Chapter 197: It's Too Dangerous!
The antiseptic scent of my office, usually a comforting backdrop to my work, felt suffocating today. I paced back and forth, the worn carpet muffling my anxious steps. The image of Maria's father was seared into my mind. Each tick of the clock amplified the urgency, the time was running out.
Dafa was late.
I stopped pacing and stared out the window. The city lights twinkled in the distance, millions of lives unaware of the darkness creeping through their streets. My city. My responsibility.
How had it come to this?
A knock shattered the silence.
My heart leaped into my throat. "Come in!" I called, my voice sharper than intended.
The door opened, and Dafa stepped inside. Gone was his usual easy confidence. His jaw was set, his eyes dark, his entire bearing radiating the grim energy of a man who had seen too much.
"You sounded frantic," he said without preamble, closing the door behind him. "What's going on?"
