Ready to Rule: The Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 977

Connor could guess exactly what was going through Lydia’s mind. Three years ago, they’d put the squeeze on the Terra Syndicate, the biggest underground organization in Southeast Asia. That move hadn’t just pissed off the crime rings, but also the warlords backing them. In this part of the world, every inch of land belonged to a different sovereign nation, and foreign forces couldn’t just barge in and start military ops or crackdowns without getting official permission. Otherwise, it would be a direct violation of international law.

The political situation here was a mess. There were too many armed factions carving up territory, governments at each other’s throats, and civil wars breaking out all the time. Outsiders trying to intervene usually ended up tangled in the chaos. What made things even tougher was that some of those local militias were in bed with the criminal groups, giving them cover and protection. It didn’t just make it harder to take down the gangs, it also let them run wild and do whatever they wanted.

“If we could take them down once, we can do it again.” Lydia’s voice was icy calm.

She hadn’t come all this way just to rescue Luke. If she was here, she was going to shake things up. After traveling so far, how could she not?

Connor looked over, reading the determination in her eyes. “You’re thinking…”

Lydia met his gaze without flinching. “I want to go big. Really big.”

＊

The makeshift room was cramped and dark, barely enough space for almost thirty people. Luke was one of them. He looked like he’d been through hell, his clothes rumpled and dirty, his face so pale it was almost grey. The others in the room were men and women, some just little kids. Everyone here had been tricked or kidnapped by criminals.

Luke had never imagined the world could be this cruel, that people could be this twisted. All he’d done was give someone directions, and the next thing he knew, he woke up tied up in some van. At first, he thought maybe it was a nightmare, but it didn’t take long for reality to hit. This was real.

Suddenly, the rusty iron door scraped open from the outside. Sunlight poured in, bright and golden, washing over the dark, damp room. It brought a little warmth, but inside, everyone felt frozen to the bone. When two men with guns stormed in, everyone shrank back, clutching their shoulders, trying to make themselves invisible.

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