A Shocking Turn

"Do you understand, Doris? What matters most right now is bringing Jiang Nan back. He's vital to us!" Dr. Gero said solemnly.

Doris gave Jiang Nan a surprised glance. An idea flashed through her mind, and she said, "But that won't work, Doctor. My plane doesn't have enough fuel to get us back to North City, and the gas station on the island closed early today."

"What kind of shitty place doesn't even have a gas station open around the clock?" Dr. Gero suspected nothing. The world was vast, after all; a gas station that closed at seven in the evening was hardly unusual.

"Then leave tomorrow morning. Remember, don't let Jiang Nan notice anything wrong! If you discover he's trying to escape, kill him and bring his body back!" Dr. Gero gave her a few more instructions before ending the video call.

Silence fell over the room. Jiang Nan glanced at Doris and began inching cautiously toward the door.

"Want to bet I won't kill you right now?" Doris's voice reached Jiang Nan's ears as though it had risen from the depths of hell.

Jiang Nan gave an awkward smile, forcing out, "You really know how to joke, Lady Doris. Someone as beautiful as an angel and as kindhearted as you would never go around killing people, would you? I just wanted to buy you something nice to eat. On our way back, I saw some stalls selling local snacks..."

Doris looked at Jiang Nan with a complicated expression, wrestling with herself.

Under Jiang Nan's gaze, Doris walked to the dressing table, brushed her hair, and put on the miniature camera disguised as a sapphire necklace.

"Am I beautiful?" Doris asked softly.

"Of course," Jiang Nan said fawningly. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world, Lady Doris."

"Stop pretending." Doris looked into Jiang Nan's eyes. "I know you've never truly been afraid of me. I don't like seeing you act this way."

Jiang Nan froze. He had thought his act was convincing. A woman's heart really was impossible to fathom. Fine, he would stop playing the groveling coward and try a different approach.

Sincerity never won anyone over; only a well-played routine could capture a heart.

Jiang Nan stared into Doris's eyes and said, "You're beautiful. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

That damned look again. Doris felt her heart stir once more, and she asked, "Then... do you like me?"

Jiang Nan gave a bitter smile. "What would it matter if I did? You're like a star in the night sky. I know my place. I'm not even worthy of liking a woman like you."

Doris's shoulders trembled slightly, and her breathing grew uneven. Striking while the iron was hot, Jiang Nan continued working on her heart. "Take me back to North City. I've accepted my fate. Heaven hasn't treated me so badly, letting me meet you in this lifetime."

Doris seemed about to speak, then stopped. Only after a long while did she stand and slowly walk past Jiang Nan.

"Come for a walk with me." Doris sounded a little sad.

Doris wandered aimlessly along the beach, the sea breeze sending ripples through her golden hair. Jiang Nan walked silently beside her, calculating how he could find an opportunity to escape.

Suddenly, Doris stopped. Jiang Nan had been walking with his head lowered, distracted, and bumped straight into her. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her.

It was the perfect position. With the moonlight, the sea, and a beautiful woman in his arms, Jiang Nan prepared to keep playing the devoted lover. He gazed into Doris's eyes at close range, steeled himself, and was about to kiss her red lips when a jarring voice interrupted them.

"Hahaha! You spineless piece of trash! Come along quietly!" a rough voice rang out.

The bald Pabrik, whom Jiang Nan hadn't gotten to fight that afternoon, stood leering at them. Behind him were four helpers, each with a power level of around 50.

After today's matches ended, the Silver Wolf Society's men had kept following Doris. They had planned to abduct the pair after nightfall, never expecting them to come strolling along the beach at night-and then recklessly wander into this deserted corner.

Jiang Nan wasn't worried in the slightest. With Doris backing him up, Pabrik's measly power level of 69 was nothing. To his surprise, however, panic appeared on Doris's face, and she cried out, "What do you want?"

"What do we want? Our young master wants to have some fun with you. If you know what's good for you, come along quietly. Otherwise... heh!" Pabrik clenched his fists, making his knuckles crack.

Doris abruptly grabbed Jiang Nan and ran. Pabrik and his men followed at an unhurried pace, like cats toying with mice.

Just as they were about to catch up, Doris suddenly turned. Her slender, shapely lower leg lashed like a whip toward Pabrik's chest. Pabrik raised his arm to block the blow, but it still forced him back several steps.

"Well, well. You know a little martial arts. You've got more balls than that spineless bastard." Pabrik shook out his aching arm, then pushed off the ground and attacked Doris.

Jiang Nan was dumbfounded. What's going on? Has Pabrik been hiding his strength? Or did the system get its reading wrong? How can Doris lose to some nobody with a power level of 69?

Should I run while they're distracted?!

No! Jiang Nan immediately rejected the idea. After spending so much time with Doris, he had long since come to think of her as family. How could he abandon her?

"Aah!" Jiang Nan roared, charging forward to attack Pabrik from behind. The Silver Wolf Society's four other thugs immediately surrounded him and attacked.

A brave attempt to rescue a damsel in distress!

Unfortunately, courage couldn't substitute for fighting power. In a single exchange, Jiang Nan learned what it meant for two fists to be outmatched by eight hands. He was instantly knocked to the ground and showered with punches and kicks.

Doris caught sight of this out of the corner of her eye, worry flashing in her gaze. Suddenly, she unleashed a punch that sent Pabrik flying more than ten meters.

Pabrik was horrified. Doris's punch had actually broken his ribs. He wouldn't even be able to participate in tomorrow's elimination matches.

"That's enough. Young Master Henry told us not to kill him. He's supposed to be our audience!" One thug suddenly stopped the others, reminding them of Young Master Henry's eagerly anticipated plan.

Doris had been about to rush over to save Jiang Nan, but those words brought her to an abrupt halt. Looking again, she saw that although Jiang Nan lay on the floor with a bruised, swollen face, groaning in pain, he didn't seem to have any fatal injuries. Only then did she relax.

Seeing that Jiang Nan could no longer move, Pabrik shouted, "This bitch is tricky! Everyone, get her! Make it quick!"

All five attacked Doris together, putting her in danger as well. An unexpected elbow struck the back of her head. She cried out in pain, staggered, and fell onto the beach.

Pabrik hurried forward, pulled out the handcuffs he had prepared, and cuffed Doris's hands and feet. Doris glared fiercely at him. Furious that she had broken his ribs, Pabrik slapped her hard across the face. Blood immediately seeped from the corner of her mouth.

"You filthy bitch! Just wait until we're done with you!" Pabrik cursed viciously.

"Doris!" Seeing this, Jiang Nan felt his heart clench and called out weakly.

Pabrik walked over to Jiang Nan and crouched beside him. Grabbing him by the hair, he yanked him up, slapped him hard across the face, then spat on him.

"Useless trash. Are you angry? Here's some friendly advice: don't get angry just yet. Young Master Henry has a great show waiting for you in a little while. Hahahaha! Take them away!" Pabrik said viciously.

Doris and Jiang Nan were taken to a manor, where Henry had already grown impatient waiting. The moment he saw Doris's battered appearance, he looked at Pabrik in displeasure.

Pabrik hurriedly explained, "Young Master, this little bitch can fight. She nearly got me. It took all of us a lot of effort to capture her."

Henry looked at Doris again and found her glaring at him with hatred. Her wild expression only stirred his desire to conquer her.

"Take them to the room on the third floor. Come along too. You'll all get a turn. Hehehe..." Henry let out that ugly laugh again, so at odds with his demeanor.

There was a very large bedroom on the third floor, furnished with an enormous waterbed. The shelves along the walls held all sorts of unspeakable toys. Apparently, this was one of Henry's rooms for sex.

His men threw Doris onto the waterbed and cuffed Jiang Nan to a metal chair. Jiang Nan struggled hard a few times. He had no idea what material the handcuffs were made of, but even with his power level of 40, he couldn't break free.

Then Doris spoke. "I'm with the Red Ribbon Army. If you let me go now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened!"

Henry was startled. He knew the Red Ribbon Army's fearsome reputation, but he couldn't bear to let such a prize slip away when she was already within his grasp.

"I don't care if you're with the Red Ribbon Army or the Black Ribbon Army. Now that you're in my hands, just lie back and enjoy it!" Henry approached Doris with a wicked grin. Pabrik and the others watched, drooling in anticipation of the erotic spectacle.

Henry advanced toward Doris step by step, adding sinisterly, "The Red Ribbon Army is all the way in North City. No one will know you're in my hands!"

"This necklace-my necklace has tracking and communication functions. If I don't contact headquarters tomorrow, the Red Ribbon Army will follow its signal here," Doris continued.

Jiang Nan knew the necklace could only take pictures and record video. Doris was probably claiming it could track and communicate to bluff Henry.

Henry tore off Doris's necklace and examined it carefully, then cackled. "You didn't really think you could fool me, did you? Have you forgotten what the Silver Wolf Society does? We've got loads of miniature cameras like this. This corner is the switch, right?"

Henry casually switched off the camera. It's over, Jiang Nan thought. They hadn't fallen for the bluff. There was probably no escaping today, even if he grew wings.

"Oh, really?" Doris's voice suddenly turned playful.

With effortless ease, Doris broke the cuffs binding her hands and feet, then slowly sat up on the waterbed.

Pabrik, the strongest fighter on the Silver Wolf Society's side, felt his pupils contract sharply as a sudden sense of danger swept over him. The dull pain in his ribs also cleared his head. At last, he understood why Doris, who could break his ribs with one punch, had let him capture her so easily.

"We've been tricked!" the bald Pabrik shouted, trying to warn Henry to get away from Doris.

Doris's gaze was cold. She wasn't aggressive by nature, but for Jiang Nan's sake, she had to do this.

When she had left the Martial Arts Temple that afternoon, she had keenly sensed someone following her. But the Silver Wolf Society's men were no more than ants to her, and she hadn't given them any thought.

During her call with Dr. Gero, however, a plan had come to Doris. She didn't want Jiang Nan reduced to an experimental subject. To save him while still giving Dr. Gero an explanation, these men from the Silver Wolf Society had become a crucial part of her plan.

Henry realized something was wrong and was about to flee toward Pabrik when Doris suddenly moved. A blur flashed past, and her fist was already buried in Henry's chest.

Doris hadn't intended to kill Henry in such a brutal way. She simply didn't understand the extent of her own strength. Striking with all her power, punching Henry had been like punching tofu. Through her fist, she could distinctly feel the warmth inside his body and the powerful beating of his heart.

This was Doris's first time killing someone, after all. Just as instinctive nausea and revulsion rose within her, an indescribable pleasure suddenly spread from her fist throughout her body. It felt so good that she couldn't help letting out a soft moan.

Strange, blood-red markings appeared on Doris's pale arm, spreading along it toward her body. At the same time, her pupils changed from deep green to blood red.

Henry gradually fell silent. Doris casually flung him into a corner, then turned a greedy gaze on Pabrik. Jiang Nan was alarmed as well. His delight at their reversal of fortune turned to worry. He could clearly see Doris's power level skyrocketing. It had already surpassed 200.

Seeing things go badly, the bald Pabrik suddenly grabbed the thug beside him and shoved him toward Doris, then turned and fled toward the terrace.

Pabrik had only taken three steps when his body jolted violently and froze. With difficulty, he lowered his head to look at his chest. A slender hand had emerged from it, clutching a heart that was still beating powerfully.