Chapter 432: Chapter 432
"Alright, dear Mr. Sterling, given that you’re very sincere, I can agree to your request."
"However, there’s one thing you need to know ahead of time, and that’s the place where your wife is located is in a war zone. It just experienced an air raid last night, and the news we got is that the city has turned into ruins."
"So you’d better be mentally prepared; even if you hurry over, you might not be able to find her!"
Actually, Bem’s words were quite tactful. What he was trying to convey was that even if you go now, it’s hard to find anyone alive.
But seeing Conrad Sterling’s anxious attitude, he actually ran here from a thousand miles away and offered a lot of money, mobilizing everyone to help with the rescue.
If the final result is not as he wishes, the consequences might be... unimaginable!
We can only pray that Mrs. Sterling has divine protection and doesn’t die in the massive bombing.
"President Sterling, let us take on the task of rescuing Miss Thornton."
Conrad Sterling brought along his own subordinates on this trip, including the brothers Mason and Leo King.
Leo only follows orders, but Mason considers things more deeply.
The incident with the Sterling Group a while ago hasn’t been resolved yet; even the press conference was cut short because of the news of Anna Thornton’s accident.
The public opinion is bound to speculate wildly.
At this critical moment, President Sterling needs to stay domestically to oversee and take charge.
Moreover, Bem just mentioned, the place where Anna Thornton is located is actually a battlefield!
Considering President Sterling’s esteemed status, how can he personally risk danger?
Furthermore, the location information of Anna Thornton was sent anonymously via email to Conrad Sterling.
The authenticity of the message is unknown, and there’s a possibility that someone with ulterior motives is deliberately luring President Sterling out.
After all, the person opposing the Sterling Group from behind hasn’t been identified yet. It’s necessary to guard against this.
What Mason considered, Conrad couldn’t possibly be unaware of.
Yet Conrad still came, not letting doubts from any other aspects distract him at all.
Mason’s suggestion was completely ignored by him.
Indeed, without Miss Thornton by his side, President Sterling wouldn’t listen to any advice.
Especially now, when it’s Anna Thornton in danger, President Sterling’s affection for his beloved, his fury, just like the tyrants in ancient tales sacrificing their kingdoms for their beauties.
This wasn’t voiced by Mason but rather secretly asked by Leo: "Why does President Sterling insist on personally rescuing her?"
"Uh... because of love, I guess."
"Blame Anna Thornton; that woman is just a burden to men!"
Mason quickly stopped him: "Brother, you can’t say that carelessly."
Haven’t you noticed how worried President Sterling is for Miss Thornton?
Even if there’s any loss due to the rescue, that’s a matter between them as a couple.
It’s not for outsiders to interfere!
The city in the midst of war is like a paralyzed old man.
Even moving is very difficult!
Anna Thornton finally found a functioning bus station. She imitated local women by using a red scarf full of ethnic characteristics to cover half her face, perfectly blending into the escaping crowd.
People around her were talking, some bumped her shoulder as they hurried past towards the front, and there were sounds of women and children crying.
Everyone was like fish on a cutting board, knowing the knife loomed above, yet struggling with their last ounce of strength, desperate for that one-in-thousand chance at survival.
"Are you Asian?" Someone tentatively tugged at Anna Thornton’s sleeve.
Anna turned around and found it was an elderly woman with a headscarf.
The woman was frightened by the wariness in Anna’s eyes and stepped back.
Anna noticed a small child’s fuzzy head poking out from the woman’s embrace.
But the woman nervously pressed the child back into her arms, whispering soothingly to keep the child still.
Anna’s gaze softened, and she nodded.
That counted as answering the previous question; she was Asian.
"I heard there’s news; they’ll bomb the station at five! Run quickly, while the vehicles are still running, get as many people out as possible!"
The woman said as if reminding herself that time was short, and squeezed forward more vigorously.
The bombing lasted all night, and once the gunfire stopped, the entire city became silent as if dead.
Yet today, from all corners, so many survivors emerged.
For some reason, Anna Thornton felt uneasy seeing the large gathering of fleeing people.
There were still two hours until five o’clock, and the buses to neighboring towns were their only chance to survive.
Given the current circumstances, vehicles were scarce, and those escaping didn’t want to lag behind.
But the entrance to the station was blocked, mercenaries holding weapons had set up checkpoints, inspecting everyone.
Anna Thornton seemed to have seen Licia and Jacob!
They hadn’t found Anna last night, guessing she would try to escape through the station, so they stationed themselves here.
Delaying time for these impoverished people trying to flee meant nothing compared to Anna Thornton’s worth of a battalion.
Capturing this woman would mean they wouldn’t lack weapons and equipment!
Anna suddenly dared not continue forward; she couldn’t pass such strict checkpoints.
But it was also difficult to turn back immediately. Everyone was squeezing in the same direction; she was worried her actions would be too conspicuous, so she opted to slowly retreat.
She accidentally bumped into someone behind her, her elbow jabbed.
She quickly apologized in English.
The person seemed not to understand, glaring at Anna with red eyes and aggressively cutting into her queue to push ahead.
She seemed to know the source of that panicked feeling!
The person she bumped into before, Anna noticed something solid on his chest.
There’s a sixty-percent chance... it’s a bomb!
"Watch out!" Anna reacted instinctively, voicing a warning.
That strange person moved to the center of the crowd and detonated the bomb, initiating a suicide attack.
The originally packed-together crowd suddenly scattered like a nest washed away by floodwaters.
But how can human legs run faster than planes?
That bomb just now was a signal; the sky suddenly resounded with a terrifying siren.
A new round of air strikes commenced!
Their information said five o’clock, but it was earlier!
Or rather, someone deliberately spread the wrong time, luring everyone seeking survival to gather at the station.
Looking at the path the airplanes were circling in the sky, clearly, they were chasing the crowd to bomb!
Luckily, Anna was on the outer circle, she still had time to find shelter from the air raid.
Unlike those trapped in the middle of the crowd, who became live targets.
Some trying to take shelter in the station themselves were indiscriminately shot by mercenaries guarding the entrance.
The people in the front row fell from the gunfire; those behind continued to rush forward.
Anyway, there was no way to survive, might as well risk everything. Unexpectedly, at the peak of the survival instinct, a path was torn open, allowing them to squeeze into the station.
But Anna knew there wouldn’t be any operational vehicles leaving the city.
Since this was a trap, it was bound to be a dead end inside.
In the chaos, Anna unexpectedly spotted that woman from earlier.
The one who warned her there would be an air strike at five.
She was already dead!
Most unfortunately shot by a stray bullet, trampled amidst the chaos, half her body was a bloody mess lying on the ground. Her face was still facing the direction of the station, towards the hope she believed in, her eyes wide open.
Already lifeless, her body suddenly moved slightly, and a small dark hand stretched out, followed by a tiger-headed little head.
The child the woman protected in her arms was still alive!
The little one used hands and feet to crawl out from underneath the corpse, and his small dirty-round face was full of confusion, pushing at his mother... or perhaps grandmother. Thıs text ıs hosted at N0velFire.ɴet
Such a young child, without a concept of life and death!
Staring at the corpses covering the ground and his hands stained with fresh blood, he didn’t cry at all.
Rather slightly tilting his head, wondering why everyone was lying down.
He lifted his head to observe the planes in the sky.
The air raid wasn’t over, concentrated inside the station, where destruction and human suffering continued relentlessly.
Sooner or later, this child would be bombed to death or shot by mercenaries clearing the battlefield.
Reason told Anna: "Don’t meddle with this!"
But her reaction had already made the completely opposite choice!