The camouflaged man trembled as he stepped forward, trying to explain. “Boss, they wouldn’t obey. They escaped. If we don’t take harsher measures repeatedly, and there’s one woman encouraging them, they won’t remain obedient.”

Rory stared at the wounded people in the cages. Some injuries weren’t from whips. She suspected they’d been abused, their lust clouding their judgment.

Rory felt no pity. She was enraged by their injuries; their bodies were ruined, unfit for their intended purpose.

She turned to a subordinate. “Forget it. Take them to the truck.”

Just as the camouflaged man felt smug, a gunshot pierced the air. Rory, her subordinates, and the prisoners turned towards the hole in the man’s chest. His eyes widened, and he fell, rigid. Yvette stood there, a silver gun gleaming.

Yvette’s eyes were dark. Her gaze, almost unreadable, rested on the fallen man. The village was eerily silent, the dead body jolting everyone back to reality, stirring fear. One woman in a cage stared at Yvette, her eyes gleaming with hope.

Rory’s anger peaked. “Who gave you the right to kill, Yvette? They are my people. You don't know what you're doing.”

Yvette raised an eyebrow, cold and indifferent. She lazily surveyed Rory, offering a sly smile. “Really? Teach me, then.”

Rory froze, then, gritting her teeth, barked at her subordinates, “Kill her.”

Gunshots and shouting erupted outside. Rory’s face darkened; she flung open the door. Jeremiah, Eagle King, Charles, Emmett, and Samantha, along with a hundred silent men, had breached the village defenses. Within half an hour, over two-thirds of Rory’s people were dead, swiftly subdued by Jeremiah’s team.

Rory’s gaze hardened as she assessed the newcomers and their advanced firearms. She thought angrily, ‘Who are these people? Why such high-tech guns?’

In Voraxia, the hardest thing to control wasn’t drugs—it was weapons. After the death of King Hadley, Rodney seized control. His connection to Eldoria was unclear, but his dealings with them granted him access to advanced weaponry, making him the unchallenged ruler.

Rory’s voice grew cold. “Who are you? Where are you? How dare you invade my territory?”

Jeremiah, dressed in black, glanced at Yvette, who leaned casually against the door, and offered a slight smile. Rory followed his gaze to Yvette’s nonchalant smirk. A realization struck her. These people, like Yvette, were from Clusia—her allies.

Rory’s confidence faltered. She glared at Yvette. “It’s you, right? They’re your people. What do you want? Does your uncle know? He won’t let you get away with this.”

Samantha smiled. “When did you get an uncle, Yvette?”

Yvette, relaxed against the door, raised an eyebrow. “I never had one.”

Rory froze, disbelief evident. “That’s impossible. Isn’t Holden your…”

She stopped. Yvette had been pretending to be Holden’s niece to lure her here.

Yvette put her hands in her pockets. “Holden’s illegal breeding of poisonous insects in Dango Village was exposed. He’s been sentenced to death. The deputy commissioner you bribed has been dismissed. Now, it’s your turn.”

To Rory, this was a thunderclap. ‘No wonder Yvette knew about the insects. Holden betrayed me.’

Fury twisted Rory’s eyes. “You’re smart, Yvette. You fooled me, but I’ll drag you down with me.” She grabbed a gun and fired at Yvette, who dodged the bullet. The battle raged.

When Rory fired, Jeremiah’s eyes grew cold. He shot, and Rory used a subordinate as a shield. Yvette shot Rory in the leg. Their cooperation was seamless. No one could shield Rory. Charles, Eagle King, Emmett, and Samantha opened fire.

Five minutes later, Rory’s team was wiped out. She was alone, her leg wounded.

Rory glared venomously. “I underestimated you, Yvette, but you won't have a good end.”

Yvette calmly addressed her team. “They’re inside the house.”

Samantha vomited at the stench of decay inside. They unlocked the cages; the prisoners scrambled out, some crawling, desperate for freedom.

Outside, Yvette glanced at Jeremiah, then approached Rory, removing her mask. Half of Rory’s face remained beautiful, the other half disfigured. Rory covered the perfect half, terrified of exposing it. “I will kill you, Yvette.”