The thin, dark man led the way from the side as Stella Sterling walked in front. Inside the dim storefront, it was hard to even make out the ground beneath her feet.

Stella Sterling was walking ahead when the thin, dark man suddenly swung a hand-chop at the back of her head. "Sorry about this."

But the chop landed, and Stella Sterling didn’t collapse as he’d expected. She turned to look back, her confused gaze meeting his awkward and stunned expression.

For a moment, an awkward silence hung in the air.

The thin, dark man gave a sheepish grin. "Apologies, miss. It’s best if you don’t know the way from here, so..."

Before he could finish, another person rushed from behind and pressed a cloth over her face. A glint flashed in Stella Sterling’s eyes, and a moment later, she collapsed backward.

"Is this girl that tough? I hit her with all my might and she didn’t even pass out!"

Stella Sterling closed her eyes, listening to their voices. She then felt herself being lifted, stuffed into a burlap sack, and tossed into the trunk of a car. The vehicle twisted and turned as it drove off to some unknown destination.

Just as Stella Sterling was getting bored and drowsy from lying in the trunk, the car finally came to a stop. Her captors parked on a mountainside, carried her into a villa, and navigated a series of winding corridors before finally halting.

’I suppose enough time has passed.’ She opened her eyes, and they immediately lit up at the sight before her.

Firearms, the kind one would normally never see, were scattered everywhere, strewn about on the ground as if they were trash.

Guns, ammunition—they had it all.

Stella Sterling shifted in her seat and found that she was tied to a chair in the middle of the villa.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Stella Sterling’s eyes.

"Miss, my apologies for the offense!"

The words came from a man speaking awkward, stilted Chinese. She looked toward the sound and saw a man with blue hair and green eyes descending from the villa’s second floor. He was holding a glass of red wine, a smile playing in his eyes.

Noticing Stella Sterling sizing him up, he gave her a flirtatious wink before scolding his men. "What are you waiting for? Untie the young lady! You’ve all been far too discourteous to such a beautiful woman!"

A flicker of fear crossed the thin, dark man’s eyes. He hurriedly untied Stella Sterling and explained, "Miss Sterling, I’m truly sorry. Our location cannot be revealed, so we had to resort to such crude measures. I hope you can understand."

"You’ll have to show me some sincerity if you want my understanding. Otherwise, I see no reason for us to continue with this deal."

Stella Sterling said gravely, her voice laced with displeasure.

Hearing this, the thin, dark man could only force an apologetic smile, not daring to say a word. It couldn’t be helped. What they’d done was indeed dishonorable, but they’d had no other choice, so all he could do was keep smiling placatingly.

"Please, rest assured. We guarantee you’ll be satisfied with this partnership, and the price is absolutely fair."

"My beautiful lady, it is an absolute honor to have the chance to work with you. I am deeply sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, but you must believe in my sincerity. As a token of my apology, these cases of ammunition and these selections of firearms are yours to keep!"

The blue-haired foreigner gestured to several cases on the floor and had his men bring them before Stella Sterling. Her eyes lit up. "This is a token of sincerity I can accept!"

She turned her head to face the blue-haired man, who was clearly in charge. "Now, let’s talk business."