Over the course of five days, Arabella was well-fed and cared for, the heavy iron chains only serving to refine her muscles. With the chains attached, her punches and kicks became even sharper and faster. Sometimes, after finishing a set of punches in the bathroom, Arabella would glance at the iron chains coiled around her hands and feet, and for a moment, she thought it would be a waste to just discard them when she left.
The two guards downstairs were clearly very cautious, following Marcellus's orders to the letter and never entering the room. They would leave her meals at the door at scheduled times, administer the tranquilizers regularly, and set the ventilation system on a timer, all in an attempt to prevent her from regaining her strength and swiftly killing them.
Unfortunately, they didn't realize that her reluctance to act wasn't because she couldn't kill. She didn't need to get close to her victims—she could kill from a distance with a single strike, no matter how far they hid outside the door. She simply hadn't seen the right moment yet.
By the fifth day, the international summit had concluded successfully.
The international leaders' summit was a gathering held every three years to discuss political, economic, trade, and military cooperation. In those three years, changes were inevitable. For example, at the last summit in another country, many of the heads of state hadn't changed, but now, looking back, everything had changed—especially in the war-torn countries, where power shifts were a constant.
During these five days, Marcellus had been weighed down with worries. He had to keep an eye on Arabella's situation while also dealing with the scheming diplomats from visiting countries. Balancing both national matters and personal ones, he hadn't slept a wink. Finally, after five exhausting days, when he thought he could finally breathe easy, doubt crept in—things had gone a little too smoothly.
He was well aware of the movements of Taras and the Faceless Ghost, and had arranged for extra security to investigate the missing batch of baby formula. This was to divert Taras's attention, but also to clear Arabella of any suspicion. Arabella was undoubtedly an evil person, and would never do anything good. However, letting Taras smuggle the baby formula and then tampering with it was something she would never do, not based on his understanding of her since childhood.
AE liked to manipulate human nature, using drugs and power to control both sides of his personality. Nicholas thrived on challenge and conquest, secretly building various organizations only to abandon them later, all while gathering intelligence and relishing in his control over people's minds. All those in power, including himself and Jasper, were driven by the pursuit of power and the indulgence of desires. Yet he also understood the danger of flying too high, of losing sight of the masses below. Both he and Jasper had a desire to serve the people, but wasn't the path to the top also paved with blood and betrayal?
Only Arabella, though evil, was unlike typical twisted criminals. Her will was unbreakable, and no amount of hardship could distort her nature. In simple terms, most malicious individuals take pleasure in tormenting and abusing others, deriving satisfaction from their twisted, selfish desires. As for what Arabella sought to do, there was no hesitation—she moved forward with ruthless decisiveness, her actions unwavering, unaffected by desire. When she struck, it was always a single, lethal blow; she had no taste for torture or prolonged suffering, nor did she take any pleasure in it. If one were to define evil, then Arabella, with her lack of humanity, was perhaps the most terrifying. But if one spoke of perversity, Arabella's unwavering focus made her, in a strange way, the most virtuous.
As for the baby formula incident—Arabella surely had ulterior motives. The terrifying thing was that he still hadn't figured out her intricate plan. It was a classic case of the enemy being in the shadows while he was in the open, a dangerous strategy that went against military wisdom, especially since the enemy was so formidable.
On the sixth day, after the heads of state and their entourages from various countries had gradually taken their leave, only Jasper and Julius remained, reluctant to depart. Their unified excuse was that they had recently assumed office and wished to visit more and gather further understanding. On the surface, everyone appeared cordial, but in truth, Marcellus knew well that they had come for Arabella, and their decision to stay was clearly driven by their own calculations.
But a sudden turn of events occurred on the sixth day. His watch vibrated suddenly, causing his face to change instantly. Without hesitation, he pressed the shock button and rushed to his office to grab the secure communicator and contact the two guards stationed to watch over Arabella. To his surprise, the communicator actually connected. But what he heard from the other end sent a chill through his chest—Arabella's laughter: "Marcellus, I've come for you."
His eyes narrowed sharply, and he immediately connected to the head of the team guarding the ice casket holding Cyrus's corpse, instructing them to increase security. He still felt uneasy. Though he knew that Arabella wouldn't make a move unless she had the upper hand, he couldn't afford to take such a risk—he simply couldn't afford to lose.
He quickly learned of Arabella's whereabouts. News came from the city defense forces that Arabella had been spotted by an international police officer, and a pursuit was underway. The military district commander asked him if he should deploy troops to assist in capturing Arabella.
How could she have been discovered?
He couldn't immediately put his finger on what felt off, but the situation had escalated, and there was no turning back. He decisively issued an order: "Encircle her, but don't engage. No weapons should be used."
In broad daylight, he couldn't use his private army to disrupt the capture operation, so he had to rush there himself to prevent the situation from worsening. Based on his understanding of Taras's vengeful nature, he knew the infant formula case had pushed him to the peak of anger, and he feared that Taras might act recklessly. He didn't care how Taras would react, but Arabella was injured and under the influence of narcotics—she couldn't be allowed to die at his hands.
As Marcellus left with his men, Julius, who was staying at a nearby state guesthouse, was gazing at the sky. Jasper, having heard the news and concerned for Arabella, was about to follow and check the situation but saw Julius standing motionless in the hall.
"Didn't you hear that Arabella has been found?" Jasper frowned. When he had investigated Arabella, he had received confidential information that Julius was AE. The two of them had been entangled for years, and the fact that Julius hadn't left Scalien suggested that he was after Arabella. How could he be so calm now?
Julius glanced at him coldly when he asked the question, then turned his gaze back to the sky and said, "The weather's about to change. Watching the rain will be more interesting."
Jasper thought Julius seemed a bit odd but didn't think much of it. If Arabella was surrounded and captured this time, she would likely end up on the international court and face execution. He had repeatedly told himself not to get involved with Arabella, but with her so close, he couldn't resist.
Meanwhile, Marcellus rushed over with an escort of police vehicles. He saw that a large number of police officers and military personnel had surrounded the factory where Arabella had taken refuge. Taras and the Faceless Ghost arrived shortly after. Upon seeing Marcellus, both frowned, clearly understanding that Marcellus had taken Arabella away but had allowed her to escape, making him an accomplice.
The chief police officer and the military district commander hurried to report the situation to Marcellus when he arrived. The incident had happened suddenly—an international police officer had recognized Arabella while dining at a restaurant and secretly reported the situation to his superiors. Not long after, the nearby police station dispatched forces to the scene. Arabella immediately clashed with the police, and after seizing a car, she was pursued by a large contingent of military and police officers. Eventually, the car came to a stop at an abandoned factory on the outskirts, where she abandoned the vehicle and entered the premises.
"This is the factory layout. This area is closed due to a land acquisition for demolition, and most of the production equipment has been moved out. However, the factory is surrounded by open land with no high ground for snipers. We can only proceed with a direct assault."
Upon hearing this, Taras immediately asked, "Then why not launch a direct assault right away? Does she have a gun?"
Upon hearing Taras' doubt, the Chief of Police immediately revealed a look of deep sorrow and said, "Indeed, she did seize a police officer's firearm, but with a gun, she was not afraid—after all, bullets are limited. However, Arabella's situation is far more than just having a weapon. She possesses arms far beyond that. In just four or five moves, she killed all twenty-some officers who arrived first on the scene."
The Faceless Ghost was stunned and asked, "What kind of weapon could be that powerful? A staff or a large knife? Even if she used a big knife and killed two at once, it wouldn't be possible to kill so many in just four or five moves."
The chief police officer, who was quite senior, had a grave expression and said, "Scalien has a cold weapon with a history of over a hundred years, but very few people can use it now. It's a Flail, called the Simon Flail (The chain mace consists of a long handle connected to one or more chains, each ending in a spiked or weighted head. When swung, it generates a tremendous impact force and can also extend or retract freely. This ancient weapon was invented by Simon, the master blacksmith of this world, renowned for his forging of legendary arms)."
When Marcellus heard that Arabella was using a Simon Flail, his expression instantly changed. He fixed his gaze on the chief police officer and asked, "Where is the police officer who recognized Arabella?"
The chief of police quickly called for his subordinates to bring someone over. When the person arrived, both Taras and the Faceless Ghost immediately recognized him as a member of their international police team.
The police officer, in his thirties, was an elite from the other country's police force sent to assist with the trial of Arabella. As soon as he saw Taras, he spoke up: "Sir, what a coincidence. I was having a meal at a restaurant and heard a woman order ten kilograms of beef. I got curious and glanced over, and to my surprise, she looked a bit familiar. She resembled the person in the sketch you gave us, so I..."
"Which restaurant did you encounter her at?" Marcellus interrupted him sharply, asking urgently.
The police officer was momentarily stunned by Marcellus's interruption, not understanding why he was so fixated on the name of the restaurant. After a pause, he said, "It was a restaurant there, the famous establishment in Scalien."
Upon hearing this, Marcellus immediately issued an urgent command: "Do not force your way in, it's certain death! That woman wields a Simon Flail forged from special steel. It's incredibly powerful; one strike and you're dead."
Others might not know, but he was fully aware. When Arabella was young, she was brought back to the Montfort family by Vincent, but was abandoned and left to the two sons to take care of her. The two sons were rough men, only skilled in grappling and combat, and they spent all their time training Arabella in Simon Flail.
At that time, one of the shareholders of that restaurant was Vincent's former officer. After retiring, he invested in the business and expanded it, turning the backyard into a spacious area that could also accommodate people. Arabella was often trained there by the two sons of the Montfort family, and it was said that they trained her with the Simon Flail. Seeing that Arabella was a Simon Flail prodigy, that officer had custom-made a Simon Flail for her out of high-quality steel. However, after she was imprisoned by the Ackerley family, no one had seen her use it, nor had anyone seen the Simon Flail again.
Taras was a top-tier expert. Although he didn't know what exactly the Simon Flail was, he understood that any weapon in the hands of a true master could become a terrifying killing tool. Upon hearing Marcellus's words, he knew that the Simon Flail was a weapon for crowd control. In that case, Arabella could defend a single position and take out four attackers at once. There was no need to sacrifice lives by charging in.
After a glance at the Faceless Ghost, Taras confirmed, "Surround the factory with everyone. We two will go in to apprehend her. By the way, has Officer Blackthorn been notified?"
"Officer Blackthorn is on his way. He was investigating the milk source case in the eastern outskirts, which is quite far."
Everyone began to hurry with their preparations. The police officer from another country slowly backed away from the center of the crowd and walked out of the encirclement. Once he was far from the crowd, he turned his head to look at the distant factory, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.
The so-called Officer Blackthorn, who was "on his way," had already been in the doctor's basement hours before the incident, where he had seen a person whose appearance shocked him greatly.
The person looked up at him with a smile and said, "Let's go, quickly take me to the factory. I've been waiting for this day for five years."
