Violent Offender

Underestimating your opponent was always the worst mistake to make in a fight.

When Bai Ying realized that her opponent was relentlessly attacking to keep her at a distance, she decided to wait for an opening.

She could have counterattacked sooner, but she chose to leave herself exposed.

And now, the moment had come.

Bai Ying tensed all over and dodged backward just as the secretary lifted her foot.

The next second, she suddenly raised her left leg and, moving even faster, caught up with the secretary's leg before it had fully come down.

By the time the secretary realized what Bai Ying was trying to do, it was already too late. Her leg, leaving an afterimage, whipped like a snake's tail into the back of the right leg that had just kicked at empty air!

Crack!

A crisp snap of bone rang out. The secretary instantly lost her balance, and after falling, she rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.

Bai Ying couldn't reach the secretary's body when it came to leg length.

But when it came to speed, Bai Ying's smaller frame was actually faster than her opponent's.

She didn't have the advantage in leg strength, though.

So Bai Ying had to make the most of her speed and find a way around her disadvantages in reach and leg strength!

That was why she had kept dodging. With her opponent attacking at that pace, she was bound to burn through a great deal of energy in a short time.

The body never lied. No matter how strong a person's will was, their physical exhaustion would eventually show!

To test her opponent's strength and stamina, and to lull her into a false sense of security, Bai Ying had chosen to take the secretary's first blow with her elbow when she was forced into a narrow space.

That blow had been noticeably weaker than the secretary's first attack. It was just within the range Bai Ying could endure. And by smashing her hardest joint, her elbow, into the secretary's shin, she had ensured that the woman's next attacks would be even less threatening!

Bai Ying seized the opportunity. After deliberately showing that she was outmatched, both in her expression and her movements, she had convinced the secretary that one more attack would end the fight!

As a result, the secretary had thrown a slow kick without even noticing it herself, giving Bai Ying, who had conserved most of her strength, the opening she needed!

To make absolutely sure her opponent couldn't overpower her, Bai Ying didn't counter with her right leg. Instead, she used her left leg to pursue the secretary's right leg before she could pull it back.

Bai Ying herself excelled at legwork. How could she not know that many of the leg's weaknesses lay behind the knee?

So she kicked the secretary in the hollow behind the knee, putting an end to any chance she had of continuing the fight.

Of course, given Bai Ying's usual style, the woman might have trouble walking for the rest of her life.

The secretary lay on the ground, clutching her knee through her black stockings and wailing. The high heel she'd been wearing had twisted sideways during her tumble.

Bai Ying shrugged, stepped over her, and walked toward the middle-aged man.

"Your turn."

Bai Ying had no intention of repeating the question. She was sure that anyone of normal intelligence couldn't have forgotten what she'd asked.

If he didn't answer, she would simply make him.

As Bai Ying closed in, the smile vanished from the middle-aged man's face, replaced by an icy anger.

It wasn't written across his face so much as etched into his eyes and presence, like dark clouds gathering before a storm. You knew they were right above you, ready to break at any moment.

But this tightly restrained anger wasn't something Bai Ying cared about. Though she was an adult herself, she had always worn her feelings on her face.

"Your parents must have done a poor job raising you." The middle-aged man straightened his collar, showing no sign of fear.

"You talk too much."

Bai Ying grabbed a pair of fire tongs from the fireplace, shook off the charcoal dust, and strode straight toward the middle-aged man!

Clang!

When they were only five steps apart, the elevator behind Bai Ying suddenly opened!

A squad of fully armed soldiers poured out of the elevator and surrounded her!

Their equipment was even more luxurious than what Bai Ying had seen at Xuanse Cangqiong. Each of them wore black exoskeleton armor marked with a scorpion insignia, and they all carried energy weapons. That meant each soldier could even take on a vehicle alone!

Standing beside the middle-aged man was a burly woman with distinctly Western features and strong, angular lines. She looked strikingly heroic.

What caught Bai Ying's attention, though, was the scorpion-tail tattoo on her neck. She could easily have covered it with her exoskeleton armor, yet she had left it exposed as if she wanted everyone to see it.

"Well, aren't you a feisty little thing?" The woman glanced at the secretary lying on the ground and raised an eyebrow at Bai Ying. "I can't stand her any more than you can, but I never actually laid a hand on her."

"Poison Scorpion, watch your tone," the middle-aged man interrupted.

Poison Scorpion obediently mimed zipping her lips with a finger and fell silent.

"If not for General Chen's sake, I could have thrown you into the sea to feed the fish. Judging by the damage you've caused, we couldn't recoup the cost even if we sold you."

Bai Ying's gaze swept over the dark muzzles trained on her. For once, she didn't fire back at the middle-aged man.

"Now you should be willing to hear me out for a couple more minutes." The middle-aged man rose from where he'd been leaning against the desk and strolled over to Bai Ying, taking the fire tongs from her hand.

"More than ten years ago, you used to call me Uncle Gao when you saw me. You were still little then, though, so it's only natural that you don't remember me."

Uncle Gao took his time walking to the fireplace, then turned his back to Bai Ying and stirred the charcoal inside.

"Seeing you always brings back memories. Since you're an old friend's daughter, I wanted to settle this peacefully.

"But it seems I gave you too much credit. You're nothing like General Chen. You're still just an immature little girl, and you don't even know how to deal with people. You just do whatever you please."

At this, Uncle Gao turned to look at Bai Ying, but she clearly hadn't taken in a word he'd said.

"Are you finished?" Bai Ying looked as though she'd heard this sort of thing countless times. "If by 'dealing with people' you mean drugging tea and imprisoning someone's mech, then I really can't learn."

"I don't know how you do business, but I know that when you pay for something, you're supposed to get what you paid for. You've gone on and on, yet you can't even manage the most basic duty of a merchant."

Uncle Gao smiled, a hint of rueful emotion entering his gaze as he looked at Bai Ying.

"Fine. Since you want an answer now, I'll be direct.

"The batch of goods you ordered is gone."