Chapter 548
Aria’s eyes darkened as her fingers darted toward Tristan’s abdomen. “When was it implanted?”
Tristan forced a bitter smile. “On the very first day I got here… they were afraid I’d run.”
Owen’s heart sank. “What’s the activation radius?”
“Five hundred yards. Step outside that, and the whole hospital’s alarms will go off,” he warned.
Five hundred yards-not even enough to escape the hospital.
Aria and Owen exchanged a knowing glance.
The situation was trickier than expected.
“Scan for its exact location first,” Aria ordered.
Skinny Wolf swiftly stripped the uniform off the fallen guard and tossed a set to Owen. “Captain, you first.”
Then, Skinny Wolf swiftly dragged the bodies into the shadows and wiped away the bloodstains.
The scanning device whirred over Tristan’s abdomen as Aria’s frown deepened. “The chip’s been embedded too long-it’s fused with the surrounding tissue. Extraction won’t be easy,” she said.
After a pause, she added, “There could be a self-destruct mechanism.”
To extract the chip, she would first need to reduce the tissue adhesion.
Only an experienced medical team should perform this surgery; otherwise, it would be dangerously high-risk.
But that wasn’t even the worst part.
If she forcibly removed the chip, it’d trigger the self-destruct mechanism.
First, she needed to figure out how this chip worked.
Aria’s gaze turned glacial. “Use a scrambler to block the tracking signal first.”
She looked up at Skinny Wolf.
Before she could speak, Skinny Wolf caught on. “Aria, I came here specifically to play Dr. Todd’s part. Our team’s waiting outside as backup-count on me to be the decoy.”
Aria said, “Thanks, Skinny Wolf.”
Aria didn’t waste a second-she quickly rummaged through the ER equipment, grabbing what she needed.
She improvised some ECG lead wires using the available tools.
Then, she attached the other end of the lead wire to Skinny Wolf’s chest.
Skinny Wolf started stripping off Tristan’s clothes. “Let’s switch outfits,” he said.
Though frail and near death’s door, Tristan’s temple twitched as he struggled upright. “I’ll do it myself,” he insisted.
Tristan moved slowly, but Skinny Wolf didn’t hesitate-he stepped in to help.
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Chapter 548
Tristan stopped him and turned to Aria. “Turn around,” he said.
Without a word, Aria complied and turned away.
Now in guard uniform, Owen pressed Skinny Wolf’s hand aside. “I’ll take over,” he said.
In a flash, Tristan and Skinny Wolf had swapped outfits.
The cap hid his gray hair and most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible.
Aria steadied him. “Are you okay?”
Tristan nodded. “I’m good.”
Aria warned, “Stay calm. If you get too agitated, it could trigger the alarm.”
Looking at Aria handling everything so calmly, Tristan felt a pang in his chest. ‘She must have been through so much over the years,’ he thought.
Tristan’s eyes grew misty. “Don’t worry,” he said firmly. “After all I’ve been through, I can keep it together.”
Day after day of forced labor had left Tristan completely numb.
He did get emotional for a brief moment when he realized that he would be rescued, but he quickly pulled himself together.
Just then, the Blood Association leader banged on the door and shouted, “Why is the ER locked? Open up-now!”
Skinny Wolf, now wearing a wig and lying on the stretcher, lowered his voice to mimic the dead guard and barked, “Shut it! No interruptions during emergency procedures!”
“Open up now!” the Blood Association leader barked.
Losing all patience, the Blood Association leader moved to force his way in.
Suddenly, the ER doors swung open as the trio wheeled the stretcher out.
Aria shot them an icy glare. “You nearly disrupted emergency procedures. Do it again and I’ll report you without hesitation.”
“Tristan” lay weakly on the stretcher, his head turned to the side, half his face pressed into the padding.
The Blood Association leader scanned the area, then narrowed his eyes. “Where’s the other guard and the doctor?”
Aria’s brows furrowed visibly in displeasure. “He had a stroke and vomited everywhere. The other two are cleaning it up,” she said, clearly annoyed.
