Taming The War God: A Shot To Heart Sparked Our Forever Love

The sun in the city of Faulas was blindingly intense, making it hard to keep one's eyes open.

The air was sticky and suffocating, with the sun blazing down on the crumbling buildings like it was trying to scorch the earth itself.

This was the most desolate corner of Yuphia-a barren wasteland torn apart by constant conflict. Countless battles had turned the land into a graveyard, where the stench of death lingered and bodies were left to rot in the open.

As a thick cloud of sand blew across the wasteland, a few dusty military trucks pulled up near some crumbling old buildings. The heat intensified with every inch they moved.

"Captain, they're here." A deep voice came through the earpiece. The sound of trucks moving over the sand could be heard, but it was hard to tell how many people were hiding among the old, broken-down buildings.

"Got it," a man answered, his voice calm and strong, like someone used to giving orders.

The air felt almost unbreathable, the heat pressing down like a weight. Beads of sweat slid down the man's face as his hands tightened. His eyes, however, remained calm and unflinching.

Right then, the car doors swung open. Outside the rundown buildings, dozens of attendants dressed in black stood in perfect lines, waiting for a slender figure also clad in black. She looked very different from the local people in Faulas.

The wind and sand whipped her hair, and her lips pressed tightly together. A light chiffon scarf covered half her face, showing only a pair of sharp, cool eyes that briefly looked toward the faraway high-rise.

Everyone stood stiff and formal, dressed to perfection. As she got out, they all saluted together-it was an impressive show. "Welcome, Miss Spencer!" they called out loudly.

Scarlett Hughes turned her eyes away from the buildings. She gave the crowd a faint smile, her gaze cool and unreadable.

"Was all that really necessary?" Her voice was smooth and steady, without a hint of emotion. The wind scattered fine grains of sand, tugging her long hair like strands of silk dancing in the dry air.

Honestly, she thought they were being too loud.

"Bring them in," she ordered as she put on her sunglasses.

"Yes, ma'am!" The men echoed together, their voices firm and synchronized.

Scarlett walked into the building with her team, unaware that a sniper's laser sight had just moved off her face.

One more second, and her head might have been blown open, with blood painting the ground.

"What's Estrella Spencer doing in Faulas? I think this place might be hiding some pretty shady business for Vertex Worldwide!"

Their goal was to collect evidence of Vertex Worldwide's shady dealings here in Faulas. But things went south fast-three days ago, two of their own got caught in an ambush.

"Captain, they've entered the building. Should we move?" Albin Barnes, closely watching the interior movement, spoke up with a note of tension in his voice.

Faulas was a furnace in the middle of nowhere. The wind carried sand like knives, while the relentless heat made it seem like their faces could melt away at any moment.

Their clothes were soaking wet, and their hands were so sweaty that their guns almost slipped out.

"No need to rush," the man murmured, his eyes fixed firmly on the building's fourth floor. His grip on the gun was steady, showing he wasn't about to lose his cool.

The fourth floor was tightly secured, surrounded by rough steel and concrete that formed a bare, unfinished structure without any polish or decoration.

Inside, Scarlett's people had already dragged in the captured men and lined them up in front of her.

"From Shupbert, huh?" Scarlett's lips curled into a subtle smile. Her eyes scanned the few men dressed in black uniforms brought before her and then they settled on one in a distinctive black outfit that caught her interest.

She let out a soft chuckle, clearly intrigued.

That uniform belonged exclusively to the special forces of Shupbert's military district.

Leaning back against the sofa with a calm, easy grace, Scarlett slid off her sunglasses and studied the man before her with deliberate, unhurried focus.

"This is the guy. We've grilled him for three days straight, using every harsh method we know, but he still won't talk!"

"Really?" Scarlett's smile barely shifted.

The man was battered and bleeding, his skin torn and bruised everywhere, but he clenched his jaw tight, refusing to break.

"To me, no one has an unbreakable will-unless they're already dead." With that, she stepped closer, leaning in just a bit. "So, tell me who you are, why you're here, and what you and your friends are doing sneaking around Faulas?"

While talking, her hand moved up, gently grabbing his jaw. Blood dripped from his mouth, a sharp contrast to the cold fire burning in her eyes.

"It'll hurt less if you just talk," she said softly, her voice low and steady, and her clear eyes unreadable. Her lips were pressed just so, and the sunlight made her flawless skin gleam.

The man lifted his head and noticed the tattoo on her neck-a bright red spider lily, wild and fierce. It was both beautiful and chilling, just like her.

"Still not saying a word?" Scarlett raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

Just as Scarlett pressed on, a loud, angry shout came from nearby. "You damn bitch! If you're brave enough, just end us already!"

She looked over with a sharp, cold stare.

"Stop trying to scare me! I'm not afraid of anyone!"

Her eyes looked far away, like she was thinking deeply.

Her hands stopped moving.

In an instant, her soft mood turned cold and distant, making everyone around her feel uneasy.

Unfazed, Scarlett smiled a little and said, "You both know each other, right?"

Then she grabbed a dagger from one of her men, the blade shining sharply as she pressed it against the throat of the man who had sworn at her.

"You're wearing the same uniforms. And you took off your badges beforehand, trying not to give away your identities in someone else's place. Shupbert's special forces don't seem so tough after all."

"What was that, you-" Before the man could spit out his insult, Scarlett's eyes turned sharp and cold, slicing through him like a blade.

A scream cut through the air as blood erupted from his chest. The dagger had driven deep, just beneath his ribs, close to his heart.

"Captain!" Albin shouted anxiously from behind the sniper scope, furrowing his brow and glancing toward the man holding his weapon nearby.

He worried that without quick action, their captured comrades might face a deadly fate.

"Word is, half a month ago, a Shupbert special forces team slipped into Faulas, trying to steal evidence from our experimental base to use as leverage in peace talks over the Hopolis war zone. That team included you, didn't it?"

Hopolis stretched wide between the countries of Yuphia and Shupbert, with Faulas marking the tense border.

Chaos was the norm there. Clashes, thefts, gunfights, and even murders happened regularly.

Still, Faulas was just a small piece of the massive territory controlled by Vertex Worldwide.

A faint smile flickered across Scarlett's lips.

At her signal, several men wearing sterile garments crouched beside the two injured men, injecting them with some prepared serum. "What are you doing?" one of the badly wounded men asked weakly, his voice trembling with pain.

"Quiet," Scarlett hushed, her red lips forming a captivating smile. Her charm was obvious, yet she radiated a powerful, unshakable command.

"I'm giving you a taste of what your country risked everything to find in our secret base. Isn't that what you wanted? Trust me, this will feel like heaven itself."

Her voice dipped into a softer, sweeter tone, but her smile faltered as she sensed a sniper's laser sight on her.

Suddenly, a gunshot cracked sharply, breaking the heavy silence over the dilapidated buildings.

Scarlett's brow furrowed as blood began to drip steadily onto the floor.

She lowered her gaze and caught sight of the dark stain spreading across her chest.

Scarlett's chest was torn open by a bullet.

Blood surged from the wound, soaking through her clothes as she staggered backward.

"Go in." From the top of the abandoned high-rise across the street, Shane Waston, the captain, gave the order, his voice calm and clipped. There was no hesitation in his tone, just cold precision. His eyes remained locked on the target through the scope.

The instant his finger tightened on the trigger, the stillness shattered. The crumbling building opposite them exploded into chaos.

"Get her outta here!"

"Move it! Keep her safe!"

"Sniper! Someone's shooting at us!"

Scarlett let out a cold smirk and cursed the sniper who had shot her.

Her face went pale, and that deep, throbbing pain in her chest just kept spreading.

She glanced up, but the light above felt way too bright, almost blinding.

Blood filled her mouth with a sharp, metallic tang, and the harsh smell of gunpowder lingered thick in the air.

The fire was creeping closer, way too fast.

A loud boom went off-someone had tossed a grenade nearby. Her ears rang like crazy, and her head felt like it was splitting open.

That sniper's bullet had only been the opening act. Moments later, a volley of gunfire erupted, and the building turned into a war zone.

What was already tense inside that broken-down place turned into total madness-bullets flying, people fighting up close, and just pure destruction everywhere.

It wasn't long before approaching footsteps echoed through the chaos, growing louder and more threatening.

Scarlett's team was dropping fast. One by one, they went down in the middle of the gunfire, their bodies hitting the ground in awful ways.

Scarlett didn't move-her brain was spinning, trying to figure out who these attackers were and how they were hitting so hard and fast.

She couldn't believe that even with over a hundred guards protecting Faulas' central experimental base, none of them had been able to stop the attack.

Within minutes, Scarlett was completely surrounded.

"Trying to run away?" a man growled, charging at her with his gun up. He kicked her hard in the stomach, making her stumble back while holding her chest.

"Ugh!" The hit pulled at her wound and sent a fresh wave of pain shooting through her.

She was trapped, backed into a corner with nowhere left to turn.

"Don't move!" a voice barked, and she felt the freezing metal of a gun pressed to the side of her head.

They were really good.

Realizing there was no way out, Scarlett resigned herself to fate. She was so weak that she needed some rest.

Her hand went to her chest again. Blood kept coming out, soaking her fingers red.

She leaned against the cold wall. Her face had gone pale, drained of color, and her eyelids fluttered closed as exhaustion pulled at her.

The blast had filled the air with smoke, and everything had gone quiet. Then, through the thick haze, a man slowly appeared, his figure outlined by the light behind him.

He walked straight toward Scarlett.

She let out a small cough. That nasty, bloody taste still felt bitter on her tongue.

Her tired eyes fluttered open just enough to see a tall figure blocking her view.

It was Shane, standing there with his sniper rifle, his icy stare locked on Scarlett-the woman he had just shot.

"Captain! She's still breathing?" Albin, who had been right behind Shane, stopped in his tracks, totally shocked.

He seriously thought Shane's shot would have finished her off. No way he saw this coming.

Shane didn't say a word.

His thin lips tightened into a straight line as he kept staring at Scarlett, his face cold and emotionless.

The sun was blazing hot over Faulas, making the heat feel suffocating.

But even with the heat, the air near the old building felt weirdly cold, like a chill that seemed to seep deep into the bones.

Everything was dead quiet, the nasty smell of blood hanging around.

It was a harsh reminder that Scarlett's men were all dead.

She was completely trapped, with no way out.

Scarlett lifted her head and met Shane's eyes.

He was wearing a black tactical uniform, the badge on his arm catching the light. His broad shoulders and slim waist showed through the tight clothes tucked into his pants that showed off his long, strong legs.

He stood tall, looking tough and distant, like he didn't care about anything.

From where Scarlett was, Shane looked almost like he wasn't from this world, glowing in the light. His short hair framed a sharp, perfect face-like a statue. His nose was high, and his deep eyes made him seem untouchable.

His lips were tight, but when he looked at her, a little mocking smile showed up on one side. His eyes were cold, heavy, and a bit scary, but kind of magnetic too.

Scarlett stared back, her pale face tightening into a small frown.

She felt like he was way too powerful, too wild, and way too dangerous. He was clearly someone not to be trifled with.

"Feeling like heaven, huh?" His voice came out low and cold, with a mocking edge that sent a shiver down her spine.

Scarlett's heart dropped-he had heard what she said before.

Shane narrowed his eyes slightly. A slow, cruel smirk played on his lips, yet his stance held a powerful, commanding presence.

It was clear he was there to avenge his subordinates.

Scarlett had already suspected that the man who cursed her before was part of his crew. And the man in front of her hadn't removed his badge like those she had caught.

He didn't even try to hide who he was.

Scarlett couldn't help but find it bold, almost reckless, since it was so unusual for anyone to come to Faulas without covering their tracks.

Snapping back, Scarlett challenged, "What exactly do you want?"

She guessed he was here to make her pay for the drug she had forced into his captured men.

"Where's the antidote?" Shane asked, his deep voice sounding both magnetic and threatening. He rested his sniper rifle on his bent knee, his long fingers tapping it lightly in the sun.

"Captain, we still can't identify what she injected into Hoke and Brent," Albin said, sounding annoyed.

Albin looked over the two captured guys. One was barely hanging on after severe torture, and the other had a deep stab wound in the chest. But what worried him most was the strange substance Scarlett had injected into them.

"What did you give them?" Shane asked, his eyes dark and never blinking.

His stare dug into Scarlett's pale, bloodless face as he waited for her answer.

Scarlett gave a cold laugh. "No idea."

Then she raised her chin and added boldly, "And even if I did, why on earth would I tell you?"

One of Shane's men sneered. "Everyone knows Estrella Spencer is notorious for her ruthless and cruel ways. She's done countless terrible things. How could she possibly just hand over the antidote? Ha! Pretty face, but a heart as poisonous as a viper's."

Scarlett stayed calm, unaffected by their jeers.

She understood her status protected her, so killing her wasn't an option.

Being a Spencer gave her leverage-they needed her alive for the secrets she held.

Shane didn't bother arguing with her. Her confident attitude didn't faze him.

Instead, he gave a subtle signal to his team.

Moments later, one of his men stepped forward carrying a sleek silver briefcase.

The moment Scarlett saw it, her gaze sharpened. She instantly recognized what was inside.

"Captain, why didn't we think of this before?" one man exclaimed. "The drug she used on our men is here. If we inject her with it, she'll spill everything."

Scarlett couldn't help but admire Shane's cunning. Knowing she wouldn't cooperate, he was ready to turn her own tactics against her.

Shane was confident that once she felt the drug coursing through her veins, she would have no choice but to confess.

Her arm was pinned firmly, giving her no chance to resist.

The needle slid into her skin, drawing a thin line of blood before the cold liquid was injected into her veins.

She winced from the pain, her eyes shutting tight as a sharp hiss escaped her lips.

Meanwhile, Shane's eyes narrowed, his stare razor-sharp and merciless.

"What did you inject into them? And where's the antidote?" Shane repeated his demand coldly.

His eyes were cold and hard, showing no kindness or softness as he stared at Scarlett. Only icy indifference was there.

"Curious, are you?" Scarlett held his stare firmly, unwavering. "Too bad, I won't say a word."

Every attempt to break her only strengthened her silence and resolve.

"Stubborn-definitely stubborn," Shane thought.

But as a prisoner, she was at their mercy. Even if they didn't kill her, they had many ways to break her until she gave up the truth.

Still, there were bigger things to handle right now.

Shane commanded, stepping aside, "Take care of her injuries."

Scarlett frowned, wondering why he gave that order.

"Captain?" one man asked, confused.

Albin stepped forward fast, putting down a medical kit and looking at Scarlett carefully. After checking her wound, he reported to Shane, "It's a perforating wound-the shot passed dangerously near her heart. If we don't act fast, she could get worse."

Scarlett pressed her hand hard against the bleeding wound. Her chest rose and fell weakly, each breath shallow and uneven.

Shane absorbed the grim scene quietly.

Without urgent care, she wouldn't last much longer.

"Hold on," Albin said with focused concern.

Scarlett's situation was serious. If the bullet was half an inch closer, it would have hit her heart.

Albin gave her a medicine to stop the bleeding and wrapped the wound quickly. This wasn't a hospital, and they didn't have much. For now, he could only keep her alive.

Scarlett grimaced as the pain stabbed her chest, making it hard to breathe. She looked at Albin, who was kneeling before her, a small, defiant smile on her lips.

"Don't you Shupbert people have anything better to do?" she said, mocking them.

A bitter laugh escaped her as she took in the irony. They had shot her, and now they were trying to save her. They ruined her mission and almost killed her.

If she wasn't injured, she would have gladly beaten them up.

Leaning against the wall, Scarlett gave a hollow, cold laugh. Her pale lips curled into a sneer, but beneath the sarcasm, Shane heard the despair of someone trapped. Still, his face stayed cold and unreadable.

The shot they gave her earlier still hadn't worked, even after all this time.

Shane's eyes grew darker, full of many emotions as he looked at her.

Suddenly, he barked, "Bring her down!" His voice was sharp and authoritative.

The broken-down ruins of Faulas, an old city with falling buildings, hid secrets beneath them.

Fires burned far away as Scarlett was pulled along, her captors guiding her down.

Just like Shane expected, under the dilapidated buildings was a large underground experiment base.

What seemed like a broken concrete slab was actually an elevator, hidden skillfully under gray cement to blend in completely.

The elevator doors closed smoothly, cutting off the last golden rays of sunlight from Scarlett's sight.

They dropped quickly into a cold, vast underground space. Farther in, tall, strong glass doors stood in their way.

Suddenly, as soon as they entered, gunshots exploded.

Bullets zipped through the air, aimed right at them.

The shooters didn't care that Scarlett was there. They wanted blood, their eyes fierce and filled with rage.

Scarlett glanced sideways, catching a quick look at Albin's face. The flash from the bullets flickered in his eyes.

"Watch out!" Scarlett shouted, grabbing Albin's arm and pulling him close in a flash. A bullet smashed the glass behind them with a loud crash.

Pieces of glass fell all around, the noise sharp and ringing.

In the middle of the chaos, Shane fired back at the attackers but still managed to look over at Scarlett to check she was safe.

His eyes stayed cold as always.

For a moment, their eyes met.

And in that short second, Scarlett noticed something in his expression she hadn't seen before.

Against deadly enemies, he revealed a side of himself she never expected.

Quick and sharp, he ordered his team to take over the base. Even those hiding, ready to fight back, were shot down.

Scarlett couldn't help but realize how incredibly strong the Shupbert special forces were.

"Are you alright?" Albin asked quickly once the danger was over. He couldn't believe Scarlett had put herself at risk to save him.

When she had pulled him out of danger so suddenly, her wound had torn open again. Blood was now seeping through the bandages on her chest, painting a scary and vivid picture.

"You..." Albin got flustered.

Scarlett rested against the wall, fighting for air.

Blood trickled into her throat, the bitter taste strong, but she swallowed hard anyway.

She understood that they hadn't just come to secure the antidote for their companions. The real objective was to secure the master key from Faulas' lab.

That key held proof of everything at the Faulas labs-drug projects, names of global partners, secret deals, and a lot more.

In the Hopolis war zone, where tensions between Shupbert and Yuphia were nearing a boiling point, this key was the most valuable weapon they could secure.

The war had gone on for decades. Ending it wasn't simple, but diplomatic talks could finally begin-if they had undeniable proof of Vertex Worldwide's crimes on a global scale.

That was the only way Yuphia could justify stepping in and exposing Vertex Worldwide's dark operations on the world stage.

Then the terminal beeped.

"Access granted! Beginning key data transfer..."

Scarlett's head turned toward the mechanical voice.

On the large screen in the lab, endless lines of code flashed quickly.

Scarlett wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but it looked like Shane, standing at the control station, gave her a quick, cautious look.

She assumed that he was worried she might try something to stop the upload.

It made sense-if this key ended up in enemy hands, Vertex Worldwide could crumble. So it was only natural that he thought she was going to sabotage it.

The lab was quiet now-too quiet. Only the bitter smell of smoke and gunpowder lingered in the air.

A clock on the wall ticked steadily, the minute hand creeping closer to five.

Each tick echoed through the lab like a countdown.

Scarlett looked away, her bloodied fingers tapping softly on her thigh, as if silently counting down.

Cold sweat ran down her forehead from the burning pain in her chest. Her hair clung to her sticky skin, messy strands plastered to her face.

Just behind her ear, hidden under her hair, a small blue light blinked faintly.

It was quick, nearly invisible.

Under the watchful eyes of the nearby special forces guys on patrol, Scarlett slipped a tiny device from her sleeve and sent it rolling to the bottom of the main control panel.

Then, without warning, the sharp blare of alarms filled the air.

Sirens screamed from every direction, warning that the whole underground lab was about to start its self-destruct process, ending in a massive explosion.

But the upload wasn't complete yet-they still needed more time to finish transferring the key data.

"Was this your plan? I knew you were trouble!" Brent Ward, the man she had stabbed earlier, stormed toward her, rage written all over his face. "Captain, she's going to get us all killed!"

Shane turned and stared at Scarlett, his eyes sharp.

Wincing through the pain, Scarlett steadied herself against the wall and looked directly at him.

"Once that key hits the deep decrypt phase, this place blows. Not my fault," she said.

The alarm had been triggered by how far they had gotten in unlocking the key.

It had nothing to do with her.

Brent narrowed his eyes. "You expect us to believe that?"

"Captain, she's right! The alarm's triggered by the system's built-in anti-theft safeguard."

"Then keep going," Shane ordered coldly.

"Got it!" Time was running out. They had minutes, maybe seconds, to finish the upload and get out alive.

Suddenly, a panicked voice called out. "Captain! Over here-there's something you need to see!"

One of the soldiers had stumbled upon something. In a section of the lab, they opened a hidden door.

Inside was a room colder than the rest, lit with sterile white light. Dozens of glass tanks lined the walls, each connected to a network of tubes and wires.

And inside those tanks were people. Or rather what was left of them.

It was clear from the pallor of their skin and the stillness of their forms that they had been dead for a long time.