“I get the feeling you are thinking about some very dangerous things.”
The masked man’s casual remark was actually a sign that he did not fully trust Gu Lian.
“How could that be? I still need you to help me forge an identity. Relax, you are just a little… well, mentally unstable.”
Gu Lian nodded with a calm expression. Is he getting anxious? That makes sense; after finally seeing a glimmer of hope, how could he not be?
“Ahem.”
Seemingly noticing his own loss of composure, the masked man raised a hand to cover his mouth and cleared his throat before saying, “Right, we are collaborators, after all.”
“Exactly, we are… collaborators.”
Gu Lian smiled as her blood-red eyes rotated, fixing their gaze upon the masked man. Blood, violence, and slaughter; it was as if all of these were gathered within those dull, crimson pupils. The masked man froze for a moment under her gaze.
Tap, tap, tap
Her index finger tapped lightly against the table. The sound echoed in the enclosed room, snapping the masked man back to reality as he stared into the profound gaze of the person sitting directly across from him.
At this moment, Gu Lian rested her cheek on her right hand, while her left index finger and thumb tapped against the table. Beneath the mask, her standard, pointed chin and slightly upturned corners of her mouth gave her an air of cynicism.
The urgency he had felt began to subside. At the same time, he silently mocked himself, I actually got intimidated by a newcomer? This is truly… embarrassing!
Conversely, Gu Lian felt a bit disappointed. While the masked man’s intellect was indeed much stronger than that of an average person, it could only be considered mediocre within the Underground Black Market.
She did not know who stood behind the Underground Black Market. Before she was resurrected, she was merely a killer—not the top, by any means, but definitely a primary assassin within the black market.
Having killed so many, she had naturally seen many people, and Gu Lian’s judgment of character was quite sharp.
The masked man had ambition and ideals, but he lacked the corresponding foresight and breadth of mind. Even in terms of schemes, he was inferior to her.
It was easy to imagine that someone like this, full of ideals but lacking the capability, would be eager for quick success and ultimately remain in a low position. Even if he succeeded in climbing to the top with her help, he would certainly be dragged down by others within a few months.
“Since we are collaborators, how about you do me another favor?”
Clack!
The sound of Gu Lian tapping the table stopped abruptly. The initiative was in her hands now. If she did not take this opportunity to extract something, how could she justify it to herself?
“That is impossible.”
The masked man shook his head; he was trying to reclaim the initiative in this transaction.
“I haven’t even told you what I want you to help me with yet, what is the meaning of you refusing right off the bat?”
Gu Lian narrowed her eyes. Those bright red eyes, combined with her behavior, gave her the terrifying aura of a tyrant.
“You are too impatient. Cooperation is, after all, about bargaining.”
The masked man’s words caused Gu Lian to ‘angrily’ slam the table. She shouted, “Get me a smartphone and a SIM card that can’t be tracked. Without these things, do you expect me to come looking for you again?”
Gu Lian pressed her palm onto the table, her five fingers slightly raised, digging deep into the surface and carving out five claw marks.
“For heaven’s sake, you are the one asking me to kill someone, not me asking you.”
Was Gu Lian angry?
Not at all. This was merely a flaw she had intentionally revealed. Since the other party wanted to regain the initiative, she would simply let him have it. Even when fishing, you have to let the fish bite the bait, let alone someone as ambitious as him.
She wanted more benefits, and giving the other party a step down might not be a bad thing. After all… the masked man had no means to keep her in check.
He didn’t have any now, and he certainly wouldn’t in the future.
“Don’t worry, I have already prepared those things.”
Hearing Gu Lian’s words, the masked man pulled open a drawer and placed a smartphone and a small backpack on top of the file folder.
Seeming to think it wasn’t enough, he reached into the drawer, pulled out a bank card, and set it on top. He smiled and said, “The passport and the target’s information—I will edit them on the phone and send them to you. As for the timing… you just need to get it done.”
The masked man grinned. He realized the woman had a short temper and had actually surrendered the initiative just like that.
Looking at it this way, she didn’t seem as difficult to handle as he had imagined. If it were him, he would never have surrendered the initiative so easily, so her schemes were definitely inferior to his!
“That’s more like it.”
Gu Lian didn’t change her expression as she collected the items from the table. As she walked toward the exit of the hallway, she guessed that the masked man’s next sentence would be: “Since this is our first time working together, I will waive the medical checkup fee.”
“Since this is our first time working together, I will waive the medical checkup fee.”
“Thank you, then.”
Gu Lian walked into the inner corridor. The dim light from the ceiling suddenly darkened, and time and the scene seemed to freeze at that moment. As her back was turned to the masked man, a sinister curve appeared at the corners of Gu Lian’s mouth, and her crimson pupils pulsed with blood-red light.
Behind her, the masked man leaned back on the sofa, enjoying himself. His arms were draped over the back of the sofa, and he held a pen he had produced from somewhere, a fake, smug smile of a successful scheme on his face.
The lighting returned to normal. Gu Lian walked through the corridor, retrieved her items from the black-robed man, shouldered the small backpack, and exited the Public Restroom.
Everything was moving in a positive direction. On this early mid-summer morning, the sunlight wasn’t yet too harsh. Walking toward the Swimming Pool Base, Gu Lian recalled the scenes from only a few days ago when she was still being hunted, and a genuine smile couldn’t help but tug at her lips.
As expected, as long as one is patient, everything will gradually get better.
—
One hour later, inside the Swimming Pool Base.
The entrance gate was locked tight. Gu Lian squatted in front of the gate, eating a piece of watermelon she had managed to acquire. Beside her, the man and woman from yesterday were also squatting, eating watermelon.
“Why aren’t they here yet? I feel like I’ve been waiting forever.”
Glancing at the time, it was already nearly 10:00 AM. Gu Lian chewed the watermelon in her hand in silence. The light red flesh released bright red juice as she chewed, a mild sweetness combined with the unique scent of summer exploding on her taste buds.
“So sweet. This melon is good, but it’s a shame there are no seeds, or it would have that authentic flavor.”
The man and woman nodded in agreement. The sight of the three of them squatting on the stairs eating watermelon in perfect synchronization drew looks from passersby; the visual impact of three people squatting in front of the gate was quite high.
After they had finished a plastic bag full of rinds, the sound of the door opening finally reached Gu Lian’s ears. She finished the last piece of watermelon in a few bites, tossed it into the plastic bag, and stood up.
“It’s finally open?”
The muscular man let out a yawn, looking as if he hadn’t fully woken up.
“Luo De, pay attention later. After all, this is where we will be working in the future.”
The woman shot Luo De an annoyed look, but the man named Luo De just chuckled without saying anything else.
Gu Lian also lowered her eyelids. The one named Luo De was truly a cheerful person, as if he didn’t have a single worry in the world.
As for the woman, her name was Wei Ni Ka. Having squatted in front of the door for nearly an hour, they had naturally chatted about various things out of boredom.
“You three really came early.”
As the heavy gate opened, the slightly surprised Female Boss stood before them. However, her expression smoothed over instantly, as she realized such things were normal enough.
“To be honest, I’m quite surprised that you were all squatting by the door so early.”
Luo De: “…”
Wei Ni Ka: “…”
Gu Lian: “…”
None of the three spoke. Gu Lian didn’t know what the others were thinking, but she felt stifled. Having squatted in front of the door for nearly an hour, if the person weren’t her boss, she would have absolutely punched her.
The Female Boss didn’t waste any more time than usual, leading the three toward the pool to start the introduction.
This swimming pool complex consisted of a Main Pool and a Secondary Pool. The Main Pool was 300 meters long and 100 meters wide, rectangular in shape, with a maximum depth of 1.8 meters. This pool was only for those 18 years of age and older.
But that didn’t concern them. The Female Boss brought them to the secondary pool, which was 150 meters long and 50 meters wide, with a maximum depth of 1.4 meters. This was for minors to play in.
This was the area they were responsible for. They would work in three shifts, with one person in charge each day, and so on…
“Oh, right.”
After finishing the fragmented introduction regarding the various precautions for the pool, the Female Boss took three swimsuits out of her bag and handed one to each of them.
“By the way, these are your work uniforms. Wear these when you start your shifts. Make sure you keep them safe.”
“…”
Holding the swimsuit that belonged to her, Gu Lian’s mouth twitched. She unfolded the garment, and it was a black and blue swimsuit—but that wasn’t the point.
The point was… this swimsuit was a backless school-style swimsuit, and it even came with suspended swim socks!
Is this a swimsuit, or is it lingerie?
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