hapter 497 Never Hurt Her


    Suddenly, a few men stepped out from the shadows, blocking their way,


    One of them wore white and was quite goodlooking.


    At the front stood a buzz-cut young man and a short guy.


    The short guy pointed at George and the group behind him, then waved his hand. "Take them down!"


    "Who are you people?" Raven frowned slightly. From their words, it seemed George had some kind of grudge against them. "We''re here to kill that kid! Stay out of it, little girl!" The buzz-cut man sneered, clearly not recognizing Raven and dismissing her entirely.


    Raven asked, "The Nightwatchers Pack, huh? Haven''t you been hunting me all this time? What''s wrong-don''t recognize me now?"


    The buzz-cut froze, Raven''s words catching him off guard. His eyes widened in shock.


    "You... You''re Raven?" he asked.


    Realizing who she was, he quickly barked orders to the thugs behind him, "Everyone, get her! If we capture her, we''ll be heroes!"


    Raven''s finger twitched, ready to fix them.


    Before she could react, the mercenaries charging toward her dropped to the ground, each with a precise, coin-sized hole in their forehead.


    The mercenaries, who had been so eager to capture Raven and im glory, never imagined they''d die so abruptly.


    Raven nced at the lifeless bodies scattered across the ground, her expression cold and indifferent. She turned to George.


    "Why are they trying to kill you?" Raven asked.


    "I don''t know," George replied, his voice calm as he shook his head slightly.


    "Then why did youe to me? What are you after?" She voiced the question weighing most heavily on her mind.


    "I''m here to protect you. You can think of me as family," George said.


    He stepped closer, his serious gaze locked onto hers. "I won''t hurt you, and I will never betray you."


    Raven stared at George, his sincerity creating a bittersweet ache in her chest that she couldn''t quite name.


    Without saying anything more, Raven turned and walked toward the vi.


    This time, though, she didn''t tell George to leave.


    Seeing her reaction, a flicker of joy lit up George''s otherwise cold and ethereal features.


    He quickly followed her, stepping into the hotel where Thorian and Hugmuinn had yet to leave.*


    Meanwhile, at the Vyrdenia Military.


    Lorne sat at the head of the conference table, his expression grim and foreboding.


    "Who leaked the news about Raven being expelled from the military? Who dared to make that decision without my authorization?" His voice was cold and sharp, cutting through the tense atmosphere.


    Alton Nelson, seated to Lorne''s right, took a leisurely sip of tea, his round belly pressing against his uniform as he replied calmly, "Acting without authorization? General, wasn''t the decision to expel Raven unanimously agreed upon by the senior leadership after thorough discussion?


    "She offended the Parsons family. What were we supposed to do? Wait for their wrath to descend upon us?


    "General Drakon, as the leader of the Vyrdenia Military, are you really willing to jeopardize the safety of over a billion citizens just to shield an arrogant and reckless girl?" Alton''s tone wasced with disdain.


    The other senior officials around the table quickly chimed in, echoing Alton''s words.


    "Alton is absolutely right, General. As the one in charge, you can''t afford to let personal feelings cloud your judgment."


    "If Raven hadn''t provoked the Parsons family, no one would have expelled her without reason. This is entirely her own doing."


    "No matter how skilled she is, she can''t possibly stand against the Parsons family or the upper realm''s elites on her own. Removing her from the military was the smartest decision we could make."


    Lorne took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to suppress his fury. His piercing gaze swept across the room,nding heavily on each person present. "The smartest decision? H