Chapter 179 Which One Do You Plan to Save First?
Wentworth had only driven about three miles before Konbu's voice crackled the communicator again.
"Throw your phone out the window. Then drive to the red flag marker ahead. Park there, but leave the engine running."
Wentworth followed the instructions. He tossed the phone out the window, and it shattered against the pavement.
Half an hour later, he arrived at an abandoned factory compound marked with a red flag. The facility was enormous, divided into sections A and B. He parked and got out.
A sharp whistle cut through the air ahead of him. Wentworth immediately followed the sound, moving quickly. Behind him, someone drove his off with his car—cutting off any chance for the police to trace him here.
Without hesitation, Wentworth ran forward until he reached a small plaza. Suddenly, a loudspeaker crackled to life.
"Welcome, old friend! Black Bear!"
Konbu stood on the second-floor balcony overlooking the plaza, grinning down at him with several armed men. Every one of them held a weapon. Wentworth stood alone in the open plaza—completely exposed, an easy target. At this range, killing him would be effortless.
But villains always carried a streak of cruelty. They didn't want their enemies dying too quickly—that would be too merciful. They preferred watching their victims struggle, exhausting every last ounce of strength before dying in despair.
Wentworth looked up at Konbu. "Where are they?"
"Bring them out." Konbu clapped his hands.
Two men—Big Cat and Hawk—dragged Matilda and Juliana forward. Both women were injured.
Matilda had refused to call Wentworth, so they had repeatedly slapped her. Both her arms had been dislocated.
Juliana was covered in bruises after Hawk had tried to assault her last night. She had fought back hard enough, causing a commotion, and fortunately Konbu had stepped in to stop it..
Seeing both women hurt, knowing what they must have endured these past two days, Wentworth's fists clenched tight.
"Konbu! What the hell do you want?" he roared.
Konbu smiled lazily. "We're going to play a game."
"What are the rules?"
Konbu wasn't in any hurry. He ordered his men separate Matilda and Juliana. One was taken to the roof of Section A, the other to Section B. Only after both women were positioned did Konbu speak again.
"In front of you are two game zones. Each one follows the same rules. If you complete a zone, you save one woman. But I should warn you—considering the difficulty level and your current condition, you'll probably only manage to save one."
On the rooftops, Matilda and Juliana both stared down at Wentworth. The same question burned intheir minds. Who would he choose to save first?
When Matilda was first captured, she had clung to hope. She believed Wentworth would come for her—just as he had when she was trapped at the border in that criminal hideout.
But after seeing how heavily armed and ruthless these mercenaries were, her hope had begun to fade. She had prayed he wouldn't fall into their trap, that he would stay far away.
They had only just talked about life and death not long ago. Now it seemed she might be the first to die.
And now these criminals were forcing Wentworth to choose. Of course she hoped he would choose her.
But she didn't want Juliana to die either—even though, in the end, none of them might survive.
Juliana also stared intently at Wentworth. She had nearly been violated last night, her body covered in bruises from beatings, but physical pain barely registered anymore.
When Konbu ordered Wentworth to to make his choice, she let out a bitter laugh. Of course he would save Matilda first. Matilda was the woman he loved. She herself was just unlucky collateral, an NPC in someone else's game. Expendable.
But what happened next stunned everyone.
Wentworth raised his hand and pointed at Juliana. "I'll save her first!"
Whatever this game was, he intended to get Juliana out first.
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire place fell silent in shock. Even Matilda looked shocked—but the reason soon became clear to her.
All this time, Amelia had repeatedly told Wentworth how much Juliana had done for him and how deeply he owed her. He wanted to repay that debt first. He didn't want to owe Juliana anything. And he would stay with Matilda until the very end.
After her initial shock, Juliana also understood decision too. Tears streamed down her face. This was exactly the kind of man she had fallen in love with.
Konbu, however, misunderstood the situation completely. He assumed Wentworth had simply grown bored of the old and become fascinated with the new.
"Black Bear, you've made your choice," Konbu said with a grin. "Now begin your game. But remember—if you fail to save even one of them, they both belong to my men. I think you understand what that means."
The game began.
Wentworth started the gauntlet. The old factory had been crudely modified with traps and surveillance cameras. Everyone upstairs could watch his every move on large monitors.
He entered the first room. Five wolves immediately lunged at him.
Wentworth was unarmed, but he launched into combat without hesitation.
Above, Matilda and Juliana watched with hearts in their throats. If their captors hadn't restrained them, they would have have rushed down to help him.
Wentworth battled the wolves with desperate ferocity. His body had only recently recovered, so his movements were still agile—but that also meant his stamina depleted rapidly. His breathing was already growing heavy.
These wolves had been starved for days. Their attacks were savage and relentless. If he had even a knife, he could have finished them by now. But he had nothing.
He grabbed whatever he could find in the room—bricks and wooden planks.
Dodging snapping jaws, he smashed bricks against skulls and swung boards at the wolves' legs.
He fought desperately—struggling for every second, every breath..