A dull thud echoed. Again and again the sound rang out, until finally the door could take no more and was violently slammed open. A man flew out from inside and crashed against the corridor wall, quickly losing consciousness.
Once the door was completely shut, all the commotion inside the private room seemed to be sealed off into another world. Everything fell silent. But just a few seconds later, a heavy object slammed against the door, producing a dull thud.
With all the targets dealt with, Luo Yao walked out from inside, a Wind Wall still swirling around her, her jet-black hair floating at her sides.
“Jiang Sui? Jiang Sui?”
“Miss, I’m here.” Jiang Sui poked her head out from behind.
“Mm, you really scared me.”
“As long as you can still move, get this man outside quickly.”
“And you, Miss?”
“I’m obviously going to find Brother Lu. Can’t let him fight alone.” Luo Yao’s lips curled upward as she said this. “Be careful when you go out. Don’t get caught. No one might be there to save you then.”
With that, Luo Yao walked off on her own, leaving Jiang Sui behind along with the enemies knocked out on the ground around them.
Only when her figure was about to disappear did the deference and meekness fade from Jiang Sui’s face, replaced by a hint of impatience.
‘Sending me out alone with the mission target and no protection at all—if someone targets me, wouldn’t that be the end? And I’m supposed to leave this place? Are you kidding me?’
Jiang Sui had come for that woman named Gu Lan too. She couldn’t let Lu Yunze and the others get ahead of her.
Since the alarm had already sounded, Jiang Sui didn’t need to hold back anymore. She’d been itching for a fight all along.
As for the man at her feet who was suspected to be the Revival Society’s leader, even if she ignored him, someone would help get him out anyway.
“Senior, I’ll leave it to you.” Jiang Sui turned and smiled at the Black Cat.
“You do realize I’m just a cat right now.”
“What if someone sees me? Especially in a place like this.”
“Can’t Senior just use human form?”
Complaints aside, the Black Cat still had plenty of ways to transport this man out. Jiang Sui could just cut loose and do whatever she wanted.
After bidding farewell to the Black Cat, Jiang Sui set off immediately.
Before the mission officially began, Jiang Sui had already commissioned the Black Cat to investigate the entire Bathhouse Owner’s establishment.
Starting from the fourth floor, the top three floors all belonged to the Bathhouse Owner’s territory, and the higher you went, the higher the grade of the private rooms.
But the sixth floor was different from the two floors below—it had only one private room. If nothing unexpected happened, that was probably the Bathhouse Owner’s private area, and the most likely place to find clues about Gu Lan.
Once the alarm rang, the entire Bathhouse fell into chaos. The irrelevant personnel had long since fled. The only ones still striding boldly through the corridors were enemies.
Jiang Sui casually dealt with a few small fry before arriving at the elevator. She pressed the button several times, but nothing responded, which put her in a bind.
Jiang Sui then went to find the fire escape, but she hadn’t taken two steps before she heard a much louder commotion coming from that direction.
‘That should be Lu Yunze and the others… Better to avoid crossing paths with them.’
If Luo Yao saw Jiang Sui, who was supposed to be outside, appearing beside Lu Yunze, it would stir up unnecessary suspicion.
The elevator was dead, the stairs were blocked—so how was she supposed to get upstairs?
Just as Jiang Sui was racking her brain, she unconsciously looked up and spotted the Ventilation Cover on the Ceiling. Her hand, which had been scratching her cheek, froze.
“Kinda feels like a scene straight out of a movie.”
After chuckling to herself, Jiang Sui immediately turned into Black Mist and slipped into the Ventilation Cover.
The Black Mist drifted upward through the ducts, arriving directly at the sixth floor before reverting to human form inside the ventilation shaft above the Ceiling.
To be honest, it was a bit cramped. Crawling through a place like this was probably asking for trouble, but there was no other choice.
The ventilation duct was piled with dust. Jiang Sui didn’t dare take a deep breath and planned to observe the situation below through the gaps in the Ventilation Cover.
The gaps were tiny, but once Jiang Sui activated her Beast Transformation Vision, she could easily make out what was happening below.
She heard the sound of a door opening. A man stepped out from behind it.
It was a middle-aged man in a suit. After coming out, he flashed a fawning smile at someone inside the room.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take my men out right now. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
“Tch. Of all times, now?”
This man was the Bathhouse Owner. Who was he talking to?
Just as doubt surfaced in Jiang Sui’s mind, a bold answer emerged.
Gu Lan?
“You’d better be quick.”
A mature female voice came from inside the room.
“Understood. Let’s move.” The Bathhouse Owner turned to leave as he spoke.
“Wait.”
The mature female voice from the private room sounded again.
“There’s someone else here besides us. I can smell them.”
Hearing this, not only the Bathhouse Owner but Jiang Sui as well felt a jolt of alarm.
“Who? Where?”
The Bathhouse Owner was clearly panicking, glancing around with his men before finally looking up at the Ceiling.
For a brief moment, Jiang Sui’s gaze met theirs, and goosebumps broke out all over her body.
The killing intent in the private room wasn’t coming from the Bathhouse Owner or his men—it was coming from that mature woman.
“You. Go open that cover and take a look.”
“Got it.”
One of the underlings pulled over a chair to stand on, then removed the Ventilation Cover and poked his head inside to inspect.
“Well?”
“Boss, there’s no one in here.”
The Bathhouse Owner was stunned at this, then turned back to look at the private room.
“The smell disappeared again. Maybe it was my imagination.”
The Bathhouse Owner didn’t dare complain. He could only manage an awkward smile.
When they had all left the area, the private room’s door automatically shut with a dull “bang.”
At the same time, Black Mist drifted out from the ventilation duct, solidifying into Jiang Sui’s figure as it landed.
“That was close. Good thing I reacted in time.”
Jiang Sui took a deep breath, walked to the room’s door, and summoned her Scythe. Before going in, she activated her Beast Transformation Hearing, and a pair of cute cat ears sprouted from her head.
Now she had a glorious four-channel audio system.
Pressing her cat ears against the door panel, she heard a somewhat noisy sound—probably from the TV—and nothing else for now.
After waiting for a long while with no change, Jiang Sui decided not to waste any more time.
She placed her hand on the doorknob, but the next second, she turned into Black Mist and slipped through the gap underneath. After reverting to human form, she immediately scanned her surroundings with caution.
The private room was very dark. The only light source was the TV playing commercials, and the place was drenched in Perfume, the air thick with a pungent scent.
Other than Jiang Sui, there was no one else.
Jiang Sui searched the entire room, and indeed, there was no trace of anyone else.
“Where is she? Did I come too late?”
She noticed a faint drag mark on the floor. After moving the Sofa aside, she found a Hidden Underground Passage.
“So she escaped this way?”
Should she chase? Senior Cat had said that Gu Lan was a cunning and dangerous enemy. Blindly pursuing might just lead to an ambush.
Just as Jiang Sui was hesitating, the Mobile Phone in her pocket rang.
Seeing the caller ID read “Senior Cat,” she had no choice but to sigh. Time was running short—she’d have to retreat for now.
Because there were too many enemies and the fight had descended into chaos, Lu Yunze and the others’ advance was quickly forced to a halt.
After Luo Yao caught up, they learned that her target had been secured, and the three-person team regrouped. After a brief discussion, they decided to fall back and link up with the Execution Division personnel outside.
But just as they were about to move, the exit was blocked by a fresh wave of enemies.
Leading them was none other than the Bathhouse Owner. His face was the ugliest of anyone present, especially after seeing the corridor and private rooms smashed to pieces along the way.
“So you’re the ones who were making all that racket in my establishment?”
“Donghai City really has all kinds of people now. Can’t even run a business without someone barging in to wreck the place.”
Lu Yunze and the others wore grim expressions. The two sides were at a standoff, ready to erupt into fierce battle at any moment.
Just as the Bathhouse Owner’s raised hand was about to drop, a voice interrupted him.
“Hold it!”
The Bathhouse Owner turned to look. It was Dong Youer strolling in from outside, immediately showing him the Command Authorization on her Mobile Phone.
“Director Lu’s highest order. They’re coming with me.”
“What?”
The Bathhouse Owner froze, confirming that the Command Authorization in the phone was genuine.
“They’re from our Execution Division, currently on a mission. I’m here to pick them up.”
Lu Yunze and the others’ faces lit up with relief, thinking to themselves that her timing couldn’t have been better.
The Bathhouse Owner, however, looked troubled, pointing at Lu Yunze and the others as he asked:
“Then what about the mess they made here? My losses…”
“Losses can be compensated by the Execution Division—provided they leave with me.”
The Bathhouse Owner’s face turned even paler, and he had no choice but to make way, watching helplessly as Lu Yunze and the others departed.
Just as he passed by, the owner muttered under his breath:
“Don’t think this is over.”
Lu Yunze pretended not to hear.
The mission was over. Though there was no trace of Gu Lan, Luo Yao’s haul was still considerable.
“Where’s the man?” Lu Yunze asked immediately.
“He’s… he should be locked up over there. Wait for me, Brother Lu.”
Lu Yunze found the man tied up in the car and his expression didn’t relax. Only after seeing Jiang Sui unharmed on the other side of the vehicle did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“As long as everyone’s fine.”
“How could he not be fine? I’m the one who caught him.” Luo Yao said proudly.
After everyone returned to the Police Station, the suspect was handed over to Dong Youer and her team. Lu Yunze could only hope there wouldn’t be another Poisoning Case like last time.
By the time they left the Police Station, it was getting late, so they decided to find a nice Hotel nearby and have a Grand Banquet.
For people like them who stayed home every day eating plain meals with Luo Qiaoying, this proposal was quickly passed unanimously. Following the principle that more people meant more fun, anyone who participated in the operation was eligible to join.
“Anyone else coming?”
As Lu Yunze said this, he accidentally made eye contact with Dong Youer.
“Um, Dong Youer, do you want to come?”
“Me? I’ll pass. I’m not good with Wine.”
“Really not coming?” Luo Heng shook his head and sighed.
“I could come, but I won’t drink.”
“Fine.”
It wasn’t a big deal—he wasn’t good with alcohol anyway. Lu Yunze’s own tolerance wasn’t great either.