Chapter 92

Chapter 93

The sea wind filled her ears, followed by bone-chilling cold.

The instant Diana plunged into international waters, water pressure slammed against her chest as seawater rushed through her nose and mouth. She stopped struggling, letting her body lose all weight as she sank toward the ocean floor.

Blood loss brought waves of dizziness. The oxygen in her lungs depleted rapidly.

Until—a pair of hands in black tactical gloves reached out from the darkness, seized Diana's arm, and yanked her into a blind spot beneath the cargo ship's hull.

A black diving mask clamped over Diana's face.

Pure oxygen flooded her lungs. Diana gasped desperately, her racing heart barely steadying.

She opened her eyes and saw clearly who was in front of her.

The person wore a full deep-sea diving suit, their gaze calm and absolutely clearheaded.

Liam?!

Before Diana could process her shock, he raised his hand in a tactical signal.

Quiet. Don't move.

Diana nodded and grabbed the stabilizing handle he offered. They hid beneath the steel protective plate behind the ship's propeller.

Above, inside the ship's hold.

The roar of helicopter rotors tore through the night sky. Multiple searchlights pierced the lower deck's broken portholes, illuminating the dim cabin as brightly as day.

Terry kicked open the heavy iron door.

Over a dozen fully armed amphibious assault team members charged in with submachine guns raised, their infrared laser sights crisscrossing rapidly throughout the lower hold.

"Mr. Kennedy!" Terry bellowed.

The entire cabin was empty and deathly silent. Nicholas and Diana had long since vanished, leaving only the cold wind howling through the cargo hatch.

The man reacted quickly. The instant before the helicopter searchlight flooded in, he rolled to one side, grabbed Lindsey from where she'd collapsed on the floor, and hauled her up.

A razor-sharp triangular blade pressed against Lindsey's carotid artery, drawing a thin line of blood.

Now, facing over a dozen gun barrels pointed at him, Lindsey let out a shrill scream: "Don't shoot! Save me!"

She clutched desperately at the man's arm, tears and snot smearing her face.

"Terry, make them put down their guns!"

Terry held his weapon steady, his expression darkening.

He had no choice but to attempt negotiation: "Let her go. You can't escape! Surrender now, and we'll let you live."

The man backed toward the emergency escape hatch, keeping Lindsey between himself and the wall.

"Whether I can escape or not—that's for me to decide."

He applied more pressure to his wrist. The blade sank deeper into her flesh.

"Tell your men to back off."

Lindsey's features contorted in pain, her voice warping with terror: "What are you doing! Didn't you say you weren't afraid to die! You started that livestream to take us all down with you!"

"I haven't achieved my objective yet." The man gave a cold, low laugh and pulled Lindsey more firmly in front of him. "The show isn't spectacular enough. I'm not ready to die yet. Your life—I'll just borrow it for now."

The assault team's infrared laser sights all converged on the man's forehead and chest.

One word from Terry, and he'd be killed.

But no one dared fire the first shot.

Staring at those deathly red dots, overwhelming terror destroyed all of Lindsey's reason and dignity.

The acrid smell of urine spread through the air.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably, broken, incoherent whimpers escaping her mouth. Pale yellow liquid dripped from the hem of her clothes, pattering onto the rusted iron deck.

The man glanced down, his brow furrowing tight, his tone full of disgust: "Damn. Filthy."

He withdrew the triangular blade and kicked Lindsey hard in the lower back.

Lindsey screamed and pitched face-first into the filthy water and her own urine.

In the instant, the assault team's line of sight was briefly blocked by her; the man slammed open the escape hatch, leaned back, and plunged straight into the open sea.

"After him!" Terry roared.

Several team members rushed to the hatch and opened fire. Water splashed across the ocean surface, but the man's figure had already disappeared into the dark waves.

Other mercenaries cleaned up the scene on deck.

Most of the man's subordinates had already fled. A few corpses lay scattered in the corridor.

Terry stepped forward. Lindsey, hair disheveled and covered in engine oil and urine, crawled on all fours and grabbed his pant leg.

"Terry! I need to see my father!" She wailed, all traces of her usual poise and elegance gone, replaced by a wretched, hysterical mess.

"Get me back! Take me to the hospital!"

Terry jerked his leg back in disgust and stepped away.

"Get Ms. Johnson onto the helicopter."

Underwater.

Diana followed Liam's gaze and looked up toward the water above.

Splash!

The sound of something heavy breaking the surface reached them. A mass of white bubbles surged upward.

Nicholas jumped in too?! Diana froze.

The icy seawater rapidly drained body heat. The man forced his eyes wide despite the stinging pain, searching frantically through the murky darkness.

The ship's shadow carved vast blind spots into the area below. Nicholas flailed his arms, pushing aside seaweed and debris, his movements chaotic and agitated, with a reckless desperation.

The air in his lungs escaped as large bubbles rose toward the surface. Oxygen deprivation turned his face pale, veins bulging at his temples.

He was swimming in the water less than 30 feet above Diana.

Diana, wearing her oxygen mask, remained quietly hidden in the shadows, watching the man struggling desperately above.

She saw the despair in Nicholas's eyes. She saw the convulsions caused by oxygen deprivation.

Yet Diana watched coldly, her heart nothing but dead and frozen.

He jumped in—perhaps only out of an extreme aversion to the loss of control that came with being defied, more determined than ever to retain that perfect instrument of revenge about to be destroyed before his eyes.

More splashing sounds came from above.

Four or five fully armed bodyguards equipped with oxygen gear leaped into the water, quickly located Nicholas, and tried to drag him toward the surface.

Nicholas struggled violently, eyes bloodshot as he shook off a bodyguard's grip and stubbornly dove toward deeper water. Seeing this, several bodyguards had no choice but to forcibly work together, locking down his flailing limbs.

Under the strain of oxygen deprivation, Nicholas's resistance gradually diminished.

Finally, the bodyguards hauled him rapidly toward the surface.

The water currents slowly settled.

Diana withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes, and let out a soft sigh.

After confirming the area above was clear, Liam activated the underwater propulsion device. Blue ion flames jetted out, carrying them both rapidly toward deeper international waters.

Twenty minutes later.

Deep beneath the ocean, a micro deep-sea submersible with full matte stealth coating hovered silently among a cluster of dark reefs.

The two swam into the decompression chamber.

As the hatch sealed, seawater was rapidly pumped out. Liam removed his mask and turned to look at Diana, who was leaning weakly against the metal bulkhead.

After pulling off Diana's oxygen mask, he grabbed the medical kit and walked over, kneeling on one knee to treat her wounds.

Diana looked down at Liam, words forming but left unspoken.

This submersible had clearly been prepared in advance... but since he wasn't offering explanations, she had no need to ask.

After all, Liam had saved her life.

"Can you hold on?" Liam finished tying off the bandage and looked up at her.

"I won't die." Diana's voice was hoarse, her tone calm.

Before long, the submersible's main engine started. A strong thrust pushed them back as the vessel headed away from Sunrise City.

Diana turned her head, her gaze passing through the thick reinforced glass porthole.

Outside was the endless deep sea, darkness enveloping everything. She lowered her head, her other hand gently covering her lower abdomen.

There, a new life was growing.

This was her only tie to this world besides her mother.

It's finally over...

Diana closed her eyes and leaned against the cold bulkhead.

Could she truly escape Nicholas forever this time?