The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Zoey’s words hit the classroom like a bomb. Within seconds, chaos erupted among the students.

“No way–are you serious? We don’t have to do formation drills this time?”

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“All that standing at attention, marching, and saluting–ugh, I was tortured enough during the last training in freshman year. Never again.”

“That’s so great. Wilderness survival? That’s amazing.”

“Wait, wilderness survival? Like those streamers who live in the wild, eating bugs, mice, and tree bark for days? That actually sounds fun–I’m already looking forward to it.”

The once quiet classroom was instantly buzzing with laughter and chatter.

Everyone was voicing their opinions at once.

Some of the girls even started fantasizing with dreamy looks on their faces. “So that means the three campus heartthrobs are going too?”

“Ah, how nice it would be if I had a little romantic encounter with one of them in the wild?” a girl said.

Her seatmate, a boy with zero mercy, immediately crushed her fantasy. “Romantic encounter, my ass. More like a tragic accident waiting to happen.”

“Are you asking for it?” the girl snapped.

The girl grabbed his textbook, shouting as she hurled it at him in anger.

The classroom overflowed with the reckless energy of youth–loud, messy, alive.

The only one who remained calm and collected was Nova, sitting quietly in the back row.

Listening to the lively chatter, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, ‘Ah, the carefree life of students? How wonderful.’

Zoey waited until the noise settled a bit before clapping her hands. “Alright, that’s enough. It’s still class time, and your noise is disturbing the other classes.

“The wilderness survival training starts in ten days. Getting excited now won’t help you–it’s still a while away.

“Now, settle down, take out your textbooks. Last class we covered-”

But the idea of wilderness survival had already planted a spark of excitement in everyone’s mind.

To the students, it felt less like training and more like an upcoming field trip.

Even though this was a prestigious academy, at heart, they were still just teenagers–restless, curious, and eager for fun.

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Chapter 25

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No matter how Zoey tried to continue the lesson, not a single one of them could truly calm down. Their excitement lasted well into the afternoon.

*****

By the time the final bell rang at five, everyone was still buzzing.

On the way from the classroom to the school gate, Sophia clung to Nova’s arm, still chattering nonstop.

Sophia smiled, “Can you believe it? Real wilderness survival. Who knows what kind of fun stuff might happen? I swear, our batch is so lucky.

“Like, what are the odds? Every previous year had boring regular training, but us? We get a cool outdoor survival adventure instead.”

“Just thinking about it gets me so hyped–ugh, I bet I’m going to be way too excited to sleep tonight.”

Nova, on the other hand, didn’t share her excitement.

To her, things like wilderness survival were second nature; she’d been through much harsher conditions during her years as a mercenary.

There was nothing new or thrilling about it.

Still doing it alongside a bunch of sheltered students was something different, almost refreshing.

When they reached the school gate, Nova and Sophia said goodbye. As usual, Nova walked alone toward Blake Villa.

But about three hundred feet from the gate, a group of rough–looking punks stepped out and blocked her path.

The one leading the group was a young man, maybe twenty–eight or twenty–nine, with a naturally fierce- looking face.

Nova had been to Frostwave Bar twice, so she recognized him right away–Victor’s trusted right–hand man, Yannick Lowell.

“Our boss wants to see you. Would you mind coming with us?” Yannick asked, his voice polite but firm as his crew stood behind him.

“Lead the way.” Nova shifted her backpack onto one shoulder and spoke lazily.

Ever since that birthday party, when Ethan had been completely crushed by Nova’s presence and ended up sweeping the classroom for her, he hadn’t seen her again.

Not that he didn’t want to. On the contrary–he’d been dying to challenge that infuriating woman to a proper fight.

She’d ordered him to clean the floor, handed him a piece of candy, and treated him like a kid.

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Chapter 25

That still made his blood boil.

He’d wanted to tell her he wasn’t some child, but being a member of the Taekwondo Club and one of Zane’s best friends, it wasn’t easy for him to just pick a fight with her.

Now, walking out of the school gate, Ethan suddenly saw something that made his heart drop.

Nova was surrounded by a bunch of shady–looking punks.

‘Are they taking her away?‘ he wondered.

In an instant, his mind went blank.

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The moment he realized what was happening, he dropped his bag without a thought and started tailing them quietly at top speed.

Nova followed Yannick and his men to Frostwave Bar.

It wasn’t open today; clearly, something serious was going on.

As soon as she stepped inside, she noticed the place was empty except for Victor’s men–no customers, no noise.

“Nova, you’re here?” Victor, the most notorious underground boss in Ravenport, came forward to greet her, his tone unusually respectful–every word practically dripping with deference.

Other people might not know, but Victor sure did.

This seemingly innocent girl standing in front of him was none other than a senior member of the Crimson Web, an international organization feared by every underworld figure who’d ever heard its name.

She was, in every sense, a big deal.

“What do you need from me?” Nova asked casually, tossing her backpack onto the bar counter and glancing at him.

“Well, I-“Victor started to explain.

But before he could finish, a sharp voice came shouting from outside. “Where the hell did you take Nova?

“You guys are the underground big shots of Ravensport, right? Since when do you go around bullying students from Saint Laurel Royal Academy?”

The next second, Ethan burst through the door, having fought his way past several of Victor’s bouncers.

When he spotted Nova standing there completely unharmed, he froze.

Victor blinked, then looked at Nova in confusion. “And who might this be?”

“My little sidekick,” Nova said smoothly. “Temporary help. He cleans for me.” When she was lying, she didn’t even blink.

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Chapter 25

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The moment Victor heard Nova’s sidekick, he waved his men off immediately. “Let him through.”

Ethan finally got to her side, still tense and ready to fight, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the room.

“You okay? They didn’t hurt you, did they?” he asked, glaring around with a guard.

Anyone could tell what was running through Ethan’s head right now.

He’d probably assumed Nova owed Frostwave Bar money or got herself in some kind of trouble.

For all he knew, she could’ve been in real danger already.

After all, in Ravenport, everyone knew about Victor and his crew.

Victor was basically the big boss of all of Ravenport’s underground.

They were dangerous–the kind of people who didn’t stop at broken bones.

Even the rich kids from powerful families stayed far away from them.

So for Nova, a lone girl, to be dragged here. In Ethan’s mind, that could only mean something bad.

“Do I look like I’m in trouble?” Nova raised a brow.

Ethan glanced her up and down. She did look perfectly fine, which only confused him more.

‘Why is she here then?‘ he wondered.

Before he could ask, Victor, the same guy who could command every thug in the bar with a single look, walked straight up to Nova.

And to Ethan’s utter disbelief, Victor bowed his head respectfully.

“Nova,” Victor said, voice steady but cautious, “now that you’re here, may I finally explain my situation?”

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Chapter 26