Chapter 76: A failed assassination
Capturing the target, Zhi Yan descended gracefully with her wings spread wide, landing with a heavy thud against the pavement. Dust rippled outward as her heels touched ground.
The captured intruder writhed in her grip, his visor cracked and his eyes wide with shock. "Who sent you?" As she asked, gazing at him coldly, the intruder clenched his fists and reached into his pocket.
Meanwhile, the shrill alarms rattled the apartment walls. In unit 1602, Lin Fang stirred groggily, head still heavy from last night’s drink. Pushing away the naked Nebula who snuggled to his body, he stumbled out of his room, rubbing his temples, only to freeze at the sight of smoke wafting across the living room. "What’s going on...?" he mumbled in a hoarse tone.
Yu Xiaofei hurried over, coughing lightly as the last of the smoke cleared. "Some burglars," she said quickly. "But don’t worry, it’s over now."
Lin Fang blinked, trying to clear his head. "Burglars?"
"Yeah. They were able to fend off in time due to the alarms, but the door’s ruined, though." Xiaofei glanced at the half-melted frame and further said, as if she no longer cared about the burglary attempt, "We’ll need it repaired first thing. Li Liu’s still in her room. Bin-Ge and Yan’er... went out to deal with it. You know, talk to the apartment manager, file a complaint with the police."
Lin Fang nodded slowly, still dazed from alcohol. "Alright..." He leaned against the wall, staring at the warped door. Something about the scene didn’t add up, but his head was too clouded to press further.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the night air carried the faint hum of the retreating chopper. Hao Bin landed, rushing toward Zhi Yan, who stood in the open courtyard, her expression cold as she stared at a corpse beneath her feet
"What happened?" Hao Bin asked, on reaching her.
"He bit a cyanide pill," she said flatly.
Hao Bin’s eyes widened at the reply. He couldn’t help but gaze down at the corpse, where foam was seen coming out of the mouth, the man’s face turned slightly blue due to oxygen deprivation, while his skin turned cherry red. "It looks that way..." But then Hao Bin’s face changed to a frown as he commented. "But, that practice died out decades ago... nobody carries those anymore."
Zhi Yan’s lips pressed into a thin line as she nodded. "Which is exactly why they did, I guess. No one expects it in this era."
Dismissing her wings back into the pendant, she crossed her arms over her chest and further spoke. "The real question isn’t how or what. It’s who. Who sent them—and who were they after?"
Hao Bin glanced toward the shattered window above. "You think they came for you?"
Zhi Yan’s fists tightened. "Or Lin Fang. Based on the armor and these standard mana assault rifles, these don’t belong to a guild. They likely belong to a private military organization. If that were the case, this won’t be the last attack. They will be more prepared next time."
Hao Bin grimaced at the thought. "Then what do we do with the body?"
"Take it to the Autopsy Lab in secret." Her tone left no room for argument. "Contact Officer Rey. Have him run identity traces. Once we know which group he belonged to, we’ll know the target."
"Got it." Hao Bin gave a sharp whistle. A Griffin swooped down from the night sky and landed. He hefted the corpse onto its back and vaulted up. The beast soon launched into the air, vanishing into the distance.
Left alone in the courtyard, Zhi Yan tilted her face toward the crescent moon. Her hands curled into fists so tight her knuckles whitened.
"Is it finally happening...?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Her expression flickered—anger, worry, regret all tangled together. "I hope it’s not Lin Fang they’re after." She closed her eyes briefly. "He is neither strong enough nor ready to know the truth yet."
Staring at the pale moonlight in the sky, she could only let out a heavy sigh.
An hour later, everyone had gathered in the smoke-cleared living room. Whatever haze of drink or shock lingered earlier was gone—everyone looked... well, almost everyone looked sober now.
Zhi Yan broke the silence first. "Okay, here is the situation. The door will be replaced soon enough. And I’ll also have to arrange for an upgraded security system. But until then..." Her gaze swept the group. "We can’t stay here. So, for the next couple of days, we will have to live elsewhere."
Hao Bin crossed his arms. "Then we’ll find a motel. It’s the simplest solution."
Lin Fang nodded. "No problem with that."
But before anyone could settle, Li Liu raised her hand hesitantly. "Actually... if you don’t mind, I have a first cousin living in Tianhe District. She has a three-bedroom flat, and she’s alone right now. I could ask her to let us stay."
Zhi Yan blinked, caught off guard. "First Cousin? How come I didn’t know you had one?"
Li Liu’s expression stiffened. "Because I don’t get along with her parents. They’ve got money—plenty of it—but they refused to help us when we needed it most. I don’t like to have ties with those people. But my cousin’s different. She’s kind. She... recently left home, started living on her own here in Huaxi City."
The room went quiet for a beat.
Zhi Yan frowned. "I don’t know. There are five of us. It might be too much of a burden on her. I’ll stay with my aunt."
Hao Bin raised a hand. "And Xiaofei and I... we need our own space. A motel makes more sense for us."
Lin Fang leaned forward in a bit of seriousness. "I don’t know. Maybe we can temporarily stay at the store’s residential unit."
"But it isn’t ready yet. C’mon, Fang-Ge..." She grabbed his arm and cutely swung it left and right with her lips pressed together for a pout. "We have to go and visit the store anyway."
*Pfft* Lin Fang almost broke out into laughter, seeing her antics. But in the end, trying his best to control his smile, he nodded. "Alright."
"Yan Yan?" Li Liu turned to her. Zhi Yan sighed, giving a nod. "Fine, I’ll also tag along."
Li Liu’s face brightened. She clasped her hands together. "Then it’s settled."
Lin Fang grinned faintly. "Okay. Cool."
"Yeah... very cool," Zhi Yan muttered under her breath, turning her face away so no one could see the shadow crossing her expression.
By late morning, everyone had packed and was ready to split ways.
Hao Bin and Yu Xiaofei waved their goodbyes, heading off together in another direction. Meanwhile, Li Liu and Zhi Yan climbed into the former’s car, while Lin Fang followed behind on his motorcycle with Nebula sitting behind. The small convoy wound its way through the streets until it reached a quiet residential district.
The car slowed to a stop before a two-story private residence, its gate painted fresh white and a small garden neatly trimmed in front. Li Liu stepped out, straightened her jacket, and walked up to knock.
Moments later, the door swung open—and a familiar figure appeared.
"Fang-Ge?" the girl blinked in surprise.
"Cousin!" Li Liu greeted warmly, her smile bright. Then she followed her cousin’s line of sight and turned. Lin Fang had just removed his helmet, grinning casually.
"I guess the world is small after all," he said.
Before Zhi Yan answered, the girl dashed past Li Liu and hugged him instead, taking Zhi Yan and Li Liu by surprise.
"Eh?" "Huh?"
As they freed from a hug, Li Liu’s brows knit slightly. "You know my cousin?"
Li Xue pointed at him. "This is my boyfriend."
"Eh?" "Huh?" Zhi Yan and Li Liu were frozen by her declaration. Before others react, Lin Fang reminded her. "Xue’er, they know that our relationship is fake."
"Ah, is that so?" Li Xue blinked a couple of times in surprise. But then Li Liu pointed out. "Wait a second, Fang-ge, isn’t your fake girlfriend named Li Xue?"
Lin Fang looked at her and simply nodded. Li Liu said, "But she isn’t Li Xue though."
"Eh?" This time, it was Lin Fang’s turn to get surprised, and Zhi Yan was surprised the same. "False identification?" As she furrowed her brows, Lin Fang stared at Li Xue for an explanation.