CHAPTER 132: CHAPTER 132: GOD N! HOW DARE YOU CHEAT?

The roaring sound of the helicopter rotors drew nearer.

Before long, Stella landed and strode over briskly, flanked by Zane Zimmerman, whose posture was tall and face stern.

Four team members followed behind, each with a grim expression and an imposing presence.

Aiden Fordham walked up in a few strides, his brow furrowed.

"Why did you come here?" His voice was laced with suppressed anger, "Don’t you know it’s very dangerous here?"

Stella glanced at him coldly, her eyes indifferent, "This is a feud between him and me; no one can replace me."

Her voice was calm, each word clear.

Aiden shot a fierce glare at Zane Zimmerman beside him.

Zane’s eyes showed a hint of helplessness, and the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch.

His expression seemed to say: When you rescue your father-in-law later, I hope you, Eldest Master Fordham, can remain so composed.

The mountain wind howled.

Soon, Erwin indeed appeared.

He stood at the entrance of a cave more than ten meters high, his black figure conspicuous against the gray rock wall.

This position had an absolute geographical advantage, perfect for attack and defense.

Beside the cave was a shimmering reservoir, with an abandoned power station on the right like a silent giant beast.

Inside, several pairs of peering eyes were hidden.

Erwin spread his arms and shouted toward the bottom.

"God N! Did you bring the antidote?" his voice echoed in the valley, "How about we make a deal?"

Stella’s eyes remained cold, emotionless, "Then you need two things to exchange for this antidote."

She took a purple-red glass vial from her pocket and lightly twirled it between her fingers.

Under the sunlight, the liquid shone with a peculiar luster.

Erwin, hearing this, let out a burst of wild laughter.

"Ha, you’re a greedy woman! One thing for me, for two things of yours, tell me, what do you want?"

Stella enunciated each word with clarity.

"The hostage in your hands, and my original gene database."

She paused, her tone commanding and unyielding, "If your life is gone, these things are useless."

The smile on Erwin’s face faded slightly, his eyes flickered, clearly thinking quickly.

Moments later, he said.

"Alright! But, I want you to deliver it personally."

Stella’s mouth curved into a mocking smile.

"I agree to the exchange, but you must come down yourself to get it."

"If you don’t dare, then turn back and return home, see you in half a year."

Half a year later?

Erwin would be dead by then, nothing to see!

Erwin squinted, cursed quietly, and finally decided to go down.

"Wait there!"

He said, leaving that sentence, his figure disappeared at the cave entrance.

The air seemed to freeze.

Fifteen minutes later, Erwin’s men were angrily descending the mountain path.

There were about five or six of them, each looking fierce and menacing.

Two of his subordinates were shoving a thoroughly restrained man.

It was Charles Sterling.

Charles, at this moment, had his body encased in a burlap sack, his hands and feet bound, his mouth gagged, only able to make muffled sounds.

When he saw Stella standing opposite, his body started to struggle violently.

The two parties were now only ten meters apart.

Tension was in the air.

Aiden’s eyes flashed with fierceness, what a mad dog, daring to kidnap from Meritopia!

He walked to Stella’s side, lowered his voice, yet his tone was unyielding.

"I’ll go with you later!"

Unexpectedly, Stella didn’t even look at him, directly addressing Zane Zimmerman, "Mr. Zimmerman, please take me over later."

Zane nodded expressionlessly, mumbling a sound.

Aiden’s face instantly turned as black as charcoal, a surge of anger shot to his head.

Does she not trust him? Is she more willing to trust an outsider?

Thus, both sides prepared for the exchange.

Erwin’s hawklike eyes stared intently at the vial in Stella’s hand, and he spoke again.

"How do I know if this antidote is real?"

Stella coldly retorted.

"As long as the data you return is real, my vial will surely cure you of your poison."

"You’re a smart man; don’t gamble with your life."

Her response was harsh, throwing the pressure of choice back to him.

Life and death were decisions for both parties, and no one could gain an advantage easily.

Erwin thought darkly, and finally, he exchanged for a small silver box from his subordinate.

Then, he signaled his men to bring Charles Sterling over slowly.

Stella also signaled Zane Zimmerman.

Both parties slowly advanced, each step feeling like walking on a knife’s edge.

The atmosphere on site was tense to the extreme.

Aiden was so nervous that his palms were sweaty, he quietly gestured for the sniper in the distance to be prepared.

At the moment of the exchange.

Zane, quick-eyed and deft, grabbed onto the staggering Charles Sterling.

While Stella carefully handed the purple-red vial to the grim-looking subordinate of Erwin’s.

Then, she took the silver box.

It was extremely light to the touch, clearly a fake!

Stella’s heart sank, just as she was about to turn around.

The subordinate’s eyes flashed with ferocity, and he suddenly grabbed Stella’s arm with astonishing strength, "Go!"

After about two steps, Stella shouted sharply, "Watch out."

Almost simultaneously, Zane Zimmerman had already been pulling Charles Sterling back with him and quickly hit the ground. Before falling, with a strong swing, Stella’s entire body was pulled back into the air by a thin steel wire.

"Boom—!"

A blast erupted.

The power wasn’t very strong, but it scattered Erwin’s group of five or six people, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Erwin too was fiercely blasted aside by the powerful impact, rendering him dizzy and disoriented.

Everyone was stunned.

The incident happened so fast! No one knew why it exploded.

Aiden Fordham rushed forward in shock, catching the falling Stella firmly. Due to the strong impact, their bodies fell backward together; he protected her head with his large hand, and they rolled several times before stopping.

Then, the dense sound of gunfire rang out, with bullets whistling past their ears, covering their respective retreats.

As the smoke gradually dispersed.

Both groups had rapidly hidden themselves, disappearing from sight.

Once again came Erwin’s enraged, almost valley-echoing roar.

"God N! How dare you trick me? I’m going to kill you!"

The blast point was directly to his left rear.

At this moment, his left buttock felt like it was burning and bleeding, painfully searing, utterly embarrassed.

Just a little more, and he would have had the woman!

In the abandoned factory, those eyes that had been lurking in the dark became increasingly profound.

Just that instant, he was frightened too, almost losing control and rushing out.

Aiden quickly helped Stella up and brought her behind a nearby obstacle.

His voice was tight, carrying obvious tension.

"Are you hurt?" His hands were slightly trembling as he carefully checked her.

Stella gently shook her head, her face somewhat pale, her heart pounding intensely.

Indeed, it was quite dangerous just now; the blast’s power was beyond imagination.

She replied, "Erwin, you were the one deceiving. The real data box was rigged with a micro explosive, it’s your own fault."

As long as she was within 5 meters of the data box, she could detonate the bomb. She shared this secret with Zane Zimmerman, which was why she asked him to accompany her for the exchange.

Every step was calculated.

If Aiden accompanied her, at the critical moment, he would surely protect her, putting Mr. Sterling at risk.

Now, Erwin’s men were heavily injured, and he lost half a buttock. Had he delivered the real data box, the bomb wouldn’t have exploded.

Hell, miscalculated!

And Charles Sterling was successfully rescued, with the data box destroyed, giving Stella’s side a temporary advantage!

"Timed bomb!" Zane Zimmerman suddenly said deeply.

As he cautiously peeled away the burlap sack wrapped around Charles Sterling.

He found a transparent, fist-sized timed bomb tightly strapped to Charles Sterling’s chest.

Zane’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Stella rushed over regardless, comforting Mr. Sterling, "Dad, don’t be afraid, it’ll be okay."

Previously she had always called him godfather. On the day she left, the old man suddenly said henceforth she could only call him Dad!

Her voice trembled a bit, showing some panic.

Aiden Fordham walked over, looking at the timer display, which was stopped at 180 seconds, not moving!

"Stella, I’m fine, you back... move away, okay, be good!" Charles Sterling’s voice wavered, trying hard to stay calm.

Aiden shielded Stella behind him, as Zane Zimmerman was carefully examining the bomb, frowning deeply.

Erwin smugly jumped out but suddenly yelped, forgetting his injured butt.

"God N, did you really think I left no backup plan? Now, here’s another choice: either you die, or this old fellow dies. If you don’t want him dead, then nicely come over."

Cunning old fox!

Stella was about to move forward when Aiden directly grabbed her, "You can’t go!"

Charles Sterling probably figured out what was happening and shouted, "Stella, you are not allowed to go over, get back here!"

Stella turned her head to look at Charles Sterling, her brows furrowing slightly, seemingly pondering something.

Suddenly, she gently tugged Aiden’s hand, startling him.

"Can you promise me to safely take Dad back to Meritopia?" She asked as if entrusting him with a final wish, her eyes crystal-clear and pleading.

"No way! You all go back together, not missing a single one!" Aiden coldly refused her, his tone brooking no argument and full of authority.

Suddenly, with a "beep" sound, the timer on the bomb started counting down, 179, 178, 177...

Which raised the site’s tense atmosphere up another notch.

Aiden suddenly raised his hand, and all the hidden team members popped up, surrounding the site tightly from all angles.

"Erwin, if you don’t hand over the remote control, we’ll turn you into a sieve today, and you won’t be leaving Mardale."

Erwin glanced at the situation—indeed, they had many people, but his trump card hadn’t been shown yet.

He arrogantly laughed, "Sorry, there’s no remote control. You’ll just have to manually defuse it. But be quick. Otherwise, Mr. Sterling will soon be blasted into mince meat."

On the other side, as Vivi Sterling was drinking water, she accidentally shattered her cup. Trying to pick up the shards, she cut her finger by mistake, a drop of bright red blood fell to the ground, blossoming into a small red flower...

Zane Zimmerman looked at three lines on the bomb: yellow, blue, and white. He frowned deeply; it was simply impossible to start, with the count jumping to 140. With every second wasted, the risk increased.

Suddenly, Stella stepped out, pulling a glass test tube with blue liquid out of her pocket.

"Erwin, you really think the antidote you have is real? Everyone has their backup plan. If my dad doesn’t survive, you’ll be buried with him!"

Stella said fiercely, pulling the cap, about to pour it out...

"Don’t pour it!" Erwin jumped in fright!

Indeed, this was his Achilles’ heel!

"Tell me, which line to cut! You have three seconds." She threatened, "Three, one."

She skipped ’two’? Truly devious!

"White, cut the white one!" Erwin shouted anxiously, then quietly stepped back two steps.