Chapter 2

"Smash her! Break both her legs, crush every inch of bone! Let's see how she'll crawl then!"

Brown's voice echoed through the operating room. He wore a tailcoat and leaned on a gold-headed cane, his wrinkled face scrunched up in anger.

The two bodyguards beside him didn't waste words. They raised their batons and brought them down hard on Elena's already injured right leg.

The sound of shattering bone made everyone's scalp tingle.

Elena's body jerked violently as a piercing scream tore from her throat. She gripped the cold bed frame so tightly that her nails dug deep into the metal, even splitting open. Blood dripped from her fingertips onto the floor.

"Mommy!" Lily struggled on the operating table, her wrists rubbed raw by the leather straps, blood staining the sheets. She sobbed uncontrollably, her little face covered in tears.

"Lily... don't be scared..." Elena spat out a mouthful of blood, her chin hitting the floor. Her legs had gone numb. Broken bones pierced through her pants, gleaming white under the lights. Gritting her teeth, she propped herself up on her elbows and dragged her ruined legs inch by inch toward the operating table.

More and more blood pooled on the floor, the metallic smell overpowering the disinfectant.

Brown stepped forward and stomped hard on Elena's hand with his leather shoe, grinding his foot.

Elena trembled all over from the pain but still lifted her head, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Brown.

"Brown... I'm part of the Ross family too... you wouldn't dare..."

"Part of the Ross family?" Brown struck the floor hard with his cane. "Five years ago when you ran off with that man, you stopped being one of us! Now Mr. Caldea needs this little bastard's blood. This is the Ross family's chance!"

"Take mine... take my blood..." Elena bit her lip until it bled.

"Your blood's already been contaminated by that lowlife!" Brown kicked Elena's hand away. "Mr. Caldea only wants the purest! Drag her away! Don't hold things up!"

The two bodyguards grabbed Elena by the hair and dragged her to the corner. A wide, long trail of blood marked the floor.

The surgeon acted as if nothing was happening. He pushed up his glasses and picked up a long bone marrow needle.

"Mr. Caldea, we're starting now. The more the girl resists, the higher the bone marrow cell activity." The doctor spoke to the camera in the corner.

"Good, proceed. My heart can't wait." An elderly voice came through the speaker.

Under the lights, the doctor took iodine and drew a cross on Lily's back where the bones met.

The needle tip moved closer and closer to Lily's back.

...

Five hundred feet in the air.

The storm poured into the cabin. Victor stood at the door, the metal plate beneath his feet slick with water.

On the screen of his communicator, the image was frozen on Elena being beaten, her legs broken, dragged by her hair.

The custom titanium alloy communicator made a harsh sound as it cracked in his hand.

"Warning! Ground radar lock detected! Missile attack in three seconds!" Red lights flashed wildly in the cockpit, alarms blaring nonstop.

"Chief! It's the Caldea family's air defense system! We need to pull up now!" Chase shouted over the howling wind.

Victor's five fingers closed. The communicator in his hand was crushed into a twisted ball of metal scrap. Flying fragments tore through his glove, but no blood came out.

Victor looked up at the castle below.

"Pull up?" Victor spoke, his voice not loud, but it silenced everyone on the comm channel. "Do I need to dodge?"

"Chief's orders!" Chase immediately roared.

"All weapons, open fire." Victor faced the wind, his black trench coat whipping around him. "Target: the entire castle. Wipe it off the map."

"Yes, sir!"

Twelve armed helicopters simultaneously lowered their noses.

On the castle walls, over five hundred armored soldiers were shouldering rocket launchers. The commanding officer held binoculars, a smile on his face.

"A bunch of idiots with a death wish, daring to enter Caldea family territory. Prepare to fi—"

He never finished his sentence.

Countless lines of fire suddenly lit up the sky.

The machine guns of all twelve helicopters opened fire simultaneously, a dense rain of bullets pouring down.

The thick concrete walls were instantly torn apart. Debris and flames shot skyward.

Those soldiers with rocket launchers didn't even get to pull their triggers before being shredded by the bullet storm. Severed limbs and flesh mixed with rainwater, splattering everywhere.

The defensive line that had looked so impressive just seconds ago became a sea of fire in less than three seconds.

The helicopter formation didn't slow down. Yellow shell casings clattered down from the cabins.

"Defense line one destroyed."

"Bunker two signal lost."

"Enemy radar gone."

Victor stood in the wind without blinking. The firelight from the ground illuminated his face, revealing no expression.

"Lock on top floor, southeast corner, lit window."

A helicopter's searchlight instantly switched on.

A massive beam of light pierced through the rain, shining straight onto the floor-to-ceiling window of the operating room on the castle's top floor.

In the operating room, the doctor was momentarily blinded by the sudden intense light, the needle in his hand frozen in mid-air.

"What's happening!" Brown shouted, covering his eyes.

Mason Caldea's furious voice came through the speaker: "The defenses are down! Someone's attacking us! What are you doing! Extract the bone marrow now!"

The doctor gritted his teeth and, squinting against the bright light, pushed the needle toward Lily's back again. The tip was just a hair's breadth from her skin.

Lily had cried herself silent and closed her eyes.

Elena in the corner saw this and found strength from somewhere. She bit down hard on the wrist of the bodyguard holding her, tearing off a chunk of flesh.

The bodyguard screamed and let go. Elena lunged forward, trying to use her own body to block the needle.

"You're asking for it!" The other bodyguard pulled out a gun and pressed it directly against the back of Elena's head.

Just then—

A tremendous crash—the supposedly bulletproof floor-to-ceiling window exploded inward!

Countless glass shards shot into the operating room.

The doctor's wrist holding the needle was instantly severed by a piece of glass. He collapsed screaming. The bone marrow needle clattered to the floor.

The bodyguard pointing the gun at Elena now had several bloody holes in his chest and fell over stiffly.

Wild wind and rain poured in, scattering everything in the operating room.

A searchlight beam flooded in.

Victor stood at the helicopter door and bent his knees.

He tore off his trench coat, revealing a black tactical suit that outlined his solid muscles.

"Chief! Thirty feet! Too high!" the pilot shouted.

Victor completely ignored him. His gaze locked on the woman lying in a pool of blood below and that five-foot trail of blood.

Lightning split the sky.

Without a moment's hesitation, Victor leaped from thirty feet in the air straight toward the shattered window!