Hooked and Scaling the Wall at Midnight

Serena carefully explained the parachute's usage to Zane Shore, going over every safety detail and making him repeat the instructions back to her. Only after confirming he remembered everything did she finally say, "Jump."

For someone who had skydived before, an eighty-meter tower was nothing to be afraid of. Serena felt no fear at all. Instead, it was Nolan and Zane who worried for her, since neither of them was sure if the parachute Serena described would actually work.

But Serena didn’t care in the slightest. "Relax, I won’t die from the fall. And if by chance I do, you can just collect the bounty on my corpse."

Nolan’s face darkened when he heard that, but Zane’s eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly, saying this was a great deal. He even urged Serena to hurry up and jump, reminding her to be careful—if the parachute didn’t work, she should at least use her hands to protect her head.

Hearing this, Serena almost felt grateful to Zane, thinking their time together hadn’t been wasted and that they’d built some rapport. But his next words left both her and Nolan fuming.

Zane said, "If you smash your head open, it’ll be a hassle to prove your identity. The bounty will be hard to claim."

If it were just a joke, that would be one thing. But Zane was completely serious—not joking at all. Serena was left utterly exasperated.

"Don’t worry. Even if you die, I’ll be just fine. I’ll jump right now and show you." Serena was so angry her teeth were grinding. With that, she leapt off the edge.

"Serena!" Serena’s jump was so sudden that Nolan was startled. He immediately jumped after her, trying to grab her arm.

"Serena, reach out your hand!" Nolan plummeted straight down, the wind howling past his ears, but he still stretched out his hand, trying to catch her.

"I'm fine! Just remember what I told you—pull the cord!" Nolan's sudden move had startled Serena too, but now that they were both midair, there was nothing more to say. Each had to fend for themselves.

Snap—Serena deployed her parachute, drifting through the air like a mushroom and slowing her descent.

Seeing Serena safe, Nolan finally calmed down. With a crisp snap, he opened his own parachute and, just like Serena, floated downward, gently descending.

"Whoa—it actually works!" Despite the darkness, Zane’s skills let him see everything clearly. Watching Nolan and Serena drift leisurely through the air, Zane was struck with excitement. He leaped off, pulled his parachute midair, and landed just after them.

Snap... Zane landed smoothly, parachute on his back, and scrambled up, face flushed with excitement. "Serena, are you okay? Are you really okay?"

"Are you that happy I'm fine?" Serena packed up her parachute and handed it to Nolan, then stepped forward to take apart Zane's. But Zane stubbornly refused, clutching the parachute and protesting, "Serena, this is mine! You can't take it!"

"When did the parachute become yours? Zane, I never said you could keep it or store it for me. I only let you test-jump. Now that the jump’s done and I’ve won, everything should be returned to me." Serena stopped trying to grab it, simply reached out for the handgun, and signaled for Zane to take off the parachute and hand it back.

"You..." Faced with the facts, Zane couldn’t argue, but he really couldn’t bear to part with it. He clung to the parachute, making it clear he wouldn’t give it up.

"What about me? Zane, we have a gentleman's agreement. Now hand everything back—I'm leaving." Serena gave him a half-smile, but to Zane, it looked infuriatingly smug.

"Serena, you tricked me, didn't you?" Zane, unable to find an excuse, snapped in frustration.

"How did I trick you? You agreed to the bet before we started. What’s wrong—can’t handle losing? If you really can’t, then forget it. It’s just a handgun and a shabby parachute. I’ve got much better things; I don’t mind leaving these to you. Nolan, let’s go." Serena turned to leave, ignoring Zane.

Nolan’s long lashes fluttered, hiding the amusement in his eyes. He was certain Zane would chase after them.

Nolan took Serena’s hand and headed toward the city gate, leaving Zane standing alone, torn between whether to follow—or whether to follow quickly.

While Zane was hesitating, the Brocade Guard of Lyndaria quickly closed in on Nolan and Serena. They hadn’t made a move inside the city, planning instead to wait until the pair left before striking.

In their attempts to capture Nolan, the Brocade Guard had lost many men and caused several notorious casualties—especially the hut fire, where more than fifty people were burned alive. Such a huge incident couldn’t be hidden, and soon the capital’s civil officials began to denounce the Brocade Guard.

Despite heavy losses, the Brocade Guard had nothing to show for it. The Emperor was furious and ordered them to seize Nolan, but also maintain order in the capital and avoid any further chaos.

So, for the past few days, the Brocade Guard held back. Even after spotting Nolan and Serena, they didn’t act immediately, waiting instead for them to leave the capital before making their move.

After all, on Lyndaria’s turf, catching Nolan and Serena wouldn’t be difficult.

The tailing agents were professionals, but Nolan and Serena weren’t easy targets either. As soon as the tail made a move, the pair noticed, exchanging a glance that said it all.

Pretending not to notice, Serena and Nolan continued toward the city gate. When their pursuers failed to act, they guessed the ambush was planned for outside the walls—where the Brocade Guard thought they’d have the upper hand.

Nolan and Serena paused briefly at the city gate. Though they knew there was an ambush waiting outside, neither had any intention of turning back.

With a swift motion, Nolan pressed his left forearm, sending a flash of silver flying from his wrist. It struck the city wall with a snap. After testing the anchor, he scooped Serena into his arms. With a whoosh, the two soared up to the top of the wall like immortals.

At that moment, a flare shot into the sky, bursting with a sharp crack and streaking across the darkness like a meteor. Nolan recognized it instantly—it was the Brocade Guard’s signal, alerting their men outside the city to move in.

"What is that thing now?"

The Brocade Guard thought Serena and Nolan had scaled the wall using lightfoot skill, but Zane knew they’d used some kind of mechanical aid.

Fine, Zane admitted he was intrigued. He’d always been drawn to strange gadgets, and if Serena truly had more good stuff, he wouldn’t mind returning the parachute and handgun in exchange for something better.

With the Brocade Guard watching, Zane lightly vaulted onto the city wall and chased after Nolan and Serena. He’d expected to find them surrounded and in trouble, ready for him—the top killer—to save them. Instead...