Chapter 427: A Gunshot Pierced the Night

A gunshot pierced the night.

Adrian Stone gripped Elena Ward's hand so tightly his knuckles turned white. In the darkness, his eyes burned like a wounded wolf's, torn between duty and desire.

"Stay hidden! Don't come out!" His voice was hoarse, each word ground out between clenched teeth.

Elena knew what he was thinking. The frontline needed him. The wounded needed him. She nodded firmly. "I'll stay concealed."

She pointed to a crevice between nearby rocks. "That's well-hidden. I can keep digging from there without being spotted."

When Adrian released her hand, she felt her heart tear open.

"When we get back..." He hesitated. "We'll get married."

Then he turned and vanished into the night, his silhouette resolute.

Elena scrambled into the rocky fissure. The cold stone pressed against her cheek, its chill seeping into her bones. She drew her pistol and chambered a round.

The cave entrance was only half-excavated. Another mudslide could bury them at any moment. But continuing now would make her a target.

She reached into the opening, her fingers brushing Dr. Alice Monroe' icy hand.

"Alice!" Elena whispered urgently. "Enemy ambush. We have to stop digging. Tell everyone to hold hands—no matter what, don't let go!"

Her healing force flowed through their connected hands. She could feel her energy draining rapidly.

Gunfire grew closer. Sparks from bullets ricocheting off rocks flashed like fireflies in the dark.

Elena gritted her teeth. Water dripping from the rocks soaked through her clothes, the cold slithering through her veins like venom. But she couldn't let go.

These soldiers had shielded her with their bodies. Now it was her turn.

Alice's fingers twitched. A weak pulse of energy answered Elena's call.

"Hold on..." Elena's voice trembled. "You must...hold on..."

Her energy neared exhaustion. Darkness crept at the edges of her vision. In her fading consciousness, she thought she saw Adrian moving through gunfire.

The gunshots, explosions, shouts...everything faded away.

Only two sensations remained—the faint warmth in her palm, and one unwavering thought: Don't let go...never let go...

Then darkness swallowed her completely.