The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Chapter 97

“Looks like we don’t stand a

at getting into the task force this time

said, watching his head.

The underwear he’d just yanked back into place got stuck again thanks to all his firge

Wearing underwear that didn’t fit was absolute Nurture-especially when it kept getting wedged up where it should be made every little move feel like a new form of agony, and he couldn’t focus on anything except how uncomfortable he wrat

Most people would’ve probably just grit their teeth and waited until no one was around to fix it.

But Andrew couldn’t care less about dignity. He just reached back, shamelessly dug out his stuck underwear night then and there, then gave himself a quick shake as if nothing had happened.

Then Andrew just threw his arm around Oliver’s shoulder, acting like they were old friends, chatting away as if nothing

serious.

“Bro, what about you?

“You going on that SS-class mission? Seriously, that’s way too risky. Just skip it-what are you gonna do if

He cocked his head at Nova and continued teasing, “Am I right, Nova?”

Tm going.” Nova said, shooting Andrew a look.

Andrew blinked, wondering if he was just seeing things-was Nova actually… excited?

you end up

“She’s just a regular girl student. At best, she’s traveled overseas, but she’s never been anywhere near a war zone. So why does she seem so pumped about this?’ Andrew thought.

‘Is my underwear on so tight it’s cutting off the blood to my brain? Am I seriously starting to hallucinate?” Andrew thought.

Andrew reminded himself to stock up on some decent underwear next time they left the war zone.

All the ones he had at home were either shredded or way too tight. If he kept wearing this torture, he’d probably end up squeezing his brains out!

“Alright, it’s your call-we’ll back you up,” Andrew shrugged.

“Just make sure to give your brother and the fam a heads up though. No point letting them go crazy with worry over you.”

r

Andrew added with a grin.

After that, the selection officer finalized the list–anyone who still wanted to compete for a spot on the task force and join the real combat mission was told to meet at the usual place tonight at eight.

Since this was an emergency mission and they had to head out immediately, everyone was only given an afternoon and an evening to make up their minds.

*****

After leaving the war zone, Nova had zero intention of heading back to school. Skipping class wasn’t something she got to do often, so she planned to soak up every minute of her newfound freedom.

She popped into the shop by the school gate and treated herself to an ice-cold lemonade. The blast of sweet, tangy flavor was pure bliss, cooling her down and lifting her mood in an instant.

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Chapter 92

dectly Lutted the way she liked in

Nova was loving every second of it

There was a time when Nov?would’ve never imagined herself chilling at the school gate, sipping an ice-cold lemonade just watching students bustle around campus-in all those years running from battlefield to battlefield, scenes like this felt a million miles away.

For Nova, moments like this were a kind of quiet joy she could never really put into words.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Nova figured the campus heartthrob and campus belle contest at Saint Laurel Royal Academy must’ve wrapped up by now.

That was when she casually hopped back over the east entrance, just like she’d done when she left.

As she walked away, she even gave the wide-eyed security guard a little wave,

The guard just stared, completely speechless.

“Where did this kid even come from? Is she for real? She’s wild, the guard thought.

‘She climbs over the school gate to ditch class, then climbs back in like it’s no big deal?

‘Is scaling the fence the hot new thing for students now or something?

‘Man, I just…

‘These kids these days-I swear, I’ll never understand what goes on in their heads!’

When Nova finally made it back to the classroom, Sophia was practically bursting with excitement, rushing over the moment she appeared.

“Nova! Seriously, why are you only just getting back? Where did you go? The campus belle contest is already over!

“Ugh, you should’ve won, it’s so unfair!” she said.

Sophia pouted, her cheeks puffed out in exaggerated disappointment, obviously feeling bad for Nova.

“It’s all done now, Nova. Seriously, you have no idea how insane the campus belle contest was this afternoon!

“Guess what?

“You raked in fifteen thousand votes! And Saint Laurel Royal Academy only has twenty thousand students-that’s basically the whole school!”

Sophia ticked off the numbers on her fingers, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Last year, your sister Hannah won campus belle with the highest votes, but she only got just over ten thousand!

“You totally shattered the all-time campus belle record at Saint Laurel Royal Academy-no one’s ever even come close!

“But now it’s all for nothing! You didn’t go on stage, so the campus belle and campus heartthrob titles still went to the usual

crowd.

“Seriously, you have no idea-everyone on campus was losing their minds trying to find you this afternoon!

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Chapter 97-

Your bruher and sister called you a million times! And you totally ghosted them!”

Everything Sophia said reminded Nova that she’d switched off her phone as soon as she headed into the U26 war zone.

She’d done it to keep her mind clear-no point in letting a flood of random messages distract her.

Now that she remembered, she quickly dug out her phone and turned it back on.

As expected, her notifications exploded-Maxwell and Hannah had practically spammed her with over twenty calls, taking turns trying to reach her.

“Something came up, couldn’t make it back,” Nova texted, tossing out the excuse like it was no big deal.

Truth was, she couldn’t care less about that so-called campus belle and heartthrob contest. She definitely didn’t want all the pointless drama that came with it.

Seriously, all that trouble for zero cash?

She couldn’t be less interested.

Sure enough, after school, Maxwell and Hannah came looking for her.

“Novie, where the heck have you been all day? I heard you skipped class,” Maxwell said.

“Was this all because you didn’t want to join the campus belle contest or get that campus belle crown?” Maxwell pressed, raising an eyebrow.

Maxwell was always the sharp one-he saw straight through her and hit the nail on the head.

“Wait, you seriously ditched school just to avoid being the campus belle?!” Hannah gasped, her eyes almost popping out of her head.

No matter how much of a legend Nova was-even if she could out-cool a assassin-that still couldn’t top the bombshell of her turning down the campus belle crown.

Honestly, to all the students watching, that move was totally mind-blowing.

There were people who would do anything just for a shot at that spot, and she just shrugged it off like it was no big deal!

“Why not?” Nova replied with an easy smirk, like she couldn’t care less.

She lifted her chin, her voice relaxed and matter-of-fact.

“If it doesn’t come with cash, that kind of fame’s just a burden.”

Maxwell and Hannah had basically grown up at school, so when it came to stuff like this, their thinking was no different from any other student.

But hearing Nova call a campus belle’s reputation-a crown that everyone else dreamed of-nothing but a hassle…

They just gawked at her like she’d sprouted another head.

Finally, they both exhaled, a little relieved.

Honestly, after all the wild stuff Nova had pulled over the years, nobody was really surprised by anything she did anymore.

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Chapter 92

well as soul to share the latest scoop with Nova & few days ago, their second uncle, Harvey Blake, had suddenly -gone-off the grid. Not even the main family elders could dig up any trace of him.

Nova spoke up first.

“I’ve got something to deal with, so I’ll be out of Ravenport for a bit. Can you let Mom and Dad know…

Im just staying at a friend’s place.”

Maxwell blurted out, “Wait, where exactly are you goings

Nova just narrowed her eyes, her tone casual and a little evasive. “Oh, you know, got a few loose ends to tie heading home.”

Maxwell and Hannah shared a look, each reading the same questions in the other’s eyes.

But in the end, neither of them pressed for more.

Maxwell’s voice was gentle as he spoke.

up

before

“If you ever run into something you can’t handle, promise me you’ll reach out to me or Hannie. Don’t try to handle it all alone.

“Honestly, Hannie and I have been quietly building up some influence over the years-we’re not as helpless as people think. If you need backup, we’ve got you covered.”

Nova nodded.

Hannah pouted. “Fine, do what you want, just don’t go dying out there, seriously!”

At 8 p.m. sharp.

Right on time, not a second early or late, Nova appeared at the same task force tryout spot as before.

This time, the area was blazing with lights, and right in front of the hangar sat a huge military transport plane.

“Yo, Nova!” Andrew called out cheerfully the moment she showed up.

Oliver and Leanne were right there with him.

Even if they were a little freaked out, there was no way they’d ditch their chance at the task force-so the three of them had shown up together.

Nova turned and gave them a cocky tilt of her chin. That was her way of saying hi.

Not far away, Violet was with her usual crew, sticking close as they led the way onto the transport plane.

Right before she boarded, she shot Nova a sharp, nasty look.

Nova couldn’t care less and just ignored her completely.

“I counted-just eleven of us here!” Andrew said, scanning the group. “Once you take out the folks who bombed the defusal challenge and the dozen or so who just straight-up bailed tonight, guess they gave up their shot.

“Let’s hop on the plane!” Andrew called out, waving everyone forward as he led the way.

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this wild, it’s no wonder only a handful of people had the guts to show up.

Nova and the other three settled into the transport plane.

The aircraft carrying everyone quickly sealed its doors and got ready to take off.

For a while, everyone just relaxed, making casual conversation and unwinding.

Soon enough. Nova found herself drawn in by the talk coming from a pair of spec-ops members sitting across from her.

“Hey, did

you

hear the news about Devil’s Isle from a while ago?” one of them asked.

“You mean that prison that locks up the most terrifying criminals in the world? Supposedly nobody’s ever busted out of there, right? But a few months back, someone actually broke out!” another one said.

“Yeah, that’s the one! Word on the street is the toughest warden over there-Bay Hale-is in Trinova now, leading a whole squad from Devil’s Isle, searching every inch, zeroing in on whoever’s hiding out!” the one who started the discussion said again.

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