Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1568

Emmy listened quietly. Through the young boy's detailed account, she completely understood the sheer complexity and danger of this place.

It wasn't that Hector was stupid. It was the deep-seated, inherent arrogance and ego of the elite class that made him drop his guard. Or perhaps Hector had never truly dropped his guard at all. It was just that James, as an elite soldier, was simply too meticulous and his methods too brilliant.

He had perfectly navigated the narrow gap between life and death. He prevented Dean from finding any excuse to kill him, while continuously proving his worth until Hector admired him so much he wanted him as a son-in-law.

At that moment, the woman chimed in again, her face twisting with bitter resentment.

"Hector's people were rotten to the core. Miss, you have no idea. Just six months ago, the triangular coast was relatively peaceful. For generations, the fishermen here relied on the sea, and we lived comfortably."

Tears of hatred filled her cloudy eyes. "But ever since Hector's cartel moved in with their massive mercenary army and built those labs by the sea, our world ended. They dragged all our able-bodied men away to work in the underground mines. Anyone who resisted even a little got their brains blown out on the spot."

"And the most monstrous part was those laboratories." The woman pointed frantically toward the outside. "We don't know what kind of unholy things they were doing in there, but they burned bodies day and night. That stench of burnt human flesh would drift over on the sea breeze, making you want to vomit your guts out."

"They even dumped all their chemical waste straight into the sea. This entire ocean is completely ruined. The whole bay was covered in a layer of dead white fish. We lost our livelihood, and could only watch our elders and children slowly starve to death."

As the woman spoke, she wiped her tears. The surrounding refugees all lowered their heads with red eyes, letting out muffled sobs of despair.

"If the general from Fiji hadn't attacked, our children would have eventually become a pile of ash in those chimneys too."

Emmy listened in silence, though her heart weighed incredibly heavy.

Once the woman finished her tearful complaint and her emotions slightly settled, Coby suddenly remembered something. He scratched his head, looking at Emmy somewhat sheepishly. "After talking so much... by the way, what's your name?"

Emmy raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping slowly across the dark, damp shelter. Dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at her with raw curiosity. Even though they were filthy and starving, their eyes held the pure simplicity of ordinary people desperate to live. They were all pitiful, innocent victims dragged into this brutal war.

Watching Coby's hopeful smile freeze, she continued, "In the face of absolute violence and slaughter, no nationality serves as a free pass here. However..."

Emmy paused, shifting her tone. "If we manage to survive the combat zone and successfully make it into the heart of Nelia, the regular army and peacekeepers there will respect my citizenship."

The moment her words fell, the entire air-raid shelter plunged into dead silence. Everyone understood exactly what she meant. The tiny flicker of hope that had just ignited was ruthlessly extinguished by a bucket of ice water. The refugees lowered their heads in despair, their eyes reverting back to the numb anticipation of death.

Right at that exact second.

Boom.

A deafening explosion erupted terrifyingly close to the shelter. The violent shockwave rocked the entire mountain, sending dust and chunks of rock crashing down from the ceiling directly onto their heads.