Naturally, the last male pet was won by Arabella.
She was in an excellent mood, finally ready to address the man daring enough to hold her hostage.
The man yanked her up, facing her toward Ferdinand and the others. Arabella remained calm, smiling faintly.
"Don't move—" the man barked, holding the woman tightly as he retreated, eyes warily on the other three.
Seeing the tables turn, Vivienne, who was trembling nearby, moved to the man's side.
While those two were tense, the others remained relaxed, creating an oddly eerie atmosphere.
"Feel free—" Ferdinand said, exchanging a look with Arabella, who was clearly enjoying the game.
Raven and Albatross, who had been standing all along, looked indifferent. Raven even stepped back a few paces, clearing an escape route.
The man's military instincts sensed danger; this was not the demeanor of a hostage in distress.
It felt more like he had walked into a field of flowers and bombs, and he had picked the bomb.
There was something wrong with the woman he was holding!
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think further. A sharp, searing pain struck him, as if his tendons had been sliced and his bones shattered by a sharp blade.
The woman who had him under control smiled sweetly and extended a finger. With lightning speed, she seized two of his fingers on his arm. Though her grip seemed light as a feather, it carried the weight of a thousand pounds, causing excruciating pain that bent him forward. Before he could make another move, she didn't even turn her body, but with a gust of wind underfoot, she delivered a powerful kick that shattered his kneecap.
"Ugh—" The pain reached its peak, and the man was forced to kneel, his combat ability instantly nullified.
At that moment, a commotion broke out on the exhibition floor below. The guards who had been standing around the display started to disperse, as if something had gone wrong.
"It seems they've found the pet in the maze," said Arabella, raising an eyebrow as she surveyed the chaos below after neutralizing her opponent.
"What should we do with these two?" asked Ferdinand, casting a disdainful glance at the kneeling man. This was the consequence of being blind to the situation.
Vivienne, frightened by the sudden turn of events, sobbed uncontrollably, trembling all over. She helped the man up, as if leaning on him was the only way they could offer each other courage.
Perhaps it was the primal urge for survival, but Vivienne began to desperately pray to Arabella, rubbing her hands together in a pleading gesture.
She realized, the only woman present held absolute authority.
"Please—please, I was trafficked. He came to save me, not to offend you all. Please, I beg you, as a fellow woman, help us."
The cries were heart-wrenching, pitiful and helpless, evoking deep sympathy.
Ferdinand, hearing this, burst out laughing, his laughter growing louder. "This is hilarious, two blind mice came crawling in."
Arabella gave Ferdinand a look, effectively silencing his laughter.
At that moment, Python arrived with his men.
His subordinates rounded up all the escaping women, but after counting, they found one missing.
A few lashes later, they had their answer.
It turned out that a man dressed as a guard had taken one of them away.
Python checked the surveillance footage and saw that the person had appeared at the entrance to a VIP buyer's private room.
He broke into a cold sweat; if he disturbed the big bosses, he would be skinned alive and thrown into the sea.
He went door to door, smiling and making excuses, showering compliments, and placating the bosses.
Soon, he reached the door of Ferdinand's room.
"Raven, go open the door."
Through the gap between Raven's arms, Python glimpsed the man and woman kneeling on the floor, and his heart skipped—of all rooms, he had to come to the most troublesome one.
He quickly plastered on a smile, bowed, and apologized, "Young Master Ackerley, esteemed guests, my sincerest apologies for interrupting."
Ferdinand didn't mind; he actually felt a little disappointed.
If those two mice had crawled in sooner, perhaps Arabella wouldn't have had time to deal with that male pet.
At Python's signal, his men immediately grabbed Vivienne by the hair, dragging her away without concern for her well-being.
"No—" Vivienne screamed, struggling and resisting with all her might, but she was no match for the towering guard.
"Wait—" The man, who had been kneeling in silent pain, spoke, his voice low yet piercing, silencing the room and stopping Vivienne's cries.
He swiftly removed his cap, revealing a face with sharp, defined features and a steady gaze. His hair was trimmed in the military style, a buzz cut favored by soldiers. Even with his leg shattered, he still stood tall, his chest proud and unyielding.
Arabella leaned forward with interest, asking, "Oh? You have something to say?"
"I was careless before. Let's fight again. Do you dare?" The man had been quietly observing everyone's interactions.
He had to admit, he had chosen his target well, but he hadn't expected to slip up so carelessly.
Even with careful observation now, he couldn't gauge the woman's skill level, but he was still willing to take a chance.
Arabella continued, "State your nationality and name."
"Rupert Langford. Special Forces of Scalien in the east."
Scalien?
Everyone present was taken aback; they hadn't expected to encounter someone from Scalien here.
That nation, located far to the east, was a mysterious, wealthy, and powerful country, stable for a century with a one-party government, untouched by war.
"Someone from Scalien? Alright—I'll give you one more chance."
Given another chance, Rupert gritted his teeth, stood on one leg, tore a strip of cloth from his pants, and tightly bound his shattered knee.
Seeing his suicidal move, Ferdinand shook his head and sneered, "You can't even stand properly, and you still want to fight her?"
"Fight!"
Rupert's gaze remained calm. Even on the edge of life and death, he held onto the pride of a soldier.
Arabella's smile deepened, nodding with a hint of admiration. "To be fair, I'll bind my hands and feet and fight you."
Fighting with hands and feet bound—either extreme arrogance or complete disregard for her opponent.
Rupert didn't care about such provocation. Life or death meant nothing; he had comrades to save.
"If I win, send her safely back to my country." He didn't mention himself; he had no hope of leaving alive.
Arabella looked at the girl held by the guard and nodded, "If you can win one move against me, both of you can leave."
Her promise caused Python to frown slightly on the side.
But judging from his boss's tone earlier, this woman was clearly not to be crossed.
He could only wait and see.
Arabella called for Raven to bring the rope. Without hesitation, Raven stripped off his shirt, swiftly tearing it into strips and handed them to her.
"You—come tie me," Arabella gestured to Vivienne, signaling her to take action, as though ensuring fairness.
Vivienne understood this was her only chance to survive. With all her strength, she bound Arabella's wrists and ankles tightly, tightening the knots with desperate effort, determined to ensure she couldn't escape.
Once Vivienne stepped back after securing Arabella, Rupert clenched his jaw, trembling as he assumed an offensive stance.
"Let's begin."
Rupert struck first. With all his might, he launched at Arabella's face, a fierce blow aimed with the full force of his palm, followed by a punch, the wind from his strikes howling.
Yet Arabella remained calm, unflinching. She bent backward, her body a fluid motion, and with explosive force, her legs snapped out like coiled springs, twisting 180 degrees. The tightly bound legs shot across Rupert's neck, and before he could react in pain, she bent her knee, driving him down with crushing weight.
With a crash, Rupert collapsed, his throat locked by Arabella's knee, gasping for breath. His mouth opened wide in a silent scream, eyes bulging and bloodshot, his body wracked by the lack of oxygen.
Not giving Rupert the slightest chance to catch his breath, Arabella pressed down with her knee. A faint cracking sound was heard, and Rupert, who had been struggling desperately, suddenly ceased all movement.
His wide-open eyes stared blankly ahead, with no focus, no target, dying with his eyes open.
One swift move, breaking his windpipe directly—clean and efficient. It took less than a minute from start to finish.
Ferdinand cheered from behind, "Nice! What a beautiful move."
Without needing anyone to untie her, Arabella exerted force, snapping the tightly wrapped cloth instantly, freeing herself.
After casually killing a person, Arabella met Python's stunned expression, whose composure had completely failed, and said, "Please find a shirt for my subordinate. Also, when will the pet I purchased be delivered?"
It took Python a moment to recover from the shock of Arabella's display. He instinctively swallowed, bowing even lower and more fearfully than before. "I apologize for disturbing you. I'll arrange it immediately and have it delivered at once."
Before leaving, he didn't forget to order his men to drag away Vivienne. He was furious, nearly offending such a terrifying big shot over a lowly creature.
Vivienne's mouth was gagged, her face slapped repeatedly until she was dizzy and her vision blurred, dragged away like a dead dog without resistance.
Arabella glanced at the man lying on the ground, still staring with open eyes, and casually said, "Wait—"
Hearing her speak, Python immediately stopped, awaiting her orders.
The other three men were also curious, knowing that Arabella wasn't one to show mercy and wondering what she had in mind.
Arabella walked nimbly to Vivienne's side, crouched down, and asked softly, "You really don't want to go with them?"
Already dizzy from the slaps, Vivienne instinctively nodded desperately, forgetting that this woman had ruthlessly killed someone just a moment before.
"Oh. Alright then," Arabella nodded.
Her strike came in a blur, swift and fierce, the palm crashing down with brutal force. As her hand met Vivienne's skull, blood began to pour from the girl's seven orifices. In an instant, Vivienne stiffened, her body freezing for a heartbeat before her breath ceased, her life snuffed out in the span of a single, fleeting second.
One blow shattered the skull.
Shocked, Python instinctively blurted out, "This—this one already has a buyer."
"Enough! I'll pay ten times the price for her," Ferdinand spoke up from behind. To witness Arabella in action, a bit of money was nothing.
