At ten in the morning, the sun blazed high in the sky. Along the highway stretched endlessly ahead, with towering mountains in the distance, and the incessant chirping of insects filled the air.
sizzle
A cloud of dust rose from the road as a speeding car raced along the highway. Its wheels crushed the gravel on the ground, and exhaust fumes mixed with carbon dioxide spewed from the tailpipe.
Before long, the car stopped at the back half of an intersection. Further ahead was the Agency’s stronghold.
The car door was pushed open. Hong Xiezi and Nangua, their heads covered in bumps, got out from the left side door. Especially Hong Xiezi—when he stepped out, he gave Nangua a meaningful glance with his slightly purplish eyes.
Glancing at Gu Lian, who was leaning back in her seat, apparently resting with her eyes closed, Nangua grabbed the car door with both hands and slowly closed it, barely making a sound.
In front of Gu Lian, the two of them were now humble and polite. That was the result of getting beaten up by Gu Lian alone in the car. After that round of fists and feet, they understood very clearly… they really couldn’t afford to mess with this woman who had a bit of a violent streak.
So much so that for the rest of the journey, Gu Lian’s riding experience made a qualitative leap.
“Hahaha, are you two trying to kill me with laughter?”
Nv Daofeng got out from the passenger seat and looked at her two colleagues, who were beaten black and blue. For some reason, she found it amusing.
“Tch, a gentleman doesn’t fight a woman, get it? If we’d gone at her for real, I alone could’ve pinned her down!”
Hong Xiezi curled his lips in disdain, as if the beating he’d taken in the car was just him holding back.
Thump, thump, thump~
The sound of fingers gently tapping metal rang out. Hong Xiezi’s expression stiffened. He turned his head to the left stiffly and was instantly terrified.
At some point, the soundproof window had been rolled down. Gu Lian was leaning half her body out of the window, her arm dangling down, her index finger tapping on the car’s metal-reinforced panel.
“Are you talking behind my back?”
The wind gently tousled Gu Lian’s bangs. Fallen leaves on the ground were swept up, drifting toward Hong Xiezi. Her crimson eyes silently fixed on him.
“Uh…”
Cold sweat soaked Hong Xiezi’s back. He was genuinely panicked now. Gu Lian had been conserving her energy the whole way—why had she suddenly opened her eyes?!
He’d been so careful when he closed the door just now!
Crack~
Gu Lian pressed her thumb against the first joint of her index finger, giving it a light snap that produced a crisp sound. She looked at Hong Xiezi with a very friendly expression. “You have three seconds. Be prepared.”
Hearing this, Nangua silently stepped behind Nv Daofeng to avoid getting splattered with blood later.
“Um… it was my fault. I got carried away. I shouldn’t have been so full of myself!”
“Two.”
“No, seriously, I just like running my mouth! You don’t have to take it so seriously, right?!”
Hong Xiezi took a step back, sweat droplets the size of beans dripping from his forehead.
“One.”
Gu Lian lowered her index finger, leaving only her middle finger standing.
“Sis Dao, think of something for me, quick!”
Terrified, Hong Xiezi hid behind Nv Daofeng. Nv Daofeng sighed. Looking at Gu Lian, who had now lowered her middle finger and clenched her fist, she shrugged helplessly, forcing an awkward but polite smile.
“Sis Lian, how about doing me a favor? I’ll owe you a meal.”
Nv Daofeng’s voice carried a hint of helplessness, but her tone was still very polite.
“…”
Gu Lian just glanced at Hong Xiezi. Just a somewhat impulsive hunter. As long as there was an out, she couldn’t be bothered to argue with someone like him.
She pulled her hand back into the car, leaned back against the seat, pressed the window button to roll it up, and said coldly, “Drive.”
“Got it.”
Lei Zi nodded, started the engine, and didn’t care at all that compared to Nv Daofeng and the other two, Gu Lian was the outsider—or rather, Gu Lian’s aura made her seem more like the host.
The engine ignited. The car started up, moving forward smoothly. Neither fast nor slow, but very steady. As it drove over the ground, it kicked up a trail of dust.
Watching the car gradually fade into the distance, Hong Xiezi finally stepped out from behind Nv Daofeng, wiped the sweat off his face, and said with lingering fear, “My goodness, that woman is way too dominant, isn’t she?”
“And you have the nerve to say that? Even I was startled.”
Nangua rubbed his chest. That scene just now was genuinely scary. Their momentum was simply no match for hers.
“Hey, if you keep running your mouth, I won’t be able to help you either.”
Dao Ba Nu spread her hands, her gaze falling on the ring on her ring finger. The diamond-shaped gem in the center of the ring was light green.
“Last night, I saw with my own eyes that without using standard equipment, she used only a non-standard short blade to dismember a Weiyi that was at least C-rank. Her strength should be at Level Two.”
“Really? No kidding?”
Nangua Tou’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t imagine that such terrifying power lay beneath those slender arms.
***
Inside the car, Gu Lian pulled a pack of war-ready food from behind the back seat, tore open the packaging, took out an energy bar, and tossed it into her mouth, chewing with a crunch, crunch.
She had some idea about Nv Daofeng’s trio’s mission—it was probably to secretly cooperate with the people sent by the Agency to investigate the hunters stationed here. That should be a relatively safe job.
Gulp~
Gu Lian swallowed the energy bar, then took out a piece of dried pork and tossed it into her mouth. If nothing unexpected happened, her mission should be related to reconnaissance.
This was very dangerous. The most rational approach would be to leave Linjiao Town. Regardless of whether the Weiyi hiding in the shadows of Linjiao Town was strong or weak, as long as she left Linjiao Town, she would be safe.
But…
Gu Lian finished the dried pork in a few bites. Right now, she was already being watched. Although she wasn’t being followed, her whereabouts would definitely be investigated. That meant she had to leave Linjiao Town through legitimate means.
And Yao Yao was the problem now. Since there was no other way, she might as well reap as many benefits as possible during this time. Yao Yao would need half a month to accumulate energy, so she’d take whatever she could.
She’d already planned it out. In her Corrupted State, both her destructive power and physical speed were several times that of her human form. Taking Yao Yao to a safe area for evolution would be no problem at all.
“Ms. Lian, this is your mission.”
Lei Zi kept one hand on the steering wheel, opened the glove compartment, rummaged through a stack of files for a moment, pulled out a document, and handed it to Gu Lian.
“Let me guess—have me infiltrate the Swimming Base? Or something else?”
Gu Lian tore open the file seal with a lack of interest. Inside was a piece of paper and a recorder shaped like a USB drive.
She casually took a thin string from the glove compartment, threaded it through the recorder, and hung it on the inside of her waistband. Then she began to examine the mission details.
The mission was simple: The Eclipse Society would provide her with standard hunter weapons and explosives. She was to infiltrate the lower levels of Linjiao Swimming Base to gather intelligence. If she encountered an impossible situation, she was allowed to flee at any time.
Regardless of success or failure, 200,000 yuan would be deposited into the bank card Wei had given her.
If successful, there would be additional rewards. If she failed and died, it was guaranteed that Jiang Yi and her next generation would be taken care of.
After carefully reading every detail of the mission, Gu Lian folded the paper in half, stuffed it back into the file envelope, and tossed it carelessly onto the passenger seat.
Just as she thought—it was related to Linjiao Swimming Base. Not to mention that she had once worked there for a day; simply based on the fact that she was now the strongest person in Linjiao Town, this mission was tailor-made for her.
Of course, being the strongest was limited to a small town. In larger towns, it was hard to say, let alone cities and such.
But thinking that she was about to go and haggle with a Weiyi of unknown strength, Gu Lian felt that life was still bleak. When would the lazy life she imagined ever wave at her?