Chapter 551 The Terrifying Man
The blow felt like it hit Audrey right in the heart. Her usually composed face twisted into a look of pure terror. In that moment of agony, she almost bit through her tongue but ended up biting her arm instead, trying to handle the pain.
Audrey wanted to explain, but Stanley was just too quick. When Stanley tortured people, he was a pro. The whole thing was fast, brutal, and precise, leaving her no time to talk. The pain was so intense she could only scream, unable to get a word out.
Audrey had never been through anything like this before. Just as she was about to pass out from the pain, she thought she saw Jonathan, masked, crawling on the ground, calling her. "Ms. Hernandez..."
She tried to call out, "Jonathan."
She reached out, but Jonathan vanished like smoke. Then she saw another scene through the haze. Jonathan's feet were pierced by glass, bleeding with every step he took. But he carried her on his back, not even flinching, moving forward.
That was from the time they had a car accident, and Jonathan, ignoring the danger, pulled Audrey out of the car that was about to explode. In his panic, both his feet got pierced by shattered glass from the car window, but he didn't care.
That memory was gut-wrenching for Audrey.
In Jonathan's eyes, all he saw was Audrey.
At this moment, after feeling the same pain, Audrey finally got it. In this world, only Jonathan would never leave her. But she was the one who ordered him to die, and he obeyed.
Thinking about it now, Audrey felt bitter for not using Jonathan's last bit of value; otherwise, she wouldn't be in this mess!
Stanley's face turned ghostly as he picked up another rusty nail, a sinister smile forming on his lips, and suddenly aimed at Audrey's other foot.
"No!" Audrey's eyes almost popped out as she kept shouting, "Don't do this to me, I have something to tell you!"
Stanley was able to commit countless murders because he never hesitated. He always acted cleanly and efficiently, not giving the other party a chance to fight back. Just like now, he had no interest in what Audrey had to say. Who knew if it was a trick to buy time?
Not listening, not believing, with a clear goal, only doing what he needed to do, was how he stayed undefeated. So, Stanley still didn't hesitate, found the spot for the nail, raised the hammer high, and brought it down with a fierce swing!
Audrey's heart stopped for a moment. She closed her eyes and blurted out, "The woman carrying his child is hiding in this building!"
The expected pain didn't come, and Audrey only heard a clinking sound. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that Stanley had already thrown the nail away.
The sinister Stanley smiled and asked, "His child?"
At this point, Audrey was terrified. She took a deep breath, feeling like she had just dodged a bullet, and said, "Yes, his child is in this building!"
Francis looked like he had just walked into hell, his chest heaving, but he kept his mouth shut. Every move he made now was under Stanley's watchful eye.
'How could Harper be here?' Francis wondered.
"Seriously, Mr. Charles, his ex-wife is in this building. I saw her today and had a waiter lock her up. She probably hasn't escaped yet. Mr. Charles, this is a trap for you. Trust me!" Audrey pointed at Francis, not hesitating to side with Stanley, and shouted, "His goal is to capture you and kill you."
Stanley touched his headscarf, glanced at Francis, gave a knowing smile, and nodded to two guys beside him. They tied Francis's hands and checked the windows. In less than ten seconds, they came back, looking panicked. "Mr. Charles, there are a lot of cops outside!"
Stanley's brows furrowed. "Notify the Shadow Team immediately."
The Shadow Team was Stanley's elite squad, all top fighters from the Charles family.
"Got it." The men pulled out their gear to call their buddies outside.
Audrey saw her chance and cried, "Mr. Charles, Francis doesn't care if I'm tortured. If you want to get back at him, why not..."
She paused, each word dripping with venom, "Dig out his child and give it to him. Wouldn't that be more satisfying!"
Her words hung in the air, creating a long, tense silence. Audrey's malice stunned everyone except Stanley. He grinned wickedly, "Ms. Hernandez, your idea is right up my alley."
Stanley dropped the hammer at Audrey's feet. Still traumatized by the pain, Audrey screamed and hugged her head in fear. Stanley laughed out loud at her cowardice.
Just then, a faint sneer came from behind. "So this is all you amount to—just a genuine fool."
Stanley turned around and saw Francis, blood at the corner of his mouth, looking at him with pure disdain. Stanley took a couple of steps closer and said calmly, "Are you talking about me?"
With Stanley's calm voice came the sound of bones cracking.
Audrey saw it all clearly from behind. Stanley had crushed Francis's kneecap with his bare hands! What terrifying strength!
But Francis, clearly the weaker one, looked even more terrifying. Even with his kneecap crushed, he didn't even flinch or even make a sound. Such endurance was beyond ordinary.
Two men, both at the top of their game, were facing off, neither backing down. And fittingly, Stanley was dressed in all black, while Francis, missing his coat, wore a pure white shirt stained with blood, making it look like it was printed with flowers.
One in black, one in white, like the ultimate showdown between evil and good.
Stanley was also surprised by Francis's endurance.
"Impressive willpower," Stanley said softly, "But calling me a fool, are you so eager to die?"
"Did I say something wrong?" Francis's voice was a bit hoarse, showing that the shattered kneecap did affect him, but he had an insane tolerance for pain.
Even with his hands cuffed behind him to a pillar and his kneecap shattered, he wasn't kneeling. Instead, he was half-squatting on his good knee, straightening his back with unyielding determination.
"Rumor has it your methods are always ruthless. How could you be swayed by Audrey's plea for survival?"
Francis was implying that Audrey's recent words were just a ploy to escape. Audrey's face turned pale instantly. That despicable Francis!
Francis's eyes were cold as he mocked, "So, it seems the rumors are not to be trusted."
This successfully provoked Stanley. He swiftly pulled out a delicate handgun from his coat. Without even looking at Audrey, he aimed behind him.
"The consequence of deceiving me is singular and absolute," Stanley said coldly.
Stanley didn't turn his head, his eyes fixed on Francis, but the gun's aim was precisely at Audrey's head.
Audrey was extremely panicked! She widened her eyes in fear and said, "No... Mr. Charles, please believe me. He's just trying to protect his woman and his child!"
At this moment, the guy who had gone to call the Shadow Team rushed in and said, "Mr. Charles, the Shadow Team, they've all lost contact."
Losing contact at this time definitely meant something was wrong. It was very likely that all of them had been taken out by the police.
Stanley immediately turned the gun and pressed it against Francis's forehead. "Was it your arrangement?"
Francis calmly replied, "This is Serene Haven Hotel. There's a surveillance camera every 10 feet. Even if you destroy the surveillance system, there will be traces. Besides, you've been here for over half an hour. It's normal for someone to notice and call the police."
Stanley thought for a moment. What Francis said made sense. But Stanley sneered, "You just tried to provoke me into killing Audrey, so what she said must be true."
Francis looked up, but before he could speak, Stanley had already turned to Audrey with a questioning look.
Audrey let out a long breath. It seemed Stanley hadn't intended to kill her just now. She glared viciously at the half-squatting Francis.
Seizing the opportunity, Audrey quickly explained, "Mr. Charles, his ex-wife is Harper, the one we agreed on hunting. She has escaped from you multiple times. Don't you want to catch her yourself and torture her?"
Stanley loosened his grip, raised the gun, and stood up.
"Is it Harper?" Stanley asked Audrey.
Stanley understood Dreamlandia's marriage system, which was monogamous, but it wasn't unheard of for wealthy men to have multiple women, and multiple marriages and divorces were also normal.
So Stanley hadn't connected the ex-wife Audrey had mentioned to Harper at first.
Audrey nodded frantically, "Yes, it's Harper. You've seen her. Now you won't think I'm lying to you, right?"
Stanley was now very interested. The thought of a prey that had escaped twice falling into his hands again made his blood boil with excitement.
Stanley said, "Ms. Hernandez, tell me, where is she?"
Audrey trembled but didn't forget to negotiate for her own safety, "I can tell you, Mr. Charles, but... can you spare me?"
"Don't worry, once we find her, I guarantee you'll leave unharmed. But..." Stanley paused, showing his teeth as he smiled, "If I find out you're lying to me, I'll cut open your stomach and pull out your intestines."
He smiled even more brightly, "Don't be afraid, Ms. Hernandez. That would be an interesting experience."
Audrey's teeth chattered in fear, "Mr. Charles, rest assured, I'm not lying to you, absolutely not!"
Stanley lifted her chin with the gun's butt, "Tell me, dear."
His gentleness was always accompanied by fatal danger!
Audrey stammered, "She's in suite 8019 on the 8th floor. I had someone personally lock her in. It can't be wrong."
"Good. If I find her, I'll reward you, dear. Which part of this man do you like?" Stanley asked, "Is it his eyes or his lips, or his sexy Adam's apple? Whatever you like, I'll cut it off and give it to you as a gift, okay?"
Audrey felt like vomiting. Although she had no qualms about killing, she felt inferior to Stanley's methods. Stanley seemed to genuinely enjoy killing as a form of entertainment.
Seeing Audrey's fearful expression, Stanley stood up satisfied and instructed his two subordinates. "You, detonate the explosives at the west window. Since the police have messed with the Shadow Team, we should return the favor. You, keep an eye on these two. I'm going to meet Harper."
As Stanley said this, his gaze fell on Francis. But Francis's expression remained unchanged, whether it was a deep disguise or indifference. Stanley didn't believe Francis could remain so calm once he caught Harper.
As Stanley left with his gun, a thunderous explosion came from the southwest direction of Serene Haven Hotel. Thick black smoke billowed from the southwest wall, and the smell of gunpowder filled the entire street.
The police below all ducked and retreated to a safe area. They understood that this was a warning from the criminals above. If they approached, the entire building would be blown up.
Amid the smoke, Victor found one of the police captains, "I can contact someone inside, but I need to see the commander of this operation."
After verifying Victor's identity, the police captain reported the situation to his superior. Soon, the superior replied, "Bring him in."
The police captain led Victor to the temporary command center and said, "Go in."
Inside, a middle-aged man around forty, Owen Hall, greeted him. Owen asked, "You said you can contact someone inside. What do you mean?"
"There's a jammer inside, but I just found through satellite positioning that Mrs. Getty is also in the building."
Owen looked puzzled, "Mrs. Getty?"
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