Chapter 690 - 689

690 Chapter 689

Keira and her team set out under the cover of night.

Standing on the deck, Keira stared ahead. The night sea was an endless stretch of pitch black, an abyss with no bottom in sight.

Lewis stood behind her and asked, “You scared?”

“Of what?” Keira shot back.

This dark, empty sea was just like the life she’d lived in the shadows—nothing new or frightening about it.

Lewis’s tone remained calm. “It’s about a four-hour trip to the Country A border. No signal out here, just satellite phones. I just got word that Professor Barry Brandt’s already en route. We shouldn’t run into any trouble. If everything goes smoothly, we’ll pick him up and head straight back home.”

Keira nodded, then asked, “And if it doesn’t go smoothly?”

“Then we move to Plan B. Don’t worry—we’re getting him back, one way or another,” Lewis said with the kind of steady confidence that put Keira at ease.

She didn’t know much about Lewis’s connections abroad, but hearing him speak so assuredly made her nod again. “You know people in Country A?”

He nodded. “I know a few.”

He then reached out and gave her a reassuring pat on the head. “Either way, no need to stress tonight.”

Keira nodded once more.

“Teehee…”

A teasing laugh interrupted their conversation. Both of them turned to see Erin leaning casually against the ship’s railing, still snacking on pistachios. Noticing their attention, she grinned. “Go on, don’t mind me. Watching you two lovebirds is way more entertaining than I thought. Even someone like Mr. Horton knows how to tell little white lies, huh?”

Keira frowned. “What lies?”

Erin pouted. “If there’s really no danger, why would Mr. Horton be here with you in person? You two are the strongest fighters in your whole crew, right?”

Lewis shot her a cold glare.

Erin immediately mimed zipping her lips shut. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop poking holes in your story! But honestly, Keira’s not exactly the type who needs a pep talk. So what’s with the comforting words?”

Lewis’s face darkened further.

Erin didn’t stop. “Oh, I get it now! Is it because Keira’s afraid of the water? I remember hearing something about how Keira and Keera almost drowned in Oceanion? And Keera… didn’t make it out, right?”

Keira’s gaze turned sharp.

Lewis’s expression grew even more menacing, but Erin wasn’t the least bit scared of him. It was only when Keira’s cold stare landed on her that Erin finally closed her mouth.

She still acted tough but at least went quiet.

Keira turned her attention back to the dark ocean.

Erin’s comment had hit close to home.

She was, in fact, uneasy. The ocean had almost taken her life once, and it had claimed her sister’s. Those memories made her wary of the water even now.

Lewis’s reassuring words had eased that tension, but Erin’s insistence on digging into it wasn’t exactly helpful.

Keira furrowed her brows and refocused on the sea ahead.

The boat sped across the waves, and true to Lewis’s word, they arrived near the Country A coast four hours later.

As they neared the shore, all the lights and engines were shut off. They let the boat drift in silently until they were close enough to land. Then they hid quietly, waiting in the darkness.

Lewis checked his phone. “Five minutes. Professor Brandt should be here soon.”

As he spoke, Keira noticed shadows moving along the coastline.

“Border patrol,” Lewis explained.

Keira’s heart raced. But he quickly added, “Don’t worry. They’ll be gone in under a minute. We’ve timed everything perfectly.”

Sure enough, the patrol officers swept the area with their flashlights and then moved on, leaving the coast clear.

Keira finally exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

Erin sidled over, her breathing a little heavier. “This is so nerve-wracking… feels like we’re pulling off a heist or something…”

Keira just shot her an exasperated look before returning her focus to the shoreline.

Erin continued with a cheeky smile. “You think it’s really going to go off without a hitch?”

Keira eyed her. “As long as you don’t stir up trouble, everything will go according to plan.”

Just as she finished speaking, headlights appeared in the distance.

“They’re here,” Lewis said calmly.

Erin blinked in surprise. “Only one car?”

Lewis glanced at her dismissively. “We’re extracting Professor Brandt, not his entire research team. We’re not here for a mass evacuation, so what were you expecting?”

Erin pouted. “Geez, no need to be so harsh.”

“Too noisy,” Keira muttered, shutting her up instantly.

Lewis didn’t know what to say.

Keira’s tension grew as the car drew closer. Her jaw clenched as she focused intently on its approach.

Almost there…

Just a few more seconds and the car would be right at the dock. Then they could extract Professor Brandt and be on their way…

But just as everything seemed to be going according to plan, the same patrol officers from earlier suddenly reappeared, flashlights blazing as they surrounded the car.

“Freeze!”

Motorcycles roared to life, closing in and blocking the vehicle from the front and rear.