Planning to Run Away With Me?

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Not mother or daughter.

The head of A.R.G.U.S. or the mastermind behind the Queen's Gambit disaster.

Was there even a choice?

As an A.R.G.U.S. agent, Dinah Lance knew exactly how difficult Amanda Waller would be to kill. Even if they somehow succeeded, A.R.G.U.S. and the U.S. government would hunt them endlessly afterward.

By contrast, Dinah did not know who had caused the Queen's Gambit disaster, how much power he held, or how dangerous he was.

But killing him to avenge her daughter carried no psychological burden for her.

And after that, she could use A.R.G.U.S. resources to clean up the aftermath.

"What if we choose neither?" Dinah asked Damon.

Damon spread his hands and said nothing.

In this situation, choosing neither probably meant he would kill them.

Dinah drew a deep breath.

"Then I choose the person who killed my daughter. Tell me who he is. I will kill him as quickly as possible."

"Once you choose, you cannot change your mind. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"And you?"

Damon looked at Laurel.

Laurel did not want to choose either option, but right now, she could only nod.

Damon patted Laurel's cheek in satisfaction, then said to Dinah, "She will be the one to kill him. You can leave."

Dinah panicked.

"She is an ordinary person. Doing that is sending her to die. Tell me his identity. One week. No, three days. Give me three days, and I promise I will kill him."

"I do not care when he dies, but he has to die by her hand. You are not qualified to bargain."

Damon smiled brightly.

"I am a villain, after all."

Villain.

Hearing that word, Dinah found it bitterly ironic.

"You can watch her situation, but I suggest you do not provide any help. I will not kill you. I will not kill her. But I will kill Quentin Lance."

Damon said it with lazy ease.

Dinah might sacrifice her ex-husband for her daughter, but Laurel would never endanger her father. So even if Dinah offered help, Laurel would refuse. She might even expose it herself out of fear Damon would misunderstand.

Both Dinah and Laurel looked terrible.

"Do not look so miserable. If you cannot help Laurel, you can still keep trying to cause trouble for me. Maybe you get lucky and kill me. Then you do not need to worry about her safety or my threats. If that fails, the two of you can always run far away. Maybe I will not find you right away and lose interest."

Damon looked at their grim faces and offered suggestions with great sincerity.

"Good luck. I believe in you."

He smiled at Laurel.

"I will contact you tomorrow."

Then he turned and walked away.

When he left the factory, the electric python hovering in the distance scattered into nothing. The factory sank into dimness again, with only the lonely beam of the flashlight shining on Laurel.

Mother and daughter looked at each other.

Dinah walked over in silence, trying to free Laurel.

But the rebar did not move.

By the time Dinah finally exhausted herself getting Laurel down, Damon had already returned to Felicity's apartment.

The moment he opened the door, Felicity, fully dressed, sprang from the sofa and threw herself into his arms.

"Are you okay? I was so worried."

"I can tell."

Damon patted her back and laughed softly.

"Dressed like this at home in the middle of the night. Were you planning to be ready to run away with me at any moment?"

"Do we really need to run?" Felicity asked, looking up at him.

"Not for now. So take off your clothes and wait in the bedroom. I'll shower and come over."

Damon kissed her, let her go, and headed for the bathroom.

Felicity let out a long breath and went back to the bedroom.

Before long, Damon came in after his shower.

Felicity had meant to ask what happened, but the moment he reached her, he held her and kissed her. Soon, the familiar creak of the bed sounded from the bedroom again.

By the time she had the energy to ask, it was already morning.

Because the previous night's exercise made them wake late, Felicity only had time to confirm they did not need to run before rushing out to work.

Everything else could wait until she came home.

Not long after she left, Damon noticed Laurel leaving home for school.

He memorized the route, took the key, slung on his backpack, and went out too.

"Stop! Do not run!"

"Screw you. Catch me if you can, cop."

Damon had barely stepped out of the apartment building when shouts came from down the street.

He looked toward the noise and saw a middle-aged police officer chasing a purse snatcher.

Pedestrians nearby scattered in fear. The thief jeered at the officer behind him while running directly toward Damon.

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