Kennard spoke honestly. "Everyone's armed—knives, swords, clubs. As for guns, we've got a few shotguns, some homemade rifles, and a van loaded with explosives." Hearing they had firearms made sweat break out across Dave's back instantly. Beside him, Theodore frowned. "A van full of explosives? What kind of van?" "A minivan." "Damn it!" Theodore cursed under his breath. After that, father and son went quiet. Danny looked pale. "Mr. Dave, Mr. Theodore ... what do we do?" Theodore took a deep breath, irritation flashing in his eyes, and pointed at Kennard. "Start by killing him." Kennard's eyes went wide. "Hey! You can't—" Before he could finish, Danny acted. No gun, no warning—just a knife from his jacket, slitting Kennard's throat in one clean motion. The room went deathly silent. After a moment, Theodore fixed his gaze on Danny and spoke in a low, firm voice. "Leave two bodyguards here—one outside in the yard, one inside with my parents. The rest, come with me." Dave immediately protested. "No! It's too dangerous. You're not going anywhere!" "I know what I'm doing," Theodore replied evenly. "I said no!" Dave barked, turning to Danny. "Stop him. Don't let him go outside!" Danny hesitated, stuck between duty and orders. Theodore's face turned unusually serious. "And if we don't go out, what—sit here and wait to die?"His expression hardened. "I am not the type to sit around and wait for execution." Seeing his father about to argue again, he cut him off. "Right now, the Hollands are the main target. We need to act while their attention's elsewhere. Once the Hollands fall, we're next." A cold, crooked smile tugged at his lips. "You always said sooner or later, we'd have to work with the Hollands. Looks like you were right." He grabbed one of the explosive packs from the table, tightened his grip on his gun, and strode to the door. Dave, who always scolded Theodore for recklessness, felt a pang in his chest. He moved as if to follow. Theodore frowned. "With those old bones, you'll only slow us down!" Then his tone softened, steady and calm. "Dad, stay home with Mom. She needs you more than I do." Dave froze, then caught his son's hand. "You—" Theodore pulled free and clapped him on the shoulder. "No need to worry. If I succeed, I'll come back. If I don't ... well, you won't last long either. Either way, we'll meet again on the other side." "You brat!" Dave cursed. Finally, he let go, lowering his hand with a sigh. "Just remember—your mother and I will be waiting at home." Theodore blinked and grinned. "Got it." He shut the study door and left at a brisk pace. Downstairs, Danny gathered the other bodyguards as instructed. Theodore strapped on a gas mask and ordered, "Bring Raven." At Villa 5.Natalie and the others had gathered in the courtyard, combing the grounds for any sign of danger, but saw nothing. Harold crouched to examine the blast site. After a careful look, he concluded, "Looks like homemade explosives." The blast had gone off in the center of the yard. The house's outer walls were scorched black, and the gate was warped. It seemed the attackers hadn't even entered—they just tossed the explosives over the fence. Luckily, Harold had recently replaced the windows with reinforced blast-proof glass he'd salvaged from the 15th floor. Otherwise, shattered shards alone could've injured them. And if the glass had broken, the toxic fog would have poured inside, rendering the villa uninhabitable. The courtyard traps had taken some damage, but they were repairable, and the house itself remained livable. They searched the villa thoroughly, inside and out, but found no sign of Roderick or the three little ones. No traces of a fight either. Nadia's worry was written all over her—her eyes were red and swollen. Dominic, too young to understand, clung to his mother's hand, crying for his father. Natalie reassured Nadia. "Don't worry. Roderick's with Lucky and the others. They'll be fine." She knew her trained pets well. Those three combined were no joke. Even against explosives, as long as the fog shielded them, they'd be hard to hit. They were just too quick. Even if Lucky had been alone, she wouldn't have been easily hurt. And if they'd run into a truly powerful enemy, there would be signs of a struggle. That thought gave Natalie some peace of mind. After hearing her explanation, Nadia calmed slightly. "But if they didn't get into trouble, why haven't they shown up yet?"