A Handsome, Harmless Traveler

"Awesome!" Bai Zhu pressed himself against the car window, his eyes practically glued to the screen. "Chubby, this car really isn't for sale? Name your price. Everything's negotiable!"

Milluki ignored him completely, merely clicking his tongue in annoyance as he focused on the footage streaming back onto the screen.

"Two heat signatures, one strong and one weak." Milluki pointed at one of the feeds. "The stronger one is experiencing major emotional fluctuations. His malice is practically overflowing. The weaker one... his vital signs are extremely unstable. Looks like he's about to croak."

Only then did Bai Zhu notice that the footage sent back by those mechanical bugs came with a faint Gyo effect.

"Let me get a closer look."

Muttering to himself, Milluki pulled a palm-sized mechanical spider from the glove compartment. Its eight legs were covered in riveted copper pipes, and a brass gear sat atop its back, giving it a strong steampunk aesthetic.

He placed the spider on the center console and picked up the game controller. The screen's perspective immediately switched.

The Mechanical Spider silently crawled out of the car, blending into the snow as it swiftly crept toward the farmhouse window.

However, just as it was about to climb onto the windowsill—

"Bzzzt!"

The image suddenly distorted, filling with static before going completely black.

"Damn it!" Milluki smacked his lips irritably and tossed aside the controller. "The one inside is a Nen user. He set up some kind of interference field with Nen around the place. My Spider Punk One is scrapped!"

Not a ripple crossed Illumi's "beautiful" face.

"Force our way in." His voice was flat as he delivered his conclusion. "The male target can be dealt with in three seconds."

"Don't!"

Without even thinking, Bai Zhu blurted it out and raised a hand to stop him.

"What's fun about killing people? We came to ask questions, not slaughter anyone! If we kill him, who are we supposed to get information from?"

He directly opened the car door and got out, then turned back and leaned against the window, pointing at his handsome, refined face.

"So, we need a more professional approach."

"For example, me—a handsome, harmless traveler—getting lost on a stormy night, cold and hungry, knocking on the door to beg for some hot water... That's a perfectly reasonable script, right?"

"You? Harmless?" Milluki crossed his arms and rolled his eyes so hard they nearly went out of sight. "Your face practically says, 'I'm full of bad intentions,' okay?"

"That's called acting. It's professional dedication, understand? And I just happen to be exceptionally gifted at it!" Bai Zhu grinned, then casually patted Milluki's shoulder. "Professional matters should be left to professionals."

"Listen to my arrangements."

Bai Zhu's expression abruptly turned serious as he pointed between the two brothers.

"I'll handle the direct negotiation and draw all the guy inside's attention to me."

He turned to Milluki. "You, get that upgraded Spider Punk of yours ready. The moment I get him to open the door even a crack, send it inside! I want a 360-degree livestream with no blind spots, got it?"

Milluki pursed his lips and said nothing, but silently pulled another, even more exaggerated-looking Mechanical Spider from the glove compartment.

Finally, Bai Zhu's gaze landed on Illumi.

Facing those emotionless cat eyes, he flashed a grin, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"As for you, big guy."

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

"Keep watch outside. If I screw up, or the guy inside decides to fight dirty, it'll be your turn to perform."

The car fell deathly silent.

Milluki looked at Bai Zhu, then at his elder brother. This lunatic really dared to order Big Brother around? Wasn't he afraid of being turned into a pin cushion on the spot?

But in the next moment, that "beautiful young woman" merely nodded lightly and pulled several Nen needles glinting with cold light from beneath his skirt, idly rolling them between his fingers.

Did that... count as approval?

"Okay! The plan's a go!"

Bai Zhu beamed, completely ignoring Milluki's expression as though he had seen a ghost. He straightened his collar, then deliberately ruffled his hair into a mess, instantly transforming from a refined handsome man into a bedraggled unfortunate fellow.

"Well then, everyone."

Bai Zhu stepped into the knee-deep snow, turned around, and casually waved at the two brothers in the car, whose expressions could not have been more different.

"Tonight, the legend of the kindhearted citizen, Mr. Bai, begins here!"

With that, he slammed the car door shut with a bang and headed alone through the wind and snow, leaving a trail of footprints as he walked toward the farmhouse that radiated an ominous aura in the darkness.

Inside the car, Illumi watched the figure gradually recede into the blizzard. A rare flicker of something unusual passed through his hollow cat eyes.

This man was even more interesting than he had expected.

Bai Zhu had no idea that he had already been labeled "interesting." At the moment, he was completely immersed in his role.

He trudged unevenly through the thick snow, his body slightly hunched over, looking every bit like an unlucky man about to freeze to death in the storm. When the cold wind swept past, he obligingly curled his back and let out several suppressed, weak coughs.

When he neared the door, he did not knock immediately.

It was a crucial detail.

First, he leaned weakly against the rough wooden doorframe and gasped for breath, as if he had used up the last of his strength. Only then did he raise his stiff, frozen hand and feebly pat the door.

Someone who was truly exhausted would not have the energy to launch a sudden attack.

At the same time, a more intricate Mechanical Spider than Spider Punk One followed the footprints Bai Zhu had left behind. Like a black shadow, it quickly crawled toward the corner of the farmhouse and perfectly merged into the darkness.

"Knock, knock-knock."

Bai Zhu knocked twice more.

"Who's out there?!"

A man's rough, wary shout came from inside.

Bai Zhu cleared his throat and answered weakly in a voice that was clearly breathless and trembling slightly from the cold.

"Sorry... sir, my car broke down on the road. It's dark, and... there's no signal on my phone. I was hoping... I was hoping to borrow a phone, or... could you let me come in and take shelter from the snow? I... I'm freezing."

Silence lingered behind the door for more than ten seconds.

Just when Bai Zhu thought the other party had no intention of opening it, there came a rattling sound as the chain was pulled aside.

"Creak—"

The heavy wooden door opened a narrow crack.

A wary eye stared fiercely out through the gap.

Bai Zhu's face immediately filled with the wild delight of someone who had been saved. Then his body swayed slightly at just the right moment, as though he might faint at any second.

"Thank you... thank you so much..."

That eye swept back and forth over him.

In the end, the man behind the door seemed to relax his guard.

"Come in."

He pulled the door open in one motion and stepped aside, though one hand never left the doorknob.

As if granted a pardon, Bai Zhu scrambled into the house.

The moment he steadied himself, the door behind him slammed shut with a bang, followed by the rattle of the chain locking into place.

"Don't try anything," Pige Aaron's voice came from behind him, cold and sinister. "Or I'll snap your neck."

Bai Zhu sneered inwardly, but his face broke into an even brighter smile. He turned around, rubbing his hands together with the appearance of an honest, harmless man.

"Come on, big brother, look at me. What tricks could someone like me possibly pull?"

As he spoke, he casually sized the other man up. Pige Aaron stood half a head taller than him, with a sturdy build and an exceptionally handsome face. Though his aura was unstable, it was filled with brutality.

Bai Zhu chuckled and continued his act. "With a frail body like mine, you could kill three of me with one punch."

"Hmph. At least you know your place." Pige Aaron seemed pleased by Bai Zhu's flattery, and the vigilance on his face eased a little further.

Success.

Bai Zhu mentally gave his acting skills a thumbs-up.

However, just as he was about to continue probing for information, the curtain to the inner room was suddenly lifted.

A woman with delicate features and a face as pale as paper walked out. It was Ella.

When she saw that there was suddenly a stranger in the room, she jumped in fright.

The instant her gaze met Bai Zhu's, her pupils abruptly contracted. The fingers clutching the curtain unconsciously tightened. She quickly lowered her head, avoiding Bai Zhu's eyes.