Why Learn English in Bed?

"...The land for Umbrella Corporation was approved by my father, and the construction company was Kashima Construction... Umbrella Corporation needed death row prisoners, so my father used his connections to have them transferred from prisons. When there weren't enough prisoners, they turned to those cults to recruit followers... And my younger brother, Koji Shido, used his private connections to clear channels for Umbrella Corporation. I don't know what they were doing."

Koichi Shido revealed everything he knew, point by point. Whenever he paused for breath, he looked at Xiao Miao with hopeful eyes, trying to find a satisfied expression on the kidnapper's face.

Xiao Miao stepped on Wisteria's wound, making him howl in agony again.

"Tell me what you did."

This guy was still being dishonest. He had confessed every evil deed committed by his father and younger brother, yet he had glossed over his own actions, hiding and evading the truth.

Xiao Miao loosened up and gave Koichi Shido a Great Memory Recovery Technique. Alice's hands itched from watching, so she joined in for a mixed-gender doubles match. By the time Koichi's face was swollen and bruised and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, his memories had finally been fully restored.

"I-I used my connections to persuade the principal to organize students to donate blood as an act of charity. They went to the blood donation station together, but all the blood plasma was actually sold to Umbrella Corporation... I also introduced students to the research institute to be sugar babies, and there was also, also..."

After confessing the first few schemes he had carried out, Koichi's mental defenses completely collapsed. With nothing left to lose, he spilled every dirty secret like beans from a jar, short only of announcing how old he had been when he first jerked off.

The situation was dire. Umbrella Corporation's foundation in Tokonosu City ran no shallower than it did in Raccoon City. For certain well-known reasons, they were even more unrestrained here.

Xiao Miao took the opportunity to ask for the locations of Koichi Shido's father and younger brother. Time was of the essence. He intended to leave immediately, capture both scum, interrogate them, and determine the personnel situation at the research institute.

Alice planned to go to Kashima Construction to look for construction records for the research institute. A legitimate local corporation of that scale would generally keep archived blueprints. If she searched, she would definitely find them.

Having settled on their plan, the two of them looked at Koichi Shido at the same time. Every last bit of value had been squeezed out of him. It was time to silence him.

Koichi Shido seemed to sense something and began struggling desperately, begging for mercy. Xiao Miao remained unmoved and struck the back of Koichi's head hard with the edge of his hand.

"Aah!" Wisteria let out a pained scream.

Xiao Miao's expression did not change. As the saying went, the first time was unfamiliar, the second time became routine. As long as he practiced diligently, he would eventually unlock a knockout skill on his status panel.

Once, twice, three times! Xiao Miao's blows grew heavier each time. After the third strike, Wisteria finally rolled his eyes back and blissfully passed out.

Xiao Miao did not deal with Wisteria directly. He walked over to Saeko Busujima, slowly crouched down beside her, and patted the girl on the head. "Get up if you're awake. Stop pretending to sleep."

Saeko Busujima's cheeks reddened at his words. She propped herself up with her arms and sat up, staring past Xiao Miao at Wisteria with hatred blazing in her eyes.

This man was a traitor to his country!

"You heard what he said just now. If I untie you, will you still call the police?"

A murderous glint flashed through Saeko Busujima's eyes. "I want nothing more than to kill him!"

"Good spirit, but he's my target. Don't steal my kill." Xiao Miao untied Saeko Busujima. As expected, the girl neither shouted nor made a fuss. She simply knelt quietly to one side, like a lone alpine flower in bloom.

She silently watched Xiao Miao hoist Wisteria onto his shoulder and walk toward the dojo's entrance with his female companion, setting off on a tense and unknown journey. For some reason, a trace of envy suddenly rose in Saeko Busujima's heart.

Before leaving, Xiao Miao waved his hand behind him at Saeko Busujima. "Leave Tokonosu City as soon as possible. It would be best if you could leave the island nation altogether. Don't ask why. I can't explain it in just a few words."

With those words, Xiao Miao and Alice disappeared through the dojo entrance. In the reception room, Saeko Busujima repeatedly pondered Xiao Miao's warning. Combined with what Wisteria had confessed, the unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

She chose to trust the handsome man's words, not because she had been blinded by his looks, but because her sixth sense told her to.

Saeko Busujima picked up the phone beside her and called her father, who was abroad expanding the dojo business. The last time father and daughter had spoken was half a month ago. Her father had said he was going to Raccoon City to inspect the business environment.

She wondered how that inspection had gone.

"I thought you'd trick that girl into bed." Alice smiled. That sort of thing was extremely common in American middle and high schools.

Many girls even bragged about how many Southern men they had hooked up with, treating it as proof of their irresistible charm.

The boys were no exception, which was why wild parties were children's favorite form of socializing.

Xiao Miao frowned, feeling that Alice had misunderstood him. "How could I? I have my own principles and boundaries."

He could test-drive a used car without hesitation, but he would never casually peel the protective film off a new one unless he was prepared to keep it for the long haul.

Perhaps some people considered Xiao Miao conservative, but those were the values he had formed during his student years in his previous life. Xiao Miao had no intention of changing them.

Friends who killed people regularly all knew that killing was easy, but disposing of the body was difficult.

Fortunately, Tokonosu City was a coastal city. After the accelerator was secured, the black Crown sped into the sea with its owner's corpse inside, vanishing completely amid splashing waves and white bubbles.

Next, Xiao Miao and Alice split up. Alice headed straight for Kashima Construction and Koji Shido's residence, while Xiao Miao was responsible for kidnapping Ichiro Shido.

Xiao Miao's task looked simpler, but it was not. The locations of Kashima Construction and Koji Shido were clear, but Ichiro Shido was an old fox with several hideouts. On top of that, Koichi Shido had a poor relationship with his father, so he did not know Ichiro Shido's exact location.

He could be at his city government office, private residence, or English teacher's house. Xiao Miao had to investigate them one by one.

Based on the information Koichi Shido had provided, Xiao Miao knew that Ichiro Shido was an extremely career-driven man who rarely spent the night at his private residence. News reports often praised the councilman for working through the night to solve the public's problems.

So Xiao Miao's first stop was decisively... the English teacher's house!

What a joke. A high-ranking official who had become a lackey of American capital might once have possessed lofty ambitions, but his core had long since rotted away. He might need to maintain appearances during work hours, but after work, he would surely find somewhere to vent his beastly urges. After all, he was no longer human.

Xiao Miao's judgment was correct. Inside an upscale seaside villa, two pale, fleshy worms clung to each other, their cries shaking the heavens.

The security guards around the villa were itching with frustration. They curled their lips in contempt. What decent person learned English in bed? If he was keeping a mistress, he should just say so. Why did he need such a high-sounding excuse?

Pah... disgusting!

At the slightest rustle of wind and grass, the guards' attention remained fixed on the adulterous pair inside. None of them noticed the shadow silently approaching.

Thud!

With a muffled sound, a security guard fell into an infant-like sleep. Xiao Miao smoothly pulled out the pistol at the man's waist, tucked it onto himself, and dragged him into the bushes to search him thoroughly.

A moment later, Xiao Miao reappeared in the guard's uniform and crept toward his next target.

The councilman had been cheated. The security team he had hired looked professional, but they had no vigilance at all. Xiao Miao took down four of them barehanded before they realized something was wrong.

"Wait, I haven't seen you before. Who the hell are you—Aaaah!"

Following the scream, the remaining five guards immediately went on alert. Then they witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

A ghostly figure darted through the courtyard at terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, he rushed to a companion's side and sent him flying with a kick. The man flipped two and a half times in midair before crashing headfirst into the ground.

Sending someone flying with a kick was an exaggerated movie technique used for visual spectacle. How could anyone accomplish something like that in real life? Was that thing even human?

As the ghostly figure charged toward them, the remaining four men's hearts pounded wildly. Trembling, they drew their pistols, but they could not keep up with his speed.

After meeting his eyes, they knew for certain: he was not human!

Inside the villa, the sudden disturbance made the entwined man and woman shudder. The councilman had been struggling to hold on, and now he had the perfect excuse to surrender.

Contempt flashed through the English teacher's eyes, but she was happy to see the councilman finish early. After work, she still had to go see the young stud she was keeping.

The councilman put on a robe, walked to the door, and listened carefully to the commotion outside.

Bang!

Thump!

Aah!!!

After several screams, the area around the villa fell quiet again. Heavy footsteps slowly approached, and the councilman's heart rose into his throat.

The bedroom door was pulled open from outside, revealing a familiar security uniform. The councilman immediately relaxed. Feeling that he had embarrassed himself before his lover, he straightened his back and resumed his usual bearing. "Bastard! What the hell are you people doing? I—"

Slap!

Xiao Miao slapped the councilman across the face. Two bloodied molars flew through the air as the councilman spun backward and crashed onto the carpet, seeing stars with a bewildered expression.

Who am I? Where am I? What just happened? Why were the people I hired beating me up?