Silly Bride

Chapter 252

can’t hang around here any longer.”“Over here!” Mason led them ahead. They had walked over ten meters when a pair of headlights blinded them.Riley raised his hand to cover his eyes. Then, he looked at Winnie anxiously and asked, “Did Harold’s men come after us?”The headlights were so piercingly bright that Winnie could not make out the vehicle. Thankfully, Mason yelled out reassuringly, “Don’t worry! He’s with us! Let’s go. We’ll be out of this place soon!”They strode ahead as the car drove closer to them.The car pulled to a stop, and Xavier alighted from the driver’s seat.The only person he could see at that moment was his beloved Dumbo.He reached Winnie in a couple of strides and pulled her into a tight hug. At the same time, he bent over and repeatedly muttered, “You’re safe! Thank God you’re safe.”Winnie returned his hug, relishing the familiar comfort of his embrace. “I’m fine. Look! We saved Professor White! We can cure your disease now, Xavier.”Xavier could sense the joy in her tone, yet he could not bring himself to share her excitement.Instead, he merely tightened his arms around her and croaked through the lump in his throat, “Thank you. It must have been grueling in there.”Winnie chuckled and replied, “Well, we’re out now, so it wasn’t that bad. You should let go of me. We’re technically still on the run.”“All right.” Xavier reluctantly released the woman in his arms before turning his attention to Riley, who stood behind Winnie. He pursed his lips before asking, “Professor White. Remember me?”Riley appraised the tall man before him and quickly recognized Xavier. He exclaimed, “Are you Xavier? Xavier Fairchild?”Nodding, Xavier replied, “Yes, that’s me. Get in the car, then.” Even if Riley had questioned Winnie’s identity before, all his doubts evaporated once he laid eyes on Xavier.Xavier had driven a small military truck to pick them up.Three people could sit in the front. There were even two motorbikes parked in the back.Winnie and Riley took the two front passenger seats.The professor grew emotional as the truck began moving. He asked Xavier, “Will I see Yulissa soon, Xavier?”The mention of her name brought a frown to Xavier’s face. Several seconds later, he answered curtly, “Yes. Soon.”“Great. That’s great,” Riley mumbled in reply. He subconsciously looked out the window to clear his jumbled thoughts.The factory burst into flames at that exact moment, followed by the sound of a massive explosion.It immediately captured everyone’s attention, and Winnie stuck her head out the window to get a better look.Though they were quite far from the factory, she could clearly feel the heat waves from the explosion on her face.She stared at the burning factory in a daze.Xavier noticed the blast later than Winnie, but he quickly realized something was off about her.He could not help but furrow his brows as he asked, “What’s wrong?”She explained, “It didn’t just burn; there’s an explosion too. But Christopher and I never planned to cause an explosion. We only wanted to burn their warehouse to the ground. There must have been an accident.”Her anxiety grew as she spoke. She shot Xavier a frantic look and questioned, “Where is he? Didn’t he come with you?”“No.” Xavier glanced at Winnie before returning his attention to the road. “We divided our tasks precisely. I received their signal from where I stood by, but I never saw him or his men since the beginning.”“No!” Winnie frowned and muttered, “An accident must’ve happened, or there wouldn’t have been an explosion. We can’t just leave them there to fend for themselves.”Xavier silently pondered their options before asking calmly, “What do you want to do? He’s not alone; he has backup. If anything happens to him, they’ll try their best to save him.”His logical explanation did little to soothe Winnie’s nerves. Instead, she insisted, “That’s different! It’s pretty safe for us to escape underground, but they’re out in the open. The enemy could engage them anytime. They’re in a far more dangerous position than us!”“I understand your concerns, but there’s nothing much we can do. We have to prioritize our safety. There’s only one car carrying both you and Professor White. Do you want me to make a U-turn and possibly get all of us killed?”“I wouldn’t ask you to risk the lives of everyone in this car, but Christopher’s my partner. I have to go back for him! I can’t just let him die here without trying to save him. There’s a motorbike in the back. Stop the car and let me get out.”Flummoxed by her suggestion, Xavier glanced at Winnie and demanded, “Do you have any idea what you’re suggesting? You’re willing to sacrifice your life for him?”“He’s my friend, and he once saved my life! I can’t leave him for dead! He doesn’t deserve that!” Winnie shot Xavier a steely gaze and added determinedly, “You don’t understand what they’ve gone through. All of them deserve to live! Their lives are worth so much more than you could imagine! Now stop the car.”“Yes! I know they’re heroes! But I can’t allow you to throw yourself into the jaws of death! He wouldn’t want you to do that either!” With that, Xavier glanced at Winnie and stepped on the gas pedal as hard as he could.Instead of stopping the car as she had asked, he sped up the vehicle in defiance.Winnie frowned at him and pleaded, “Xavier, I know you want the best for me, and I appreciate your care for me, but you can’t stop me. If I don’t go back now, I’ll never forgive myself for the rest of my life. We agreed to retreat together, and I can’t leave without trying to save him.”As she spoke, she resolutely opened the car door.“What are you doing!” Xavier knew she was about to leap out of the car, but with Riley sitting between them and the dimly lit road already testing his navigation skills, he simply could not spare the attention or a third hand to stop her.By the time he removed his leg from the gas pedal, Winnie had jumped out of the passenger seat.She rolled forward and got in front of the truck.Thankfully, Xavier stepped on the brakes just before the truck ran over Winnie.Infuriated by her mad stunt, Xavier stopped the car and jumped out of the driver’s seat.He chased her to the back of the truck only to see Winnie riding off on one of the motorbikes.The engine revved loudly as Winnie shot off into the dark and disappeared before Xavier’s eyes.“Winnie!” Xavier shouted into the darkness in vain.He spun on his heels and hopped onto the other motorbikes in the back of the truck, planning to give chase.He could not allow her to jump headlong into danger alone.Alas, he realized that Winnie had brought the keys to both motorbikes with her. She clearly did not want him to follow her.“D*mn it!” Xavier kicked the motorbike to vent his frustration. He had no choice but to return to the driver’s seat.His best option now was to reunite Riley with Greta and the others, whom he assumed would have a car. Once the professor was safely in their hands, he would return to find Winnie.Meanwhile, Winnie arrived to utter chaos at Harold’s base. The underground lab and warehouse suffered an explosion, while the building above ground was ravaged by fires.She had no idea where Christopher was and instinctively headed toward the sounds of gunfire.The gunshots suddenly disappeared as she approached.She froze, panic-stricken.Winnie feared that the battle had already ended and Christopher was already dead.She suppressed her concerns and sped ahead. Even if she located Christopher’s dead body, she would bring his ashes back to his country.To her utter relief, Christopher was still alive.He was fist-fighting with Harold’s men, and despite his excellent combat skills, he was sorely outnumbered and rapidly put at a disadvantage.Winnie revved up the engine of her motorbike and rammed straight into the crowd.Someone tried to stop her and was mercilessly sent flying. The others quickly backed off to save themselves when they saw that.Only Christopher remained where