Chapter 82
The room was filled with silence. Zina sat in her customary chair. Though everything around her remained unchanged, her inner world had undergone a complete metamorphosis.
She declared. “Chris, it’s time to reactivate the Base.”
“Boss, we’ll always stand with you, Chris said, spine straight, his tailored black suit a silent testament to his unwavering integrity.
Zina’s heart leapt first, then her body followed, rising with quiet determination, as if clestiny had tugged its string.
Looking around at her team, she declared steadily. “Starting today, I’m staying here for good. Time to get back to work. With me at the helm, the Base will never fade away again.”
*Boss…
Mateo and Chris‘ eyes welled up with tears simultaneously.
They had played out this moment in their minds countless times, yet when it finally came, they still couldn’t hold back their
tears.
After reassuring the two beside her, Zina lifted her gaze, her fingers gently tracing the smooth column at her side.
“Send two men to Springvale. Also, assign a team to look into the Quinn and Lambert families. As for the Sinclair family, make things a little difficult for them.
Two hours later, Zina finally finished giving out all her instructions and emerged from the room.
As she strode across the drill ground, her fighting spirit surged anew.
The recruits were in the midst of training, and their platoon commander was barking orders at his formation.
As Zina approached one of the platoons, she paused mid–step.
A man had stopped in front of his instructor, appearing to be arguing.
In the next instant, the instructor lashed out with his baton–but the man caught it effortlessly, his arrogance never faltering
He sneered, “What’s wrong, Instructor? Can’t even take me on? If that’s the case, what right do you have to stay at the Base, let alone train us? Honestly, I reckon I’m every bit your equal.”
The Instructor, his interest piqued, challenged, “So! Show me what you’ve got.”
With a sharp flick of his wrist, he snapped the baton back into his grip–the sudden momentum sending the man stumbling forward.
“It’s just a contest of strength–I just wasn’t ready before,” the man protested defiantly.
But even as he spoke, he lunged at the Instructor. Before his fingers could even graze the baton, he was sent flying backward and slammed into the ground with bone–jarring force.
1/2
X
Chapter 82
“Wanna keep going?”
The instructor loomed over the man, his gaze holding a sliver of admiration, but laced with far more derision for someone so out of his depth.
Gritting his teeth, the man lifted his head and forced his battered body upright.
But just as he managed to rise, another lash came crashing down on his head.
This time, he was slammed flat into the dirt, mud caking his fingers, his clothes so crumpled and filthy they were beyond recognition.
The only thing unchanged was the defiant glint in his eyes.
He spat out, “I won’t… yield.”
The instructor sneered, “Won’t yield? Impressive.”
A round of applause broke out, and as it faded, a calm, steady woman’s voice echoed through the air.
“A woman?’ the man thought, startled.
Spitting out the dirt in his mouth and ignoring the grime on his clothes, he forced himself to lift his head and look toward the source of the voice. In that instant, he froze.
He had never seen such a striking woman before.
Her allure wasn’t just about her looks–it was a startling, razor–sharp presence that set her apart.
That innate, regal gaze–one that seemed born to look down on the world–fit her perfectly, as if she was destined to rule any domain she entered.
At this moment, she was the undisputed epicenter of authority within the entire Base.
“Who are you?”
