The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 187 When the Line Finally Connected

She tried calling Tristan—no answer.

Then she dialed Karl’s number—still no response.

Megan was getting anxious, but at least there were no bad news—no news was good news, right?

She leaned back against the headboard, yanked at her hair with a sigh heavy enough to press on a heart.

She called Cameron. The line connected after three rings.

"Any update?"

"Still nothing, ma’am. But please don’t worry too much."

Megan made a soft sound in reply. "Just... take care of yourselves too."

After the call ended, she had zero intention of going to bed. Sleep? Not a chance.

She walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. The snowstorm that had raged for days had finally stopped. The night sky outside was heavy and dark.

No one knew when this war without gunpowder would end.

She rested a hand on her belly.

"Baby, please watch over your dad. Bring him back to us safe."

Down below in the dark tunnel, two shadowy figures were carefully making their way forward, bodies crouched low. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The passage stretched endlessly ahead, almost like a pit of uncertainty they couldn’t climb out of. They moved in bursts, pausing now and then.

At one point, they sat down to catch their breath. The air was damp and reeked of mold.

Tristan pulled out a lighter, flicked it open with one snap.

The small flame spread a warm glow around them—enough to show how rough they were looking.

"Man, your face is a mess," Karl chuckled.

Tristan shrugged, grinning. "Still got the charm, though."

Karl let out a slow exhale. "Does Megan know you’re this shameless?"

Tristan snorted. "That’s exactly why she married me."

Karl rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But seriously—why build a tunnel this damn long?"

"From my guess, it’s gotta lead somewhere important," Tristan said like it was obvious.

Karl gave him a look. "Wow. Thanks for the groundbreaking insight."

Unbothered, Tristan added, "Could be a weapons stash, or a place they’re hiding contraband. If we hadn’t fallen down that pit, we wouldn’t have found it."

Karl brushed his messy bangs back. "Your guys still haven’t shown up. My bet? Entry point was sealed."

Tristan gave a dry laugh. "Cameron using his brain? Might as well buy a lottery ticket. Odds are better. He’s no Keith, that’s for sure."

Karl pulled out a pack of cigarettes, knocked out two, and handed Tristan one.

Both of them leaned back against the dirt wall. As smoke curled up and the flame dimmed away, they stood again and kept going.

Roughly half an hour later, they saw a flicker of light ahead.

"I’ll scout first. You follow," Tristan said quietly.

Karl shook his head. "If anyone’s dying, it’s not gonna be you."

Tristan gave him a look. "If people don’t know you’re doing all this for Megan, they’re really gonna think you’re into me."

Karl muttered, "That’s just nasty, man."

And just like that, Karl took the lead with Tristan right behind him.

Above the light, footsteps passed from time to time. They waited it out. After a while, Karl reached up and nudged a steel plate.

He carefully lifted it just a fraction and took a peek. Bright flames lit up the scene beyond. Tanks rolled past. The crack of gunfire echoed in the air.

Calmly, he lowered the panel and looked back at Tristan.

"It’s a military base. Remember when Jacob Scott traced those calls and pinpointed this area? Looks like this is their main hub."

Tristan paused, blinking. "Well... guess Scott wasn’t wrong. Didn’t you want to break his arm back then?"There wasn’t a flicker of hesitation in Karl’s eyes. "Let it break then. His hands are soaked in blood anyway."

Tristan listened closely to the heavy footsteps and the hum of engines overhead. "I’ll go up and try to reach Cameron. You stay here."

"No way."

Tristan chuckled. "With that scrawny build of yours, you’re honestly not fooling anyone. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. My wife’s life—my responsibility."

Karl muttered, "Who are you calling scrawny?"

About an hour passed, and the noise from above finally died down like someone had hit pause on the world.

Tristan pushed against the metal plate, making a small opening. Those guys probably went to get some rest.

He shoved the plate aside quickly and slipped out, then pulled it shut behind him.

Karl felt a knot in his chest. He was seriously on edge. What if something happened to Tristan? If he went down, Megan wouldn’t make it either. For the first time, he genuinely regretted crafting that damn sorcery worm.

Hesitating only for a moment, he followed suit, prying the metal open and climbing out.

He landed near the edge of what looked like a garage. All around him, rows of armored vehicles stood lined up. He ducked into a nearby shadowy corner.

Pulling out his phone, he cursed under his breath. No signal. Just great. If he couldn’t connect, what else could he do? He had to find Tristan—it was their only shot.

Meanwhile, in front of a pile of rubble, Zeta Prime was crouched over, rummaging through debris with its robotic butt sticking up.

Cameron frowned. "Wait... you think the boss is down there?"

Zeta didn’t say a word. It was the first time Cameron had seen it this quiet. Maybe it was just... too torn up to talk.

He gave Zeta a light pat on its metal dome. "Hey, don’t worry. The boss’s not the type to go down that easy."

Zeta kept digging and finally found a gap. It twisted its head, voice sharp, "Cameron! There’s a tunnel under here!"

Cameron and Keith rushed over, eyes lighting up, just about to drop in.

Zeta let out its signature weird little laugh. "Hold up, lemme scan how deep it goes."

Bending down, it scanned the space. "At least fifteen kilometers, based on biological readings."

"Can you figure out where it ends?" Cameron asked.

Zeta shook its head. "No signal bounce-back. It’s probably jammed. But we can follow along up top."

Cameron nodded, hope creeping into his eyes again. He turned to the team and called out, "Form up! Get the rides ready!"

From a distance, a convoy of rugged Land Rovers and a robot driver dashed across the barren plains under the moonlight.

Back in the enemy base, the man everyone was worried sick about was currently hunkered behind a hulking mercenary armed with a monstrous machine gun.

Tristan’s eyes were sharp as blades, burning with resolve. The second the guy turned his head, he twisted his neck clean.

Stripping the body, he threw on the enemy’s uniform and cap, hefted the gear, and walked straight into the command room like he belonged there.

Inside, only three guards stood post. Seeing his Eastern features, they froze for a beat, then went for their weapons.

But before any of them got their finger around the trigger, bullets tore through their chests like paper. Lights out.

Spotting the jamming device in the corner, Tristan rushed over and disabled it.

He pulled out his phone, hand trembling as he saw full bars. Then, he pressed the number burned into his heart.

As the line connected, his voice softened, "Megan..."

"Tristan?! Oh my god, are you okay?"

Her voice cracked, full of joy and panic. "What about Karl? I tried calling both of you—I was losing my mind!"

Tristan’s smile faded. "He’s still hiding underground."

Suddenly—Bang! A shot rang out. A bullet slammed into his back.