Chapter 171 The Subordinate

Chapter 171 The Subordinate
Sarah lunged forward the instant the dead man's fingers released her collar.

Her boots scrambled over broken glass as she threw herself across the roadway into Luke's chest. She buried her face against his shirt, her hands clutching his back as her chest heaved with ragged sobs.

Luke wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tight against his frame while his dark eyes surveyed the road.

Sarah turned her head toward the smoke, looking back to see where the shot had come from.

A massive man in a dark green service uniform stood twenty paces behind the dead gunman, lowering a heavy sidearm.

Three gold stars gleamed on his shoulders under the yellow streetlights.

General Thunder strode across the asphalt, his heavy boots crunching on the spent casings scattered across the lane.

He stopped three feet in front of them.

Before Sarah could draw a breath, the towering general snapped his heels together and dropped into a deep bow.

"I arrived too late," Thunder said, his voice shaking with raw panic. "I deserve punishment for this failure."

Sarah froze in Luke's arms, the breath catching in her throat.

She stared at the bent back of the city's highest military commander in absolute disbelief. The commander who ruled the local garrison with absolute authority was bowing with his head lowered to the asphalt.

Sarah's fingers dug into the fabric of Luke's shirt, her eyes darting between the two men. The smell of gun smoke and burning gasoline hung thick around them.

Thunder caught the sound of her sharp gasp and froze in his stance.

A sick knot of dread twisted in his stomach as he realized what he had just done in plain view of the commander's wife. He cursed himself, slowly straightening his posture while keeping his eyes averted from Luke's face.

Luke didn't flinch. His expression remained completely flat, his hands resting steady on Sarah's waist as if nothing unusual had happened.

Heavy diesel engines roared down the avenue.

Three green troop transports screeched to a halt across the underpass, blocking civilian traffic from both directions.

Dozens of garrison soldiers poured out of the rear hatches, their rifles raised as they set up a perimeter. Two cleanup squads moved down the lanes with stretchers, dragging the dead mercenaries off the road and bagging the dropped weapons.

Soldiers loaded the rifles into metal storage crates and swept the glass fragments toward the curb with heavy brooms.

Thunder cleared his throat, forcing his usual rough tone back into his throat.

"My patrol intercepted the gunfire from two blocks away," Thunder said, pointing toward the bodies. "These men carried customized gear and unregistered tactical rifles. None of them belong to local syndicates."

Luke looked down at the dead shooter on the pavement. "They came from the Capital."

"The Morris family," Luke added, his tone cold.

Sarah's hands tightened on Luke's jacket as the pieces locked into place.

"The loan," Sarah whispered, her voice trembling. "The men who came to the office this morning... they were from Black Diamond Holdings. The Morris family sent an armed team to kill us over Marcus's forged papers."

The loan shark in her office had threatened to collect eighty million dollars, and now a dozen armed men lay dead on the asphalt.

Thunder's eyes hardened, his jaw setting tight. "Do you want me to mobilize a detachment toward the Capital highway? We can intercept their private offices before daybreak."

"No," Luke stated.

Thunder paused, his brows pulling down.

"Your garrison is legally restricted to Zenith City borders," Luke told him, his voice calm and firm. "Moving armed troops into Capital territory breaks federal military regulations. You stay in your sector."

"Understood," Thunder replied without a second of hesitation.

Sarah stood between them, her mind spinning in complete chaos.

She looked from Thunder's rigid posture back to Luke's calm face. A three-star general had just suggested an illegal military raid on a Capital dynasty, and her husband had shut down the plan with a single sentence.

Thunder had accepted the rejection instantly, standing at attention without raising a single objection.

The hissing sound of a ruptured radiator drew their attention back to the curb.

Steam billowed from the front grille of the Bentley. The side panels were shredded with bullet holes, and all four tires sat flat on their metal rims.

"The vehicle is out of commission," Thunder said, gesturing toward his private armored transport. "Take my command car. I'll drive you back to the villa myself."

Luke nodded once. He guided Sarah by the elbow toward the open door of the green vehicle, helping her step into the leather interior.

The heavy door slammed shut, sealing out the noise of the cleanup crews.

The drive up Zenith Mountain passed in suffocating silence.

Thunder kept both hands on the wheel, his eyes locked on the dark road ahead. He didn't speak a word, nor did he look into the rearview mirror.

Sarah sat stiffly in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing trees. Her hands remained clenched in her lap, her thoughts racing through the impossible scene under the overpass.

Why did General Thunder apologize for being late? Why did he ask to be punished?

An ex-convict who worked as a company logistics manager didn't command a city garrison. A broke husband didn't receive bows from a three-star general.

Ten minutes later, the armored car rolled through the iron gates of the Dragon Emperor Villa.

Thunder stopped in the circular driveway, shifted into park, and stepped out to open the passenger door.

"The perimeter guards are on high alert," Thunder reported, keeping his eyes lowered as Sarah stepped onto the gravel. "No unauthorized vehicles will reach this mountain."

Luke climbed out of the car, stepping beside Sarah. "Get the street cleared before morning."

"It's already done," Thunder answered, stepping back toward his door.

The general got back into his transport and backed down the driveway, the red taillights fading into the darkness.

Sarah walked up the front steps, her feet heavy on the stone.

She pushed the heavy front door open and walked into the grand foyer. The warm ceiling lights illuminated the polished marble floor.

The heavy oak front door clicked shut behind them, sealing the silence of the large house.

Sarah turned around on the foyer rug, blocking the hallway with her frame.

Her hands trembled at her sides as she looked straight into Luke's eyes.

"Luke," Sarah began, her voice shaking with raw confusion. "Under that bridge... General Thunder bowed to you. He asked you for punishment, and he took your orders like a—"

"Thunder is my subordinate," Luke said.

Sarah's voice died in her throat.