Chapter 250

Chapter 250

The chief was not satisfied with Sarina's attitude. He was used to others bowing and scraping to him - where was there room for others to question him? However, given that Sarina was still useful, he suppressed his anger and spoke steadily: "Do you think we had any other choice? If we could have made an arrest, of course we wouldn't have shot. He was one of Ricardo's men - if we'd tied him up, who knows how many of Ricardo's secrets we could have extracted. But he knew the mountain routes well and was preparing to escape with the goods, ignoring orders.

Once he escaped, it would have alerted them! Trying to catch him again would be harder than reaching the heavens, you know? So we had no choice but to shoot."

"No..." Sarina clenched her teeth tightly. Having been a detective, she had clear judgment.

This chief was obviously afraid that Hans would throw the goods into the sea, making his efforts fruitless and losing his chance for promotion and a raise, so he simply shot him.

The chief continued: "Sarina, you need to be clear about this - that man was a criminal who did many unconscionable things. Are you really going to pity a criminal?"

Sarina said nothing more. Only then did the chief's anger subside. After saying a few simple words, he turned and left. Later, former teammates gathered around, asking what was wrong and why her emotions were so unstable.

"Maybe it's been too long since I've dealt with that kind of situation, so I was a bit shaken." Sarina explained calmly, then said to them: "It's nothing, don't worry about me. I'll just rest for a bit."

"But it's so late at night, how will you get out? How about I drive you home in the police car?"

"No need." Sarina politely declined, smiling weakly: "Even in the middle of the night, that would be too conspicuous in the residential area. I'll go back by myself. You all stay busy - with over fifty people to interrogate, you have more and heavier work."

After exchanging pleasantries, Sarina walked out with her head down. The cold outside was bone-piercing, especially at night when the temperature drop was even more pronounced. Though she felt she was dressed warmly and thickly enough, she still felt endless cold attacking her.

Lowering her eyes and pressing her soft lips together, she exhaled a breath.

She hoped that after this matter ended, she would never be entangled by Ricardo again. Just the destruction of his base alone would be enough to give him headaches for a long time, and it was time for her to have some peace.

She walked along the roadside. Just then, her phone suddenly rang. Thinking it was Ricardo again, she prepared to block the number, but when she saw the caller ID, she froze.

Scarlett?

She remembered that since that unpleasant day when she learned this high school girl was an ungrateful wretch, she had never contacted Scarlett again. Even with Aunt Zoe, she rarely communicated, at most chatting for two sentences before hanging up.

She thought there would be no more entanglements with them. Why was Scarlett suddenly calling in the middle of the night?

With suspicious confusion, Sarina answered the phone. As soon as the phone reached her ear, panicked screams and crying suddenly came through.

"No... no! Let me go! Wuu wuu wuu! Let me go!"

Sarina suddenly froze in her steps, her whole body ice-cold. She paused for a full four or five seconds before realizing that Ricardo had simply directed his revenge against her onto Scarlett.

Before she could react, the screaming grew distant, and Sarina heard Ricardo's cold, thin voice seeping through bit by bit: "Finally willing to answer the phone? I thought you wouldn't even answer her calls - I was already planning to cut off a few fingers and send them to your door."

Sarina stood still in place. On the deserted street, only the howling cold wind remained. She couldn't help but shiver, her brow furrowing involuntarily: "Ricardo, is this interesting? This is between us - why must you drag a third party into it? Or are you really so despicable and vile that you can only target a high school student?"

Ricardo sneered: "Sarina, your provocation is useless on me. I am despicable and vile. As long as the methods work, I'll do anything - murder, arson, whatever. You should understand that."

"You madman!"

"Yes, I'm a madman. You should have understood that long ago, and I clearly told you not to offend me, this madman. But you seem not to listen to advice at all." His voice suddenly became low and oppressive, his tone like cold air seeping from an ice cellar, striking the deepest part of one's soul. "Sarina, you really want to die."

One second they could be talking and laughing, the next they were at war. Sarina knew this clearly and didn't regret it.

She said: "Yes, I want to die. Come kill me then - knife or gun, you choose.

I remember I also clearly expressed that every day I was with you, I wanted nothing more than to kill you. Now your base is destroyed - that's the price. I also know you have another headquarters in Cambodia. If you come to provoke me again, it definitely won't be as simple as today. If you don't believe me, let's wait and see!"

The woman's words were filled with disgust and anger, each word squeezed out with gritted teeth. Her hatred had become extremely obvious and direct at this moment.

If someone really brought a knife over, she would stab it in without hesitation.

Ricardo suddenly wanted to laugh: "Saying these things, aren't you afraid I'll kill Scarlett? She's still in my hands. I have a thousand ways to toy with her to death."

"Then kill her. Best not to leave a body - hide it well, because the police will search for her the next second and find clues. And my call is being recorded the whole time. If Scarlett dies, the murderer will only be you.

Perfect - one life for another. Scarlett's death in exchange for you, this utterly evil demon, would be a worthy death!"

"Wuu wuu!" Scarlett, listening to everything from behind, stared wide-eyed, her pupils filled with intense anger. She never expected Sarina to be such a heartless woman, cruel enough not to care about her life.

Ricardo laughed: "Sarina, do you think I don't know you're recording? Go check the surveillance yourself - 'Scarlett' has already gone home. With this recording, are you planning to accuse me of intimidation? That charge won't stick. How could someone at Hans's bar kidnap anyone?"

"What?"

Ricardo continued: "Check your email."

With that, he hung up directly and sent an email instead, which read:

Just killing a Scarlett won't be satisfying. Before that, how about we have a little competition?

You don't call the police, and come find me before dawn. I'll wait patiently for you to come. But if you call the police even once, I'll make her die immediately and clean up so thoroughly that the police won't even notice she's dead.

Don't hold any expectations - my alibi is more solid than you think. If you don't believe it, you can call the police. This choice is in your hands. Don't disappoint me.

Near New Year's.

"Sir," Angelo said seriously, "I've arrived at the Rossi house, planning to deliver the New Year's gift, but Miss Elena hasn't opened the door. I asked the neighbors, and it seems she drove out."

"She went out?" Dante's eyes became clear, his voice hoarse from recent sleep, his brow furrowed tightly.

Went out? During New Year's, where would she go?

"Did you call?"

"I did," Angelo said. "No one answered, I called many times."

"No one answered?" Something flickered in Dante's eyes. He hung up and immediately called Sarina.

She answered slowly. Dante hurriedly asked: "Sarina, is Elena with you?"

Sarina was driving when she heard this question, her hands pausing slightly. "Why are you asking?"

"Her phone's not working, and she's not at the Rossi house."

Before leaving, Sarina had received a text from Elena, only telling her she was going to the new district for the day to relax, that the signal there was poor and she might not be reachable.

Her expression remained unchanged as she said: "Maybe she's out with another man? After all, it's New Year's - everyone's celebrating with family. Why would Mr. Moretti assume Elena would be at the Rossi house? She has her own life. I hope you won't disturb her."

Sarina spoke too coldly, knowing that Dante, with his strong pride and dislike of others interfering, would arrogantly order her not to meddle. But unexpectedly, Dante only fell silent, then changed his tone.

"Sarina, I just want to know - Elena isn't with you, is she?"

Sarina froze, then wanted to curse. Dante, this act of deep concern for Elena - who are you performing for? If you really cared about her, would you have let her spend three years in detention with no one caring?

But she ultimately held back, only saying impatiently: "No."

Sarina quickly hung up before Dante could even ask where Elena was.

Really with another man?

Dante felt a dense, sharp pain in his chest, his brow furrowing involuntarily. But besides the pain, obvious unease was about to burst skyward.

He called Angelo again, and minutes later, got an answer in his office.

"Sir, I've found out - the car's GPS shows it's in the new district."

"New district?"

At this point, Angelo seemed hesitant: "Sir, if Miss Elena is also in the new district, there might be danger. New York city center has clear skies, but the new district is experiencing heavy rain. Plus the new district hasn't been renovated - the roads are slippery, very easy to..."

"Immediately gather people to go to the new district! I'm going too - meet at the foot of the new district mountain!" Dante didn't wait to think, hurriedly leaving his office to get his car from the underground garage, racing toward the new district.

A one-hour journey took him half an hour. Along the way, he was already being lashed by heavy rain. The surrounding mountains were pressed down by dark clouds until the roads were invisible, only heavy white mist and rain alternately covering everything, with the sound of water beating against leaves.

Near the foot of the new district mountain, he indeed saw the car from the Rossi garage, quietly parked at the mountain's base.

Ignoring the heavy rain, he opened the door and got out. The car was empty. He punched the car hard.

Dante's eyes were bloodshot. He wiped the rainwater from his face, only for more torrential rain to surge over him. His body was already soaked through. He turned off his phone and tucked it deep inside to prevent moisture damage, then took off his shoes and stepped barefoot into the mountain path's mud, walking step by step up the mountain...

...

Am I going to die...

Why does my whole body hurt so much, breathing... breathing is so difficult...

Father, mother, can we finally... be reunited as a family...

Elena's eyelashes trembled. The humid rain and howling wind and beating sounds - everything was like a hurricane sweeping past her ears.

Just then, she seemed to hear a child's crying in her ears, loud and clear. In her eyes, she seemed to see a baby wrapped in snow-white bedding, crying and showing tiny teeth.

Suddenly, Elena opened her eyes. Everything around was almost pitch black, her body seemingly pressed down by mud piles, so heavy she couldn't breathe. Elena immediately gathered her thoughts, realizing she was on the road to the new district when suddenly hit by heavy rain.

When she changed routes to avoid slippery areas and went into the woods, the mountain soil loosened, sending rocks and muddy water rolling down toward her.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment she had grabbed onto a tree trunk. Even more fortunately, she had changed routes - otherwise she would have fallen to the mountain's base along with the soil and rocks.

She tried to struggle, but her whole body was pressed down by soil. Only her arms could barely move. Her leg had been hit by rocks - any movement brought unbearable pain.

The wet cold of rainwater had soaked through all her clothing. Combined with the strong wind, Elena thought miserably that she would probably end her life here.

Her body couldn't last until morning when mountain folk would discover her - she would freeze to death here. She could already clearly feel her body's heat disappearing bit by bit...

"Elena! Elena! Elena!"

Elena thought she was hallucinating, but the voice was so clear.

Dante? Was it him?

"Elena! Elena, where are you!"

Elena tried hard to make a sound, but choked several times, coughing. Her voice was weak. She was in too much pain and too weak - not only could she not respond, even reacting was difficult.

Suddenly, she remembered her phone buried with her in the soil, in her coat's side pocket.

Not knowing where the strength came from, she forced herself to reach toward her coat's side, digging through the soil to grasp her phone.

There was no signal on the mountain. She used her phone's flashlight, shining toward the source of the voice.

Everything around was pitch black, only the forest had a light source.

Dante climbed up using a tree and finally, under the light, saw Elena's direction.

"Elena!" Dante's eyes burned hot. He suddenly rushed forward. The woman's weak appearance made him breathless. He dug through the soil with one hand: "Wait for me, I'll rescue you right away!"

Elena didn't speak. After catching her breath to conserve strength, she finally said with trembling lips: "My leg is injured and trapped. I can't walk. Dante, go up now and see if you can find people from the new district to help."

"You want me to abandon you like this? You're dreaming!" Dante roared, his eyes filled with determination. How could he not know that with Elena's physical condition, she couldn't last until he found help? After digging away the soil on her body, he took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around Elena's shoulders.

"I'll carry you. We'll go up together - we definitely can!"

"No." Elena took a heavy breath, struggling to shake her head. "If you carry me, the path is too dangerous, and... and I'll become your burden. You alone can reach the mountain base, but with me, you can't... so..."

"There's no 'so.'" Dante wiped the muddy water from his face, without a moment's hesitation, supporting Elena's upper body onto his back. "If we die, we die together. If we live, we live together."