The remaining gangsters were utterly shocked.

Their earlier arrogance had disappeared, replaced by hesitation as they realized the woman standing before them was neither frightened nor defenseless. If they chose to continue, they would be stepping into a fight that suddenly looked far less certain than it had only moments earlier.

"Gentlemen, if you want to force me to follow you, do it now. I don’t have time to play with all of you," Sienna said sarcastically as she looked at the gangsters standing in front of her.

Although her voice sounded calm, her senses remained on high alert. She could see them exchanging glances as though they were reconsidering the situation after watching her easily take down their companion.

Their hesitation only strengthened her confidence, but she knew better than to underestimate them.

Blade’s mouth twitched at her provocative words. He smirked and rubbed his eyebrow before letting out a quiet laugh. "You think those taekwondo moves will frighten us?"

The two gangsters beside him now looked encouraged by his confidence and tried to laugh sinisterly to boost their confidence.

But Sienna didn’t react. She simply stared at them with the same unreadable expression. Her body remained slightly angled, her weight balanced on both feet, and her hands relaxed yet ready. Anyone familiar with fighting would recognize that she was prepared to move at any moment.

"What are you two waiting for?" Blade asked, glancing at his subordinates. "Attack her together, and make sure you don’t hurt her. But..." He paused, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "...if you have to, you can do it. Just stay away from her face, or the boss will be angry."

Sienna slowly tightened her fists. The threat no longer bothered her. In her mind, the two men were nothing more than sparring partners.

She had spent years training for this kind of situation. And sharpening her martial arts skills by participating in several martial arts competitions. There had been a time when her coaches believed she qualified to represent her country in the world championship, had her injury not interrupted her martial arts career.

Even so, she understood that this situation was different from any tournament. There were no referees, no rules, and no guarantees. These men weren’t athletes trying to score points. They were criminals trying to kidnap her.

That knowledge kept her focused and prevented her from becoming careless.

A second later—

The two men advanced toward her from different angles.

Sienna immediately fixed her attention on the one who was slightly ahead of the others. Rather than waiting for him to attack first, she closed the distance herself.

The man seemed surprised by her sudden aggression. Before he could properly defend himself, Sienna pushed off the ground and launched a jumping kick toward the side of his head. The strike landed cleanly against his temple. His head snapped to the side, and his balance was lost instantly. He collapsed onto the road and remained motionless.

And, the moment her feet touched the ground again, the second gangster was already swinging a punch toward her shoulder.

Sienna reacted on instinct. She shifted her body to the side, allowing the fist to pass harmlessly by. At the same time, she grabbed his wrist with both hands and twisted sharply while stepping across his body. The movement disrupted his balance completely.

Using his own momentum against him, she threw him over her hip and slammed him onto the hard ground. The impact knocked the air from the man’s lungs. He groaned and immediately tried to push himself upright, but Sienna refused to allow him to recover.

As the man rose to one knee, Sienna pivoted and drove a controlled kick toward the side of his head, targeting the area near his ear. A painful howl escaped him before he crashed back onto the road, clutching his head as his body writhed in pain. After several seconds, even his groans weakened.

Sienna paid little attention to the three men on the ground. Her focus had already shifted toward Blade, the leader.

The moment she faced him, her confidence faltered slightly when she noticed something gleaming beneath the nearby streetlight. A dagger rested firmly in his hand; it looked so sharp that it reflected the pale light.

’At least he didn’t bring a gun,’ she told herself, trying to maintain her courage.

Even so, her heartbeat quickened. Fighting unarmed opponents was one thing. Facing a sharp dagger was completely different.

She had never been in a real confrontation involving a weapon, and she understood how dangerous a dagger could be. One mistake could leave her seriously injured.

But, despite the fear creeping into her chest, she forced herself to remain calm. Her body instinctively shifted into a defensive stance. Her knees bent slightly, her hands rose in front of her chest, and her eyes never left the dagger.

’Bring it on,’ she thought as she stared at him.

"Miss Sienna, stop fighting," Blade said while maintaining his grip on the dagger. "If I attack you, you’re going to get seriously hurt."

Sienna studied him carefully. The way he held the dagger immediately caught her attention—the man must be skilled with a dagger. His posture was steady, his movements controlled, and his dagger positioned so he could strike quickly or defend himself if necessary.

Her throat tightened slightly.

Even then, surrender was not an option. Following him to meet his boss would be far worse than risking a fight. As she considered her situation, another idea occurred to her.

’You need to run!!’

The realization came so quickly that her body reacted before she could think any further.

She turned and sprinted toward the side gate leading to the Orchid Garden Apartment complex. If she could reach the entrance and call for help, there was a chance the security guards would hear her.

The problem was the distance. The gate was still roughly twenty meters away.

Sienna pushed herself harder, but halfway there, her foot struck an uneven patch of road. Her body lurched forward, and she nearly lost her balance.

"Damn it," she muttered as she fought to steady herself and keep running.

Unfortunately, Blade was much faster than she had hoped.

By the time she regained her stride, he had already caught up. Moments later, he moved ahead of her and stepped directly into her path, blocking the route to the gate.

"Tsk, tsk, woman," he said with a mocking smile. "Stop already. You’re really stubborn. If you keep resisting, I may have no choice but to hurt you badly."