"We should get moving as well," Mori no Natsu Kuri said, bringing over a mop.
Xu Xiaoyou didn't give an answer. She crouched leisurely on the ground, taking out various components from her tool cards and beginning to assemble them. Mori no Natsu Kuri didn't rush her, turning around to push open the door and join the massive cleanup.
Entering the cages outside, a damp, cold air rushed toward her. Before the Night Walkers were founded, this prison had been used to interrogate all sorts of people, ranging from high-ranking officials of Red Heaven to fixers swept into the vortex of commissions. The scent of blood had long since seeped into the walls, and the wails of countless souls were etched into the ceiling.
As the assassin sequence of the Dawn Society, the members of Spades handled countless matters that couldn't see the light of day. The two grade 5 fixers from the Mint Green Leaf Shop were the best among them, known to the outside world as the Twin Assassins.
"These bloodstains have practically fused with the wall. I can't scrub them off!" Night Owl grunted, picking up a rag and vigorously rubbing at the reddish-brown stains inside a cell.
"Come give me a hand, I'm almost out of strength."
Owl took a long mop and pushed it toward the ceiling, while Sparrow, standing nearby, raised a high-pressure water gun to wash the surrounding walls. Everyone had their own tasks, cleaning up their 'masterpieces' from the past two months. They swept fingernails still clinging to bloody threads into dustpans. As for the lingering excrement, shed hair, and skin flakes, they only needed a blast of water to send them flowing down the sloped floor into the drainage pipes.
Noticing what the group was doing, a spark of hope ignited in Chi Tianyi's eyes. He lunged at the iron bars, the chains on his legs clattering loudly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his messy hair was caked with filth as he pounded the bars, desperate for attention from the outside.
"Save me! I'm here! These damned lunatics kidnapped me, I'm right here!"
This disheveled man, so thin he was unrecognizable, looked like a wild animal if one didn't look closely. No one would ever connect him to the once-glamorous young master of the power company.
"Save your breath, idiot. Even if a tank was blasting away down here, no one would hear a sound above," Night Owl said coldly.
Chi Tianyi acted as if he hadn't heard, screaming to himself. He was desperate to leave this place. These lunatics didn't treat him like a human at all; he lived worse than livestock in a slaughterhouse. The physical torture was one thing, but the worst part was the masked psychopaths who threw cold water on him every night, forbidding him from sleeping while trying to interrogate him about others' crimes while he was in a state of mental chaos.
He knew well that if he accidentally offended that many people, his fate would be even more miserable than staying in this cell.
The double torture of mind and body had brought him to the brink of collapse countless times. He was going insane, swearing that once he got out, he would make these brats pay. And his damned old man—he had been locked in this prison for so many days, yet there wasn't a peep from outside. The man didn't care about him at all. Once he got out, he would definitely kill that old lecher and let him experience this for himself!
He was going crazy thinking about women. It was because of a woman that he had fallen to this state. Once he got out, he would vent all the rage he had built up these past days on those women!
Chi Tianyi's thoughts were venomous and twisted, until a pair of combat boots stopped in front of his cell door. The man squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying: "Little family head, please, I really know I was wrong. Let me out..."
"We're of the same blood, why do this?"
He was truly terrified of this crazy girl. Who could have imagined that the quiet, dignified young lady was a complete little devil in private? The others interrogated him to get information, but she did it purely for fun, enjoying the pleasure of inflicting torture on others.
"Who is your kin? I told you not to call me little family head. Am I close with you, scum?"
Mori no Natsu Kuri picked up the high-pressure water gun and casually blasted Chi Tianyi away, washing everything inside the cage through the iron bars.
Under the force of the water, it was impossible to tell if the mottled stains on the walls were blood, or years of accumulated grease and urine.
While they worked hard to clean, a shroud of gloom loomed over everyone's hearts. It had been peaceful for two months, but today, Xu Xiaoyou had joined them, and the secret underground base had been discovered by the Mountain Crow family.
To say it was all a coincidence with no connection would be a bit too far-fetched.
Just then, a figure walked out carrying equipment, interrupting their thoughts. Xu Xiaoyou was dressed in a hazmat suit and a gas mask. After pulling her plastic gloves tight, she quietly placed a lamp on the ground and flipped the switch.
The purple light revealed every bloodstain in the prison. From the floor to the walls and even the ceiling, it was all laid bare. They were shocked to find that after all their cleaning, they hadn't even cleared a tenth of the bloodstains in the entire underground prison.
"Yuzu, you..."
"Leave this kind of thing to me."
Xu Xiaoyou didn't say much. She took the water gun from the girl's hand, placed a buzzing oval-shaped instrument on the floor, and pulled a plastic glove onto her other hand.
"What's this?"
"An ozone generator to break down bacteria and microorganisms. The UV light reveals the bloodstains. If you clean it your way, you won't get it spotless even in a whole day, and you won't get rid of the smell. Everything shows up once the luminol reagent is sprayed on."
Though they didn't fully understand what Xu Xiaoyou was saying, the sense of professionalism she exuded filled them with respect. They watched as she walked into the cage in her hazmat suit, tapped Chi Tianyi's neck a few times through the plastic gloves, and pulled out a large mass of iridescent substance. The man immediately rolled his eyes and fell unconscious.
"Move him. All of you, leave. Staying here will only be a nuisance to me."
Xu Xiaoyou crouched down, connecting the high-pressure water gun to the spherical machine, which contained a hydrogen peroxide solution she had already pre-mixed. The air around the ozone generator began to shimmer, covering the yellowish-brown stains on the walls. With a gentle blast of the high-pressure water, the previously stubborn stains faded away like old paint.
Mori no Natsu Kuri looked at Xu Xiaoyou with a complex gaze. She was increasingly suspicious of what exactly her friend had done to end up a fugitive in Red Heaven. Why was she so skilled at handling this kind of thing?
"Stop daydreaming, Camellia, let's go!" Her companions snapped back to their senses and quickly pulled the girl away, carrying the unconscious Chi Tianyi into a small passage. They had prepared for this day since the secret base was first established; this path led directly to the Xiao-Yeliang District three kilometers away.
Not long after everyone left, Xu Xiaoyou put down the water hose and calmly removed the heavy hazmat suit. Recalling her time in the Corrupt Hive City, she had taken many commissions related to cleaning up corpses. Back then, before the guard bureau could arrive, she and investigator Han Xuan...
Ding.
Her thoughts were interrupted. She raised an eyebrow at the sound of the freight elevator arriving.
She wondered if the two grade 5 fixers, Ivy and Tiger Tail Orchid, had only managed to hold back the Mountain Crow family for such a short time.
The elevator doors slowly opened, and suit-clad thugs swarmed out, cursing. Seeing Xu Xiaoyou standing there as if she had been waiting for them, one member of the Mountain Crow family scowled and stepped up to the blonde girl.
"Dammit, where is Chi Tianyi? And where are those brats?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Xu Xiaoyou looked up expressionlessly. The man, standing nearly three meters tall, was like a mountain rising before her, casting her entirely into shadow.
Taking advantage of his size, the burly figure bared a cruel smile. "Won't talk, huh? Fine!"
His massive hand swung violently toward Xu Xiaoyou. In the crowd behind him, Ivy and Tiger Tail Orchid's expressions changed, just about to call out a warning—but the man's body was sent flying like a cannonball into a cage, causing the entire section of iron bars to cave in!
The Mountain Crow family members were all horrified. In contrast, the blonde girl simply waved away the dust rising in front of her face and slowly stepped out from the smoke.
"He made the first move. Anyone else want to try?"
"You bastard!"
Several Mountain Crow family members reached for the guns at their waists. Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyou's gaze sharpened, her hand pressing against her black glove; hidden beneath it were three cards of 【fireball bombardment】.
As the two sides faced off, the sound of an old man's light cough drifted over. Xu Xiaoyou saw the Mountain Crow family members on both sides stand respectfully in two rows. A figure stepped forward—though his aura was aged, his posture remained resolute and upright. Even the two grade 5 fixers showed looks of deep respect.
"Mr. Sebas..." The leader of this Mountain Crow squad lowered his head as the elderly man passed by.
"As you can see, there is nothing beneath this green leaf shop. Chi Tianyi is not here. Let the matter end here, shall we?"
The old man coughed lightly. Xu Xiaoyou keenly observed him wiping away a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth. This elderly man named Sebas looked familiar. She remembered that when Mori no Natsu Kuri had introduced the members of the Night Walkers on the curtain, this man had appeared in the group photo. He was her personal butler who had been with her since childhood.
He looked fragile, as if his days were numbered, yet he commanded such respect from everyone present, including the two grade 5 fixers. As Xu Xiaoyou was deep in thought, she realized Sebas was staring intently at her, his weathered, candle-like eyes seemingly ignited with a faint flame.
"Come here for a moment. I have something to say to you."
After they moved to a corner, a heated argument broke out behind them.
"You dead crows, don't you dare push your luck. I'm tolerating you smashing things in my shop for Mr. Sebas's sake. Now get lost, and I won't hold your offense against those beautiful ladies against you."
"The Twin Assassins? You really think you're still the glamorous fixers you once were? You're just two pitiful worms wanted by the association. If the Mountain Crow family weren't protecting you, this pathetic little shop would have been razed by the association long ago. And now you're harboring those criminals..."
...
"I presume you have already met the little family head," Sebas said, getting straight to the point.
Xu Xiaoyou froze. "Little family head?"
"Yes. She is Chi Chuchun, the younger sister of the current head of the main family, Chi Qiu. If nothing goes wrong, she will take over as the next head, carrying the responsibilities of the Great Chi family," Sebas explained.
The girl had repeatedly mentioned her status, and Xu Xiaoyou had guessed she was some young lady from the Five Great Families, but she had never imagined the girl was actually the sister of the family head.
"The little family head often mentions you to me. You must have given her many pleasant and unforgettable experiences. She was born solitary, proud, and innocent. For her to talk about you constantly, you must be very important to her. She trusts you deeply."
"If possible, may I ask a favor of you in exchange for a favor from 'Specter'?"
Xu Xiaoyou remained calm on the outside, but her heart was in turmoil.
This elderly man, who seemed on the verge of death, was a prism grade fixer given the title of 'Specter' by the association?
After hearing what else Sebas had to say, Xu Xiaoyou's expression gradually settled into a calm state.
By the lakeside, the girl with dark red hair looked left and right. She finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Xu Xiaoyou appear unharmed. Mori no Natsu Kuri trotted up to Xu Xiaoyou and immediately gripped her hand tightly.
"Yuzu, are you okay?"
Xu Xiaoyou shook her head. "Everything is settled. The Mountain Crow family has left."
"Wow, Yuzu, I'm getting more and more curious about you. What exactly did you do to end up escaping to this place?"
"I conspired with world-class urban legends to attempt the destruction of humanity," Xu Xiaoyou said with a smile.
Mori no Natsu Kuri naturally didn't believe such a thing; her friend often made jokes like this. The two of them walked hand-in-hand along the lakeside. Fallen leaves floated on the surface of the artificial lake in late autumn, and a fresh breeze made the branches creak. The light scattered across the marble-paved ground.
A child ran past holding a pinwheel, their innocent laughter drifting away with the wind.
Xu Xiaoyou felt the girl's warmth through her gloves. To be honest, she found it a bit hard to deal with such an enthusiastic personality. When she was with Tang Xin, the other girl was meticulous and always left space for their respective secrets. Only when Tang Xin solemnly invited her into her world would she take her hand, approaching with a quiet, serene smile.
In contrast, the girl before her, who was like a camellia in full bloom, had only just met her in person for the first time today, yet she couldn't wait to dig out all of Xu Xiaoyou's secrets and shove all of her own into Xu Xiaoyou's world in exchange. It didn't matter if she was willing or if she even had room for them. It felt as if the girl was marking out a small territory in her heart and declaring that from now on, this area belonged to her.
Enthusiastic, romantic, innocent, and free-spirited—this matched the personality analysis she had originally made for 'Camellia' on the curtain.
"Yuzu, you know, I imagined this scene long ago. One day, I would meet you, and we'd just walk quietly like this by the lake. We wouldn't have to say anything or think about anything. We'd just let the wind lead us along." Mori no Natsu Kuri turned her head, her eyes reflecting the shimmering light of the lake, looking quite beautiful in the pale gold glow.
"When it actually happened, it felt like a dream."
"Sebas is the name of the butler from the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, isn't it?" Xu Xiaoyou asked. "The name you gave him?"
Mori no Natsu Kuri, walking ahead, visibly stiffened. She didn't speak. Xu Xiaoyou's voice continued.
"I just met him. To be precise, he's the one who settled the matter with the Mountain Crow family."
"What did he say to you?" Mori no Natsu Kuri's gaze wavered.
"Nothing much. I didn't expect you to be a young lady from some household. One of the Five Great Families? Or the daughter of some wealthy man? That old man named Sebas doesn't look like an ordinary person." A smile played on Xu Xiaoyou's lips.
The heavy stone in Mori no Natsu Kuri's heart dropped, and she let out a sigh of relief. She turned back and made a funny face: "I'm not telling you! If I said it, it'd probably scare you to death."
"Just know that I can look after you here in Red Heaven."
"Speaking of which, you've arrived at just the right time. Tonight is the Floating Lantern Festival in Dragonfly Town. There's so much fun stuff and good food."
Xu Xiaoyou smiled without saying a word.
She had agreed to Sebas's request. This innocent little family head had no idea what she would have to face in the future.
Rate on N.U.
