Chapter 133 Making a Will
White? Hawk hesitated, his hand frozen over the wire, not cutting. The timer had already jumped to 90 seconds.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the valley as a black-masked man rode his motorcycle directly toward them—it was Theo. Nicholas immediately stepped forward, shielding Emma behind him.
Theo dismounted and strode quickly to Daryl, examining the bomb with expert precision.
"It's a heartbeat bomb. Unless the heart stops beating, it can't be disarmed. Cut the wrong wire, and it detonates instantly."
Everyone gasped at his words. That damned Elvin was trying to eliminate them all in one fell swoop.
The sound of shattering glass rang out as Emma's vial slipped from her fingers, blue liquid pooling on the ground.
"You bitch! How dare you destroy my antidote!" Elvin flew into a rage, hurling his purple-red vial to the ground with violent force.
Another crisp sound as the purple-red liquid splattered across the earth.
Emma smiled coldly. "What a shame. You just smashed the real antidote yourself. I can't help you anymore."
Elvin gasped, nearly fainting from shock.
In the power station, those hidden eyes flickered, and a voice floated out two words, "Moron!"
"Kill them! Kill them all!" Elvin screamed, completely losing his mind.
Gunfire erupted again as Hawk and Nicholas quickly moved everyone behind cover.
The bomb's countdown had reached 60 seconds. Everyone felt despair creeping in.
Emma rushed over and gripped Daryl's hand. "Dad, I'll find a way to save you. Don't be afraid."
"Emma, Dad's not afraid," Daryl said calmly.
Hearing him call Emma's name, Theo glanced over. Emma had grown up, and she was beautiful!
Sweat beaded on Daryl's forehead as he continued his final words. "Tell your mother I love her. In the next life, I want to be her husband again. You and Evelyn must take good care of her."
Emma nodded frantically, tears falling like pearls.
"Go! Take her and get away from me!" Daryl shouted as the timer hit 35 seconds.
Nicholas stepped forward to pull Emma away, and Hawk rose as well, his eyes dark with reluctance. This wasn't the outcome he'd wanted.
"Don't touch me!" Emma wrenched free and threw herself at Daryl, embracing him tightly. "Dad! I'm not leaving!"
Twelve years of love and care—she'd long considered him her real father!
"Emma, get away from me!" Daryl shook his head, tears flowing as he shouted, "Take her away!"
Theo suddenly pulled a syringe from his pocket, turning to Emma. "Three minutes—can you bring him back?"
Emma froze, understanding his meaning, and nodded desperately. "Yes! I can!"
She knew that beyond three minutes, the brain would suffer irreversible damage from oxygen deprivation—he could become a vegetable.
The timer jumped to 20 seconds. Without hesitation, Theo injected the syringe into Daryl's arm.
Daryl slowly closed his eyes, but the bomb continued counting down: 10, 9, 8...
Nicholas yanked Emma away, shielding her behind him again. At 4 seconds, the timer stopped, and Daryl's heartbeat ceased. Theo carefully removed the bomb and hurled it into the reservoir.
Elvin went mad. Why hadn't the bomb exploded? Impossible! No one in this world could disarm a heartbeat bomb.
"Bring me Dr. N!" he screamed maniacally.
The power station doors suddenly burst open, and a dozen hulking enforcers poured out.
The smell of blood mixed with gunpowder, stinging Emma's nostrils.
Theo injected another small dose into Daryl's arm—what looked like adrenaline.
Emma immediately knelt beside Daryl and began CPR with desperate intensity.
One compression, two, three...
Each push drained nearly all her strength.
"Dad, can you hear me? Please wake up! Dad!"
She pressed and cried, her voice a broken rasp, sweat and tears streaming down her face, but she couldn't spare a moment to wipe them away.
Daryl remained motionless.
Behind her, the battle raged more fiercely. The dull thud of fists against flesh, the sharp crack of breaking bones, and the dying screams of enemies created a symphony of violence.
Emma could feel the ground trembling beneath them.
Three masked men stood like guardian angels behind her, forming an impenetrable barrier.
"Look out!" Nicholas suddenly threw himself over her, taking a bullet meant for Emma. It struck his left shoulder.
His dark tactical gear grew even darker, clinging to his tensed muscle lines.
But he seemed to feel no pain, turning back to counterattack with lethal precision, his movements filled with the fury of a man bent on destruction.
Hawk fought with devastating power, each punch and kick carrying tremendous force—a human weapon.
Theo moved with deadly grace, like a phantom shadow weaving between enemies. A military knife appeared in his hand, and with each flash of steel, blood bloomed in the air.
His movements were lightning-fast, elegant yet lethally dangerous.
Three men defending the small patch of ground where she and Daryl lay with everything they had.
Emma's heart clenched painfully, but she had no time to think.
"Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven..."
She lowered her head again, continuing chest compressions, mechanically counting.
Each number felt like a piece of flesh carved from her heart.
"Dad, please look at me. I'm begging you..."
But Daryl lay still. She was on the verge of despair.
That's when Nicholas spotted a familiar figure—Matthew, slipping into the abandoned power station. Nicholas pursued him.
Nicholas's team members poured from the forest in waves, quickly subduing Elvin's men.
Simultaneously, two helicopters appeared overhead—Novaria's official forces, coming to close the net.
Elvin panicked, turning to flee into the power station where an escape route had been prepared.
"Matthew, quick! Start the boat—I need to leave now!" Elvin burst inside, face twisted with panic.
"Right!" Matthew nodded, lifting a wooden panel from the floor to reveal the pre-arranged water escape route.
Then he turned, and with one swift motion, a sharp knife sliced into Elvin's heart.
"Why... why?" Elvin collapsed, blood gushing, his eyes refusing to close.
Matthew's lips curved coldly. "Because you deserve to die! You promised not to hurt her, then tried to shoot her in the back?"
Indeed, the shot aimed at Emma had come from Elvin's gun. Thank God Nicholas had blocked it.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!
"Matthew!" An angry voice rang out.
Matthew turned to face the bleeding man, shaking his head slightly. "Nicholas, I thought you were already dead!"
Meanwhile, Emma had performed several rounds of CPR and was utterly exhausted.
Sweat soaked her hair, plastering it to her cheeks. Her arms ached so badly she could barely lift them.
But still, she kept pressing.
Tears blurred her vision, mixing with sweat as they fell.
She bit her teeth, mechanically repeating the compression motion, each downward press a desperate prayer.
"Let me."
Theo knelt on one knee, his broad palm covering Emma's hands with undeniable authority, taking over the compressions.
Just as they neared the 30th count, Daryl's eyes finally opened. Emma and Theo both exhaled heavily with relief.
"Dad, you're awake! Thank God, thank God!" Emma hugged him tightly, sobbing.
Daryl patted her back gently. "Emma, Dad's fine now. Don't cry!"
Theo silently stood, glancing at the embracing pair before turning to leave.
His figure remained straight, though now tinged with an indescribable loneliness.
"Theo!" Emma suddenly looked up, the name escaping her lips.
Those two syllables, like a spell, froze Theo in his tracks.
He stopped.
Daryl's body trembled as he stared at Emma in disbelief.
Emma nodded emphatically through her tears.
"Theo?"
Daryl's voice shook uncontrollably. He gripped Emma's arm to steady himself, his gaze locked on that figure, excitement making his lips quiver.
Theo stood there, silent and motionless, his back still turned, but his clenched fists showed his effort at composure, tears glistening in his eyes.
Daryl wept openly, looking at that straight figure. So many things that had puzzled him suddenly became crystal clear.
"It's good that you're alive. When you get the chance, come home to see your mother... and sister. They both miss you terribly!"
Emma slowly approached, tugging at the back of his jacket.
As children, when she was bullied at school, he would go defend her.
Then she would tug his jacket just like this on the way home. Back then, Daryl had raised her as his future daughter-in-law, until Theo disappeared and she married into the Harrison family.
Theo turned back, his large hand gently stroking her head, his eyes holding an indefinable tenderness. But he had more important missions to complete.
He resolutely turned and left, his motorcycle disappearing into the forest like a solitary hero.
Emma supported the swaying Daryl, tears blurring her vision once more.
With Elvin's body discovered and his remaining forces captured, today's conflict was successfully resolved.
Tom arrived with official personnel, briefing Emma on the situation before taking all the criminals away.
Emma believed that with Elvin dead, the Alice Project could finally end. She had no idea that a key figure had already escaped.
Who could have imagined that Elvin was just a code name—a combination of two identities! The deeply hidden Alex was an obsessive madman who had gone from pursuing Emma to falling helplessly in love with her, his fixation now bordering on pathological...
Nicholas watched Emma's retreating figure, then silently boarded his private helicopter. His shoulder wound still bled, his face pale.
His team had only given him emergency bandaging—the bullet remained lodged inside.
Through the window, he gazed down at the lush forest, Matthew's cold laughter echoing in his ears.
"Nicholas, I thought you were already dead!"
"Matthew, you won't escape today. Emma would never imagine that Matthew was actually Elvin's accomplice."
Matthew had laughed. "Nicholas, you probably don't know yet—you've been infected with the F2 nerve virus. You have at most one month to live. Emma's future is none of your concern."
He'd paused, then added, "Oh, and don't think Emma can save you. Extracting and synthesizing thirty-nine plant compounds into an antidote takes at least thirty days, and one of the ingredients is extremely rare. You won't last that long. Soon you'll lose all five senses, then become violently uncontrollable, slowly forget everyone and everything, and finally die in despair."
His description had been meticulously detailed, as if he could already see that gratifying outcome.
Nicholas's mind had gone blank! Matthew had seized the opportunity to jump onto his speedboat and escape!
A despair unlike any he'd ever known flickered in his dark eyes.
'Ridiculous! So I only have 23 days left!'
'What do I have to offer you now, Emma?'
After regaining his composure, he called Charlie, asking him to bring legal counsel and two specific items.
Charlie had the audacity to ask what legal matters needed attention.
Nicholas had said three simple words, "Making a will."
On the other end, the phone had clattered to the floor.