Life and Death, Blood-Washing the City Lord’s Mansion

Serena Feng had no idea how long she'd been trapped in the cave. All she knew was that she was starving, parched, and her body kept swinging between chills and fever. She felt absolutely miserable...

This was outright prisoner abuse!

Tears streamed down Serena's face. Her captors hadn't tortured her physically, but this kind of cold violence was even more terrifying. No food, no water—and if she needed the toilet, she could only do it right there in the cave.

"Thank god for my Smart Med-Pack. If I didn't have it, I'd die of hunger, thirst, or infection long before anyone came to rescue me." Serena carefully opened the Smart Med-Pack again, taking out water and compressed food.

Normally, to avoid attracting attention, Serena never used any outdoor gear from her pack. But now, with her captors all in a daze, she stopped caring and pulled out a shell jacket, wrapping herself up tight.

"Please, even if nobody comes to save me, could someone at least tell me I still exist?" Serena shook her emergency lamp, sweeping its beam across the cave walls. Several bullet holes marked the stone—she'd shot them herself when she was feeling a little better.

Her body had been too weak to move before, but she couldn't just sit here waiting to die forever. She had to find a way out. But—damn it, it was maddening! The cave was sealed on all sides, no exit anywhere. Serena tried knives and guns, but they were useless.

"Are they planning to keep me locked up here until I die?"

Serena hugged her knees and silently cried. "Ninth Royal Uncle, why aren't you here yet? If you don't come soon, I'm really going to die."

"So cold!"

When a person is on the verge of despair, it's easy to lose the will to survive. If Serena Feng hadn't believed that Ninth Royal Uncle would definitely come to save her, she would have just lain down and waited for death.

Even with the Smart Med-Pack, trapped in this sealed cave, she couldn't last long; if she didn't starve, she'd suffocate. There was no way out on her own.

The only thing driving Serena Feng to stay alive was Ninth Royal Uncle. He was the reason she hadn't broken down. Without the faith that Nolan would come for her, she wouldn't have lasted a second in this place...

Outside the cave, Tyre City's men were discussing Serena's situation: "Lord Tyre, it's been two days and one night. We've left Serena Feng in there without care—what if she dies?"

Tyre City had many such sealed caves. Usually, only those who had committed serious crimes were thrown in, and most didn't survive three days—they died in despair.

"If she dies, then send her corpse to Ninth Royal Uncle. I only said I'd hand Serena Feng over—whether she's alive or dead has nothing to do with me." The man addressed as Lord Tyre—Tai Shao, the city lord—answered coldly, his indifference chilling the room.

"But Lord Tyre, wouldn't that mean we've made an enemy of Ninth Royal Uncle?" Mr. Sage said anxiously.

"If we've made an enemy, so be it. Eastmont seized our gold mine—are we supposed to swallow that humiliation and not even kill someone to vent our anger?" Lord Tyre raised an eyebrow, completely unmoved by Serena's fate.

To Lord Tyre, Serena Feng was just leverage against Ninth Royal Uncle. Now that she'd served her purpose, her life or death meant nothing to him.

"Lord Tyre, Ninth Royal Uncle treasures Serena Feng. If something happens to her, I'm afraid he'll turn against Tyre City." Mr. Sage warned, his face clouded with anxiety.

As soon as Mr. Sage finished, Sean Young quickly added, "Mr. Sage is right, Lord Tyre. In my opinion, that Ninth Royal Uncle is no ordinary man. If he comes for us, Tyre City may not fear him, but it will definitely be trouble."

Just thinking about delivering the message that day, Sean Young felt a chill down his spine. Still, his pride kept him silent about the details, so no one in Tyre City knew he'd been so frightened by Ninth Royal Uncle that he'd collapsed on the spot.

Lord Tyre considered for a moment, unwilling to fuss over such a small matter, and finally relented: "Fine. Release her at daybreak tomorrow."

Sean Young and Mr. Sage both breathed a sigh of relief. Sean Young was glad he wouldn't have to face that demon prince again, while Mr. Sage felt he'd finally managed to save Serena Feng's life—no easy task.

The Eastmont Governor-General was surprisingly efficient. That very night, he handed three thousand troops over to Ninth Royal Uncle. Nolan was briefly surprised by the governor's decisiveness, but one look at the soldiers—old, weak, crippled—told him everything.

Looking for death? He'd grant their wish.

Nolan gave the Eastmont Governor-General a long, searching look. The governor thought the prince would erupt in anger and refuse, but Nolan said nothing—he simply accepted the three thousand useless men without complaint.

The governor had prepared a whole stomach full of arguments to defend himself, but not a single one was needed. He stood there, dazed, watching Ninth Royal Uncle stride away.

Not long after Nolan accepted the three thousand men, he received news about the gold mine and fresh clues from his shadow guards.

After receiving Tyre City's letter, Nolan sent his shadow guards to track Serena Feng's whereabouts. Now, he could confirm—she was in Tyre City.

And the gold mine? It was no rumor. At the border between Tyre City and Eastmont, there really was a gold mine. Tyre City's men had discovered it first at Little Crest Mountain, but before they could mine, House Lewis found out. After a brutal fight, House Lewis drove Tyre City's people out and fenced off Little Crest Mountain, monopolizing the gold.

Tyre City tried to negotiate with Eastmont, but the Eastmont Governor-General refused to intervene, claiming Little Crest Mountain's ownership was disputed and telling Tyre City to settle things privately with House Lewis. He washed his hands of it.

From beginning to end, the Eastmont Governor-General pretended ignorance, insisting Little Crest Mountain wasn't under his jurisdiction and that he knew nothing about any gold mine.

Tyre City was furious, but they couldn't risk deploying troops. If they did, Eastmont's powerful army would pounce, giving the empire an excuse to wipe out Tyre City altogether.

But to just accept it and swallow the humiliation? Impossible. So Tyre City picked the softest target—Lord Tyre set his sights on Ninth Royal Uncle.

He kidnapped Serena Feng, planning to trade her for Little Crest Mountain's gold mine. Whether Ninth Royal Uncle could actually seize the mine or not, Lord Tyre didn't care. No gold, no Serena.

“You all think I’m so easy to bully, so easy to fool? House Lewis, Tyre City—I’ll remember this.” Nolan’s voice was glacial. “Men!”

"Master!" At the door, the Eight Commanders stepped forward. They'd been hidden among the close-guard camp, but anyone paying attention could see their aura was leagues above ordinary soldiers.

"Mobilize the Black Riders. I want Tyre City's Lord's mansion washed in blood." Nolan issued the order with ruthless finality—there was not a hint of hesitation.

The Eight Commanders looked up in shock, but seeing the fury burning in Nolan's eyes, they bowed in unison and hurried to obey.

The bloodbath at the Lord's mansion was only the beginning.