The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 155

Chapter 155 As soon as Madan said, “No charge,” the other four mercenaries from the guild glared at him as if he’d just betrayed them.

No wonder, really.

After all, it was such an easy chance to make some dirty money–yet Madan went and declared he’d work for free!

Madan ignored his teammates; he was mostly worried Nova Blake might get the wrong idea and think he had some ulterior motive for helping her.

So Madan deliberately added, “But you have to tell us what happened up there.”

Who doesn’t love a bit of gossip about the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps?

Everyone turned to Nova Blake–including the other four mercenaries, the caravan crew, and the college students with Maria and Jake leading the pack.

Nova Blake didn’t even blink. “They’re all dead. Now hurry up and show us the way.”

Nova could afford to waste time, but Ghost–Hammer could not. He was bleeding out.

Nova didn’t bother with extra words.

The truth was simple: Nova had snapped Monde’s neck herself.

Then, using the stash of explosives Monde and his crew had hauled up to ambush Ghost–Hammer, she blew every last body sky–high–leaving nothing but ashes behind.

“That’s not really answering anything,” Maria complained under her breath.

“Honestly, how did you even manage to get back here after seeing the whole squad wiped out?”

Maria muttered her snark quietly to herself.

She just assumed Nova must’ve found someplace to hide and watched the whole mess play out.

After the chaos died down, Nova just went up and hauled Ghost–Hammer’s half–dead body from the carnage like she was picking up a lost item.

‘Man, that’s some insane luck,‘ Maria thought.

Nova didn’t hear a word of Maria’s snarking.

With Madan leading the way, he shot Nova a look and yelled, “Hurry up, follow me!”

The two of them bolted out of sight like a flash of lightning–gone in the blink of an eye.

They were skirting the outskirts of Kate Canyon, opting for a different path instead of retracing their steps–a detour that would have them reaching the clinic in about ten minutes.

Their timing couldn’t have been better.

After Nova brought Chost–Hammer to the clinic, he underwent seven long hours of surgery.

The doctor came out and reported, “He’s out of immediate danger for now, at least for the next 24 hours.

“But he lost so much blood, and our blood bank is nearly empty. All we could give him was a minimal transfusion.

“If we can’t get more blood within 24 hours, he’ll be in critical danger.”

The clinic doctor stood at the door of the operating room and broke the news to Nova.

The real problem was that Kata City was dirt poor–even the clinics here were seriously under–equipped.

In just 24 hours, it is impossible to find anyone with the right blood type willing to donate.

I’m O positive–just take my blood,‘ Nova said, cutting the doctor off without hesitation.

The doctor frowned, with obvious concern on his face.

“O positive is universal, yeah, but he’ll need a massive amount for this transfusion.

“If I take that much from you, it’s going to put your own health at serious risk…”

Before the doctor could finish, Nova snapped, “Just do it. I’ve said draw my blood, so do it!”

Just a little while after Nova finished giving blood, the doctor rushed over to tell her that Ghost–Hammer was completely out

of danger.

He was still knocked out, but now he might wake up at any moment over the next 24 hours.

On her way to the hospital room, Nova ran into Madan, the guild mercenary, along with Maria, Jake, and the rest of the college students.

Nova paused, her brow twitching in mild surprise.

“You guys still hanging around?” Nova asked.

Madan stepped forward and said, “Ferdinand and his crew took the caravan and pushed on ahead. I decided to stick around and see what happens next.”

Ferdinand was one of the four guild mercs–the old guy with the yellow beard and those sharp, scheming eyes.

Madan looked over at Jake and the others. “They’re done traveling and want me to get them back to downtown Kata City.”

“Hey, hey, don’t tell me you think we’re tailing after you like lost puppies?” Maria shot back.

“And seriously, don’t you think we’re all chicken–like we’re too scared to keep going into the Kate Deathly Canyon?

“We just figured this whole thing got boring, that’s all. That’s why we’re turning back!”

Even with her legs wobbling like jelly, Maria still didn’t want to admit that she was afraid.

“Maria, just zip it!” Jake clapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her away.

Madan caught every word of the conversation between the doctor and Nova.

Just for Ghost–Hammer, she gave every drop of blood she safely could–pushing herself right up to her limit.

Nova stood quiet for a moment before Madan finally broke the silence. “That guy… You didn’t just save him because you felt like it, did you?”

“Is he–like–a really important teammate to you?” Madan pressed, watching Nova closely.

When Ghost–Hammer was mentioned, Nova didn’t skip a beat.

Her eyes flashed, sharp like starlight.

“Yeah, he’s super important to me….

“He’s family.”

He was irreplaceable–someone Nova couldn’t imagine her world without.

“It must be nice…” Madan murmured, with a wistful smile.

He lowered his gaze and sighed, “It must be nice for you to have a family.”

Everyone’s got their own history, their own scars from the past.

Madan was just one of those small–time guild mercs trying to get by; life hadn’t exactly cut him any slack either.

One could see a trace of sorrow flicker in his eyes.

“I’ve got nobody left–no family,” Madan said softly. “Honestly, the only thing keeping me here in Kata City is my belief.

“My idol is Bloodforge, the legendary Mercenary King.

“This place carries my dreams. Every day this place makes me brave enough to keep chasing them.

“And you know what? Being in this city… sometimes it feels like Bloodforge isn’t just some distant legend–like my idol’s actually within reach.

“Kinda weird, huh?” Madan chuckled, shaking his head. “But yeah, I can’t help thinking like that sometimes.

“Seriously, it pops into my head a lot-‘cause this is where Bloodforge and her toughest four subordinates first teamed up, you know?”

What Madan just said made a subtle shift flicker across Nova’s gaze.

Maybe it was the mad rush to save Ghost–Hammer, or maybe it was just the weight of ten years‘ worth of memories as a mercenary–all of it blurring together.

She was their boss, after all–the one who always had to step up and take responsibility.

To her crew, she’d always been the ice–cold, emotionless boss they followed without question.

She’d almost forgotten–Kata City was the place where she, Ghost–Hammer, Marlie, Falcony, and Snowfang first came together nine years ago. That was where their crew really started. That was where it all began.

So that was it.

Ghost–Hammer was being hunted down, but even then, he made his way to Kata City…

He knew he might not survive, but if he had to die, he wanted it to be here with his crew, in the place it all began.

Even after watching Marlie and Falcony go down in the worst ways, or getting betrayed by Snowfang, Ghost–Hammer never wished things were different. He never regretted having those guys in his life–not for a single second.

Nova’s gaze dropped, her eyes shadowed with thoughts she refused to show.

She’d always been a master at bottling up her feelings–never a flicker of emotion on her face, not even when Marlie and Falcony died. She sent them off like it was just business, calm as ice, not a single tear escaped.

She knew, as their leader, even showing a hint of grief wasn’t an option. She didn’t have the luxury of falling apart.

Because if she lost her grip, what would her crew do then?

Nova watched Madan for a moment, then said softly, “You’re lucky to have that.”

She flashed him a faint, encouraging smile. “Don’t let it go.”

As Nova turned and walked away, calm and composed, Madan just stood there, blinking–caught completely off guard.

For a heartbeat, it felt like he’d gotten a nod of approval straight from his idol, Bloodforge herself. The rush of it made his chest tighten.

‘Man, am I really so obsessed with meeting Bloodforge that I’m starting to imagine things?‘ Madan thought, almost laughing

at himself.

When Nova returned to Ghost–Hammer’s hospital room, she wasn’t just there to check in–she had unfinished business to settle.

But with Ghost–Hammer still knocked out, if anyone tried to make another move, it’d be a risk she absolutely couldn’t take.

There was no way she could just march into Bloodblade headquarters and start hacking off those traitors‘ heads–not right

now.

That would basically be asking to get herself killed.

Nova wasn’t the type to go off half–cocked and dive into a fight without a plan.

But…

It looks like those old bastards are in for a letdown.

Nova pulled out her phone, logged into the Crimson Web, and opened up the “Bloodred Task Force” group chat.

Four people were in the chat.

Nova was one of them; the other three were all women.

She sent a message in the Bloodred Task Force group:

[I am in Kata City, Borig, Palion. If you’re seeing this, get here, fast.]

The Bloodred Task Force? They were legendary–the absolute queens of the underworld. No one knew their real faces; all anyone knew was, if a job was too messed up for even the craziest crews, these ladies could pull it off.

No matter how insane or downright twisted the assignment, they always delivered 100% success–every single time, no exceptions.

The squad has four women. Each of them is an expert in her own wicked specialty.

And each of them ruled her own world like a boss, sitting on top of power that went way beyond anyone else’s reach.

The rumors on the street about them were off–the–charts bizarre–nobody really knew the truth behind the Bloodred Task

Force…

The Bloodred Task Force was Nova Blake’s own secret network, assembled outside the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps. The other three were all her handpicked operatives–her personal crew, answering only to her.