A Massive Failure

The deafening roar of the explosion jolted the entire steel plant, followed by a cacophony of shouts from outside.

"What happened upstairs just now?"

"I don't know, it's on fire! Quick, get the fire extinguisher!"

"Brother Long is still in that room, go check it out, move, move!"

Xu Xiaoyou charged into the room the moment the explosion occurred. Thick smoke billowed everywhere she looked. Amidst the chaos, she waved away the black smoke surging toward her nose and observed her surroundings.

"Found you!"

At that moment, a pair of large hands whipped up a fierce wind. Xu Xiaoyou raised her arm to her side to block. A heavy blow dispersed the mist, revealing Brother Long's slightly distorted, savage face.

Taking the hit, Xu Xiaoyou simply retreated a few steps and quickly vanished back into the black smoke, intending to leave the room. Brother Long, however, was like a shark that had caught the scent of fresh blood; he was relentless, swinging his arms to disperse the smoke in front of him as he strode toward her.

"Don't think you're getting away!"

The thick black smoke obstructed their vision, cutting the scene inside the room into fragmented pieces. Sensing the beast-like aura approaching, Xu Xiaoyou grabbed the railing above and leaped up. She delivered a swift, clean kick straight into Brother Long's chest, knocking the man back several meters.

"Damn it, since when was this guy such a good fighter?"

Brother Long cursed under his breath. He crouched low, sank his energy into his dantian, gathered power in his core, and channeled it into his feet, adopting the stance of a sumo wrestler. He stared intently ahead, but the moment before he could pounce, the girl's leg broke through the black smoke and slammed into the side of his face.

The impact sent his massive frame tilting to the side.

Before he could react, the girl's follow-up attacks arrived like clockwork.

Kick after kick—straight kicks, change-line kicks, spinning kicks, axe kicks, horizontal kicks, and side sweeps—the techniques were endless. Xu Xiaoyou's movements were like a phantom grace, her strikes coming from every conceivable angle, making them impossible to guard against. Her slender body erupted with unimaginable power, forcing the mountain-like Brother Long to wobble and sway, nearly falling several times.

"Had enough? My turn!"

Brother Long let out a roar as he gathered his strength, grabbing the girl's ankle mid-kick. He yanked her toward him, intending to slam her into the ground, but she reacted with lightning speed. Using the momentum of his pull, she leaned forward on his arm and twisted her hips. Her legs became powerful pincers, locking around his neck, and she used his own momentum to throw him hard onto the floor!

"You... damn it."

Brother Long was dazed by the throw, unable to react for a long moment. Xu Xiaoyou used two more copies of 【Judo Training】. One hand was clenched in a fist while the other palm was held flat in front of her, her gaze remaining as calm as ever.

She still didn't know his class, but from his thick skin and toughness, it wasn't hard to judge that he was likely specialized in defense. When she struck his vulnerable spots, she actually felt a dull ache in her own leg bones instead.

The dust and smoke dissipated unnoticed, and the two combatants finally saw each other clearly. A golden low ponytail fluttered behind the girl; the guard uniform she wore left Brother Long speechless, almost making him think he had the wrong person.

In contrast, while the hulking man looked disheveled with a few scratches and patches of charred skin, he hadn't actually been injured in the previous explosion.

"Where's that other guy?!"

Brother Long was fuming. He had actually been going back and forth with one of his own 'subordinates.' He scanned the room, but aside from Xu Xiaoyou and the unconscious Scarface, where was Heisenberg?

That guy had used the chaos to escape!

"Ouch, ouch, stop pushing me!" Mori no Natsu Kuri complained.

"I can't hold the weight of three people alone, I'm going to drop!" Owl shouted.

"Who's trying to pull my pants down!" Night Owl desperately grabbed his jeans, feeling like a piece of dough being stretched to its limit. His legs were supporting the weight of two people, and he felt like he might snap in half at any second.

"Who would've thought? You look so cold and aloof normally, but you're actually wearing Magic Water Moon..." Sparrow smirked with a giggle.

"Shut up!!" Night Owl roared in shame and indignation.

Finally, the members of the Night Walkers could no longer hold on and tumbled out of the hole blown in the ventilation duct.

Xu Xiaoyou and Brother Long: "?"

"Hiss, that hurts." Mori no Natsu Kuri stood up, rubbing her rear and grimacing. Noticing the dangerous gaze of the hulking man, a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She squeezed out a forced smile and waved.

"Busy, are we?"

"Why are you here?" Xu Xiaoyou facepalmed.

"Yuzu, what a coincidence, haha! If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Mori no Natsu Kuri waved sheepishly, lowering her head as she prepared to drag her companions away. At that moment, guards from outside arrived, pouring through the door and forcing everyone back at gunpoint.

"So, quite a few little mice have snuck into our territory." A cruel expression appeared on Brother Long's face. He had clearly realized Xu Xiaoyou was an infiltrator. Every subordinate followed him personally; he had never seen this person before.

"Capture them!"

Seeing they were surrounded, Mori no Natsu Kuri quickly raised her hands high and leaped back like a startled cat, terrified of a stray shot. "Easy now, easy! Don't shoot! Let's talk this out like gentlemen!"

At the same time, she secretly kicked her companion, a cunning glint in her eyes. "Execute Plan B!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, but then several specialized smoke grenades rolled out from under Mori no Natsu Kuri's skirt. Everyone, including Xu Xiaoyou, was enveloped in rising white smoke. The two types of smoke merged and swirled in the room, creating a chemical reaction that caused the guards to cough violently. The feeling of suffocation forced them to clutch their throats and rush out.

Mori no Natsu Kuri seized the opening, swinging her crowbar to knock down the guards who tried to control them. Her companions reacted quickly, coordinating to take down the seven or eight guards surrounding them.

In the blink of an eye, the guards in the room were all neutralized. As Brother Long was about to roar, Mori no Natsu Kuri suddenly hurled a red doll at him!

"I won't explode, I won't explode, I won't explode!"

The red doll traced an arc through the air, flapping its short, stubby hands as its entire body vibrated violently. A red light burst from its eyes, and an intense white light began to emanate from within as its temperature skyrocketed.

The large-headed, short-limbed red doll broke through the smoke and reached his face in an instant, its arms wide open. A girl's crazed smile was inches away.

"Fooled you, I actually explode!"

Sensing the extreme danger within the red doll, Brother Long's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he cursed, "Fuck, old man, look at the brat you've spoiled!"

Boom—!

The light of the explosion swallowed Brother Long. Mori no Natsu Kuri ran to Xu Xiaoyou's side and grabbed her hand to pull her out, but the latter didn't budge. She only gave a gentle smile. "Go on ahead, Meijiu. I have some personal business to handle. I'll be back soon."

Mori no Natsu Kuri hesitated for a moment before her companions dragged her toward the exit. She watched as the blonde girl in the smoke grew further and further away, gradually swallowed by the darkness. A strong sense of loss suddenly gripped her chest. She didn't understand where this feeling came from, but she couldn't help shouting, "Hey, Yuzu, come back soon! I'll be waiting for you in your room!"

Xu Xiaoyou smiled and waved, bidding the girl farewell.