Talia in Action

Night had fallen, and cold gusts swept through the air.

In the dark, silent forest, the only sounds were the faint rustling of insects crawling over fallen leaves.

Perched atop the thick trunk of a crooked tree.

"Oh, let me get a good look at you, beautiful Lana, my goddess, my beloved!"

Gerry, wearing glasses and sporting greasy hair, muttered to himself as he adjusted his equipment, continuously zooming and focusing the lens on the "scenery" revealed by the open neckline of Lana's blue pajamas.

"That damned Jino actually bullied you. But don't worry, I'll definitely stand up for you."

"Oh, Lana, Lana!" Gerry wore an infatuated expression as one arm slowly reached toward his pants pocket.

Just as he was about to begin his usual nightly handiwork, Lana inside turned over and switched off the light.

Snap!

As the lights went out, the second floor of the villa sank into darkness and silence.

"Oh, shit!"

Gerry cursed and could only reluctantly pull his hand back out.

"Looks like I can only go back—"

Before the man could finish muttering to himself, a sharp gust of wind sounded behind his ear.

Pfft!

A tranquilizer dart struck Gerry precisely in the neck. The sedative in the needle knocked him unconscious instantly, and he toppled to the ground like a dead sloth.

Thud!

The lecherous, short Gerry hit the forest floor like a dead dog, cold, dew-covered leaves soaking his cheeks.

Rustle~

A sound came from the nearby bushes, followed by a pair of soft, lightweight black ninja boots stepping gently onto the grass.

Under the bright moonlight, the beautiful and refined Talia stood quietly amid the dense woods.

Her hands, painted with green nail polish, rested on her hips. The tight black pants wrapped around her full, straight legs, lending her an even more mature and commanding air.

Tonight, she had abandoned the outfit she wore on Demon Island. Her smooth black hair, cascading like a waterfall, was tied up with a floral cord, while a green hairpin added a touch of elegance. Her emerald eyes stared darkly at Gerry sprawled on the ground, as if she were looking at an indescribable pile of trash.

"Disgusting bastard. He can't possibly be my employer, can he?"

Talia looked down at the unconscious Gerry, her slightly pointed chin raised, her lovely face full of disdain.

But after giving Gerry's outfit a once-over, Talia quickly dismissed the thought.

Cheap clothes, a worn canvas bag, and a secondhand digital camera of unknown provenance.

On top of that, she could smell his sour stench even from where she stood. Talia did not believe someone like him could afford to post a fifty-thousand-dollar job.

"Forget it. I don't want to come to this barren little town a second time."

Talia's face was filled with disgust as she put on a ninja mask to conceal her features. Her emerald eyes fixed on the target of this operation: the second floor of Lana's villa.

Whoosh!

Under the moonlight, Talia moved at incredible speed, like a dark afterimage sweeping toward Lana's home.

The several-meter-high iron fence posed no obstacle to Talia. With a light leap and the force techniques she had learned from her ancient martial arts family, she twisted her waist in midair like an elf of the night and landed perfectly on the cold grass in a Superhero Kneeling Pose.

Talia looked around, confirming that no one had noticed her infiltration, before once more heading toward the villa's second floor.

Beneath the thick veil of night, her movements were as silent and deadly as a Poisonous Snake flicking its tongue.

Talia silently arrived beneath the first floor of the villa, her small hand reaching for the grappling hook at her waist.

Whoosh, whoosh~

Talia swung the grappling hook, feeling its oscillations grow faster and faster. Then, she lightly tossed it toward the second floor.

Clack!

The hook caught around the balcony railing. Talia gave it a hard pull, lightly kicked off the wall with both feet, and drifted onto the balcony.

No one witnessed this flawless infiltration, so naturally there were no cheers or applause.

Moonlight fell across Talia's high nose bridge. Through the glass window, she looked with complicated eyes at Lana, who was sleeping peacefully inside.

At Lana's age, she had already taken dozens of lives.

Huff.

Talia exhaled, clearing the distracting thoughts from her mind. Her small hand brushed her waist, and a short black tube appeared in her hand.

She inserted the tube into a gap in the glass, then lightly tapped the metal tube with her fingers.

Soon, white crystalline powder scattered into the air and dissipated.

Lana's breathing inside soon grew deeper as well.

After finishing all this, Talia glanced down at the glass door's lock and removed the green hairpin from her black hair.

The hairpin was more than just decoration. The sharp spike at its tip could be used for both lockpicking and killing.

Talia inserted her hairpin into the keyhole and gently worked it back and forth.

"Click."

The locked door opened, and Talia stepped lightly into the cute-themed room with elegant strides.

Looking at Lana on the bed, Talia's gaze swept over Lana's collarbone, but she did not find the necklace her employer wanted.

So Talia examined the room again. Ignoring the stuffed dolls, throw pillows, and a whole drawer of love letters, she quickly found what she was looking for in the bedside table.

A fluorescent green gemstone necklace, glowing with a green sheen in the dark room.

"This stone..."

Talia frowned slightly and stepped closer to grasp the stone.

The hard stone felt icy in her hand, yet even Talia, with all her knowledge and experience, could not identify what kind of stone it was.

"Agate, or...?"

Whatever this thing was, Talia's feminine intuition told her that things were not so simple.

The green glow that flickered across the stone from time to time was as dazzling as a magical gem from a fairy tale, successfully stirring Talia's curiosity.

She stared at the stone in silence, and a bold plan quietly formed in her heart.

She wanted to know why the employer wanted this necklace.

With that thought in mind, Talia tucked the necklace into her top and silently retraced her steps out of the villa.

Having taken the target of this mission—the necklace—Talia remained expressionless. She did not feel that this was any kind of accomplishment.

For a top assassin trained over eighteen years, this mission had been as easy as breathing.

After passing through the dense woods, Talia got into a rugged black SUV.

Of course, she had not come to this town unprepared. She had made thorough arrangements long before arriving.

Talia started the vehicle and drove it to the town cemetery, successfully finding the third large locust tree at the entrance.

She buried the necklace beneath the large locust tree.

Talia took out her phone, logged into the website, and sent the employer a notification that the item had been delivered.

After doing all that, Talia returned to the vehicle.

She drove the car farther away, then returned along the same route once more.

The woman concealed herself behind a patch of bushes, using the League of Assassins' breath-holding technique to control her heartbeat and breathing. Before long, the femme fatale gradually blended into the night.

Talia watched the locust tree and murmured inwardly, "Now, all I need to do is wait."

Time passed second by second.

Soon, after roughly ten minutes, an SUV slowly pulled up at the cemetery entrance.

Butler, dressed in a suit with his hair meticulously combed, got out of the vehicle. Holding a lead box in his hands, he walked step by step toward the third large locust tree.

Talia watched the old man, her gaze fixed on him as she thought, Could it be this old bastard?

Thanks to reader 1455147117727412224 for the 100-point donation. Thank you, boss, QAQ! (Super, super, super loud~)