"I think I’m in love... I’ll get you out of here, then let’s get married. Happily ever after."

Ashley immediately took back her earlier thoughts now that she was standing this close to the man.

Arrogant people were still her favorite.

But this Carrot Man definitely didn’t fall into that category.

This man wasn’t arrogant.

He was... mentally unwell.

The type she despised the most.

"What a psycho weirdo," she mumbled, catching his wide grin.

The moment she felt him about to kick her, Ashley raised her foot and stomped hard on his, her eyes never leaving him.

Yet even that only made his eyes sparkle more.

"Nice, nice, nice!" he cheered excitedly, tightening his grip on the axe lodged between them.

Then, with a sudden shove, he pushed it aside hard enough to force Ashley to jump backward.

But the moment she did, Ashley bent backward as he ripped the axe free and swung it horizontally.

BAM!

The axe slammed into the opposite wall.

Yet neither of them slowed down.

Taking advantage of the momentum, he lunged to grab her.

At the same time, Ashley slapped his arm away, redirected his movement, and kicked him in the side to force him against the railing.

And yet, he still managed to counter.

Both of them exchanged blow after blow, moving quickly on their feet while avoiding lethal strikes.

Especially Ashley.

She knew that the second he landed one critical hit, he would easily overpower her.

As for the psycho Carrot Man, he was also deliberately avoiding lethal attacks.

Though Ashley was much smaller than him, she was too fast and knew exactly where to strike to bring down someone bigger.

But the more they exchanged blows — dodging, blocking, and landing a few non-lethal hits — the more excited the man became.

It came to a point where Ashley nearly lost focus when she noticed him blushing.

Inside her head, she could only scream:

Why the hell is my match-up like this?!

*****

[Near the Cargo Ship’s Boat Deck]

THUD!

"Ugh!"

A grunt escaped Rus as his body slid violently across the floor.

He curled up, gasping for air while his lungs tightened painfully. Clutching his stomach, he forced himself to get up and keep fighting.

But looking at the person responsible for the pain surging through his body, Rus couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

Not literally, but this man with the large mole on his face was simply too powerful for him.

And he’s wearing a bulletproof vest under that shirt, Rus thought bitterly while eyeing the bullet holes he had left in the man’s clothing.

Rus slowly looked up, grinding his teeth.

He had been so close to securing a boat for himself and Ashley.

"Shit," he breathed out while forcing himself back to his feet. "Why the hell... is she taking so long?"

Once he stood up, he found himself facing the one man he knew he couldn’t beat.

The man was armed, yet he still hadn’t used his weapon on him.

Perhaps because he knew Rus was with Ashley. Or perhaps for another reason entirely.

Whatever the reason was, Rus knew he was doomed if he couldn’t escape this place.

Foolish as it was, Rus turned and dragged his exhausted body away.

But the second he did, several armed men suddenly emerged from around the corner.

Rus froze in place as he saw rifles immediately aimed at him. Yet none of them fired.

When Rus looked back at the man with the large mole, he saw him slightly raising one hand — a signal to hold fire.

"Once my colleague confirms he has her, I won’t need you anymore," the man said calmly, his eyes fixed directly on Rus. "Until then, cooperate."

Rus scoffed, finally understanding why this man hadn’t shot him yet.

They still hadn’t captured Ashley.

And since this man knew Rus was working with her, the reason was obvious.

He was being kept alive as leverage.

"Hah." Rus scoffed again, spitting blood onto the floor. "This is so fucking insulting."

The more Rus thought about it, the more he realized that ever since Ashley’s abduction, their lives — his life — had become tied to hers.

It felt like whether he lived or died depended entirely on her mood or her situation.

At this point, it felt like a curse.

But that curse... was buying him time.

"She better not get caught," he whispered, assessing the armed men gathering several meters behind the mole-faced man. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

When he glanced behind him again, the armed men there still hadn’t moved either.

He was completely cornered.

And there was only one escape route left.

Rus glanced sideways toward the dark ocean below.

But even if he jumped, he had no idea how far from shore they were or how he would survive without one of the orange lifeboats hanging above.

"Shit," he muttered again, grinding his teeth while weighing his options.

Before he could decide, the man with the mole spoke.

"There’s no point."

Rus slowly looked back at him.

"I’ve been wondering how you got onto this ship and whether you were connected to Dominion," the man continued calmly. "But now I realize who you are."

Rus furrowed his brows.

"Khan, Warriyo, Nelek... and you are Rus," the man said, revealing he already knew about their little group. "Although I’m still confused about why you’re here and why you’re helping her, I think you’re actually lucky to be here."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

The man shrugged lightly. "Those three are probably dead by now."

"What?"

"We were ordered to eliminate both the Knights Gang and your group — make it look like a conflict between the two that escalated into a tragic confrontation," the man explained. "The second those three left the port, they were already marked for death. Our men were waiting to carry out the order."

Hearing that, Rus went pale. His eyes widened as his mind blanked at the thought that those three were already dead.

After fighting these people for a while now, Rus could tell many of them were skilled.

Just not at this man’s level.

As the realization fully sank in, Rus ground his teeth until his face twisted with rage.

"You..." he breathed out while gripping his nearly empty rifle tighter.

His eyes slowly burned with fury as he kept them locked on the man standing several meters away. His face darkened. He already knew he wasn’t getting out of here alive.

But before he died... he would kill as many of them as possible.

I’m going to fucking kill all of you, he thought while thinking of his sworn brothers: Nelek, Khan, and Warriyo.

"I’m going to fucking kill—"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Rus’s rising fury instantly halted as he lurched aside to avoid the bullets raining down.

Only then did he realize the bullets weren’t aimed at him.

They were aimed at the enemies ahead, forcing them to scramble for cover beneath the overhead structures.

"What?" Rus breathed out as he looked upward.

Not just him.

Everyone in the area looked up at the same time.

There, standing atop the lowest stack of cargo containers was a lone figure.

Rus furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes until he finally recognized who it was.

Ashley.

"Where the heck is the boat!?"