The Failed Negotiation.


    Seraphina''s face paled as she realized the gravity of the situation.


    Finished


    The man she held captive was clearly not a key yer; otherwise, they wouldn''t be so indifferent to his


    fate.


    In an instant, she could sense the cold, lethal intent in the movements of the men across from her. They were ready to kill without hesitation.


    With a quick nce, she noticed arge rock about a few dozen meters to her left-a potential cover if things turned ugly.


    If a fight broke out, the gun in her hand had only a few bullets left. Her chances of survival were minimal due to the overwhelming number of opponents.


    How long could she possibly hold out?


    No matter how she looked at it, she was at aplete disadvantage.


    Wait!


    She took a deep breath and attempted to negotiate with the pirates..


    ""Let''s talk."


    The pirate leader was enraged. His vicious eyes showed no room for negotiation.


    His cold, menacing gaze sent a chill down her spine.


    Seraphina pressed on, "Name your terms. The ne I was on crashed, and we ended up here by ident. We have no real conflicts of interest. Let us go, and you can name your price." The man sneered at her in disdain. His face was twisted with anger and contempt.


    "Name my price? How much do you think you''re worth?


    Seraphina was about to respond. The man she had subdued on the ground suddenly broke free. He lunged at Seraphina with a fist.


    She was forced to step back, so she took the opportunity to kick Kaveh behind a nearby rock.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Why are you wasting time? Are you really going to let a woman humiliate you? Shoot her!"manded a shorter, slimmer pirate.


    No sooner had he spoken than gunfire erupted, and Seraphina reacted instantly.


    She dropped low and darted behind a smaller rock.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    Bullets flew toward her! The sharp sound was piercing


    The sound of bullets ricocheting off the rocks. The whizzing of stray rounds barely missed her-her blood


    The Failed Negotiation.


    Death was so close.


    Finished


    The relentless gunfire and the howling sea wind-the situation had spiraled beyond control, with every passing second more perilous than thest. Kaveh saw her fall into a daze. He shouted in horror, "Seraphina-stay hidden!"


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The gunfire was relentless.


    The oppressive onught felt like a slow, torturous death, with each passing moment dragging her closer to despair.


    Seraphina closed her eyes briefly. She took a deep breath before raising her gun.


    It didn''t matter anymore-if she had to die, she would make it count.


    Suddenly, she twisted around and fired from behind the rock.


    "Bang-


    She was certain that her shot had hit one of the pirates in the shoulder.


    She didn''t kill because she was different from them-more restrained yet still defiant!


    After all, she had received professional shooting training.


    Her retaliation only fueled their rage, resulting in an even more intense barrage of bullets.


    Bullets rained down on her, relentless and deadly.


    She couldn''t afford to waste her ammunition.


    How long could she hold out? One minute, maybe two?


    Her life was about to end.


    Kaveh, meanwhile, was cursing in everynguage he knew, drawing their fire away from her. Seraphina''s lips turned pale. She let out a smile and pulled the trigger without hesitation! "Bang-


    A sharp scream of pain followed.


    Her second shot struck a pirate in the leg just as he was about to leap over:


    Their fury was like a storm, scattering them as they closed in from all sides.


    There was no escape. Seraphina knew it. What awaited them was a dead end. 434