Raven stared at her hands for a while, then curled her fingers into tight fists. Theodore was wrong. Killing doesn't make you hooked. We are totally different people. Inside the main hall. After hearing Theodore's story, Celina couldn't stop trembling with fear. "You reckless child! You've got way too much nerve! What if someone had seen you? If hundreds had swarmed you, those few rounds in your gun wouldn't have been nearly enough!" Dave, on the other hand, swelled with pride and praised him. "That's my boy. Brave and clever!" Celina shot him a look, then gripped Theodore's hand hard. "Theo, you must never take risks like that again." Theodore stayed quiet. Dave paused, then asked. "You're sure those shots came from Cassian?" He frowned. "Wasn't it just him and Natalie in that house?" Normally, the two families were evenly matched, living with a kind of uneasy peace. He figured if his family had handguns, Cassian probably did too. What he hadn't expected was that Cassian would have assault rifles. That meant if Cassian wanted to, he could wipe out their whole family. No matter how good their bodyguards were, they'd be helpless against that firepower. The old man felt a cold knot of worry tighten in his chest. Theodore knew exactly what his father was thinking, but he still answered honestly, "It wasn't only the two of them. Roderick should be with them, plus one of Natalie's friends." Dave muttered under his breath, sounding unreadable. "Sticking together to survive, huh?" Theodore brushed it off. "We've got plenty of people here too." He made the real point. "What matters is the heavy weapons they've got." Right after he spoke, more gunfire cracked outside. Theodore glanced at the window, his mouth a thin line. "It's payback time." Across the Hillside Villa District, every house had bolted its doors. Talia, Frederick, Bruno, and the others had all heard the earlier fighting. They didn't know the details, but they knew danger was real. After all, they'd only ever seen the Mervyns' handguns and the Hollands' shotguns. Now, with assault rifles and bombs showing up, it was clear some violent gang had broken into the Hillside Villa District. So everyone hid nervously inside with doors locked tight. The only people running around outside were Grayhound Sect invaders. On the main road, at corners, and in front of villa gates, Grayhound thugs were everywhere. Ghania stayed at Villa 1 with Nadia and Dominic, while Natalie, Cassian, Harold, and Olivia each had an assault rifle slung over their backs. They swept the main road in a sweeping search, killing anyone they found. The gang members who'd escaped Villa 1 instinctively ran the other way. But with the thick fog and their panicked scramble to survive, they quickly lost their way and stumbled around in chaos. They'd come in under the same fog and didn't know the terrain. They didn't realize that if they'd just stuck to the main road, they could've made it off the mountainside.Some even tried breaking into other villas to hide for a while. But they were out of explosives, and the guys with guns had all died back in Villa 1's courtyard. Facing locked villa gates with no firepower, they had nowhere to go. All they could do was skulk outside, darting from one hiding spot to another. Gunfire, begging cries, and panicked gasps filled the air. Natalie and the others moved forward wearing gas masks, and their shooting turned the fight into a one-sided slaughter. A few quick Grayhound members sprinted down the main road and managed to escape. But then, to their horror, a strange woman suddenly appeared at the Hillside Villa District entrance, silent as a shadow. She stood guard alone, and nobody was getting out of the hills. Not even an ant could slip past her. In just half an hour, Godfrey's men were wiped out. The group gathered back at Villa 1. Dominic immediately ran up. "Dad?!" But when he didn't see Roderick among them, his face fell. Natalie turned to Nadia and asked. "Roderick still hasn't come back?" Nadia bit her lip and shook her head. Natalie frowned. Villa 5's doors were locked, so Roderick couldn't have gone inside. He wasn't at Villa 1 either. They had combed the whole mountainside during the fight and hadn't found him. Now it was clear. Roderick and the three pets were no longer in the Hillside Villa District.After a long pause, Natalie made a decision. "We'll take the car and go look for them." Nadia nodded right away. "Yes!" At first, Natalie thought maybe only the four of them should go. After all, Nadia had no training or combat experience, and Roderick with the three little ones might've already run into danger. But Nadia was firm. "He's my husband. I have to go find him." Seeing that quiet, unshakeable resolve in her fragile face, Natalie finally gave in. "Alright. Let's go."