Prince Nolan was waiting for an opening to rescue Serena from Shadow's grip. At the same time, Shadow was also waiting—waiting for Nolan to make a move, so he could capture him alive in one fell swoop.
The two men were linked by Serena, each harboring deadly intent, both calculating how to take the other's life. When Prince Nolan remained motionless for a long time, Shadow shifted his gaze past Serena and looked at Prince Nolan: "Prince Nolan, as long as I can capture you alive, it doesn't matter who does the deed. Compared to you, I'm just a shadow—hardly worth mentioning."
No one could see Shadow’s face, but the chilling aura he radiated was enough to make anyone wary.
"Plenty have tried to capture me alive, but none have ever succeeded." Prince Nolan’s gaze swept past Serena and locked onto Shadow. He had to shift his focus away from Serena—otherwise, concern would cloud his judgment.
"No one’s succeeded yet, huh? I love a challenge. Prince Nolan, will you surrender quietly, or should I kill her first and then deal with you?" Shadow raised Serena higher, dangling her in front of Prince Nolan’s face, even shaking her deliberately to provoke him.
Prince Nolan’s eyes flashed. He turned away, refusing to look at Serena, and instead met Shadow’s gaze: "Go ahead and try. If you kill her, I’ll make sure the entire Lyndaria pays the price."
Anyone can make threats, but both Nolan and Shadow knew they weren’t just bluffing—they would actually follow through. A ruthless glint flashed in Shadow’s eyes, and his grip on Serena’s throat tightened even more.
"Mm… mm…" The suffocating sensation hit Serena; her brain was starved of oxygen and she was about to lose consciousness. She didn’t want to cry out in fear, but couldn’t help letting out muffled groans.
Nolan’s eyelids twitched—a tiny movement, but it didn’t escape Shadow’s notice.
Hmph… Shadow let out a cold laugh and tightened his grip again. This time, Serena couldn’t take it anymore—her tongue lolled out, and her hand holding the gun went limp.
Serena Feng had been trying to fire at Shadow, or at least toss the gun to Prince Nolan, but her hands were so weak that just gripping the weapon had drained all her strength. When Shadow squeezed harder, Serena finally couldn't hold on; her fingers loosened, and the gun fell to the ground.
Bang—Prince Nolan and Shadow moved at the same time. Nolan was a split second faster, reaching for the gun, but just as his fingers closed around it, Shadow squeezed again. Serena couldn't take it and let out another muffled cry of pain.
Bastard!
Prince Nolan knew this was a threat: if he got hold of the gun, Shadow would kill Serena Feng in the very next instant.
He knew Shadow would do it, so he backed off.
Prince Nolan let go of the gun and stepped back. Shadow picked it up, spun it arrogantly in his hand right in front of Nolan, but after fiddling for ages, he still had no clue how to use it.
By now, Serena was nearly rolling her eyes back; she didn’t have the energy to care what Shadow might do with the gun.
Shadow toyed with the gun for a while, more than once pointing the dark barrel at himself. Prince Nolan’s eyes went cold—he almost wished Shadow would shoot himself, but he wasn’t about to bet everything on such a slim chance.
Prince Nolan kept waiting, looking for his chance to rescue Serena. In her current state, she couldn’t last even the time it takes an incense stick to burn. If he hadn’t threatened Shadow with the fate of Lyndaria, Shadow would have shown her no mercy.
Shadow might not be a master of mechanisms, but after years on the battlefield, he was no amateur. After fiddling with the gun for a while, he actually managed to fire a shot.
Bang—the bullet shot out, hitting the turf at Prince Nolan’s feet and blowing away a layer of grass. The sharp scent of gunpowder filled the air. Shadow’s eyes lit up: “No wonder it hurt my disciple. This thing really is impressive.”
Seeing such a good weapon, of course he wanted to keep it for himself. Shadow aimed at Prince Nolan and pressed the trigger again and again, but no more bullets came out.
Shadow quickly realized this thing wasn’t simple. He didn’t have time to mess with it further, so without asking Prince Nolan or Serena, he tucked the pistol into his robe.
Serena would have loved to curse him out, but she could barely protect herself right now, let alone worry about the gun. Anyway, once the bullets in the magazine were gone, in anyone else’s hands it was just a pretty piece of junk.
Back when Lance Quinn snuck off with her gun, he studied it for ages and ended up returning it honestly. With the current steelmaking and manufacturing tech in this world, there’s no way anyone could reproduce a pistol.
While Shadow was busy fiddling with the gun, he loosened his grip on Serena just a bit. She gulped air greedily, and once her head cleared, she started plotting her counterattack.
Now that she’d fallen into the enemy’s hands, if she just waited for Prince Nolan to save her, she’d be dead for sure. There was no way she’d sit and wait to die. Her eyes, almost rolled back, finally regained a hint of clarity. Serena struggled to lift her hand and reach her belt.
She’d stashed two doses of high-strength anesthetic here. As long as she could get them out, she had a fighting chance.
But she had no idea what technique Shadow was using—he was only choking her, yet her whole body felt weak, her hand as heavy as a thousand jin. Even moving it a little was exhausting. Serena told herself not to panic, not to get excited, and absolutely not to let Shadow notice her strange movements.
Prince Nolan might have been watching Shadow, but he never stopped paying attention to Serena. When he saw her start to move, he immediately cooperated, speaking up to bargain with Shadow and using it to divert his attention.
Shadow was sure that with Serena Feng as his hostage, Prince Nolan wouldn’t dare play any tricks. Besides, he was confident in his own strength—Serena couldn’t possibly fight back.
Shadow focused all his attention on the crafty Prince Nolan, leaving only a sliver to make sure he didn’t accidentally kill Serena before the deal was struck.
Like they say, the living are worth more than the dead. If Serena died in his hands, never mind capturing Prince Nolan alive—Shadow might not even live long himself.
Shadow’s momentary distraction gave Serena her best chance. As Prince Nolan bargained with him, offering city after city for her life, Serena finally got her hand on the anesthetic at her waist.
Shadow, you’re dead meat!
A fierce light flashed in Serena’s eyes. She closed her eyes and gathered her strength. Once she was sure she had enough, she bit down hard on her tongue—blood filled her mouth, pain shot through her nerves, and in that instant she whipped her arm up and stabbed the syringe into Shadow’s chest.
"Damn it." Shadow snarled as the needle pierced his skin. A wave of dizziness hit him—he knew he’d fallen for her trap. He tried to snap Serena’s neck, but that was the moment Prince Nolan’s slender flexible sword swept in. Shadow had no choice but to protect himself, and flung Serena aside.
By now, Serena didn’t even have the strength to scream. She flew through the trees like a rag doll, crashing through brittle branches, bouncing off a big trunk, and finally hitting the ground…
Ouch!
That was Serena’s last thought before she blacked out!