“There’s no need to blow it up. This castle has a self-destruct mechanism,” Count Owen suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.
At this, Kevin immediately grabbed him by the collar, demanding, “Where? Tell us, now.”
Count Owen’s words jogged King George’s memory. “Yes, yes, this castle was built with a flooding mechanism in place. We can divert the river in to flood it, no explosives needed!” he said, his excitement growing as he quickly began searching for the oldest architectural records to find a way to activate the mechanism.
Although the three of them knew their own fate was sealed, their families and clans were in the hands of the assembled underworld leaders. These people may not care much about family, but their legacies and power were another story. The last thing they wanted was to be completely wiped out. Even if everyone here was buried in an explosion, their families would surely seek vengeance. Ensuring everyone’s safe escape was the only way forward, so all three were genuinely doing their utmost to help.
“Hurry up,” Kevin ordered coldly.
Beside him stood Aaron and Shadow, who had been in hiding, while Hawk, Adolph, and others waited silently by Ryan’s side. They all stayed ready, waiting for the go-ahead to act immediately once a plan was set.
“Here it is,” King George said excitedly after quickly pulling up an image on the screen. “This is where the self-destruct mechanism is located.”
Ryan, Echo, and the others turned to look. It was a small iron door hidden in the passageway, covered in rust and looking long-forgotten. Just like the rest of the tunnel, explosives were packed densely around it.
“Where’s the key?” Ryan shouted.
King George froze at Ryan’s outburst, glancing uncertainly at Prince William and Count Owen. Both of them stared back at him-this was George’s castle, after all, so even Owen, despite his close relationship with George, had no idea about it.
“There is no key; I’ve never seen one,” King George stammered, his excitement from moments ago deflating. His face grew anxious and regretful.
These mechanisms had been around for centuries, and he wouldn’t have even remembered they existed if it weren’t for the current crisis. When he bought the castle, there had been no sign of any key.
“Idiot!” Kevin couldn’t hold back and punched George in the face, causing him to stumble back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“What do we do now? What do we do?”
Having hope and losing it felt worse than never having any hope at all. The crowd in the hall, who had started to feel a spark of hope, now spiraled into despair after George’s words. Tension and anger surged, nearly igniting the room.
“I’ll go,” Echo said firmly, pulling herself up in Ryan’s arms.
Ryan looked down at Echo, saw the determination in her eyes, and squeezed her arm hard before turning away to start issuing commands to Hawk, Adolph, and the others.
Kevin glanced at Echo, then watched as Ryan began directing the group with instructions for escape routes, preparations, and coordination. He gave Echo a long look, then turned to Aaron and the others to start organizing their response. For the first time, the Dark Family and Street Family were cooperating.
In the passage, Ryan carried Echo as they moved swiftly, followed by Kevin and another crime boss. Cobra stayed behind in the control room, keeping an eye on King George and his men, making sure this wasn’t a trap designed to lure them all into the tunnel.
Meanwhile, Hawk and his team were outside, organizing everything. The crime leaders in the hall, under Edward’s guidance, scrambled to follow their orders. The tension was palpable; every movement was quick and precise.
“Turn left in twenty meters,” George’s voice echoed through the passage, and Ryan and Kevin immediately followed his directions. The monitors definitely had their advantage here.
The iron door looked as if it had merged with the stone walls, rusty and nearly indistinguishable. Without King George’s confirmation and the image they’d seen on the computer, Echo and the others would never have guessed this was a door. No wonder the people who planted the explosives had thought it was just another sealed-off area.
Ryan wrapped his arms around Echo and pushed her toward the iron door, his voice low. “Don’t panic, we’ve got time.”
Kevin, holding the timer, spoke coldly. “You’ve got three minutes.”
That was enough. For Echo, opening a door wouldn’t even take thirty seconds. Three minutes was more than enough, even giving her time to escape if needed.
Echo didn’t say anything. She quickly ran her hand over the door, found the combination lock, and then started working, her hands moving fast as she began unlocking it.
Kevin watched her, raising an eyebrow. “Not bad.”
He’d already done his homework on Echo, knowing what she was capable of. So when Ryan gave the order, Kevin didn’t hesitate. Watching her now, he wasn’t surprised-it was as good as he expected.
Echo gave a pale smile, her voice a little dry. “Of course,” she said, but her hands didn’t slow down.
There was a soft click, and both Kevin and Ryan immediately pushed on the door. It didn’t budge. They tried again, this time pushing together, but still no movement.
One of the gang bosses, observing the explosives on the ground, spoke up. “Is it rusted shut?”
Echo raised an eyebrow at the comment. She twisted a ring on her finger, and a fine steel wire hidden inside snapped out. Without turning her head, she tapped Ryan’s body. He quickly pulled his hand back, lifting her up in a swift motion. Echo immediately drove the wire into the door, and with a quick tug from Ryan, they both pulled downward.
There was no sound, no spark-just the smooth ease of a knife cutting through butter. The door was sliced open in no time by Echo’s steel wire.
As soon as Echo finished, Kevin shoved the door hard. “This thing’s useful. Make me one later.”
“Don’t even think about it.” Ryan’s cold voice followed as the door creaked open.
Kevin, pushing the door open quickly, replied casually, “I saved her life.”
“I could’ve saved her without you,” Ryan said, carrying Echo through the door.
At that moment, Echo felt completely drained. She didn’t say anything, letting Ryan carry her. As they rushed through the passage, her focus had been solely on Ryan and the explosives, not her own injuries. Now, with Ryan by her side, she felt a sense of relief-but also exhaustion. Once the door was open, the rest of the operation should be simple. It shouldn’t be too hard for Ryan and Kevin. As soon as she let go of her resolve, the exhaustion hit her all at once, and she felt herself fading.
Kevin noticed and frowned slightly. He pulled a capsule from his pocket and handed it to Echo.
Ryan quickly grabbed Kevin’s wrist, his voice low and serious. “What is that?”
“Drugs,” Kevin said, raising an eyebrow and meeting Ryan’s gaze coldly.
Ryan’s face darkened immediately.
Kevin gave a small snort and added, “If you want her to die, you can refuse to give it to her.”
Ryan’s brows furrowed deeply as he looked down at Echo, who was barely conscious in his arms. This wasn’t just fatigue-she was losing vital energy. If she passed out now, the consequences were unpredictable.
Kevin saw that Ryan understood and sneered. He forcefully shook off Ryan’s hand and shoved the capsule into Echo’s mouth.
“I already gave her one,” Kevin said coldly, before turning away to join another man in searching for the activation mechanism.