“Of course, it’s obvious—spending twenty-two hours a day in a small cell, with no one to talk to, not even able to hear another person’s voice, is absolute torment. What I want to say is, you shouldn’t be here. You’re young, promising, you deserve the blue sky… Now, right now, there’s an opportunity in front of you. Seize it, and you can have the blue sky again, have your freedom!”

The middle-aged man’s voice was full of temptation. He believed that every prisoner in this prison wanted to escape this nightmare, even if only for a second.

“Edward Baldwin stole nuclear weapons that were meant to be destroyed, and you’re powerless. His demand is for you to release me, isn’t it?” Miss Cat pouted her beautiful lips and continued, “The intelligence agency doesn’t have the ability to destroy strategic nuclear weapons on its own, but it does have the ability to destroy tactical nuclear weapons independently. I’m guessing Edward Baldwin stole a large batch of tactical nuclear weapons and threatened you that if you don’t release me, he’ll scatter them to every corner of the world. Is that right?”

The middle-aged man stared at Miss Cat without speaking, but his expression already confirmed it.

“Idiot. Only this idiot would do something like this.” Miss Cat naturally pouted, her eyes clearly filled with amusement as she said to the middle-aged man, “I can agree, but on one condition: release the seven Chinese people who were imprisoned at the same time as me. Time is short, so make your decision quickly.”

Hearing this demand, the middle-aged man’s cheek muscles twitched violently, and a flash of anger was evident in his eyes: the seven Chinese people imprisoned at the same time… each one of them is one of the world’s few true kings of war!!!

“That’s an excessive demand,” the middle-aged man said with difficulty.

“But do you know what kind of person Edward Baldwin is?” Miss Cat suddenly laughed, as if she’d thought of something amusing, and said to the middle-aged man, “He has a sense of uniqueness for everyone—the only uncle, the only instructor, the only boss, the only big brother, the only friend… Do you know what I am to him? I’m his only friend! This demand isn’t excessive, not at all.”

“But those seven people…”

“They’re the ones I want, nothing to do with Edward Baldwin.” Miss Cat stared wide-eyed, threatening like an innocent little girl: “Do you know who my dad is? You’d better not piss off my dad, or you’ll be in for a world of trouble!”

At the last sentence, the middle-aged man’s face turned extremely bitter. He stood up and slowly walked out…

A quarter of the twelve hours passed. The prison gates opened, and eight prisoners in straitjackets and hoods were brought out, escorted under heavy military guard into a helicopter, heading for the nearest military airfield.

At the same time, in the North Caucasus mountains, Edward Baldwin received a call from Angela.

“Location: Miss Cat has been taken out of the prison.”

“North Caucasus,” Edward Baldwin spat out four words.

“Edward Baldwin!” Angela’s voice came through the phone, almost pleading: “Stop, please. I don’t want you to die, and I don’t want Miss Cat to die either. You’ll be hunted endlessly, with nowhere to run. I swear, I’ll help you, with everything I have!”

“I believe you’ll help me, but… you can’t help me. Angela, thank you. I’ve realized that you, as you are now, are the most beautiful—at least in my heart.”

After saying this, Edward Baldwin flung the phone far away, smashing it to pieces on the rocks.

Time ticked by. When only half an hour remained of the twelve hours, an armed helicopter slowly approached, landing outside the valley.

Eight hooded prisoners were led out of the helicopter, standing side by side in the very center of the valley’s main path.

The hoods were removed, revealing the faces of Miss Cat—her mouth sealed—and the seven Chinese people.

Miss Cat lifted her head and smiled. The seven Chinese people slowly raised their heads—some men, some women—and nodded at Edward Baldwin, who stood in the valley.

Their eyes were all equally calm and icy, as if nothing could stir their passion; a beastly aura emanated from their bodies. Even in straitjackets, they gave off an untamable, wild feeling—like falcons, like lions, like fanged beasts running free in the wild!

The only difference was in their appearances and facial expressions: some were smiling, some looked wooden, some were full of coldness, and others were filled with rage…

“You are free.” The accompanying American officer unfastened their straitjackets one by one and shouted to Edward Baldwin, “Mr. Crimson Butcher, your people are here. My mission is complete. Good luck to you all.”

The officer immediately walked out of the valley, leaving the people and the helicopter to Edward Baldwin.

No ambush, no surveillance, not even a single scout. The seven great powers allowed Edward Baldwin and his group to leave at their leisure, because there was nowhere left in the world for them to hide. They were doomed, with no escape!

Kings of war—a title that made everyone see them as reapers of life. In truth, they were human meat grinders. Born for war, living for war. Those who survived became kings of war; those who died didn’t even have a gravestone.