Chapter 196: Whispers

Who exactly was the “Secret Arts Practitioner friend” Jiang Sui mentioned?

Of course, it was the adorable and handsome Hidden One!

After discussing with Lü Ziyi and deciding to split up, Jiang Sui didn’t immediately leave the rooftop. Instead, she waited for Lü Ziyi to go far away before immediately starting to prepare to change her face to meet them.

Her plan was simple—have Lü Ziyi take her place to notify Lu Yunze. Not only would he learn that danger was approaching, but a little act would also hint that his most cherished little maid was already in trouble.

Given Lu Yunze’s current personality, knowing this, he definitely wouldn’t stand idly by. He would surely try to find a way to save Jiang Sui.

At that point, Jiang Sui only needed to appear before him in her “Hidden One” identity, give a little guidance, and complete the final act of this “hero saves the beauty” play.

Jiang Sui is in trouble, and the Hidden One appears. Isn’t that perfectly reasonable?

After experiencing exhaustion and danger, Lu Yunze would become very vulnerable after rescuing her. Then, she just needed to offer a little comfort and reward to quickly occupy his heart and become his sole support.

As for Luo Yao?

The play wouldn’t end until she was sufficiently far away. The finale didn’t need any extra characters; just the male and female leads were enough.

While Lu Yunze was running around worried about Jiang Sui’s safety, Luo Yao was probably still foolishly tangled up with the Black Star Cult thugs.

Thinking this, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but tremble slightly, even feeling a bit excited.

Even though this was “stealing,” it was something to look forward to.

She was just about to take the gray-white robe from her storage bracelet for her disguise when she suddenly turned her head.

Just now, she seemed to have felt a gaze fixed on her, but she couldn’t find the source.

Was it an illusion?

She walked over to the unconscious thugs and patted their faces one by one.

Each one was completely out cold, still drooling, and wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.

It really did seem like an illusion.

Only the last sliver of the sunset remained, and nightfall was devouring the sky. If she delayed any longer, it would soon be completely dark.

Jiang Sui had just stood up when she suddenly whipped her head around, looking toward the rooftop entrance.

It was pitch black there, untouched by the sunset, and she couldn’t see anything clearly.

But her keen perception caught a faint, subtle sound—

Like the rustling of a rat, or the flapping of a bird’s wings.

The next instant, that sound suddenly amplified, surging toward her like a tide.

Jiang Sui immediately remembered the “other dangers” the thug leader had mentioned.

A swarm of bats poured out from the entrance, emitting piercing shrieks, completely surrounding her.

They continuously crashed into her body, tearing at her clothes with their fangs, leaving shallow bloody marks on her skin.

Jiang Sui’s body instantly transformed into a mass of black mist, separating from the bat swarm and re-coalescing not far away.

She stood in the last patch of the rooftop still illuminated by the sunset, her shadow stretched long.

She had just taken out a crimson crystal from her storage bracelet, ready to counterattack, when she suddenly felt a chill at her feet.

Looking down—

A hand had reached out from her own shadow and grabbed her ankle.

A blurry face faintly surfaced within the shadow, two crimson eyes holding a chilling smile.

That hand gave a fierce tug, dragging her into the shadow.

Jiang Sui desperately grabbed at the ground, but her body was still slowly being swallowed by the darkness.

‘Not good… this isn’t part of the act anymore!’

The last thought before her consciousness sank into darkness was the image of her and Lu Yunze at the aquarium.

—

“Brother Lu, what’s that instrument? You’re the knowledgeable one about these things, right?”

“…I don’t know.”

Hearing this, Luo Yao was taken aback, as if recalling some unpleasant memory. She glanced at him and sighed.

“Forget it, I’ll take a picture and look it up online myself.”

Lu Yunze gave an awkward smile.

He instinctively looked around.

He didn’t see Jiang Sui.

Had she gone straight home?

If she missed the parade, taking some photos to send her later wouldn’t be a bad idea.

But before that, there was another issue—

The messages he sent to Jiang Sui still hadn’t received a reply.

Maybe she hadn’t seen them on the way.

But for some reason, a sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in his heart.

“The parade is moving away, Brother Lu, let’s go home,” Luo Yao said, putting down her phone. “If we go back any later, Uncle Lin and the others will worry.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Just as Lu Yunze nodded, a voice suddenly came from behind:

“Hold it!”

Luo Yao’s face fell. She turned to look—

It was indeed Lü Ziyi.

“You again, loser? What else do you want?”

Hearing this, Lü Ziyi’s expression stiffened, but she took a deep breath.

“You’re going home, right?”

“So what if we are?”

“That’s good then. The farther you go, the better. Staying home is more suitable for a vase like you.”

Lu Yunze almost couldn’t stop himself from retorting.

Both being young ladies from wealthy families, was it really appropriate to call someone else a vase?

Seeing Luo Yao about to erupt, he quickly interrupted, “What’s going on, exactly?”

Lü Ziyi didn’t speak. Instead, she directly typed on her phone and showed it to them:

“A group of people are targeting you. The Execution Division and the police are on their way.”

“Who? Where?” Lu Yunze asked.

“Thugs hired by the Black Star Cult. The parade was just a decoy to delay you.”

The Black Star Cult again.

Their presence this summer vacation was just too strong.

Lu Yunze even had the urge to grab their leader and see what was inside their head.

But Luo Yao sneered:

“Are you joking? The parade is already far away. If they were really going to attack, they would have done it already.”

As she spoke, she pointed toward the receding procession.

But the next moment, her expression froze.

Those performers who were just putting on a show moments ago had, at some point, quietly surrounded them.

And they were all looking at them.

Their gazes were full of malice.

The air seemed to turn cold.

“Identity exposed, change of plans!”

The next instant, those people moved simultaneously.

Some discarded their instruments, pulling firearms from their clothes; others directly smashed open their drums, retrieving weapons from inside.

Dozens of gun muzzles aimed at the three of them.

Triggers were pulled—

Gunfire instantly tore through the street.

Pedestrians screamed, and the scene descended into chaos.

Bullets poured out.

But when the gunfire stopped—

The three of them were still unharmed.

All the bullets had been blocked by the wind wall Luo Yao had raised.

“That scared me to death…” Lü Ziyi gasped for breath. “They came so fast?”

Over fifty people, half of them armed.

If they hadn’t been warned in advance, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Luo Yao gritted her teeth, and the wind wall suddenly expanded, blowing the enemies into disarray, buying the three of them time to relocate.

They quickly took cover behind a car.

But this cover wouldn’t last long.

“That was really close just now. Thanks,” Lu Yunze said.

“Don’t thank me,” Lü Ziyi lowered her voice. “The one you should thank is the person who cares about you.”

Lu Yunze was stunned, then realized.

“She knows about this too?”

“Yes. If you don’t go find her—”

“Hey! What are you two talking about!” Luo Yao shouted unhappily. “Don’t leave me to handle this alone!”

Gunfire, the sound of wind, shouting…

Everything became a blur.

Only one sentence remained in Lu Yunze’s mind—

‘Jiang Sui… is in trouble?!’