Chapter 186

“Where… where am I?” “Am… am I dead?”

Cameron’s weak voice echoed faintly in the chaotic environment. His body felt weightless, as if floating in mid-air. He tried to open his eyes, but despite his efforts, his eyelids remained heavy, refusing to open even a crack. His consciousness drifted.

This continued until a moment of clarity. Ripples spread in the space before him, quickly expanding to envelop his body. The murky world sharpened into focus. He found himself on the rooftop of a high-rise building, at least twenty-four stories high. The wind was strong. He recognized the place instantly: it was where his mother had jumped when he was a child. He wondered how he'd arrived here. His heart ached.

Just as the unbelievable scene registered, he saw a familiar figure in the distance—a figure from his memories. His heart clenched.

“Mom!”

The words escaped his lips, but she seemed oblivious. With her back to him, she walked toward the rooftop's edge. Cameron observed her odd behavior, his pupils contracting. It mirrored the scene fifteen years ago.

Chapter 186 (Note: There seems to be a numbering error. The original text jumps from Chapter 186 to 126 and then back to 186. I've removed the erroneous Chapter 126 section.)

His mother had handed him an emerald bracelet and told him to look after himself before leaping from the twenty-fourth-floor rooftop. Now, this scene was about to repeat itself. He had to stop her.

“Mom!” he shouted, trying to prevent her suicide. But his cries seemed unheard. The woman walked to the edge, looked up at the sky, and murmured, “Mom needs to go now. Take care of yourself.” She prepared to jump.

“Mom, don’t jump!”

His voice was hoarse. The tragedy from fifteen years ago crashed over him like a tidal wave. He desperately tried to rush forward, but he remained rooted in place.

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept through the sky, instantly darkening it. The woman leaped from the rooftop amidst Cameron’s desperate shouts.

“Mom!”

Cameron let out a hoarse scream, reliving the scene. “Mom!”

Simultaneously, a roar erupted in Room 302 of Yrando’s General Hospital. Cameron, unconscious on the hospital bed, abruptly opened his eyes. He sat up, panting heavily. His heavy breaths filled the room. The next moment, abdominal pain made him gasp. He looked down at the IV drip in his arm and the bandages wrapped around his body. He realized the events with his mother had been a nightmare. He hadn’t died.

“Cameron, you’ve finally woken up!”

A startled voice interrupted his thoughts. He expected Laura, but instead, he saw Lena’s surprised expression.

“Colonel Bailey?”

Cameron was stunned by her presence, but he had no time to dwell on it. Remembering his entrapment in the ruins with Laura, and her current absence, he asked, “Colonel Bailey, where is Ms. Jones? Is she okay?”