There's an old saying that the new generation will eventually replace the old, and so it's destined that the younger ones are always bold and reckless, thinking they possess enough strength and certainty to swallow up their predecessors. Therefore, as Arabella watched the smiling couple invite her, she silently turned the ring on her finger, a reminder and companion from Cyrus.
Arabella then suppressed her killing intent, nodded with a smile, and replied, "Alright, since you've invited me to travel together, then let's go."
"Don't worry, I'll make a great travel plan. I promise you'll be satisfied. By the way, the scenery is truly breathtaking," Amy cooed, leaning into her boyfriend Dabia's arms with a sweet smile. The young man holding her was so handsome that he looked like a silhouette, glowing in the light. He saw that Arabella was looking at him, and with a cold, pale finger, he extended the teacup toward her. His body leaned forward slightly, and the sunlight from the window bathed half of his figure, leaving the other half shrouded in shadow.
Arabella and he locked eyes, both showing a satisfied smile. They lowered their heads, feigning tenderness, but when they looked up, they each wore a fierce, murderous aura, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
When Taras heard that Arabella was invited to a trip, he immediately issued a warning: "Do you know that the situation there is now out of control? Since AE's power was divided, the government of that country has been crippled, and the place is full of armed groups. Entering that country is a death sentence. Drugs, human trafficking, organ trade, black market dealings—all of it is rampant. They want you to die there."
Arabella glanced at Taras and retorted, "Do you really think they can kill me?"
"You can't say that," Taras replied. "They've already colluded with the local armed groups. When you go, you won't have your weapons, and you'll be facing thousands of armed thugs with nothing but your bare hands. It's almost impossible to defend against. Besides, don't underestimate Dabia. That little brat's skills are at least on par with Bramwell's."
Arabella twisted the ring on her finger, smiling as she replied, "Who said I'm going alone? I'll have people following me."
Taras immediately understood that Arabella was planning to call on the group of men from the swamp. He instinctively responded with a touch of bitterness, "I almost forgot you have quite a few people around you."
Arabella, oblivious to the underlying tension, nodded with utmost seriousness, "It's not that many, only six in total. Among them, Norris is familiar with those young lads; I'll have him stay by your side to assist."
Six is already enough to be thrilling, and you're still complaining it's not enough? Taras clenched his teeth, feeling a tightness in his chest. "Hey, you didn't even spare a minor. I warn you, Arabella, molesting a minor is also a crime."
Arabella was confused by Taras's reaction: "Do you think I, Arabella, am afraid of breaking the law?"
Taras was stunned by her righteous response. He began to regret ever agreeing to cooperate with this woman. She had only faked her death, she wasn't really dead. He remembered when she swore to him that Arabella was dead, and she had taken on a new identity, "Ara." That name was such a half-hearted attempt.
Yet, whenever he thought of her illness, and the earnest look in her eyes when she spoke of wanting to travel the world with Cyrus, her head held high, he couldn't help but soften. He had been able to arrest her once and send her to her death by firing squad, but he could never bring himself to do it a second time. The sense of justice that had once guided him evaporated in that moment she was executed, leaving nothing but the love that had long since rooted itself deep in his heart, defying all the barriers around him.
As a police officer, he had fulfilled his mission, but as a man, he wanted to indulge just once.
"I don't need anyone here. You should take Norris with you. I know that kid vicious heart inside. He'll be useful when you get to there."
Actually, the country case was originally simple. Several domestic conglomerates had colluded with foreign forces to take control of the arms deal in order to challenge the royal authority. Taras and the Faceless Ghost were the strongest external allies the country royal family had enlisted to eliminate the increasingly rampant dark forces within the country.
The terrorists there, with their armed separatism, were part of the foreign forces colluding with the conglomerates. They used the country's elite club as a cover for various illegal transactions.
What Arabella needed to do was to uproot the source of the evil, cutting off the ties between the country's money and its criminal connections. Taras's job was to work with the royal family to gather evidence of the conglomerates' crimes. In fact, the conglomerates had only themselves to blame. A few young heirs, using their abilities, deduced from Norris's disappearance that there was a possibility Arabella had survived. So they deliberately exposed a flaw in their plan to provoke her, hoping to lure Arabella into a trap and capture both her and Taras at once.
Their plan seemed well thought out, but just because a plan looks good doesn't mean it will succeed. The outcome of this game was still uncertain, and it was unknown who would decide the fate in the end.
After entering the target location, Arabella calmly watched as the car drove further and further, the surroundings growing more desolate. The woman who had been smiling cheerfully beside her, Amy, gradually revealed a smug expression.
"Vivian, you better behave for a bit."
Arabella glanced at her, her gaze filled with questioning. "Is it really worth it?" she asked. "For that man, Dabia, you'd go so far as to frame and have Levine—your own companion from the orphanage—killed, and throw yourself into a whirlpool of crime in the process?"
Upon hearing that Arabella knew everything so clearly, Amy's expression twisted with rage and resentment. "What do you know?" she spat. "Dabia is my salvation. When I was being bullied in my senior year of high school, he was the one who saved me, who accepted me. Where was Levine at that time? Wasn't she in college, happily in love with her police boyfriend? She had a man, a new life, and never once thought about my well-being. We grew up together—why did they abandon me to chase their own happiness?"
"Levine was a chemistry prodigy. In order to please Dabia, you helped him find people who assisted in the production of drugs, and in the process, you deliberately betrayed the undercover cop, causing his death. Seizing the opportunity, you manipulated Levine to use her abilities to infiltrate the club, trying to gather evidence to help her boyfriend take revenge. In the end, you secretly drugged Levine, controlling her while forcing her to manufacture drugs and engage in prostitution, ultimately leading to her death, am I right?"
Amy sneered, "As expected of a cop, you've done your homework. So what? You thought that by agreeing to come here, the police from the country would come to your aid? Stop dreaming. The moment you set foot in here, you're as good as dead. Don't worry, I'll make sure my men treat you well. I won't let you die easily."
Arabella glanced at the woman who was still smug, completely unaware of the imminent danger. Back when they entered target location, Dabia had used the excuse of arranging accommodation to leave first, leaving this woman behind, still foolishly thinking of herself as useful. If she was correct, Dabia must have planned to wipe out this hideout, after all, there were hundreds of such criminal spots throughout target location, destroying one would be no big deal.
"Did you unknowingly hear about me from Dabia? Maybe it was in some files, maybe my name. In any case, you despise any woman who attracts Dabia's attention. So, when I came to school, you deliberately went to the rooftop to catch my attention and intentionally got close to me. But do you even know who I really am? My real name? Do you know what I was attracted here for? Don't you find it strange that Dabia personally killed Levine on the rooftop back then? Does a noble young man like him really need to personally kill someone?"
Amy's expression grew strange after hearing Arabella's series of questions. "How do you know the details so well? Who are you really?" She paused for a moment, then realized the car had stopped. Looking ahead, she smiled with wicked delight, "No matter who you are, you'll soon lose even the qualification to be human. Welcome to hell."
Arabella followed her gaze and looked at the village not far ahead. The village was surrounded by armed thugs, and a few of them were already walking toward their car with fierce expressions. With rare good humor, she stretched her arms and smiled, "Since I'm the demon you invited, it's only natural that I come to hell."
After Bramwell walked in, carrying a gun and stepping over a pool of blood, Julius was spinning the claw knife in his hand, the blade covered in blood, and a group of people were writhing on the ground in pain and agony.
"You finished this place in less than a minute, you really are fast."
Julius twirled the claw knife in his fingers, sneering, "I'm not as slow as you. You took five minutes just to deal with the outer circle."
Bramwell couldn't be bothered to argue with Julius. There was no point in comparing skills with the second-best in the world. After handling a police station located closest to the armed group's hideout, they contacted Nicholas, who had been secretly overseeing the operation plan.
"How's the situation with Arabella?"
"She's entered the village. Caracal has also disguised himself and followed Dabia. Dabia met with the country's General Daniel attempting to have him send troops to destroy the village and kill Arabella in the process. Daniel's goal is to seize territory and wealth. The people inside the village are a burden and can be eliminated at any time."
"Daniel?" Julius sounded a bit surprised, clearly recognizing the name.
"He's the son of your old partner who used to grow poppies here. After you went missing, Daniel took advantage of the chaos and killed his own father to rise to power. Once in power, he teamed up with that Dabia to make money. I heard that they were never able to produce high-quality drugs before, but recently, they finally succeeded in refining G-11."
Julius sneered upon hearing this, saying, "They're just low-tier scum, only good at playing those dirty little tricks."
"The problem with these little pests is that they're not just foul, they're also annoying. And to make matters worse, that pest actually thinks he can lay a hand on Arabella? It's a fantasy," Nicholas's cold voice came through the pager. Then, his voice grew even more lethal, filled with bloodlust: "Crush that pest today."
Bramwell immediately stopped, "Hey—did you forget the agreement between Master Unknown and Taras? Dabia needs to be captured alive, not killed!"
Julius frowned in displeasure, "This is so unlucky. Even after all this time, we still have to act according to the police's wishes."
On the other side, Arabella was brought in with her hands shackled by iron chains. The place she was taken to covered a vast area, built along the side of a mountain, surrounded by dense forest. Once inside, escape was nearly impossible for anyone.
Amy was determined to torture Vivian, whom Dabia had mentioned. She didn't care if the person was a cop or not; she firmly believed this place was a hell on earth, where even the strongest would be tortured to the point of becoming worse than animals. She purposely didn't drug Arabella at first, having her locked up and led through the area so that she could experience, in her fully conscious state, the true meaning of fear.
As Arabella was led forward, and along the way, she witnessed scenes that filled her with disgust. She saw a man, bloodied from being whipped, numb and indifferent, sitting in a chair while making endless phone calls. She passed by women, naked and covered in needle marks, their bodies like lifeless shells, spread wide to please the passing guards. She was also shown various high-end goods—people who had been kidnapped and would soon be sold off to different parts of the world. She saw many useless people dragged into what looked like slaughterhouse operating rooms, their organs being harvested. Then there was the so-called "breeding room," where women were kept to breed and sell their children. It was a grotesque display of human trafficking, a nightmarish place filled with all kinds of horrors.
After being led through most of the area with her chains, Arabella suddenly stopped in front of a cell, peering inside. The guide, upon seeing her stop, remembered her identity as a police officer and gave a cruel smile, "How lucky, there's an undercover cop inside. Let's show you what a human urinal looks like, see it—"
Amid the reckless laughter, Arabella entered the cell and saw what a "human urinal" truly meant. The undercover agent was no longer recognizable as human. His body was mutilated—his arms and legs were gone, and he was shoved into a specially designed toilet. His eyes had been gouged out, his teeth ripped out, and his mouth was sealed shut, unable to close. If nothing had gone wrong, his entire body must have been tampered with, and from now on, he would likely be forced to survive like a living catheter, drinking his own urine to stay alive.
Arabella glanced at the police officer without any visible reaction. What caught her attention wasn't his identity or his tragic state, but rather the book floating in midair in the room. The book opened on its own, and the words "Eternal Life Cultivation Method" appeared, suspended in the air.
She calmly glanced at the guards behind her, realizing that the book was clearly something only she could see. The techniques inside were fascinating, drawing her in like the forbidden fruit, whispering temptation to her heart.
As if afraid she wouldn't be interested, the book shook slightly and automatically turned to the next page, slowly revealing the first spell. It was so considerate, so eager to captivate her.
After a while, Arabella turned and walked away without hesitation. The young girl, who had been watching her, hurriedly floated to her side, greedily inhaling the air. "Wow, such a powerful soul, glowing with golden light. Fate has brought us together. Don't leave—eternal life, immortality. Don't you like it?"
Perhaps growing impatient, the book that had been floating in mid-air immediately moved to Arabella's front the moment she lifted her foot. It began to sway, pages turning frantically, as if afraid she would ignore it.
Arabella glanced coldly at the book hovering in midair. With a flick of her finger, she sent the book flying across the room, and it crashed into the corner. The strange girl, rubbing her forehead, sat on the ground, sighing with regret, "Damn, you're only the second person in thousands of years who hasn't fallen for the temptation. So rare..."
Unfortunately, the destined one couldn't see her. The girl, still rubbing her backside, stubbornly followed behind Arabella, continuing to mutter to herself, "Destined one, are you here to save someone? Alone? It's dangerous to go in solo, you know."
When Arabella saw Amy again, she had already finished freshening up and was now lounging leisurely on a couch in a rather sexy nightgown. Two rows of armed guards stood nearby, and the guide from earlier held a syringe, grinning lewdly. "This little bitch may not be much to look at, but after a dose of the drug, she'll be good for a good time. After all, she's a cop, so she should be able to take it."
Amy, hearing this, laughed uncontrollably, her body trembling with amusement. "Just don't kill her, I want to keep her alive and have some fun. I want her to understand that, even if we're going after her, she's not worthy of catching Dabia's attention."
Arabella remained silent, as she always did when action was required. As a group of men gradually surrounded her, she dropped the fake smile, her gaze turning sharp and cold. Since faking her death, her true nature had emerged—ruthless and unforgiving.
She raised her hands, and with a crisp snap, the iron chains that were wrapped around her body broke apart. The men, who had almost reached Arabella, instinctively took a step back. As they regained their composure, they immediately raised their guns and cocked them.
"It's fine if she is hurt, just don't kill her," Amy shouted from behind, still oblivious to the imminent danger.
Arabella glanced at her and coldly replied, "That's what I intend to do."
As her words finished, Arabella flicked her wrist and sent a jujube-sized nail, which she had concealed inside her waistband, hurtling toward her target. The jujube nail, as its name suggested, was shaped like a jujube pit. Made of solid iron, it was small but easily hidden for a sneak attack. It could spread across a wide area with great power, and with Arabella's skill, it struck with the force and precision of a bullet.
Even though she was only using a hidden weapon, Arabella focused intently, careful not to accidentally kill too many, as she still had to answer to Taras. The peculiar girl who had been following her out of curiosity stood off to the side, eyes wide with admiration. "That was so cool! Fate-bound one, look at me! I can make you live forever!"
As she spoke, Arabella saw the strange book floating in front of her, swaying as if beckoning her with a small handkerchief. Arabella glanced at it and immediately struck at the book's center with a precise cross-eyed fist. The book fell to the ground with a thud, while the girl beside her cried out in pain, clutching her eyes. "Ouch! Fate-bound one, stop hitting randomly!"
After her agonized cry, she couldn't help but open her eyes, fixating on the woman who had charged into the crowd. The woman's movements were unrestrained, a seamless combination of punches and kicks that flowed like water. With each strike, a deadly blow was delivered. Her teleportation, punches, and flying kicks were all swift and precise, without hesitation or waste. She was like a perfect killing machine—terrifying in her efficiency.
Even though she held back her strikes, and even though more and more of the gang members swarmed in, Arabella took only a short time to take them all down, leaving Amy trembling in the corner, having failed to escape. Arabella stopped and casually flicked the dust off her clothes. After spending years under Nicholas's influence, she had picked up a bit more civility, knowing to tidy herself up after a fight.
Just as she finished, the sound of a car approached from outside the village, followed by Ferdinand's booming voice. "You've cleared out the gatekeepers too? Arabella, did you really turn every single one of them into punching bags?"
Amy asked, panicked, "You're Arabella? Who exactly are you? Why are you so terrifyingly skilled?"
Arabella ignored her, instead turning to greet the men carrying guns as they rushed in, smiling as she asked, "Is everything taken care of?"
"We found Daniel's biggest opponent and dealt with him through let them kill each other off and take him down. But that kid, Dabia, is slippery. He escaped ahead of time. Taras and Faceless Ghost are also closing in. There's still a chance to catch him."
Arabella snorted dismissively, not concerned with Dabia. She raised her hand and pointed at Amy. "Since you love that Dabia so much and were willing to kill your own teammate for him, and now he's escaped, you can take all his sins upon yourself."
"Impossible! Dabia will definitely come to save me! He told me I'm the most important person to him, he would never abandon me!" Amy screamed at Arabella, her eyes filled with frantic obsession, unable to accept that she had been ruthlessly abandoned.
Afterward, Arabella didn't bother with it anymore. Deep down, she knew very well that the countries in these world were rotten to the core. Even without Daniel and other villains, new forces would quickly take over. And even if the villain alliance was gone, other factions would come together to commit crimes. The unspeakable ugliness of this village was merely a small part of the world's corruption, but none of that mattered to her anymore. She had made the deal with Taras.
As she was about to leave, the strange girl leaned in close to Arabella, smiling widely and trying to sell herself. "Fated person? Boss Arabella? Master Unknown—don't leave—immortality, are you sure you don't want to try?" She said this excitedly, and the book floating beside Arabella seemed just as excited, almost wagging its tail in response.
Arabella stopped in her tracks, not turning toward the book but facing the girl, decisively rejecting her. "No need."
At first, the girl didn't realize, but then her expression changed drastically. "Fated person, you can still see me? Oh my god, you can see both the book and me? Fated person, you can directly cultivate immortality without any tests. Don't you want to live forever?"
Arabella had already stepped into the jeep, turning her head to wave at the girl. "No need, I only trust myself."
The few men beside her looked at Arabella speaking to the empty space in the distance, all feeling a bit confused.
Has Arabella gone crazy? What kind of ghost has the guts to cling to her like that?
The situation was successfully resolved, and Taras also wrapped up his operation. The only downside was that after Dabia fled, he immediately informed the other two, and those three young thugs still had some real skills. They managed to escape overnight and weren't caught. Thanks to the completed cooperation, Arabella finally obtained the residence permit for the country of the country, with the name "Ara" written on it.
In the early morning, Arabella stood on the city wall, watching the sunrise, gently rubbing the ring in her hand. She could finally, openly, face the rising sun alongside Cyrus. In this moment of solitude, a rare, satisfied smile appeared on her face. After watching the sunrise, she noticed Taras rushing toward her, likely afraid she might leave without a word. He was in such a hurry that sweat was dripping from his brow.
"Here—"
Arabella lowered her head to accept the exquisite wooden box. Inside was a translucent green bracelet, almost otherworldly in its beauty. It was immediately obvious that it was of great value. She looked up in confusion and asked, "Why suddenly give me this?"
Taras glanced at the ring on Arabella's finger and, feeling a bit uneasy, said, "I've heard that the country's jade is world-renowned. High-quality jade can nourish the body, so just wear it for peace and safety." Seeing that Arabella didn't react, he simply took matters into his own hands and forcibly put the bracelet on her wrist, muttering as he did so, "Don't take it off, okay? This bracelet cost me half of my fortune."
Arabella's skin was fair, and her wrists delicate. The jade bracelet she wore stood out in the sunlight, glowing with a brilliant green. She gave her wrist a casual flick and, for once, jokingly said, "Aren't you afraid I'll smash half of your precious belongings when I fight?"
"So, don't fight too much unless it's necessary, got it? I've checked, and if your heart's not in good condition, avoid intense exercise. Take care of yourself."
"Didn't you say before that you hoped I'd cooperate with you, handle major cases from different countries, and get legal identification from all over the world?"
"You use your brain, and I'll do the work—that's enough."
"So, you mean from now on, I'll just point, and you'll do the work?"
"I'm telling you, Arabella, don't get too greedy. If you commit another crime, I'll catch you again."
"My name is Ara, not Arabella!"
"Fine, fine, fine—shorten your previous name, and it's your new name. I don't know why you're so careless about your own name."
The two walked side by side, moving farther and farther under the scorching sun. Gradually, their voices became faint, while their shadows slowly intertwined. Perhaps a glimmer of hope had appeared—Ara now with her shortened names and the police officer Taras were about to embark on a new and extraordinary journey together.
