Chapter 538 Rearguard
George's white shirt was drenched in Emma's blood, the warm liquid seeping through his fingers and dripping onto the floor. He couldn't see, but the heavy scent of blood in the air made every muscle in his body tense up.
"Mr. Russell, look out!" Ulysses suddenly shouted.
A flash of cold steel grazed George's neck. Brock had somehow broken free and lunged again with a scalpel. George dodged to the side, relying on his sharp hearing, but his shoulder still got slashed.
"Ha ha!" Brock laughed maniacally, his glasses reflecting a sinister light. "George, did you really think it would end like this? I've planted enough explosives in this building to level three city blocks!"
Joshua immediately yelled into his communicator, "Everyone get out now! There's a bomb!"
The dungeon erupted into chaos. SWAT officers shielded medical personnel as they carried out the wounded, while the Russell family guards formed a protective wall around George and Emma. Scarlett clung to Emma's hand, tears streaming down her face. "If we die, we die together! The Russell family never leaves anyone behind!"
George stood motionless. He gently handed Emma to Ulysses, his voice chillingly calm. "Take her away."
"Mr. Russell!"
"That's an order." He wrapped his bleeding shoulder with his tie. "I'll deal with this lunatic."
Emma, in her unconscious state, seemed to sense something and began to struggle violently, her cracked lips moving weakly. "George, don't."
Brock had retreated to the control panel, his finger hovering over a red button. "Don't move! One step closer and I blow us all up!" His gold-rimmed glasses were askew, revealing bloodshot eyes. "George, do you know what I hate most about you? It's that you're always so damn composed!"
George stepped forward, his cane tapping rhythmically on the ground. His voice was soft but commanded everyone's attention. "Three years ago, I could have killed you, but Emma said life is priceless."
"Shut up!" Brock hysterically pressed the countdown button. The LCD screen flashed "00:05:00" and began to tick down. "Now, let's see how great your love really is!"
The entire dungeon shook violently, and debris fell from the ceiling. Joshua grabbed Scarlett and ran. "Move! The load-bearing walls are collapsing!"
George continued forward, undeterred by the falling concrete. A steel beam struck his back, causing him to grunt and drop to one knee, but he quickly stood again, using his cane for support. Blood streamed down his forehead, over his tightly shut eyes.
"Are you insane?" Brock backed away in disbelief. "How can you stop me if you can't see?"
"I don't need to see." George suddenly accelerated, his cane striking out like a sword, hitting Brock's wrist with precision. "Did you think the Russell Group's smart glasses were just for show?"
As they fought, a massive concrete beam fell towards Emma's stretcher. George, as if sensing it, turned and leaped.
In a split second, he used his body to bear the weight of the beam, his bones cracking under the strain, blood gushing from his mouth.
"Mr. Russell!" Ulysses screamed, trying to rush over.
"Leave me!" George trembled but didn't budge. "Get her out, now."
Emma's eyes fluttered open. Through her blurred vision, she saw the once-proud man now using his body to shield her. His eyes were still closed, but every tense line on his face spoke of an unspoken vow.
A tear slid from her eye, mixing with the blood on the ground.
"George," she called weakly, "look at me."
As if by some miracle, George's body shuddered. In that moment, his eyelids twitched, and his thick lashes slowly parted.
Blinding white light filled his vision. He squinted, and the blurry scene gradually cleared. The first thing he saw was Emma, her face pale as paper, blood at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears.
For the first time since the car accident, he saw the world again, saw the woman he loved with his life.
"Emma," his voice choked with emotion, yet it surged with strength, pushing the beam away by inches. "Ulysses! Now!"
Ulysses seized the moment to drag the stretcher out.
As Emma was moved to safety, her fingers clutched the edge of the stretcher. The medical staff were astonished at the strength of the seemingly dying woman.
"Put me down," she demanded, each word cutting like a knife, but she stubbornly tried to rise. "George is still in there."
Ulysses held her shoulder. "Ms. Stuart, Mr. Russell ordered me to ensure your safety!"
"No," Emma's tears mixed with blood, she grabbed Ulysses' wrist with surprising force. "I swore I'd never leave him alone again..."
A deafening explosion echoed from the dungeon, the building tilting. Joshua shouted into his communicator, "Everyone out! The main structure is collapsing!"
In a desperate burst of strength, Emma pushed Ulysses away and rolled off the stretcher. Dragging her battered body, she crawled towards the fiery dungeon entrance like a broken-winged butterfly.
"Emma!" Scarlett cried, trying to hold her back. "Are you crazy?"
"Mrs. Russell," Emma turned, giving a tragic smile. "Leaving him three years ago was my biggest regret."
Inside the dungeon, George had just subdued Brock when he heard familiar footsteps. He turned in disbelief to see Emma, stumbling towards him, leaning against the wall.
"Emma?" His voice trembled. "How did you..."
She fell into his arms. "I'll never leave you alone again."
The ceiling began to collapse, flames engulfing them from all sides. George held Emma tightly, shielding her with his body. In this life-and-death moment, he had regained his sight, finally able to see the face of the woman he loved.
"Fool," he gently touched her blood-stained face. "Why did you come back?"
Emma weakly raised her hand, her fingers brushing his newly opened eyes. "Because I want to see the cherry blossoms with you for a lifetime."
A burning beam fell towards them, and George instinctively shielded her more tightly. At the last second, a jet of water sprayed from the entrance—Joshua had arrived with the fire department!
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