Chapter 675: I'm Tough and Resilient
Since they had posted online, Jared's phone had been bombarded without a moment's pause. If it weren't for the fear of missing important messages, Jared would have turned his phone off. Sitting next to Tina, he poured her a glass of water and whispered, "Don't worry, I'm tough and can take it."
Tina laughed, "I won't let you get beaten up!"
Jared freed one hand to ruffle Tina's hair, his smile brightening under the sunlight, "My Tina is the best."
After eating, Tina lay on a wicker chair in the yard, admiring the small courtyard. The courtyard was simple and clean, with a space next to the gate dedicated to various medicinal herbs. Flowers and plants surrounded the herb garden, a swing set and a stone table stood in the middle, and the wicker chair was placed under a willow tree in the yard. A breeze passed, calming Tina's heart.
She had spent ten years in Serenity Ridge, living a secluded life with minimal outside contact, her heart filled only with vengeance. Now, she was living the life she yearned for.
Tina turned to look at Jared, who was cleaning up dishes in the open kitchen, unable to hide her smile, "Uncle, when did you set up this cottage? How come you never mentioned it?"
"After we came to Ashbury, I started looking for a place like this. It's easy to find a farmhouse, but it takes time to find one that's both quiet and in a good environment," Jared said, organizing the cleaned dishes and joining Tina on the adjacent wicker chair, taking her hand in his long fingers.
"The owner of this cottage passed away at a hundred years old, and his son wanted to sell and leave Ashbury, so I bought it."
The cottage had belonged to a centenarian couple who had lived together from the time they met and married until their deaths. They had struggled for their careers in their youth and retired to seclusion in their old age, living a life of envy.
What he envied most was their lifelong, unwavering love. He hoped to grow old with his Tina. Buying the cottage, he hoped to share in the couple's good fortune, allowing him and Tina to live the life they desired.
Jared lifted Tina's hand and kissed her delicate, fair skin, softly saying, "Tina, I know you like peace. I originally planned to settle here when we got older, but I couldn't wait to bring you sooner. Once I catch that poisonous rat, we'll move here and live our own life."
Tina, already fond of the cottage, fell in love with it even more at Jared's words, "This is exactly the life I want."
The two lay on the lounge chairs, chatting and enjoying the cool breeze, and fell asleep without realizing it.
Suddenly, Tina sat up abruptly, her forehead colliding with Jared's nose.
Jared covered his nose, looking at Tina helplessly.
"Stephanie!"
Jared rubbed Tina's head, "What about her?"
"This morning, she told me her brother is locked up in the Alderanth sanatorium with someone likely named Eric," Tina explained.
"Let's go see Stephanie now," Jared said.
Thus, Jared and Tina, initially planning to stay the night in the cottage, had to change their plans.
Jared had drunk at lunch and couldn't drive, so he called Nathan to pick them up.
Soon, Nathan arrived and drove towards the hospital. Halfway there, a bright red sports car suddenly darted from the roadside and blocked the road. Nathan coldly stated, "Mr. Farrell, someone is blocking the way." Jared, protecting Tina, said, "Let's go down and check."
Nathan unbuckled his seatbelt and got out to investigate.
Nathan knocked on the car door but found no response from the man inside. Frowning, his years of combat experience made him instantly cautious. He signaled a danger sign to Jared inside the car and then opened the door. As he did, a sharp steel knife thrust out from the car, aiming straight for Nathan's neck. Nathan quickly dodged and grabbed the wrist holding the knife, pulling the man out of the car.
The two struggled, but it was clear the man was no match for Nathan, who threw him to the ground with barely a move. However, as Nathan threw the man down, the man's head came off, spewing a pool of blood. Passersby screamed and retreated in horror. Nobody had ever witnessed such a terrifying scene-a man's head being knocked off on a busy street!
Nathan was also stunned. He hadn't even used much force; indeed, even at full strength, it shouldn't be possible to decapitate a person like that. Moreover, if human heads were that detachable, Hayden would have lost his head countless times by now! But Nathan soon realized something was off. This was not a human-it was a bionic robot!
Jared and Tina also got out of the car and saw the now signal-less bionic robot on the ground, their expressions cold. Then, cries for help echoed from the crowd. Tina turned to see a woman relentlessly kicking a man between his legs with no mercy, the man nearly unconscious from pain. Some onlookers tried to pull the woman away, but she swung a weapon at the one closest to her.
Tina rushed forward and broke the woman's arm. The arm snapped off and fell to the ground. After the initial shock of seeing a decapitation, the crowd was no longer as surprised, now completely numb.
Suddenly, a wildly speeding motorcycle appeared, recklessly heading towards the crowd. Jared quickly stepped forward, leaping over the roofs of three cars to restrain the motorcycle. The rider broke in half at the waist, instantly turning into two pieces. Jared kicked the out-of-control motorcycle, extinguishing its engine, and it spun a few times before stopping. Jared, holding the upper half of the body, said, "Fake as well."
They were all bionic robots suddenly attacking people. Tina, with furrowed brows, wondered how three rogue bionic robots could suddenly appear on the street. Just then, Nathan's phone rang-it was Hayden.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
"The hospital suddenly has many assailants, damn it, we can't control it anymore, they're of all ages!"
Jared also received a call, from his company.
"Mr. Farrell, many strangers have broken into the company, fighting and smashing-what should we do?"