The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 90

Chapter 90 Fifty–Seven Cuts

A massive hand ravaged a sanctuary, claiming everything in its path….

It was like a tornado sweeping across the land, taking fields and forests with it.

Inside the house, the lights flashed on and off.

Her skin was as pale as porcelain, standing out in stark contrast against the other’s bronzed complexion.

It was as if he became vaguely aware that his emotions were being manipulated by the drug.

He pressed a hand to his temple and roughly pushed Yellowcat aside.

“Go!” he barked at her, his voice anything but gentle.

With sheer willpower, he managed to stop himself, forcing his body to freeze.

Yellowcat wasn’t some clueless girl. She’d made it to the senior ranks of the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps, and she’d seen the darker side of the world plenty of times.

In that instant, everything clicked for her.

Now she knew why Nova told her not to touch the dinner they served at the training ground tonight.

They’d spiked the food.

Obviously, he’d eaten it.

He wasn’t the only one–plenty of others probably had some too.

Yellowcat didn’t rush to leave. Leaving wasn’t even on her mind.

She just propped her chin up with one hand, her mind briefly retracing what had happened.

If every dinner at the training ground was spiked tonight, then it wasn’t just him–outside was probably already in total chaos.

Among mercenaries, you might not even find two or three women out of a hundred.

From the numbers at the training ground registration this afternoon, women probably made up barely one percent of the crowd.

That’s just ten women out of a thousand mercenaries.

And now, with all these fired–up men under the influence, spotting any women around…

They’d probably swarm like a pack of crazed wolves.

Thinking it through, Yellowcat realized she was actually safer staying in Fierce Python’s room than risking it outside.

Yellowcat didn’t leave. In fact, she stepped closer.

She crouched down behind him, propping her hands on her cheeks, her eyes fixed on his broad back with a playful grin.

Yellowcat teased, “Hey, ever thought about joining our Blood Doll Corps?

“Our boss is crazy strong–you’d be in good hands, trust me!”

Even now, she couldn’t help but try to poach him for Nova Blake.

“Why don’t you join our Blood Doll Corps? I’ll hand over the antidote,” Yellowcat coaxed, her tone playful yet tempting.

What’s the antidote–how do you get it?

It was just what you’d expect a man and a woman, you know.

Women who’d spent years in the international underground weren’t as concerned about chastity as people might think.

Yellowcat was no exception.

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Chapter 190 Fifty–Seven Cuts

Sometimes, female mercenaries would use their bodies to get what they wanted. It was just part of the game.

Even though Yellowcat was still untouched, she was bold in ways you wouldn’t expect from someone so

innocent.

He ignored her completely.

His six–foot–two–inch build was like a solid wall–if he ever leaned in, he could easily flatten her if he wanted to.

No matter how much Yellowcat tried to tempt him, he stayed as steady as a rock.

His self–control was honestly on another level.

In the end, Yellowcat just kept waiting for Fierce Python to finally crack and agree to her offer. But as she waited, she ended up dozing off, her head resting lightly against his broad back.

*****

Compared to the peaceful vibe inside the room, things outside had already descended into total chaos.

The staff at the training ground had deliberately spiked the dinner.

The whole point was to test the willpower and endurance of mercenaries from every corps.

The underground world never respected women, and never gave them a level playing field with men.

No one gave a damn about the ratio–a thousand men to just ten women.

Tonight, the real question was: could any woman make it out alive, surrounded by a pack of men on the prowl like starving wolves?

‘Yeah, Yellowcat thought grimly.

‘Survival. That was all that mattered tonight.

Outside the bedrooms, in the living room.

Nova had an MK–48 light machine gun in one hand and a Desert Eagle in the other, fingers loose but ready to spring into action.

She parked herself on the couch, right across from the front door.

If a guy ate the drugged dinner but had enough willpower, he might be able to ride it out.

If not, he’d go completely out of control.

In a place packed with mercenaries, losing your mind was like putting a target on your back–you’d just be fresh meat for the slaughter.

You wouldn’t even know what hit you before you were dead.

But for any woman who ate that drugged dinner, her fate was downright brutal.

She’d have to dodge packs of men hunting her down like starving wolves, desperately searching for any place to hide.

And even then, only pure grit and willpower could get her through the night.

If those men found her and dragged her out to the square, forget about keeping her innocence–there’d be no chance.

Just one woman, facing a hundred men.

Just surviving the night would be a miracle.

So, most of the women were doomed tonight.

There was a chorus of nervous gulps.

Sham, Eder, and the rest were all gathered around Nova.

Yellowcat had told them not to eat dinner tonight, passing on Nova’s orders. Back then, none of them understood why.

But now, it all made sense.

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Chapter 190 Fifty–Seven Cuts

They couldn’t help but feel a cold shiver of fear run down their spines.

Sham, Eder, and the others instinctively shot Nova a look.

‘She’s just the leader of a tiny mercenary corps–how the hell does she know the rules of this place?‘ one of them thought.

‘And how the hell did she know the dinner would be drugged?

‘It’s almost like… she’s been here before!‘

“Boss… have you ever been to the International Mercenary Corps training ground?” Sham finally asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

He asked directly, not bothering to hide the doubt in his voice.

Nova, sitting on the couch with a light machine gun in her left hand and a pistol in her right, lifted her gaze and shot him a sideways look.

As if recalling something from the past, her gaze lowered before she finally answered Sham softly,

“Yes.”

She didn’t just visit–she actually went through it herself, eating the drugged dinner at the training ground with Ghost–Hammer, Falcony, Marlie, and Snowfang.

She had to keep her head straight, no matter what, never letting the drug mess with her.

That night, Nova stabbed her own thigh fifty–seven times. Every time the blade went in, it ripped open the same spot, again and again. That was the price she paid for letting her guard down.

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