Five minutes had passed since Logan killed one of the Clarks' bodyguards on the 7th floor. The security guards in the monitoring room had already gathered reinforcements and were heading towards the building. They had also called the police, but it would take another ten minutes or so for the officers to arrive.
Logan quickly walked out of the ward, intending to enter the stairwell of the inpatient building and escape via the stairs. However, at that moment, a hand grabbed his pant leg.
Ana Clark had somehow regained consciousness and was now lying on the floor, clutching Logan's pant leg tightly. She had fainted earlier out of fear, but the sound of gunfire from inside the hospital room had forced her to wake up.
Ana Clark's tear-filled eyes were bloodshot as she glared at Logan with a mixture of despair and hatred:
"You killed my son, didn't you? You killed my son, didn't you?!"
Logan tried to shake her off but found that he couldn't.
He looked down at this desperate mother, his heart devoid of any pity:
"Your son killed many people, didn't you know? He deserved to die! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not raising him properly."
Ana Clark screamed:
"He could have been punished by the law for killing people! What right did you have to kill him?! What right?!!"
"And even if my son killed people, they were just some lowly ordinary folks. My son was born noble, and killing a few lowly people while giving their families money—that was their honor! You executioner, give me back my son!!!"
If not for these venomous words, her grieving motherly demeanor might have evoked some sympathy.
Logan sneered, his exposed eyes filled with mockery:
"In that case, let the law punish me too."
With that, he kicked the woman away and ran towards the emergency exit.
Ana Clark's face twisted with rage as she glared venomously at Logan's retreating figure, screaming:
"You killed my son! I'll make sure your parents, siblings, and all your relatives and friends are buried with my son!!! No matter where you run, I'll make sure you die in agony!!"
Logan suddenly turned back, his eyes instantly becoming icy and filled with killing intent.
He should have expected this. For Simon Clark to grow up the way he did, it couldn't be unrelated to his family.
Benjamin Clark was not a good person.
And Simon Clark's mother was also a wolf in sheep's clothing.
At first, Logan hadn't planned on killing more people.
Realizing what was happening, Ana Clark recoiled in fear:
"No, no! I was just joking, I..."
Before Ana Clark could finish her sentence, Logan shot her without hesitation.
With a loud bang, a bullet hole appeared in Ana Clark's forehead.
Her eyes widened in shock before she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
After firing the shot, Logan didn't even glance at Ana Clark as he swiftly moved down the stairwell like the wind.
Just as Logan left, the elevator doors on the 8th floor opened.
Five hospital security guards rushed out of the elevator and were stunned by the bloody scene outside the ICU.
The hallway was filled with flowing blood.
"Oh my God! What kind of grudge led to this?"
"They said it was the son of the richest man, check if he's still alive!"
"He's...he's dead!!"
"These...all of them were shot!"
"What do we do? Do we chase him?"
Just then, a voice came over the walkie-talkie:
"The suspect is escaping through the emergency exit!"
"Chase him! Don't run too fast, just try to stall him."
...
Logan was running down to the second floor when he heard the sound of footsteps below.
"They're coming fast."
He muttered to himself, opened a window in the stairwell, looked outside, and jumped.
He rolled to break his fall, stood up, and ran into the registration hall.
"The suspect jumped out the window and is running toward the registration hall. All personnel on the ground floor, surround him quickly!"
The registration hall was crowded, and a few security guards couldn't possibly keep track of him.
Logan quickly evaded the security guards and slipped into a restroom.
When he emerged, Logan was dressed casually, without a mask or hat.
He calmly walked out of the hospital.
If it weren't the end of the world today, the police could have used surveillance to filter through everyone entering and exiting the hospital to identify Logan.
The world-renowned surveillance system of Xia Country wasn't just for show.
But using surveillance to identify suspicious individuals would take time, and now, there was no time left.
Logan hailed a taxi and glanced at the top right corner of the Cornucopia:
[The first wave of danger will arrive in 28 minutes. Please prepare accordingly.]
He looked out the car window at the ordinary people on the streets, completely unaware of the impending danger.
The apocalypse was imminent; this would likely be the last moment of peace and tranquility.
It seemed his last post hadn't had the desired effect.
The era of peace and civilization is about to disappear.
Logan kept his eyes fixed on the countdown timer on the Cornucopia interface.
When there were still nearly 4 kilometers to go before reaching Logan's safe house, a static noise suddenly came from the taxi's radio.
"Zzz... Attention all vehicles, this is the National Security Bureau. At 10:05 AM local time, a solar flare will hit The Earth. For safety, all vehicles are instructed to immediately pull over and park for ten minutes. No traffic violations will be enforced during this period. Attention all vehicles, this is the National Security Bureau..."
The broadcast repeated the message over and over.
Logan was stunned.
At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.
...
Fifteen minutes earlier.
In the top floor office of the Spark Energy building in Harbor City.
Benjamin Clark, chairman of Spark Energy, stood by the window, listening with a heavy expression as his subordinate reported:
"President Clark, we've discovered that in the past two days, the authorities have intercepted all outbound goods from Xia Country. Additionally, external orders have inexplicably increased several dozen times. Furthermore, we've learned that the military has suddenly received a first-level combat readiness order. The mayor received a call in the early hours, instructing that the entire city of Harbor City would experience a one-day power outage starting at 10 AM. We still haven't determined the exact reason."
"Oh?"
Benjamin Clark frowned deeply.
He hadn't gone to see his critically ill son and had stayed in Harbor City precisely because of the recent inexplicable and significant moves by the higher-ups.
With increasing tensions between nations in recent years, could it be that war was imminent?
But why would there be a power outage in preparation for war?
Benjamin Clark felt a growing unease about the government's actions, which he couldn't comprehend.
Just then, Benjamin Clark's private phone rang.
Seeing the call was from the Public Security Bureau, Benjamin Clark's brows furrowed.
He answered the phone, and a serious voice came through:
"Mr. Clark, this is the Public Security Bureau in Shashi. We regret to inform you that your son, Simon Clark, along with your ex-wife Ana Clark and three bodyguards, were killed just a few minutes ago."
Benjamin Clark's entire body shook.
"What did you say?!"
The voice on the phone continued:
"In addition, we found illegal weapons, including handguns and knives, on the bodies of the three bodyguards. We have informed the Public Security Bureau in Harbor City. Please do not leave Harbor City in the next two days and cooperate with our investigation..."