“Where are you?” Litchi’s voice suddenly sharpened with alertness, though she didn’t sound panicked at all.
“I’m near Victory Building in North City. The guy who attacked me goes by Shadow Sting. I’ve taken care of him already. Mind sending someone to triangulate my phone’s location and clean up the body?”
“Okay.”
“Also, send me Xu Wanyue’s address. I’ll swing by and check if that woman’s been targeted.”
After all, Lin Cheng and Xu Wanyue had taken out Qin Huan together that day. Though he vaguely felt it was odd for Black Beast to catch on so quickly and come after him first, stopping by her place couldn’t hurt.
“Got it. After tonight, not a single Black Beast will be left breathing.”
Litchi’s voice on the other end turned ice-cold in an instant. Lin Cheng fell silent for a moment. “Don’t hurt any innocents.”
“Mm. Okay.”
Lin Cheng hung up and let out a helpless sigh. He reached up and rubbed his head.
The new brain he’d just grown felt a little itchy.
Lin Cheng must have called Xu Wanyue at least five times on the way, but she didn’t pick up once.
By the time he got out of the car, he was sprinting toward her place at top speed. He reached her apartment door and started pounding on it loudly while shouting her name. After about thirty seconds or so, the door finally creaked open. There stood Xu Wanyue, dressed in a white nightgown.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Lin Cheng shot her an irritated look.
Xu Wanyue opened her mouth to respond, but then she noticed the urgency etched on his face. Her tone softened at once, and she muttered quietly, “I was… sleeping earlier. Had my phone on Do Not Disturb.”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” She eyed him cautiously.
Only then did Lin Cheng realize his tone had come off a bit harsh. He hesitated before answering, “Something came up. I got attacked. Just checking if anyone went after you.”
Xu Wanyue blinked in surprise and ushered him inside.
“I got jumped by an assassin from Black Beast Organization called Shadow Sting. Just dealt with him. You run into anything like that here?”
Xu Wanyue shook her head.
Lin Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I’ll stick around tonight to keep an eye on things.”
“Mm… thanks.” Xu Wanyue nodded lightly and headed toward the water dispenser. “Let me get you a glass of water…”
Lin Cheng’s gaze drifted to the sofa, where he spotted a small plastic toy shaped like a bird. His eyes flicked back to Xu Wanyue. She was wearing a white spaghetti-strap nightgown—unlike Litchi’s cute and innocent one, hers was loose and revealing. The thin straps left her smooth, snowy shoulders bare, and the hem barely reached mid-thigh, blending purity with a subtle allure.
Lin Cheng sank onto the sofa and casually picked up the plastic toy for a closer look. As he glanced up, his eyes locked with Xu Wanyue’s—she was pouring his water.
They stared at each other for three solid seconds.
“So, you were really just sleeping, huh?” Lin Cheng asked innocently.
Xu Wanyue slapped her hands over her face and didn’t utter a word for a full ten seconds. Then she lunged at him, snatching the toy from his hand and stuffing it behind her back. Her cheeks burned red, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. “You… you didn’t see anything.”
“I did.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“…Fine, I didn’t.” Lin Cheng nodded helplessly. Xu Wanyue scurried off to her bedroom with the little toy clutched tight. When she returned, he was still watching her with an odd look.
“Why are you wearing white silk stockings at home?”
Beneath the hem of her nightgown, white lace-topped knee-highs hugged her pale thighs snugly. Xu Wanyue clasped her hands behind her back. “Because they feel so good… all wrapped up tight like that. You guys wouldn’t get it.”
“…” Lin Cheng was speechless. Xu Wanyue sidled up beside him and flicked on the TV, acting like nothing had happened. After a while, she poked his shoulder tentatively, her voice timid yet striving for calm. “How do you even know about stuff like that?”
“I know even more you probably haven’t heard of.” Lin Cheng’s mouth twitched.
“You’re kinda scary.” Xu Wanyue patted her chest, then suddenly remembered something. She ducked her head slightly—the nightgown was a bit sheer, and the white fabric of the hem stood out starkly against her skin. Her body trembled, and without another word, she bolted back to her room.
Lin Cheng watched her door click shut, his gaze shifting back to the sofa. That’s when he noticed her white lace bra and a pair of sheer, transparent panties lying there… The mood turned awkward in a heartbeat.
This girl’s lingerie taste is seriously spicy.
It took Xu Wanyue a good while to emerge from her room. She was still in the spaghetti-strap nightgown, white silk stockings and all, but now there was clearly a binder beneath the chest fabric. And below her waist… well, it was vaguely discernible.
Lin Cheng looked away. Xu Wanyue sat down beside him and subtly pulled a blanket over to cover the underwear on the sofa. Feeling guilty, she changed the subject. “So, what happened with the attack?”
“It was an assassin from Black Beast. I figured they’d wait a couple days and go to war with us right under the Alliance’s nose. Didn’t expect them to strike first.”
“Did you get hurt?”
Lin Cheng thought back to his head exploding like a shattered watermelon. He shook his head. “Nah, no injuries. Just caught me off guard a bit.”
“Good, that’s good.” Xu Wanyue murmured softly. “So, what do we do next?”
Lin Cheng glanced out the window at the fireworks blooming amid the downpour.
“Litchi will handle it.”
Rain was falling over A City.
Which made the sudden fireworks all the more bizarre.
These weren’t ordinary fireworks. Silver bursts flickered endlessly across the night sky, lending an eerie sense of desolation to the rainy darkness.
On a highway, a taxi pulled over to the roadside. The driver gave his front-seat passenger an affable smile tinged with apology. “Sorry, something came up. You’ll have to get out here.”
The passenger’s face twisted in displeasure, but the next instant, a handgun was pressed to his temple. Without a sound, he stepped out of the car.
In a mall, a clown-costumed staffer twisting balloons had his phone buzzing in his pocket with a looping ringtone. He hurriedly finished the balloon in his hands, pulled out the phone, and dashed outside. He looked up at the silver fireworks filling the sky.
In a hotel room, a man lounging on the bed while waiting for his date to finish showering stared at his vibrating phone and the fireworks outside. He gave a wry smile, threw on his clothes, and left the hotel without a word to her.
They all ventured into the rain, heading toward the source of the fireworks. Similar scenes were unfolding across the city.
Alliance Headquarters.
“Fireworks?”
“That’s Silver Wing’s summon order.” An intelligence officer wearing headphones stared gravely at the fireworks on the video feed. “Calling in all A-Rank and above Adjudicators. 【Futian】 and 【Solar Corona】… report to headquarters. Something big’s going down tonight.”
In a standalone villa.
Lu Xiaoxiao cradled a wine glass by the window. Spotting the fireworks in the sky, she was taken aback. When she reached the living room, her mother was already out in the Garden, gazing intently at the dazzling display, lost in thought.
“Silver Wing’s summon order?” Lu Xiaoxiao had heard vague mentions of it.
“Yes.” Lu Lingling nodded and turned to her.
“What’s going on?” Lu Xiaoxiao frowned slightly.
As an A-Rank herself, she’d received the Alliance’s summon order too. But unlike the others, she had the option to ignore it—she was still on suspension. A strange smile played on Lu Lingling’s lips.
“Black Beast poked the bear they shouldn’t have.”
“The bear they shouldn’t have… who?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Lu Lingling’s smile turned a touch sinister.
“Crave his power… and you’ll pay the price.”
North City.
The fireworks had ended.
Litchi was now clad in a black uniform that hugged her slender frame completely. Standing beside her was the tall, striking woman known as Grape.
Grape wore the same black uniform, her silver hair tied back in a ponytail.
The outfit left only her fair, delicate face exposed—skin like polished snow, features as exquisite as a gallery doll. A few silver strands framed her cheeks. She toyed idly with the dagger in her hand as she waited with Litchi for the growing crowd arriving at the plaza.
“I can handle it alone.” Grape’s voice was crisp and cold.
Beyond her tone, her expression radiated an extreme chill, as if she were this way with everyone. An icy aura emanated from her. Litchi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “But he doesn’t want you killing anymore. Be good.”
Grape’s face remained impassive as she stared ahead coolly. “He hasn’t come to see me once this whole time.”
“He’s scared of you. Sure, he’s tough in your eyes, but really, he’s like a little mouse—if you get too close, he bolts in fright.” Litchi spoke softly. Grape fell silent for a moment but said nothing.
With Litchi’s abilities shielding them, not a drop of rain touched the pair. An hour had passed since the fireworks. Now, twenty-four people stood before them—men and women alike, all in black uniforms and silver masks. The moment Grape’s gaze swept over them, they dropped to one knee in unison, awaiting orders.
“Kill everyone in Black Beast Organization.”
“Not a single one left.” Grape emphasized again, her voice finally laced with emotion.
It was anger.
Those kneeling in the plaza couldn’t help feeling a flicker of surprise. Yue Sha had always been aloof and proud, but who’d ever heard anger in her tone before?
What in the world could make her angry?
