[Trigger Warning: This Chapter contains explicit content including violence, death, and strong language. Proceed with caution.]

For a good minute, the area stilled.

Even the wind in the terminal seemed to soften in fear. Everyone could only stare at their fallen colleague in horror, watching as blood spurted from the side of his neck in short, ragged gasps until deafening silence took over.

"Ah."

Suddenly, Ashley’s voice echoed.

Everyone took a step back, watching her rise to her feet, eyes wide. She gazed at her bloody hand, the chopstick still clutched between her fingers, slicked with red.

Her lashes fluttered up, meeting the men standing meters away. She studied the tattoos visible on their skin, recognizing the recurring symbol inked on them.

Knights.

One of the gangs in this country, known for extortion, blackmail, and violent tactics used to terrorize small business owners in the territories they claimed — and much more. Ashley knew this, since Dominion would never migrate to a place without first knowing every threat, big or small.

Meanwhile, the members of the Knights Gang studied her from head to toe.

"What the fuck is this woman?" one of them blurted out in pure horror. "We weren’t told things would be like this."

"A fucking chopstick," another one pointed out, taking a step back. "She used a fucking chopstick!"

If she could kill someone with a chopstick, what could she do with something more deadly? But part of them wanted to deny what they had already seen.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" one of them suddenly shouted. "It’s just one person! Don’t let her intimidate you — she just got lucky!"

Lucky?

Some of them turned to the speaker in disbelief. They all knew there was no luck in what they’d just witnessed.

"Ha... hahaha!" But even as most of them doubted it, a few would rather believe it was just luck. "That’s right. That fucker was useless anyway. Never could fight for shit!"

Ashley raised her brows as she watched some of them laugh it off nervously. Reluctance was clear in the others’ eyes, but more and more of them tried to bury the seed of fear she had planted.

Classic gang mentality.

"Let’s rush her all at once! She’s just one person!" one of them roared.

"Yeah!" the rest roared back, bolstering each other’s nerve.

But just as they surged forward, they paused when Ashley shook her head in disappointment. Then, raising her hand, she crooked her bloody finger at them.

Some hesitated, gulping at the absence of fear in her eyes. But in the end, one of them shouted and charged. With that first roar, the others followed.

As soon as the first man reached her, Ashley raised her foot and kicked him square in the chest. Ducking, she grabbed the arm that jabbed at her, yanking it forward as she spun and used his face as a shield against the strike coming from her side.

One by one, the men charging at her fell back — yet others kept coming. She kicked one man sideways, sending him crashing into another, and the remaining few finally came to a stop.

"What the..." one took another step back, eyes wide.

But before they could reorganize, Ashley suddenly shouted.

"One more thing!" Her voice rang out, confusing everyone around her. "Tell Dominion — I want to see you all later!"

The men surrounding Ashley stilled, brows furrowed, unsure what she was talking about.

What they didn’t know was that somewhere nearby, her original abductors had paused in their tracks. They were already far from her, her voice barely reaching them, yet they heard her all the same, clear as a bell.

The group of four exchanged wide-eyed glances. How did she know they were still around? Wasn’t she too busy fighting those goons?

Then her voice reached them once more, and it was that which truly made them hold their breath.

"It’s an order... from the Madam."

Again, they looked at each other. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t suspected it. But somehow, hearing her faint voice stake her claim within Dominion made everything click into place.

How someone like her could stand before danger without even flinching.

Above all else: never judge a book by its cover. She looked harmless — someone who seemed to know nothing of this world — and that was precisely what made her dangerous. It was too late for them to realize that now.

"Rus."

Khan, who had been drifting in and out of consciousness while being carried on Nelek’s back, suddenly spoke. He forced his head up, eyes finding Rus — the same one who had originally planned to stay behind and buy them time, before Ashley stepped in.

With labored breath, Khan managed, "Stay with her."

"What?" Nelek and Warriyo turned to him. "We — we can’t owe her."

If Khan had more strength, he would have said that they couldn’t assume Ashley had no ulterior motives. She may have had her reasons for helping them despite the fact that they’d abducted her. At the same time, they had to understand that someone as dangerous as that woman wouldn’t help them without reason.

And she wouldn’t want them alive after this without one either.

Whatever her reasons were, they couldn’t simply be indebted to her without knowing more.

Nelek and Warriyo looked at the injured Khan, then at Rus. Rus considered for a moment before nodding, handing off his share of the gear, and keeping only his rifle.

"Take care," Rus said without hesitation.

Without another word, he jogged off, leaving his group behind, knowing that staying was better than going with them. Besides, Nelek and Warriyo were better negotiators than he was.

Watching Rus go, Nelek and Warriyo exchanged a nod before pressing on, making their way out of the terminal toward Dominion. For now, all they could do was follow Ashley’s plan.

*****

Meanwhile, Rus moved quickly toward where they had last seen Ashley, his grip tight on his rifle. Gunshots had echoed through the terminal, and he was ready to open fire. But as soon as he emerged from behind one of the stacked containers, he jerked back on instinct.

"What the —" He stopped himself, easing his head out to assess the situation.

The gang she’d been fighting was already on the ground, blood pooling beneath them. But now...

BANG.

Three men in full tactical gear stood among the fallen. Two of them moved through the bodies, firing shots to the head or chest to finish the job, while the third carried Ashley’s limp body over his shoulder.

"What the hell happened?" Rus breathed, eyes wide.

Just minutes ago, Ashley had been holding her own against a dozen men. Now she was unconscious, slung over someone’s shoulder like a sack, and the men she’d fought were being executed in cold blood by three strangers in gear. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Is this Dominion? Rus wondered, pressing himself back against the container as he strained to listen.

"These guys are pathetic," one of the men remarked. "Let’s move."

"What about those four?" another one asked.

"Dominion is already on the go. We can’t have them after us. Let the others deal with them."

With that, they carried the unconscious Ashley toward the docks, where a cargo ship was on the verge of setting sail. Rus stretched his neck to watch them until they disappeared from view.

"What the fuck is going on?" Rus exhaled, face twisting. "Just what the hell do these people want from her?"