The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86

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The two mercenaries‘ faces contorted in shock, their expressions changing dramatically in an instant.

Nova swiftly drove her knee upward, slamming it straight into the left mercenary’s gut, making him double over, groaning in pain.

As his rifle was snatched away, the right mercenary narrowed his eyes and, without hesitation, dropped the gun. Clenching his fist, he swung hard at Nova’s head, going in for a close–quarters brawl.

Nova didn’t even have to think twice when handling mercenaries this weak; reading their moves was child’s play.

Her eyes flickered coldly.

She casually tossed the two rifles she’d confiscated to either side.

With one seemingly fragile hand, she snatched the right mercenary’s fist right out of the air.

At the same time, her other hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

She twisted his arm a full 360 degrees, wrenching it mercilessly behind his back.

“Ah-”

Even a well–trained mercenary couldn’t stop himself from screaming, overwhelmed by the sudden surge of pain.

While the two mercenaries were still reeling, Nova reached out left and right, her hands locking around their necks with a grip like a steel trap.

The frail–looking girl hauled the two fully grown men as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

With both mercenaries firmly in tow, Nova slipped away from the attention–grabbing Greenwood and disappeared into the forest.

A sharp crack echoed through the air.

Nova’s eyes were icy cold.

Even when facing her own mercenaries, she showed no mercy. In an instant, she snapped the neck of the tougher–looking mercenary.

He dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Nova clamped her fingers around the mercenary’s throat, not loosening her grip for a second. The guy’s eyes were wide, pure terror written all over his face—he looked seconds away from wetting himself.

Nova’s tone was glacial as she pressed him,

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Chapter 86

“Spill it! Who sent you to kill me?”

******

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The entrance of The Greenwood and the hot spring lounge are directly aligned, facing each other in a straight line.

Both were located on the first floor.

From the hotel’s entrance, you could see straight into the lounge.

What just happened at the entrance all went down in a blazing ten seconds–in that split second, Maxwell, Hannah, Zane, Claire, and Felix witnessed everything, not missing a single detail.

Maxwell, Hannah, Felix, and Evie had all witnessed Nova team up with Jordan and some special forces to pull off that insanely epic capture of an international fugitive.

Even so, seeing Nova take on mercenaries barehanded right in front of them was next level–they all went ghostly pale, totally shocked.

“Is she insane? That gun was literally pointed right at her head!” Hannah blurted out, her voice shaky.

Just picturing that scene made her tremble uncontrollably.

‘What kind of nerves does it take to stay calm with a gun aimed at head, grab the barrel, and shove it away like it’s nothing?

‘She literally let bullets whiz right past her eyes!‘ Hannah’s mind was spinning.

“Looks like we bet on the right one,” Felix let out a long breath, glancing around at the crew beside him. “Sh–she… she’s actually f–fighting… a–assassins?” Claire sputtered, her voice breaking with shock.

It was Claire’s first time seeing anything like this–she let out a startled yelp, sounding almost exactly like a panicked rooster.

Even though she’d heard stories about Nova taking part in real battles before, witnessing it in person was a whole different level of intensity.

Words could never compare to the raw impact of seeing it unfold right before her eyes.

For someone like Claire, the wildest thing she’d ever imagined was Nova taking down Zane.

Sure, Nova was even prettier than Hannah, but facing off against real assassins out in the open? That was something else entirely.

Claire was so shocked and overwhelmed, it honestly felt like she’d been shoved headfirst into a stinky trash bin.

As for Zane, he felt like his legs might give out any second.

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Chapter 86

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He had to admit it–he was drawn to Nova, and deep down, the thought of chasing her and teaming up as an unbeatable duo just wouldn’t let go.

‘I really thought I’d hit the ceiling on how strong Nova could be, Zane couldn’t help but think.

‘But she’s on a whole other level… way beyond anything I ever imagined.

“Guess I really did underestimate her after all…” Zane muttered, his hands hanging limply at his sides.

“Call the cops, quick!” Hannah burst out, her voice shaky with panic.

She felt like she was shaking apart from the inside out.

“This is insane! How can she just walk away every time someone shoves a gun in her face and not get

“Max, you handle the police!

“I’m going after her right now!”

killed?

Hannah had barely taken two steps toward the hotel entrance when Maxwell reached out and pulled her back.

“If you go out there now, you won’t help her. And it’s not just you–if I go, if Zane goes, if any of us run out there, we’ll only make things worse.

“We’d only end up holding her back,” Maxwell said, his voice low and serious.

Maxwell spoke each word slowly, his face dead serious.

Hannah, who always played it cool around Nova, was now freaking out worse than anyone.

“So what are we supposed to do now?

“Are we just supposed to stand here and do nothing?” Hannah’s voice shook, her hands clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms.

“Trust her!” Maxwell said, his voice firm as he stared toward the hotel entrance.

He repeated, stressing each word for everyone to hear.

“Even if we call the cops, by the time they show up, it’ll already be too late.

“Right now, all we can do is trust her!”

Before, Maxwell had believed Nova when she said she’d seen action on the battlefield, then swapped her rifle for a reporter’s notepad after stepping away from the front lines.

Now, all of a sudden, he realized he had to rethink everything he thought he knew about her.

‘Nova’s hiding something huge… something none of us have figured out yet, Maxwell thought, a chill running down his spine.

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Chapter 86

As Maxwell spoke, his eyes swept knowingly over Felix and the other four people.

He spoke with quiet confidence,

“Nova stuck with you guys all the way from school to the hot springs, didn’t she?

“She was protecting you, wasn’t she?”

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‘Whoa, Maxwell really doesn’t miss a thing,‘ Felix thought, a jolt of admiration mixed with surprise running through him.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Felix rubbed at his nose. The five of them had planned to keep their lips sealed, but with Maxwell pinning them down so accurately, there was no point trying to hide it anymore.

All Felix could do was nod in reluctant admission.

“Yeah,” Felix replied, sounding a bit resigned.

Maxwell didn’t bother asking for details.

He just said, “Honestly, what happens to you guys isn’t really our problem. We’re nowhere near as strong as Nova–we could never protect you the way she does.

“But with me and Hannah as Nova’s brother and sister, anything that’s got to do with her is our business too.

“Stick with me. I know a spot in the hotel where we can lay low. While Nova’s out there handling things on her own, I’ll watch your backs so we don’t end up holding her back!”

*****

Deep in the forest, where thick underbrush and towering trees swallowed the light, Nova stood silently in the shadows. Her face was hard and unreadable as she stared down at the two lifeless bodies before her.

Both men’s heads were twisted a full 360 degrees, their bodies lying crumpled in grotesquely unnatural positions on the ground.

Not even in death would they ever realize–the person they provoked was the boss of the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps herself.

In that moment, Nova snapped right back into the ruthless mercenary everyone in the underworld whispered about–a legend of pure cold–blooded brutality.

People still traded stories about the time she herded over a thousand men–who’d followed her for five years -lined them up, and turned her guns on them without batting an eye.

That’s how the world learned: to cross the Bloodblade Queen is to be erased from history.

With a resume like that, did anyone really expect her to spare the mercs sent to kill her?

It didn’t matter that the two lying here were from her own Bloodblade Mercenary Corps–loyalty meant nothing now.

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Chapter 86

She was still herself, the ice–cold empress of the night world, heartless to the core.

That had never changed.

She just made sure that side stayed hidden whenever her family was watching.

Now…

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Nova stared into the darkening woods, where only a trace of dusk remained and shadows swallowed everything.

Now, it was their turn to be hunted.

Deep in the forest.

Night was approaching fast, with the last streaks of sunset barely stretching across the sky–hints of orange and gold fighting a losing battle against the gathering darkness.

There, hidden in the gloom, someone had pitched an ordinary green camping tent–its color blended so well with the trees, it looked like a tiny, secret cabin tucked away from the world.

Inside the tent stood Harvey Blake, Nova’s uncle–the same guy who’d done everything he could to block Nova and Charles from coming back to the Blake family last time.

The tent was huge, and a single light bulb hung overhead, casting a bright glow in every direction. From the outside, it looked like someone was just here for a weekend getaway.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Standing right beside Harvey were three burly, bearded foreign men, all decked out in full combat gear, looking every bit as dangerous as they were armed.

Harvey held a pair of binoculars, like he was running a makeshift command post out here.

He was staring intently toward The Greenwood, its towering silhouette cutting through the forest like a giant.

On closer inspection, Harvey had a phone wedged between his shoulder and ear, deep in conversation with

someone.

“You seriously only sent two rookie mercenaries to take out that girl?

“What if they mess up? Won’t that just tip her off?” The voice on the other end sounded annoyed, clearly worried about blowing the whole operation.

It was an underground world’s terrifying figure who contacted the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps for Harvey.

His tone was pure boss energy, dripping with ruthless confidence.

But Harvey just shrugged it off, totally unfazed.

“I just want to test the waters first. If it works, great. And if not–no big deal,” he replied, way too casual for a

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Chapter 86

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guy plotting an assassination.

Harvey had come all the way out to Janelle himself, setting up camp right here so he could personally call the shots–directing his assassins with a silent hand, determined to make Nova vanish without a trace.

Even if those two rookie mercs sent to take her out end up blowing it…

Harvey glanced at the biggest guy among the three standing next to him–a burly foreigner with icy blue

eyes.

With a confident smirk, Harvey let out a low chuckle into the phone.

“Don’t we still have our trump card?

“Mr. Dorken–number thirty–nine on the International Mercenary Ranking! If she shows up, she’s done for. No way she leaves here alive.”