The leader here had lived a comfortable life in this free country for the past few years.
Arabella rarely visited this stronghold. Unless it was for a cargo transfer, she wouldn't make an appearance.
The leader hadn't originally planned on fighting against Arabella.
She was an incredibly low-key person. Though her reputation was widespread, few truly knew her.
Rumors outside claimed Arabella, a woman with limited skills and abilities, had risen to power through her prowess in bed, with men supporting her along the way.
But the leader had seen her methods and abilities firsthand back in Rus.
She was ruthless and skilled—far from the type to rely on bedroom charms as the rumors suggested.
It was Arabella's recognition that brought him here, a place where no one could restrict him. Deep down, he still held a measure of respect for her.
But the human heart is an insatiable vessel, forever unable to be satisfied.
When the Rus government made contact with him, the substantial benefits and status were the root causes that led him to lose himself.
This time, Arabella was once again going to source goods from him, truly a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Though he didn't know what the goods were, the fact that Arabella was personally accompanying them meant they must be extremely valuable.
Just the thought of taking both the person and the goods was enough to excite him immensely.
When he first saw Arabella today, he instinctively felt somewhat intimidated.
But upon truly getting to know her, he realized that a woman was still a woman. Perhaps when he was down and out back then, meeting Arabella had left him with the impression of someone aloof and untouchable.
In reality, she was just a person indulging in pleasures, with no sign of any sharpness or cleverness.
After nightfall, seeing the discontented expressions of Arabella's subordinates only served to further provoke him.
Why should a woman be allowed to act so arrogantly here? To sit atop him, ordering him around?
Is a woman even worthy of such a position?
He sent a signal to the government troops stationed in the town on the Rus border, indicating that they could attack.
This time, power, status, wealth, and position were all within easy reach.
*
As the night deepened, a torrential rain began to fall, the downpour intense. Raven's gaze was sharp as a sword, his body radiating a murderous aura, his movements swift and agile.
When he killed, it wasn't like Arabella—swift and silent, with a smile that bore no hint of bloodshed.
His strikes were fast and eerie, his method of killing leaving no room for retreat until blood was spilled.
He brandished his gun and swept it across, domineering wherever it went.
The Rus government's military strength was too weak, relying on the mutual checks of local armed forces to survive in the cracks.
Since here was a border town of Fandel, the surprise attack was carried out silently, relying on the weak border defenses of Fandel.
However, they couldn't send the entire army into another country's border, so only a vanguard team disguised themselves, entering here, cooperating with the leader to push Arabella's group into the Rus border and surround and annihilate them.
This time, Arabella didn't bring many people, and the combined forces of the leader's people and the government army were ten times her number.
One of her people needed to single-handedly fought over twenty men, while also needing to allocate people to protect the safety of the goods. Though her people was at a severe disadvantage and beaten back, they never once showed signs of defeat.
Here was a jungle town, densely forested. Any violent movement would stir the creatures in the woods, even causing snakes to slither out.
Amidst the gunfire, Arabella casually kicked away a venomous snake.
The snakes flicked their tongues, densely packed, so numerous that they sent a shiver down one's spine.
But Arabella was unfazed, accustomed to it. Back when she crawled through the dense forest swamps, a massive python coiled around her body without even causing her to flinch. What were these little snakes compared to that?
She took out her pocket watch, checked the time, and a sinister smile announced for death curled at the corners of her mouth.
*
When the shells exploded, they drew brilliant and eerie trails of light across the dark night sky.
The falling flames seemed to take shape as the lord of death, emerging from the heart of the fire, exhaling the breath of mortality, and roaring as it sought to consume all living things beneath its shadow.
According to the plan, Bramwell had already made the weapon deal with the local arms dealer Dorian the day before.
After the previous arms deal, Dorian had a deep impression of Arabella.
He deeply realized that the outside world had seriously underestimated Arabella's strength. A person like her, regardless of gender, was powerful enough, formidable enough, and enough to make people bow to her.
He was more than willing to do business with Arabella.
When he heard it was Arabella's deal, he enthusiastically prepared a 60-barrel cannon. While it might not be enough against other powerful regular armies, it was sufficient to take on the poorly equipped and weak Rus troops.
The leader here was a bit surprised when he heard the sound of the shells; it seemed the Rus army was going all out this time.
He gazed triumphantly at the far end of the burning battlefield, but after observing for some time, a troubling thought began to creep in—something didn't seem right. It appeared the shells were landing at the heart of the Rus government forces.
His face turned ashen, and his heart seemed to explode into fragments, realizing there was no way out for him.
The counter-ambush was executed with incredible speed and precision, leaving the Rus forces shattered. The remaining soldiers fled in disarray, knowing their fate was sealed. On the way back, they would surely meet their end at the hands of rival factions.
*
"Master Unknown! I'm here!" Bramwell, filled with fiery enthusiasm and an exuberant spirit, was already shouting and waving from a distance before even entering the camp.
Having secured victory, Arabella was in high spirits.
She remembered that when she left the capital, she had bought two durians. One she had eaten on the way, while the other was still with her, waiting to be devoured.
With a smile, she waved him over.
Bramwell, dressed in camouflage, still smelled strongly of gunpowder after the recent battle. Tall and well-built, his handsome face was full of energy.
"Master Unknown, I did well, didn't I?" Bramwell's face clearly showed his desire for praise, and if he had a tail, it would likely be wagging in the air.
Arabella squinted and chuckled, pointing to his head. "I knew you'd handle things well. I've already prepared a little something for you."
Bramwell's eyes lit up, and he eagerly extended his hand, ready to collect his reward.
Albatross had already taken out the durian from the package.
When they were in Island, these two were like a pair of kindred spirits, both of them loved durian, letting its stench spread far and wide.
Arabella took the durian from Albatross's hands, casually tossing it to Bramwell, and smiling as she said, "I've carried it all the way. You're lucky, kid."
"Wow. It smells so good! Master Unknown, you're the best. You knew I've been craving this!"
The two of them enjoyed the scent and the taste, while the others around them were suffering.
The air was still thick with the lingering smell of gunpowder and the heavy stench of blood. Now, with the overpowering scent of durian added to the mix, it was enough to make anyone gag—yet these two were completely oblivious to it.
After Raven's group finished cleaning up the battlefield, they came to report the situation.
"The artillery was too intense earlier. It's already alerted the nearby garrison of Fandel. We need to leave quickly."
Arabella nodded, waving her hand to signal, "Climb over the mountain and take the shortcut directly into the Rus territory."
"Master Unknown, what should we do with the remaining traitors at the base?" Bramwell asked, raising his head while eating.
Arabella glanced at Raven and replied indifferently, "Kill them all. Move quickly."
"But I think I saw women and children," Bramwell instinctively added, immediately regretting his words. He swallowed hard, knowing he had spoken out of turn, and fell silent.
This base was usually quiet, continuously expanding. It had a lot of women, and naturally, they had children for the men—having women and children there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Arabella didn't even spare him a second glance, twisting her wrist as she continued walking ahead.
There was no need to mention any compassion in front of Arabella.
In her eyes, there were only those who were useful to her and those who weren't. When it came to traitors, there was no distinction between gender, age, innocence, or guilt.
In the face of evil, humanity had no place.
If one day she fell into someone else's hands, she certainly wouldn't be spared just because she was a woman.
Sometimes, death was far more blissful than living in torment.
