After finishing all this, Li Xu felt refreshed. Humming a tune, he returned to the agency and propped his legs high on the counter.
At that moment, the door to the agency was pushed open once again.
Without even lifting his eyelids, he said impatiently, "We're closed. No more commissions. Come back tomorrow morning if you have business."
A tall figure walked up to his counter.
"Can't you understand human spea—"
A gun was slammed onto the counter.
"Right away, sir! Do you wish to post a commission or accept one? Would you like to sign up for a commission package?"
Xu Xiaoyou watched the youth before her, whose expression changed faster than someone flipping a page in a book, and her lips twitched slightly.
To maintain an air of mystery, she merely gave a dull, cold snort. Her entire face was buried beneath a brownish-gray cloak, and her voice was raspy:
"You're about to die."
Hearing this, Li Xu’s eyes widened as he stood up, cold sweat breaking out across his body.
"What?"
His nerves instantly became incredibly tense. His hand subconsciously reached under the counter toward a hunting gun stored there. Although its power was limited, a hit at such close range would be enough to severely wound even a grade 2 fixer.
If he had heard someone threaten him like this elsewhere, he might have laughed it off as a joke. But this was the slum of the Corrupt Hive City. The mental states of the people living here were extremely unstable. Who could guarantee that this giant—standing nearly 190 centimeters tall with his entire body hidden under a cloak—wouldn't suddenly lash out?
This didn't sound like a provocation; it sounded like the death sentence those maniacs declared before they killed.
"Take your hand out from under the counter. A hunting gun can't hurt me."
Xu Xiaoyou sneered, feigning mystery as she slowly loomed closer.
Li Xu felt a powerful, oppressive aura bear down on him. Looking up at the mountain-like figure, a bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
The opponent’s senses were incredibly sharp; his small movement had been noticed instantly.
Little did he know that under Xu Xiaoyou's gray robe, a white-haired little girl was using every ounce of her strength, tightly hugging the girl's legs to maintain the illusion of her height.
As someone who had lived in the slum for years, Li Xu had some modicum of judgment. He gradually calmed down and made an internal assessment.
If the person in front of him wanted to kill him, they would have done so already.
"Is there something you want to say to me?"
"Do you recognize these three?"
The figure handed over three yellowed photos and slapped them onto the counter.
Li Xu was horrified when he saw the photos clearly.
The three people in the photos had the characteristics of a rabbit, a fox, and a pig, respectively. Weren't these the three fixers from his agency who had vanished without a trace a few days ago!?
In this city, losing contact often meant death, as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth. He had already guessed that they had met with an unfortunate end.
"Are they dead?"
"Yes. I killed them," Xu Xiaoyou said coldly.
Li Xu's eyes snapped wide.
What kind of person would kill his subordinates and then have the audacity to show up openly at the doorstep of the agency’s owner?
Was this person that bold? Did they think he was some spineless weakling!?
Xu Xiaoyou observed the youth's expression. She saw him clench his teeth and fists, his eyes turning red with intensity.
Then, with a thud, he knelt before her.
"Great one, those three fixers have absolutely nothing to do with me! If they offended you, they deserved to die. I’m just the one who hands out commissions. Please, in your great mercy, spare me, okay?"
Xu Xiaoyou: "?"
Li Xu scurried forward, his face full of fawning flattery.
"Excellent kill, great one! I’ve been annoyed with those three for the longest time!
"Dammit, not a single one of them was honest. I gave them a place to stay, but behind my back, they were always plotting how to frame me and take over the agency.
"I even heard them secretly conspiring at night to break into my room and do me in. It’s true!"
Xu Xiaoyou suppressed the urge to shoot this unreliable guy right then and there.
She didn't care to judge whether his words were true or false. It didn't matter. What mattered was that she was going to use him.
"Also, also... great one, what did you mean when you said I was about to die?"
"You truly have some nerve, accepting any commission that comes your way. Do you have any idea how big a hole you’ve dug for yourself?"
Her deep, thunderous shout made Li Xu's body tremble.
A flood of thoughts regarding politics and gang wars surged into his mind. He wondered if this commission had involved a conflict between two major power players.
His face went pale instantly, and his heart skipped a beat.
To be dragged into something like that because of one tiny commission... how could he be this unlucky?
If that were the case, his life was truly forfeit!
Would he be target of retaliation? Would his corpse be hidden in concrete and thrown into the sea, or would he end up as a plate of thinly sliced fresh meat sashimi?
Those three fixers under him must have been handled that way already. He didn't even dare to imagine how much trouble they had brought upon him.
"Damn it, they actually caused this much trouble for me."
One after another, various brutal execution methods surfaced in his mind. He was scared out of his wits, kneeling beside Xu Xiaoyou with his voice shaking:
"I... what should I do?"
He was like a drowning man, desperately trying to grab onto the only straw in sight.
The person before him was his only hope for survival.
Although he wasn't sure what role this person played in the incident, given their powerful presence, they certainly weren't simple!
"Before long, a woman will come here. If she asks about those three fixers, say they aren't from your agency. You must sever all ties with them if you don't want to die."
"But..." Li Xu’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!"
Xu Xiaoyou barked, forcing Li Xu to swallow his words.
He nodded timidly.
He committed every single one of the person's instructions to heart.
The first rule of urban survival was to be aware of the situation.
"Also, this is my contact information. Find me if something happens."
Before leaving, Xu Xiaoyou left a slip of paper with a string of numbers written on it.
Li Xu quickly tucked the paper away and then politely escorted Xu Xiaoyou out.
Watching the tall figure disappear into the distance, he let out a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, only to realize he was drenched in sweat.
This time, he didn't close the agency door. Instead, he sat in his chair, waiting anxiously for the woman the great one had mentioned to appear.
It wasn't until the sun was almost down and the sky was turning dark that a beautiful white figure finally appeared in the alleyway in front of the agency.
At first glance, Li Xu rubbed his eyes, thinking he had seen wrong.
The person had soft features, eyes as clear as a stream, and black hair tied in a ponytail. She was at a youthful, vibrant age.
Bai Youyou looked at the map in her hand with some confusion, then carefully re-confirmed the sign for the Raven Agency. "Um..."
"Is this the place?"
The young girl leaned forward, hands behind her back, peering curiously into the courtyard. Her white investigator uniform accentuated her slender figure.
"Is anyone in the agency? I'm coming in."
Li Xu was about to turn her away until his gaze swept over the three-winged badge on her shoulder, and his mind exploded.
His heart screamed:
The woman that master mentioned so casually is a three-winged investigator!?
Rate on N.U.
