Chapter 3 The Wife and Daughter Are Kidnapped

The next day, at noon.

James figured Sophia had cooled down by now and was about to head home, when he spotted Erin rushing out of a car at the hotel entrance.

The cool, sharp-featured woman with short hair looked dead serious as she walked quickly up to him.

"Sir, something's happened. I didn't want to make the call myself, so you need to see this in person."

He looked at the photo on Erin's phone. A man in a black trench coat was carrying a little girl, about three years old, who appeared to be unconscious.

James felt his heart clench.

The girl in the photo looked exactly like his daughter, Stella.

"Where is this?" James tightened his fists, knuckles cracking.

Just the thought of Stella being in danger made his chest tighten.

"A gang on the outskirts of Luminous City, part of an underground crime organization called 'Osiris.' The Luminous City Police Special Operations Unit has had them under surveillance for days and was planning to move in today."

Erin pulled back her phone and continued her report. "The photo was taken this morning. The unit commander used to serve with me. He's the one I had look into Sophia's pregnancy before. When he saw the photo, he ordered his team to hold position and sent it to me right away. He wasn't a hundred percent sure either."

James was furious. He jumped into the driver's seat and floored the gas. "I'm going to tear those bastards apart!"

At that moment, Erin's phone buzzed again. Her face went pale. "Boss, just got an update!"

"After Sophia noticed Stella was missing, she went out searching like crazy — and they grabbed her too!"

"Damn it! I'll make them pay for touching my family!"

Something felt off to James, but right now, all he cared about was getting there and getting his wife and daughter out. Even if it was a trap, he didn't care. He'd never backed down on a battlefield, and he wasn't about to start now.

The car tore down the road. Twenty minutes later.

A five-story building in a remote area on the outskirts of Luminous City.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary warehouse. Inside, it was the main base of Osiris's local gang.

At the front entrance.

Before getting out of the car, James said, "Tell the Special Operations Unit to hold their position."

"Yes, sir." Erin answered crisply.

When it came to his family, he only trusted the people who had fought alongside him.

He pushed open the door and walked in.

The Osiris crew was confident enough that there was only one young guard at the door — a sign that nobody dared cause trouble at their place.

"Hey! Stop right there! Who the hell are you? Get out!"

The young guard shouted rudely, still chewing on a burger.

James ignored him completely and walked straight toward the double doors ahead.

Annoyed at being brushed off, the guard threw down his burger, stood up, and reached for the Glock at his back.

But a second later, the color drained from his face, and he dropped straight to the floor.

With every step James took, the expensive marble floor cracked and splintered beneath his feet.

What kind of strength was that?

And he was walking completely normally — not stomping, not slamming his feet down.

The guard stared at the web of cracks spreading across the marble in James's wake and swallowed hard.

He finally understood why this man hadn't said a word. Because someone like him didn't owe the guard a single syllable.

The moment James disappeared through the double doors, the guard snapped back to reality and scrambled toward the radio on the table.

He knew — this time, someone genuinely dangerous had walked through that door.

His hand had barely touched the radio when a tall figure appeared beside him.

Erin's cold voice cut through the air. She kicked his hand away and twisted his wrist in one smooth motion.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

The guard screamed and passed out.

Third floor. A lavishly decorated private room.

In the center sat a massive leather sofa, occupied by five or six men in suits, drinks in hand, looking completely at ease.

Leading them was a heavyset middle-aged man known as "Viper" — Augustus, the boss of this outfit.

On the table in front of him sat a bottle of tequila. And kneeling on the floor before that table was a woman.

In the corner, Stella was curled up on the ground, too frightened to make a sound, tears streaming silently down her face. Two tattooed men stood over her to make sure she couldn't run.

Sophia knelt on the floor, pleading desperately. "Please. Let my daughter go."

"Ma'am, we have our own rules here."

Augustus blew out a mouthful of smoke and looked Sophia up and down with hungry eyes. "But I'll give you a choice. Right here, in front of everyone — drink that whole bottle of tequila, then take off your clothes and give us a show. Do that, and I'll let your daughter go."

The woman looked like she'd stepped out of a painting, and every man in the room couldn't take his eyes off her.

"In your dreams!" Sophia snapped.

"Then don't blame me for what happens next."

Augustus pointed toward Stella in the corner and smiled. "If you won't cooperate, we'll bring that little girl over here, strip her down, film it, and sell it to the sickos who pay for that kind of thing."

"No!" Sophia screamed in horror.

"Mommy — Mommy, help me!" Stella was yanked up by one of the men, shaking all over.

Augustus smiled with satisfaction. "So what's it going to be?"

"Drink! Come on, drink!"

"Now this is something — a classy woman like her taking it off? Never seen that before!"

"I'm getting my turn after this!"

The men around the room erupted into whistles and jeers.

"Fine. I'll drink." Sophia stood up, grabbed the tequila, and downed it in one go.

She knew exactly what these men had in mind. Once she drank and stripped, there would be no coming back from what followed.

But for Stella, she had no other choice.

Sophia set down the bottle, bit her lip, and reached for the buttons on her coat with trembling hands.

"Ha! Now we're talking!"

Augustus raised his glass and laughed. "Take it off!"

Sophia squeezed her eyes shut. Tears ran down her face as her fingers shook and undid the first button.

But before she could even finish with that first button, she collapsed to the floor.

"Mommy, wake up! Wake up!" Stella kept calling out.

"Stupid woman." Augustus hitched up his pants, a smug grin on his face.

Then, the door to the room exploded inward with a single kick, sending splinters flying in every direction.

Everyone froze, heads snapping toward the entrance.

A figure stepped slowly through the doorway, radiating pure, cold killing intent.

It was James.