Chapter 1696: Nam

"Told you guys. Should’ve killed me when you had the chance... but then again, the power of love keeps me alive."

The corners of Mint’s mouth hooked up as the loud shouts of police and SWAT rang out from nearby rooms. Her brows wiggled as her eyes landed on the commander—someone whose record she was very familiar with back at the office.

"We finally meet, Commander Nam," she greeted with a smirk. "Not sure if I should salute or squeal for meeting someone as big as you."

Commander Nam narrowed his eyes at Mint. His stoic face darkened, but his breathing remained steady. He glanced over his shoulder—his men already had their weapons drawn, now caught between the approaching tactical team behind them and the lasers trained on their bodies.

He could also hear movement from the secret passage, more weapons being raised, and too many laser sights now dancing across his and his men’s heads. The second any of them twitched, they’d be gunned down.

"So, it was you all along, huh?" Nam snapped his eyes back to Mint. His voice was low, calm. "I didn’t know Jonathan had already reached out to you."

Mint smiled, hiding the truth behind her expression.

Jonathan never contacted her. He hadn’t asked for help—not once. And if he hadn’t been stabbed nearly to death, she was certain he wouldn’t have breathed a word about the underground vault either.

Still, this outcome? She expected it the moment they’d find her here.

"It was a long fight, Commander Nam," Mint remarked. "A long chase. But I guess this is where you run out of fuel."

Nam let out a dry laugh. "I don’t think so—"

In a blink, Nam pulled a pistol from his side and pointed it at his own temple.

BANG!

---

Meanwhile...

Dean sat in the backseat, his complexion pale. Slowly, he turned his wide eyes to the Bennet brothers seated in front—Slater behind the wheel, Hugo in the passenger seat. Atlas sat beside him.

When Dean and Atlas had felt the faint rumbling earlier, they didn’t hesitate. They’d grabbed all the documents they could and escaped the motel room. Initially, they worried that stepping out might get them caught—especially since both were recognizable faces from the Pierson Corporation.

But waiting would’ve been worse.

Atlas had immediately contacted his brothers. Dean assumed he was speaking to Hugo—the one giving them instructions on where to go and what to do.

Then he realized it wasn’t Hugo.

It was Slater.

Dean only figured it out when they met in a dim alley, where Slater was already waiting. Not long after, they met up with Hugo and Mint. Which explained why the four of them were now all in the same car.

The Bennet brothers had been silent since they left the scene. Not a word between them.

"Hey," Dean finally broke the silence, his voice jagged. "Are we seriously just leaving that woman behind?"

Atlas side-eyed him. "Why not?"

"What do you mean why not?" Dean furrowed his brows. "Isn’t she Benjamin’s cousin or stalker or... something?"

Hugo turned around with a smile. "Don’t worry about Mint. She’s going to be fine. She didn’t become the head of Homeland Security for nothing."

"I know she’s the head of Homeland Security—but she’s still a woman."

"Say that again after you confess to Penny," Slater muttered from the driver’s seat. "She’ll show you how much bigger her balls are than yours."

Dean scrunched up his nose, glaring toward the front. Atlas and Slater were clearly acting like siblings now. The only odd one out was Hugo—who should’ve been the serious one, given his career.

Instead, there he was, smiling brightly.

Much to Dean’s dismay, Hugo reached over and patted his head.

"You did a very good job, nephew-in-law," Hugo praised, lightly tapping Dean’s cheek. "Good job, boy."

Dean shuddered—not from embarrassment, but pure disgust.

"What the—" He slapped Hugo’s hand away with the back of his own. "Don’t you dare touch me like that."

"Hehe. I’m just happy you were so helpful," Hugo chuckled. "And I’m glad I saved you from spending the night with my eldest brother. I don’t think he’s... very gentle."

Dean’s face flushed red as his breath hitched. What the hell was this guy saying?!

Hugo chuckled again, but then his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw the caller ID: Mint.

"It’s Mint," he announced, casually shifting his position and answering. "Hey. You okay?"

Mint didn’t reply immediately—she was still stretching her neck as she walked out of the building.

"Well, yeah."

"That pause makes me doubtful."

"Well, things happened. I’m just checking to see if I got shot. Benjamin will kill me if I did."

"Did you?"

"Fortunately, I didn’t! I’m safe! Still alive. Still qualified to be your brother-in-law."

At this point, Hugo couldn’t deny he was starting to root for her. Sure, he liked Zoren—but Mint was too stubborn, too relentless to give up. Even when the whole world told her to.

"Put her on speaker," Atlas ordered.

Hugo obeyed.

"Hey there, pals!" Mint chirped, having heard Atlas’s voice faintly. "Can you hear me now?"

"Yes," Atlas replied. "How was the ambush?"

All eyes turned toward the phone.

"Well, the guy put a gun to his head," Mint replied with a click of her tongue.

Everyone’s faces darkened.

Hugo, once smiling, now looked grim. "He’s dead?"

"No, not really." Mint shrugged. "He tried to kill himself, but I already saw it coming. One of my guys shot him beforehand. He’s injured, but not dead."

No one knew whether to sigh in relief or brace for what came next.

"Anyway... I’ll see you guys later," she added. "Just called to give a quick update."

She ended the call without ceremony.

Mint stopped walking, standing just outside the love motel. The typically bright Red District was even more vivid now with red and blue lights flashing from dozens of police vehicles.

"After all these years..." she whispered, eyes trailing the street. "I’ve finally caught one of their big dogs."

Her gaze moved to her men escorting the cuffed agents toward the vehicles. She didn’t smile. She didn’t feel triumphant like she thought she would.

Not sad either—but not victorious.

After years, this was the biggest breakthrough she’d ever gotten on this case.

But she also knew something else.

She’d just climbed several ranks higher on their hit list.

"I should call Beanie to evacuate tonight because they might settle scores with me through him..." she murmured, her eyes now locked on Nam, strapped to a stretcher and being handcuffed. "... or would they deal with him first him to keep him from talking?"