Chapter 196 Smoke Pack Teeth

    Leslie’s POV

    A chill spread through my bones, and my legs went weak.

    Carris grabbed my hand–he was shaking–and muttered, “P–Pirates…”

    I forced myself to stay calm, but my heart pounded like a war drum.

    b31 /b

    Finished

    Those three bastards were the same Sea Demons who had chased us earlier. After being driven off by the beastkin, they circled around to wait for us here–lying in ambush like snakes in the

    grass.

    We stood there frozen, minds nk, as if dropped into an ice bath. The weight of hopelessness pressed down like a thundercloud.

    I almost wanted to cry.

    The pirates tossed away their cigarettes, shared a nce, and started walking toward us–slowly, leisurely, like cats toying with a cornered mouse.

    I clenched my jaw and buried my fear. I leaned in and whispered to Carris, “We fight.”

    His voice shook. “No… their bolts areced with Wolfsbane.”

    My heart sank. Run or stay–either option was death.

    The air reeked of salt and Smoke Pack musk, thick and suffocating.

    The three pirates drew closer, and I finally saw their faces.

    Two were tall and jacked with muscle. The third was short and wiry, his face cold, and his hawk- like eyes locked onto me with a look that was part awe, part hunger.

    “Look at this one. She’s not bad at all. Big catch today,” he sneered.

    The other two howled withughter, loud and careless.

    Carris was shaking. I doubted he’d ever seen anything like this, not even in all his so–called adventures.

    I wasn’t much better–but as they closed in, a strange calm rose up inside me.

    The moment theyughed, I moved.

    Chapter 196 Smoke Pack Teeth

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    Finished

    My right hand shot out and yanked the massive crossbow from the pirate in front. At the same time, I twisted to the side and used my left hand to wrench at the wiry man’s fingers with all my strength.

    He gasped, eyes wide, stunned that I’d dare fight back.

    I didn’t give him time to react. I tore the crossbow from his grip, flipped it around, and drove my foot into his knee, dropping him to the ground.

    The other two pirates froze–no moreughing now. Their faces darkened with fury as they raised their bolts and aimed at me.

    But my crossbow was already pointed at the downed man’s head.

    The situation flipped in a heartbeat.

    Carris blinked, then scrambled to my side, helping me pin the man to the ground.

    One pirate growled through clenched teeth, “You wanna die? Let him go!”

    I sneered and mmed the stock of the crossbow against the man’s head. “I want a helicopter.”

    “Not a fucking chance!” one of them roared, his tone mocking, like he couldn’t believe my

    nerve.

    I grinned coldly, pressing the crossbow tighter to the hostage’s skull.

    I didn’t really expect them to hand me a chopper.

    But with this leverage, the fear in my chest eased—just a little.

    Then one of them shouted toward the sea, sharp and piercing.

    I looked up.

    The werewolves on the speedboats were already jumping down–disciplined, fast, deadly. They moved with the precision of trained assassins, every step radiating aggression.

    In the blink of an eye, dozens of bolts were aimed straight at me. The ck arrowheads glinted in the sun like razor–sharp teeth.

    The sky darkened with looming clouds. The sea went eerily still, like the breath before a storm.

    My heart thundered in my chest. The salt wind, the musk of Smoke Pack–it all pressed against me like a wall of ice.

    The tall pirate red at me, eyes filled with murderous intent.

    b16:00 /bWedb, /bbSep /b17

    Chapter 196 Smoke Pack Teeth

    “You think you’re worth something?” he spat. “What’s your price?”

    I opened my mouth to answer-

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    Finished

    And the man on the ground suddenly lunged, ws shing toward my throat, quick as a bferal /bbeast.

    I instinctively stumbled back and kicked Carris toward the cover of nearby rocks.

    “Hide!” I barked.

    “What the hell are you waiting for? Don’t let some b*tch humiliate you–shoot!” the wiry pirate leader hissed. His voice was colder than death.

    Bolts tore through the air. I dove low and rolled behind a jagged stone outcropping.

    The arrows came down like a storm. The crash of metal on rock rang in my ears–one bolt clipped the edge of my ear, leaving a chilling sting.

    My blood surged. My scalp prickled. My whole body felt like it had been dunked in ice.

    Death was right on top of me.