Chapter 11: The Deliberate Erasure

Alina smirked slightly. "So, are you ready to tell the truth now?"

The man swallowed hard. "I was injured during an assignment," he finally admitted. "But my target was tougher than I expected."

Alina narrowed her eyes. "Who sent you?"

The room tensed instantly. The man shook his head quickly. "I can't say."

"Wrong answer." Alina leaned back in her chair, her sharp gaze dissecting his lie. "If you won't talk, maybe I should make sure you don't leave this hospital alive."

The man's face turned pale. Cold sweat dripped down his temple.

Before he could respond, the door slammed open.

A man in a black uniform entered, his face expressionless. "Report: The target has been secured."

Alina turned sharply. "Who secured them?"

The man stared at her coldly. "That is not your concern, Doctor."

The patient in the bed froze. His eyes widened in terror. "No! I can talk! I can give you information—"

Too late. The uniformed man pulled out a syringe and injected it into the patient's neck before anyone could react.

Alina jumped to her feet. "Damn it! What are you doing?"

But the man remained calm, as if everything was proceeding according to plan. The patient started convulsing, white foam spilling from his mouth.

Alina rushed to grab medical equipment, but the uniformed man was faster. He pressed a button on his watch.

Suddenly, the hospital alarm blared.

"FIRE! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"

Panic erupted. Alina cursed under her breath. 'This isn't a fire. It's a distraction.'

When she turned back, the uniformed man was gone. The patient on the bed was lifeless.

Alina clenched her fists. Someone had erased the evidence—again. And this time, she wouldn't stand by. She remembered the other patient, the middle-aged man who claimed to know Aileen.

She rushed through the hospital corridors, now filled with chaos. The alarm continued blaring, staff and patients scrambling toward evacuation routes.

"They created this chaos on purpose," she muttered.

Lana appeared behind her, panting. "Aileen! Where are you going?"

"To the patient's room."

"Are you crazy? Everyone is being evacuated!"

Alina glanced at her. "That's the problem. The person we're looking for could escape in this chaos."

Without waiting for a reply, she rushed upstairs. But when she reached the patient's room, she froze—the room was empty. No signs of struggle, no body, not even a drop of blood. As if the patient had never been there.

"Damn it!" Alina slammed her fist against the wall.

Nathan appeared behind her. "He's gone?"

Alina's eyes burned with frustration. "Not gone. Someone took him."

Nathan exhaled. "I warned you. You can't keep playing with this, Aileen."

"I'm not playing," she replied coldly. "Someone is erasing evidence, and I don't like losing answers."

Nathan studied her. His gaze wasn't filled with fear, but with something else—buried anger.

"You know something, don't you?" he asked sharply.

Alina smirked. "Find the answers yourself, Doctor."

---

Elsewhere, in a dark room, a man in a black uniform spoke on the phone.

"The target has been secured."

A cold voice responded from the other end. "Good. Now eliminate anyone who interferes."

"Including the doctor?"

Silence. Then the voice replied, "Yes. Make sure Aileen Monroe doesn't last much longer."

The man smirked. "Understood."

In his hand was a photo of a sharp-featured woman, her eyes hiding countless secrets. Aileen Monroe was the next target.

---

Outside the empty hospital room, Alina stepped out. The fire alarm was still blaring, turning the hospital into a war zone. But her mind was focused on one thing—someone had taken the patient before she could get answers.

Lana grabbed her arm. "Aileen, we have to go. This place isn't safe."

"I'm not leaving until I know who's behind this." Alina yanked her arm free. "Someone is cleaning up too neatly. This isn't an individual act—this is an organized operation."

Nathan and Lana pulled her toward the exit. They worried for her safety. Alina relented, though she knew there was no fire. No one believed her.

Hours later, firefighters examined the site. No flames, no smoke. The alarm had been fake. A deliberate illusion.

Outside, the hospital was in disarray. Patients and staff scattered, whispers filling the air. Once the firefighters left, the medical team scrambled to bring patients back inside.

Days later, Alina received shocking news. She was being reassigned to a humanitarian mission in a conflict zone.

"You need time away after this incident," her superior said.

Alina knew this was more than just a routine transfer. Someone had arranged it.

When she arrived at the medical camp, conditions were far from ideal. Explosions echoed in the distance, patients arrived with horrific injuries. Alina immediately donned her medical coat and got to work.

Amidst the chaos, she spotted a man in a blood-stained surgical gown standing in the center of the room. His gloved hands were steady, his sharp eyes calculating.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was cold, authoritative.

Alina narrowed her eyes, recognizing his face. Dr. Leonard Moreav. The legendary surgeon known for saving lives under impossible circumstances.

Leo studied her without expression. "And you were never part of this team to begin with. Who are you really?"

Alina stepped forward, her voice challenging. "A city doctor reassigned here."

Leo smirked slightly, his gaze piercing. "Oh, you've arrived already?" he said, his tone shifting. "Start working—they can't wait for us to finish talking."

Alina knew Leo better than anyone. But Leo didn't know her. There was no time to explain. Outside, gunfire grew closer. Their time was running out.

"Treat the other patients quickly. We only have an hour before we have to move," Leo said, wrapping a bandage around a soldier's wounds.

Alina and her team worked swiftly. She forced herself to focus, though her heart pounded as she watched Leo. 'What's wrong with me?' she thought. 'Why am I drawn to him? He was the one chasing me before.'

The feeling unsettled her, distracting her.

"Doctor, the patient is bleeding out," Lana called.

Only then did Alina snap back. Lana had been sent here with her, assigned to keep her company. But the other doctors had a different mission—they were watching her, reporting her every move to the authorities back home.

Leo scolded her sharply. "If you can't focus, don't play with a patient's life!"

Alina flinched. "Sorry. I'll fix it."

She quickly stabilized the critical patient. Moments later, the situation was under control.

"Move the patients to the ambulance now," she ordered. "We need to get to a safer location."

Outside, vehicles waited. The medical team worked swiftly, transferring patients one by one. Only one transport remained. But there were still injured victims and medical staff left behind.

"Only one vehicle left, Doctor," Lana said. "What do we do?"

Alina glanced at Leo. He remained calm, checking a patient. She was about to speak, but Leo beat her to it.

"Move the patients first. Those of us who can walk will find another way."

His order was followed immediately. Now, only one seat remained. Three medical staff were still at the camp. Leo told Alina to go, but she insisted Lana take the last spot.

"I can't leave you here!" Lana protested.

"Take care of the patients. I'll find another way," Alina said firmly.

Lana reluctantly obeyed. As the last ambulance left, Alina turned to Leo.

"Now what?" she asked.

Leo didn't answer. He walked toward the back of the camp, and Alina followed silently.

"Can you handle a weapon?" he asked suddenly.

Alina smirked. Somehow, she knew she could. Leo seemed to understand. He tossed her a gun, and she caught it smoothly.

"Take this. Just in case."

Leo pulled away a tarp, revealing a dusty military motorcycle.

"Get on," he said.

Alina climbed on quickly, her arms instinctively wrapping around Leo's waist. The engine roared, and they sped into the night.

Behind them, an explosion rocked the ground, lighting up the sky with flames.

Alina glanced back, her breath hitching. The camp they had just left was now burning.

Someone didn't want them to leave alive.

Leo accelerated. "Hold on tight. They're after us."

Gunfire erupted behind them. Alina cocked her weapon.

"How many?" she asked.

"More than we can handle," Leo replied without slowing down.

Alina took a deep breath. "Then let's make them regret chasing us."