Chapter 24: Ian Chandler

"You guys are good people.

We just went to a few other houses, but none of them would open their doors.

One of them had even reinforced their walls and gate in advance, making them higher and thicker, like they were guarding against thieves."

Orson Walsh was in a good mood, speaking as he ate.

Nina Jacobs ate her meal methodically. ’The house with the reinforced walls and gate must be where Liam Grant and his group are staying.’

After eating and drinking their fill, the men sprawled lazily on the sofa.

George Crawford, however, got up and went outside. A moment later, he returned, leading a young man inside.

Daniel Hale was stunned for a moment when he saw the young man.

He looked familiar, but Daniel couldn’t recall where he might have seen him before.

The young man was quite handsome, but his hands were tied behind his back, making it hard not to be suspicious.

"This is my younger brother. He has some mental health issues.

He’s been having an episode lately, so we had to restrain him."

George Crawford explained.

"I see."

Daniel Hale was furious but didn’t dare say a word.

’Younger brother? Yeah, right.’

’The boy had the refined looks of someone from a wealthy family. He couldn’t imagine why these men had captured him.’

"Mom, have some fresh-squeezed juice."

Nina Jacobs brought over the juice, pouring a glass for Vera Coleman and Leo Hale, then another for herself and Daniel Hale.

She pointedly left out George Crawford and his men.

Seeing this, Mr Abbott licked his lips. "Hey, miss, is there any more juice?"

"You want some too? Of course."

Nina Jacobs poured a glass for each of them, smiling as she watched them drink it down without suspicion.

Her gaze fell on the young man behind George Crawford. ’That’s him. That’s Ian Chandler, the one I’ve been looking for.’

Ian Chandler was also looking at her, his expression unreadable.

His eyes were pleading for help.

Nina Jacobs pretended not to notice as Daniel Hale prepared to take George Crawford and his men to the backyard to rest.

The light in Ian Chandler’s eyes dimmed.

’This family is too weak.’

’There’s no way for me to escape.’

Ian Chandler lowered his head, falling silent. His hands, tied behind his back, were so painful they’d gone numb. Four of his fingers had been brutally broken by these degenerates.

He was shoved along by the men, each step pushing him deeper into despair.

’If I ask for help,’ he thought, ’not only can this family not fight back, but my fate will be even more miserable.’

"That poor boy..."

Vera Coleman had noticed it too. Blood was seeping from Ian Chandler’s wrists, and several of his fingers hung at unnatural angles. He was obviously being held against his will.

"Wait a little longer."

Nina Jacobs listened to the men’s chatter. When she overheard that they had only captured Ian Chandler this morning, she breathed a sigh of relief.

’It seemed that although Ian was injured, he hadn’t been... violated. Not yet.’

’But if she’d been any later, it would have been a different story.’

In the maid’s room in the backyard, Ian Chandler was thrown heavily onto the bed.

"Hey, boss, keep it down. It’s broad daylight. Don’t let the family see what’s going on."

Orson Walsh leaned against Mr Abbott, feeling incredibly drowsy.

"What’s there to be afraid of? We’ve got guns."

Old Wang pinched Ian Chandler’s cheek, but George Crawford quickly stopped him.

"Don’t touch his face. I want to admire it later."

With that, George Crawford shooed the others out of the room.

’He’d always been into this, but he’d never had the chance to get his hands on a real prize like Ian Chandler before.’

"Heh heh, let me get a good look at you."

"I’ll kill you."

Ian Chandler had never suffered such a humiliation.

As George Crawford leaned in, the foul stench rolling off him in waves made Ian want to gag.

To Ian Chandler, every second felt like torture by a thousand cuts.

An unknown amount of time passed before a loud THUD echoed through the room. George Crawford cried out, clutching the back of his head.

He looked behind him and was shocked to see Nina Jacobs.

"You... you’re asking for it."

He struggled to his feet, but his body felt impossibly heavy.

’Did I not use enough of the drug?’ Nina wondered.

Nina Jacobs caught George Crawford’s stumbling punch with one hand, then drove her other foot viciously into his groin!

"AHHH!!"

Another bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

Daniel Hale and Leo Hale rushed in right behind her, just in time to witness the brutal scene.

Meanwhile, Nina Jacobs, completely unscathed, was already untying the ropes on Ian Chandler’s hands and feet.

"You... what about them...?"

Ian Chandler was still dazed. ’How was George Crawford so easy to defeat?’

"They’re all asleep, so you’re safe now.

Let me take you to get bandaged up."

Nina Jacobs explained simply.

The drug she had used on the men was the same one she’d taken from Ben Stone and his mother.

’I had originally planned to drug their food but worried George Crawford might be suspicious, so I changed my plan at the last minute.’

’It seems my new plan worked quite well.’

"How did you know they’d be suspicious of us?"

Leo Hale couldn’t help but ask in the Hale family’s bright living room.

Nina Jacobs was carefully disinfecting and bandaging Ian Chandler’s wounds, her movements surprisingly skillful.

"Wicked men are always treacherous. It never hurts to be prepared."

Nina Jacobs replied.

"Thank you..."

It took a long moment for Ian Chandler to process everything, to finally realize he had truly been saved.

He had hidden in his car for days, starving and cold, only forced to leave when it became flooded. But the moment he got out, he’d run into George Crawford and his men.

"Your injuries are only physical.

If you need to vent, you can go and beat them up."

Nina Jacobs remembered that in her past life, even though Ian Chandler’s life had been saved, the psychological trauma remained. He would even vomit uncontrollably at the mere sight of a bed.

Later, after she helped him find his birth mother, Myra Lawson, Nina had left. She’d heard that Myra hired the best therapists for him to no avail. They had even invited Nina over a few times for help, but in the end, Ian Chandler couldn’t overcome his inner demons and died from depression.

Myra Lawson had told her that before he died, Ian was always thinking of Nina, and he even left her many of the items from his personal space...

’But this time, Ian Chandler has only suffered physical injuries and terror. Perhaps the deep psychological trauma hasn’t set in yet.’

"Beat them... up?"

Ian Chandler’s lips trembled, the terror in his eyes beginning to fade.

"That’s right. If you don’t dare to do it, I’ll go with you.

We’ve got them all tied up anyway."

Leo Hale was itching for more. He had just found a number of infuriating photos on the men’s phones.

They had taken advantage of the acid rain over the last few days to commit all sorts of evil acts, including murder.

People like them were a cancer on society.

"Okay. I’ll go beat them up."

As soon as Ian Chandler said that, Nina Jacobs felt a wave of relief.

’Good. It’s not too late.’

"Don’t worry, they’re not going anywhere.

You need to get some rest first."

Nina Jacobs reached out and felt Ian Chandler’s forehead, discovering he was running a low-grade fever.

In his terrified state, he probably hadn’t slept in a long time.

’Of course, this could also be a sign of a Superpower awakening,’ she thought. ’After all, the Ian Chandler of my past life was a Space Superpower User.’

"Okay."

Ian Chandler nodded and obediently followed Leo Hale to a guest room.

"He’s still just a kid. Those men are truly evil," Vera Coleman said, shaking her head and sighing.

"I wonder when this acid rain will stop. It’s like some kind of evil curse." The thought of George Crawford and his men locked up in their backyard made Daniel Hale even more agitated.

"It should be soon,"

Nina Jacobs replied.

’If nothing goes wrong, the acid rain will stop tomorrow night.’

’But what comes next will be true hell.’

"Let’s hope so. The flooding outside is already terrible.

If this keeps up for another three or five days, I’m afraid our home will be in danger, too."

"What are your plans?"

Nina Jacobs suddenly asked.