The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 50

14:07 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Ghost–Hammer’s voice carried a tone of eager boasting.

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From the way he sounded, he seemed like a blunt man, but in truth, he was meticulous. He knew Nova was in Zoria and considerately addressed her in Zoriaien.

Ghost–Hammer looked reckless, yet he always wore an apron to cook for his fellow mercenaries after battle.

He was the only person in the mercenary world, besides the brother Nova had relied on in childhood, who had ever shown her warmth.

Thinking of Ghost–Hammer, Nova smiled and gave her address. “Ravenport, Morales, Zoria. Text me when you arrive,” she said, then hung up.

As a mercenary, she avoided sensitive topics on calls to prevent leaving traces that might draw police attention.

That was also why Ghost–Hammer hadn’t detailed the “big discovery” over the phone.

Those few words left Victor frozen in shock beside Nova. He replayed the caller’s address to Nova and terms like Ase Conflict, enemy forces, rocket launcher, and battlefield…

As the former owner of Ravenport’s Frostwave Bar, he had rarely heard them before. His body went rigid, his mind reeling as if he had glimpsed Nova’s secrets.

Victor was so terrified he nearly lost feeling in his limbs, finally licking his dry lips and forcing a bitter smile.

Nova held a high rank in Crimson Web. The people she knew were international giants, worlds apart from a small–time player like him struggling in Ravenport.

Victor couldn’t help thinking, ‘I’ve really latched onto a powerful ally!‘ That was his very first thought.

“What’s wrong?” Nova glanced at his tense expression.

“N–nothing…” Beads of sweat rolled down Victor’s temples as he stammered a reply. Though inwardly shaken, he didn’t dare reveal a thing.

“I’m leaving. I’ll contact you next week.” Nova turned and exited Frostwave Bar’s headquarters.

Autumn was approaching. Daytime still held the warmth of late summer, but the night breeze carried a chill.

Nova, in her light jacket, felt no cold.

She hadn’t forgotten her promise to heal Fiona’s leg injury. The delay was because she needed to find one person–a doctor with deadly expertise in poisons.

The reason Nova hadn’t contacted the doctor yet was simple. That doctor was a subordinate of Damien, her only rival and enemy. To contact the doctor, she had to go through Damien first.

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14:07 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 50

The thought of that formidable, unpredictably cruel man made Nova’s head throb.

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She never acted rashly. Knowing Damien was stronger than her, any negotiation required careful planning. Otherwise, she risked not only herself but also failing to heal Fiona.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringtone. She took out her phone from the pocket and glanced at the screen. It was Jordan.

Jordan never contacted Nova without a good reason. This call meant the operation to capture the fugitives was about to begin.

Jordan said, “Nova, I need your help. Come to private room C19 in the Tidal Sing Club. Me and my team members are there.”

*****

Ten minutes later, Nova opened the private room door and saw Jordan waiting inside.

“You’re here already!” Jordan’s face lit up, surprised by her speed.

As Jordan spoke, Nova scanned the unfamiliar faces in the room and gave him a nod. “Hey.”

Jordan explained, “We’ve received intel that the fugitives hiding at SLRA will make their move tonight. So we’ve decided to strike–catch them in the act and gather evidence. But we’re short on personnel, so I thought of you.”

With that, he gestured to the people behind him. “They’re all my team members–elite figures of the special operations unit. We’ll be working together tonight.”

At this point, Jordan rubbed his nose. “This mission is dangerous and takes place off–campus. Whether you accept or not is your decision.”

Logically, he shouldn’t have involved Nova in this operation. If this was happening at school, he could have turned to her, Zane, Maxwell, or other strong students.

Even Jordan didn’t know why his first instinct was to contact Nova, an ordinary girl student.

Nova never feared danger. No manhunt could compare to the life–or–death battles she had survived. Besides, she never turned down a paid mission. “I’ll go.”

In the room, there were several special operations members in civilian clothes, all carrying the same mission.

A crew–cut, tan–skinned young man, Waylon Foster, strode up to Nova and Jordan, snapping out with obvious dissatisfaction, “Hey!”

Waylon was the most capable elite in the team. He wasn’t an undercover agent at SLRA, but like Jordan, he was part of this operation.

Waylon looked at Nova up and down, his eyes wide with shock and annoyance. He said discontentedly, “Jordan, what’s wrong with you? I asked you to find backup, and you actually brought back this fragile–looking girl?

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14:07 Sat, Jun 6

Chapter 50

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“You know how dangerous this mission is. Intel says those fugitives are armed. Just don’t let her hold us back when she can’t even help!”

The other members didn’t voice their doubts, but their expressions clearly showed skepticism. Letting an untrained teenage girl join a dangerous operation? It sounded like a bad joke.

“She’s not just some frail girl. She’s the champion of SLRA’s duel tournament,” Jordan hurriedly explained.

His words could convince regular people. But to elite soldiers like Waylon, it sounded weak and unconvincing.

Waylon snapped, pointing at Nova as he glared at Darren, “Jordan, have you been at school so long that your brain’s gone soft?

“Yes, she’s the champion of a campus tournament, but how is that supposed to help us? We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t slow us down.

“Let me ask you. Has she ever held a gun? Does she know how to dodge bullets? I bet she’s never even seen a real weapon!”

The next second, the crisp sound of a pistol being chambered echoed through the room.

Hearing that, the members, who had been looking down on Nova, froze and stared at her in unison.

She was now holding a Type 92 semi–automatic pistol–loaded and aimed straight at Waylon’s forehead.

“Bang.” She simulated the gunshot with her lips, startling everyone. Her voice was cold. “You’re ‘dead.”

Waylon jolted, then his eyes went wide as he recognized the pistol in Nova’s hand. He immediately patted his holster. It was empty. His pistol was gone, and he hadn’t noticed a thing at all.

Waylon was stunned, thinking, ‘If Nova were an enemy, I’d already been killed.‘

The thought made cold sweat pour down his back as he stared at her in horror. “You… When did you…”

Nova’s playful expression vanished, replaced by a bloodthirsty coldness that pierced through his arrogance. “Humph, you can’t even protect your own combat weapon. You’re the one who’ll hold us back.”

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