Five minutes earlier, at the Cherry Blossom Tavern.
Song Qianqian leaned against the bar decorated with cherry blossom branches, casually chatting with the patrons. Not far away, Fang Qing and Orca were drinking and playing games with a surprisingly friendly atmosphere.
This was a place that people came to relax at after a packed day of crime. Under the dim lightning, they would enjoy a drink and chat about partners. It was an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Until a hooded man rose and entered the restroom.
Finishing her drink, Song Qianqian feigned a trip to the restroom. Once out of sight, she quickly entered the men’s restroom and locked the door.
The man who had just unzipped his trousers: “…?”
“What are you looking at?” she teased, “Never seen a woman in the men’s room before?”
The man: “Actually, I really haven’t…”
Before he could finish, she kicked him in the chest. As he stumbled back, realizing the situation, he tried to retaliate with a fierce gleam in his eyes, only to be grabbed by the collar.
The world spun as Song Qianqian executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw.
Her psychic power was not particularly strong, but this spirit-imbued strike was enough to knock the wind out of someone. The man lay dizzily on the ground. He tried to get up, only to be unceremoniously thumped on the head twice by Song Qianqian.
Now he was genuinely unconscious.
Song Qianqian dusted her hands, quite pleased. She began patting down the man, eventually finding a physical passport, a handwritten list, and five needleless syringes in his coat pocket.
Inside the syringes was purplish-red blood, clearly not human.
Whistling, Song Qianqian slapped the man’s face. “Gotcha.”
She was about to send Shen Zhaomu a message saying she’d found their mark when she sensed something was off.
She looked up sharply. Someone in a dark gray combat uniform stood silently at the restroom entrance.
Her skin crawled. Combined with the lack of response from the tactical channel, she instantly knew this person meant trouble.
In the next second, the man swiftly approached. Song Qianqian barely dodged an elbow strike, stepping back a few paces.
She was a sniper. Neither hand-to-hand combat nor fighting with psychic power was her strong suit, especially not against a hunter from the Audit Department. Now, her only hope was that Fang Qing would catch on.
In the split second she pondered this, the man lunged at her again. Unfortunately, she didn’t evade in time and was wrapped up in a tight grip. Even without malicious intent, the force of his throw was enough to knock her out.
Gritting her teeth, Song Qianqian reached under her skirt—
A small pistol was secured to her thigh with bandages.
Drawing it instantly, she fired without aiming.
The bullet hit the ceiling, and white dust rained down. The loud gunshot took the man by surprise, and in his brief hesitation, Song Qianqian turned the gun on him.
The bullet embedded itself halfway into his left hand before being stopped by a formidable psychic shield. Still, the pain was real. The man’s reaction was delayed for a split second, allowing Song Qianqian to break free, though she ended up stumbling to the ground.
By now, Fang Qing had kicked open the restroom door. He held a pack of some mysterious powder.
With a swift motion, he smeared it onto the man’s face.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Dfobgf atf wjc mbeiv fnfc gfulrafg rtbmx, tf riewqfv ab atf ugbecv.
Xfaalcu eq, Vbcu Hljcdljc xlmxfv atf wjc, “Gjwc la, cfnfg ags ab uefrr ktfgf j uecrilcufg wluta vgjk ogbw.”
Yearlvf, atf ajnfgc kjr lc mtjbr.
Mjcu Hlcu uijcmfv ja atf ecmbcrmlber wjc, gfjilhlcu atf rlaejalbc. “Ofa’r ub. Qf cffv ab olcv Vtfc Itjbwe.”
“But how? They’ve probably got men all over the streets.”
After thinking for a second, Fang Qing said, “We’ll take Orca’s car. It’s the fastest way.”
“Drive?” Song Qianqian exclaimed, “Are you insane? Do you want to be a moving target?”
“Do you think we can escape without the help of little Shen? Right now, all we can do is be… careful.”
All the restroom windows shattered. Audit Department hunters appeared amidst the smoke.
In that short span, Fang Qing managed to toss several packets of his modified sleeping powder. But the explosive wind dispersed the dust. Before Song Qianqian could react, the syringes and list on the ground were kicked away.
That’s when she realized their pursuers’ intentions. Instinctively wanting to chase, Fang Qing held her back firmly.
“We need to leave.”
They covered their noses and mouths, charging out of the men’s restroom amidst the flying dust.
Outside, Orca looked dumbfounded. The chopsticks in his hand were still holding on to a takoyaki. Fang Qing yanked him up.
“Get the car!”
“I’ve had a drink. It’s illegal to drink and drive! It’s illegal to drink and drive…”
“Shut up!”
The three bolted out of the tavern. Fortunately, Orca’s car was parked nearby.
As Orca got into the driver’s seat, Fang Qing opened the back door to hop in, and Song Qianqian, after grabbing her sniper rifle from the trunk, headed for the passenger seat.
“Damn it,” she cursed, “Why won’t this door open?”
“You need to give it a kick…” Orca cautiously advised.
Frustrated, Song Qianqian kicked it a few times. In her rage, she went beyond her usual strength, and the door flew open. Well, it more than flew open—it completely detached and fell to the ground.
Orca lamented, “My car!”
“Shut up and drive!” she ordered.
He stepped on the gas, and the old car made a dubious sound. Pursuers were already in sight. Several fast-moving hunters quickly closed in.
Fang Qing threw some smoke bombs filled with his modified sleeping powder. After issuing a warning with her gun, Song Qianqian began berating Orca, “What the fuck are you doing?! Step on it!”
“This is the fastest it can go…” Orca whimpered.
Song Qianqian was at her wits’ end.
Finally, the car picked up speed, bouncing over the uneven terrain. Its suspension was awful, causing all three of their heads to nearly hit the roof.
Things were looking up. They were nearing ʀɛʄօʀʍ քֆʏƈɦɛɖɛʟɨƈ ֆɨռ. Song Qianqian took the opportunity to send Shen Zhaomu a warning message.
As the alleyway zoomed past, she warned Orca, “Keep an eye on the road. I remember there’s a speed bump ahead…”
The car sped over the bump at high velocity.
All three were jolted from their seats. The impact between their heads and the roof was fierce. By the time Song Qianqian’s head cleared, the view outside was still spinning.
Fang Qing shouted from the back seat, “What the hell are you doing?”
Orca explained through gritted teeth, “I… I twisted my neck! Ow, ow, it hurts!”
He was quite tall and it was already cramped in the driver’s seat. The sudden jolt had caused a sharp twist, producing a loud crack in his neck.
His crooked neck wasn’t just painful; it also affected his vision, causing him to drive like a drunkard. Song Qianqian quickly helped with the steering wheel. But there was one problem…
She didn’t know how to drive.
With all this commotion, the pursuers would catch up soon.
Fang Qing asked, “Where’s the autopilot?”
“It’s broken.”
“It’s the 31st century, not the 21st. What kind of ancient junk are you driving?”
“It’s really broken. I couldn’t afford to fix it. Ow, ow, ow…”
“Then move to the back, I’ll drive.”
After a pause, Orca murmured, “I think I’m stuck here. I can’t move at the moment.”
Fang Qing: “…”
Ahead loomed a wall. Given their current trajectory, they were sure to crash. Fang Qing cursed under his breath and, from the back seat, lunged forward. The confined space made the maneuver awkward, but he finally ended up in Orca’s lap, taking the wheel.
Two large men crammed together made the car interior even more cramped… and peculiar.
Blushing, Orca quipped, “Um, bro, this feels a bit inappropriate. I’m a family man, you know.”
“Do you think I ever imagined driving while seated in another man’s lap?!” Fang Qing raged, executing a sharp drift. Expertly avoiding the impending wall, he continued to drive the sputtering car onward.
From behind, Orca commented, “You encroached on the line just now. Pedestrian crossings keep people safe, and traffic lights save lives. We must be civilized drivers on civilized roads and strive to be model citizens.”
“Fuck your mom.”
In the cold wind, Long Shiyu stood next to Shen Zhaomu.
Behind them, in the shop, all the Audit Department hunters lay moaning on the ground.
As the commander, Lu Shanhuai sensed something was off. But the tech team had momentarily lost communication, leaving them unable to fix the tactical channel.
Regardless of whether the tech team was doing this on purpose or had been blocked, his first reaction was to find Yang Zhiming.
Yang Zhiming, a tech enthusiast who often tinkered with communication channels, offered up a private channel he had set up a long time ago.
Although the signal was unstable, it at least enabled communication with the people on Flower Street.
Shen Zhaomu succinctly informed him of the situation.
“So, where are you now? I’ll see if I can send someone over.”
Looking at the sign behind him, Shen Zhaomu replied, “I’m at ʀɛʄօʀʍ քֆʏƈɦɛɖɛʟɨƈ ֆɨռ.”
“…Huh?”
“ʀɛʄօʀʍ քֆʏƈɦɛɖɛʟɨƈ ֆɨռ.”
Lu Shanhuai said, “Brother Shen, don’t panic. Calm down and tell me where you are.”
“I am calm, and I really am at ʀɛʄօʀʍ քֆʏƈɦɛɖɛʟɨƈ ֆɨռ.”
Lu Shanhuai: “…”
He responded, “Alright, let me try to pinpoint your location.”
As Lu Shanhuai was working on that, and Song Qianqian’s group had yet to arrive, it was surprisingly quiet where they were. Long Shiyu yawned.
In the wind, the strap on Shen Zhaomu’s clothing fluttered. He grabbed it, winding it around his finger playfully.
As he played with it, he asked his princess, “Are you still mad at me?”
Shen Zhaomu glanced at him, “Mmm.”
“Oh.” Long Shiyu was saddened.
He continued playing with the strap, eventually sneaking a beautiful butterfly knot on Shen Zhaomu’s back. It slightly improved his mood.
Suddenly, a distant explosion echoed, followed by the approaching roar of a car engine.
A red car was speeding their way. Song Qianqian leaned out, waving frantically, “Brother Shen! Brother Shen! Brother Shen!”
The car executed a perfect drift, coming to a diagonal stop in front of them.
The pursuers were still a distance away. Everything seemed under control, except for the missing passenger door, the three’s oddly tilted necks, and the fact that Fang Qing was sitting in Orca’s lap, clutching the steering wheel.
Shen Zhaomu didn’t know what to say to that.
Long Shiyu, on the other hand, was impressed.
“Wow.”⊙▽⊙
Author’s Note:
One cutesy sob a day: 2/1
w(°ｏ°)w
❤
Noooo I caught up qwq
What if the Audit Department’s goal is just to test if they’ll do anything illegal just to not get their targets swiped and they’re failing MEGA hard lmao
♡⃛◟( ˊ̱˂˃ˋ̱ )◞⸜₍ ˍ́˱˲ˍ̀ ₎⸝◟( ˊ̱˂˃ˋ̱ )◞♡⃛ it’s really messy in this chapter
Hahaha at least someone knows how to amuse his adorable self!