A close call

Annabelle looked desperate, while Ross widened his eyes, bloodshot veins visible in the whites, and his fingertips almost turning white from the pressure. He hated himself for letting the enemy take advantage, as the hard-earned cooperation with Anthony could be jeopardized because of this incident. However, he couldn't take action himself.

If he accidentally killed Annabelle, there would be no way to undo it. But the current situation was equally critical. "What should we do? What should we do!" It was a critical moment. A silver radiance flashed. "Plop!" A severed hand soared into the air, and blood sprayed out like a burst dam.

"My... my hand?" The man murmured, his lips twitching as he stared at his severed forearm, unable to believe what had just happened. It all occurred too suddenly for his nerves to react.

In the next instant, the man screamed in agony as a piercing pain shot through his brain. "My hand!" He frantically swung his severed arm, trying to alleviate the pain. Simultaneously, a surge of fury welled up in his chest. Without thinking, he pushed Annabelle, who was in his arms, towards his accomplice, shouting, "Kill her!"

As the words fell, a pair of men and women beside him locked eyes and pulled out daggers from their sleeves, stabbing towards Annabelle. "Plop! Plop!" Two hands holding knives flew up. Their vision blurred, and Annabelle in front of them instantly vanished from her original position. Then their gazes rapidly descended, finally plunging into endless darkness.

The leader of the group stared at the decapitated head on the ground, bewildered. What had happened? How did they suddenly die? Moreover, Annabelle, the hostage, had disappeared. He looked around frantically but saw no sign of anyone.

"What... what is it?" The man involuntarily trembled, wildly swinging the knife in his hand through the air. "Show yourself, you bastard! What kind of skill is hiding and revealing only your tail? Come out, damn it!" The man roared with a ferocious expression.

In the next instant, another flash of a blade occurred. His other arm flew up, blood splattering the ground, while a Tang knife pressed against his neck. Enduring the intense pain, his face turned pale as he raised his head, meeting a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

"Tell me, who sent you?" Anthony held Annabelle with one hand and held the Tang knife calmly.

"Heh, if you have the guts, go ahead and kill me..." The man sneered, still defiant, but before he could finish his sentence.

"Plop!" His vision blurred, and a stream of heat mixed with a metallic smell slowly slid down his rough face from where his left ear used to be. Looking down, he saw his ear quietly lying on the ground by his feet.

"My ear, I..." This time, fear gripped the man. He collapsed on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, "Kill me, please kill me." It was better to die than to endure such torment.

"Kill you?" Anthony looked at the man as if he were looking at a pig or dog. With a single swipe of his Tang knife, the man's right ear also fell to the ground. "Tell me, who sent you here?"

"Green, Green ordered us to kidnap this woman!" Under Anthony's overwhelming pressure, the man no longer concealed the truth.

Anthony searched his memories for any information about Green, but unfortunately, he found no recollection of anything related to Green in his mind. However, what puzzled him was why this group of people chose to kidnap Annabelle .

Now the only people who know about his connection to Annabelle are Ross and Don, and the others would be Evan's group. Suddenly, Anthony's eyes turned cold, and a person popped into his mind. Could it be her?

Anthony furrowed his brow. It would be better if it wasn't her, but if it really was her, he would definitely not let this woman go. After thinking for a moment, he continued to ask, "Who is Green? Why did he send you? What kind of power does he have behind him? Who is the leader of this group? Tell me everything in detail, and if you dare to utter a single false word, I will make you wish you were dead!"

These words sounded like the language of a demon to the man's ears. He hurriedly divulged everything he knew, "Green is affiliated with the Blood Red Mandala organization. He assigned me as an undercover agent to gather information about the Immortal's Haven survivor base. And during our recent meeting, he specifically instructed me to capture a woman named Annabelle, claiming it was the leader's command."

"What else?" Anthony continued to press.

"That's all I know. I'm just a peripheral member of the organization, only in contact with Green. I'm unaware of the rest," the man trembled uncontrollably.

"It seems we won't get anything useful from this person's mouth," Anthony looked at the desperado as if he were a filthy bug, his wrist turned, and the gleam of his knife flickered. The katana returned to its sheath. When he looked again, the kneeling man had turned into pieces.

"Those who insult others will eventually be humiliated. Remember to be a good person in your next life," Anthony turned his head, looking at Annabelle in his arms, who was left with only her underwear. His eyes filled with tenderness as he took off his short-sleeved shirt and handed it to her. "Here, put this on for now."

Annabelle hadn't fully recovered from the recent events, but when she regained her senses, she found herself holding an additional piece of clothing. It was warm, and the scent on it brought her a sense of comfort. She looked gratefully at Anthony, wanting to speak but unsure of how to express her gratitude.

In Annabelle's impression, this was only her second encounter with the man, but why would he help her like this? Annabelle couldn't understand, so she suppressed this question in her heart. Anthony stood bare-chested, his muscular physique displaying sleek lines, gripping the katana. He looked at Ross nearby with a complex expression in his eyes.

Ross did bear an undeniable responsibility for what happened to Annabelle, but Anthony had also witnessed the scene where Ross negotiated with the criminals just now. Anthony questioned himself, if he were in Ross's shoes, he might not have been able to perform at Ross's level. After a moment of thought, his gaze softened, and he looked at Ross as he spoke, "Ross, as the team leader..."

Ross thought Anthony was going to reprimand him, and his face darkened as he apologized, "Anthony, I'm sorry for misleading you. It's my fault for not providing enough protection and allowing someone to take advantage. If you hadn't arrived in time, Miss Annabelle might..."

"Ross, there's no need to blame yourself," Anthony shook his head.

Hearing this, Ross wore an incredulous expression and asked, "Anthony, you don't blame me?"

"I do," Anthony replied, but he continued, "As the leader of the base, responsible for the lives of the survivors, you've done everything you could."

Ross's concern was whether Anthony would terminate their collaboration. Anthony nodded and said, "The collaboration continues." With those words, Ross finally let go of the anxiety weighing on his heart. His spirits lifted, as if he had made a firm decision, and he said resolutely, "Anthony, rest assured. From now on, all you have to do is give me a signal, and I'll go through fire and water for you!"

Meanwhile, outside the Linxian Base, a group of nearly a hundred people stood imposingly at the entrance, led by a one-armed woman. The woman asked in a calm tone, "Where are the people?"

"In theory, they should have acted already," Green said with an unpleasant expression. He felt a bit uneasy, wondering if something unexpected had happened.

The woman appeared displeased upon hearing this. She didn't like unplanned contingencies. With only Ross and two others left in the base, it was the perfect opportunity to attack, and Annabelle was at most an additional pawn. She furrowed her brow and asked, "What about Herman?"

"He's about a kilometer away from here, and he should arrive in about ten minutes," Green hurriedly replied.

"Send someone to hold back the zombie horde. When I give the signal, have him lure the horde here," the woman ordered.

"Yes," Green immediately nodded and instructed one of his underlings to deliver the message.

Having completed these arrangements, the woman said directly, "Alright, start calling them out!" She was eager to occupy this base, and a cold smile flickered on her sinister face when she thought about the surprise she had prepared for Anthony.

Upon hearing her command, Green promptly motioned for his underlings to bring forward the captive prisoners, particularly Don. "Damn stubborn brat," he cursed, and kicked Don to the ground. Then he shouted towards the inside, "Captain Ross, we've brought your team members. Why don't you come out and meet us?"

Inside the base, Ross was preparing to discuss the matter of Don with Anthony in the command room when suddenly, the sound from outside reached their ears. His expression turned ice-cold in an instant.