Chapter 93

Chapter 94

On the top flight deck of the amphibious assault ship.

Nicholas stood at the unprotected edge of the railing, facing into the wind. His thin dress shirt had been soaked through by the icy seawater, clinging wetly to the hard muscles of his chest and abdomen.

From the moment his bodyguards had forcibly pulled him from the water, he'd been rooted to this spot, refusing to budge an inch.

Through the assault team's encrypted radio, the sonar sweep feedback looped endlessly across empty frequencies. Life sign detection response: still zero.

He seemed oblivious to it all, showing no visible anxiety—just staring fixedly at the waters below, watching the underwater sonar buoys churn up vast stretches of white turbulence.

Terry stood two steps away, legs and core tensed, right hand gripping the rescue cable carabiner.

He didn't dare relax for a second, terrified Nicholas might lose it and jump again.

In the shadow of the windbreak tower, tactical commander David Miller—who'd led the recovery operation—stood with arms crossed, brow furrowed, watching that teetering figure at the rail from afar.

"What's the situation at the hospital right now?" Nicholas suddenly spoke, shattering the deathly silence.

Terry quickly switched to the backup channel, checked the feed, then reported briskly: "Ms. Garcia is still being kept alive on ECMO. Monitoring indicators from half an hour ago were all stable."

Nicholas turned his head partway. The cold beam of the searchlight hit his cheekbones, revealing not a trace of warmth.

"Get the hospital's three top ICU teams. Replace everyone currently on duty."

"Also, go through overseas privilege channels immediately. I don't care what it costs—any legally available donor organ with matching parameters, bring it back to Sunrise City as fast as possible. Prep for transplant."

Terry was startled.

Previously, because Holden needed a transplant, Nicholas had quietly locked down all available matching heart supply channels.

And now he was actually...

"She's not that easy to kill." Nicholas didn't wait for Terry's response, turning back to stare at the water and murmur.

"She studied medicine. She knows how to hold her breath and preserve herself before her internal circulation runs out. There's definitely a backup compartment on that ship for pickup. She's not dead..."

Listening to this rambling tone, Terry felt a chill crawl down his spine.

"Need to keep her mother alive in this world, cure her illness..." Nicholas continued muttering into the night wind.

"As long as Gemma has one breath left, Diana won't dare hide somewhere and die cleanly."

The chilling darkness in his eyes spilled over.

"Even if she really did die today—what gives her the right to die so carefree? If she's dead, then let that gentle, dignified mother of hers wake up!"

"Make her look at her daughter's photo every single day for the rest of her life, make her remember that she couldn't protect her own child... Seems fair enough."

A low curse came from the shadows. David had finally heard enough.

He could tell Nicholas's oxygen-deprived, exhausted body was at its limit—currently held upright by nothing but obsession.

Keep standing in this freezing wind, and Nicholas really would die out here on the open sea today.

Without a word of warning, David knocked Nicholas out cold.

Nicholas's weakened body had no capacity to resist. His eyes rolled back and he instantly collapsed sideways.

"Get him down to the lower deck medical bay. Give him a strong sedative injection and start rewarming procedures immediately."

David roughly hauled him back to the center of the safe passageway, shoving the unconscious man into Terry's arms.

"My team and I just finished fighting mercenaries on that ship, and now I have to babysit his fishing expedition? He can't pull Diana up so he wants to throw his own life away as payment—absolutely useless!"

"Take Nicholas downstairs, find a hospital bed and strap him down. Don't let him interfere with operations up here. If anyone asks, tell them he's severely hypothermic with mental faculties at the breaking point—my orders!"

Terry gave an awkward smile.

David really was Nicholas's military buddy—when it came to taking action, he was ruthlessly efficient!

At that same moment, three hundred sixty feet underwater.

In the hull of a fully sonar-stealth submarine, two fluid brushless thrusters were propelling the vessel southward toward international waters at high speed in silent mode. Outside the small side observation window, all light had been completely swallowed up. Only a row of indicator lights signaling normal system operation glowed against the compact alloy bulkheads.

Diana was curled up at the far end of a fixed seat.

After a long silence.

"The assault team on the surface hasn't withdrawn. The Kennedy Family even brought in anti-submarine helicopters—they're still scanning the lower current channels in this area."

Finally, she looked toward the tall figure standing with his back turned at the cabin's control center console, speaking slowly: "This deep submersible of yours is too large. Stay parked in a specific coordinate radius too long, and you'll attract serious trouble sooner or later."

Liam removed his black communications headset and turned around.

The heavy black deep-sea tactical suit hanging on his frame made his tall figure appear even more imposing.

"We're already down to seven hundred twelve feet, into the cold thermocline layer. Those military towed sonars they brought—down here all they'll pick up is noise."

Liam walked over, handing her a warmed cup of physiological electrolyte solution.

"What really needs solving is your next move."

"Head to that island in the southern restricted zone. There's a complete Level 3 biochemical and clinical research facility there. Erase every identity you had in this city. Never surface again."

"For you right now, if you want to survive, this deal is your best option."

Diana hesitated, then accepted the cup.

"He's probably... got people watching my mom."

"Nicholas may be crazy, but he's frighteningly sharp." Liam had anticipated she'd say this. He sat down on a fixed stool and analyzed the situation.

"He jumped into the ocean and came up empty-handed. Now that he's confirmed tonight was a layered setup, he naturally knows someone's still lurking in the shadows, watching the show."

"At this stage, your mother is actually the safest person in play."

As he spoke, he passed her a packet of glucose gel for direct consumption.

"As long as he's convinced you're alive, for the next six months he'll absolutely mobilize the best clinical resources available to keep Gemma alive. He'll treat your mother as the ultimate bait to hook you. He will protect your mother."

"Leaving your mother in his hands is far safer than us going back to forcibly extract her right now. Try to snatch her, and we'll only push that lunatic into even more dangerous moves."

"Bottom line—let The Kennedy Family handle their own mess. You come with me."

Diana stared out the submarine's side window, watching several bioluminescent jellyfish drift past in the distance.

She'd survived. Escaped The Kennedy Family, Lindsey's blade, an armed manhunt involving hundreds.

But now, strangely, she didn't want to just disappear into hiding.

If she was going to spend the rest of her life cowering in some sunless underground island facility... that shouldn't be how things began for the child who hadn't yet truly entered this world.

"Let's not talk about me for now."

Diana suddenly spoke, her tense voice softening slightly, puncturing the all-business distance that had been maintained between them.

"You've helped me so much. I'd also like to... understand you better. Your illness—is it improving? And your three younger brothers, are they all safe?"