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Chapter 1 An Encounter

As June rolled in, Avalon City turned into a blazing furnace.

When the bell rang to end evening study session, Allison Bennett felt like she was walking into a sauna as she stepped out of the classroom.

Grabbing her bike from the shed, Allison ditched the main road and took a shortcut home. It was a bit sketchy, but it saved a ton of time.

As soon as she pedaled into the alley, she spotted some shady figures up ahead and caught a whiff of blood. She wrinkled her nose.

On a night like this, any other girl would've bolted at the sight of trouble, but Allison wasn't just any girl. She knew that smell all too well, so she pushed forward on her bike.

At the end of the alley, a bunch of guys were brawling. Allison stopped, one foot on the ground, and casually eyed the group. She let out a whistle. "What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to look at her when they heard the whistle.

"If you know what's good for you, scram!" the leader snarled, noticing her school uniform.

Allison frowned at his murderous glare and nodded. "You're in my way."

"You're asking for it!" The leader snapped. They had finally cornered Alexander Carter, and anyone in their way was as good as dead.

With a signal, two big guys started towards Allison. She stayed cool, lifted her bike, and swung it at them, knocking them down.

With a sickening crack, one guy's leg broke, and the other was out cold with a head injury.

The leader hadn't expected a schoolgirl to be such a badass. His eyes burned with rage. "Kill her. Don't let either of them get away!"

Alexander had been alone for over two hours, and these mercenaries were running out of time.

Just then, the badly injured Alexander saw a flash of blue and white and sprang up.

Allison was about to make a break for it, but seeing it was already 10:30 PM, she hesitated.

Seeing the guy surrounded, Allison gripped her bike handle tighter. She thought, 'Might as well finish what I started.' With determination, she pedaled forward.

Allison plowed through the men surrounding Alexander, kicking a few to the ground. Spotting an iron rod on the pavement, she deftly hooked it with her foot and caught it in her hand.

She walked over to Alexander, giving him a cold stare. "You're bleeding a lot. Can you hang in there?"

Alexander looked at her, gritting his teeth. "Yeah, I'm not dying."

Allison smirked, then turned and charged at the men with the iron rod. She took them down with ease, hitting vital spots that left them paralyzed. In no time, the dozen mercenaries were sprawled on the ground.

Dusting off her hands, Allison picked up her bike and glanced at the bloodied Alexander.

"Later. No need to thank me!" Allison had no interest in getting tangled up with this guy. She hated drama, and it was already 11:00 PM.

Just as she was about to leave, her bike wouldn't budge. She turned around, surprised to see Alexander gripping the rear seat.

Annoyed, she asked, "Do you need something?"

Alexander looked at her intently and said, "Thank you!"

Before Allison could respond, he passed out. She sighed, wondering why her luck was so bad tonight.

Looking at the bloodied man on the ground, Allison bit her lip, cursing herself for getting involved. But she still helped him up, struggling to tie him to the back seat of her bike, then headed to the school.

When she had helped him earlier, Allison had checked his wound. It was a gunshot wound, so she couldn't take him to the hospital.

She took him to a medical lab at the school, skillfully opening the door and placing him on the lab table.

Surrounded by jars of human organs in formaldehyde, anyone else would have been freaked out, but Allison was unfazed. She put on medical gloves and a mask, then cut open Alexander's shirt.

The wound was on his left chest, just two inches from his heart. After a quick check, Allison determined the bullet hadn't hit any vital organs. She then fetched surgical tools and said, "There's no anesthesia here. If you can't handle it, just scream!"

When Alexander regained some consciousness, Allison had already cut open the wound and was using forceps to stop the bleeding. Alexander trembled in pain but stayed silent, his gaze sharpening as he watched Allison.

"Who are you?" Alexander asked.

Allison rolled her eyes at him. Though he was good-looking, he was clearly trouble. She hoped never to see him again.

"Shut up. The bullet's lodged in your rib. Hold still and don't move!" she commanded coldly.

The icy tone of Allison's voice strangely soothed Alexander. When the bullet was finally removed, he passed out again from blood loss.

Seeing his pale face, Allison removed her mask and smirked, "Good endurance. You're a real trooper!" Enduring an hour without anesthesia was no joke.

Allison took Alexander's phone from his suit pocket, sent a message to the top contact, then packed her things and rode away.

When Alexander's assistant, James Smith, arrived at the location, he was stunned.

Why was Alexander lying on a lab table, surrounded by jars of human organs? It was a creepy scene at night. Alexander, a big shot in Avalon City, had been left here?

"Mr. Carter, are you okay? Who did this?" James wanted to tear apart whoever had hurt Alexander.

Who in Avalon City dared to mess with Alexander? They must have a death wish, and being left in such a place was a huge insult.

Alexander said weakly, "It was a group of mercenaries. Find out who sent them! And find out who that girl helped me tonight was."

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