Black Eats Black

In the room, <Li Yèlái>, clad in a pink battle robe and wielding a sharp weapon, centered his energy in his dantian. With a sudden swing, his blade flashed, swift and deadly…

He had sliced minced garlic.

Beside him, a beautiful girl in a small apron was washing vegetables, her fair fingers, soaked by the water, meticulously cleaning the dirt off the produce.

A pink apron hugged her tall frame. But the white dress beneath it couldn't conceal her shapely, slender legs, like two tender white jade shoots. On her fair, glistening feet, she wore a pair of cute bear slippers.

Her shoulder-length hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing a stunning profile and… ears that had turned completely red.

She seemed very shy. It was understandable.

After all, this was the first time she had invited someone to her room. And it was someone of the opposite sex.

Yes, <Li Yèlái> had come to <Puppet>'s room.

As for the reason…

From any angle, <Li Yèlái> was deeply grateful to <Puppet>.

Whether it was the hair <Puppet> had given him as a trump card, or taking care of his sister while he was guarding the <Black Prison>.

These were favors from a superior.

Therefore, <Li Yèlái> also took the meal with <Puppet> very seriously.

As per their previous agreement, <Li Yèlái> intended to take <Puppet>, who liked spicy food, to that hot pot restaurant that claimed to be from <Giant City> in Sichuan.

Unfortunately, after the recent chaotic events, the hot pot restaurant was still closed for repairs.

Seeing this, <Li Yèlái> felt a bit helpless and sighed, "See, my luck is bad again. How about we find another place?"

After some hesitation, <Puppet> held up a sign and tentatively asked.

[How about we buy some ingredients and make hot pot at home? My place is quite big (〃'▽'〃)]

"That has nothing to do with whether your place is big or not," <Li Yèlái> quipped.

[We can save money (^▽^)]

<Puppet> knew how to hit his weak spot. Hearing the words "save money," <Li Yèlái> hesitated.

Having hot pot at <Puppet>'s place would indeed be more economical.

No, it wasn't about the money!

Was it appropriate for a grown man like him to go to a girl's home alone?

After some thought, <Li Yèlái> asked, "Will it be too much trouble?"

Not at all.

[I've never had guests before()]

[I want to host a guest once (_)]

[Pretty please ( )]

The words on <Puppet>'s sign changed continuously.

The text conveyed nervousness and anticipation.

<Li Yèlái> thought to himself, it was true. With the curse <Puppet> carried, it seemed no one else could visit her home except him.

Even leaving behind a single strand of hair would make any guest flee in terror.

Seeing <Puppet>'s eager hope, <Li Yèlái> naturally wouldn't disappoint his benefactor.

If the girl didn't mind, it would be strange for him to be overly concerned.

<Li Yèlái> nodded, "Then I'll be imposing."

And so, the current scene unfolded.

<Puppet> had shed her cumbersome <Puppet> outfit and was wearing a white dress under a pink apron. Together with <Li Yèlái>, who was also wearing an apron, they were in the kitchen preparing dipping sauces and vegetables.

The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

But in reality, <Puppet>'s heart was racing. She had turned the water up to maximum to mask the sound of her heartbeat, yet her earlobes had already turned bright red.

She didn't know why she had suddenly become so bold as to invite <Li Yèlái> to her home, but at the same time, she felt a hint of secret joy.

Despite her shyness, she felt that her relationship with <Li Yèlái> had grown closer.

By the time they sat down at the table to eat hot pot, the redness on her earlobes had not subsided; instead, it had spread to her cheeks.

Since she rarely had guests, <Puppet>'s room layout within the branch was rather casual.

As for the dining table, it was actually a glass table.

It wouldn't have been an issue normally.

But when they sat on opposite sides of the glass table, <Li Yèlái> only needed to lower his head slightly to see <Puppet>'s fair, long legs through the transparent surface.

This made <Puppet> even more shy, yet she was too embarrassed to get up and change her clothes.

Fortunately, Li Yèlái didn't seem to notice this and focused on the lamb rolls.

This allowed Puppet to relax slightly.

Meanwhile, Li Yèlái stared intently at the meat slices in the hot pot.

He had actually noticed the awkward situation they were in.

From his angle, he could even see the thigh beneath Puppet's dress.

But he couldn't say anything. Puppet was already so shy; if he mentioned it, Li Yèlái worried she'd explode in shame and anger.

So, Li Yèlái could only stare at the hot pot. He breathed a sigh of relief only after filling the table with plates of meat and vegetables.

Thank goodness I'm a gentleman! Li Yèlái thought to himself.

Come to think of it, Puppet's behavior was quite dangerous for any girl living alone.

But considering Puppet's curse, it was somewhat understandable.

"How is your injury recovering?" Puppet asked softly after eating a piece of spicy tofu.

Perhaps because she had become much more familiar with Li Yèlái, or perhaps because she was in her own territory, her speech was much clearer.

"Mm, it's almost fully recovered. After my physique was strengthened by Heart of Slaughter, these superficial wounds healed easily. There are no scars left," Li Yèlái replied. "However, there are three scars on my chest where Heart of Slaughter attached itself. But it's not a big problem."

His chest bore three lightning-like crimson scars, and when Li Yèlái's heart beat faster and his body temperature rose, those scars showed signs of faintly glowing red.

Other than that, there were no other issues.

"Your teammates all said you performed well in the incident; they all think highly of you," Puppet continued. This wasn't flattery.

After the Black Prison system was repaired, everyone saw Li Yèlái's heroic feat of covering his teammates and facing the Zhe Lan cavalry alone, finally breaking through their formation!

There were even posts about it on the forums, though many didn't believe them, thinking it was bragging. Team One, wanting to keep their treasures hidden, simply agreed.

Li Yèlái was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "It's different, very different."

It truly was different. The other handlers fought with their lives on the line.

He, on the other hand, had Mr. Shadow as a safety net, which was why he dared to charge into the enemy formation.

He wasn't as brave and fearless as everyone imagined.

"I don't know why you deny it," Puppet tilted her head and asked. "As the ancients said, judge actions, not intentions; if you judge intentions, no one is perfect. No matter what you were thinking, the moment you performed those actions, you shone like a hero."

Seeing the gentle smile in the girl's eyes, Li Yèlái shook his head slightly and changed the subject.

"Do you usually eat here?" Li Yèlái asked.

"Mm, I usually get food from the cafeteria and bring it back here to eat," Puppet said, a flicker of loneliness in her eyes, which eventually turned into joy. She looked at Li Yèlái and said softly, "Fortunately, I have you."

She was always so grateful to have met Li Yèlái.

Otherwise, she might never have been able to talk with friends, cook together, or enjoy meals with them in her entire life.

Sensing the kindness emanating from the girl, Li Yèlái felt a pang of emotion.

Mr. Shadow had actually done something good.

At least it gave this poor girl someone to talk to, so she wasn't so lonely.

After they finished eating, Li Yèlái helped wash the dishes and then left Puppet's room.

Only after walking out of the branch did Li Yèlái mutter to himself.

"A hero? Am I one too?"

The handlers in the various branches were all quite busy. The aftermath of the Phantom Band incident had not yet completely subsided.

The sudden increase in wild Spirit Ability Users and victims, along with several escaped Forbidden Items, kept the handlers constantly occupied.

However, since most of Team One's members were injured and suffered heavy casualties, the higher-ups didn't plan to assign them any tasks. As a result, Team One members found themselves with little to do.

Thus, on October 1st, Li Yèlái returned to the antique shop.

Perhaps due to its remote location and the owner's age, they didn't watch any broadcasts.

The antique shop owner and the shop itself had not been affected by the previous incident.

However, as Li Yèlái entered the antique shop carrying his large black umbrella, he saw several people arguing heatedly with the owner at the counter.

Moreover, these people were all quite burly and exuded a faint scent of blood. Their arms hung by their sides, instinctively resting near their waists. It was clear they were concealing weapons or firearms there.

Oh, scavengers.

Li Yèlái thought. As he approached the counter, he was noticed by those men.

One of them immediately pointed at Li Yèlái and shouted angrily, "Who are you?"

"An employee, an employee! He's my employee!" The owner behind the counter waved his hands frantically. "Don't be rash! Absolutely don't be rash!"

Then, the owner beckoned Li Yèlái to quickly come behind the counter.

"What's going on?" Li Yèlái entered the counter area, put down his large black umbrella, and asked in a low voice.

"The goods are problematic, and the investigation has led to me," the boss said with a worried frown.

Every antique shop had some connection with scavenger teams or private merchant caravans.

When those scavenger teams acquired antiques or other odds and ends in the wilderness, they would trade them at specific points with various antique shops.

Therefore, the boss often went out to these trading points to pick up merchandise.

This time, however, something seemed to have gone wrong in that process.

By the time the boss arrived, the acquisition site was already a scene of carnage. The buyers and scavengers were locked in a bloody battle, madly fighting over a certain item, ultimately resulting in a near-mutual annihilation.

The boss, arriving late, was one of the few survivors.

Now, those scavengers intended to take the boss for an investigation, even suspecting him of being one of the attackers.

After all, scavenger affairs were not to be interfered with by the Security Bureau; they had their own rules.

However, these rules were usually deadly.

Thus, the boss was unwilling to assist in any investigation, fearing trouble.

He didn't want to provoke anyone.

"Boss, what happened at the time?" Li Yèlái was somewhat curious. Double-crossing wasn't uncommon in the scavenger world. But for multiple buyers to suddenly attack a cooperating scavenger group simultaneously? That was rare.

Who would openly double-cross like this?

Wouldn't that be asking for trouble? Surely, the buyers involved in the scramble were already marked by the scavengers.

"At that time," the boss frowned, recalling, "when I arrived, the fight was already in full swing. I didn't dare to get close. Then..."

"Then you tried to sneak away with something?" the burly man with the fierce face sneered. "What did you take?"

"No, no," the boss quickly waved his hands, but the burly man with the fierce face grabbed his arm. "You'd better think carefully before you speak! You know how we scavengers operate!"

The burly man exerted force with one hand, making the boss's face turn pale. Just as he was about to threaten again, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist.

Because Li Yèlái had already reached out and grasped the fierce-faced burly man's wrist.

"No rough stuff, let's sit down and talk!" Li Yèlái's face showed an expression of 'we can discuss this amicably.'

With Li Yèlái's current strength, it didn't take much effort to make the burly man sweat profusely from the pain.

He hastily pulled his arm back.

"Damn it, no rough stuff!" The burly man clutched his already bruised wrist, looking warily at Li Yèlái.

The other scavengers also tensed, their hands already on their waists.

"You don't think you're safe inside Giant City, do you? Are you bulletproof?" someone said, looking coldly at Li Yèlái.

Admittedly, this guy was much more honorable than Wang De. He had more scruples.

Wang De was the one who unhesitatingly ordered his men to open fire, even after knowing Li Yèlái and the others were Spirit Ability User.

"Wait, don't do anything, don't do anything! Xiao Ye, don't be rash!" the boss gritted his teeth and said, "You can search here, search all you want. I didn't take anything!"

"Hmph, no need to search. You'll just come with us!" the fierce-faced burly man said coldly. "We have our own methods of investigation. If we wrongly accuse you, we will compensate you, and you'll have priority in purchasing our goods thereafter. But if it was you..."

"Fine!" the boss gritted his teeth. "I have a clear conscience anyway!"

Then, the boss said to Li Yèlái, "Xiao Ye, I'll leave the antique shop to you for now."

"No, this kid is your employee, he has to come with us!" The fierce-faced burly man stared intently at Li Yèlái.

The boss's expression changed, but Li Yèlái nodded and said, "Alright!"

Li Yèlái naturally agreed.

Or rather, he wanted to go and see. He at least had to ensure the safety of the innocent.

From the earlier description, this was clearly not a simple case of double-crossing.

The buyers weren't just from antique shops; they included subordinates of wealthy merchants in Giant City and some antique enthusiasts.

People of different backgrounds and statuses suddenly starting to scramble for goods was too bizarre.

Therefore, Li Yèlái suspected that this incident might be related to Spirit Ability User, or even Forbidden Item.

Perhaps a team of investigators in the branch had already discovered this matter and was investigating.

Since he had encountered it, Li Yèlái, as an investigator, naturally couldn't stand by.

If it was a misunderstanding, then everything was fine. Li Yèlái would not interfere with anything.

But if it involved Forbidden Item or Spirit Ability User, then it was up to the investigators to handle.

Thus, Li Yèlái, carrying his large black umbrella, got into the fierce-faced burly man's pickup truck.

At the same time, in the West City Branch, a message sounded.

[Attention all support teams, a team member 'Night General' from East City Branch has unexpectedly been involved in this operation.]