Taken: 96 Hours to Rescue Daughter

"Dad, why... why are you ignoring me? I'm... I'm Laurel... I've sent you so many messages... why... why don't you reply to any of them..." "I... I'm so scared, I've been locked here by bad guys... I can't find Mom..." The sound of a message notification chimed on Junior Anderson's phone. Junior picked up his phone. A voice message from an unfamiliar number played. It was a series of messages from a little girl, her voice trembling with fear, indicating she was in extreme distress. "Kid, you've got the wrong person. I'm not your dad. Are you in trouble?"After adjusting his emotions, Junior replied. He'd received two messages from this number last night, similar to this one. Engulfed in the throes of war, he hardly had a moment to spare for this misplaced communication, though. For three relentless months, soldiers had waged war at the border between Westcrest and Eastoria, transforming the battlefield into a living hell. The earth was scattered with the remnants of the fallen, drenched in the blood of the brave. Junior planted his Shadowstorm Blade into the ground beside a decapitated body. It belonged to the enemy's commander. Five years ago, Junior led the Shadowstorm Legion to a remarkable victory against a million-strong enemy force, a feat that had echoed through history. Ding! More messages came through. The little girl was now sobbing. "Dad's lying. Mom said... this number belongs to you. Am I not being good? Dad doesn't want Laurel?" "I'm really scared, I heard... the bad guys say after today, Laurel won't see Mom and Dad anymore... I'm really scared..." "Will Dad come to see Laurel?... These bad guys say Laurel's a bastard, but I'm not, I have Dad, Dad loves Laurel..." Junior frowned in anger. Who were these despicable traffickers, and whose child had they kidnapped? "Dad, you probably don't even know what I look like. I... I took a photo last month on my birthday, I'll send it to Dad right away. Dad you have to remember me..." After the voice message, a photo arrived. The photo displayed a girl of ethereal innocence, her large, speaking eyes and dimples betraying a vulnerability that pierced Junior's heart. She should've been cherished in any family. But now she was trapped in a dark room, wearing torn clothes, covered in bruises, blood oozing from wounds. The purple bauhinia brooch she clutched tightly was stained crimson. Despite the tears, Junior could tell at a glance that the girl, looked remarkably similar to himself. The sight of this photo unleashed a torrent of murderous rage from Junior, obliterating all in its wake, aiming skyward. At that moment, an endless chill emanated from Junior, freezing the air around him to near-zero and suffocating like an approaching storm. He rushed towards a military jeep at the fastest speed. Behind him, several comrades-in-arms of his quickly climbed aboard. Junior's voice was icy, his eyes bloodshot, veins around his eyes bulging, "Quick! Get us back to Eastoria City immediately! Hurry! Find this girl as soon as possible!" "Understood, Commander. But what exactly happened?" Vice Captain Timothy Gonzalez had followed his Commander for many years, yet he had never felt such a strong killing rage from him as now! "That's my daughter!" Junior shouted angrily at his subordinates ahead, his pent-up rage from five years of battlefield slaughter now erupting, shaking everything. Inside the vehicle, Junior's subordinates, witnessing his tearful and agitated state, were all filled with shock and turmoil. Timothy Gonzalez dared not ask further. He simply slammed on the accelerator, and the vehicle shot forward like lightning! The leaders of the Phoenix, Titan, Shadow, and Serpent legions quickly pinpointed the exact location of the number in Eastoria via satellite. At the same time, four military jeeps sped behind Junior's lead vehicle. Meanwhile, Junior, sitting in the car, was overwhelmed by tumultuous emotions, his entire body trembling with emotions. His eyes were already filled with tears. "Laurel... our daughter..." Junior couldn't contain his excitement any longer and let out a low roar. 'I had a daughter. For five years, I had no idea he had a daughter!' "Ah! Faster! Speed up! I need to see them!" Junior roared, his emotions uncontrollable, waves of self-blame crashing within him like a tsunami. Upon hearing Junior's sorrowful roar, the subordinates in the front row dared not delay. They pushed the accelerator to the floor, and with a roar, the military vehicle surged forward at 200 miles per hour! Junior closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, repeating Laurel's name over and over again in his mouth, memories flooding his mind. Junior had once lived on the streets in Eastoria at a young age, and then he was adopted by the Dutt family, whose patriarch treated him as his own son. However, the Dutt family was wiped out by their enemies, leaving no survivors. Only Junior, wounded multiple times, managed to escape. He was saved by Rosemary, the daughter of the Jackson family. Rosemary brought him to a hotel and shortly after, he collapsed from exhaustion. Rosemary bought medicine for his injuries and took care of him diligently. When he woke up, the grief-stricken Junior, like a child, hugged Rosemary and cried bitterly. It was on that night that they slept together. The next day when he woke up, Rosemary was already gone, leaving behind a note and taking away his purple bauhinia brooch symbolizing his family. The note, written by Rosemary, read, "The people who killed your father might soon find this place. You must leave Eastoria as soon as possible. If you want revenge, head west. I took the purple bauhinia brooch symbolizing your family as a memento." With deep-seated hatred, Junior joined the army in the west, and after years of fighting, he was called king of Westcrest, commanding the Shadowstorm Legion of a hundred thousand soldiers! Now, he had also established a new merit, leading the secret intelligence agency, the Darkmoon Legion, known as the Lord of the Darkmoon Legion. Not only in Eastoria but throughout the world, Junior was feared. He had planned to conquer the last city and return to Eastoria to settle all past grievances. But he never expected to receive a message from his daughter. His daughter, the daughter of King of Westcrest, had been kidnapped! "That's my daughter!!! I have a five-year-old daughter!!!" Recalling his daughter's sobbing on the phone just now, Junior couldn't help trembling all over. What made him even more regretful was that his daughter had been seeking his help since yesterday, and he had mistakenly thought it was a wrong message! "What King of Westcrest, Lord of the Darkmoon Legion, they're all bullshit! I can't even protect my own daughter! I'm just a useless father!" Junior's tears were like a dam bursting. "Speed on! We must get to Eastoria as soon as possible! Quick! At any cost! At any cost!!!" "Laurel, wait for Daddy! Daddy will be there soon! Rosemary, wait for me!!!" With a painful shout, Junior's momentum soared, shattering the world! By now, the military jeeps had swiftly arrived at a nearby military airport. Junior directly boarded a fighter jet, took the pilot's seat, and personally flew the aircraft towards Eastoria!