Chapter 842


    Sofie turned around abruptly, and her graceful face twitched subtly. W-Wendy has been murdered?


    How is that possible? I just checked on her twenty minutes ago because I was afraid that any mishap


    might disrupt the entire n. That was why I specifically assigned my best subordinates to guard her.


    She was supposed to be untouchable! Logically speaking, no one should be able to sneak in. It''s even


    more impossible to ughter someone without causing amotion.


    “Go and take a look! Quick!” Sofie scolded and kicked her subordinate. Victory is now within sight, and


    we''re so close. We absolutely cannot ruin it at this stage. Without Wendy as a bargaining chip, I don''t


    even know if I can survive the day, let alone take Tarragon down. I''ve put everything on the line in this


    operation. If I lose today, I can never make aeback again!


    “Sofie, if I heard correctly just now, it seems your subordinate mentioned that Wendy is dead. I think


    you owe me a reasonable exnation.” Holden''s icy and murderous voice echoed in Sofie''s ears,


    pulling her back from her wandering thoughts.


    Sofie abruptly turned her head to meet Holden''s bloodthirsty gaze. She quickly answered, “It must be a


    mistake made by my subordinates. It has to be... Mr. Lewitt, please remain calm. I assure you, your


    lady will be safely returned to you. Just give me a little time, don''t—”


    Before she could finish speaking, two people in ck rushed toward her.


    “Ms. Carr, Ms. Wendy is really dead. She really is...”


    A loud bang rang out at the scene right after.


    Sofie had pulled out a pistol and shot the man dead on the spot.


    The personal bodyguard approached Sofie and whispered, “Ms. Carr, Wendy is indeed dead. However,


    it wasn''t murder. It was a suicide. What should we do next?”


    Sofie''s body began to tremble violently, and her eyes were filled with astonishment. “How could she


    possiblymit suicide? This isn''t right. She was about to regain her freedom. How could she have


    the courage to seek death?”


    The personal bodyguard hesitated momentarily before replying gingerly, “Perhaps it''s because he loves


    Holden too much, so she doesn''t want to see him being threatened by us, so...”


    “F*ck!” Sofie cursed vehemently.


    Right then, Holden slowly pulled out his gun, aiming it directly at Sofie''s forehead. His voice was icy


    when he asked, “What else do you have to say? I cooperated with you and helped you get to the


    center. Is this how you repay me?”


    Sofie instinctively took two steps forward and uttered anxiously, “Holden, I didn''t kill Wendy. She took


    her own life. You can''t me me for this. Give me the ring, and we can rule the world together. How


    about that? So what if she''s dead? Once you have the power and money, you can have any woman


    you want. You can go after other women. As a man, you should be free to explore all the women in the


    world.”


    Bang!


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Holden fired a shot at her.


    Sofie was no pushover, and she had remained highly vignt at all times.


    At the sound of the gunshot, she instinctively turned her body. The bullet whizzed past, grazing her


    shoulder. “Holden, are you seeking a fight to the death? I have enough people here to settle this once


    and for all with you. You better think this through. If you hand over the ring to me now, I can still spare


    you and your sister. But if you wait until I win, your death is certain.”


    Holden blew on the smoking gun barrel and sneered coldly, “You should know that Wendy is my weak


    spot. Now that she''s gone, do you really think I''d still be under your control? Oh, by the way, I bet Mr.


    Doyle didn''t tell you once Tarragon''s defense is activated, it can''t be turned off. With your level of


    intelligence, you should know what I''m trying to say. That''s right, the defense system was never turned


    off. I simply withdrew the guards.”


    Sofie''s pupils contracted sharply. She pointed at him and stammered, “Y-You did this on purpose! You


    never intended to cooperate with me in the first ce. You just lured me into your trap. What profound


    love were you talking about? You never loved that girl from the Hoffman family. You were just using her


    to distract me and let my guard down.”


    Suddenly, Holden leaped off the defensive wall andughed out loud. “No. My feelings for Wendy are


    genuine. The reason I''m not afraid of your threats is because the real Wendy is no longer in your


    hands.”


    After hearing this, Sofie subconsciously took a few steps back, and her body shook violently.


    “Impossible! This can''t be. I clearly imprisoned the girl from the Hoffman family. How could I have made


    a mistake?”


    “Shoot.”


    The open space echoed with the deep, maic voice of Holden.


    In the next moment, bullets were fired from all directions.


    “Ms. Carr, we are surrounded.”


    “Ms. Carr, we''ve walked right into their ambush.”


    “Ms. Carr, the enemy is using the most advancedser scanning technology. We simply can''t pinpoint


    their location, so we can only fight defensively.”


    “Ms. Carr, we''re in trouble. Our retreat path has been cut off. We''re stuck with no way out. I''m afraid


    we''re doomed.”


    Indeed, we''re doomed. We''re a bunch of sitting ducks! Sofie''s legs gave way, and she copsed


    directly onto the floor. I''m done for. I spent over a decade nning, and everything is ruined. Everything


    has been taken away from me before I have a chance to truly savor the taste of power. I can''t ept


    this. I can''t...


    “Send the order. I want everyone to fight to the death to create a chance for me to escape. I need to


    retreat,” she demanded.


    “Yes.”


    Holden stood in a distant sentry post, holding a telescope, looking at the heavy casualties on the


    opposite side. He couldn''t help grinning viciously when he saw the scene before his eyes. If this old


    woman didn''t resort to tricks and instead fought me fair and square, I might not necessarily be able to


    beat her. Yet, she insisted on ying the fool, cing all her eggs in a single basket without even being


    able to control the whole situation urately. She deserves this defeat.


    “Tell everyone not to stop theser sweep. I want all of them dead,” Holden ordered.


    “W-What if someone wants to surrender? Do we kill them as well?”


    Holden smirked and answered through his gritted teeth, “I want all of them dead.”


    “Yes.”


    In a certain dense forest in the southwest, a masked man, cloaked in a trench coat, stood with his


    hands behind his back and gazed silently at the battlefield not far off.


    “Damien, the ughter is about to end. When should we make our move?”


    The man known as Damien slowly withdrew his gaze, saying casually, “Focus all efforts on saving


    Sofie. Ignore everyone else. After you pick her up, take her directly to Mortality Base. We''ll escape from


    that primeval forest.”


    “Yes.”


    Under the protection of her trusted entourage, Sofie was painstakingly retreating. Even if everyone else


    has to die today, I must escape. I can only make aeback if I''m alive.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Gunfire echoed relentlessly around her. In a moment, several more people by her side had fallen.


    She waspletely stunned when she saw a bullet flying toward her face.