She Was Different...

"What are you doing over here, kid?"

Ye Chenyang folded up his umbrella. As soon as he settled into the passenger seat, Cheng Qiao's voice sounded beside him.

He turned and saw Cheng Qiao with both hands on the steering wheel, turned slightly toward him. Cheng Qiao wore a faint, knowing smile, and his eyes plainly said, I saw everything.

"Meeting someone."

"Heh."

Cheng Qiao chuckled and lifted his chin toward the drink shop.

"I've been here a while. I happened to see you walk that girl out, then stand at the door watching her go. Pretty thoughtful, aren't you?"

"This... isn't that normal? Don't read too much into it. We're just ordinary friends."

"Normal? Ordinary friends."

Cheng Qiao raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

Before Ye Chenyang could answer, Cheng Qiao continued on his own:

"Tell me, don't tell me you're interested in that girl? You've asked her out several times already. And be honest—when you took leave before, did you go be her sparring partner?"

"Hm?"

Ye Chenyang didn't understand at first. He'd put "personal reasons" on his leave request and hadn't said what he was doing. How had Cheng Qiao heard about it?

Cheng Qiao seemed to notice Ye Chenyang's confusion and chuckled.

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

Ye Chenyang was at a loss for words. So someone had let the secret slip.

The "eldest nephew" Cheng Qiao meant was the young man Ye Chenyang had run into at the entrance last time: Zhao Gang.

That kid... What a big mouth. Who knew what he'd made up about Ye Chenyang and Jiang Mian?

"But speaking of that girl... Her name's Jiang Mian, right? I heard she's one of our city's High-tier Sequences this year?"

"Yes."

The commotion caused by Jiang Mian's awakening had been considerable, so neither her name nor her Sequence was much of a secret.

"No wonder you're so attentive. A High-tier Sequence in the same league as you, with huge potential, good looks, and a nice personality—of course people would take an interest."

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

Ye Chenyang rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling helpless.

He'd never thought of her that way. He only looked out for Jiang Mian out of a sense of responsibility, seeing it through once he'd started helping her.

"Didn't you used to complain that young girls were a nuisance? Why are you so proactive with her?"

Proactive?

The attention he paid Jiang Mian... did seem unusually great.

When had it started?

Was it when he first met her, quietly working among the Calamity remains? Was it in the warehouse, when she curled up and trembled in the Eye of the Storm? Or...

It seemed that from the very first time they'd met, his gaze had unconsciously lingered on her.

"She... is different."

"Pfft..."

At that, Cheng Qiao nearly burst out laughing.

Ye Chenyang realized how ambiguous his words sounded and was about to explain, but Cheng Qiao waved a hand.

"All right, I'm done teasing you. It's normal for young people to make friends, especially with someone your age who's so outstanding."

With that, he turned the ignition. The car eased away from the roadside and headed toward the Public Security Bureau in the South District.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Qiao spoke again, shifting the subject to business.

"You saw the notice about tonight's assignment, right?"

"Yeah." Ye Chenyang sat up straight.

Cheng Qiao had sent him a message earlier, but hadn't gone into detail, saying he wanted to explain in person.

"Target's information?"

"Du Biao. He deals in the underground market."

"Underground... Suppressors?"

Ye Chenyang thought for a moment and immediately realized what Du Biao did.

"Right. They've been cracking down hard lately, so most of the dealers moving Suppressors have gone into hiding. Only a few are still active."

"This guy... He's got some nerve. Is he an Awakened?"

"Second-tier strength, Sequence 235, Hunter. He's not strong, but his senses are sharp, and he's slippery as an eel. He's escaped several times."

"Second-tier..."

Ye Chenyang raised an eyebrow.

Generally speaking, Awakened of that rank could earn a decent income from any job they took.

Reselling Suppressors brought a profit of roughly sixty percent of the sale price per dose, though the risks were high.

"That's pretty rare. He used to be a clerk at the Market Supervision Bureau. He was fired seven years ago for selling controlled medication, then spent five years in prison."

Cheng Qiao picked up the thread and added:

"After he got out, he couldn't make an honest living, so he survived by dealing Suppressors. He never made much of a splash, but he never got caught either."

Ye Chenyang nodded. Although the rules weren't as strict inside the system, the red lines were still clear.

Cross one, and you wouldn't just end up behind bars—your identity would be flagged, too. Most legitimate organizations wouldn't hire you.

With nowhere else to turn, it made sense that he'd gone back to his old trade.

"This assignment came up suddenly. Did they confirm his base, or is he making a deal tonight?"

"The tip says he's got a big deal tonight, but the other party's cautious too, so they'll decide on the location at the last minute. The colleagues watching him have narrowed it down to one area..."

Cheng Qiao paused, then said four words:

"Happiness Residential Area."

At that, Ye Chenyang's expression turned a little strange.

Happiness Residential Area, at the border between South City and West City, was a notorious Red-light District—an absolute mess.

Given the state of the city, the surviving gangs from West City were all afraid of the crazed Aberrants and had gathered there.

Was the other party trying to throw them off by blending in with the crowd?

"What's with that look, kid?"

Cheng Qiao glanced at Ye Chenyang and continued:

"At a time like this, he'll definitely be on his guard. We have to pin him down tonight. If things go smoothly, we might be able to uncover information on quite a few hidden Aberrants."

Cheng Qiao's tone grew more serious. Clearly, he attached great importance to tonight's operation.

"...Understood."

That night, at half past nine.

Jiang Mian curled up under her covers, watching as a new message finally popped up in the encrypted channel.

[Southwest West City, east gate of Happiness Residential Area. Come in through the entrance to Alley No. 1.]

The message was brief. Both sides knew this would be their last deal, so they'd only given a simple address.

Jiang Mian left the channel and deleted the visit record.

She kicked off the covers, climbed out of bed, and picked up the other Black Raincoat by the door.

It was the one she'd worn for their previous deal.

The material was thick and almost opaque, with a broad brim. She'd always found it useful; it was easy to hide her face.

Of course, that might have been because she'd bought it too large.

After getting ready, she left home.

She deliberately took a detour through East City before heading toward her destination. By the time she arrived nearby, it was already around ten thirty.

The buildings inside the target residential area were weather-beaten, their walls plastered with all sorts of flyers. The water pooled on the ground was deep enough to cover her ankles.

This was Happiness Residential Area. Despite its name, it was actually a chaotic cluster of old-style apartment buildings.

Jiang Mian let her long-sealed senses open.

Normally, to keep herself from developing an unnecessary appetite for Awakened, she used Gale to seal her senses, especially her sense of smell.

Now, all kinds of sounds rode the wind into her ears.

For instance... from the alley in front of her came what sounded like a strange series of thuds, along with the mingled gasps of a man and a woman.

"?!"