Chapter 550

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551
With a forceful kick that sent the man sprawling, Owen melted back into the shadows.
Just as Owen slammed a fresh magazine home, a sudden barrage of gunfire erupted from the corridor outside.
“Take cover!” the Blood Association leader roared.
Taking advantage of the moment, Skinny Wolf and Owen charged forward to launch a fierce counterattack.
Bullets tore through the corridor in a deadly crossfire.
Pinned between two fronts, operatives from the Blood Association and the Wolfshade Syndicate fell one after another under the relentless assault.
Just as the Blood Association leader was about to order a retreat, he suddenly realized his men were dropping soundlessly, one after another, all around him.
A silver needle whizzed past his eyes, embedding itself with deadly precision in another man’s neck.
The Blood Association leader stared at the needle, thinking, “This technique… why does it feel so familiar?
‘Is it Black Rose?
‘No… that’s not right. Black Rose hasn’t used needles in a year.’
The possibility struck him like lightning. The Blood Association leader’s eyes went wide.
His pupils contracted violently-then, in the next instant, an icy sting shot through his throat.
A ghostly white figure materialized before him, her fingers driving a silver needle with lethal precision into the acupoints of his neck.
As he collapsed, a sudden thought flashed through his mind. ‘That doctor… was Echohawk in disguise!’
Skinny Wolf stood frozen in shock, completely forgetting to finish him off as he wondered, ‘Wait a second… I know that move. So is Aria… Echohawk?’
Skinny Wolf gaped at Owen, stammering, “C-Captain… is Aria Echohawk?”
“Yeah,” Owen replied curtly.
Skinny Wolf gave a big thumbs-up and exclaimed, “Captain, you’re fucking legendary! Even managed to marry someone as big a deal as Echohawk!”
Just last night, he and his team were even joking about Aria.
He made a mental note to warn the others, ‘Never disrespect Aria-one needle from her and you’re dead meat.
As Aria left, she cast a cold glance at the tightly closed laboratory door, a deadly resolve flickering in her eyes.
‘If the timing were right, she thought, I’d blow this place to bits.
When Aria, Owen, and Skinny Wolf returned, Tristan was sitting on the couch, cradling a mug of warm water in his hands.
Hearing the commotion, he slowly lifted his head. His eyes found Aria’s face, and a slight frown creased his brow.
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After a long pause, Tristan finally spoke up. “Girl, how come you look so foreign?”
It should have been a tense moment, but his remark had everyone laughing out loud.
Nikolas quickly explained, “Grandpa, she’s just wearing makeup-she doesn’t actually look like this.”
Tristan finally relaxed and nodded. “That’s good then.”
Nikolas said, “Grandpa, now that they’re back safely, you can finally relax. Let me give you a quick check-up.”
Tristan waved him off. “No need. I’m a doctor myself-I know my own condition.”
He paused, his tone calm. “I won’t be dying anytime soon.”
Seeing his gaunt grandfather, Nikolas’s eyes moistened. In a choked whisper, he asked, “Grandpa, when did you wake up?”
“Four years ago,” Tristan said after a brief pause.
His voice was hoarse but startlingly clear. “I woke up as soon as I arrived-never fell into a vegetative state,” he said. “The doctors at the sanatorium kept injecting me with a drug to keep me unconscious.”
Nikolas clenched his fists, his words thick with remorse. “Grandpa… I-I should’ve been more careful. I’m so sorry.”
Tristan gave Nikolas a reassuring look. “It was just an accident,” he said gently. “For an old man like me, getting kidnapped is all too easy.”
Then Tristan looked at Aria and said warmly, “I’ve always thought you were my good luck charm-and it turns out I was right.”
Aria smiled softly. “And you’re mine.”
Owen said, “This villa’s equipped with a jammer. No need to worry about being tracked-you’re safe here, so just relax and get some rest.”
Nikolas asked worriedly, “What’s the deal about this chip? Can we just remove it now?”
“No,” Aria said. “We’re heading back to Huthailia first.”
Nikolas said, “We can’t go back home with the chip still in, and we don’t even have our passports now.”
Tristan ruffled his hair and chuckled, “With my status, do you really think I need a passport to go home?”
Nikolas chuckled sheepishly. “Oh, right! I’ll contact the embassy.”
A young man strode up to the entrance of Ivy Hospital.
One of his subordinates approached with trembling steps and stammered, “Boss… he got away. Should we pursue?”
The man wore glasses, his shoulder-length blond hair framing his face.
The man scoffed coldly, “That won’t be necessary. I’d like to see them try to remove that chip.”
With a cold sneer, the man said, “The Todd School’s medical book has been recovered. Prepare to leave-we’re going to Huthailia to deal with Culver Webster…
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