Olivia and Harold barely had to lift a finger. Olivia lazily fired off a few shots with her nail gun, then just stood back and watched Natalie go to work with the blade. Her eyes sparkled with unhidden envy. "Harold, doesn't Natalie look like one of those martial arts legends you see in movies? Did you see the way she dodged just now—like she was using lightfoot skill or something? What if I begged her to take me on as a student—do you think I could ever get that good?" Harold was calmer, more grounded. "Idols are idols for a reason, they're not so easy to copy or surpass. Look at her speed and reflexes, they're way beyond what a normal person could ever pull off. Everyone runs their own race, and besides, has she ever said she wanted to train a doctor?" Olivia thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fair point. Guess I'll stick to sharpening my medical skills."On the other side, Roderick finally recognized who it was holding the line. His eyes lit up, and he steered the boat toward them. "Mr. Holland, that's Ms. Ashford being attacked! We've got to help her!" "No need." Cassian's gaze lingered with clear interest on Natalie, who was in the thick of it. She was tearing through the gang like a wild predator, swinging her chainsaw as if she hadn't had nearly enough blood yet, before switching smoothly to the triangular bayonet, dropping a man every five seconds. She didn't look like she needed rescuing. In the middle of the fight, her hair tie snapped. Dark, silky hair whipped loose, flying around her face as she spun. With one fierce kick, she sent the last thug flying into the water. When she finally stood still, a few crimson droplets stained her pale skin, making her look almost wickedly beautiful. Cassian's throat bobbed as he swallowed, unable to tear his eyes away for a moment. He'd seen plenty of beautiful women before. Gentle ones, elegant ones, seductive, sweet—he was used to them all. But a beautiful executioner, ruthless and decisive? That, he had never seen. As Natalie dispatched the last of the raiders without hesitation, Roderick cheered, steering closer with unrestrained excitement. "Ms. Ashford! Ms. Ashford, you're incredible!!" Natalie had just steadied herself, still catching her breath, when she heard Roderick shouting. She lifted her head and, sure enough, spotted the familiar inflatable rescue boat heading their way. It pulled up alongside them quickly, and just as everyone was about to exchange greetings, Lucky suddenly started barking again. "Arf! Arf, arf, arf!" It was almost like she was saying, "Ahhh, handsome hero, did you come to save the damsel in distress?" Before anyone could stop her, Lucky leapt right onto the other boat. The second her paws hit the deck, she bolted straight for Cassian and buried her head in the man's chest, whining pitifully. It was as if she were saying, "There were so many bad guys! I was so scared!" Cassian let out a low chuckle, slipping an arm around her and gently stroking her back in comfort. Lucky leaned into it with obvious bliss, still whimpering like she was the most wronged creature in the world. Natalie said nothing, but in her head, she was groaning: "Shameless mutt! You've had enough!" Her face burned—she had no idea where to put her embarrassment.Maybe sensing her discomfort, Cassian finally lifted his gaze to meet hers. His lashes were long, half-shadowing his eyes, making it impossible to read what he was thinking. Natalie's chest tightened unexpectedly. Damn it. That strange, unsettling loss of control was back again. It had to be Lucky's fault. That ridiculous dog. She glanced down at the extendable leash in her hand—30 feet of freedom—and silently decided she was going to replace it with a short, non-retractable one next time. That stupid dog used to get winded after running just a couple of steps, and now here she was, springing across boats like an acrobat just to throw herself into a stranger's arms. Infuriating. Roderick, watching the whole scene, thought Lucky looked adorable and couldn't resist reaching out a hand to pet her. Lucky immediately turned her head away with a haughty snub, as if to say, "Go away! Don't interrupt me and my handsome guy while we're bonding!" Olivia, seeing Roderick get the cold shoulder, couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Ha! I was jealous earlier. Lucky barely even looked at me this morning, but the second she saw you guys she was all over you. Turns out you and I got the same treatment! What a little flirt of a dog." Natalie, feeling like she'd failed as a dog owner, lowered her voice and called her back. "Lucky. Time to go home." As much of a flirt as she was, Lucky was still loyal to Natalie. At her command, she reluctantly wriggled out of Cassian's arms, dragging her paws as she returned to their boat. She plopped down at Natalie's feet, looking up at her with soulful eyes, as if to say, "Natalie, can't we bring the handsome one home with us?"Natalie ignored the pleading look, keeping her expression cool as she bid farewell to Roderick and Cassian. Once they had gone, Roderick clicked his tongue at the heap of corpses in the water. "Mr. Holland, see? I told you, she's not just beautiful and kind, she can fight like hell too!" "Mhm. She's beautiful," Cassian replied casually. Roderick went quiet, but in his head he was groaning, "Seriously? You old flirt! Was that the point of what I just said?" The two men continued cruising around for a while. Cassian had been holed up in Greenhaven Mountain this whole time, so this was his first time really witnessing how much the outside world had changed. They ran into another group of raiders on the road. Cassian didn't waste words, he simply ended them with a few bullets. The city streets were filled with pale, gaunt faces everywhere he looked. Cassian, who had grown up in years of abundance, was used to seeing delivery-fed, greasy-skinned chubby kids waddling around.