Sierra looked down at the man’s large hand and walked out. They only let go when they were near the car.
The police brought by Darius were already clearing out the remnants of the Jade Dragons. Cries of pain filled the scene as the disorganized gang members, now leaderless with EMPEROR dead, scattered in fear for their lives.
Sylvia sat in the car holding an unconscious Alex. When she saw Sierra and Jaden returning together, she immediately said to Jaden, “Get in the car, we need to take the child to the hospital quickly.”
“Here…” Jaden glanced at the police capturing the remaining members of EMPEROR’s gang.
“Leave it to Darius and Franklin. We need to get to the hospital. Peter and the child can’t wait any longer,” Sylvia instructed calmly.
As soon as Sierra got in the car, she saw Alex’s little face, blackened by smoke. Seeing her son unconscious, her heart ached.
She quickly checked his body.
Seeing her worry, Sylvia reassured her, “There are burns on his arm and thigh, but those are just superficial wounds. I’m more concerned that he might have hurt his head when he fell. We need a thorough check-up.”
Sierra nodded repeatedly, “Thank you, Miss Andrews…”
“You’re too polite,” Sylvia said, then instructed Jaden to drive.
The car slowly drove out of the abandoned factory. Even after they had driven far away, they could still faintly hear continuous explosions.
Fortunately, there were no residents nearby; otherwise, it would have made headlines.
About two hours later, the car finally entered the city.
All the way, Sierra prayed that her son would be okay.
Fortunately, after being examined at the hospital, the child was not seriously injured.
“A mild concussion and some malnutrition. His diet needs attention for a while. There are also some superficial burns, but given his young age, they shouldn’t leave scars.”
The doctor informed Sierra and Sylvia of the results.
Sierra’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.
Her tense nerves also relaxed.
“That’s great…”
Seeing her relief, Jaden quickly said, “Your wrist is scratched too. Let the nurse treat it.”
Only then did Sylvia notice her injury. “Get it treated to avoid infection.”
Peter’s leg was severely burned; his entire right leg was affected, but other than that, he was fine.
Lying on the hospital bed, he gritted his teeth in anger. “I was captured because my martial arts skills are too weak.”
“I swear once I’m healed, I’ll train hard and become one of the top fighters in the Dark Night!”
“That’s for later. Focus on healing first,” Sylvia said, pouring him a glass of water. “Burns are no joke.”
Peter and Alex were both placed in the burn unit.
To make it easier to care for them, they were put in a double room. The big and small patients lay quietly on their beds.
Sierra felt sad looking at the still-unconscious Alex. She couldn’t help but recall EMPEROR’s final moments.
The man she had always feared was finally dead and would never appear again.
She hated him for countless nights of fear that he would suddenly show up and disrupt their peaceful life.
But now that he was truly dead, her heart felt empty-not joy or happiness, but a strange emptiness.
She couldn’t quite understand her feelings towards Clark.
When she was pregnant, she had wanted to abort the child. But if she did, she would never be able to become a mother again.
So she kept the child-a child with her blood and Clark’s genes.
The child was innocent…
Not just Clark’s child but also hers…
“EMPEROR is dead,” Sierra murmured to Sylvia. “He was Clark. He apologized to me… but what good does it do? He almost killed his own son. He forced me to change my name and hide.”
Sylvia walked up to her and took her hand, her clear eyes staring into Sierra’s red ones.
“Sierra, you’re free now. He won’t affect you anymore. No one will come to bully you again. His death is a good thing. No one will lead your child astray.”
Tears streamed down Sierra’s face as she broke into sobs, covering her face with her hands. “Really? Really?”
She had never cried so freely before.
It was as if she was releasing all the grievances and pain of her past life.
Through her sobs, she said, “That’s great… that’s great…”
Seeing Sierra cry so intensely, Jaden awkwardly handed her some tissues and spoke clumsily, having practiced his words several times in his mind.
“You’ll feel better after crying. It’s not easy for you to raise a child alone. In the future… you can find a better man to take care of you.”
“You’re beautiful and capable. Finding a good man should be easy, so don’t cry anymore.”
Sylvia couldn’t help but look at Jaden in surprise.
As her trusted subordinate, she knew how straightforward he usually was.
And he was rough-not unkempt but focused solely on his brothers and missions…
When did he learn to comfort women?
Peter was also shocked. “Jaden… you spoke well! Since when did you become so eloquent?”
Jaden glared at him, blushing and retorting, “What nonsense are you spouting? I’m speaking from my heart. You make it sound like I’m being slick.”
Annoyed! What kind of brother is this? He used to think Peter was smart and capable and even promoted him.
Sierra took Jaden’s tissues and wiped her tears, speaking with a thick nasal tone and sobs. “What kind of woman am I to find someone? I have a child. What if someone mistreats him? I’d rather be alone as long as my child grows up safely. So I don’t want to find anyone.”
Her heart ached again, and she couldn’t help but cry once more.
Her child was born into a single-parent family-a fact she couldn’t change.
She could only accept it passively and do her best to raise him well.
Fortunately, the child was very sensible. Although only two years old, he was very understanding. She didn’t know whether to feel lucky or unfortunate.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” A soft voice came from the hospital bed.
Sierra quickly wiped her tears and walked over to Alex. “Alex, how are you? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
“I’m fine, Mommy. Nothing hurts.” To avoid worrying Sierra, Alex bit his lip and didn’t mention his injuries.
His leg and arm stung painfully. He glanced at them and saw they were treated with medicine-probably by a nurse.
It should heal in a few days. He’s a little man; he can’t cry or complain about pain.
Otherwise, Mommy would worry and feel sad.
Sylvia would worry too.
Sierra carefully used a wet wipe to clean Alex’s little face. “If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, tell Mommy. Don’t hold it in.”
“I know,” Alex replied timidly.
Sylvia couldn’t help but smile-so cute.
She checked his wounds again. “You’re injured, so don’t touch your wounds lightly. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, call a nurse.”
“Thank you, Aunt Sylvia,” Alex nodded sensibly. “Where is Uncle Franklin? Is he back?”
“He’s still at the police station handling things. He’ll come to see you later,” Sylvia said emotionally, holding his small hand. “Call me godmother from now on. I’m happy to have a godson like you.”
Alex’s big eyes stared at Sylvia with surprise. “Really?”
After asking, he looked shyly at Sylvia with excitement in his voice. “Godmother.”
Sylvia was stunned for a moment before smiling slightly. “Are you shy?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so young; how do you know how to be shy?”
Sierra also laughed instantly.
The shadow of their kidnapping was immediately dispelled.
A psychologist came to provide Alex with counseling to prevent any psychological trauma.
Surprisingly, Alex wasn’t significantly affected.
“His psychological resilience is beyond my expectations.”
The psychologist was a refined young man who adjusted his glasses and told Sylvia and Sierra, “This child is amazing. After such an event, he can still communicate normally without showing any distressing emotions. It’s truly remarkable.”
Sylvia narrowed her eyes slightly. “Is it possible he’s suppressing his emotions? Like having nightmares or crying at night…”
The psychologist nodded in agreement. “That’s possible too. You can observe him further. I’ll come every day for a week to talk with him. If he’s emotionally stable throughout the week, then he’s genuinely unaffected.”
After speaking, the psychologist left.
When they returned to the ward, they saw Jaden playing with several Ultraman figures with Alex.
They were having a great time playing some Ultraman game with many Ultraman cards.