Chapter 357: The Final Battle at River Town
Carrie had never seen the CEO of Gustin Group like this before. Her spine tingled with fear, and she instinctively took a step back.
“Carrie, we need to go! There are more injured people up there,” Mila’s anxious voice called from below.
River Town was in complete chaos, with people dying and getting injured everywhere. The only thing they could do was save as many as possible.
“Oh, alright, I’m coming!” Carrie replied quickly. She placed the medical kit on the balcony railing and lowered her head toward Enrico. “Brother-in-law, at least stop the bleeding for now.”
With that, Carrie hurried off.
Enrico stood there, his gaze falling on the medical kit. He opened it but didn’t take any bandages or antiseptic. Instead, he grabbed a pair of medical scissors and started cutting into the handcuffs on his wrist.
The sharp blades scraped against the handcuffs, cutting into his skin as blood began to trickle down.
He looked up, seeing Paige still fighting down by the bridge. In the middle of the melee, she pressed her hand to her chest in pain but quickly pushed someone away.
She was suffering.
Because of him.
Enrico gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain calm, while furiously sawing at the handcuffs with the scissors.
**Faster.**
**Go faster.**
—
Nick was leading Carrie, Rey, and the others through the narrow streets, guarding them with his gun.
Along the way, unfamiliar faces lay in pools of blood, and when they checked for a pulse, there was none. Some knelt nearby, weeping, only to be pushed into hiding by Nick and Bobby.
Mila was crying as she desperately tried to save the wounded. Her tear-filled eyes blurred her vision as she worked.
Underneath a burning roof, Rey suddenly shouted, “What is that psycho planning?”
Everyone turned to see the small boats drifting silently on the calm river under the bridge. On each boat was one of Emery’s men, holding a child. Some were infants, too young even to cry, with pacifiers in their mouths. Above them, guns pointed at their heads.
The cries of the children were sharper than the sound of gunfire.
Paige’s eyes were bloodshot from battle. In just a few minutes, she had taken down three waves of men. Her coat was stained with blood, no longer its original color.
The five members of the Peak Club stood watching, their faces grim.
“Wasn’t Angie supposed to snipe him? Why haven’t we heard a single shot?” Bobby asked worriedly.
That psycho was clearly trying to wear Paige down with wave after wave of fighters. Their only hope was for Angie to take Emery out, but up until now, nothing had happened.
Something had gone wrong.
Nick’s face darkened, his breathing shaky. “I’ll go find her. You guys help Paige!”
A burning tile fell down, narrowly missing them, but they couldn’t even feel the heat anymore.
“Bobby, can you swim?” Rey asked, eyeing the struggling Paige and then looking toward the river.
Bobby understood immediately and turned to his men. “Who can swim? Come with us.”
“I can! I want to help!” Mila quickly volunteered.NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.
“You’re a girl. Stay back.” Rey and Bobby glared at her in unison. “Stay with Carrie, help tend the wounded, and calm everyone down-”
Before Rey could finish, Mila had already dashed out toward the water, dodging gunfire.
“You-”
Rey and Bobby had no choice but to rush after her with the others.
“Be careful!” Carrie, unable to swim, could only stay behind, watching their retreating figures as they disappeared into the firelight. Her fingers unconsciously touched the good-luck charm Mila had given her.
Everyone would be okay. They had to be.
The fire in River Town was spreading, and more bodies lay strewn on the ground. Blood oozed from the flames, trickling down the stone steps like veins, spreading in all directions.
High up on the bridge, Emery, growing bored of the spectacle, had shifted positions several times. Now he squatted on the stone steps of the bridge, holding a cigarette to his nose, inhaling the mingled scents of tobacco, blood, and fire.
“Another wave…”
Emery looked down at the bloodied Paige below and shouted, “Sister Paige, you’re amazing! In just six minutes, you’ve taken down three groups of men!”
Paige struck down another man with a sideways slash, her chest heaving as she raised her blood-soaked lashes to glare at him.
“Don’t look at me like that. You’re really impressive. The more people you take down, the fewer innocent lives will be lost. You’re saving lives!” Emery grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. He twirled the cigarette under his nose. “Come on, you’re getting closer. You’re just three meters away now. Come kill me.”
As his laughter echoed, another group of men dropped their guns and rushed at Paige.
Paige twisted an attacker’s arm, using him as leverage to leap up and kick multiple assailants.
“Oh, by the way, Sister Paige, I just got word. There was some woman trying to do something with a sniper rifle. My men found her, and now…”
Emery stretched his legs out and sat back on the stone steps. “You weren’t hoping for a sniper to take me out, were you? Look over there-”
**Angie.**
Paige’s heart pounded as she defended herself with a knife, glancing toward the distant mountain where several figures were locked in combat. Angie and Nick were both being held off.
No one could take the shot.
And now, with the solid bridge railing blocking the view, Emery was completely shielded from gunfire. Bullets flew wildly, but none could touch him.
Paige’s clothes were soaked, clinging tightly to her skin. She couldn’t tell whether it was blood or sweat, but she knew she had to kill this monster.
Ignoring everything, she continued cutting down enemies, steadily closing the distance between herself and Emery. More bodies fell before her.
“Ah, too bad,” Emery said, checking his watch. “Sister Paige, are you getting tired? You’ve slowed down. There’s only one minute left, and if you don’t reach me in time, those children are going to suffer.”
He sounded genuinely concerned.
Paige pushed forward with everything she had, blood and sweat dripping from her hair. She could hear her own heavy breathing.
As Emery had said, her strength was nearly gone. In just a few minutes, the relentless fighting had drained her.
She couldn’t last much longer.
She had one minute left to reach him.
Suddenly, there was a loud splash from the water below.
Startled, Emery leaned over to check, only to see the boats on the river flipping over in an instant. Waves rippled across the surface, and the children’s cries were drowned out.
But in the next moment, hands emerged from the water, lifting the children out and sending them safely to shore.