No matter how she thrashed, the large hand remained utterly unmoved.
The middle-aged man, with a genial expression, looked at Aya Tone and the others who had passed the test.
“Congratulations,” he said, his gaze sweeping over them. “You have successfully joined our ranks.”
The nonchalance in his expression was chilling, inspiring a primal fear. It was as if he held not a dying person in his grasp, but merely a disobedient kitten.
No one dared to speak, each fearing they would be the next to face his wrath. Aya Tone, too, held his tongue, unsure if this brutal display might be another, more subtle test.
“You… you vermin!”
Hearing the fractured words from his captive, the middle-aged man furrowed his brow, his blood-red pupils fixing on her intently.
“It seems you know something,” he mused, his voice low. “No wonder you resisted the Enraging Toxin I unleashed.” His fingers tightened incrementally.
With her vital points threatened, Liu Yanyun’s face grew increasingly crimson, and her pupils began to dilate as her brain starved for oxygen.
The Enraging Toxin was a poison capable of controlling the nervous system. Yet, it was also a toxin with extremely stringent activation conditions, as simply circulating magic or any other energy within the body could naturally neutralize the poison.
It was at this critical moment that a voice broke the silence.
“Boss, wait!”
Everyone gasped, their heads snapping towards the source of the interruption. They were eager to see which fool was reckless enough to speak up at such a time.
The middle-aged man paused, his hand still, and turned his gaze to Aya Tone with a flicker of interest. Having been infected by his toxin, and thus completely subservient, Aya Tone’s standing had risen dramatically, making him effectively a trusted confidant. The man was curious to hear what this new confidant had to say.
Suddenly subjected to so many scrutinizing gazes, Aya Tone instinctively swallowed. Nevertheless, he pushed past his apprehension, pointing at the dying Liu Yanyun. “Boss,” he ventured, “how about you hand her over to me? Such a beauty, it’d be a shame for her to die. Instead…”
He chuckled suggestively, flashing a knowing grin that every man understood. The two young men who had also passed the test beside him stiffened, then a wave of regret washed over them. ‘Why hadn’t they thought of that? Liu Yanyun wasn’t bad-looking, and her figure was certainly appealing. If only they could have some fun with her… Heh heh. After all, once she was dead, no one would ever trace it back to them.’
They failed to notice that, having emerged from the black mist, the malice within their souls had been amplified infinitely. This was the insidious consequence of the Enraging Toxin invading their very essence.
“Oh? You know this woman?”
“No, I don’t.”
The blood-red eyes observed Aya Tone’s every movement, confirming he wasn’t lying. With a casual flick, he tossed Liu Yanyun towards him.
As the soft form of the woman landed in his arms, Aya Tone’s heart surged with delight.
“Thank you, Boss!”
‘With the hostage secured, he wouldn’t be so constrained anymore.’
Liu Yanyun felt as though she had just escaped the tiger’s maw only to fall into a den of wolves. The dizziness caused by the rush of blood to her head wouldn’t subside anytime soon, leaving her utterly vulnerable, a fish on a chopping block. ‘A wave of regret washed over her. Why had she acted alone, instead of waiting for her captain and the others?’
‘Hmm?’ Gazing at the motionless woman in his arms, Aya Tone felt a pang of confusion. He subtly pinched her with his fingers. ‘Big sister, move a little! I didn’t save you just for you to be dead weight.’
The search operation was too vast, so it had been entrusted to the municipal public security bureau. The codename for the operation was ‘Rat.’ It was only when he heard Liu Yanyun utter the word ‘rat’ that he confirmed she was one of them. ‘So, they were putting on a detective’s play, after all.’
Liu Yanyun felt the sharp pain at her waist, and a wave of despair washed over her. She closed her eyes in resignation, dreading what awaited her. ‘She dared not imagine what hell lay ahead.’
Seeing Liu Yanyun suddenly close her eyes and ‘faint,’ remaining unresponsive no matter how much he pinched her, Aya Tone’s head began to ache. ‘He hadn’t even gotten his hands on those demonic cores yet; he couldn’t afford to be exposed now! Damn it! With so many eyes on him, if he was going to die, then so be it. The person’s already fainted, what’s there to be afraid of?’
With that thought, he hardened his resolve and, right then and there, began to imitate a certain pervert.
“Heheheh, my little beauty, shhaaa.”
His hands wrapped tightly around Liu Yanyun’s shoulders, he leered, extending his tongue to viciously lick her face.
“Hahaha, the scent of lies!”
Still not satisfied, he prepared to thoroughly ‘appreciate’ her from top to bottom. His depraved antics made the others shake their heads in disgust. They had thought their own actions were wicked enough, but this newcomer had surpassed them all. Especially the girl who had been reduced to tears. The thought of having been so close to such a pervert sent shivers uncontrollably down her spine.
“Enough,” the man on the platform interjected, raising a hand to stop him. “Finish the main business first. There will be plenty of time for women later.”
Aya Tone’s groping hand paused but did not withdraw, remaining clasped around her slender waist. His fingers occasionally roamed. ‘When putting on a show, one must go all out! After today, he wouldn’t have any further dealings with the woman in his arms anyway. To be fair, the female officer’s figure was indeed excellent, infinitely better than his own slender frame.’ Lost in thought, he couldn’t resist giving Liu Yanyun’s waist another light squeeze. He looked truly no different from a lecherous demon.
The middle-aged man clapped his hands behind him. Soon after, several individuals approached, each carrying multiple storage bags, which they distributed among the group.
“Your task is simple,” he explained. “Place these items in their designated locations, then report to the guide to collect your payment.”
He weighed the storage bag in his hand; it likely contained hundreds of items. ‘Tsk tsk tsk, to think they had so much stock.’ Immediately, Aya Tone adopted an expression of concern for the organization. “Boss,” he worried, “I don’t think this amount is quite right.”
At his words, the middle-aged man’s gaze sharpened. “Tell me your thoughts,” he prompted.
“I believe it should be doubled to be truly secure.”
“Is that so?” The middle-aged man slowly descended the steps, stopping directly in front of Aya Tone. “I recall,” he continued, a dangerous edge to his voice, “that the contents haven’t been revealed yet. How then, would you know?”
‘Hiss! Not good!’ Aya Tone instantly felt as if he were facing a formidable foe. ‘Oh my, he’d gotten the money, and let his guard down for a moment.’ Yet, he feigned composure, ready to pin everything on Old Hu. ‘After all, he’d only seen the Scarred Man upon arrival, and Old Hu was nowhere to be found in the crowd behind him. Surely he could just make something up?’
Just as his confidence soared, the middle-aged man unexpectedly lunged, a claw striking towards his chest.
“Old Hu never spoke to you about this,” The man’s voice grew increasingly hoarse, slowly overlaying with Old Hu’s. “Though I don’t know how you evaded the Enraging Toxin, I have no interest in the secrets of the dead.”
Just as the sharp claws were about to pierce his heart, the sudden sound of shattering glass echoed through the space. Immediately after, two figures rapidly retreated, smashing into a distant pink wall and kicking up a cloud of dust. Seeing that his strike had failed to kill Aya Tone, the man directly ordered his subordinates to kill them both.
The first to attack were precisely those two young men. Several palm strikes unleashed, raining down into the swirling dust. A resounding clang… As the white dust dispersed, a white-haired loli made a dazzling appearance.
“Cough, cough… Thankfully, I cast a Holy Shield on myself before leaving, almost crashed and burned there.”
The palm strikes landed on a warm-hued protective barrier, failing to stir even a ripple. Aya Tone patted the slightly soiled hem of his skirt behind him.
“Hmph, if you had given me more, I could’ve stayed undercover for longer. Why did you have to force my hand, I ask you? What was the point…”
Seems.violwnt