Christopher sounded aggrieved. "Gabriella, I'm scared. Just thinking about it makes me shiver.

"Daniel died a horrible death, and so many of our comrades are gone too. It's all because of Victor. And now Oliver, who's about to be executed, is trying to clear his name? How many more people is he going to hurt before he stops?"

Gabriella's fingers tensed. His words had shattered whatever brief calm she had just found.

"Don't overthink this. Stay in bed, okay? I'll have the family doctor drop by now."

"I don't want the family doctor. I want you to come home."

Christopher's voice came through more clearly. "Gabriella, you believe what Oliver said, don't you? You think he's not a traitor. Have you forgotten how he nearly killed you back then?"

Gabriella's breath caught, and she didn't answer. Of course, she remembered.

Back then, Oliver sent word that I was at a warehouse at the dock. Without hesitation, Gabriella led a team and stormed in, only to find the place rigged with bombs. If her teammate hadn't shielded her from the blast, she would have died on the spot.

"Back then, you lay in the warehouse, covered in blood and trapped by the flames. I was the one who risked my life dragging you out of the fire!

"I also took a bullet for you during the evacuation. That's why my heart hasn't been the same ever since!" Christopher's voice rose a few notches before cracking with emotion.

"Victor and Oliver set that trap from the very beginning. Gabriella, you can't forget what he did just because time has passed. Don't let him fool you."

I became frantic. I wanted to tell Gabriella that wasn't the truth, but she couldn't hear a single word I said.

Gabriella stayed silent for a long time. Finally, she ended the call and drove to the Gakoli Police Department.

The narcotics unit was still waiting in the office for updates. As soon as they saw her walk in, everyone stood.

Gabriella tossed the application form for drilling onto the conference table.

"According to Oliver's testimony, this was a trap that he and Victor had planned in advance. They probably wanted to lure us under the bridge under the guise of reopening the case. Then they'll trigger an explosion."

At her words, the entire office fell silent.

"It would be a disservice to our comrades who sacrificed their lives if we let the testimony of a death-row inmate overturn the judgment we made back then."

Everyone in the room exchanged glances in silence.

Back then, after the warehouse explosion, most of them had taken part in the rescue operation. They had seen Gabriella carried out, covered in blood, and the bodies of their fallen comrades.

After that tragedy, no one was willing to take such a risk again.

Gabriella slammed her hand down on the conference table. "I'm submitting the application immediately. Coordinate with all relevant departments. We'll be conducting a controlled demolition of Pier 17 at the Joy Bridge. We're going to put an end to their plan."

Once submitted, the application was quickly given the green light.

The explosion was scheduled for the early hours of the morning. The authorities made sure everyone was evacuated beforehand to ensure everything went off without a hitch.

While preparations were in full swing, Gabriella drove alone to Gakoli's maximum-security prison.

Oliver was led into a visitation room, separated by thick bulletproof glass. The moment he saw her, he grinned from ear to ear.

"Chief Campbell, what brings you here? Aren't you going to demolish the pier?"

Gabriella stared at him coldly. "I know all about your plan with Victor. You wanted to trick me into leading a team to the pier and wipe us all out.

"I've already submitted an application form. At dawn, we'll conduct a controlled explosion at Pier 17. No matter what you're hiding in the pier, it'll be blown to pieces."

Hearing that, Oliver froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, Gabriella. I can't believe someone like you was able to arrest me."

Oliver stopped smiling and fixed his gaze on Gabriella through the thick bulletproof glass.

"All these years, you must've really hated Victor, huh?"

Gabriella didn't answer, but her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"I'll give you another address. Go check it out. There's something there you'll want to see."

Oliver gave her an address. It was a long-abandoned estate on the outskirts of the city.

When I heard the name of the place, a chill ran through me. That place had left the deepest scar in my life.

Gabriella scowled. "What are you up to this time?"

"I'm already a dead man. What would I even gain from this?"

Oliver leaned back in his chair, a lazy smile back on his face. "I've already told you everything I needed to say. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. It's up to you whether you want to go."

Visitation time was over. Oliver was taken away by the prison guards. He didn't say another word after that.

Gabriella sat in the visitation room in silence for a long time. In the end, she rose to her feet.

"Don't go." I drifted over to her side instinctively, trying to stop her, but my soul passed right through her body.

I couldn't stop Gabriella. I noticed the resolve in her eyes, as if she had already made up her mind. An indescribable sorrow washed over me.

Gabriella didn't file any report. Instead, she drove alone to the address Oliver had given her. I drifted by her side, staring at the estate ahead.

It had long been abandoned. There wasn't a single person around, and the place was overgrown with weeds. It was completely different from what it had been five years ago.

Gabriella held her gun and entered the estate cautiously. Very quickly, she arrived at the entrance to the basement Oliver had talked about.

The iron door was heavily rusted, with a large lock hanging from it.

The closer I got to the basement, the more my soul instinctively resisted, but I was unable to stop. I had no choice but to follow her.

Gabriella raised her gun and shot the lock off before opening the door. A blast of cold, damp air rushed out, along with an unmistakable stench of decay.

Scenes from five years ago flashed through my mind. I felt as if my soul was on the verge of being torn apart.

Gabriella turned on her flashlight. She realized the walls and floor were covered in dried blood. In the corner lay rusted chains and torture instruments. The floor was scattered with scraps of fabric and skeletal remains of severed limbs.

Gabriella's breath caught. The beam of her flashlight landed on a skeletal forearm. A half-decayed piece of police uniform still hung from the bone, and the wrist showed a slight deformity. That was the result of my taking a bullet for her after the bone healed.

Gabriella had gone over my follow-up X-rays many times. She could recognize them even with her eyes closed.

Her flashlight fell to the floor with a thud. Like a madwoman, she lunged toward the skeletal forearm, falling heavily to the ground. A cold dread swept through her.

Gabriella charged out of the basement like a lunatic and stumbled into her car. At the same time, she frantically pulled out her phone and called the person in charge of the demolition site.

"Stop the explosion now! Stop it right now! Do you hear me?"

The person on the other end froze for a moment. Before he could even say a word, a massive explosion went off.

Gabriella instantly went deathly pale.