The richest man in Washington, D.C. was kidnapped and held hostage by desperate criminals, and our mercenary team risked our lives to rescue him.

In the process, I lost two brothers, one of whom is still in critical condition.

However, when the billionaire and the corporate leaders were about to award us, the strongest mercenary team, a generous reward, my fiancée’s childhood friend stepped forward and claimed that he single-handedly killed the dozens of criminals and captured the rest.

He insisted that all the credit should go to him and that it had nothing to do with our team.

I could swallow my own humiliation, but I couldn’t let my dead brothers’ sacrifice go unrecognized.

“You’re full of crap,” I spat, “You were hiding behind us with a lousy gun, not even able to hit a target at thirty meters, and you dare claim you killed the criminals.”

His childhood friend, furious, grabbed a drink and splashed it in my face.

“You wanna die, huh?” he sneered, “You dare oppose me? I say I killed them, and that’s the truth. The whole mercenary team belongs to my step-sister, and the one she loves most is me. You get that?”

I clenched my fists tightly and landed a punch squarely on his face.

When my fiancée found out, she had hundreds of mercenaries surround us.

“Ethan Blackwell, kneel down and apologize to Liam Brooks! Then run ten kilometers naked to make up for it, or I’ll have you arrested for treason!”

...

The vast military camp was instantly engulfed by a pressure-filled atmosphere. I and several brothers were surrounded by hundreds of guns, each of us knowing that any wrong move would cost us our lives.

The billionaire and the corporate leaders were also furious with us, their anger eventually turning into deep disappointment, ignoring our lives as they let Liam Brooks deal with us however he pleased.

“Brother, maybe we should just give in,” Luke Green reluctantly suggested. “He’s always been a scoundrel, always stealing the credit. We’re just the subordinates, and with our small numbers, we can’t resist them.”

But I wouldn’t give in. I wouldn’t back down.

Liam Brooks, that useless fool, had been using Sophia Frost’s backing to suppress and bully our team while I was away. Now, he was trying to steal the credit for this mission.

I’d come back, and two of my brothers had died for this. I wouldn’t let them die in vain, nor would I let them be dishonored.

The mercenaries surrounding us were all unfamiliar faces, all new recruits brought in by Sophia Frost, here to challenge me. They were the ones who secretly carried out covert operations behind my back while I was away.

She really thought I didn’t know? I’m not that naive.

This mercenary group was founded by my father; he was the true leader, not Sophia Frost.

She owes her position to me, but Liam Brooks dares to say the whole group belongs to her. That’s pure nonsense.

Liam Brooks thought I was scared, and smugly strutted toward me.

“See that, Ethan Blackwell? This is what happens when you try to steal my credit!”

He came closer and, with a sneer, slapped me mockingly across the face.

“As long as Sophia Frost is here, I, Liam Brooks, can do whatever I want, anytime, anywhere. You’ll have to ask for my permission even to take a crap. Got it?”

“You were once the god of this place? So what? Now, everything here is decided by Sophia, she’s got the ear of the higher-ups, and when you were away, we slowly took over your turf. Now, the mercenaries only listen to her orders, and you’re just a puppet, with no real power. Hahaha!”

He then took a knife and slashed at Luke Green, intentionally drawing blood to humiliate us.

“Isn’t it frustrating?” he mocked. “We risked our lives for this mission, but all the credit went to someone else, into my back pocket.”

I’m not the kind of person who gets easily provoked or loses control. But facing such petty and vile behavior, it’s impossible to hold back. Just as I was about to throw another punch at this useless fool, Liam Brooks raised a gun and pointed it at my brothers.

“I know you’re good with your fists, but I’m curious—let’s see which is faster, your punches or my bullets?”

I stared at him with burning fury, and the more angry I got, the more smug and self-satisfied he became.

“Spit!”

He spat in my direction, and with my brothers' lives in his hands, he threatened, “You make one move, and they’re dead. You wanted to kill me, didn’t you? Haha!”

“I know you’re pissed and want to kill me, but if you move even a little, I’ll blow their heads off.”

He swaggered, twisting his hips and sneering at me.

“I never expected that the undefeated Nightshade would be caught by the throat by me. Just give up.”

“Listen, Ethan Blackwell, your time is over. This is my world now. You’d better recognize your place. If you don’t, you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”

“Boom!”

He shot at the flag that symbolized my title, tearing it down, and then stomped on it with his boot.

“Whoever needs to take a crap now can use this flag to wipe. I’ll reward whoever does it the best.”

Immediately, everyone scrambled to be the first to humiliate me and earn his favor.

I couldn’t believe how bold these fools had become, forgetting my brutal methods of revenge.

They thought they could threaten me with a lousy gun? They were dreaming.

I suppressed my anger and, watching as the mercenaries fought to get the flag, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You think I’m finished? You think my time is over? Ha, how could it be.”

“Boom!”

I raised my gun and shot a bullet into the foot of the new recruit who was stepping on the flag.

He cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Despite being surrounded by guns, I stood there calmly, coldly watching.

“You bastard, how dare you injure my people? Who gave you the nerve?”

“Ha, I’ve been living on the edge since I was a kid. No one has to give me the guts.”

“Don’t think you can threaten me with a gun. If you kill me, my brothers outside will tear your skin off, believe it or not?”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Well, you should. Our strength is not to be underestimated. We’ve got enough power to take you down.”

“And my reputation as the ‘Venomous Spider’ isn’t just for show.”

Just as I finished speaking, a cold, beautiful woman in military gear stepped forward. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. It was my fiancée, Sophia Frost.

The entire mercenary group bowed their heads respectfully and called her “Frost Master.”

That single title struck me like a slap in the face.

Until now, I was the one everyone respected.

Sophia Frost, hearing them address her, stood even taller, her disdain and weariness for me plainly visible in her eyes.

She thought her wings had grown strong enough, that she now controlled the whole mercenary group and no longer needed my help to do whatever she wanted.

“Ethan Blackwell, don’t even think about stealing credit from Liam Brooks.”

“You’ve received plenty of rewards before. You don’t need this one. Let him take it so he can make a name for himself and let more people know about him.”

“If you keep opposing me, it will be war between us.”

“And I will not allow anyone to defy my orders. Anyone who goes against me is seeking death.”

The implication was clear—it was a threat, demanding that I swallow my pride.

“Sophia Frost, this world is one where blood is shed. If he's a real man, he should go out there, fight, and make a name for himself. Instead, he hides like a coward and steals the credit from others to grow stronger.”

"Do you understand?"

The thing I hated most was cowardice. What’s the point of being a mercenary if you’re just playing at it like a market stall? This is a job where you’re paid to risk your life in high-stakes missions.

And that coward—Liam Brooks—had disobeyed my orders during the mission. He exposed our position, which led to my men getting shot.

"Heh, I know, but I won’t let him risk his life and get hurt," Sophia Frost replied.

"Because he’s my stepsister’s brother, I only need him to use your credit to make a name for himself. I won’t let him risk his life on a mission. Understand?"

Hearing these words, I was seething. My anger rose rapidly.

She actually dared to say such a disgraceful thing—putting my men in danger while letting Liam Brooks take the credit. Damn it, they were pushing too far.

I would risk my life to make sure their plan failed.

“Sophia Frost, I told you before—if he wants to make a name for himself, he should go out there and fight for it.”

Sophia narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning dangerous as she fixed her eyes on me.

"What do you mean?"

I took a tissue, wiped the saliva off my face, and then threw it onto Liam Brooks' face.

"It means no," I said, not afraid of death and openly defying her.

Sophia Frost and Liam Brooks' expressions darkened, and even the air around us seemed to cool due to the tension.

"If you don’t agree, I’ll charge you with disobeying orders and have you executed," she said coldly.

"And with the higher-ups far away, no one will know how you died. I’ll make up some rebellion charges, and the higher-ups won’t suspect me. Not only will you die, but your former title will be tarnished."

I raised my head and looked at her coldly. “Heh, you think you're above the law? How can the higher-ups let you run rampant?”

"Hahaha, because I control the entire mercenary group. The higher-ups have to follow my orders. Got it?"

Sophia laughed, patted my shoulder, then pulled out a cigarette and put it in her mouth. Liam Brooks immediately took out a lighter to light it for her.

“Did you hear that, Ethan Blackwell? The whole Blackhawk Mercenaries follow my sister’s orders. You’re nothing!”

“If you don’t want to die, then shut up and do as you’re told. Or I’ll kill you right now.”

Sophia Frost affectionately touched Liam’s face, and he leaned in, hugging her tightly.

“Sophia, besides my parents, you’re the best to me,” he said.

As soon as those words left his mouth, they started kissing in front of everyone.

What infuriated me even more was that the other mercenaries didn’t bat an eye and even started whistling and cheering.

I now realized that during my absence, Liam Brooks had often spent the night in Sophia Frost's room.

They had been having an affair behind my back, and now they wanted to take credit for our hard-earned victories.

"Ethan Blackwell, our engagement is off. I’ll tell the higher-ups to annul our marriage," Sophia Frost said.

She immediately took out her phone and called my father to tell him that I had rebelled and not only wanted to break off our engagement but also wanted me dead.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was almost maddening.

She called my father to ask him to approve my death?