Chapter 101: Gunshots

"The members of the Tiger Gang are here, too. It seems they are not with us."

"Could it be that this Henry has boldly intruded into the cave because of Beckett, even daring to attack me so brutally?"

Elijah's limbs were shattered, leaving him crawling on the ground.

"If my father saw me in this state, Beckett would be finished!"

"I will kill Henry and even have my way with Laura right in front of him!"

"Henry, you will definitely die, and it will be a gruesome death!"

Elijah's expression was mad as he continued to crawl, trying to move forward.

In the distance, footsteps gradually approached, and Henry's voice rang out.

"Elijah, do you want to know what it feels like to be tortured to death?"

"Do you want to see with your own eyes what your body looks like after enduring a thousand cuts?"

Elijah's body trembled, and he turned his head to the side.

"You three, kill this madman behind me!"

"Are you blind? I am Elijah, my father is your General!"

He roared, only to find that all the soldiers of Freton City's army had lowered their heads and stepped back, not a single person coming to help him.

"Madness, you're all mad!"

Elijah couldn't comprehend, couldn't understand why these people would turn a blind eye to him even if Henry was Beckett's most trusted ally.

"You will all die, my father is coming, and you will all die!"

Elijah still wanted to crawl further away, but two people blocked his path.

He looked up, his swollen eyes unable to recognize these two youths. Then his gaze froze, seeing the cold and ruthless youth on the left holding an unblinking eye in his hand.

What he brought was a man's severed head.

Elijah could tell that only the head remained, and that the man must have endured unimaginable pain during his last moments, otherwise, he wouldn't be contorted like that.

Thinking of the screams he had heard earlier, Elijah shivered.

At this moment, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice sounded.

"General Antonio, please... make way."

Is that Dad?

Elijah was taken aback, a smile of surviving a catastrophe appearing on his face, but his narrowed eyes held endless resentment.

Harold's voice sounded tired, as if he had aged twenty years, making it somewhat unfamiliar.

But no matter what, he would never abandon his only son.

Elijah held a grudge in his heart, waiting until he reached Harold's side so that Dad could capture Henry and torture him relentlessly.

Antonio didn't budge, but Stefano sighed and stepped aside.

His expression was heavy, but hints of relief could be seen in his eyes.

The malicious Beckett.

His face had turned pale, as if Harold had aged significantly.

"Dad!" Elijah's voice was hoarse. Tears mixed with blood streamed down as soon as he spoke. In this moment, he realized how endearing his father was to him.

He didn't see the enraged expression he had imagined on his biological dad's face. Elijah only saw a look of unparalleled sadness and pain in his father's eyes.

Elijah had seen that look before.

When he ruthlessly humiliated commoners and even women from small families, it was the same look the other party gave when their family members arrived.

Unease filled Elijah's heart, but the physical pain had become too intense for him to dwell on it.

"Dad, look at me. See how I've been tormented."

"It was done by a person named Henry. It hurts so much, Dad. I feel so miserable. Please take me to the hospital."

"Don't let that Henry escape. Capture him and leave him to me!"

Harold lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with Elijah. Slowly, his right hand reached for his waist.

"Elijah, did you capture Miss Costa?"

"Yes, but Dad, I did it for the sake of our family. If I have a real relationship with Laura, the Costa family would have to acknowledge us and form an alliance with us."

"I see."

Harold nodded.

Elijah couldn't see his father's expression, but he noticed a tear drop from his father's lowered head. "Dad, why are you crying?"

Harold didn't answer, but suddenly raised the handgun at his side and pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out.

Elijah instinctively jerked his head, feeling the searing bullet graze his cheek.

"Dad? Did you want to kill me?"

His voice trembled as he asked.

"I am your own son! Why? Just because of that wretched Laura? What about Giulio? What does he mean to you?!"

"Dad, no!"

Harold's hand raised the gun again. He couldn't delay any longer. Making Elijah die painlessly was the last thing he could do for his son.

"In the next life, don't offend General Miller!"

The bullet flew at high speed, piercing through Elijah's forehead.

In that instant of falling into unconsciousness, Elijah finally understood why he died.

Because of Henry...

As he laid on the ground, Elijah's eyes glimpsed Henry's expressionless face not far away.

Harold didn't dare to look at his son's lifeless body.

He fell to his knees with a thud.

"General, please kill me. But... those soldiers are innocent. Elijah is my son, and they wouldn't dare to resist. It's all my fault. I am the one responsible for all of this!"

Henry stood silently, watching Harold for a long time, before raising his gun once again.

Another gunshot rang out.

Harold fell to the ground, and Henry tossed the gun aside, turning to walk towards the cave. Halfway there, he spoke coldly, "From now on, if you dare mention North State in front of me again, I will ensure you personally experience its torture."

Harold covered his palm, even though it had been crushed, not uttering a single sound as he lay on the ground, trembling all over. Tears streamed down his face, both because of Elijah's death and because of his own situation.

Soon, medical staff arrived in the cave, disinfecting and bandaging Laura's forehead. Even though the danger was gone, anxiety still covered her face. As a Miss of the Costa family, she had never experienced such humiliation. Moreover, her father, Giulio, had subtly encouraged the occurrence of this incident.

"Laura." Henry entered the cave and saw the panicked expression on her face, filled with self-blame and remorse.

Ignoring the bandage on her head, Laura buried her head into Henry's chest. "Henry, I was so afraid that I would never see you again."

"It's alright, everything is fine now." Henry wrapped his arms around Laura, comforting her softly.

Feeling the warmth and solidity of his chest, Laura suddenly remembered something and quickly raised her tear-streaked face to ask, "Um... what about Elijah?"

"He's dead, killed by Harold's own hands." Henry said flatly, "Although he got off too easily."