At Parker’s command, everyone sprang into motion again. Several assault boats were quickly launched. Within moments, they began pursuing Wendy through the winding flooded streets.

This time, he and Chester personally joined the chase.

The boats sped through twisting waterways, following closely behind Wendy. But every single time they almost caught up, something would happen.

A narrow turn.

A floating obstruction.

A collapsed structure blocking part of the route.

Again and again, they were forced to slow down while Wendy somehow continued pulling ahead.

The distance between them kept widening and shrinking in an infuriating cycle.

"Damn it!"

Parker rarely lost his temper like this.

After several failed attempts to close the gap, even Chester became certain something was wrong.

"Parker," he said grimly, "there’s something strange about this woman. This whole thing is too bizarre."

Honestly, Parker had already realized it himself. It almost felt as if luck itself was protecting Wendy.

Her fortune was outrageous.

Chester pieced together the previous incidents with everything that had just happened and finally tried to warn him.

"...I know."

Parker had clearly listened, but he still had no intention of letting Wendy go.

They had already chased her this far. There was no way he would return empty handed now. Especially after the promises he had made to Vanessa.

How was he supposed to explain himself?

"Keep chasing her," Parker snapped coldly. "I refuse to believe she can stay lucky forever."

Their boats surged forward once more, relentlessly closing in on Wendy. Once their boats accelerated, the noise grew much louder.

At last, Wendy realized someone was chasing her. She turned around for a quick glance and nearly died of fright.

Behind her, several assault boats packed with men were speeding through the water, all of them staring directly at her with vicious looks in their eyes.

"System, what do I do?!" Wendy screamed inwardly.

[Speed up.]

The system’s calm response steadied her nerves slightly.

Without hesitation, Wendy pushed the throttle harder, sending her assault boat surging forward in an attempt to shake off Parker and the others behind her.

The moment he saw her speeding away, his group accelerated as well. The boats tore through the narrow waterways in a frantic chase.

But once again, Parker underestimated Wendy’s absurd luck.

As Wendy rounded a sharp corner, her boat slipped through without issue.

The second Parker’s boat reached the same spot, a massive billboard suddenly came crashing down from above.

Boom!

It slammed directly into their boat and overturned it instantly.

Everything spun violently.

By the time the men regained their senses, they had already been thrown into the filthy floodwater.

Parker felt countless curses explode through his head.

Could people really be this unlucky?

Meanwhile, Chester felt an eerie sense of confirmation settle inside him.

His suspicions had been right all along. There was definitely something wrong with this woman. Her luck was completely unnatural.

The men struggled desperately back toward the overturned assault boat. Some moved slower than others and remained trapped in the water.

Then suddenly—

"AHHH!"

A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air.

Parker snapped his head around and saw one of his men thrashing wildly in the water.

"My leg! Something’s biting me! Get it off! Ahhh, get away!"

After only a few frantic struggles, the man’s eyes rolled back. Then he vanished beneath the dark water. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Everyone watching broke into cold sweat instantly.

The men still in the water panicked and scrambled desperately toward the boat... Because there was something down there.

Soon, more screams followed. The reactions were exactly the same.

First the shrieking. Then frantic splashing. Then their eyes rolled back before they disappeared beneath the surface forever.

The surviving men who managed to climb back aboard felt their scalps go numb with terror.

They had to retreat.

Then Parker discovered something even worse––their boat was damaged too.

"Parker...this..."

"Shut up! Figure out a way back!"

At this point, Parker understood everything. There was definitely something wrong with Wendy. As long as they opposed her, disaster followed.

At first, he had doubted Chester’s suspicions. Now he believed them completely.

They had not even managed to touch Wendy yet, and already more of his men had died.

Without hesitation, Parker decided to withdraw. One of his greatest strengths was knowing when to cut his losses.

If Wendy were this dangerous, then fine. They simply would not mess with her anymore. In fact, from now on, they would avoid her entirely. Otherwise, who knew what kind of terrible luck might strike them next?

Chester shared the exact same thoughts. In his opinion, retreating was absolutely the right decision.

The group returned to Starlight Towers in miserable silence.

Since their boat had been damaged, the trip back took far longer than expected.

As soon as they arrived, Vanessa hurried over to greet them. But when she realized Wendy was nowhere to be seen, her expression shifted instantly.

She held herself back for a few seconds before finally blurting out,

"Parker...where is she? You didn’t catch her?"

The man let out a long sigh and nodded before recounting everything that had just happened.

As Vanessa listened, her expression shifted repeatedly, and the hatred in her heart toward Wendy only deepened.

How could someone’s luck possibly be this good?

Parker reached out and pulled her gently into his arms.

"Maybe we should just let this go," he said softly. "That woman isn’t easy to deal with. Continuing to clash with her will only bring trouble."

The moment Vanessa heard that, she understood. He was giving up on going after Wendy.

Bitterness surged through her instantly.

But Vanessa had not forgotten the image she carefully maintained. Lowering her eyes, she quietly adjusted her emotions. When she looked up again, she had returned to being the gentle, considerate woman everyone knew.

"It’s alright," she said softly, her voice smooth as water. "You’re right. That woman is strange. There’s no point fighting her head-on. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."

Seeing how understanding she was, Parker’s heart softened. He pulled her closer against his chest.

"I’m glad you understand," he murmured. "Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten about those two brothers. It’s just...now isn’t the right time."

Vanessa obediently nodded against his chest without saying another word.

But deep inside her eyes, darkness churned violently. If even Parker could not be relied on, then she would have to depend on herself.

No matter what, she would avenge this hatred.

As for Parker’s talk about Wendy being "strange" or "cursed," Vanessa thought it was complete nonsense.

Nothing but excuses.

Quietly, she began planning her own revenge.

Meanwhile, Wendy was still searching for Suzy.

After confirming she had finally shaken off Parker and the others, she let out a relieved breath, overflowing with delight.

"System, was that you helping me just now?" Wendy asked excitedly.

[Yes.]

"You’re amazing!" Wendy laughed happily. "This is great!"

The more she thought about it, the more exhilarated she became.

Now that she had such a powerful system bound to her, wouldn’t she become unstoppable in the future?

At that point, crushing Suzy beneath her feet would be effortless.

[As long as the host is willing to help this system level up, this system will become even stronger in the future and provide the host with greater assistance.]

The moment Wendy heard that, her excitement grew even stronger.