The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 188 Tristan Was Missing

Even with a bulletproof vest, the pain shooting through his back was very real.

Tristan gave a lopsided grin—only someone he knew wouldn’t go for a headshot. Sure enough, he turned to see Karl aiming a semi-auto straight at him.

The gunshot had Megan’s heart skipping a beat. "Tristan, are you okay?!"

"I’m fine." Tristan pressed a soft kiss into the phone’s mic. "Be good. I’ll come pick you up soon. Gotta hang up now."

He ended the call and chuckled. "Let me guess—you were so pissed you had to crawl underground to vent?"

Karl narrowed his eyes. "You’re a real piece of work, Tristan."

But the moment the bullet hit Tristan’s back, Karl instantly regretted it. Because every injury Tristan took, Megan would feel too.

"Kinda late for that realization, huh?"

With that, Tristan’s expression darkened. He raised his arm and fired toward Karl.

Karl flinched as the bullet whizzed just above his head. Behind him came the dull thud of someone hitting the ground.

He spun around. A merc had been shot clean between the eyes.

"Grab that guy’s uniform and swap clothes—move!"

Karl grumbled under his breath but did as told.

Tristan scooped up two rifles from the floor, tossed one to Karl, and the two bolted down the command hallway, ducking around a corner to catch their breath.

"You told Cameron yet?"

Tristan smirked. "Haven’t had the chance."

Karl sucked in a sharp breath. So the first call had been to Megan?

He scoffed. "Man, do you have a death wish?"

Tristan glanced over at him, deadpan. "I just don’t want my girl stressing even a second longer than she has to. Not that someone like you would get it."

Meanwhile, a squad of mercs stormed the command room, spotting the body on the floor. Instantly, alarms blared.

Red alert—enemy infiltration detected!

Tristan called Cameron. "How long till you’re here?"

Cameron replied like he’d had an energy drink IV. "Zeta Prime calculated about five more minutes! Hang in there, boss!"

Tristan paused, calculating. "Park the vehicle. I’m betting this whole area’s surrounded. Have Zeta blast open the underground tunnel. Pick me up from there."

"Copy that!"

"And scramble a hundred J-20s to carpet bomb this place. How long till they get here?"

"Ten minutes."

"Perfect," Tristan muttered.

Karl frowned. "Damn, you and your team are scarily in sync."

"Installed tracking systems before this op," Tristan explained. "The base and tunnels were jammed, but once the signal’s back, we know who’s where. It’s called teamwork." He eyed Karl’s skeptical look. "Never heard of it? Tsk. Poor Keith. Getting played by his own guy."

Karl was naturally suspicious—even with close aides, he never let his guard down.

Seeing Tristan’s smug smirk, he snapped, "You really make me wanna deck you."

Tristan grinned. "Well, hey, you did just shoot me. Guess we’re even. Let’s haul ass. Once the jets show up, this place is toast."

He sprang forward, took down a merc rushing past, and slipped right in with the crowd ahead. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Karl glanced at his retreating figure, gave an annoyed sigh, and followed silently.

The base was in total chaos. No one noticed the two of them slipping through.Tristan nudged Karl with his elbow and shot a few hand signals, clearly telling him to go first while he covered the rear.

Karl knew there was no point arguing—Tristan was always stubborn like that. He just gave a short nod.

After the mercenary commander issued orders, their squad scattered around, starting a sweep for intruders.

Tristan and Karl followed them toward the garage, but halfway there, they suddenly veered off toward the tunnel entrance.

A mercenary up front noticed them breaking formation and instantly sensed something was off. He spun around, firing as he shouted, "Intruders! We’ve got intruders!"

The rest of the mercenaries quickly turned back and charged toward them.

Tristan positioned himself at the tunnel entrance and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the oncoming enemies.

Karl glanced up at him. In that split second, he understood what made this man so magnetic. It was because—even under fire—he never abandoned anyone. He carried the weight of others’ survival like it was second nature.

"Go!" Tristan shouted, his voice sharp over the gunfire, then kicked the steel plate in place and planted his foot down on it.

Karl gave it a push—no doubt Tristan was keeping him from jumping back into the fight.

He knew one thing for sure: if he didn’t run now, Tristan wouldn’t leave either.

So he turned and dashed back the way they came.

About two minutes later, an explosion roared somewhere above. The whole tunnel shook, and sand and rocks came raining down on his helmet.

Fighter jets. Karl clenched his fists, worry ripping through him—was Tristan still alive in there?

For once, his concern wasn’t about Megan. This time, he was just being a soldier, trying to make sure his brother-in-arms made it out.

He didn’t stop running—he couldn’t. Tristan was buying him time with his life.

Ten minutes passed. Finally, light appeared ahead. At the tunnel’s mouth stood a robot wielding heavy weaponry.

"Identity verification in process. Subject: Karl. Male. Height: 187 cm. Weight: 75 kg. Vitals: Normal. Mental health: No major concerns. But mood swings and temper issues detected!" Zeta Prime announced like it was reading off a report.

Karl twitched at the corner of his mouth. Just like its damn master—sarcastic bots.

Seeing him, Keith finally let out a breath of relief, tension melting from his face.

But Cameron’s eyes scanned the exit. "Where’s the General?" he asked, tone tight.

"He stayed behind to cover me," Karl replied, though the words tasted bitter on his tongue.

Cameron’s brows pulled together deeply. Everyone knew that much firepower from dozens of J-20s would reduce the place to dust. No human could walk out from that kind of blast.

"Zeta Prime, scan the tunnel for any life signs."

Zeta’s eyes glowed red as it ran a scan. After a few seconds, the light faded.

"We’re done for! No life signs detected. If Master’s gone, what’s the point in me going on?" it wailed dramatically.

It jumped down, sobbing with oil streaking down its face. Then, spotting the minefield ahead, it raised its gun limbs and fired at the mines one by one.

Booms echoed one after another.

Karl took a deep breath and pushed his guilt down. He led the survivors forward, every step weighed down with regret.

He should’ve stayed behind instead. Tristan might’ve made it out. Megan wouldn’t be left in agony like this.

His fingers trembled as he stared at the name on the screen. He didn’t dare hit call.

Not because he feared Megan’s curses, but because he feared no one would pick up.

As he hesitated, Cameron called her. But the line just rang and rang—no answer.

Karl’s heart skipped a beat. A sinking fear hit him—no way... don’t tell me Megan’s—