“I told you not to interrupt.” Edward glared at Echo again, snorted, and then turned his head away, coldly replying, “Who do you think I am? If I want to follow someone, even if they’re skilled, they won’t notice me.”
His words sounded casual, but the bloodstained clothes he wore told a different story. In the darkness, Echo couldn’t see much, so she didn’t argue.
She had a good idea who those people were. It wouldn’t be surprising if there were bodyguards around them. Edward sounded casual, but she could imagine how dangerous the situation must have been.
Edward noticed Echo hadn’t said anything and, after a brief frown, continued nonchalantly, “After I figured things out, I was about to leave, but they spotted me. Luckily, I was quick. I got away just in time, ended up in this tunnel, and found the exit. That’s when I saw you.”
Echo listened as Edward quickly summed up everything that had happened. There was no drama, just a calm and steady recounting of events. She reached up and ruffled his hair. This stubborn kid was frustrating, so smart it made her grit her teeth, cold-hearted enough to make her want to strangle him-but also strangely endearing.
After a moment, Echo stopped and frowned. “So what you’re saying is, those leaders are going after Ryan and Kevin?”
Edward nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s not that hard to figure out. If you look at the world, there aren’t many who can take down both the Dark family and the Street family at the same time. The plan isn’t all that precise, actually pretty sloppy. There are plenty of people who could come up with it, but not many who would dare to execute it. One, because they wouldn’t have such a good opportunity, and two, because if they start something like this and can’t finish it, it’ll only lead to their destruction.”
He paused for a moment and then continued, “But if these heads of state team up, there’s no problem. They have the power to swallow both families whole.”
Echo’s heart tightened slightly as she listened. She’d already suspected that anyone bold enough to go after both families was no small player, but she hadn’t expected it to be the heads of several countries behind it.
She frowned and asked, “What’s in it for them?”
Edward shot her a glare before answering, “What’s in it for them? Listen carefully. Both the Dark family and the Street family deal in arms. They almost monopolize the arms trade in Europe and the U. S., controlling the most advanced weapons and global resources.”
“And as for the U. S., what kind of system is it? Every president relies on the support of these kinds of forces, especially the arms dealers. Without their backing, it’s a real question whether a president can even stay in office. It’s a double-edged sword. With such power, what leader wouldn’t both fear and respect them? Forces they can’t control are an absolute threat. The question is, do you let them grow stronger or do you destroy them?”
Edward’s words hit the mark, and Echo took a deep breath. This was the real world, the ugly truth of it.
Seeing Echo wasn’t saying anything, but could tell from her expression that she understood, Edward spoke in a lower tone, “Now that the Dark family and Street family are openly at odds, it’s the perfect opportunity for them. If they take out both families and destroy the entire underground world, they’ll build a new order. Then, the core of it all will belong to them. And whatever power or assets those families leave behind, I’m sure those leaders will sleep like babies knowing they’ve got it.”
Echo nodded slowly, taking it all in. “No wonder it was so chaotic outside when we entered the tunnel. Looks like they’ve sped up the process.”
Edward nodded back. “I heard it too. They must have started their move. The clock’s ticking. If they’re slow, Ryan and Kevin will catch up and escape. If that happens, their position will be in danger. I…”
He suddenly trailed off, and Echo turned to look at him. They both stopped walking, their brows furrowing deeply.
“Destroying the entire underground world, building a new order,” Echo repeated Edward’s words, her voice steady but with a hint of disbelief.
Edward’s face darkened instantly. Grabbing her by the waist, he quickly pulled her toward the direction they came from. He had only been speaking casually before, but now, as he realized the full implications of what was about to happen-that if they were really going to destroy everything in the underground world, it meant everything would be wiped out, including them-he no longer cared that they were on Kevin’s turf.
Echo ignored the pain, pressing her hand against her wound as she quickly moved forward. With her other hand, she fumbled to open her earring. Before she could say anything, a rustling sound filled the air.
No signal. Echo’s face immediately changed. “No signal. This is interference. What are they trying to do?”
“Destroy everything,” Edward said coldly, his face serious. No matter what the heads of state were trying to do, the end result was clear-it was destruction.
As soon as Edward finished speaking, the faint flame in his hand suddenly went out. The lighter was a fine piece, but after Edward had carried it through several twists and turns, it was out of fuel.
With the flame gone, the tunnel plunged into complete darkness, the kind where you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face. The passage was a maze, not as complex as a pyramid, but still winding with exits leading to other places. Relying on his incredible memory, Edward hesitated for only a moment before supporting Echo and moving forward quickly.
“Left,” he said.
“No, right,” Echo disagreed as they reached a crossroads.
Hearing Edward’s insistence, Echo paused for a second but then decided to follow his lead. As a master thief, she was always aware of her surroundings, memorizing escape routes and landmarks. Her sense of direction was usually spot-on, but after the dizzying feeling earlier, her mind wasn’t as clear. She could have made a mistake.
In the silent passage, the only sounds were their footsteps and the increasing rhythm of their breathing, accompanied by soft gasps.
“Hang on,” Edward said, noticing how much heavier Echo’s body felt.
He tightened his hold around her waist and kept moving forward. He knew how bad her injury was and how much blood she had lost. At this point, they had no choice but to keep going.
“Don’t worry, I’m not dying,” Echo gritted her teeth. She could feel the wound tearing open again, blood starting to flow, but she had to keep going.
“Are we going the wrong way?” After walking for a while, they should have reached the exit, but they hadn’t found anything. Echo spoke softly, her voice tinged with doubt.
Edward, too, realized they might have gone the wrong way. He tightened his grip on her waist and turned toward a different direction. Since the tunnel was connected, there had to be another exit, but now, retracing their steps, he couldn’t figure out where they went wrong.
“What’s that smell?” After walking for a while, Edward suddenly stopped, sniffing the air intently.
“Sulfur. It’s the smell of sulfur,” Echo said, noticing it too.
“Stay here,” Edward said quickly, letting go of Echo and guiding her to lean against the wall. He crouched down and moved toward the source of the sulfur smell.
Sulfur? Why would there be sulfur down here? Echo leaned against the wall, her brow furrowed. Sulfur was used in explosives. The smell wasn’t overpowering, but if you weren’t paying attention, you might not even notice it in this simple environment.
A faint rustling sound came from ahead, followed by a spark. The sudden flash of light made Echo squint, and when she opened her eyes again, the situation before her made her face go pale, draining all the color from her.
Explosives. Packed wall-to-wall in front of them, the entire passage was layered with high-grade explosives, and the sulfur smell in the air was coming from the torch Edward held.
Echo glanced at him, seeing his face turn a mix of pale and ashen.
These were the most advanced explosives, produced by the Dark family and the Street family-the best on the market, practically missile-grade. Just looking at all the explosives made Echo’s legs go weak. She knew their power well; she’d witnessed what they could do during her first run-in with Ryan on the high seas, when a transport ship got blown to bits by this exact type of explosive.
Lining all three walls of the tunnel were timers, each spaced apart and attached to the wall in an orderly fashion. In the glow of the torch, the metal casings reflected a cold, metallic gleam, like countless open jaws, ready to consume everything.