Natalie locked eyes with him for a moment, then suddenly felt warm all over. She looked away, shaking off the messy thoughts in her head. "I'll take the left side," she said. She walked outside the iron gate, grabbed two sharp blades, and handed one to Cassian. "When it's done, make sure to give them one more cut." Natalie headed to the far left, dragging up a man who glared at her with wide, hateful eyes. Soon, the yard filled with screams and desperate begging. Cassian watched her. Bright red drops of blood dotted her pale skin. For a moment, it struck him with a forbidden kind of beauty. He quickly turned his head and muttered under his breath, "I must be losing my mind." Twenty minutes later, Cassian finished his part and looked toward Natalie. His work was faster. She still had a few left to deal with. Since his pace was faster, he slowly walked back toward the table. Only Amber remained there. Amber's body was paralyzed, her eyes wide as she stared at the man moving closer. For some reason, the fear in her heart was gone, replaced by a flood of bitterness. Jealousy twisted her face. "That woman's a snake. And yet you'd stain your hands for her—" Before she could finish, a cold flash cut across her throat. Pain exploded as warm liquid ran down her neck. She glared at the cold, distant man in front of her. "What does she have that I don't?" But the answer never came. She died while still waiting to hear the answer. Cassian tossed aside the blade, its edge already dull. He pulled a wet wipe from his pocket. After cleaning his hands, he looked at Natalie. What does she have? She's Medusa. And Medusa has everything. By now, Natalie had only two left—one gripped in her hand, another lying behind her. Cassian tossed the dirty wipe away, pulled out a fresh one, and walked toward her. But after just a few steps, he froze. The bony man lying behind her slowly lifted his arm. A black pistol glinted in the light, aimed straight at Natalie. Cassian's eyes went wide. "Watch out!" Natalie had just taken one man down when she heard Cassian's urgent shout. A chill ran down her spine. Her past brushes with death had sharpened her instincts, so without hesitation, she slipped straight into the storage space. The bony man raised his gun and pulled the trigger, but the woman in front of him vanished. The bullet hit nothing. Panic flashed in his eyes. He pushed himself upright, scanning wildly around. Where did she go? How could someone just disappear?A cold voice came from behind him. "Looking for me?" His pupils shrank. He tried to turn— Bang! The gunshot echoed. He fell to the ground with a resounding thud. Natalie picked up his pistol. It was nicer than the others she had taken earlier. She figured this individual must have been Magnus and Kelvin's last right-hand man—the one who knew how to make guns. Once she was sure he was dead, she stood and looked across the yard at Cassian. They faced each other in silence. Cassian replayed the creepy scene in his head. He had seen the man raise the gun, panic flooding him—then Natalie vanished and reappeared behind him in less than a second. This all happened in less than a second. No matter how fast Natalie was, even if she had some kind of super agility, there was no way she could just blink behind him like that. At last, Cassian broke the silence. He walked toward her. "Are you okay?" Natalie didn't answer. Instead she asked, "Aren't you curious about what just happened?" He paused, then nodded. "I am." A beat later, he added, "But it's your secret. I have no right to dig into it." Natalie studied him, then let out a small laugh. Her tensed body relaxed. "You're honest, I'll give you that."Cassian loosened up his nerves too. "So what? You're not planning to kill me to keep me quiet?" She raised an eyebrow. "When did I say that?" He pressed his lips together. "Don't play dumb." Natalie chuckled. "Fine, I'll admit it. For a second, the thought crossed my mind. But then I realized—I'll be using my Superpower plenty in the future. This ability won't stay a secret for long." "Superpower?" he asked. She nodded. "What, you're allowed your money-power, but I can't have Superpower?" Her hidden storage space could never be revealed. That would only stir up greed. But Blink—the ability to vanish and reappear—was different. People would just think she was strong and mysterious. They'd fear her more. But the storage space was different. That wouldn't inspire respect—it would only stir up greed. So she chose to keep it hidden and let everyone believe her Blink was just a superpower. It was the end of the world, after all. Awakening strange abilities wasn't unusual anymore. Cassian listened, thoughtful. Natalie pursed her lips. "Since you did a lot to help today, I'll let you ask your questions." She paused, then added, "But I won't promise I'll answer."