The General's Mask

Found- The first Clash

Hello again! 🤠 Hope you like this chapter🥹(still messy thought)

Thank you for reading!

Gado - Chameleon elite member with big human sized spiked metal bat as a weapon

The woody and sea scent of crates and rope hung heavy in the air. Hua Heng, pressed tight against the stacked cargo boxes on the ship’s main deck, felt the rough wood dig into her back.  Her heart hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs, but her expression remained carefully neutral.  She’d been discovered.

"Uh oh ..... Quick,self! Let's think an alibi!"she cheered herself

Gado’s heavy boots echoed on the wooden planks, his shadow stretching long and ominous in the dim light.  A hulking figure, easily six foot four, he was a terrifying sight: broad shoulders, a torso that seemed to bulge with raw muscle, a thick neck scarred from jawline to throat, patchy beard stubble accentuating a harsh jaw.  One eye twitched slightly as he scanned the area; a creepily unnerving detail.  He looked every bit the brutal mercenary Hua Heng had envisioned.

“Who’s there?” Gado’s voice boomed, cutting through the silence.

Hua Heng didn’t hesitate. 

"Here it goes…..."

She stepped out from the shadows, affecting a look of startled innocence. Her hands fluttered nervously as she adjusted her already-unruffled clothes.  It was a risk, playing the damsel in distress, but it bought her time. She is lucky she reverts back to wearing a hanfu.

“Oh!” she gasped, her voice soft and high-pitched, a stark contrast to her usual commanding tone.

“I… I seem to be lost.”

"Pfft! Ehem!"

"Shut it,Meimei"

Gado’s gaze raked over her, taking in her appearance with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. 

"Don't tell me this one is a Balto Hakkin's version 2?! Another pervert?"Hua Heng complains

She was clearly skeptical.  Even though her heart pounded in her chest , her outward appearance was calm and composed.  Mentally, she cursed Wen Ping for the delay, for not arriving to support her as planned.

“Lost?” Gado raised a skeptical eyebrow, his gaze lingering a little too long on her face. 

“You’re in between the cargos of the  ship, my lady.  Not exactly a place for a stroll.”  He paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Though," he admitted, "you're undeniably… beautiful.  No man could fail to be captivated."

"What are you doing here? "

Hua Heng’s inner thoughts seethed. Beautiful?  This brute appreciates beauty?  How convenient! A pervert who can praise eh . She decided to push her luck.

“I… I was waiting for my lover,” she stammered, feigning confusion.

“He… he was supposed to meet me here.”  She bit her lip, affecting a look of genuine distress.

Gado didn't flinch. His eyes, sharp and perceptive, narrowed further. Hakkin's description—two disguised generals posing as women—echoed in his mind. He'd seen enough battles to know that a damsel's facade could easily conceal a deadly weapon.

He was almost got fooled though he killed the woman who is trying to assassinate him.

"Your lover, huh?" Gado chuckled, a harsh, throaty sound. "An interesting tale. But my instincts rarely fail me. Tell me, are you one of the two we've been hunting?"he didn't make a second thought and blurted his intention