Serena Feng glanced inside and saw that the fight was still raging. Lance Quinn was holding off seven attackers by himself; though he was at a disadvantage, he wouldn’t be killed anytime soon.
Serena didn’t hesitate. Spotting an opening, she darted inside. She couldn’t go wild with reckless gunfire, but at least she could take down one or two people if she timed it right.
But she underestimated the martial artists’ sharp instincts—and Night City’s wariness of her. As soon as she lifted her foot, someone spotted her and hurled a throwing knife straight at her forehead…
Serena’s battlefield experience left her no time to think. She reacted instantly, dropping to the ground to dodge the attack.
Thud—a heavy sound. Serena shielded her vital points, and as she hit the ground, she rolled on the spot and fired at her target. She hadn’t aimed, so the bullet only struck the enemy’s thigh.
Lance Quinn was never one for mercy. Seeing the opening, he swept his sword across, and the wounded man collapsed instantly.
This time, their teamwork was flawless.
Too bad Serena didn’t feel the least bit happy. The moment she hit the ground, she realized…
Damn it, this isn’t a battlefield—those were knives, not grenades! Why did she drop to the ground? She could’ve just dodged. That fall hurt like hell.
Serena rolled three times before she could catch her breath. Just as she was about to get up, she noticed the two men who’d come in to report seemed to think she was an easy target. Knives in hand, they moved in, ready to finish her off.
Lance Quinn realized he could have protected Serena Feng, but he chose not to. He wanted to see if she truly had the ability to stand with him, to advance and retreat together.
If she had that ability, she wouldn’t need his protection. If not, then protecting her was pointless—she might as well die early.
Serena didn’t disappoint. When two enemies were ten steps away, she dropped one with a shot straight to the heart.
These people underestimated the gun’s killing power. They weren’t wary enough of the weapon in Serena’s hand.
Serena stood up and warned Lance Quinn, “Be careful. Don’t get in my way.”
Bullets don’t have eyes. With everyone fighting chaotically, Serena didn’t bother aiming for vital points—she just wanted to hit someone.
Bang—she shot someone in the lung. Even if he didn’t die immediately, Lance Quinn finished him off with a sword.
Night City’s people weren’t fools. After several losses, the three remaining got smarter: “Be careful, everyone! Dodge the hidden weapon from that wretched woman!”
So...
Bang—
Serena’s shot missed its mark.
Just as expected.
These fighters are experts at pinpointing targets by sound. Dodging bullets isn’t hard for them—except tonight, when they’re forced to split their focus between me and Lance Quinn. That’s pushing them to their limits.
Serena watched Lance Quinn handling three opponents with steady confidence, so she didn’t rush. Instead, she picked a safe spot, ready to fire from cover.
But Night City completely misread her intentions.
“Go, kill that wretched woman! She’s out of hidden weapons!” The Night City leader stepped up to block Lance Quinn’s attack, barking orders to his men.
Night City’s Ten Great Experts used Storm Cloud Bu as bait to lure Lance Quinn here. So what happened?
They didn’t capture Lance Quinn alive, nor did they manage to unmask him. But if their whole squad gets wiped out, Night City’s reputation will be in tatters.
“Okay.”
With help from his companion, one Night City member slipped away, leaving the other two to face Lance Quinn—completely outmatched.
“You refused the road to heaven and barged into hell instead. Since you want to die, I’ll grant your wish.”
Bang—
Serena fired without hesitation. One shot took down the man lunging at her. She darted left and fired again, hitting another attacker in the wrist.
Strike while the iron’s hot. Lance Quinn moved in without hesitation, stabbing the wounded man through the heart. Another Night City thug rushed forward—only for Serena to step up and put a bullet through his head.
Boom—his skull split open, brain matter splattering everywhere. Lance Quinn’s face twisted in disgust as he yanked his sword free and leapt away, avoiding the mess. He shot Serena a look—she didn’t even blink.
What kind of woman is this?
When she saves someone, she’s so focused and devout. But when she kills, she’s cold-blooded and ruthless. She’s a walking contradiction.
"It’s settled. Lance Quinn, I’ve repaid the favor for saving my life." Serena stowed her still-smoking gun.
This thing is too deadly. She honestly worried Lance Quinn might get greedy and kill her for it.
"Mm." Lance Quinn replied, saying nothing more.
Serena’s boldness was a good thing. Lance Quinn had always despised timid, weak women.
Still, he had to admit Serena’s performance tonight surprised him. For a woman to reach this level—it was no small feat.
If it hadn’t been for Serena tonight, Lance Quinn could have escaped unharmed, but rescuing his friend would’ve been nearly impossible.
With Night City’s Ten Great Experts working together, his odds of winning were slim.
Serena saw Lance Quinn heading toward the naked man strapped to the wheel—Storm Cloud Bu, obviously the one he came to save. She didn’t ask questions, just walked to the other end of the hut and began picking up her spent bullets and shell casings from the ground.
Anything that could leave a trace, she erased. Serena took out her scalpel and started extracting bullets from the corpses. When she found one man still alive, she cut his throat without hesitation.
Looking at the corpses, Serena briefly considered harvesting usable organs. But with Lance Quinn present—and nowhere to store them—it wasn’t worth the trouble.
Even if she did harvest them, they’d only last a month at most. No point wasting effort.
Serena dug out each bullet, wiped them clean with a white cloth, and stowed them away.
Lance Quinn freed Storm Cloud Bu from the wheel. Just as he was about to find something to cover him up, he caught sight of Serena’s almost corpse-abusing actions.
"Serena, what are you doing?" he wondered if she had a morbid obsession with dismembering corpses.
The look Lance Quinn gave her was downright strange.
"Retrieving hidden weapons," Serena replied, not even glancing up as she focused on digging out bullets.
The bullet in the forehead was easy enough, but the one that blew apart the brain was a nightmare—she searched for ages without finding it, the mess making everything hard to see.
Storm Cloud Bu walked over and saw Serena, knife in hand, sifting through brain matter.
"Lance Quinn, who is this woman?" Storm Cloud Bu’s face was deathly pale, and he felt like he might throw up.
Is she really a woman? She’s... way too gutsy.
"You don’t need to know. Just put some clothes on." For some reason, Lance Quinn really didn’t want Serena seeing Storm Cloud Bu naked. He snatched a garment from a corpse and tossed it over.
Serena was already aware of Storm Cloud Bu’s situation, so she didn’t bother looking up—just kept searching for bullets.
At last, she found the bullet coated in brain matter. Serena let out a breath, wiped it clean, stowed it away, and stood up. "Can we go now?"
She clearly had zero interest in discussing tonight’s events.
"He’s hurt. Check his wounds." Lance Quinn didn’t really want Serena and Storm Cloud Bu to get chummy, but Storm’s injuries were no joke.
Night City had stabbed Storm Cloud Bu over a dozen times. If he waited until they got down the mountain to see a doctor, he’d lose too much blood and need weeks to recover.
Serena sighed inwardly.
Fine. Not like she had a choice—he had leverage on her, after all.
"Take your clothes off and sit down." Serena didn’t even spare Storm Cloud Bu a glance.
The more you know, the faster you die...