?Chapter 463:


    Dangling from its underside, an ornate bamboo basket swung gently. Wicked thorns curled along its edges, but brilliant scarlet roses bloomed among them—a disturbing mix of threat and allure. Nobody in the Delta mistook that basket for anything other than a warning.


    Stories—some whispered in the dead of night, others passed down by those who had barely escaped—told of the dreaded symbol: Thorn Rose.


    “T-Thorn Rose?” Daniel’s voice cracked, fear making his words tremble.


    While the Phantom Mercenaries inspired fear wherever they went, Thorn Rosemanded something moreplete and unyielding dominance. No one dared provoke them.


    Death Thorn, the figure at the heart of the legendary Thorn Rose, was shrouded in rumor and terror. Anyone marked by her signature knew what awaited them. Escape was a fantasy.


    Only one blemish marred Thorn Rose’s otherwise perfect record—several defeats at the hands of ze Wildfire. Even the prominent families of the Delta, powerful for generations, kept their distance from Thorn Rose. They knew better than to test fate.


    Death Thorn’s very name could wipe out squads of Phantom Mercenaries as easily as erasing chalk from a ckboard.


    A wave of dread washed over Daniel, draining the color from his face and leaving him shaking from head to toe.


    Only moments before, Daniel and his crew had treated Cole’s side as helpless victims, convinced their victory was guaranteed. Suddenly, everything reversed. They had be the hunted, with Thorn Rose looming over them, ready to strike.


    Silence swept through Daniel and his crew. Eyes darted into every dark corner, nerves stretched thin. The unknown danger gripped them so tightly that Cole and his bruised allies faded into the background. On the ground, Jason’s eyelids fluttered as he came to. Hearing the name Thorn Rose sent a jolt through his battered body.


    The Evans family had never crossed paths with Thorn Rose, and the mystery surrounding their arrival left only more questions—maybe they had their own agenda, just like the Phantom Mercenaries.


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    Meanwhile, Myles, Aron, and Hugh made a feeble attempt to stand. Their injuries pinned them down, helpless as the drama unfolded before them.


    Having ousted the attack from the Phantom Mercenaries, nobody could say if they’d survive what came next.


    As the tension stretched taut, engines roared in the distance, drawing every eye to a narrow gap in the hills where two ck SUVs barreled into view, dust swirling in their wake.


    Despite the Phantom Mercenaries’ roadblocks, these vehicles had somehow navigated the treacherous terrain undetected and taken a shortcut to arrive here.


    A storm of questions spun through Daniel’s thoughts. Were those people really with Thorn Rose? Or were they impostors, throwing the name around to send a chill through the crowd? He didn’t make a move—not until he was sure who was inside the SUVs.


    Daniel’s men stayed close, just as tense, crowding around him with their eyes locked on the approaching vehicles.


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