Ch. 421..430

Chapter 421 Teach the Instructor a Lesson

Branden frowned as he looked at his phone. His eyes seemed to be as cold as ice.

Looking at Branden’s gaze, Paxton felt a deep sense of trepidation.

His heart was about to jump out of his throat, beating frantically. If one listened carefully to his words, one would notice the trembling in his voice.

“Sir, has Miss Swann still not answered her phone call?”

She not only ignored the call but straight up hung up on Branden this time. When Branden tried to call back, he was notified to leave a message after the beep.

Upon careful recollection, Branden realized that he hadn’t offended Catherine in any way.

“She was fine after the last phone call. Why did she suddenly ignore me?

“Has something really happened?” he thought.

Branden instantly panicked at the thought of this possibility and lost his usual composure and stability.

“Send everyone out to search for Catherine. Find her no matter what the cost,” he ordered.

“Don’t worry, sir. I will make arrangements right away!”

Paxton didn’t dare to delay in the slightest. He had initially thought that he could relax a bit after the transaction, but he did not expect there to be trouble on Catherine’s side.

“She hadn’t answered the phone for such a long time. What if there really was an urgent matter? I might be the first to be destroyed by Branden,” thought Paxton.

Just thinking about it gave Paxton heart palpitations, so he quickened his pace.

At Scorpion Island.

Today, all the trainees sensed that their instructor didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Although the instructor exuded an imposing aura previously, it was stern and sharp.

However, this stern and sharp aura had clearly turned into the aura of death today. The horrifying vibe around him could even be sensed many miles away. The trainees who figured this out were on edge, not knowing what the angry instructor might do next.

“After all, the situation was already like hell on earth, even before his outbreak of fury.

“If he were to lose his temper, no one would know what might happen in the future,” they thought. With a soft cough, Catherine cast her cold gaze toward the trainees standing in front.

“Today is the training session for physical fitness and combat. Please gather here for the group drawing. Three individuals will form a group, and only the first-place contestant in each group will be awarded a safety card.”

Upon hearing the task announced by Catherine, the 18 trainees present couldn’t help but swallow nervously in silence.

This meant that only six people among them would be safe today, and the rest could be eliminated and kicked off Scorpion Island.

The three brothers from the Duncans now could only pray that they wouldn’t get matched up as a team.

They didn’t want to be rivals against each other and definitely didn’t want to see anyone getting kicked out from here so early.

Unfortunately, things didn’t always go the way they wanted.

Carlo and Francis were unexpectedly assigned to the same group. Looking at each other, they exchanged glances and decided to give their all. They couldn’t let the opportunity of advancing slip away to someone else.

As for the duel between the two, Catherine was rather looking forward to it. The fighting here wasn’t just a simple exercise. It was an hour of close-range fighting with three persons battling it out.

Ultimately, it depended on the psychological warfare tactics as to whether to first cooperate with the other party and eliminate one of them or engage in a three-way fight directly.

One hour later, the six members who stood firmly in the arena were finally awarded safety cards. The duel between Carlo and Francis came to an end, with Carlo emerging as the hard-won victor.

It was not at all surprising to Francis that Carlo had always been better at martial arts and had a much greater physical advantage over him.

The remaining 12 candidates who didn’t win the first round would proceed to the second round of combat, which would be much more brutal compared to the previous three-person duel. Before, it was one against two. Now, it was one against eleven.

What was worse, it was under the circumstances where each individual had already experienced a round of intense battle, and their physical stamina had already been depleted.

But among those who could stay, everyone was an elite.

No one would give up.

The more they persisted, the harsher the situation became. The six individuals who advanced to the next round could not help but close their eyes and secretly felt relieved when they saw the bloody scene.

However, they seemed to have celebrated a bit prematurely. Sitting on the rooftop with a leaf between her lips, Catherine suddenly spoke up the next moment.

“Don’t just stand there. They have their challenges, and you have your own challenges!”

The six were at a loss for words. One of them couldn’t help but ask Catherine a question.

“Mr. Anon, didn’t you say earlier that we would be able to obtain a safety card if we emerge victorious?”

“That’s right!” Catherine nodded in agreement, her gaze filled with meaning as she looked at the speaker. ”

Do you think you don’t have to participate in the next round, and the training will end if you get the safety card?

“If you would like to go home, just let me know. I will immediately arrange for a plane!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience fell silent. No one dared to speak.

Deep down in the hearts of all six individuals, it was clear that the task would definitely not be this simple with the instructor’s personality. They were just trying to make a final desperate attempt.

With her elbow leaning against the car roof, Catherine leaped down with a stunning pose and landed steadily in front of the six.

“They lost to you. So they would fight against 11 people. As for you, it will be easy to fight six versus one. The time limit is one hour, and whoever stands till the end can rest. Those who lose will continue with weighted training at night.”

The six people were all a bit confused, evidently not understanding the meaning behind Catherine’s words.

Carlo suddenly raised his hand. ” Excuse me, Mr. Anon. Could you please clarify what you mean by ‘one’?”

Catherine pointed to herself and replied, “Me!”

The six were dumbfounded, wondering, “All six of us team up and fight against Mr. Anon?

“Although he is impressive, each of us here is even more formidable. We are all masters of combat.

“Not to brag. He might not necessarily have a chance of winning when fighting against only two of us, yet he would fight against a team of six.

“Perhaps he has good marksmanship skills, but can he handle close combat with such a small physique?

“Is he really not joking?” they thought.

Catherine stared at everyone with a serious expression. “Stop talking nonsense. If you have the ability, then bring it on and defeat me. Otherwise, be prepared to be thrown out of the training camp!”

Regarding the sadistic training methods of the instructor, the trainees of this session had long been dissatisfied in their hearts, each harboring a deep resentment toward the instructor.

They all wanted to find an opportunity to have a good combat with the instructor. It was rare to have such a good opportunity. No one would be willing to let it slip by. The six individuals exchanged glances and acted together.

Upon hearing that Mr. Anon would participate in the combat personally, Jon immediately led the other instructors on the island to spectate the event.

The past few days of training had left them very curious about this “killer instructor.”

Having witnessed his marksmanship, they were fully aware that he was a sharpshooter. However, they had not yet had the opportunity to witness his close combat skills.

Everyone gathered around, looking at Mr. Anon fighting against the trainees.

“Six against one. The instructor sure is truly confident!” they thought.

Taking advantage of her physique, Catherine didn’t attack abruptly in the beginning but opted for flexible responses, depleting the stamina of the six trainees.

The six individuals were truly the best among the best. It didn’t take long for them to notice Catherine’s strategy. In response, they quickly adapted their approach to deal with Catherine.

They strove to bring the instructor to his knees to take their revenge.

“Come on! Let’s teach the instructor a lesson!” they thought.

Chapter 422 Identity Exposed

After the six men changed their strategy, it was evident that their attack had become slightly more effective.

However, they gradually realized the instructor’s formidable strength. Although the six teamed up to fight him, the instructor still effortlessly held his own after ten minutes, which demonstrated his exceptional skills.

They could assert without a doubt that the physical stamina of the instructor was in no way on par with that of the six of them.

If only they could endure a bit longer, they would unequivocally manage to subdue the instructor.

They were able to discern Catherine’s tactics, and Catherine could see their thoughts as well.

Catherine changed her strategy. She was engaged in a war of attrition with them earlier.

From that moment on, she suddenly stepped up her attack.

Her movements were incredibly swift. She didn’t take them on individually but targeted one and charged a brutal attack.

There was absolutely no opportunity for the other party to hit back.

Despite Catherine’s small stature, her punches were surprisingly powerful. She had already found out who was the weakest during the previous war of attrition.

That would be her first objective.

The other five individuals noticed that Catherine only attacked one person without fully understanding her intentions. As a result, they became confused, and their actions weakened.

Every second counted when experts fought. During a moment of confusion, the trainee who lacked his helpers was quickly taken down. To completely incapacitate him, Catherine didn’t hold back at all.

The instructors watching the battle on the side seemed somewhat terrified. After all, they were all hardened individuals who had witnessed the shedding of blood on the battlefield.

Everyone was doing the math in their heads, figuring out if they could last an hour against a formidable opponent like Catherine if they were to step into the arena right then.

There were six people before, and now, one of them was completely wrecked by Catherine.

Next, Catherine took the same strategy and knocked out two more trainees.

Currently, only Carlo and Cory were still standing in the arena, along with another extremely large and durable trainee who was super strong and capable of taking a good beating.

Carlo and Cory both realized the objective of their instructor, whose prowess was truly terrifying.

To survive, their only option was to work together as a trio.

In 15 minutes, the mission would come to an end. They could successfully accomplish this task as long as they could hold on for these 15 minutes.

The Duncans brothers naturally would unite together. But when they gave insinuations to the fat guy, the fat guy didn’t react at all. The fat guy had his own secret plan in his mind.

He was aware that he was currently the strongest among this group of people, and Catherine would not choose him as her first target. The purpose of his coming here was for the greatest honor.

“Isn’t it more honorable to be the only one standing at the end rather than standing together with two others?” he thought.

This was the scheming of the fat guy.

However, he never expected that he had guessed wrongly. Catherine did not start her attack with the Duncans brothers but instead chose to target the powerful fat guy.

It took the fat guy a few seconds to react. He was caught off guard by Catherine’s attack. Catherine didn’t confront him directly but used a gentle approach to overcome the strong.

She stared at the fat guy’s massive body, hoping to imagine his face as that of Branden so she could vent out some frustration. But the fat guy was just too ugly to be related to Branden.

Helplessly, Catherine had to finish him as soon as possible.

Five minutes.

In just five minutes, the fat guy coveted by everyone as the last hope was knocked down in front of all.

After defeating the fat guy, Catherine stood atop her spoils and beckoned to the Duncans brothers with a confident demeanor.

“You guys attack together.”

Cory and Carlo exchanged a glance. There were only ten minutes remaining.

“Despite the formidable power of the instructor, which may lead one to believe that such a creature could not possibly exist, as long as we can successfully hold out for these ten minutes, there is still hope,” they thought.

They decided to proactively attack and seize the initiative while using all their strength to restrain Catherine.

Although Catherine’s strength was formidable, she had already consumed too much energy before. Therefore, she still struggled a bit when she was fighting the two.

As for the Duncans, the brothers were different from other groups. They worked together with excellent coordination and mutual understanding.

As Catherine continued to fight, her expressions became increasingly serene, and her gaze exuded a calm aura.

There was only one minute left. Carlo gritted his teeth and persevered. His leg had just been kicked by the instructor and was almost destroyed.

If he were to fall, Cory would also be out of the game.

Whether it was for Cory or himself, he must hold on. As the final ten seconds began to count down, he watched the instructor rush toward Cory with a fierce blow. Carlo rushed forward and held back the instructor with all his strength.

Time was up. Jon blew the whistle.

Out of the six people, only Cory stood till the end.

Because Carlo sacrificed himself to keep Cory.

Among these six men, he also suffered the most severe injuries. Catherine lowered her head and looked at Carlo, who was still tightly holding onto her, saying sternly, “Won’t you let go yet?”

Carlo paused for a second before he quickly let go of his hand. “Sorry, Mr. Anon. I forgot!”

Catherine lowered her head and glanced at him, then announced to the men on the ground, “Don’t forget! An extra training for the fallen one tonight!”

Everyone wanted to cry and whine but didn’t have the guts to. After all, they were too weak and couldn’t beat the instructor, even with six of them teaming up.

Jon looked down on the group of trainees with a contemptuous expression.

Only after Catherine left did they dare to wail.

“Do you still have the face to cry? After completing the weight training tonight, each of you will write a two- thousand-word self-criticism! Reflect deeply on why some people can endure till the end!”

The only reason Cory could stand till the end was because of Carlo’s strong support.

Since they had been selected as a group of six, they were effectively considered a team.

If they could unite together, the outcome would definitely be different.

However, each of them was fighting for their own interests without any sense of teamwork, which ultimately led to nearly the entire group being wiped out.

The other four people, especially the fat guy, were scolded so severely that they didn’t dare to raise their heads.

If the fat guy hadn’t relied on his physical advantage just now to be the only winner, they could have lasted the fifteen minutes.

At least half of the people would have stood till the end, and they wouldn’t have been looked down upon by everyone like now.

Cory went over and helped Carlo get up.

As the only one who could take a break, he had to administer medication to Carlo. After walking to a place where no one was around, Carlo couldn’t help but whisper to Cory.

“Aaron, don’t you think the move the instructor just used feels familiar?

“Why do I feel that we’re fighting Miss Swann again? Could it be that they learned from the same teacher?”

“That Miss Swann by our boss’ side has always been a huge enigma,” he thought. After the incident last time, Carlo never dared to underestimate any woman around him.

After all, he was once defeated by a girl in a three-on-one fight. How could he have the guts to look down on others or discriminate based on gender?

At first, Cory didn’t want to respond, but Carlo was too noisy, so he had to explain the situation.

“What nonsense are you talking about? “he asked.

Carlo thought that Cory didn’t believe it and was eager to explain. “I’m serious. They might be disciples of the same teacher. They had identical attack skills!”

Cory couldn’t help but roll his eyes, wondering, “How did I come to know such an idiot?”

“Not just identical, but the same person!” he replied.

“The same person?” wondered Carlo.

He was astonished. His mouth dropped so wide that it could fit a whole egg in one gulp.

He stared straight at Cory with his eyes wide open and even forgot the pain in his body. “So you’re saying that Mr. Anon is Catherine Swann?”

Chapter 423 Bloodbath

Paxton got every man in Alton out there, nearly turning the whole of Alton upside down, but there was no sign of Catherine.

Catherine just disappeared from the world. There was no trace of her. Paxton returned to Branden with a defeated look. He didn’t find Catherine but got a crucial piece of information.

“Sir, could it be that the men from Asmein have made a move on Miss Swann?”

Paxton handed Branden the latest findings. They had all thought that Catherine was Dr. Dunn’s student, and this time, the information they found out shocked them.

It turned out that Catherine was not Dr. Dunn’s student but the developer of the robot, Seven. If what Dr. Dunn said was accurate and the robot Seven was Dr. Seven, then Catherine would most likely be the father of wheat, the person behind Dr. Seven.

These men from Asmein never gave up and were still investigating Dr. Seven’s whereabouts even after they were interrupted last time.

There were no eternal secrets in the world. Since they could find out about the information, these men from Asmein could do so with some effort.

If anyone could lay hands on Catherine, then the agents from Asmein were the most likely to do so.

The man listened attentively to Paxton’s analysis. The more he listened, the more absorbed he became, and the more he felt that what Paxton said made sense. Finally, Branden suddenly stood up. Paxton was shocked and confused as he saw this.

“Sir, what are you doing?”

Branden stared coldly ahead, walking in the direction of the gate with a chilling and powerful aura. Without looking back, he said, “Go and teach those bastards from Asmein a lesson!”

“Pfft…” Paxton barely caught his breath. It looked like Branden was furious and was about to cause a bloodbath in the world for Catherine.

To prevent things from getting out of control, Paxton hurriedly followed behind. He was mentally prepared to risk his life to give advice.

That night, several of Alton’s branches and important intelligence stations in Asmein were attacked by an unknown organization. The other party showed no mercy, and it looked more like retaliation than anything else.

Asmein’s intelligence stations suffered a severe blow, shocking several important decision-makers in Asmein.

That night, an emergency meeting was held.

They tried to negotiate but only got a result they could not have imagined. The other party came for Dr. Seven and asked them to release him immediately.

The people from Asmein had been investigating for so long without any news of Dr. Seven. How could they release him?

If they had Dr. Seven, they would have started negotiations with the neighboring country long ago. There was no way they could have waited until this time.

Inside the villa.

Paxton carefully walked into the empty hall, which was permeated with a silent and cold atmosphere. Over a night, they offended the entire Asmein. They turned Alton upside down but still couldn’t find any trace of Catherine.

“Sir, news came back from Asmein. After they lost in Zerwick last time, they didn’t give up on searching for Dr. Seven, but they didn’t gain much. And they said that if we’re willing to stop, they’re willing to do their best to cooperate with us to find Miss Swann!”

This was already the biggest compromise Asmein had ever made. They suffered a significant loss for no reason, and now they even offered assistance to the other party.

They were so miserable!

Branden waved his hand impatiently, leaving the matter for Paxton to decide. All he wanted to do now was think about where Catherine could possibly be.

No matter what, he should find Catherine first.

On Scorpion Island.

Carlo still couldn’t digest the news. He was dumbfounded for a long time and still couldn’t believe that Catherine was the instructor.

“Cory, are you sure you’re right? Instructor? Catherine? I can’t equate the two!”

Cory came to his judgment after a long time of observation as well, and he felt that Catherine shouldn’t have specifically concealed herself from them, or else it should have been difficult for him to detect her identity.

“Do you think Catherine is capable?”

Facing Cory’s question, Carlo immediately nodded. “Of course! She’s awesome. We couldn’t beat her back then when we fought three to one.”

That was true. The three of them were no match for her alone. What was more, the three of them had grown up training together.

“What about the instructor?” Cory pressed on.

At the mention of the instructor, Carlo had his eyes full of admiration, and his faith in the instructor was second only to Catherine. “That goes without saying. The instructor’s strength is obvious to all of us. He’s invincible and awesome!”

“Then why do you think the instructor can’t be Catherine? Their fighting skills were the same, and their figures were also similar!”

Cory’s question froze Carlo.

“Why couldn’t they be the same person? Is it because of the subconscious discrimination in my mind? Is it because I think women are inferior to men?”

A slight blush appeared on Carlo’s face at the thought. He was ashamed of himself for having such thoughts.

He shouldn’t have had such thoughts at all. To dispel the doubt in his mind, Carlo decided to get to the bottom of it.

“Cory, I’m going to find the instructor!

After saying that, Carlo stood up and chased in the direction Catherine left. Cory originally wanted to call out to him but eventually gave up after some thought.

According to Carlo’s character, he would not be satisfied until he clarified the questions. Halfway, Jon ran into Carlo and stopped him.

“0398, why don’t you participate in weight training? Where are you going?”

Trainers here had no names, no regions, and even no races. People would call them by their assigned number when they came here. That number would stay with them from the moment they stepped into Scorpion Island until they left.

“Instructor Jon, I have something I’d like to ask Mr. Anon about, and I’m going to find him!”

Jon shot a glance at Carlo. He had always been quite favorable to Carlo, but he didn’t expect Carlo to be so bold as to go and find Anon.

“Go ahead. Be careful. He’s not that easygoing.”

The last simple sentence sent a chill down Carlo’s spine. Jon was right. Anon had an unpredictable personality, and no one could imagine what would happen if he was pissed off.

Carlo was a little torn. But only a second later, he figured it out. He still wanted the truth. He went to the door of Anon’s lounge and took the initiative to knock on it.

“Mr. Anon, this is 0398. Are you there?”

Catherine had just changed her clothes and was about to rest, not expecting Carlo to come to her. She was aware of what Carlo was up to.

It must be that when she attacked just now, the other party recognized her after seeing her fighting skills.

Catherine didn’t redress into her disguise suit and directly opened the door.

The moment the door opened, Carlo, standing in the doorway, gulped nervously.

But in the next second, he was utterly shocked.

What Cory had said was absolutely right. Their instructor was really Catherine.

Chapter 424 You’re My Enemy

Catherine, wearing a tight vest and camo pants, stood confidently before Carlo.

Carlo was stunned for a while. Seeing him silent for a long time, Catherine said, “Why are you still standing there? Planning to slack off and skip training?

Hearing the word “training,” Carlo immediately snapped out of it and stood up straight. “Instructor, I was not trying to slack off. I just… I mean…” Carlo couldn’t bring himself to say the rest of his words and could only steal glances at Catherine.

Catherine gave him a cold look. “Get back to training!”

Although Carlo now knew that Catherine was the instructor, he dared not show any disrespect due to her authority. Catherine had given the command, and he had to comply obediently. “I’m going back now!”

Catherine watched Carlo hurriedly escape, smirking. “These guys are quite interesting,” she murmured.

After returning from the instructor’s residence, Carlo joined Francis and Cory. As soon as he sat down, Cory, who was usually not much of a talker, asked a question.

“How was it?”

After a few seconds of silence, Carlo gave a thumbs-up to Cory.

“Cory, you’re amazing. The instructor is really Miss Swann!”

Compared to Carlo’s extreme surprise, Cory remained calm. After all, he was the first one to figure it out.

On the other hand, Francis, who was completely confused, looked at the two with a puzzled expression. “What do you guys mean? Miss Swann is the instructor? Which Miss Swann?”

Seeing Francis’s confusion, Carlo got excited and eagerly explained. ”

Francis, let me tell you something. We just found out that Catherine is Mr. Anon. I even confirmed it myself!”

Francis was stunned for a moment. ” You mean that girl, Catherine, who looks like a teenager, is our instructor?”

“Yes, that’s right. I personally confirmed it,” Carlo confidently replied. Francis was speechless. He never expected that such a young girl would be so impressive. No wonder she could disappear without a trace right under his nose.

While the two were still in shock, Cory had already found Jon. “Instructor, can I use satellite communication?”

When Cory arrived, there were some special instructions from higher-ups. As long as it didn’t interfere with training and the requests weren’t excessive, Jon wouldn’t interfere with them.

At a villa in Alton.

Paxton had been anxious for almost 48 hours. The people he sent out found nothing; he could even sense Branden’s patience was reaching its limit. If Catherine didn’t show up soon, he was sure something terrible would happen.

“Sir.”

Upon hearing the sound, Paxton turned around, and his eyes widened unconsciously. “Is there any news about Miss Swann?”

His subordinate shook his head. “It’s Cory. He wants you to answer the phone!”

“Cory?” Paxton frowned slightly. If it were Carlo, Paxton wouldn’t answer the call. But Cory was different. He was currently training on Scorpion Island, so it must be something important if he called!

Paxton didn’t expect that this phone call from Cory would bring him a huge surprise. The problem that had been bothering Paxton for so many days was finally solved.

In the evening, a helicopter suddenly arrived on Scorpion Island. Several mysterious figures got off the helicopter. Jon personally received them, while the other instructors didn’t even have a chance to see them.

Branden exuded an unparalleled aristocratic aura. He stood in front of Jon as if he were a natural ruler.

Jon respectfully bowed to him. “Mr. Duncan, welcome!”

Branden was in a hurry to find Catherine and had no intention of talking to Jon. He asked eagerly,” Where is Mr. Anon?”

“In the dormitory!”

As soon as Jon finished speaking, Branden disappeared. Jon couldn’t help but whisper in admiration, “Mr. Anon is really powerful!”

Catherine had just changed her clothes and was ready to go to the training ground. As soon as she opened the dormitory door, she saw a tall man standing at the door.

She wasn’t surprised by Branden’s appearance. Since she didn’t hide it from Carlo, she had no intention of hiding it from Branden either. She hadn’t figured out her revenge plan yet, and her enemy had shown up, which was just convenient for her to deal with him.

Although Catherine was wearing a disguise, Branden recognized her at a glance. He was about to approach her, but Catherine instinctively stepped back.

When Branden noticed her subconscious action, his heart sank. His brows furrowed once again. He didn’t dare to approach and just stood there, staring intently in her direction.

“Can I come in?” he tentatively asked, his statement carrying an unusual sense of humility and plea. He could tell that Catherine’s attitude towards him had changed.

Catherine didn’t say anything. She simply turned around and walked into the house. After a moment of hesitation, Branden followed her inside.

Once Catherine was inside, she removed her coat before Branden, revealing her true appearance and looking him straight in the eye.

Compared to Branden’s caution and prudence, Catherine’s attitude seemed much more eerie. She sat arrogantly in the chair, crossing her long legs, her demeanor casual yet exuding a sinister fierceness.

Branden sat across from her, gazing at her with adoration in his eyes. The girl, who was capable of turning the whole Alton upside down, was now sitting before him. He was satisfied.

“Even death row inmates have the right to a trial before execution. So, I just want to know the reason,” he said. “Why did you suddenly reject me?”

Catherine assessed Branden in front of her, realizing that he was even more capable than she was. She couldn’t be sure whether his pitiful and sympathetic tone was genuine or just an act. With her arms crossed and a cold expression on her face, she explained everything in a monotone voice.

“Three years ago, in the primitive forests of northern Myanville, the chief of Red Star captured a high-ranking member of the Hacker Alliance. Do you remember? Your excellency, the chief.”

Her indifferent tone made her seem like a mere bystander. Branden couldn’t help but tremble uncontrollably, and his expression froze as soon as he heard Catherine’s description. His pupils dilated involuntarily. He hadn’t thought of it before because he hadn’t even considered that possibility, considering it was an event that happened three years ago. But now, as Catherine mentioned it, he finally understood everything.

Three years ago, in an accident, he almost killed Catherine. Branden’s shocked reaction let Catherine know that he had remembered everything. She didn’t need to be polite any longer.

“Thank you. After that incident, it was the first time in my life that I had spent such a long time lying in a hospital bed!

Her words were like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Branden’s heart, leaving him in pain. He seemed unable to speak or even breathe. This girl, whom he viewed as his beloved one, had once been cruelly hurt by him.

Now Branden understood why Catherine suddenly became angry and ignored him. Even if she pointed a gun at him directly and shot him, it would be expected.

Branden slowly stood up and walked silently towards the door.

Watching his receding figure, Catherine remained silent. She was the type of person who never let grievances go easily, especially when she had hatred in her heart for three years.

Chapter 425 Absurdly Dramatic

Paxton, Carlo, and Cory on Scorpion Island were all shocked.

Paxton and the others knew Branden had caught a leading member of the Hacker Alliance, and he had tortured that member cruelly to acquire the latest information about chips the Hacker Alliance launched.

That Hacker Alliance member was unyielding. She endured the brutal torture Branden set for three weeks long and never let the cat out of the bag.

In the fourth week, Paxton and his fellows knew Branden had lost his patience. Branden no longer wanted to torture the Hacker Alliance member but prepared to kill her.

Paxton started to feel sorry for that Hacker Alliance member. She was tough and insisted on not telling after three weeks of agony.

But when Branden decided to kill the Hacker Alliance member, she spoke and negotiated with him.

She agreed to sell the following latest chips the Hacker Alliance developed to Red Star as the substitute for the current one Red Star wanted, and she promised the new one would be no worse than the current one.

Branden finally spared that stubborn, tough person because of the condition she offered.

At that time, they thought maybe Branden valued such a talent, so he let her go.

Branden paid dearly to catch that Hacker Alliance member and even got shot. But now, they knew Catherine was the Hacker Alliance member they had caught back then!

Catherine was Branden’s future wife, the one Branden loved the most, but she was also the enemy Branden had captured and done those horrible things for a month.

No one could ever imagine such a plot.

It was absurdly dramatic.

Carlo could not help but exclaim.”

Paxton, are you sure you didn’t make this up? That’s bizarre and absurd. You’re not joking with us, are you?”

Paxton scowled at Carlo and rolled his eyes. He thought of Carlo as a fool and did not bother answering him.

Paxton turned to Cory and Francis and raised his brows. “What you need to do right now is to think about how to deal with this. Branden is obviously in a bad mood. I’m afraid that something bad will happen.”

Cory and Francis sunk in deep thought upon hearing Paxton. Branden was always composed and strong-minded. He would not blink even when a building suddenly collapsed in front of him.

Therefore, Paxton could tell how influential the truth was to Branden. Branden was mighty and could not figure out how to settle it, let alone the others.

Seeing their frustrated looks, Paxton knew he could not count on them.

“Alright, go train, you two. Don’t be late, or you’ll be punished.”

Before they left, Paxton warned them, ” Be serious about the training. I’ll punish you first if you dare fool around. Hearing Paxton’s bumptious words, Francis expressed his dissatisfaction ahead of Carlo, the chatterbox.

“Fooling around? Paxton, how about you join us and have the training?”

Carlo could not agree more with Francis and nodded repeatedly. “That’s right! You have no idea what we’ve been through.”

“Come on! Let’s go training. Ignore him!”

Paxton mumbled displeasedly as he watched their backs retreating, “How hard could the training be?”

It was the lunch break. Catherine changed into a training suit and headed to the canteen for lunch. When she opened the room door, she saw Paxton standing outside with a smiling face.

Paxton had been waiting for her for a long time. Seeing the door open, he pushed the cart forward and talked to Catherine alacriously.

“Miss Swann, Branden said the dishes in the canteen must not be your favorite. He made you some dishes personally. Would you like to have a taste?”

Branden had tortured her for a whole month, and now he wanted to make peace with her with merely a meal. Nice try.

Catherine snorted coldly and glanced at the dishes disdainfully. She had planned to ask Paxton to discard the dishes but hesitated when she saw the food.

Catherine could not help but swallow. She had been staying on the island for nearly a week and eaten the same thing as other instructors.

Branden was right. She did not like the food the canteen provided. But the food was something she could overcome, at least when there was no such a full table of delicacies.

Catherine could not stand it when so many delicious dishes awaited her. Paxton could tell Catherine’s falters in her determination, so he hurriedly delivered the dishes into her room.

“Miss Swann, please enjoy them. I’ve got to take off.”

He left the dishes and ran away before Catherine could respond. Catherine looked at the tempting dishes on the table and raised her brows.

She decided to please herself and eat them.

After thinking it through, Catherine did not waste her time and enjoyed the meal. Satisfaction crawled onto her face when she took the first bite. Her stomach finally got what it desired after a week of suffering.

After lunch and a nap, Catherine headed to the training ground. The trainees were in the center of the training ground under the scorching sun. They stood erect and stiff and dared not slack off.

The trainees seemed to be pumped with adrenalin when they saw Catherine. Their eyes lit up. Catherine’s training was exhausting and challenging, but it could bring out the best in them in the shortest time.

As for those who were eliminated, they were just not capable and potential enough. Other instructors on Scorpion Island forecast that the trainees this year would be the best ones Scorpion Island had ever witnessed.

The trainees all busted a gut to keep themselves from being eliminated. Catherine strode toward them, glanced around, and nodded.

“Great. Since you’re ready, let’s get started.”

Catherine’s words just fell when a crisp but abrupt voice rang out.

“Excuse me, sir.”

The voice attracted all the eyes, including Catherine’s. Catherine looked over her shoulder and saw Branden. He changed into a regular training suit and stood by her side.

Catherine stared at the man before her, who had a solemn look. She said coldly, “Speak.”

Getting her permission, Branden said slowly, “Sir, I’m the new trainee here, and my number is 0339.”

Catherine’s eyes twinkled with fun as she measured Branden up and down, unwilling to miss any expression on his face.

She wondered if Branden volunteered to be her trainee because he wanted her to torture him. He probably did not know how harsh Catherine could be to the trainees.

The three brothers of the Duncans gaped at Branden, who had become one of the trainees. They thought Branden must be out of his mind and did not know what Catherine could do.

Branden was going to his doom!

The other trainees did not know who Branden was.

But they were not as objective to his joining them as to Francis.

They all looked at Branden with sympathy. After all, no one knew what Catherine would do to this newcomer.

The only thing they could be sure of was that Branden would not end up well.

Chapter 426 No Right to Plead

There was a mischievous smile on Catherine’s face when she looked meaningfully at Branden.

“You have to think it through. Becoming my trainee halfway through is not something easy. You may lose your life during my training.”

Her words sent a chill down the other trainees’ spines. They knew their instructor was not joking. They might accidentally get themselves killed.

Facing Catherine’s question, Branden’s expression remained unchanged.

He replied to Catherine calmly, “Sir, I want to join your camp. I can bear any consequences, even death. I’ve signed the disclaimer. Please, give me a chance.”

He did it formally with a good attitude. Catherine was interested in it. Since Branden offered to be tortured, why not? She would not be merciful to him.

“0339, back in the line.”

“Yes, sir!” Branden shouted aloud and stood in the line. Catherine asked the other trainees to have regular training. As for the newcomer, she had something special for him.

The first round was a physical challenge. When Francis joined her camp halfway, she only threw Francis out of the plane and asked him to swim to the island.

Branden was later than the others for a week and had offended her, so Catherine would not make things easy for him.

The trainees had witnessed her fighting against six people but never saw anyone fighting against eighteen people.

Cather asked eighteen trainees to attack Branden simultaneously. Her request was simple. The last one standing would be the winner.

Branden could pass the test if he could be the last one standing. Meanwhile, Catherine demanded the other eighteen trainees. She eyed them sternly, her eyes harsh and domineering.

“There are eighteen of you. If you can’t deal with only one person, you’ll have no time for rest in the next few days.”

The trainees’ faces were as white as a sheet.

It was already a wild wish for them to rest for even one more minute now. It would be equal to killing them if they lost all the time for rest because of the newcomer. They could only give it their all for their benefit.

After finishing her words, Catherine glanced at Carlo, Cory, and Francis among the eighteen members. If they dared to do the game-fixing, she would show them how miserable they would be to cheat.

Under her gaze, Carlo and his brothers felt a sting in their hearts and shivered. They did not dare to cheat even if Catherine did not warn them. Especially after Branden had signaled them with his eyes not to do so.

If they did not bend all their efforts, Branden would not spare them before Catherine did anything.

The trainees were no longer the ones a week ago. After receiving Catherine’s training, their collaborative combat skills improved significantly.

Even Catherine was no match for them if the eighteen people attacked her together. This time, Branden was in great trouble.

He might be beaten hard to the ground.

Branden heard Catherine’s order but still looked at her peacefully without anger or fear. There was his usual tenderness and affection for her in his eyes.

“Sir, trust me. I’ll do my best.”

Catherine snorted silently and averted her eyes from him.

She would not be soft-hearted. Branden’s trick was of no use to her. Paxton watched the scene between Catherine and Branden before the monitor screen and facepalmed.

Branden was hopelessly in love with Catherine. Paxton was sure of it. The first round of training began. The team of eighteen members surrounded Branden and attacked him.

It was inevitable for Branden to get hurt, even with his excellent combat skills. Catherine observed their fight with a straight face, and her expression barely changed.

Paxton had thought they would fight casually and punched Branden several times, then Catherine would be tenderhearted to let Branden go.

What surprised him was that Catherine left not long after the fight began. But the trainees knew Catherine’s style and did not relax even when she was gone.

No one knew if Catherine would hide somewhere and keep watching them. What if she noticed them slack off and made the training harder?

Catherine’s leaving had left Paxton dumbfounded. The combat was not faking. Eighteen experts in fighting versus Branden only! Even though Branden was powerful, he could not oppose many skillful people simultaneously.

Catherine had set the time limit to two hours, double than before.

She did not want to let Branden get past the first round. Paxton hated to stay aside and watch. He wished he could bear all the suffering for Branden.

“Sir, just give up. Please!”

Branden turned his head and looked askance at Paxton coldly.

His eyes were warning Paxton not to speak again.

Paxton realized Branden was determined. His hands were tied since Branden did not listen to him, nor did Paxton have the ability to stop the fight. Paxton could only wait.

One hour later, Branden started to be physically tired.

He was not down yet, but he got a lot of injuries.

Yet, he still stood imposingly and had no trace of falling. The other eighteen people’s courage mounted during the fight. It was a rare but great opportunity for them to face off such an expert like Branden.

The fight continued, and Branden was beaten non-stop.

Paxton could not bear to see it any longer. He knew it was almost Branden’s limit for holding to it for an hour.

Branden did not listen to Paxton, so Paxton needed to get someone Branden would listen to to persuade him.

Knowing where Catherine was from Jon, Paxton set off to see her.

Catherine was lying leisurely in a hammock by the sea. The sea breeze blew and brought her coolness. She was more relaxed than any other.

Paxton’s heart burned with rage when he saw her chilled-out look, but he still smiled ingratiatingly at her.

“Miss Swann, it’s been over an hour. Branden is already physically tired. You see, we’ve been knowing each other for so long. How about…”

Catherine heard his voice and looked down at him. Her bright, big eyes revealed themselves slightly behind the sunglasses. She sneered as she sized Paxton up and down. “What? Are you going to beg me to let him pass like that?”

“Of course not!” Paxton denied it immediately and paid Catherine a lot of compliments. Finally, he said, “Miss Swann, it’s too challenging for the first round. Don’t you think?”

“You think it’s challenging?” Catherine’s cold voice contained doubt.

Paxton was about to nod when he stiffened because of what Catherine said. “If memory serves, I’d been held in a cage with a tiger in front and a lion behind me that year. I didn’t think it challenging at that time.”

Paxton gave up persuading her decisively.

If he were Catherine, who had experienced so much and knew that the foe was her boyfriend now, he might do the same thing as she did.

Probably, he would be more spiteful than Catherine. Paxton knew he had no right to plead for Branden. It depended on Catherine how she wanted to deal with Branden to vent her anger.

Paxton left quietly without saying anything else.

He could only pray in his heart for Branden’s safety.

Chapter 427 Please Let Me Do It

After Paxton was gone, Catherine looked at the time. It was only half an hour left. She estimated Branden must be exhausted, so she got up and headed to the training ground.

Just as she reached the training ground entrance, Paxton stopped her. “Miss Swann, could I trouble you for one more thing? Come with me, please.

“What do you want?” Catherine stared at him with doubt. Paxton kept his head down and avoided meeting Catherine’s eyes. “Miss Swann, you only need to follow me.”

Catherine walked behind Paxton for some time and came to a halt. Paxton noticed and looked over his shoulder.

He saw Catherine fold her arms before her chest with a grim look. Her eyes seemed harsh and piercing, almost scared Paxton out of his wits.

“Aren’t you gonna tell me the truth?” said Catherine with a commanding vibe. Paxton did not know what he had done wrong to expose himself, but he knew he could hide it from Catherine no more. He could only come clean.

“It’s Branden’s order. He doesn’t want you to be at the training ground. He wants to complete the challenge by himself.”

Speaking of which, Paxton felt aggrieved. When he was back at the training ground, Branden had given him a strict order to stop Catherine from returning.

Branden did not want Catherine to end the task in advance.

Catherine turned around to head back to the training ground, but Paxton strode in front of her and blocked her way.

Catherine glared at Paxton, and the latter subconsciously retreated a few steps. Watching her domineering back, Paxton muttered, “Branden, this is not my fault. She’s too powerful. I dared not say no.”

Catherine was indeed, as Paxton said, powerful. When she returned to the training ground, the fight was not over.

There was still fifteen minutes left. Branden could pass the test after fifteen minutes. The onlookers who worried about Branden all let out a sigh of relief.

In their eyes, as long as Branden kept that pace, it was not a big problem for him to make it to the end.

But when Catherine returned, the situation changed considerably. When they saw Catherine, the eighteen people low in spirits under Branden’s attacks were suddenly full of strength again.

Catherine was their spiritual leader. Seeing her was equal to having more challenging tasks. The eighteen people made their attacks more fiercely and violently like crazy.

If Branden kept his pace, he could have made it to the end even if he could not win. Yet, he seemed to want to give up after catching sight of Catherine.

He gradually stopped resisting, letting the trainees punch him repeatedly. Their punches were heavy, and the onlookers were feared. The eighteen people were well-trained, and their fists were much stronger than ordinary people.

Branden only covered his head with both hands, standing still like a mountain and letting the crowd beat him and kick him.

One of the trainees noticed Branden did not fight back, so he swept his leg and kicked Branden’s back.

Branden groaned, walking two steps ahead before he steadied his body. The next moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Catherine’s brows drew together tightly as she watched their fight.

She wondered if Branden wanted her to sympathize with him in that way. That was a nice trick. Catherine was indeed unwilling to hurt him too severely. After all, who would cook for her if Branden was disabled in the fight?

Catherine walked forward and wanted to call off the fight, but Branden shook his head as if he had guessed what she intended to do. Catherine paused and stood on the spot.

Branden continued to be beaten. The training continued, and Branden was more badly hurt as he received more punches.

Catherine scowled at what was happening before her. She tried to move forward, but Paxton blocked her way and did not let her pass.

“Miss Swann, Branden has given me the order to stop you from going to the arena.”

Seconds ticked by. It was the first time Catherine felt the training time was too long. Jon blew the whistle when the one- minute countdown ended.

Branden still stood in the arena. His eyes searched for Catherine stubbornly. When he saw her, the fierceness in his eyes turned to tenderness. He smiled at Catherine, his teeth behind the lips stained with blood, shocking.

“Sir, the training is over. Can I join your camp?”

Catherine replied indifferently to Branden’s seemingly provoking question, “You passed the first test and can join my camp now. But you are late for a week, so you must pass the survival challenge. Will you do it?”

“I will!” Branden answered without thinking twice.

Catherine sneered and left the decision to Branden.

“To keep things fair, how about you assign yourself a task? You can join our training after you accomplish it.”

“That’s great.” The light smile never left Branden’s face.

Paxton and the other three Duncans were secretly delighted, thinking that Branden’s affection for Catherine had worked and softened Catherine. She stretched rules for Branden, and they could feel assured.

But as they felt relaxed, Branden’s decision startled and fazed them again.

“Sir, my survival challenge will be heading to Snake Island in the north alone and staying there for a day and a night. If I could survive, please give me a chance to be at your camp.”

He had just fought eighteen skillful people and was wounded all over his body. Yet, he asked to go to Snake Island for the survival challenge.

Was Branden out of his mind or asking for death?

Catherine did not expect Branden to bring up such a request. It reminded her of the scene that the members of Red Star had thrown her into a hole full of snakes. Did Branden mean to experience all the torture she had ever had?

Before Catherine responded, Branden volunteered again.

“Sir, please let me do it.”

The people around all thought Branden was nuts. The task just now was sufficient for him to be Catherine’s trainee. It was unnecessary to add one more task like that.

He was going to die!

Catherine was intrigued seeing his persistence. She was curious when Branden would stop hurting himself.

“Fine. As you wish.”

With that, Catherine whirled around and left, giving no time for Branden to regret.

Branden had no intention of regretting it. That was his decision, and it had nothing to do with Catherine, no matter whether he died or was disabled. He would not blame Catherine.

If he could not survive, that was the punishment he deserved.

If he survived, it was his paying back to Catherine.

He owed Catherine, and he had to pay the debt.

Those two tasks were child’s play compared to what he had ordered to do to Catherine.

Branden kept thinking, what would things turn out to be if he had interrogated Catherine in person instead of commanding remotely?

But he was glad that he was not there personally. They had different stances and did not know each other at that time.

Under such a circumstance, it was a sure bet that he would torture Catherine.

If they had known each other back then, everything romantic between them would never happen.

Chapter 428 Something Happened to Branden

Branden boarded the private plane and headed to Snake Island. Paxton sat with him on the plane and felt uneasy, so he handed the serum the lab newly developed to Branden.

“Sir, this is the serum. Inject it for your safety.”

Branden glanced at Paxton as a warning, and the latter put the serum away gingerly. Branden then pulled open the airplane door.

Without a moment of hesitation, Branden jumped off the plane. Paxton was dumbfounded. They did not arrive at their destination yet.

Why did Branden jump off suddenly?

The plan was to send Branden to Snake Island, and Branden finished the survival challenge there. But Branden chose to increase the difficulty by jumping to the nearby sea area and swimming to the shore.

The sea area around Snake Island was a famous dead zone. The complex geography caused the sea to swell roughly, and the most dangerous thing was the man-eater shark.

If starting from that sea area, Branden would probably be eaten by a shark before he got to the island. Paxton could not understand what Branden wanted. Whether to beg for Catherine’s forgiveness or simply torture himself.

Paxton could not stop Branden from swimming to Snake Island and stayed till the challenge was completed, but he needed to know Branden’s condition at all times.

Everything was as usual on the training ground. There was nothing different after Branden joined them. After all, Catherine did not agree with Branden to join her camp officially.

It still depended on whether Branden could be back alive from Snake Island. Catherine started the other half of the training. The trainees were highly focused, and no one dared to do anything wrong.

They knew Catherine’s cruel methods and did not have the guts to risk it. As time passed, Catherine’s training methods became even more harsh.

Three people were eliminated in the afternoon only.

Yet, no one complained, not because they feared Catherine. They knew the training goal was to pick out the best elites from them. If one was not capable enough, they were expected to be out.

Most importantly, they had witnessed their improvement in just one week. That was what Catherine brought them. They were much more powerful now.

Catherine was arranging the following training for the trainees when she heard Jon’s voice from the wireless headset.

“Mr. Anon, could you come to the medical room right now?”

Catherine was confused. Why would Jon suddenly ask her to be in the medical room?

Catherine wanted to refuse, but Paxton’s nervous voice sounded in her ear. “Sir, this is Paxton. Something happened to Branden. Come here now, please.”

Catherine was hesitant for a second after the talk ended in the headset.

Then, she began to rush toward the medical room.

When she arrived, it was already a mess inside the room.

Seven or eight medical officers surrounded the bed and pressed Branden’s body, preparing to give him an injection. Paxton noticed Catherine and hurriedly approached her.

“Miss Swann, please, talk to Branden. He doesn’t listen to anyone else other than you.”

Catherine’s brows knitted tightly, and she asked, trying to suppress her rage, ” Tell me. What the hell happened?”

Paxton dared not hide anything from her and told her everything Branden experienced, from departing to staying on Snake Island.

“Miss Swann, there are many snake bites on Branden. After he fought hard to return, he refused to be cured immediately but said he had to report to you. Please, ask him to receive treatment.”

Before Catherine replied to Paxton, Branden, on the bed, caught a glimpse of her.

He exerted all his strength to push away the medical officers around him, struggled down the bed, and staggered to Catherine.

When he stood in front of Catherine, he made his body stiff and straight.

“Sir, I’ve finished the mission on surviving Snake Island.”

Branden almost could not make it. He opened his eyes with difficulty, revealing how bloodshot they were. Catherine could see all kinds of injuries on his body.

The relatively small wounds almost stopped bleeding.

But the large ones still oozed out blood because he refused to cooperate. The medical room was filled with the heavy smell of blood and disgusted people.

Even so, Branden still tried hard to say, “Sir, would you please give me a chance?”

A chance?

What chance?

Did he mean a chance for him to join her camp or a chance to forgive him?

Only Branden knew which meaning it was. After learning the truth, Branden never asked Catherine for her forgiveness.

He only tortured himself, maltreating himself in ways that were way crueler than what he had done to her that month.

His behavior seemed to tell Catherine that he would repay the pain he had inflicted on Su Mian tenfold and a hundredfold on himself.

Catherine stood still on the spot, motionless. She fixed his eyes on him. Branden’s eyes were red, but Catherine’s were only numb.

Catherine measured him with her eyes from head to toe. She asked in composure, “You desire to join my camp?”

Her words were simple but like a shot of adrenaline, cheering Branden up, who had been about to pass out.

He used the last of his strength to smile slightly. “Yes!” His words were firm, unlike the voice that his weak and wounded body could utter.

Catherine looked away from him. She raised her eyes and looked past Branden. She snapped, “What are you waiting for? Come and save him.”

Paxton was the first to react and signaled the doctors and nurses to treat Branden. Branden still did not accept to have the injection. Under his strong aura, no one dared to force him.

Branden did not speak nor move. He just stood there and stared fixedly at Catherine.

Catherine took the injector from the nearby nurse and asked, “Intravenous injection?”

The nurse nodded as an answer to Catherine’s question.

Catherine took Branden’s hand, rolled his sleeve, and injected him.

Branden had been as fierce as a tyrannosaurus, and no one dared approach him. Now, he was well- behaved like a kitten, letting Catherine do anything to him.

Catherine pointed the bed behind Branden with her chin and ordered Branden, “Lie down on the bed.”

Branden immediately staggered to the bed and lay down obediently, showing no hint of objection.

The medical officers and nurses could not believe their eyes. Why bother making a fuss if they had known Branden would listen to Catherine? They could have asked Catherine to be there earlier.

After getting Branden to lie down, Catherine was in no hurry to leave. She stayed there and watched him have the operation and stitch his wounds. When all treatments were done, she stood up. Before she left, she turned back to take a look at Branden.

“You have two days. You don’t have to come to my camp if you cannot recover.

Branden’s eyes lit up, and he was elated.

He looked like a mess right now but was still handsome.

There was a small smile playing on his lips.

His voice was so tender when he opened his mouth to answer Catherine. “Of course.”

Chapter 429 Not an Ordinary Person

Catherine did not stand up to leave until Branden received all the injections and had his wounds bound up. She was the instructor, and her mission was to train the trainees. Her private matter should not keep her too long.

As soon as Catherine left, Paxton pounced toward the bed to serve Branden. When Catherine was there, Branden did not allow anyone to get near him. He endured the pain and everything.

Paxton could feel the pain by only watching it.

“Sir, why do you have to do this?”

Branden knew what Paxton meant and smiled bitterly. He said dispiritedly, ” This is nothing compared to what I have done to her that year.”

Paxton did not know what to say upon hearing Branden. Branden was willing to do that as his atonement to Catherine. What could Paxton say?

The anesthetic started to come into effect, and Branden was gradually unconscious. Before he fell into sound sleep, he gave Paxton one last order.

“Call the lab. Ask them to deliver the latest potion they developed.”

Paxton understood what Branden wanted. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at Branden.

“Sir, that potion hasn’t passed the clinical trials. We don’t know what it could do to human bodies. You can’t use it.”

Branden eyed him and said decisively, ” This is an order.”

Paxton stood upright and saluted Branden.

“Yes, sir!”

The three Duncans were mind wandering on the training ground. Especially Carlo. His heart seemed to drift away. When the instructor did not notice, he whispered to his brothers beside him.

“Branden would not be in danger, would he? I heard Paxton’s voice from Catherine’s headset, and he seemed pretty anxious.”

Not only Carlo but Cory and Francis were worried.

They were Shadow Guards of the Duncans. Their primary mission was to protect Branden and do anything as Branden instructed.

If anything happened to Branden while they were around, how could they stay and work for the Duncans in the future?

Laden with anxiety, the three looked ahead till Catherine showed up again. Since they knew Catherine was their instructor, they were more in awe of her. Just as Cory said, Catherine was the only female he admired except for his mother.

Carlo was thinking about asking Catherine how Branden was doing, but he quickly shut down the idea under Catherine’s glance.

Catherine glanced around harshly and said aloud grimly, “No matter what you’re thinking, stop thinking about it. Tense up and behave yourselves. Don’t think you are safe after half of you are eliminated this week.

“No one of you will pass the tests if you are not qualified enough.”

Her threatening got the trainees uptight again. They would not doubt whether Catherine meant it. Catherine always did as she promised. If they relaxed, Catherine would eliminate them all.

Carlo, Cory, and Francis knew Catherine was emphasizing discipline to them. She would kick them out of her camp when she had the chance without the slightest hesitation.

When all the trainees refocused, Catherine led them to the following training. They used to have forest operations, and now they were about to have deep-ocean training.

The rule had not changed. The winners took all. The ones who could complete the task could stay while those who could not would be out.

After assigning the task, Catherine went back to the car to rest.

She removed her disguise and looked at the time. Zerwick must be at night, so Catherine made a video call to Ronin. Ronin answered the call, and his young face occupied the entire screen. Ronin pouted and looked at Catherine in grievance.

“Catherine, you finally call me! You haven’t texted me after so many days. You’re so heartless.”

Catherine did not call him to hear his complaint. She waited for a few seconds for Ronin to end his gabbling before looking into Ronin’s eyes.

“I’ve something serious to talk to you.”

Ronin instantly put away his complaints. He stared at Catherine in high spirits.

“Catherine, tell me what I can do for you.”

“I don’t need you to do anything. I want to tell you that I know who the chief of Red Star is.”

Ronin was furious when it came to the chief of Red Star. He gritted his teeth as he said, “Catherine, who that jerk is? Tell me. I’ll take out 100 million dollars to issue a warrant to hunt him down no matter where he is. I’ll chop him and feed him to dogs.”

Ronin was in a hurry and rage.”

Catherine, who is he?”

He still felt sorry for Catherine every time he recalled how much she had suffered that month.

If he could, he wished he could take the sufferings for Catherine.

“Catherine, come on. Who is that?” Ronin urged again.

Catherine only spat out a name. ” Branden.”

“Catherine, I’m asking about the name of the chief of Red Star. Why do you bring up Branden?” Ronin was confused.

Catherine rolled her eyes at Ronin and made herself more explicit.

“Branden is the chief of Red Star.”

“What?” Ronin exclaimed aloud. ” Branden is the reckless jerk who hurt you?”

Seemingly noticing that he said something wrong, Ronin suddenly fell into silence.

He gave Catherine a searching look and confirmed that Catherine was not joking before he asked cautiously,” Catherine, you called me not because you want to tell me you have killed him, right?”

No one knew better than Ronin how resentful Catherine was to the chief of Red Star. That was the first and only time Catherine was in such great danger since she started out as a hacker.

After Catherine recovered, the first thing she did was to arrange for all the forces she could to investigate the Red Star, wanting to find out who its chief was.

If she could catch him, she would make him suffer a million times more than she did. Ronin believed that once Catherine caught the chief of Red Star, she would kill him without hesitation. To Ronin’s surprise, Catherine’s sworn enemy was her current boyfriend.

It was just so dramatic that no one could ever imagine. Catherine realized that she made a huge mistake. She should not have called Ronin and told him. Ronin was an idiot. She should have talked to Withal. She rolled her eyes at Ronin again and explained, “No. I didn’t kill him.”

Ronin breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard Catherine’s cold voice. ” He’s not far from death.”

Branden was severely wounded and might even be disabled.

Ronin’s body stiffened. Catherine was indeed not an ordinary person. That was her boyfriend, and she did not show mercy to him. She was much of a badass.

Chapter 430 I Didn’t Mean That

Catherine told Ronin the details of what had happened these days. Ronin was stunned by Branden’s actions.

“Catherine, he’s inhuman and incredible.” Branden even ignored his safety. If that were not inhuman, what would that be?

Catherine did not respond, and Ronin kept talking.

“Catherine, are you still going to kill Branden?”

Ronin was not sure of it. He could tell Branden was important to Catherine. But Catherine had been hating the chief of Red Star for three years and wished to kill him even in Catherine’s dreams.

After a series of twists and turns, Catherine’s sworn enemy was now by her side and was her boyfriend. That was a horrifying twist. Any ordinary person would find it hard to accept.

Ronin’s question kept replaying in Catherine’s mind. When she knew Branden was her enemy, she had thought of giving him a shot and killing him.

But that thought only lasted for a moment. She would never kill him, but neither did she think of how to punish Branden.

She did not arrange for the harsh tasks for Branden on purpose, but he asked for them. Catherine squinted at Ronin on the screen and asked, “How about you kill him for me?”

Ronin had just regained his composure when he heard Catherine’s words and was taken aback and nearly choked on his saliva. His head raised sharply, and he looked in terror at Catherine with widened eyes.

“Catherine, you’re joking, right?”

Branden was the young leader of the Duncans and the chief of Red Star. He was a big shot no matter which identity.

Ronin would not dare to think about it if he did not want to courting death. Besides, even if Ronin promised to do it, he would not succeed with Branden’s mighty ability.

“Look how cowardly you are! I didn’t teach you to be like this!” Catherine glared at Ronin in disappointment. Ronin felt wronged. How could he be comparable to Branden?

Getting no answer from Ronin, Catherine ended the video call. She did not want to waste her time on meaningless chatting.

After that, Catherine got out of the car.

She did not need to keep an eye on her trainees. They were active and hardworking. Catherine left no shortcut for her trainees. If they wanted to stay, they could only train hard. The moment she left the car, Jon rushed to him hastily.

“Sir, your trainees have blown up a warship. Should we stop their training?

Jon was distraught as he gazed at Catherine. He had witnessed many merciless or mighty instructors but never met an instructor who cost so much money.

Catherine would rank at the top if there were a ranking of costing money among the instructors. Catherine looked indifferent and lifted her chin to nod at Jon.

“Go on.”

“Go on?” Jon’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets out of astonishment. ”

Sir, one warship is worth tens of billions of dollars!”

Catherine knew how much it cost for one warship, but why did it matter?

She raised her eyebrow at Jon and asked, “Did you pay for it?”

Jon shook his head. The warship was costly, but he did not pay for it. Catherine shrugged, looking nonchalant. That was what she meant. They did not need to afford the warship.

The higher officers did not stop them from doing that. Why should they care?

Catherine answered Jon’s question and strolled away. She walked around without goal and reached the door of the medical room.

Since she was there, she decided to go in and see Branden. Her arrival attracted all people’s attention inside. After all, she was the only one Branden would listen to and obey.

When Catherine walked in, Branden was back on her, unrealizing her appearance. Paxton noticed Catherine and greeted her. “Miss Swann.”

Only then did Branden hurriedly turn around and lock his eyes on Catherine. When Catherine was in his sight, his eyes could not see anyone else. Catherine kept a straight face. She pulled out a chair and sat down domineeringly.

“You can walk? That’s pretty fast.”

Her words finally delighted Branden, and he had a small smile.

“Sir, I’ll be at the camp on time tomorrow.”

Paxton secretly turned up the whites of his eyes, thinking Branden once again put himself in hazard. He had just applied for the medicine, and he stood up immediately. He even asked for training tomorrow.

Catherine’s camp was no ordinary camp. A healthy and robust person would probably have died during the training, let alone Branden had suffered severe injuries. He would be dead in the training.

It was not easy to pursue a girl in the present day.

One might be disabled or even lost his life. Paxton had wanted to tell Catherine Branden’s situation, but when he raised his head, Branden seemed to have noticed his thoughts.

Branden looked dagger at Paxton and intimidated him. Paxton had to leave the medical room immediately and dared not be rash.

Catherine sat motionlessly, so Branden walked up to her with affection and pleading in his eyes. Catherine was not a doctor and did not know how badly he was hurt. But the various injuries over the years made her an amateur doctor.

She had trained perennially, and it was normal for her to get hurt. Based on how badly he was hurt, Catherine was sure Branden could not stand up so quickly.

Even if he could recover the fastest with the best medicine, it would take him at least two weeks to get off the bed and walk.

There must be a secret for Branden to walk within a short time.

Catherine did not want to probe into the detailed reason. She would prefer to know Branden’s following plan. Catherine narrowed her eyes to survey Branden. His wounds were bound up, and she could not see anything wrong.

“Are you sure you want to train with your wounded body?”

Facing Catherine’s doubt, Branden raised a brow and eyed her with a hint of playfulness.

“How about you check it yourself?”

His words were meaningful, and Catherine took the hint. She blushed unconsciously. How could he even joke under such circumstances?

Catherine glared at him and said coldly, “Come to the training ground at eight tomorrow morning.”

Then, she stood up and walked out of the room. As long as she left, Branden could no longer hold it. Thanks to the chair Catherine sat on, Branden grabbed it and supported himself so he did not fall.

Paxton rushed into the room instantly after Catherine was gone, but he was still late. Seeing Branden lean against the chair with sweat on his forehead, Paxton hurried to him and said, “Sir, let me help you back to the bed.”

With Paxton’s help, Branden moved slowly to the bed and lay down.

Branden had been tough. He once had an operation without anesthesia and did not cry in pain. Now, he gasped and frowned deeply.

He must be in great pain.

Paxton had wanted to remind Branden of how lethal Branden’s decision would be, but no one could change Branden’s mind. As Branden lay down, he gave Paxton another order.

“Ask the doctor to adjust the potion to the maximum dose and use it on me.”

“Again?” Paxton could not help but yell. Was Branden hellbent on killing himself?

“Sir, that potion…”

Branden stopped Paxton in the middle of his sentence. “Do I need to repeat my words before you do it?”

Paxton knelt and apologized, “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean that.”