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nOnly a handful of people knew that she had combat training and the circumstances of how she got it. None of those people would let this fact leak, and she was confident that whoever had planned on having her beaten into submission is not aware of that.

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nPart of that training was being taught how to detect the presence around her. She counted at least 20 pairs of unique footsteps walking out of the room she was in. Their steps were generally heavier than the leader's and she knew that the burly ones are all used to straightforward beating, unlike the leader's more creative and brutal ways of torture. She faintly remembered that there were at least 30 men who had entered the warehouse which meant that around 10 people had been left behind to guard her.

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nPeeling her eyes open by the tiniest crack, she saw there was no one within her vicinity. They had left her lying on the floor, seemingly believing that she was truly unconscious. Although she was very close to losing her vision, her will to fight and survive was enough to push her body to stay awake.

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nThe ropes on her wrists and ankles had gotten uncontrollably tight from being tossed around. However, that didn't mean she couldn't try to cut her way out of it.

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nWithout the chair as an obstacle, she finally had access to her waistband.

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nThese morons must've been really stupid to not have conducted a full body check on her. But then again, she couldn't blame them because the location where she hid her little weapon was too hidden. All of her clothing had a small flat blade hidden within it, and this pair of jeans was no exception.

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nShe strained her fingers just so she could reach the little opening near the leather label of her jeans. The label was at the back of her waist line which made it harder to reach for. The task was incredibly strenuous since every little movement she made, the rope kept getting tighter and tighter. She was sure her fingers would lose circulation within the next three minutes if she didn't act fast.

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nShe kept her eyes closed as she spent the next minute attempting to grab the blade. She nearly sighed in relief upon feeling the cold metal against her fingers. Two minutes left. She attempted to cut the ropes but the blade had been dull from all of the months of not being used.

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n'Come on…' She muttered internally as she struggled to cut the rope.

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nShe felt time starting to run out for her, for her fingers were beginning to feel numb now. She knew there was only a few seconds left before her hands were completely unable to move any further.

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nThe time ticked and she could no longer feel her fingers. She wriggled her arms a bit and finished cutting the last piece of the rope, and instantly, blood was pumped into her fingers.

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nThe moment she had gotten her hands free, she knew she had to work fast on her ankles. However, she was not in a position where doing so will not catch any attention.

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nShe took a deep undetectable breath and opened her eyes a bit. With the timing, she chanced upon the warehouse door opening as a heavy green chair was brought in, along with several men hauling in some sort of machine to power it.

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nThe leader clapped his hand in glee, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his dream torture weapon.

"Wonderful! It's as beautiful as I've imagined!

" He happily said as he walked over to run his hand over the material.

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"Hurry up and connect it! Bring in the rest of the machines!

" He ordered, quickly reminding his men to grab the remaining supplies from the truck.

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nHe was about to follow them out of the warehouse but then remembered why the chair was brought back in the first place.

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nHe started walking with them to exit the warehouse but he suddenly did a quick turn to see if she was still unconscious.

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nZhao Lifei was thankful for her quick reflexes which enabled her to immediately close her eyes the minute she saw he was about to turn around. Her arms remained in the same position as before. From a faraway distance, she looked as if she had not moved a single inch.

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nBut the leader felt something seemed off. He grabbed one of the subordinates he saw and pointed towards her, leaning closer to instruct him.

"Go and take a good look at her. I think the b*tch is awake.

"

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"Yes, sir.

" The man had started walking but then paused in his steps.

"And if she's awake?

"

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"Knock her out or keep her in place. She's a feisty one, so use this.

" The leader handed him the nearest weapon he could get his hands on and it just happened to be the same butterfly knife that he was playing with earlier.

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nHe was still unfamiliar with this subordinate because this was the first mission this newcomer had joined and he had not yet proven himself. The leader didn't trust him enough to allow the man to handle a gun, so at best, he gave him his dagger.

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"Scare her with the knife, but make sure not to leave any permanent marks on her. We need that pretty little face of hers to remain unharmed.

" With one last pat, the leader excitedly walked out of the warehouse, lured by the idea of quickly testing out his new toy.

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nThe man eyed the useless butterfly dagger in his hand. Although the weapon was sharp and light, it was too small to do any proper damage.

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nReleasing an aggravated sigh, he knew it was better to just take the knife instead of complaining about it. It was only his fifth day on the job, he didn't want to be kicked out so quickly, especially when this was his first well-paid job.

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nZhao Lifei wasn't able to hear the exchange but she did hear the sound of approaching footsteps. She was surprised to hear that this time around, only man was coming nearer.

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nIt seemed the Heavens really favored her tonight…

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nShe waited until he was standing close enough to see the broken ropes before she suddenly pounced up, catching him by complete surprise. She quickly covered his mouth, muffling his panicked cry.

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nShe narrowly avoided the upcoming knife attack and saw her chance of success. She kept her eyes on the entrance and saw that the warehouse was practically empty as most of them went out to collect the supplies.

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nHer temporary distraction gave him the chance to tackle her and he nearly flipped her over his shoulder.

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n'So he's a judo practitioner.' She thought to herself, immediately anticipating the moves he was about to make and quickly sidestepping them.

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"Sorry about this, bud.

" She whispered to him as she repeatedly jammed her razor blade into strategic areas in his body. She could feel his struggle in her arms, but she didn't care anymore. At this point, it was his life or hers.

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nShe saw crimson stains start blooming on his white shirt and her mind was flooded with memories. She blinked and within seconds, she saw red. Without warning, she continued to jab her razor blade against his skin.

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nWithin seconds, he had collapsed onto the ground, bleeding all over the place. His bright red blood only triggered her further.

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nShe snatched the butterfly knife from his hand and used it to quickly cut the rope tying her ankles. Right as the rope fell, she heard a whirring sound flying straight to her head. She swiftly ducked to the right.

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nTHUD!

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nThe knife struck the wall behind her. She breathed out in shock at the near-death experience and raised her head to see the leader with a furious expression on his face.

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nStanding behind him were his men, this time they were armed with guns.

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"Well, well, just as I've predicted. You're awake.

" He bellowed with anger. His face was distorted in fury, but his countenance was still calm for some reason.

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"You will pay for killing one of my men with your own blood.

" He started to close the distance between them and chuckled at the way she held the dagger in front of her as if such a puny thing could do any harm to him. It seems she had forgotten that they were surrounded by his men that were armed with firearms.

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"If you place the knife down and be a good girl, I'll think about showing you some mercy.

" He thought back to what his boss had told him. They just needed to beat her up, but she needed to be kept alive.

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nHe had been informed that she knew basic self-defense. However, her current stance highly suggested that she was ready to kill whoever dared to get in her way of escaping this situation.

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nHe didn't want to risk more of his men getting injured because that would require medical attention. None of his men would step foot into a hospital knowing that the authorities would be notified instantly if they saw knife or gun wounds. He just needed to make sure she would submit to him in order to prepare her for the exchange.

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