Chapter 54: Fatal Encounter

"Something's wrong!" I yelled, grabbing Sophia and the blonde girl, and we sprinted for the exit.

The tremors behind us got worse, with debris and dust falling from above. The motion-sensor lights flickered like crazy, and it felt like the whole mansion could collapse any second.

"Run!" I urged them, "This place is coming down!"

We pushed ourselves to the limit and finally made it outside the mansion.

As soon as we got out, we saw the central building of the estate, the biggest house, engulfed in flames. The fire roared, and thick smoke billowed into the sky, clearly from the explosion we heard earlier.

"What... what happened?" Sophia asked, still shaken.

"It's Charles!" I said through gritted teeth. "He must be trying to destroy evidence or... stop us from taking 'Nightingale'!"

I glanced at the blonde girl beside me. She stared at the burning mansion with a complex expression—fear, sadness, and maybe even relief?

"Who are you, really?" I asked again. "What's your connection to Charles?"

The blonde girl didn't answer. She just watched the flames grow larger, the entire estate now shrouded in fire and smoke. We had to move to a safer distance.

I called Brian to update him and requested immediate backup.

"Leonard, are you guys okay?" Brian asked anxiously.

"We're fine, but 'Nightingale'... we might have her, but things are complicated here. You need to come and see for yourself."

"Alright, hang tight. I'm on my way!" Brian said before hanging up.

I looked at the blazing mansion, feeling uneasy.

Why did Charles blow this place up? Is this blonde girl really 'Nightingale'? What secrets lie between her and Charles?

Everything felt like a massive puzzle, weighing heavily on my mind.

I turned to Sophia. "We need to get out of here. It's not safe."

Sophia nodded, supporting the blonde girl as we headed away from the estate.

Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps behind us, followed by a familiar voice shouting, "Leonard! Wait for me!"

It was Nancy!

I spun around to see Nancy running towards us from another path, with a few figures trailing behind her.

"Nancy? What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.

"I couldn't just sit around at the station. Plus, this mission sounded too exciting to miss. I was worried you two might be in danger!" Nancy panted.

Before Nancy could finish, the figures behind her caught up—it was Alan and his team!

"Mr. Williams, we found you!" Alan shouted. "'Nightingale' is here. Don't let them escape!"

I barely had time to react before Alan and his team surrounded us.

"'Nightingale'? Which 'Nightingale'?" I asked, confused.

"Her!" Alan pointed at the blonde girl beside me. "Nancy tracked the signal to her!"

"You've got the wrong person," the blonde girl finally spoke. "I'm not 'Nightingale'."

"Stop pretending!" Alan snapped. "We have solid evidence. You are 'Nightingale', Charles' accomplice!"

"I told you, I'm not!" The blonde girl grew agitated. "I've never done those things!"

"Enough!" I shouted, cutting off their argument. "This isn't the time for this. We need to get out of here!"

I grabbed the blonde girl and rushed towards the car.

As we got in, I noticed Nancy's team was gone. I could've sworn they were right behind us!

I turned to Sophia. "Wasn't Nancy just with us?"

"She was on a call earlier, looking worried. She said she had to leave for something urgent," Sophia replied.

I found it odd but decided to focus on getting the blonde girl out of there.

Back at the station, we questioned the blonde girl. She answered a few questions at first but then fell silent.

I had her identity investigated and grabbed a coffee to clear my head while waiting.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Nancy.

"Leonard, it's bad!" Nancy sounded frantic. "Raymond's here. He took me hostage. He wants to trade me for 'Nightingale'!"

"What?" I was shocked. "Raymond? Where are you?"

"I don't know," Nancy said. "He knocked me out. I just woke up. He didn't notice my watch can make calls... I overheard him say something before he left..."

"What did he say?" I pressed.

"He said, 'Crimson Reaper's plan has begun.'" Nancy's voice faded, and then there was silence.

"Nancy! Nancy!" I shouted into the phone, but there was no response.

Damn it! I slammed my fist on the table, making a loud bang.

This was bad!

"Mr. Williams, what's wrong?" Alan asked, seeing my expression.

"Nancy's been taken by Raymond. He wants to trade her for the blonde girl," I said. "And he might have already started the 'Crimson Reaper' plan."

"What?" Alan was stunned. "What do we do now?"

"We need to get back to the estate immediately!" I said. "Bring the blonde girl. We have to save Nancy and stop Raymond!"

We rushed back to the estate, now completely sealed off by the police. Brian was there, overseeing the investigation.

"Leonard, why are you back?" Brian asked, surprised.

"Nancy's been taken by Raymond," I said. "He wants to trade her for the blonde girl."

"What?" Brian was shocked. "What is Raymond up to?"

"He plans to use the 'Nightingale' virus to control Twilight City's smart traffic and network systems, causing chaos," Sophia said coldly, stepping forward. "That's the real goal of 'Crimson Reaper'."

"What?" Brian and Alan exclaimed. The news was staggering.

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"I just spoke with her," Sophia said, pointing to the blonde girl. "She told me 'Crimson Reaper's plan is far more complex than we thought. Their goal isn't just revenge; they want to overthrow Twilight City."

I looked at the blonde girl, who stood there, visibly terrified.

"Will you help us?" I asked. "Help us stop 'Crimson Reaper' and your father."

The blonde girl didn't speak but nodded slightly.

"Alright," I said. "We need a plan to save Nancy and stop Raymond."

I looked at Brian, Alan, and Sophia.