Half an hour earlier.
The sunlight glared off the winter snow.
Qinian stood in the middle of a deserted highway. The snow beneath his feet had already been vaporized by the intense heat radiating from his body.
The road was so hot that no one could stand on it.
He tilted his head and watched an off-road vehicle trying to break through the wall of fire.
“Well, well.” He lazily raised one hand, crimson flames rising from his palm. “Imagine running into people from the Cleaners while inspecting District A.”
The dancing firelight made his features look even more brazen.
“Your unlucky day.”
He flipped his wrist, and a fiery serpent shot from his palm, racing along the road after the vehicle.
The flames licked across the asphalt with a sizzling, scorching hiss.
The off-road vehicle swerved hard, barely avoiding the fire serpent, then sped north like a mad thing.
“Tsk.”
Qinian withdrew his hand and shook the crimson flames from his fingertips, his tone turning impatient.
“Ye Que, are you going soft today?”
There was no response from the communicator.
Only the sound of the wind.
Then—
Bang.
A gunshot so faint it was almost swallowed by the wind.
The off-road vehicle, fleeing at full speed, suddenly veered sharply to the right.
Its heavy body instantly lost control and rolled twice across the highway.
A long string of dazzling sparks erupted as metal scraped against the pavement. At last, the vehicle slammed into the roadside barrier and came to a stop.
The engine was still roaring. Black smoke mixed with steam poured from the twisted seams of the wreck.
Qinian whistled.
He looked up toward the direction from which the bullet had come.
Several hundred meters away, a tall, slender figure stood silhouetted against the light on a section of elevated roadway that had partially collapsed.
The sunlight streamed from behind him, outlining his entire body in a sharp, icy silhouette.
Ye Que casually held a black heavy sniper rifle in one hand, the barrel hanging at his side. A wisp of white smoke still curled from the muzzle.
Ye Que’s voice came through the communicator.
“Don’t let him die. Keep his brain intact.”
Qinian scoffed, drawing the flames back into his palm as he turned toward the overturned vehicle.
The sunlight fell across his bold, striking features, but his smile was cold enough to frighten anyone.
“All right, Brother Ye Que.” He rolled his wrist, his knuckles making a faint cracking sound. “Can I do whatever I want with the arms and legs?”
“Whatever you want.”
Qinian’s smile deepened.
He crouched down and looked through the shattered window at the driver inside. The man’s face was covered in blood, and he was trying to draw his gun.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Qinian casually placed a hand against the door. Flames burst from his palm, and in the blink of an eye, the metal door glowed red and softened.
“I’m just a little bad-tempered, that’s all.”
*
Meanwhile.
District A. Inside a second-floor bedroom of a split-level house.
The instant a knock sounded outside the door, Jiang Nuan’s survival instincts kicked in.
She yanked a shirt off the bedpost, kicked the belt beneath the bed, and switched on the holographic projection in one smooth motion. Then she sat elegantly on the bay window.
Shen Wu had also immediately put on the shirt and taken a seat in the chair opposite her.
He had even adjusted his posture to make himself look as though he had spent a long time discussing the mission and was now relaxing afterward.
That is, if one ignored the red mark around his wrist—and the part visible when looking down from above, near the back of his neck where it met his back…
But clearly, the two of them had no time to deal with anything else.
The electronic lock clicked softly, and Lu Shiyan pushed open the door.
Inside, a holographic map floated in midair, slowly rotating.
The terrain data for District A was arranged across the light screen. The two of them looked completely focused, as if they were genuinely conducting an intelligence briefing.
Jiang Nuan had even put on a thoughtful expression.
On the surface, everything was calm.
Internally, she was freaking out.
At the sound of the door opening, Shen Wu turned his head calmly.
“Captain,” he said. “Jiang Nuan and I were discussing the inspection of District A. We didn’t notice the knock.”
Jiang Nuan nodded stiffly in agreement.
She had decided to become mute.
From this moment on, she would not say a single word.
Wearing the Governor’s uniform, his tall, commanding figure blocked the doorway as his oppressive gaze slowly swept over every corner of the room.
From Jiang Nuan sitting upright on the bay window, to Shen Wu sitting calmly in the chair, to the rotating holographic map, and finally to the slightly disheveled bed.
Jiang Nuan did her best to keep her breathing even.
It was fine. The holographic map was on, Shen Wu looked perfectly natural, and so did she.
This was just an ordinary mission discussion.
At last, Lu Shiyan’s gaze fell on the shirt Shen Wu was wearing.
The black shirt, which should have been neat and crisply pressed, was now wrinkled and clinging to his body.
It looked as though the shirt had previously been used for something it absolutely had not been designed for.
And across the right wrist propped on his knee was a highly suspicious red mark.
That last shred of wishful thinking shattered completely.
Lu Shiyan let out a cold laugh that made Jiang Nuan’s scalp prickle. He turned around, shut the door, and locked it with a click.
He walked straight to the pale-blue holographic projection and raised a hand, cutting off the power.
The holographic map vanished at once, leaving only the winter snowlight filtering in through the window.
It was bright enough to leave nowhere to hide.
“Discussing the inspection route?”
Lu Shiyan looked down at Shen Wu from above, his tone devoid of emotion.
His gaze slowly traveled downward, from Shen Wu’s wrinkled shirt until it finally stopped at Shen Wu’s waist.
“I wasn’t aware,” Lu Shiyan said coldly, “that looking at a map required you to undo your belt.”
Jiang Nuan’s heartbeat sped up several beats.
She even wanted to stick out a foot and push the belt she had kicked beneath the bed in her panic even farther out of sight.
“I had a slight fever today,” Shen Wu said calmly. “Loosening restrictive clothing helps dissipate heat faster.”
Jiang Nuan’s vision went black for a moment. She nearly lost control of her expression.
The excuse was so terrible it was almost unbearable.
Shen Wu could not even be bothered to make it convincing. His pale, clear eyes held not the slightest trace of guilt—only the provocative look of someone who knew exactly what he was doing.
“Is that so?” Lu Shiyan’s voice was faint.
The air around them warped.
A spatial rift opened silently.
Then came a soft snap.
The black belt Jiang Nuan had kicked beneath the bed dropped out of the spatial rift.
It landed straight at Shen Wu’s feet.
The metallic buckle struck the floor with a crisp sound that echoed through the quiet room like a slap in the face.
Lu Shiyan had used his spatial ability…
To search beneath her bed.
He had used the same spatial ability that could tear monsters apart and teleport medical pods weighing several tons…
To search beneath her bed.
All to retrieve a belt.
Shen Wu’s belt.
Jiang Nuan thought that if she could disappear on the spot, she would. She did not even need a spatial ability—just give her a crack in the floor, and she would crawl into it.
“Since you have a fever, you should go to the medical pod and cool yourself down.”
Lu Shiyan stood there, looking down at him. The temperature in his eyes was no warmer than the snow outside.
“To use such a clumsy lie to provoke me…”
Lu Shiyan leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying a dangerous warning.
“Do you want me to teach you what the rules are?”
Shen Wu lowered his head and glanced at the belt lying by his feet.
He was silent for two seconds.
“Captain’s spatial ability,” he said, “seems rather excessive for searching beneath someone’s bed.”
Jiang Nuan nearly fainted on the spot.
…Please, just shut up!
You lunatic! Are you trying to get yourself killed faster?
Picking a fight with Lu Shiyan at a time like this—have you got a death wish?
“An overqualified assignment?”
Lu Shiyan didn’t fly into a rage. He remained cold and impassive, scrutinizing Shen Wu like a man in control.
“Then would you rather I use you for something?”
Shen Wu didn’t answer.
“Starting tonight, you’re in charge of intelligence surveillance in Area A.” Lu Shiyan withdrew his gaze and issued the order. “Night duty. Three consecutive nights.”
“Now get out.”
Shen Wu slowly rose to his feet, his gaze lingering on Jiang Nuan for a moment.
The look made Jiang Nuan’s scalp prickle. She frantically signaled to him, shaking her head in the smallest motion possible.
Go! Please!
If you stay any longer, we’ll all die together!
At last, Shen Wu turned around. But just before their gazes broke, the corner of his mouth moved ever so slightly.
Without a sound, he mouthed a word.
Was it “It’s fine” or “Wait”? Jiang Nuan couldn’t tell.
The electronic lock beeped.
The door closed behind him.
The room was left with nothing but the light reflected off the snow—and Lu Shiyan’s silent gaze, colder still.
