Chapter 2

Meanwhile, at VolkCare Hospital in Shalholm, a group of black-suited bodyguards burst into the hospital room, forcefully removing the medical staff who were administering emergency treatment to Coco.

Serena Swift's distress was evident as she desperately exclaimed, "Who are you? What on earth are you doing? My daughter's life is hanging by a thread!"

The sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor outside the emergency room.

A young and handsome man, dressed impeccably in a white suit, walked into the emergency room. He calmly said with a cold smirk, "Well, well, Serena. Still not ready to accept my proposal, huh? Consider this car accident a friendly warning. If you agree to my terms and spend a few nights with me, I'll take care of all your daughter's medical expenses. She'll get the best damn treatment money can buy."

Serena stared angrily at the tall man in front of her, her eyebrows furrowing with hatred. Suddenly, she lunged forward and grabbed his tie, screaming, "Tristan Golding! It was you all along! You're the one behind the accident! How could you? Why would you do such a thing? She's only four years old... sob... sob..." Her cries turned into uncontrollable wails, tears streaming down her face as she relentlessly pounded her fists against the man standing before her.

Smack!

Tristan Golding slapped Serena's face hard, his grip tightening around her delicate wrist. He spoke in a stern and forceful voice, giving her a warning, "This is the consequence of your own actions, Serena. I have invested so much in you, yet you have deliberately disregarded me! I know that Coco means everything to you, so I want to shatter your world. I arranged a huge truck to crash into her, and 'bang'! Isn't that a lovely sound?"

"Tristan Golding, you're a devil! You sicko! I'm calling the police! I'll fight you with all I've got!"

Serena's agony peaked as she frantically struggled to break free, but Tristan slapped her once more. He then firmly grasped her hair, his grip tightening on her swollen, tear-stained cheek. With a menacing tone, he said, "You think you can defy me? Let me assure you, with a mere word from me, not a soul in this entire hospital will dare to provide any care for your daughter! Are you ready to watch your poor girl suffer and die right here?" Tristan warned. "Listen..."

Coco lay weakly in the hospital bed, her face covered by an oxygen mask. With a gaze filled with despair, she watched as Serena endured humiliation at the hands of Tristan. Coco trembled, extending her hand stained with blood, and whispered, "Mommy... Y-You're a bad person... Let go of Mommy. Daddy is coming back. Mommy promised Daddy would visit me. Daddy will surely defeat you... Daddy is Superman..."

Tears flowed down Serena's face as she sobbed uncontrollably, her chin held gently by Tristan. In a voice choked with helplessness and pain, she cried out, "Coco, my dear daughter, it's all my fault..."

When Tristan released his hold, Serena dropped down to her knees in front of him. She hugged his legs tightly and cried out desperately, "Mr. Golding, I beg you. Spare me and my daughter. She's only four years old, just four years old. I'm willing to do anything you ask. Please, please let the doctors save my daughter..."

Serena repeatedly banged her head on the floor, blood flowing from her wounds.

Tristan snorted. He squatted down and firmly grasping Serena's teary face and shook his head in disapproval. "Serena, if only you had known better. I didn't desire this outcome either. Look at you, crying in such a manner. It truly saddens me."

With that, Tristan retrieved a handkerchief from his suit pocket and tenderly wiped away Serena's tears. She trembled uncontrollably, too frightened to even move.

"Alright, I'll give you ten minutes. Freshen up and apply some makeup. I'll be waiting for you in the car outside. Remember, your decision will determine whether your daughter lives or dies," Tristan said. He had an evil smile on his face as he leaned in close to Serena's ear and whispered, "I can't wait to have you, Serena. You belong to me, hahaha..."

Tristan walked out of the emergency room and approached his henchmen standing by the entrance. His eyes were filled with evil intent as he spoke, "Once Serena leaves the hospital, no medical staff should enter and save that little brat! I want that child dead!"

"Yes, Mr. Golding!" the henchmen replied in unison.

On her knees, Serena crawled to the head of the hospital bed in the room. She clutched Coco's tiny hand tightly and gently wiped away the tears running down her daughter's face. "Coco, don't be scared, don't cry. I'm here, right beside you."

"Mommy, it hurts. My whole body hurts. When will Daddy come to see me... Mommy, don't go with that bad man..." Coco, lying on the hospital bed, gazed at Serena with clear eyes.

Serena wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and gently kissed Coco's forehead. Her lips trembled as tears continued to flow down her face. "Don't worry, I'll step out for a moment, but I'll be back right away. Here's the phone. Daddy is on the other end of the line. If you miss him, you can talk to him on the phone... Daddy will certainly come back. You've always longed to see Daddy the most, haven't you? Stay strong, my love, okay..."

After Serena finished speaking, she placed the phone in Coco's hand. Then, she stood up. She glanced sadly at her daughter a few times before grabbing her purse and rushing into the restroom. Inside, she carefully groomed her eyebrows, applied makeup, and put on lipstick.

Lastly, Serena gazed at her reflection in the mirror, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. She silently retrieved a fruit knife from the side and put it within her handbag. Leaving the hospital room, she walked through the corridors until she reached the entrance, where she saw the Mercedes S-Class parked by the curb. Holding her handbag tightly, she took a deep breath and got into the car.

"Drive," Tristan commanded from inside the car, puffing on a cigar. He wore a smug and devious smile on his face.

Meanwhile, in the emergency room, several members of the medical staff attempted to rush in and provide emergency measures for Coco. However, Tristan's henchmen stationed at the door blocked their way and threatened them, "Mr. Golding has given explicit orders that no one is permitted near this emergency room! Disobeying will result in severe consequences!"

"But..."

"But that little girl inside will die if we don't perform the surgery and save her!"

The medical staff members were very upset and felt like they couldn't handle the situation anymore. They stood by the door feeling helpless as they watched the little girl who was shaking and bleeding from a wound.

"Mommy, it hurts... Daddy, when will you come back? That bad guy took Mommy away. I'm so exhausted, it hurts so badly..." Coco held onto Serena's phone tightly, as she desperately shared her feelings with the person on the other side.

And right then, a man dressed in a black suit, one of Tristan's henchmen, walked in with a stern face. He forcefully seized the phone from Coco's hand and ruthlessly shattered it into fragments!

"You insolent brat, who were you contacting? Do you have a death wish?" The man shouted angrily as he forcefully removed Coco's oxygen mask. He destroyed Coco's hopes and will to keep fighting…

"No, please... that's Daddy, it's Daddy... sob, sob, sob..."

Coco cried uncontrollably, feeling completely devastated. The intensity of her emotional pain made her wounds and organs suffer even more. Suddenly, she coughed up some blood, and her breathing grew markedly weaker.

"Daddy, will I ever get to see you? Mommy said you're a superhero, a real superhero..." Coco repeated this sentence over and over until her last breath.

The medical staff standing by the doorway couldn't stop their tears from flowing as they witnessed the scene. Some of them couldn't bear to continue watching and moved aside. 'Where in the world is that child's father?!'

Boom!

In that very moment, outside the hospital, the sky reverberated with the thunderous roar of a fighter jet! Everyone within the hospital, including the emergency room medical staff, rushed outside. They looked through the windows and saw a fighter jet descending vertically from the sky, touching down in the hospital parking lot, crushing the cars.

Then, with a loud "bang!" a tall and dashing man forcefully kicked open the cockpit door, sending it flying. Dressed in a green Drakonian army uniform, he exuded an aura of authority. Leaping out of the fighter jet, he raced toward the hospital, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Coco, Daddy is here!"

In swift pursuit, the Dracarium Warriors, a part of the mysterious force known as the Dracarium under the Dragonbreakers Legion, leaped from the aircraft and dashed toward the hospital.

A chilling sensation spread throughout the entire hospital, engulfing everyone in its powerful presence!

Xayne arrived at the entrance of the emergency room, his eyes fixated on his daughter's fragile body, drenched in blood and struggling to breathe. His heart shattered as he witnessed the sight, feeling an intense pain in his chest.

"Daddy, is it really you? You finally came to see me. My superhero daddy came to see me..." Barely holding on to life, Coco tilted her head and looked directly at Xayne, who was standing at the doorway. Tears flowed down his face, revealing the weight of sorrow he bore. Coco smiled. She had dimples just like Xayne.

"Coco, my daughter..." Xayne's heart trembled, and tears flowed down uncontrollably. 'Coco, my family, my own flesh and blood...' Xayne carried a heavy burden of guilt, sorrow, and anger for being absent from her life for five years.

"Daddy, Mommy said you're my superhero. She said you would come back to see me, to protect me. I'm not a bastard anymore, and I'm so happy..." Coco smiled, and as she finished speaking, she slowly closed her eyes. The heart monitor emitted a long, steady beep.

Upon witnessing Xayne's arrival and hearing Coco's final words, the medical staff at the door were unable to contain their tears. They were overcome with sadness. With heavy hearts, they understood that Coco, in her final moments, had finally seen her father whom she had never met before. Yet, despite the father's presence, they knew that the father and daughter were destined to be separated once again.

"Noooo!" Xayne let out an angry roar, exuding hostility. He fearlessly charged forward, confronting the three henchmen obstructing his path. With three powerful punches, he sent them flying, crashing through the window and falling to the ground. Blood gushed from their bodies when they hit the ground with a loud thud.

Afterward, Xayne hurriedly entered the room and lowered to one knee next to the hospital bed. Tears flowed down his face as he gently caressed Coco's forehead. "Coco, it's Daddy. I'm here. Open your eyes and look at me. Please, look at me!"

"Pfft!" Black blood rushed out of Xayne's mouth. Apparently, the emotional turmoil that had caused his old injuries to break open. "Coco, my daughter! I won't let you die! Daddy won't allow it!" Xayne let out a sad howl.

With utmost care, he lifted Coco's unconscious body from the blood-soaked sickbed, cradling her tightly in his arms.

Bang!

Suddenly, a group of eight men, dressed in black suits, stormed into the emergency room, wielding batons. They were none other than Mr. Golding's ruthless henchmen. As soon as they saw Xayne and the others, they shouted, "Get them! Anyone who ignores Mr. Golding's orders will suffer merciless beatings from our batons!"

Rage filled Xayne's eyes. "Get them!" He shouted his command loudly throughout the hospital.

Without Xayne having to lift a finger, his loyal comrades, the eight formidable Dracarium Warriors—Ace, Deuce, Trey, Quad, Quint, Hex, Sefton, and Augustin—immediately fought against the assailants. Within moments, the assailants were lying on the ground, bleeding.

The medical staff at the doorway stood in awe, their eyes welling up with tears. They watched as Xayne, his eyes filled with determination, carried the bloodstained Coco past them. Following behind Xayne were the Dracarium Warriors, who had just defeated Tristan's henchmen.

However, just as Xayne had taken a few steps, he stumbled and spewed another mouthful of black blood. He immediately held Coco close and knelt heavily on one knee.

"Supreme Commander!" Ace swiftly approached, offering support to Xayne. With blood still trickling from his mouth and his eyes bloodshot, Xayne fixed his intense stare on the doorway and issued his command, "Relay my orders! Thirty thousand soldiers of the Dragonbreakers Legion, withdraw from the Northern Plains! Hasten to Shalholm with all possible speed! Convey the Dracarium Decree to the four elite Dracoguards and the three thousand valiant Dracoknights! Wherever they may be across the globe, at any cost, ensure their presence in Shalholm!"

After saying these words, Xayne immediately lowered his head and fell into unconsciousness. Yet even so, he remained on one knee, clutching Coco tightly against his chest. Drop by drop, his blood dripped from his mouth onto the motionless girl, mixing with her own blood.

In that instant, the top eight Dracarium Warriors were consumed by a seething fury.

"Supreme Commander!!!"

"Supreme Commander!!!"

Meanwhile, the Dragonbreakers Legion stationed in the Northern Plains swiftly armed themselves to the teeth upon receiving the orders. The divisions spanning land, sea, and air mobilized, converging toward the East Yoskea Military District where Shalholm awaited.

Simultaneously, the four Dracoguards carrying out secret missions worldwide, along with three thousand Dracoknights, had a strong resolve to wipe out their enemies. They swiftly made their way toward Shalholm.