She's Different...

"Kid, what are you doing over here?"

As soon as Ye Chenyang retracted his umbrella and sat in the passenger seat, Cheng Qiao's voice sounded in his ear.

He turned his head and saw Cheng Qiao with both hands on the steering wheel, leaning slightly to look at him, a half-smile on his face, his eyes clearly saying "I saw everything."

"Meeting someone."

"Heh."

Cheng Qiao chuckled and tilted his chin towards the direction of the drink shop.

"I've been here for a while. I just happened to see you walk that girl out, and you were standing at the door watching her leave. Pretty thoughtful, huh?"

"This... isn't that normal? Don't overthink it, we're just ordinary friends."

"Normal? Ordinary friends."

Cheng Qiao raised an eyebrow, looking unconvinced.

Without waiting for Ye Chenyang's reply, he continued on his own:

"I say, you're not interested in that little girl, are you? You've asked her out several times. Also, tell me honestly, when you took leave before, were you acting as a sparring partner for someone?"

"Huh?"

Ye Chenyang didn't react for a moment. He had filled in personal reasons for his previous leave, not specifying what he was doing. Where did Cheng Qiao hear about it?

Cheng Qiao seemed to sense Ye Chenyang's confusion and chuckled:

"My eldest nephew told me. Is it true?"

Ye Chenyang was momentarily speechless. So, someone had leaked the information.

The "eldest nephew" Cheng Qiao mentioned was the young man he had met at the entrance last time, Zhao Gang.

This kid... is such a blabbermouth. I wonder what he's made up about the relationship between me and Jiang Mian.

"But speaking of which, that little girl... her name is Jiang Mian, right? I heard she's also one of this year's High-tier Sequences in our city?"

"Yes."

The commotion Jiang Mian caused during her awakening was not small. Her name and sequence were not exactly secrets.

"No wonder you're so attentive. A High-tier Sequence at your level, with high potential, beautiful, and a good personality, is indeed someone worth paying attention to."

"Captain Cheng, it's really not what you think."

Ye Chenyang rubbed his temples with some helplessness.

He had never thought about it that way. His concern for Jiang Mian was purely out of a sense of responsibility, just seeing things through.

"Didn't you used to find those young girls troublesome? Why are you so proactive with her?"

Proactive?

His attention towards Jiang Mian... seemed to be exceptionally high.

When did it start?

Was it when they first met and she was quietly working amidst the disaster's wreckage? Was it during that incident at the warehouse when she was curled up and trembling in the Eye of the Storm? Or...

It seemed that from their very first meeting, his gaze would subconsciously linger on her.

"She... is different."

"Pfft..."

As soon as he said that, Cheng Qiao almost burst out laughing.

Ye Chenyang also realized the ambiguity in his words and was about to explain, but Cheng Qiao waved his hand.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. It's normal for young people to make friends, especially with someone as outstanding as her."

After speaking, he turned the car key, and the car slowly pulled away from the roadside, heading towards the Public Security Bureau in the southern district.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Qiao spoke again, but the topic had shifted to official business.

"You saw the mission notification for tonight, right?"

"Mm." Ye Chenyang sat up straight.

Cheng Qiao had sent him a text message earlier, but he hadn't gone into detail, preferring to discuss it in person.

"Target information?"

"Du Biao, involved in underground business."

"Underground... Inhibitors?"

Ye Chenyang figured out what Du Biao was involved in after a brief thought.

"Yes. The crackdown has been strict lately, and most of the dealers peddling Inhibitors have gone into hiding. Only a few are still active."

"This guy... has quite the nerve. Is he an Awakened?"

"Second-tier strength, Sequence 235, [Hunter]. Not very strong, but his senses are very sharp. Slippery as an eel, he's escaped several times."

"Second-tier..."

Ye Chenyang raised an eyebrow.

Generally speaking, Awakened of this Level would earn a good income from any job they took.

Dealing in Inhibitors, the profit per unit was about sixty percent of the selling price, but the risk was also very high.

"It is quite rare. This person used to be a Section Member at the Market Supervision Bureau. He was fired seven years ago for dealing in controlled substances and served five years."

Cheng Qiao picked up the conversation, adding:

"After getting out, he couldn't go down a legitimate path, so he relied on dealing Inhibitors to make a living. He was never spectacular, but he never got caught."

Ye Chenyang nodded. Although management within the system wasn't as strict, the red lines were still there.

Once crossed, not only would one go to jail, but their identification would also be marked, and most legitimate organizations wouldn't hire them.

It made sense that he would return to his old ways when driven to desperation.

"This mission came up suddenly. Have his hideout been confirmed? Or is he making a transaction tonight?"

"The tip-off said he has a big deal tonight, but the other party is also very vigilant. The transaction location will be decided on the spot. Our colleagues staking out the area have roughly locked down a range..."

Cheng Qiao paused, then uttered four words:

"Happiness Residential Area."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chenyang's expression turned a little strange.

Happiness Residential Area was a notorious Red-light District at the junction of South City and West City, known for being quite chaotic.

Given the current situation in the city, the surviving gangs from West City, fearing the rampaging Mutants, had all gathered there.

Was the target trying to use this to confuse them?

"What's with that look on your face?"

Cheng Qiao glanced at Ye Chenyang and continued, "During this period, that person will definitely be on guard. We must apprehend him tonight. If successful, we might be able to uncover information about many hidden Mutants."

Cheng Qiao's tone became a bit more serious, clearly attaching great importance to tonight's operation.

"...Understood."

At nine-thirty in the evening.

Jiang Mian was nestled in her quilt, watching as new messages finally appeared in the encrypted channel.

[Southwest City, East Gate of Happiness Residential Area, enter from Alley No. 1.]

The message was brief, and both parties knew this was their last transaction, so only a simple address was given.

Jiang Mian exited the channel and deleted the visit record.

She kicked off the covers, got out of bed, and grabbed another set of Black Raincoat by the door.

It was the set she wore during her last transaction.

The material was thick and almost opaque, and the hood was wide. She always found it quite useful, as it easily covered her face.

Of course, it might also be because she bought it too big.

After a brief tidy-up, she left her home.

She deliberately took a detour through East City before arriving near her destination, around 10:30 PM.

The buildings within the target residential area had mottled walls plastered with all sorts of small advertisements, and the accumulated water on the road was enough to submerge her ankles.

This was "Happiness Residential Area." Although called a residential area, it was actually a chaotic old apartment complex.

Jiang Mian released her long-suppressed senses.

Normally, to curb her unnecessary appetite for Awakened, she always sealed her senses with [Gale], especially her sense of smell.

Now, all sorts of sounds could enter her ears through the wind.

For example... from the alley in front of her, she could faintly hear a strange bumping sound, along with the mingled gasps of a man and a woman.

"?!"

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