Having a group of burly soldiers get taken down one by one by a young woman was a serious blow to their collective ego.


    Commander Reed grabbed one of his subordinates and whispered urgently, "Go find Mr. Thompson. Tell him to get over here and save us from this embarrassment."


    "Mr. Thompson''s too busy for this nonsense. Besides, we''ve got plenty more guys who haven''t gone up yet. We might not lose."


    "Both Victor and I lost. You guys going up there would just be feeding her another win," Commander Reed said with a sigh.


    "She''s just one girl. If we take turns, we can wear her out..." Before he could finish, Commander Reed smacked him on the back of the head.


    "You''ve got a lot of nerve, don''t you? A whole toon of grown men taking turns against one young woman? Do you want our entire military district to be aughingstock?"


    Commander Reed finished his tirade with a kick to the private''s rear.


    The soldier dodged and scrambled away to find reinforcements.


    On stage, Yvonne had just won another match. She hadn''t had a good, satisfying fight in ages and was feeling more energized with each opponent.


    "Who''s next?" she asked, an eyebrow arched. She shone like a little sun, radiating confidence.


    Just as the words left her lips, a man in a crisp military uniform was suddenly standing before her.


    His features were sharp, his dark eyes as still and deep as a bottomless well.


    Yvonne froze, her expression a mixture of shock and confusion as she stared at Bet, who had appeared out of nowhere. Her heart gave a painful, involuntary squeeze.


    "We meet again," Bet said, his voice t.


    "Yeah, what a coincidence," she replied, forcing a smile that took all her effort.


    "How do you want to do this?" he asked, cutting straight to the point without any small talk.


    "Your choice," Yvonne said, her confidence unwavering.


    Her dad Morgan had trained her inbat since she was a child, and Bet had always been her sparring partner.


    They had fought for over twenty years, and Bet had never once won.


    "Hand-to-hand. It''s your specialty," Bet said. He methodically undid the top button of his uniform, shrugged off his jacket, and tossed it to someone below the stage.


    Yvonne''s eyshes fluttered, and she instinctively looked away.


    She had seen him unbutton his cor countless times, but almost always in bed, in moments filled with intimacy.


    “I''ll give you the first three moves,” Bet said, taking half a step back. His cool voice snapped Yvonne back to reality.


    Yvonne didn''t hesitate,unching a clean, swift punch.


    Even in a fight, the sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman together was captivating.


    Their skills seemed evenly matched. Yvonne had the advantage in agility, but every surprise attack sheunched was effortlessly countered by Bet.


    At the same time, Yvonne seemed to know Bet''s every move, preemptively blocking and dodging his strikes. The crowd cheered them on.


    "Go, Yvonne!"


    "You got this!"


    "Mr. Thompson is a beast!"


    For a while, they were locked in a stalemate. But in any prolonged fight, men have a natural advantage in stamina and endurance. Yvonne soon began to the, her breathing growing heavier.


    "Shouldn''t Mr. Thompson have won by now? Why is it still going?" Captain Lee whispered to Commander Reed.


    The amateurs saw a spectacle, but


    the experts saw the truth. They knew Bet''s capabilities. The girl''s energy was clearly spent yet Bet seemed to be toying with her drawing out the fight.


    "He''s probably worried she''ll cry if she loses too quickly," Commander Reed replied.


    He kept his eyes on the stage. This


    was supposed to be a sparring


    match but there was an odd lingering tension between them shook his head, telling himself he was just imagining things,