Awakening the War God

Chapter 118 Playing Dirty

The Davis family's mansion, deep within the underground garage.

Victoria gripped a dagger, its cold steel pressed against the throat of Jack.

By her side, Joseph cradled Dellis, playfully tossing the child into the air and catching him, eliciting joyful giggles from the little one, who only found it interesting.

Erica, the child's mother, held her phone, trembling all over.

Her gaze never left her child, her heart pounding with fear.

"I... I've called my sister. Please, don't harm my child!" Erica's voice trembled with desperation.

Her hands mirrored Joseph's actions, involuntarily reaching out to catch the child each time he was thrown into the air.

She had no choice but to deceive her sister into coming here.

"Well done. With Stella here, we can lure that little scoundrel Gabriel over and take care of him!"

Joseph remarked with a sinister grin, holding the child. "Mr. Davis, I believe we're quite close friends. Why can't you just place some trust in me? Do you really think I would harm your child?"

"Don't worry, given our friendship, I'd never harm this little guy. Once we have Stella here, I'll return your child to you!" Joseph continued.

After Joseph snatched the child earlier, Jack turned hostile toward him.

He was clearly overestimating himself and acting recklessly.

With a snort, Jack retorted, "Joseph, considering your background, why haven't you made your escape? If you leave now, your godfather can surely protect you. Why insist on facing off with Gabriel?"

"You don't understand a thing!" Joseph snapped. "Once I leave the Davis mansion, I'll be exposed, nowhere to hide. If that scoundrel Gabriel catches up to me, it'll be a disaster! I can guarantee Gabriel came prepared today; the perimeter is undoubtedly a trap!"

"Leaving increases the odds of dying, while waiting in ambush here offers a glimmer of hope. Once we eliminate Gabriel, things might take a turn for the better!"

"Besides, beneath this villa lies a significant secret-a hidden passage!"

"In case things go south, hiding inside is safer than risking the unknown outside!"

Jack's expression shifted. "You're aware of the secret passage as well?"

Joseph disclosing this information was unexpected.

Earlier, Jack had sought refuge inside the mansion, hoping to escape through the secret passage.

It was a top secret of the Davis family, known only to Jack, Elijah, and their recently deceased father.

"Of course I know!" Joseph grinned. "That passage was dug under the orders of my godfather."

As the two conversed, the elevator leading to the underground garage suddenly made its movement.

The red arrow pointing downwards changed from 1 to -1!

"It must be Stella!" Joseph clutched Dellis and signaled to his henchmen.

Several of his men concealed themselves on either side of the elevator.

Then, Joseph smiled and confidently approached the elevator.

"Ding."

The red arrow turned to -2!

The elevator doors opened.

"Surprise!"

Indeed, the person inside the elevator was Stella.

"It's you!" Stella was take aback to see Joseph standing at the elevator entrance.

And only when she saw her panicked sister did she realize what happened.

She had been duped.

"Yes, it's me. I lured you here for ..."

"For me?" As Joseph felt a surge of satisfaction, suddenly, Gabriel's voice cut through the tension from behind Stella.

Joseph paled, seeing Gabriel emerge from the shadows, gripping a gun with unwavering determination.

In the rush of the moment, there was no time to dodge.

He instinctively lifted the child, shielding his head.

But still, Gabriel fired.

A sharp "bang" pierced the air.

Erica covered her mouth in shock, and Stella's heart contracted, worried if the child had been hit.

The bullet grazed the child's clothing and struck Joseph's chest.

Joseph staggered backward, his grip on the child loosening.

"Dellis!"

In that moment, Erica abandoned everything else and lunged forward, managing to catch the child.

She hit the ground hard, but the child was safe in her arms.

"Huh?" Gabriel was perplexed.

He had hit Joseph, but why wasn't this guy bleeding from the chest?

Without dwelling on it, he seized the opportunity and fired two more shots.

But it seemed that the earlier shot had little impact on Joseph.

He swiftly leaped behind a pillar, his movements astonishingly fast, and Gabriel's shots missed their mark.

"You little punk, you're wearing body armor!" Gabriel realized, now certain of it.

There was no doubt that Joseph had donned body armor.

Otherwise, that earlier shot would have left a bloody hole in this scoundrel.

It was a shame that the first surprise attack hadn't been decisive, and subsequently, this guy had been prepared, rendering the gun essentially useless!

At the same time, Lone Wolf, Victoria, and Fox all sought cover, disappearing from view.

As they hid, footsteps echoed from the staircase.

Maria and Leon, members of the supervision team, burst out from the staircase.

"Erica!"

Seeing her sister tumble hard to the ground, Stella rushed to her side, helping her up.

"Come with me!"

After assisting her sister, Stella led her over to Gabriel's side.

Right now, she only trusted Gabriel. She felt safest with him.

Instantly, both sides faced off.

Joseph, concealed behind a pillar, growled, "Gabriel, you scumbag, you dared to ambush me!"

Had he not been wearing body armor, that earlier shot would have likely been lethal.

"Ambush?" Gabriel sneered. "Yes, I ambushed you. What are you going to do about it? I just didn't expect you to be such a coward, a chicken-hearted scumbag, to actually wear body armor. It's pathetic!"

"That's not being cowardly; it's just that I made the right choice!" Joseph shrugged it off and asked, "I had Erica call Stella and lure her here. How did you find out about it?"

He was somewhat puzzled about this.

How had Gabriel arrived here ahead of Stella, who was the supposed prey?

Gabriel chuckled. "We have to thank Stella for that. Last night, we became one, and now she trusts me even more than her sister does!"

"After she finished that phone call, she immediately called me and told me everything!"

"I saw through your scheme at the beginning, so I decided to play along and took cover behind Stella, ready to catch you by surprise," Gabriel said, grinning.

"Stella, with her voluptuous figure, was quite the effective shield, I must say," he continued.

"But it's a shame, no matter how I calculated it, I never anticipated you, the big chicken, wearing body armor. That's quite the twist!" Gabriel expressed.

He was rather satisfied with Stella's performance.

After enduring so many conspiracies and family betrayals, she became less emotional.

And when facing a problem, she knew to consult with him, which was a rare find. Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

"Leon, your task is to escort Stella and Erica to safety, head to the villa's entrance, and wait for Division Commander Lucas there. Leave this situation to Maria and me," Gabriel instructed.

Now that they had located Joseph, it was time to wrap things up.

Once Stella and Erica were safely away, he could fully engage in the upcoming battle.

Well, he could only give it his all with his legs; his hands were still bound.

"Got it!" Leon acknowledged.

He led Stella and Erica into the elevator.

In the moment right before the elevator doors closed, Stella saw Gabriel give her an affirmative OK hand gesture. It provided her with a significant sense of reassurance.

"Maria, this is going to be a fierce battle. I'm counting on you not to let me down!" Gabriel smiled at Maria.

Maria pulled back her hair with the wristband on her wrist, spat out her chewing gum, and her eyes gleamed with confidence as she said, "I've got this. Let's just hope those handcuffs of yours won't slow us down!"