Every Rustle a Threat

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

Shisui knocked at Boss Zhou's door and entered.

"You're... Yue Jian." Boss Zhou took a moment to remember the employee who didn't quite fit in. "What do you need?"

"I'm here for my wages, and I'm quitting while I'm at it."

Shisui spoke casually, but he caught Boss Zhou off guard.

"Quitting? Why?"

"If you're unhappy with your pay or benefits, you can say so..."

"But you never planned to pay me this month in the first place, did you?"

Shisui cut off Boss Zhou's polite talk.

How could he not know this damn fatty would withhold his wages?

The fox woman who had "kindly" supplied him with information about the Youhe Trading Company—why did anyone think she couldn't save any money?

He had driven a low-ranking member of the Demon Race to consider switching employers. It wasn't hard to imagine how black-hearted this boss was.

"How dare you speak to me like that! I'm still your boss!"

Feeling guilty, Boss Zhou immediately began shouting.

Shisui snorted, watching the fat pig rage impotently in his boss's chair.

"Forget it. I'll take it myself."

"Slash!"

An invisible slash fell, instantly cleaving Boss Zhou in two as he was about to say something else.

Immediately afterward, the flowing crimson liquid and the two halves of flesh were gathered together in midair.

They were gradually compressed and refined by space, then transformed into a vivid red cube the size of an apple.

Shisui plucked the little red cube, compressed by the power of space, from the air, his mood turning exceptionally bright.

It was a little trick he had come up with while developing his spatial attribute after entering the Eighth Realm.

This was his first time trying it, and the results looked pretty good.

As a Ghoul who liked to stockpile emergency rations, this convenient, quick, clean and efficient method of compression was simply wonderful!

Shisui tossed the gorgeous cube he had just acquired into the air, then brought it to his mouth.

"Crunch."

He bit off a corner of the cube, and the hard, crystalline fragments melted in his mouth.

A rich, mellow flavor instantly spread across his tongue.

The ingredients were nothing special, but the compressed flavor was unexpectedly good. What a bargain!

Still, did this little cube count as a kind of premade meal too?

Letting his thoughts wander, Shisui pushed open the office door and headed toward the warehouse district.

"Crunch, crunch..."

As the sound of chewing continued, the closer he got to the Youhe Trading Company's private warehouse, the fewer people there were, for some inexplicable reason.

It wasn't until Shisui reached the warehouse district that the reason became clear.

Instead of the usual busy crowds, numerous dark red cubes floated before his eyes.

A rough glance at the square in front of the enormous warehouse showed that there were over a thousand cubes.

A figure was conspicuously suspended amid the densely packed cubes.

Yan Xu's limbs were restrained by invisible space, leaving him floating in midair among the cubes.

He couldn't move and could only watch helplessly as an eerie silence gradually descended around him.

Shisui came up to him and ate the last vivid red bite right in front of him.

Then he watched with satisfaction as Yan Xu's expression twisted and grew more terrified.

"Wh... y...?"

"Mm... no real reason. I was a little annoyed at being yelled at. But I feel better now. Bye~"

Shisui waved his hand, and a fresh crimson cube appeared where Yan Xu had been.

The cubes with Radiant Feathers stuck to them, along with all the various materials filling the warehouse, were pulled into a spatial rift.

Before leaving, Shisui took out a badge he had stumbled upon during a nighttime outing a few days earlier.

With a casual toss, he threw the badge into the dust in a corner of the warehouse district, then sauntered away.

The next day, the Qiongfang Evening News ran a front-page headline: "Youhe Trading Company Qiongfang City Branch deserted—did they abscond with the funds, or is there more to the story?"

Qiongfang City was unusually chaotic today.

First came a citywide census that had begun at the crack of dawn, throwing every household into turmoil.

Then Youhe, which claimed to be the number one trading company, inexplicably vanished without a trace, apparently absconding with its funds.

Later, reports claimed that the Youhe Trading Company's disappearance was connected to a Demon Race rebel organization.

Mixed in were smaller episodes, such as clearing out vagrants and capturing spies from other races.

One thing followed another, a thorough jumble of all sorts of people and complete chaos.

The lofty great nobles of Qiongfang City probably didn't know how much was hidden right under their noses, either.

Even so, the first day's census alone had already left those suspicious and autocratic decision-makers burning with anger.

"Crash—"

Precious teacups and bowls were swept to the floor, shattering with a piercing crash.

"How can we allow these petty scoundrels to run wild and wreak havoc on our Demon Race's territory?!"

"Investigate! Better to kill the innocent than let anyone slip through! Step up the investigation!"

Qiongfang City had suddenly become a powder keg about to be set off, with everyone on edge.

"Tell the others not to act rashly. Lie low for now."

"What's going on? Have those great nobles of the Demon Race gone mad?"

In a dim, damp sewer, several figures whispered among themselves.

"Word from above says they seem to have found something at the Youhe Trading Company?"

"You mean the Youhe suspected of absconding with its funds?"

"Yes. Apparently, they found a badge engraved with a red crane orchid in their warehouse."

"If that's true, we're in trouble. We can't stay hidden."

"We have to get word back to Chen City. We can't worry about being exposed anymore."

"But we've had these moles hidden for so long. Is it worth exposing them all at once?"

For a moment, the corner of the sewer fell silent.

A little while later, an older voice faintly spoke up.

"Aren't we spies hiding here to gather intelligence? If we know something and don't report it, what kind of secret agents are we?"

"Everyone except those buried deepest, get moving!"

"Red Crane Orchid is a Demon Race rebel organization. It would be disastrous if the Human Race were accused of interfering in another race's internal affairs without knowing what was happening."

"You're right, sir. We were too caught up in appearances. We'll go notify the others at once."

The figures scattered, quickly departing through different pipes.

Aboveground, in a dark corner known only to some vagrants, a group of shadows that had suddenly drawn attention had also gathered.

"Have you found out who had contact with the Human Race? Or with that Youhe Trading Company?"

"No."

"Have you asked everyone?"

"We've asked everyone. Not even the peripheral members have had any private dealings with the Human Race."

"Leader, colluding with another race goes against our original purpose. None of us would contact another race privately!"

One of the black-robed figures slapped the table in agitation, making a red crane orchid on it sway gently.

"Keep your voice down! We aren't far from the street."

"Sorry, sorry."

"All right, I believe none of you would contact another race privately. But the fact remains that our emblem appeared on Human Race territory."

"Qiongfang City is very likely trying to smear us. We need to discuss how to respond."

"We have to distance ourselves from the Human Race as soon as possible, or our people will lose faith in us."

"Also, our informants recently discovered that those beasts on night patrol have begun appearing frequently at the vagrants' gathering places. They may have set their sights on them."

"Damn it, damn those nobles, and damn the Human Race!"