Chapter 465: Strike First and Silence Them
The instant I heard the gunshot, my heart skipped a beat, and my legs instinctively felt weak. A bullet tore through the man’s right arm, the one holding the gun. Standing so close, I couldn’t avoid the blood splattering onto my face. The man clearly hadn’t expected Jeffrey to shoot so decisively. His hand lost control, and the gun slipped from his grip. His focus was entirely on Jeffrey, leaving no room to continue his fight with me.
When it came to close combat, I was no match for him. Seeing his massive fist, nearly the size of my face, hurtling toward me, one thought flashed through my mind: Am I about to end up with a face like Garfield’s? When someone who had crawled out of a pile of corpses charged at you, that’s when you truly realized that the self-defense classes you’d taken for a few days were as fragile as tissue—utterly useless.
However, a tall figure rushed in like a storm, grabbing the man’s arm and executing a flawless over-the-shoulder throw, slamming him hard onto the ground. Without hesitation, he raised his fist and began pounding the man fiercely. My eyes lit up. “Damian, you never disappoint.”
Damian pinned the man to the ground with his knee pressed against his chest, punching him hard. Each strike that landed was like pounding on a sandbag, and the rhythm was steady. Carter pulled me into his arms, his thumb gently brushing against my cheek. “Scared?”
I nodded. “A little.” To be precise, I was more furious than scared. It was obvious this was a setup to lure the enemy into a trap, yet no one bothered to fill me in on the plan for such a crucial moment. Jeffrey didn’t go for the man’s heart; he clearly wanted him alive for interrogation. Meanwhile, Damian and Carter appeared just when they were needed, and here I was, left alone, foolishly trying to take on something I had no chance of stopping.
Carter calmly wiped the blood from his fingertips with a wet wipe. When he turned and saw the cold expression on my face, he immediately understood. “Sorry, I didn’t expect you to come to the Boltons. I thought you’d still be with Grandma for a while.” His explanation made me more annoyed, but I couldn’t stay mad for long. “Fine, I forgive you.” How could I really be mad at him? He reached up and gently ruffled my hair. “My Chloe is amazing. She spotted something was off with the guy right away.”
While Damian was going all out, landing blow after blow, Carter was flirting with me. Hugo was serving Jeffrey a glass of water, and the two of them just stood off to the side, watching the show. Once Damian had the man completely incapacitated, he picked up the fruit knife I had dropped earlier, put the man’s hands together, and stabbed them through with the knife, skewering them like a kebab. I couldn’t help but admire Damian’s efficiency and decisiveness. At the same time, I started to feel like I was becoming just as cold-blooded—watching the brutal scene, yet still remaining calm enough to comment on it. The man was tough, too. Despite the excruciating pain, he didn’t utter a single sound.
The old man tapped his cane on the man’s head. “Take him out and interrogate him properly.” Damian tied a small, square black box to his hand and dragged him away like a dead dog. I asked, “What’s that?” “It’s a chip detonation blocker,” Carter explained.
Looking at the bloodstains all over the carpet, Jeffrey frowned and ordered, “Clean this up quickly. We don’t want to scare Zoey.” I wanted to say that my ability to handle these kinds of situations had become pretty strong, and I wasn’t so easily scared anymore. Hugo nodded and immediately replaced the carpet.
I crouched down and said, “Dad, you and Carl set up a trap and didn’t even give me a heads-up?” Jeffrey chuckled softly. “I never expected the little girl who used to turn pale at the sight of a caterpillar to grow into someone so brave and clever.”
Yeah, in the past, I was so well-protected that the worst I ever faced was the night Silas killed me. But since my rebirth, I’ve watched one person after another pass away. Not long ago, I witnessed the bloody events of the Carlyns’ revenge. How could I not have changed? Now, I was always on guard, thinking twice about everything I did. For an ordinary girl, perhaps my growth had been fast, but compared to those masterminds who’d spent decades plotting, I was still at a beginner’s level. When it came to facing killers who had risen from a sea of blood and corpses, I was no match at all.
I responded calmly, “I noticed the calluses on his thumb. A surgical scalpel wouldn’t leave marks like that. The only explanation is that he’s someone who’s used to handling guns. His skin is dark, likely from working outdoors, and his presence doesn’t feel like that of a doctor. I was worried he might be a threat to you, so I used the knife to try to catch him off guard. But I underestimated him. I almost messed everything up.”
Jeffrey looked at me with a proud smile. “My little girl has grown up. Don’t be upset. You’ve done really well.”
“Did you and Carl suspect he would come?”
“Yeah. Over the past few days, I found some information that helped me figure out what he was planning. He’s getting desperate, trying to take a dangerous risk by attempting to kill me, then going after the Boltons one by one.”
Jeffrey’s gaze grew darker. “Originally, they thought I was indifferent to Carter. They saw him as a cripple, spending most of his time abroad, while I focused all my attention on Adam and his son. Sheila failed, and Wisteria took over her task, trying to gain legitimate inheritance rights for the Boltons by manipulating Luke. Now that Silas is dead and Luke is ill, I’ve handed all the power over to Carter. They plan to kill me before I can make a will, so the twins can step forward and legitimately fight for the inheritance. Even if they can’t get it all, they’ll still manage to claim most of the Boltons’ fortune.”
“That’s just disgusting!” I frowned. “What kind of couple are they? Are they devils?” In their eyes, law and morality were nothing but a joke. They sold organs and engaged in despicable things, and they wanted to take over the Boltons. It was terrifying! By age, this couple must be in their seventies or eighties. They were practically at the end of their lives, yet they still didn’t want to let go?
Jeffrey sighed. “People are never satisfied. No matter how much power they have, they always want more. Why work hard when you can get it easily?”
I turned to Carter. “So, does that mean Carl is in danger now?”
“Yeah, he’s the heir to the Boltons, and now his secret about being disabled has been exposed. He’s probably the next target.” Jeffrey wasn’t lying. “But don’t worry. Their plan is exposed, and they’ve lost the element of surprise. Before, things went smoothly because we were caught off guard. Now, they’re hesitant to make a move. Once we pinpoint their hideout, we’ll take them all down in one go.”
Realizing that the Carlyns had already begun investigating this, I said, “Carl, the Carlyns are in danger! They don’t know the killer is hiding within the organization! To the Commander and his wife, the Carlyns are no longer useful. In fact, to prevent the Carlyns from contacting us, the Commander and his wife will definitely strike first and silence them!”