"A glass of citrus tulip," Xu Xiaoyou said.
The bartender nodded in understanding. He poured various colored liquids into a glass and stirred them with practiced, rhythmic movements as serene, beautiful music played in the background.
Leaning against the bar, Xu Xiaoyou watched the crowd in the distant dance floor reveling with reckless abandon, a coin flipping between her fingertips.
It was hard to see their faces in the darkness. The luxurious ornaments on their limbs were the only things covering their bodies; Xu Xiaoyou imagined that the expressions beneath their masks must be debauched to the extreme.
Explocive rock music occasionally rolled over the area like undulating sound waves.
Despite being a crowd of strangers who had never met, they acted with such openness—as if some taboo had been lifted—completely indifferent to physical contact. When the mood struck, they would boldly wrap their arms around a neighbor's neck and embrace while dancing.
"After I finish this drink, I think I'll be clocking out," the bartender said suddenly.
Xu Xiaoyou raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him.
"Perceptiveness is the first thing every bartender must learn," the bartender explained.
"Guest, I have noticed you from the moment you entered the bar."
"It is obvious you are not a regular in a place like this. Even the most green and reserved people usually shed a few layers of clothing the moment they arrive to increase their appeal to others."
"Yet you show absolutely no interest in anything here. Like now—you're still wearing a full suit."
"In this Corrupt Hive City, no one comes here just to drink. What kind of situation would draw someone who has no interest in this place to come here?"
"I think..."
The bartender silently wiped the side of the glass.
"There is only one possibility."
"Something is about to happen in this bar, and you happen to know exactly what it is. In short, it won't be anything good for us ordinary people."
The bartender set down the glass as he spoke.
"This drink is on the house, guest."
"The dancer from earlier was my sister. She only tried to hit on you because she saw how expensive your clothes are. Please, do not hold it against her."
"Being perceptive is simply how we ordinary people survive in this Corrupt Hive City."
Xu Xiaoyou watched as the bartender gave her a deep bow before striding away from the bar and disappearing into the undulating silhouettes of the crowd.
"So I'm that conspicuous, huh?"
She mused, taking off her suit jacket and casually tossing it onto Anya's head.
Anya held the jacket, which carried the girl's scent, with both hands. Looking at the golden-haired girl in the white shirt, her neck pale and exposed at the collar, the little girl swallowed hard, her face flushing slightly.
After Xu Xiaoyou did this, several people in the bar quickly approached to flirt, but they were all fiercely driven away by Anya.
Time passed minute by minute. The crowd continued to dance wildly, and the music still lingered overhead.
"It should be about time," Xu Xiaoyou's eyes remained fixed on the rising and falling waves of people.
"Do you hear anything, Anya?"
Anya snapped out of her daze, confused. She held the jacket tightly, her wolf ears twitching as if sensing something, and she looked upward.
Seeing the little girl's expression turn grave, Xu Xiaoyou knew that something was definitely happening on the second floor of the bar at this very moment.
Suddenly, the entire bar plunged into darkness. The explosive music stopped abruptly.
"A power outage?"
"Damn it! What the hell? I was just getting into it!"
"Get your hand off my leg, you dead pig!"
The swaying crowd in the dance floor stopped, and noisy complaints filled the air.
"Ah—!"
Once the scene quieted down, people finally heard faint screams of agony. The sound seemed to be coming from above them.
"What's happening?"
"Did you hear that just now...?"
As the people discussed, a blood-covered figure rolled down the stairs leading to the second floor in a pathetic state. His face was deathly pale. Seeing the crowd looking at him, he shouted as if grabbing a life-saving straw:
"Save me!! Fuck, save me!!"
"This person is..."
"Manager Lu! He's the manager of this bar!"
Someone recognized the figure and gasped.
The crowd shrunk back in terror, for Manager Lu's current state was truly horrific. Both his legs were gone, one eye socket was empty, and the bright red trail he dragged behind him looked like countless demonic hands reaching out to pull him into the abyss.
"Don't let that bastard get away! Hack him to death!"
Angry roars echoed from the direction of the second floor.
Seeing that the people only had expressions of panic and that not a single person came forward to help, Manager Lu's face turned ashen. He clawed at the floor in despair, crawling toward the crowd inch by inch. Wherever he crawled, the crowd parted like a rift, terrified that the misfortune would stain them.
"Fuck you all! You bunch of bystanders... Arghhh!"
Manager Lu hissed with bulging eyes as several masked thugs chased him down, raising their weapons and hacking at him without a word.
"The Animal Gang... those guys are from the Animal Gang!"
People screamed and ran, and the scene instantly turned into chaos. The chandeliers on the ceiling swayed in the commotion.
It wasn't until Manager Lu stopped breathing that the bar's security finally arrived. Seeing the mangled body and the ferocious thugs, these security guards—who had little professional training—looked troubled. Not one of them dared to rush forward; the hands holding their weapons were trembling.
"Anyone with any sense, get the hell away from here!"
A masked, burly tiger-man raised a machete and roared at the cowering security guards.
The security guards were terrified by the tiger's roar, exchanging hesitant glances.
They were all just working for a salary; no one wanted to risk their life.
"Boss, Lu is dead. What's next?"
"Scour this place for every bit of money, then get out of here fast! Those damn lions are going to be here soon," the lead tiger-man barked.
His subordinates scattered, searching everywhere for anything of value.
At the bar, Xu Xiaoyou watched the scene silently. While silhouettes of fleeing people blurred around her, she merely swirled the liquid in her glass without taking a single sip, appearing entirely indifferent to her surroundings.
A masked thug walked up to her with a fierce expression and opened a cloth bag, gesturing for her to comply.
Xu Xiaoyou thought for a moment, reached her hand into the cloth bag, and pulled out a watch that looked quite valuable.
The thug: "???"
"You damn well better hand over—"
Before the thug could finish his threat, the dark muzzle of a gun was extended, pressed right against his forehead.
Cold sweat instantly soaked the thug's body. He dropped to his knees before the girl, not daring to even breathe.
"Here~"
Xu Xiaoyou smiled faintly, sitting in an elevated position. She lowered the gun, holding it horizontally as she offered it. The shimmering liquid from her glass slowly poured over the thug's head.
"Do you dare to take it?"
Rate on N.U.
