Paid To Care, Destined To Conquer Novel

Chapter 468 Joey's Comeback Five days later. Stella lounged on the horizontal bar, eyes closed, basking in the sun. Next to her, Lucas sipped his milk, swinging his tiny feet, while the peregrine falcon perched on his head was chilling out, sunning its belly in the exact same relaxed pose. Chirp, chirp, chirp. This is peak bird life. When Roy showed up with his team, this was the scene that greeted them. He frowned, looking annoyed. "Wake up," Roy said, giving the bar a kick with his boot. "The week's up." Stella's long lashes fluttered as she lazily opened her eyes, turning her head.

"Kick it one more time, and I'll chop your foot off." She narrowed her eyes dangerously, her gaze icy. Roy was at a loss for words. The soldiers behind him, with Noe leading the charge, lunged forward, but Roy shot out his hand to hold them back. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Stella withdrew her gaze, swung herself off the bar in one smooth motion, then reached up to scoop the well- behaved Lucas into her arms. He slurped it up in one quick motion. Lucas sucked on his straw, tilting his head back to stare up at the towering veterans in front of him.

He was the picture of innocent cuteness. The veterans stiffened, all their tough-guy attitude melting away as they forced awkward smiles for the adorable kid. Lucas flashed his big eyes. Lucas stayed silent. Lucas thought to himself. "Go get Joey," Stella drawled, letting the peregrine falcon take off. The little gray Eggie did a quick loop around her head, then blasted off toward the indoor training field like a mini rocket. The veterans looked genuinely shocked at the scene. Stella, on the other hand, stayed cool as ever, hands stuffed in her pockets, giving Roy's crew a blank look.

Then she looked away. By now, people were crowded all around the training field. The week-long bet had spread throughout the base from day one, and now that the week was up, it was time to see the results. Word had gotten around, so anyone without training duty had come over to watch the show. That even included the new recruits who'd been thoroughly beaten down by Noe and his crew not long ago. Joey came over in no time. Big Ben followed at his side, the peregrine falcon perched proudly on his head. Joey ignored everyone else and headed straight for Stella. "Ms.

Carter!" His voice was firm and unwavering. Stella gave a lazy hum in response. 1/4 Successfully unlocked! Chapter 468 Joey's Comeback Roy and the guys behind him, led by Noe, were stunned. In just a week, this rookie looked like he was a different person. Joey was rocking a short-sleeved combat uniform, his gaze razor-sharp and full of resolve. Even with his face still bruised and swollen, anyone with eyes could see that he was nothing like the guy he used to be. "Who's first?" Joey looked up, locking eyes with Noe. Gone was the whiny, beaten-down rookie from last week.

Noe was about to step forward, but Perry, oozing arrogance, blocked his way. "I'm up first!" Perry yanked down the zipper of his training jacket, shrugged off the outer layer, and tossed it aside, revealing arms bulging with muscle like twin mountains. He cracked his neck, his gut still throbbing from that sneak attack earlier, but none of that dulled the contempt in his eyes; he was itching to flatten Joey with a single punch. "Don't blame me if my fists are too much for you!" Perry sneered. Perry snorted with contempt. Everyone instinctively glanced at Joey.

They hadn't forgotten how he was a total disaster on his first day at the base, running around like a headless chicken. But now, his eyes were steady and full of resolve. Not even a hint of fear or hesitation showed on his face, no matter how much Perry tried to intimidate him or act all superior. Lucas just stood there, sipping his milk. Lucas finished his milk, looked left and right, then just shoved the empty bottle into Big Ben's pocket without a second thought. Lucas gave her a little poke. Stella glanced down to see the pale, squishy Lucas looking up at her.

"Stella, I'm hungry," Lucas announced. He said it with such a straight face. It was just too cute. "Yeah." Stella arched an eyebrow, giving Joey a lazy pat on the shoulder. "Finish it fast." Joey gave a firm nod, then strode over to stand right across from Perry. "Let's do this!" Joey challenged. He stuck out his hand and, with all the swagger of someone who'd practiced this move a thousand times in his dreams, gave Perry the finger, bold and unapologetic, It was like lighting a fuse; the new recruits exploded, the whole place buzzing with excitement.

Perry saw red, He balled up his fist and threw a punch straight at Joey's face. But in the blink of an eye, Joey dodged low with lightning speed, then copied Perry's ruthless move and slammed his fist right into Perry's gut. Thud! One punch was all it took. Suddenly, the whole crowd went silent; you could hear a pin drop. Roy had been standing there with his arms crossed, just wanting to get this over with, but now he snapped to attention, his brows furrowing in surprise.

The veterans behind him, who'd dismissed Joey as a nobody, were even more shocked, their eyes locked onto the two in the center of the field, stunned into silence. One second. Two seconds. 2/4 Chapter 468 Joey's Comeback Three seconds. Perry stayed frozen, his fist still hanging in the air, just inches from Joey's face. He was completely motionless. "Perry." Noe sensed something was off and stepped forward, putting a hand on Perry's shoulder. The next thing everyone heard was a heavy thud. Perry's huge body crashed to the ground. Turns out, he'd been out cold on his feet the whole time.

Everyone stood there, left speechless. The massive training field, packed with people, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Every single face was plastered with shock, as they'd just witnessed a miracle. Only Stella stayed perfectly chill, her delicate features untouched by all the shock around her. With one hand, she casually replied to messages on her phone, looking like she couldn't care less about the commotion. Upstairs, Hudson sat there sipping his tea, totally unfazed.

Murray, who'd been expecting something big, still couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath when he saw what happened. "One move! Sebastian, that was just one move!" Murray whipped his head around, practically shouting at Sebastian. Sebastian just gave a quiet hum, his usually icy expression softening a little as his gaze landed on Stella. "That progress is unbelievable!" Murray rambled. His excitement only made Sebastian, much younger, seem even calmer and more collected by comparison.

At the moment, Sebastian's attention was mostly on the document in his hands, a fax from the International Military Council that had just arrived. This time, Blaze was tossing out the usual simulated matches and going for actual combat, the real deal. A few weeks back, a tropical island nation near International Waters got slammed by an outbreak of Fever Syndrome. At first, it was just red, swollen, and ulcerated skin. Then your body started going numb and wasting away, moving sluggishly. Next came the high fever and diarrhea.

By the middle of it, your liver and kidneys were shot, your joints ached, and there were huge patches of bleeding under the skin. In the end, all the organs gave out, and people just died. The whole thing, from catching it to getting sick to dying, happened crazy fast. The whole process was over in just 72 hours. Right now, the International Military Council has the island locked down and under control. But the situation on the island was already looking pretty grim. Downstairs, "You," Roy was floored. 'It's only been seven days!' Roy thought.

'One move, this rookie actually knocked Perry out?' Roy was absolutely shocked. Joey didn't even bother looking at Roy. He fixed his determined gaze right on Noe. "You're up." Noe's lips tightened. He got to his feet. But really, the outcome was just what everyone expected. When Noe hit the ground hard at Roy's feet, sending up a cloud of dust, it was like everyone's eyeballs were about to roll right onto the floor; they were that stunned. 'Did he just win?' Everyone's brains short-circuited. 3/4 Chapter 468 Joey's Comeback 'That rookie actually won?' People were losing their minds.

'Only seven days?'they thought. In just one week, the rookie who used to be everyone's punching bag had just knocked out Perry and Noe one after another. "My God!" Joey yelled. He stared at his own hands, then at Perry and Noe, knocked out on the ground, his brain buzzing like crazy. 'I actually won!' Joey thought. 'No way... Am I actually won?' Joey thought, still totally stunned. "Oh," Stella replied with a lazy drawl, casually tossing her phone back into her pocket as she sauntered over to Roy.

As for Roy and his crew of veterans, all that tough-guy swagger was gone, their pride crushed to pieces. Subscribed 1 Likes Editorial Board Editorial Board Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.