Upon hearing Deanna's inquiry, Xavier fell silent for a few seconds before choosing to speak the truth.
"Mr. Mercer should have informed the missus about his collaboration with Miss Eula and mentioned a large-scale force that had dominated all underground powers in Espuenia ten years ago."
"Ten years is enough time for some people to develop ambitions, and as Mr. Mercer is the biggest boss of this force, they naturally have their eyes on him."
He had more to say but chose to withhold it. Behind the rebellion of the other forces was someone inciting them, and Mr. Mercer had uncovered some information about these people, hence he devised a counterplan.
Deanna was unaware of these details, but after listening to Xavier, her already worried heart became utterly anxious.
She couldn't help but think of the worst, "What if Lance gets caught by these people?"
"If Mr. Mercer is captured, at best they would use him to threaten Miss Eula to hand over the Espuenia underground authority. At worst, Mr. Mercer might..."
Xavier didn't finish his sentence, but Deanna understood all too well.
Her face turned pale with fear.
Through the rear-view mirror, Xavier saw her frightened expression and quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, missus, it's impossible for these people to capture Mr. Mercer."
Deanna didn't know whether to believe Xavier or not. Her hands tightly clasped together, she worriedly said, "Nothing is certain. Lance has been in trouble for so long, and you haven't found him nor has he contacted you. I fear the situation is very bad."
Just as she finished speaking, a loud boom sounded from outside the car followed by a crash as something hit the vehicle, causing it to shake violently and then start to roll uncontrollably.
Nightingale and Shannon's faces turned grave at the sound.
"It's a mini-cannon shell!"
They exclaimed in unison.
The next second, Nightingale urgently said, "We can't stay in the car anymore; it's nearly wrecked and too big of a target. Let's get Miss out and break through from the bushes beside us!"
Almost immediately after he spoke, Deanna felt her arm tighten as Shannon pulled her out of the car.
Before she could react, gunfire erupted around them.
Deanna had never experienced anything like this before; she was completely petrified. Fortunately, her instincts kicked in, and she stiffly ran following Shannon.
The other bodyguards also exited their vehicles and converged towards them, protecting Deanna as they retreated towards the bushes.
In the pitch-black night, gunfire continued.
One by one, figures fell beside Deanna. She dared not distract herself by looking; tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision.
At that moment, she somewhat regretted thinking things were simpler than they were, coming here just because she was worried.
She should have listened to Xavier and prepared thoroughly before coming.
Even as she regretted it now, all she could do was grit her teeth and follow closely behind Shannon and the others, trying not to cause any more trouble.
It was unclear how long they ran before the gunfire finally ceased behind them.
Even so, Deanna and the others didn't stop immediately but ran for about ten more minutes before stopping at an abandoned building.
Worried about being followed, they didn't start a fire.
By moonlight, they checked their surroundings to ensure there was no danger before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"Shannon, Nightingale, stay close to the missus. I'll go check on the bodyguards to see how many we've lost and arrange tonight's watch shifts," Xavier said before turning to walk towards the bodyguards.
Shannon and Nightingale exchanged a look and silently stayed by Deanna's side.
Although still somewhat shaken, Deanna was relatively calm now.
She smelled a strong scent of blood in the air and asked with concern, "Which one of you is injured?"
"It's me."
Nightingale answered gravely, then indifferently added, "I took a bullet in the shoulder. It's not serious; we can handle it once we get back to the city."
Deanna's already guilty conscience weighed heavier.
She blinked hard, pushing back the tears that threatened to fall, then took a deep breath and choked out, "Given our current situation, we don't know when we'll be able to return to the city. If we don't treat your wound soon, you might lose too much blood. I have some homemade wound powder with me; let me remove the bullet. Don't worry; I'm skilled in medicine."
Saying this, she hurriedly took out a medical kit from her handbag.
This handbag was something she had instinctively grabbed when Shannon pulled her out of the car because it contained several precious medicines she had brought fearing Lance might get injured.
Nightingale trusted her young mistress's medical skills-after all, they were taught by her master.
She nodded and pulled a dagger from her boot to hand over, "Then I'll be in your care."
Deanna looked at the dagger gleaming under the moonlight, trembling as she took it and then took a deep breath before starting to tend to the wound.