Queen’s Revenge

Chapter 1: Trust Me, I'll Get You Out of Here

June 1, 2777.

Heoya Empire.

Nightfall had settled in, casting shadows among the trees.

A high-end, bulletproof sedan raced uncontrollably down an empty road flanked by dense forest. Following close behind was another vehicle, neither too near nor too far.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting explosion ripped through the silence, lighting up the night sky with flames.

…

Half an hour later.

Somewhere deep in the forest, two figures darted between the trees, the moonlight barely revealing their forms. Out of breath, they stopped and leaned against a thick tree trunk, eyes scanning their surroundings with sharp vigilance.

The man in a baseball cap angrily pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it with trembling hands. He took a deep drag and exhaled harshly.

“F*ck! Finally shook off those idiots.”

The other man, who had tucked two handguns into the back of his waistband, slowly turned around. The faint moonlight illuminated his features: a dust-covered black silk shirt clung to his sweat-dampened skin, revealing a physique that was both strong and alluring. His chiseled lips, sharp jawline, and deep-set features gave him an otherworldly handsomeness. Even after being pursued, he exuded an aura of aristocratic poise and commanding presence.

“We’ll rest briefly. We need to be out of this forest before dawn.”

The man in the cap sighed deeply, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “I just hope we can get out of this godforsaken place soon. What a shitshow…”

Mid-sentence, his eyes caught something in the shadows not far from them, and he jumped to his feet.

“Sh*t! Zhou, is that a person over there?”

Pei Junzhou moved forward first, followed closely by the man in the cap. Both of them instinctively reached for the weapons at their waists as they cautiously approached.

Under the moonlight, the first thing they saw was a disheveled mass of platinum blonde hair strewn across the grass. As they drew closer, they saw a young woman draped in a black fur coat, her pale, delicate skin marred with dust and blood. She lay motionless among the foliage, her beautiful face—painted with meticulous makeup—appearing deathly pale, a cold and sickly white.

The scene before them was like something out of a fairytale—Sleeping Beauty fallen in the woods. Pei Junzhou’s expression faltered for a moment. He had always kept his distance from women, feeling nothing but irritation toward them. Their advances usually stirred in him a murderous impulse. But now, seeing this unfamiliar girl, he felt an inexplicable pull, an urge to approach.

The man in the cap noticed his reaction and quickly grabbed Pei Junzhou’s arm, whispering urgently, “Zhou, leave her. We need to get out of here.”

“Jiang Ye, keep watch.” Pei Junzhou shot a glance at Jiang Ye before continuing toward the girl.

When he reached her, Pei Junzhou knelt down and bent over her, extending a hand to check her breathing. He then moved his hand to her swan-like neck, feeling for a pulse.

Jiang Ye, standing behind him with his guns at the ready, watched this scene with surprise. Had the sun risen in the west today? Was this notorious playboy actually interested in a woman?

His gaze followed Pei Junzhou’s hand as it rested on the girl's delicate neck. Despite his desire to cheer for this rare moment of interest from Pei Junzhou, Jiang Ye couldn’t help but blurt out, “D*mn, man, that’s cold!”

Pei Junzhou continued to feel for a pulse, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Jiang Ye, who quickly averted his gaze and pretended to be busy whistling into the night.

Suddenly, the girl’s eyes snapped open, and before anyone could react, she swiftly pulled one of the guns from Pei Junzhou’s waistband and aimed it at his head.

“Don’t move.” Her voice was cold and raspy.

“Sh*t! The farmer and the snake! No gratitude!” Jiang Ye yelped, immediately training his guns on the girl.

The girl flicked her platinum hair over her shoulder, her eyes flashing with irritation as she glanced at Jiang Ye. “Shut up,” she hissed.

She then turned her gaze back to Pei Junzhou, her eyes devoid of warmth. “Who are you?”

Despite the gun aimed at his head, Pei Junzhou calmly withdrew his hand, his deep eyes betraying nothing as he slowly raised an eyebrow.

“Is this how you treat your savior?”

“You’re not from the Heoya Empire,” the girl responded, her expression darkening as she squinted at him, suspicion written all over her face. Her gaze darted between Pei Junzhou and Jiang Ye, assessing the situation.

She was certain these two weren’t the ones hunting her tonight, nor were they from the Heoya Empire. Their complexion, the way they spoke, even the cadence of their speech—it all marked them as people from the Yanxuan Empire, her homeland.

The people of Heoya carried an innate sense of superiority, something that made them instantly recognizable—and deeply unpleasant to her. She couldn’t be sure if these two men were safe or if they posed a new threat. She needed to stay sharp, keep her guard up, and wait for her people to find her.

Pei Junzhou’s dark eyes glimmered slightly as he spoke with a calm voice, “We’re both from Yanxuan.”

The girl’s grip tightened on the gun. Despite her disheveled appearance, her beautiful eyes were cold and aloof, with long lashes trembling ever so slightly.

“No, you’re from Yanxuan. I’m not.”

Pei Junzhou’s brows furrowed slightly as he took in the cold, distant woman before him. The moonlight highlighted the stark contrast of her black fur coat against her platinum hair and porcelain skin, which was almost unnaturally pale.

Without taking his eyes off the gun aimed at him, he smiled faintly. “Trust me, I’ll get you out of here.”

The girl’s gaze grew colder as she considered the man before her. She hesitated, for the first time since her “rebirth.”

Pei Junzhou maintained his calm smile, slightly tilting his head to avoid the gun’s barrel, as his elegant hand rested on hers, still holding the gun.

For a moment, he froze. Despite the warm June air, she was wrapped in a heavy fur coat, yet her hand was ice-cold, chilling to the bone.

A few seconds later, Pei Junzhou gently moved her hand away, taking the gun from her grip and placing it back into his waistband.

Throughout the entire exchange, the girl remained silent, her gaze fixed on him, her wariness undiminished. Yet when he took the gun from her, she let go without resistance.

It was only after a few seconds had passed that she seemed to realize what had happened.

She turned her eyes toward Jiang Ye, who still had his guns trained on her, and her icy stare sent a shiver down his spine.

Pei Junzhou glanced over at Jiang Ye, understanding her unspoken command. “Jiang Ye.”

With a resigned shrug, Jiang Ye lowered his guns, grumbling, “Bro, you’ve got it bad.”

Ignoring him, Pei Junzhou extended a hand to the girl, who was still leaning against the grass.

Jiang Ye watched in disbelief.

Chapter 2: I Won't Abandon You

The woman slowly lifted her exquisitely beautiful face, as pale as paper, her dark, cold eyes revealing an unmistakable hint of illness.

She stared at the skeletal hand now before her, her expression frozen in shock. She had imagined countless times that such a hand would pull her out of the abyss of darkness. Yet, waking abruptly, drenched in cold sweat, she remained trapped in that hellish void.

Following the hand, she gazed upwards, inch by inch, until her eyes met the strikingly handsome face of a stranger. A strange urge to get closer to him stirred within her.

His porcelain-cold hand clasped around his long, flawless one. In the next moment, the man’s hand took charge, gripping her icy fingers tightly, attempting to warm them with his own body heat.

The woman stood up, her porcelain skin appearing even more deathly pale under the moonlight, her eyes shadowed by illness. Moments ago, Jiang Ye had been startled by her