When it comes to being tough and ruthless, Serena—who’s spent years in the military camps—isn’t any less formidable than a real soldier. The moment she gets serious, these burly men in front of her don’t even stand a chance.
Serena holstered her gun, then reached down to her calf and pulled out a dagger. She slashed the air with it—several swift, precise arcs dangerously close to the lead thug’s face. When their faces turned pale with terror, she smiled in satisfaction and began to spin the dagger around her fingers, cool and casual.
The dagger was short and razor-sharp, gleaming with a cold, deadly light that made people shiver. Especially with the way Serena twirled it between her fingers—it radiated pure threat and intimidation.
Her moves were beautiful to watch—but the moment you realized that dagger could be used against you, a chill ran straight through your heart.
Just imagine: someone pressing a cold dagger to your throat, sliding it from side to side, as if they might slice it open any second. How would you feel?
You’d gulp—and freeze, not daring to move a muscle.
That’s exactly how the five thugs reacted. Their hands loosened from their wounds, and each one stared nervously at Serena, terrified she’d put that knife to their throats next.
“W-what do you want?” The biggest thug, trying to act tough, managed to ask, voice shaky.
“Nothing much. Just want to ask you a question.” Serena tossed her head lazily, her deep eyes cold and sharp—like a wolf sizing up its enemy. In that instant, everyone forgot about the scar on her face.
No matter how elegant or composed Serena looked, at her core she was still that woman who’d carried a med-pack through gunfire on the battlefield, racing death itself—a soldier with a cold, proud edge, a woman with steel in her bones.
“What do you want to ask?” The thug looked like he was about to cry, regretting everything. Just to ask a question, this woman had wrecked all five of their hands—way too bold. But still... they didn’t dare make a move. They knew about those hidden guards, and this was not someone they could afford to offend.
Serena pointed at the horse outside. "See that horse? Where’s the man in blue who was riding it?" That horse belonged to Nolan. If it was parked outside, he had to be here somewhere.
“I remember that guy. He had a powerful aura—nobody dared mess with him when he walked in. He didn’t say a word, just ordered a pot of tea, then went off chasing a bunch of jianghu types. Oh, right, those guys had grabbed a weirdly dressed girl. After they left, the man in blue followed them out. What happened next, I have no idea.”
The thug summed it up quickly, and Serena got the gist—even if she found it hard to believe. Nolan chasing after a random girl? That was seriously weird.
“No way!” Serena muttered, just as a lively female voice called from outside: “Hey, Big Cool Guy! Can’t you wait for me? You saved me—does that mean you like me? If you don’t answer, I’m taking it as a yes! Hahaha... I really am everyone’s favorite...”
Serena looked up and saw Nolan walking toward the tea shed with a girl in a purple cotton jacket. Nolan’s face was stormy as he led the way, while the purple-clad girl trotted behind him, cheeks red from the cold, her big eyes darting around—clever and lively, almost animal-like.
The girl wore a short purple jacket on top and black cotton pants below. In an era where women wore skirts and men long robes, her outfit was neither here nor there—strange and out of place.
Serena’s eyes lingered on those pants, a flicker of wariness passing through her gaze. She waved her dagger at the five thugs: “You can go now.”
“We can go? Thank you, heroine! Thank you!” The five thugs scrambled out, practically crawling. Just as they reached the door, Serena called out, “Wait...”
"Heroine?" The thug shot Serena a fearful look, worried she’d make trouble for them.
"Take this. Find a doctor—your hands can still be saved. And next time, don’t go around bullying people. Not everyone’s as easy-going as me." Serena pulled out a banknote, trying to flick it at them like some martial arts master, but...
The note was way too light, and her flick wasn’t strong enough—so it just fluttered to the floor.
Ugh, TV dramas really do lie. If you want to smack someone with money, you need real silver—banknotes just don’t cut it.
"Ah..." The thugs hadn’t expected Serena to actually give them money. Mouths agape, they only snapped out of it when the note hit the floor. Then they rushed to pick it up, falling over themselves to thank her.
"Alright, alright, get going." Seeing Nolan and the purple-clad girl about to come in, Serena waved her hand, urging the thugs to hurry up and get lost.
The thugs nearly collided with Nolan at the door, bowing and apologizing in a panic. Nolan glanced at their wounds, eyes narrowing, and kept walking. As the purple-clad girl passed, she caught sight of one man’s injury and muttered, "Huh, that looks like a gunshot... Did I see that right?"
Nolan paused for a split second at the word ‘gun,’ then kept moving. None of the others—neither Serena, William, nor the girl—noticed that tiny reaction. Nolan entered, nodded at Serena and William as a greeting, but didn’t bother introducing the girl behind him.
Serena sized up the newcomer, smiled, and didn’t press for details. She asked the waiter to clean up and bring tea. The three of them sat at different sides of the table. The purple-clad girl, totally uninhibited, plopped herself right next to Nolan: "Big Cool Guy, who are these two? That one’s even better-looking than you!"
She obviously meant William. Ever since the Sienna Skyvault incident, William hated women staring at his face, and this girl had just pushed his buttons. Still, William didn’t show it—he just gave a faint smile, turned his head away, and ignored her.
The purple-clad girl didn’t care at all. Since William wouldn’t talk to her, she switched to pestering Nolan: "Big Cool Guy, say something! If you hadn’t spoken just now, I’d think you were mute."
Serena didn’t mind being ignored. She just kept smiling, quietly guessing at the purple-clad girl’s background. After all, Nolan was not the type to jump in and rescue random strangers. Who was this girl?
Nolan still didn’t respond to the girl. She pouted, shot him a playful glare, and tugged at his sleeve. Nolan stiffened at her touch, but didn’t pull away...
The girl looked pure and innocent; every move radiated straightforward honesty. Her big eyes seemed to speak, and one glance from her could make anyone want to give in.
She didn’t seem to notice Nolan’s awkwardness at all, just kept shaking his sleeve, voice thick with playful whining: "Big Cool Guy, tell me—who are they? And wait, who are you?"
Serena kept quietly sipping her tea, saying nothing. When William glanced over in concern, she just returned a faint smile, signaling she was fine. But only she knew how turbulent her heart was at that moment...