In the dead of night, the blade Stella Sterling raised cut through the air with a blinding flash, illuminating Tripp Penceās gaunt face.
The next moment, with a sickening thudā
In the hallway, the men heard something drop to the floor. A moment later, the thick stench of blood assaulted their nostrils.
One of the men shone a flashlight in her direction and saw Tripp Penceās head hit the floor as his body toppled backwardā
THUMP THUMP THUMP.
The severed head rolled right up to his feet. Tripp Penceās eyes, still wide with confusion, stared right at him!
"AHHH!!!"
The man let out a piercing scream, dropping the flashlight as he fell backward, landing hard on his rear.
Not far away, Basil Xavier, who was helping Gordon Ford back to his feet, saw the whole thing. His pupils constricted, and he swallowed hard.
He then looked warily at Stella Sterling. This woman who had appeared out of nowhere was viciously brutal.
āAnd he had no idea what her deal was, just showing up and attacking those men. What if...ā
With that thought, he propped up Gordon Ford and tried to slip away unnoticed. āI canāt believe itās this dangerous inside a single apartment complex!ā
"Stella Sterling, are you crazy? We never did anything to you!"
The other men finally snapped out of their stupor and yelled at Stella Sterling.
Tripp Pence was their newly chosen leader, and now he had been decapitated right in front of them.
Stella Sterlingās blade dragged along the floor, its tip dripping blood. She tilted her head and smiled. "Iām not crazy. I just donāt like the look of you."
āWhat kind of reason is that?ā
The men were furious!
Stella Sterling couldnāt have cared less how angry or terrified they were. With an agile movement, she was in front of another man. Before he could even react, she shoved her blade into his stomach, then ripped it back out.
The man clutched his gushing stomach wound, his eyes wide with indignation as he collapsed.
The others were both terrified and furious.
"You lunatic! You psycho! Iāll kill you!"
One man charged at Stella Sterling with a club, but he didnāt even get close before she slit his throat.
Another tried to use the chaos to escape, but Stella Sterling caught up to him in a few short strides and cut him down with a single blow.
Of the men Tripp Pence had brought, only three remained. In the blink of an eye, four of their brothersātheir leader includedāwere dead. This utterly terrified the three survivors.
They trembled, their hands shaking so badly they could barely hold their weapons.
But Stella Sterling, ever so considerate, didnāt let them suffer in fear for long. She quickly sent them to their graves.
Her bladework was clean and efficient, every strike a killing blow. Her victims didnāt even have time to scream before their lives were snuffed out.
One of the bodies fell right beside Basil Xavier, who was still trying to slip away.
Basil Xavier was completely drained of energy and burdened with the unconscious Gordon Ford. Heād barely managed to take two steps. Realizing there was no escape, he simply stopped and turned to watchā
The fallen flashlight lit up the hallway, casting the grisly scene in stark relief.
Even for a man who had seen his fair share of action, the sight before him was horrifying.
The scene was utterly terrifying and gruesome: toppled corpses, a severed head, and blood pooling on the floor...
Every detail of the carnage grated on Basil Xavierās nerves.
It wasnāt that heād never seen someone killed beforeāhe had blood on his own handsābut he had never witnessed such unbridled brutality.
The woman standing not far off was nothing short of a homicidal maniac.
He watched her warily, his body tensed for a fight. If she came any closer, he would be ready to attack.
āBut he knew he didnāt stand a chance.ā
āFrom her footwork and decisive strikes, it was clear she was a trained professional, not just some random person swinging a blade.ā
āIn his current condition, unarmed, facing her... a fight would be a death sentence.ā
"Iāve failed you, my friend."
Basil Xavier sighed, turning to the unconscious Gordon Ford.
āGordon had gotten injured and passed out trying to save me, and now that heās unconscious, I canāt even protect him!ā
Having dealt with everyone, Stella Sterling looked toward Basil Xavier.
āHonestly, she was surprised to see Gordon Ford in this building again.ā
āGiven what happened earlier today, sheād thought he was as good as dead. But just as she was getting ready for bed, sheād heard someone shouting his name.ā
She walked toward them. Seeing Basil Xavier watching her with extreme caution, she stopped about six feet away. She didnāt look at Basil, but at the man he was holding upāGordon Ford.
Basil Xavierās body was rigid; he didnāt dare relax for a second. As the she-devil walked toward them, his mind screamed, āItās over!ā
But the woman suddenly stopped about six feet away, her gaze fixed on Gordon Ford.
āThis is odd. It seems like she doesnāt intend to kill us.ā
His eyes darted for a moment as an idea struck him. "Miss, do you know Gordon Ford?"
āHe suddenly remembered that this woman had come from upstairs, and the person Gordon had been looking for lived on the top floor of this very building!ā
āCould the person Gordon came to see be this brutal woman?ā
Hope began to bloom in his chest.
"Mm."
Stella Sterling nodded. She glanced at Gordon Fordās pale face before finally turning her gaze to Basil Xavier. "Whatās wrong with him?"
Hearing Stella Sterlingās confirmation, Basil Xavier let out a huge sigh of relief, the tension finally draining from his body.
Though he remained on guard, he was visibly more relaxed.
āAs long as sheās not an enemy, weāre okay.ā
āBesides, she knows Gordon. Judging by how strangely he was acting earlier, she must mean something special to him.ā
āEven if they arenāt lovers, their relationship canāt be that bad. She wonāt kill us!ā
When the man didnāt answer, Stella Sterlingās brow furrowed. A flicker of impatience crossed her eyes, and she suppressed her annoyance to ask again, "Whatās wrong with him?"
āLooks like this woman isnāt just brutal, but also impatient and short-tempered,ā Basil lamented internally.
Though he sighed inwardly, Basil didnāt hesitate this time. He quickly explained everything. "Gordon collapsed right after we got back to the complex. Heās in bad shape, and we need to find shelter from the wind and snow. I remembered he was coming to see you, so I brought him here. Thatās when we ran into those guys... and you know the rest."
Seeing Gordon Fordās temperature dropping, Basil Xavier started moving forward again, supporting his friend. "Quick, lend a hand! We need to get him to your place. Itās too cold out here in the hall. Heās not going to make it if we stay here any longer!"