Old Acquaintances

Luo You never imagined that waiting for this family’s son would lead to a whole mob showing up.

She’d planned to deal with just the three of them, sending them to the afterlife together.

Guess stupid people have stupid luck? she thought.

With this crowd, the family had dodged a bullet.

“Young lady, so young and already so vicious! You say this is your house? Where’s the proof?”

“We’ve lived here almost ten years! A kid like you, barely grown, claims it’s yours?”

“Where’d you come from? You’re not leaving till you explain!”

“Yeah! You’re not going anywhere without clearing this up!”

The commotion drew out the neighbors, who gathered to gawk, tossing in their own gossip, making the chaotic scene even messier.

Facing a barrage of accusations from this mob of shameless uncles, aunties, and tough young guys, Luo You’s brows twitched repeatedly.

[Why not just make them all drop dead? Worst case, I find Xue another place to stay.]

The thought crossed her mind, and it didn’t seem half bad.

“Everyone, quiet down!”

A young man, about twenty, pushed through the crowd.

Plain-looking, with a greasy vibe—he was the son of the squatting family.

He glanced at Luo You, his eyes flickering with a stunned glint.

He’d never seen such a cute, stunning girl before.

“What?” Luo You raised an eyebrow.

“…You say this is your house. Where’s the deed?”

“You’ll leave if I show it?”

“If it’s legit.”

“Let’s see, then.”

Luo You took Xue downstairs.

The woman, still fuming, tried to chase after her with her posse, but her son stopped her.

“Bu Tian, why’re you holding me back?!”

“Mom, yelling won’t fix this. If she’s got a real deed, we’ll have to move out! Even the cops will side with her!”

“Let her try! If she pulls out a deed, I’ll tear it up! Cops won’t make us leave!”

The woman’s hair was a mess, her eyes wild, her face sallow, her expression teetering on unhinged.

Bu Tian, the son, spoke earnestly, “Mom, that’s such a low-class move. We gotta be smarter!”

“Oh, you’re all grown up now, huh? Think your parents are low-class?”

“No, Mom, listen.”

Bu Tian sat her down on a bench, pointing to himself.

“Look, your son’s not bad-looking, right? That girl’s exactly my type. You gotta give me a chance!”

“You? You think you can?” The woman eyed him skeptically.

“She’s, what, sixteen tops? Girls that age are in their prime—easy to win over. Watch me take her and the house! In a couple years, she’ll give you a chubby grandson!”

At that, the woman’s arrogant scowl melted into a delighted grin.

Take the girl and the house, plus a grandson? A multi-win deal! Now that’s smart!

“So, Mom, you gotta chill. Keep making a scene, and even if I could win her over, I won’t!”

“Oh, oh, got it. What’s next?”

The woman quieted down, hanging on her son’s every word.

“Mom, listen. When she comes back with the deed, we play nice, string her along…”

“String… what?”

“Ugh, keep her hanging! Act like we’re compromising, negotiate, give me a chance to get her alone. Drag it out for a year or two, and I’ll have her!”

Bu Tian smirked, already plotting the next steps.

First, he’d scope out her family situation.

If she was old enough, he’d try to hook up within a week—quick and efficient!

Luo You went downstairs to her car and pulled out a box that blocked radio signals.

“What’s in there?”

“Satellite phone.”

When she dealt with Bull Man, she’d swiped a satellite phone used by rogue organization members—top-notch security.

“Xue, I’m stepping out. Stay here.”

Luo You transformed in a bathroom, then moved to a discreet spot and dialed a number.

Beep—beep—beep—

It rang for a while before connecting.

“Yue, that you?”

“Who’s this… wait, Elera?”

The voice on the other end was neutral, neither male nor female, starting with a hint of surprise before settling into calm.

“Yup, it’s me, it’s me! Been a while, huh?”

“A traitor like you dares contact me? Want to get taken down?”

“Haha, you’re joking again. Even if you wanted to, you’d need the strength to do it.”

Using the sweetest tone to say the most infuriating things, after a pause, Yue sighed helplessly, “You coming back?”

“Just calling to check on an old friend. That okay?”

“Your words wouldn’t fool a dog. You didn’t even call me… Never mind. What’s up?”

“In our old office, behind my computer, there’s a string of numbers on the wall. Can you check it for me? Been too long, I forgot.”

“…Some account password?”

“Yup, exactly.”

Soon, the numbers came through—32 characters, a mix of letters, digits, and symbols, impossible to memorize.

Yue asked again, “You really not coming back? I’m the leader of the rogue organization now. I can arrange everything, no one will come after you.”

“Mm… nah.”

Luo You declined.

The world wasn’t split between the rogue organization and the Magical Alliance anymore.

Going back held no meaning.

Plus, she’d have to abandon Zining—she’d have to choose one side.

And most importantly!

If she went back, her position would make hunting magical girls impossible!

“Tch!”

“You just clicked your tongue, didn’t you?”

“Guess why?” Yue snapped, annoyed.

“I helped you out today. Return the favor.”

“Hanging~ up~ now~”

“The human government’s getting more suspicious of us. Honestly, your defection’s getting hard to hide. I need you to show up at the right time, give them a scare.”

“…Fine. When?”

Luo You thought for two seconds and agreed.

No choice—her old contacts were few, and Yue was her only friend.

The rest were just bitter enemies.

Not helping a friend would be indefensible.

“Six days from now, we’ve got a deal at the Realm Sea with other factions. But we’ve got intel that the Magical Alliance and the UN’s ‘Realm Sea Special Ops’ will crash it. Handle it however you like.”

“At the Realm Sea, huh.” Luo You frowned.

She wasn’t thrilled.

The Realm Sea was too unpredictable—anything could happen, and it wasn’t 100% safe.

“Just near the Realm Gate,” Yue clarified.

“You’re still hunting magical girls, right? One of their Ten Seats might lead the team, so…”

“This job’s mine!”