“All right, you’re dismissed,” Ryan said, cutting the meeting short with a wave of his hand. He stood without offering any further explanation.
“Yes, Boss,” the crowd responded in unison, bowing toward Ryan.
Without a single protest, they began to withdraw in an orderly fashion. Ryan left first, with Echo and the others following close behind. Once Ryan and his group exited the hall, the remaining members filed out quickly from the main doors.
Later, back in the room where Echo had woken up, she dressed Ryan in lighter clothes to prevent the rough fabric from irritating his skin.
As she worked, she accepted the medicine Bill handed her and began applying it to the red spots on Ryan’s body. The ointment could only prevent the sores from festering or spreading too fast-it couldn’t heal them entirely or stop the radiation’s effects.
“Boss, I’ve already sent the first research team to the Cape Mountains,” Tiger said in a low voice, flipping through the reports without any emotion on his face. It was like he wasn’t even acknowledging Ryan’s condition, but the way his gaze kept darting toward Ryan gave away his concern.
Ryan leaned back on the couch, his upper body bare, letting Echo apply ointment to his skin as he listened to Tiger’s report. He gave a small nod and asked, “What’s the situation?”
Tiger’s voice remained steady. “There’s a lot less terbium ore than we expected. It’s only on the surface layer-there’s nothing underground. Within a thirty-kilometer radius, the total reserve is probably only around a thousand tons.”
Ryan frowned slightly. “Collect all of it. Leave nothing behind.”
Tiger nodded. “Got it. I’ve already ordered the team to move fast and get every last bit out of there. If we can’t transport it, we’ll destroy it.” His tone was cold, and the anger in his words was so intense that even Echo, focused on treating Ryan, could feel it.
“Destroy it? Why? We worked so hard to find it-why would we just get rid of it?” Echo asked, confused, her hands still busy applying the ointment as she looked over at Tiger.
Tiger gave her a cold glance. “There’s no such thing as a perfect cover. We’ve stirred up too much attention over there. Someone’s already noticed something unusual. If we can’t secure the ore, we’d rather destroy it than let it fall into anyone else’s hands. Finding it might’ve been a miracle, but getting rid of it is easy.”
Echo raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Too much attention? I thought everything was done in secret.”
Before Tiger could respond, Cobra cut in, his voice cold. “I sent people to blow up that entire stretch of mountains.”
When Cobra found out what happened-that Ryan’s blood had been contaminated with radiation from a fatal infection-he didn’t care about the Southeast Asia operations anymore. He rushed to Africa and met up with Hawk, and together they arranged for over a dozen bombers to carpet-bomb the entire area.
They didn’t stop until the mountains were reduced to charred ruins, making sure nothing survived. Afterward, they flew back to the U. S. overnight.
With such a large-scale operation, if no one noticed, that would’ve been the real miracle.
Hearing Cobra’s explanation, Echo lowered her head in silence.
Bill, who had been mixing medicine formulas nearby, noticed her reaction and scowled. “What’s with that look? Don’t tell me you feel sorry for those twisted freaks! If it weren’t for them, Boss wouldn’t be in this state. Blowing them up was merciful. If it were up to me, I’d skin them alive, tear them limb from limb, and make them beg for death.”
The others didn’t know about it, but Bill had heard Echo express sympathy for the locals before, and now seeing that same look on her face made his anger flare.
Hawk and the others turned to Echo with cold, grim expressions upon hearing what Bill said.
Ryan’s eyes flashed with an electric intensity. He grabbed Echo’s chin, forcing her to lift her head and meet his gaze. But as he stared at her clenched jaw and the fury in her expression, he realized there wasn’t a trace of pity in her eyes.
Echo gritted her teeth and glared at Ryan, snapping angrily, “Now you decide to bomb the place? Why the hell didn’t you blow it up from the start? Then I wouldn’t have been scared to death, and you wouldn’t be dealing with that damn radiation! What kind of messed-up plan was this-‘no pain, no gain’? Seriously? Look at me, all banged up! Who was the idiot that thought it was smart to wait until it was safe after sending me in?”
As soon as she said this, Bill, Hawk, and the others went silent. They exchanged glances, seeing nothing but rage in Echo’s expression-like she wanted to tear Ryan apart. It wasn’t regret or sympathy; it was pure fury. Far from pity, Echo looked like she’d happily grind those people into dust if she could.
Echo was fuming after hearing Cobra’s explanation. “Should’ve bombed the place earlier, saved us all the trouble,” she thought. “What’s the point of having so much firepower if you’re not gonna use it? Sending me in like that-what were they thinking? I almost didn’t make it out. My life was on the line, and for what?”
Ryan held her chin, noticing the anger burning in her eyes. She shot Cobra a glare that made him look almost apologetic.
With a cool tone, Ryan asked, “Does it hurt?”
Echo blinked, caught off guard by the question, and gave a small, honest nod.
Yeah, everything hurt. It hadn’t been so bad when she wasn’t thinking about it, but now that he brought it up, her whole body ached. And the more she thought about those people who caused this mess, the more she despised them.
Ryan gave a slight wave to Hawk, signaling him to leave.
The five men exchanged glances and silently filed out of the room.
Once they were gone, Ryan turned his attention back to Echo, his grip on her chin shifting as he yanked her onto his lap. Without warning, he tore her shirt open with a sharp rip.
“What the hell are you doing?” Echo squirmed, trying to get off his lap.
“There’s no one here. Stop moving,” Ryan ordered coldly, swatting her lightly on the hip to keep her still.
He peeled away the torn fabric to inspect the wounds on her back.
Her back was covered in bruises and scars, with one particularly nasty bruise running deep across her lower back. The sight of it made Ryan’s brow furrow slightly. Without a word, he grabbed the salve Bill had left behind and began applying it to her wounds.
Echo hissed sharply, sucking in a breath as the cold medicine touched her skin. She stopped struggling, realizing that Ryan had waited until they were alone to check her injuries.
As much as she hated how rough he could be, there was a strange gentleness in the way he treated her now.
Compared to the harsh handling she’d endured before, Ryan’s touch was surprisingly careful. She couldn’t help but think how different he was from when she first met him-back then, every touch felt like a threat. But now, in just a few days, his touch seemed… almost considerate.
Resting against his lap, Echo stared at the red patches on his leg.
After a moment of silence, she asked quietly, “Boss… why did you come to save me?”