Chapter 692: Opposing Sides

Alvin caught a whiff of smoke. He glanced outside, and his expression instantly darkened.

Although this place was remote, it bordered a vast stretch of wilderness.

If the flames spread to the hills, the entire mountain could go up in flames.

The consequences would be unimaginable.

Alvin turned to one of the officers. “Call the fire department immediately. We need them here to put this out!”

The officer didn’t dare delay and rushed to carry out the order.

Meanwhile, Alvin rallied the remaining officers to find tools and attempt to extinguish the fire themselves.

Chandler scanned the factory, his eyes darting across the scene.

He was searching for Rachel.

The kidnappers had been apprehended, but Rachel was nowhere to be found.

They hadn’t heard a sound from her, nor seen a trace.

The factory was massive, and it took Chandler a full five minutes to check every corner.

When he entered the control room, his gaze immediately fell on the table smeared with fresh blood.

The blood hadn’t completely dried yet. A sinking feeling gripped his chest. He was almost certain it belonged to Rachel.

He imagined what had happened here last night.

The thought of Rachel’s kidney being forcibly removed filled him with a deep sense of guilt.

At that moment, all Chandler wanted was to find her, to confirm whether she was still alive.

Alvin burst in from outside, his urgency evident. “Chandler, the wind’s picked up. The fire’s spreading fast. We need to evacuate now!”

The toxic smoke from the burning grass had begun to seep into the factory.

Chandler covered his mouth and nose. “I know! But we haven’t found her yet. Give me a few more minutes!”

He was certain Rachel couldn’t have gone far in her condition. He couldn’t just leave her behind.

“Hurry! If we don’t get out now, the fire will trap us! None of us will make it!”

Alvin grabbed Chandler by the arm, trying to drag him out.

They had only taken a few steps when they suddenly saw Rachel.

Alvin pointed toward a figure lying on the ground not far away, “Is that her?”

Rachel had been partially obscured earlier, so Chandler hadn’t noticed her.

Chandler ran over to her without hesitation.

As soon as he touched Rachel’s body, his fingers trembled.

Her skin was ice-cold, devoid of warmth.

Rachel’s eyes were shut tight, her face deathly pale.

Chandler instinctively reached for the pulse at her neck.

When he felt the faint, fragile rhythm of life, he exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Alvin was stunned by the scene.

Though he had handled countless cases as a police officer, it was the first time he’d witnessed such brutality. The thought of those criminals forcibly removing Rachel’s kidney left him in disbelief.

Rachel’s condition was dire. She needed immediate medical attention.

Without hesitation, Chandler scooped her up in his arms and sprinted toward the exit.

The movement must have aggravated her wounds because Rachel’s brows knit together in pain. Her eyelids fluttered open just a sliver.

She couldn’t make out the face above her. After being trapped in darkness for so long, the sudden light was too harsh on her. She squinted before closing her eyes again.

“It’s me.”

Chandler’s voice was steady yet urgent as he ran. “Rachel, stay with me. I’m taking you to the hospital. You’re safe now. Don’t be scared.”

Rachel’s lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came out.

Alvin followed closely behind. Outside, a police car had been prepared to transport Rachel to the hospital.

“Chandler, I’ll stay here to manage the scene. You go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Chandler nodded. This factory was a crime scene, and protocol required it to be preserved. Besides, there were several bodies from the violent clash there, waiting for them to deal with.

The police had to investigate the scene, and even though the fire was raging, Alvin needed to stay.

Not far away, Andy watched silently from behind a tree.

Seeing Chandler find Rachel and take her away, Andy let out a long breath of relief.

The factory was on the outskirts. It would take some time to reach the city.

Andy prayed silently, hoping Rachel could hold on.

Several of Daniel’s loyal subordinates had been cuffed and loaded into police cars.

Of course, many of Andy’s men had also been captured.

Some of those men had been with Andy for years.

Initially, Andy had been confident about his chances against Daniel.

He hadn’t expected the police to show up and trap them like this.

His expression grew grim.

He wasn’t worried about his subordinates betraying him, and if not for his concern for Rachel’s safety, he wouldn’t have walked into such an obvious trap.

Andy had always been cautious. He’d never made such a huge mistake before.

Chandler had personally captured his men.

The Chandler he remembered from over a decade ago, hungry and desperate in the countryside, seemed to have become someone entirely different.

A mix of emotions churned in Andy’s heart.

Chandler had once been his closest friend, someone he could share anything with. Now, they were enemies on opposite sides.

The midday sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling the ground in patches of light.

Andy’s figure was hidden in the shadow of a large tree as the police vehicle carrying Chandler sped away under the sun.

Meanwhile, officers continued battling the flames while combing the mountain for any suspects who had managed to flee.

Andy had just been shot and hit on the back of the head with a baton by Daniel, and now his mind was in a haze.

To avoid capture, he had no choice but to slip away.

He moved in the opposite direction from Chandler, his steps growing fainter as he disappeared into the distance.

Rachel’s body was alarmingly cold.

After getting her into the car, Chandler immediately turned on the heat.

Her clothes were soaked in blood, much of it dried and caked against her ashen face; the sight was harrowing.

Chandler’s brows knit tightly together. He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

“Rachel, don’t close your eyes,”

He tried to keep her awake, “You have to hang on. If you don’t, how will I face your brother?”

Rachel was only twenty-three.

She was in the prime of her life. Chandler felt she didn’t deserve to die like this.

At the mention of Andy, her lashes trembled slightly.

She opened her eyes just a little. “Chandler, my brother… is still…”

Her voice was too faint for him to hear clearly.

He leaned closer instinctively. “What? What about your brother?”

Rachel’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

She hadn’t eaten anything the entire day yesterday, and with the recent miscarriage, she was extremely weak.

Every word she tried to say sent waves of pain through her. She couldn’t produce a sound.