"You’re not leaving? Planning to just sit here and wait for death?" Serena Feng shot Felix Fuller a cold, icy look. Then she remembered Felix was just a bystander—if not for her, he wouldn’t be in danger at all.
Serena gave Felix an apologetic look, her tone softening: "Felix, I’m sorry. I didn’t think things through. I never expected the prefect of Easestream City to be my enemy, and it’s my fault you got dragged into this. With your skills, you could easily get out. You don’t have to worry about me—go ahead and leave. If I die here, I’m sorry I won’t be able to fulfill our deal. But if I make it out alive, you’re welcome to find me—I’ll keep my promise and get you your identity plaque and travel pass."
Serena adjusted her backpack and checked her bullets. With a clack, the magazine spun and snapped back into place.
Felix seemed lost in thought, not hearing Serena’s words. Instead, he stared at her handgun. After watching her quick, practiced movements, he asked in surprise, "Is that your hidden weapon? The thing you almost used to kill me?"
"That’s right, my hidden weapon." Serena was secretly relieved—good thing she hadn’t tried to use it against him before; he’d clearly known all along.
"It’s fascinating." Felix’s eyes flashed with a hint of obsession. He didn’t know the true power of a handgun, but that didn’t stop him from coveting such a finely crafted weapon.
Serena smiled without answering and took the lead, heading out. Seeing Felix still rooted to the spot, she reminded him, "Aren’t you coming? Going to stay here forever?"
"Fine. We’ll go together." Felix snapped out of it and followed right behind Serena, leaving her no room to refuse.
He was clearly prepared—everything he needed was already on him. Only Little White was still in the stables. Once he found the horse, they could leave...
Go together?
Serena didn’t refuse. Felix was more capable than she was—if they went together, she’d only slow him down.
Besides, she owed Felix. If he hadn’t come to warn her, she’d have been caught like a dumpling in a trap—there was a ninety percent chance she’d be dead by now.
She’d relied too much on experience, thinking that staying inside the city with government protection meant safety. She’d forgotten that officials can protect the people—or kill them.
Talk about getting sunk in the gutter. She’d been on guard against assassins on the road, but never imagined the enemy would brazenly use the power of the prefecture.
Damn it, this really is a case of 'the mountains are high and the emperor is far away.' A lowly prefect daring to kill someone from Prince Samuel Manor—he’s got guts.
Of course, Serena knew that unless someone was pulling the strings, even with a thousand guts, the prefect wouldn’t dare touch anyone from Prince Samuel Manor. If she ever found out who was behind this, she’d...
Turn them into a eunuch. Make sure their line ends for good!
Serena ground her teeth and followed Felix to the stables, only to find them completely empty. In fact, the entire prefect’s compound was deserted—aside from the two of them, no one else remained.
"Little White is gone." Serena looked at Felix with genuine sympathy.
Having a great horse was a curse in itself—everyone was always coveting Felix’s mount.
"You Eastlyn people are shameless—every official loves stealing someone else’s horse." Felix was so angry he ground his teeth, then whistled. The hunting falcon swooped in from the shadows. "Little Gray, see if there’s a way out of here."
Little Gray?
Serena’s nerves eased up completely, thanks to that hilariously absurd name.
Felix... Just how much of a genius do you have to be to name the mighty Blackcloud Stallion 'Little White,' and your proud, sky-soaring hunting falcon 'Little Gray'?
And yet... both the king of horses and the king of the skies are totally fine with these affectionate nicknames.
The falcon seemed to sense what Serena was thinking. Before flying off, it shot her a fierce, warning glare.
Ugh, rejected by the falcon again. Was she just born with zero animal affinity?
Fine, she admitted it—she’d practiced on animals plenty of times before. It was a reflex: except for horses, her first thought when seeing any animal was how to make the first cut...
When she first saw the falcon, she’d even fantasized about how to dissect it. No wonder the bird hated her.
With the falcon off searching for an exit, Serena and Felix didn’t sit idle—they searched the prefect’s compound for a way out too. At this point, Serena’s flashlight became incredibly useful.
Of course, for Felix, the flashlight was irrelevant—he could see perfectly well in the dark. Not that it mattered; soon enough, they wouldn’t need any light at all...
"Smells like kerosene?" Outside, the people surrounding them finally revealed themselves, raising torches and pouring oil into the prefect’s compound.
"Looks like they want to burn us out. Aren’t they worried the fire will be so strong it’ll roast us to a crisp and ruin the flavor?" Even now, Serena could still crack a joke—she clearly wasn’t that scared.
"You’re not afraid to die?" Felix was baffled. Girls these days should be panicking and screaming in a crisis like this, right? Even if Serena was no ordinary woman, he was a grown man and he was scared—yet she didn’t seem fazed at all.
Enemies on all sides—if they set the fire, they’d have no chance of survival.
"Of course I’m scared. But what good does fear do?" Serena pointed at the path ahead. "Split up. After one stick of incense, meet back here—whether you find a way out or not."
She didn’t give Felix time to think. She switched off her flashlight and slipped away, vanishing into the garden shadows in a few quick strides.
At this point, they had no choice but to cooperate. Felix realized that without him, Serena would die even faster. He didn’t doubt her—he melted into the darkness to search for any possible exit.
Once Felix was gone, Serena emerged from behind the rockery, found a hidden spot, and activated her Smart Med‑Pack. She opened the redemption system and spent one Medical Ethics Point to get a climbing kit.
Not an outdoor rock-climbing kit, but the kind used by the military and police: ropes with hooks, retractable, designed to latch onto distant objects for rapid ascent—commonly called a flying tiger claw, because elite units use it most.
She spent two more Medical Ethics Points to redeem two sets of blast-resistant suits. Honestly, Serena had wanted something simple, like a fire-rescue uniform, but there weren’t any—only these top-grade suits.
Once everything was ready, Serena went to the meeting spot. Not long after, Felix appeared too.
"Every exit is blocked. Three layers inside, three layers outside—solid ranks of soldiers as far as the eye can see. The archers already have their arrows aimed at the prefect’s compound. If we try to break out, we’ll be turned into pincushions." Felix thought they were doomed for sure.
He was skilled, but no matter how good you are, you can’t just stroll through an army of tens of thousands. They weren’t legendary cultivators—just regular people. Against a rain of arrows and so many soldiers, even the best martial artist would be finished.
"Mobilizing an army just for me—I’m honored." Serena was almost certain the mastermind knew her well; otherwise, they wouldn’t go to such lengths to set this up.
Whoever was behind this clearly wouldn’t rest until she was dead. They must know that if she made it back to the Capital alive, they’d be in for a world of trouble... very, very unlucky.