"What do they mean by this? We've been working so hard here, hiding and dodging, and now they want us to release this woman in three days."
"Probably because of something online."
Another female agent handed over a recently powered-up phone.
They had been staying in the suburbs for the past few days, with no place to charge their phones, so they had to turn them off to save battery. Of course, besides their phones, they also had a satellite phone for contacting their superiors.
Hearing their conversation, Deanna's previously anxious heart relaxed immediately.
It seemed that in three days, she would be released.
However, she was very curious about what had happened online.
What could have happened to make Abla change their mind?
And why three days? She wanted to go back now.
She felt that if she didn't return now, she would lose something important.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
At the hospital, Old Ashley had already received two critical condition notices.
Even Gunner couldn't help.
The toxin Eula injected into Old Ashley was too potent.
"The old lady can hold on for at most two days. We must find a way to get Deanna back within these two days; otherwise, the old lady might pass away without peace, and Deanna will regret it for the rest of her life."
Gunner came out of the ICU, speaking gravely to Lance.
Lance's mood was heavy after hearing this. "Is there no other way to save her?"
"No. The old lady is too aged; her organs are already failing. The toxin is so strong that it started damaging her organs almost immediately after injection."
Gunner shook his head.
If he could, he would also want the old lady to survive.
But there were no ifs.
Seeing this, Lance was furious and punched the wall. "Damn it!"
Gunner felt his anger but didn't say anything to console him. Instead, he said coldly, "I'll communicate with the higher-ups and put pressure on Abla. You focus on tracking down Eula. This woman has gone mad with revenge and must not be allowed to roam free."
"I know. I've already arranged for a thorough search."
Lance spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with venom.
This time, if he caught Eula, he wouldn't let her off easily!
The next day, Gunner contacted senior leaders to keep pressuring Abla while manipulating online narratives through his subordinates.
Meanwhile, Lance was fully focused on tracking down Eula.
But the situation with the old lady couldn't be kept from Logan, Samantha, and the two kids.
Even Julia learned about it from the kids and rushed to the hospital.
Seeing the old lady in the ICU, covered in tubes, Julia's eyes immediately reddened. "How could this happen? Grandma can't die now; otherwise, Deanna will never recover from it!"
She clung tightly to Lionel's clothes as she spoke.
Lionel held her and comforted her. "Mr. Martinez and the doctors said that the old lady is very strong. She has been on the brink of death several times but pulled through each time. She's probably holding on just to see Deanna again."
"Stop talking! It hurts too much!"
Julia couldn't hold back her emotions any longer and buried her head in Lionel's chest, crying bitterly.
Seeing her cry made the two kids start crying again despite having just stopped. They tried to console her through their tears. "Godmother, don't cry. Daddy says that birth, aging, illness, and death are natural parts of life. Grandma will be with us in another way. We may not see her, but if we think of her, she'll be by our side."
"Godmother, please don't cry. If you cry, Chloe will want to cry too. The nurse said we shouldn't cry because it will disturb Great-grandma's sleep."
Despite saying this, the little girl cried even more than Julia.
Deanna knew none of this.
Since learning that she would be released in three days, she hadn't stopped trying to persuade the two female agents to let her go early.
The unease in her heart hadn't disappeared, making her feel that something must have happened.
"Look, you're keeping me here where I can't eat or sleep well. There are mosquitoes bothering you at night. Why suffer like this? If you were holding me for ransom or some other reason, I could understand your endurance. But you'll have to release me in two days anyway. Think about it-who's losing out here? Isn't it you?"
"What's the difference between releasing me now or later? If you're worried that I'll come after you once I'm free, I can promise you I won't."
Deanna pleaded tirelessly, but the two female agents remained unmoved and ignored her.
Seeing this made Deanna anxious but helpless.
Even so, she didn't give up and continued trying to persuade them.
In the end, she talked so much that the two female agents felt like they were listening to a monk chanting endlessly and reached their limit of patience.