sight of them enough to make anyone wince.
As dawn broke on the second day, their search still yielded no results.
Tiger, overcome with grief, sobbed uncontrollably. “Boss, may you rest in peace! Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your wife for you!”
Bang!
A sudden crash interrupted his lament. From the rubble, Chris emerged.
“Boss, you’re alive!” Tiger shouted, rushing over in astonishment and joy.
Chris shot him a glare. “Tiger, you idiot! I never realized you were like this. Taking care of my wife, huh? Keep dreaming!”
“Uh…” Tiger’s face turned red with embarrassment. “Boss, I thought you were gone!”
Chris barked, “To hell with that! Even if I die, I’ll crawl my way back!”
The commotion drew a crowd. Relief washed over everyone’s faces as they saw Chris alive.
“Mr. Shelby, thank goodness you’re alive!” someone exclaimed.
Seraphina stood frozen, tears streaming down her face as she stared at Chris.
Chris sighed. “Enough with the drama. Just get me out of here!”
At his words, everyone worked together to free him from the debris.
When Chris finally stood, his injuries became evident. His body was covered in wounds, and his clothes were soaked in blood. It was a miracle he had survived. Any ordinary person would have succumbed long ago.
Chris’s resilience was astounding, but the explosion at the Hall of Valerian headquarters had taken its toll. Although he had managed to escape the initial blast, the sheer force of the shockwave had left him gravely wounded.
With no hospital on the island, the others could only perform makeshift first aid. Fortunately, Chris’s Aragosti physique allowed him to recover on his own without medical intervention.
The Hall of Valerian headquarters was completely destroyed. Daniel Williams, its architect, had designed it with a self-destruct system in case of emergencies. The secret of the super soldiers was too dangerous to be exposed, even for someone as powerful as Daniel Williams.
Chris couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. If he hadn’t come to confront Judge, he might never have uncovered Daniel Williams’s insidious plans. If those plans had succeeded, it would have spelled disaster for all of Amerosia. Daniel intended to use the super soldiers to seize the throne.
Three days later, they finally left the Island of Death. During that time, Seraphina devoted herself to caring for Chris. Through their conversations, Chris learned how she had ended up at the Hall of Valerian headquarters.
She had been captured while pursuing Judge in an attempt to protect Chris. Knowing this, Chris was deeply moved. If he hadn’t arrived in time, Seraphina might have suffered the same fate as Shura, becoming a monstrous shell of her former self.
However, during the cleanup of the Island of Death, Chris failed to find any trace of Stephen Rivers. It was clear that Stephen had escaped.
Though not physically imposing, Stephen Rivers was exceedingly dangerous. His expertise in medicine and his research on super soldiers made him a greater threat than Judge. Chris resolved that the next time they crossed paths, he would personally end Stephen Rivers’s life.
—
A few days later, Chris returned to Amerosia.
Meanwhile, in Middleton, the Noire family estate was abuzz.
Eagle Noire and Eamon Rivers had recently returned from a mission for the Dragon Order. Both looked pale and severely injured.
Eagle let out a bitter laugh. “With so many practitioners from the Dragon Order, I never expected such heavy losses. Only the two of us made it back. Even Abbot Ethan is trapped there.”
Eamon’s expression darkened. “That place was unimaginably dangerous. But my master is strong-he’ll find a way out. He commanded us to kill Chris, but who knows if Chris is even alive?”
Eagle smirked. “I have a way to find out.”
—
Back in Middleton, Esther had just returned from Riverton. At the Chester Group’s branch office, she paced anxiously.
It had been nearly two weeks since she last heard from Chris. When they had parted, he promised to return soon after completing his task. But now, two weeks later, there was still no word from him.
Worry gnawed at her. Had something happened to Chris?
Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Candace.
“Esther, what’s wrong?” she answered quickly.
On the other end, Candace’s voice was frantic. “Esther, it’s terrible! They’re going to tear down Emberwood Estate!”
“What?!” Esther shot to her feet.
Emberwood Estate was Archer Wintersong’s legacy, left to Chris. If it was demolished, how could she face Chris when he returned?
“Stay there, Candace! I’m on my way!”
Hanging up, Esther grabbed her keys and rushed out.
—
Emberwood Estate had once been Archer Wintersong’s residence. In the past, no one dared to disturb it. But since Archer’s departure, the estate had attracted unwanted attention.
When Esther arrived, she saw a large crowd surrounding the estate. Several excavators and demolition equipment stood ready to raze the property.
Caspian, a close friend of Archer Wintersong, had also rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. To his dismay, the ones leading the charge to demolish Emberwood Estate were representatives of the ten noble families.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Caspian immediately called upon the Vance family’s guards to protect the estate.
Now, the Vance family guards stood in a tense standoff with the noble families.
The air was thick with tension when several cars roared onto the scene.
From the vehicles emerged figures representing the Frost family, one of the ten noble houses. Leading them was Leonard Frost, their patriarch.
Caspian’s face turned grim. He could see that the noble families had decided to target Chris.
With Chris missing for so long, they assumed he was dead. Without him, they felt free to act without restraint.
Emberwood Estate, as Archer Wintersong’s gift to Chris, was a symbol they could not tolerate.
Caspian stepped forward, glaring at Leonard Frost. “Leonard, what is the meaning of this?”