Never Pass Up a Free Advantage

Dawn went to Kaku's room first. He merely knocked on the door and gave a low-voiced order:

"There's a situation. Rats have infiltrated the island."

In less than a minute, Kaku was fully dressed and pushed open the door. There was no trace of sleepiness on his face, only calm focus.

"Understood, sir. I'll begin the search immediately."

Kaku answered, then flashed away into the shadows of the corridor, his movements clean and decisive.

Next, Dawn turned toward the room Kalifa and Robin shared. He pushed the door open without ceremony—he had no patience for such tedious formalities.

"Ah!"

"Who?!"

Two short cries rang out almost simultaneously. Then came two sharp whistles through the air.

Smack! Smack!

Dawn felt two soft yet forceful palms strike his cheeks in succession. It did not hurt, but the slaps rang crisply.

The candle was quickly lit, illuminating two lovely faces still shaken yet flushed with embarrassment and anger. Kalifa adjusted her signature glasses, her gaze behind the lenses full of irritation;

Robin clutched the blanket tightly around herself, her cheeks crimson.

"Dawn! Don't you know to knock before entering?!"

"Enemies have infiltrated the island. There may be more than one."

Dawn rubbed his cheeks, utterly unconcerned by the two slaps as he explained why he had come.

"Get up immediately and help search the entire island."

Upon hearing that, the indignation on the two women's faces was swiftly replaced by gravity. They exchanged a glance and no longer had time to complain about Dawn's reckless entrance, hurriedly beginning to get dressed.

Though their movements were somewhat frantic, they were highly efficient. Before long, they too left the room and disappeared into the night outside.

Lastly, Dawn arrived outside Stussy's room. He did not knock this time either and simply pushed the door open.

However, the sight inside made him pause slightly.

Moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, softly illuminating the large bed. Stussy lay sleeping on her side, a thin silk blanket covering her only to the waist and revealing a broad expanse of smooth, fair back with breathtaking curves.

More importantly, under the moonlight, Dawn could clearly see that she was wearing nothing at all—this woman actually slept naked!

The corners of Dawn's mouth rose uncontrollably into an exceptionally wicked smile. Without the slightest hesitation, he followed his simple creed that only an idiot passed up a free advantage. Like a cheetah, he pounced soundlessly forward and firmly gathered that warm, soft body into his arms from behind.

"Mmph!"

Caught off guard, Stussy awoke instantly! Her lovely face turned cold, and a flash of killing intent passed through her eyes. She abruptly opened them and turned her head, only to find that handsome face, wearing a mischievous smile, right before her.

To Dawn's surprise, the frost and killing intent on Stussy's face melted away like spring snow as soon as she saw it was him.

Not only did she not struggle, she instead wriggled deeper into his embrace like a seductive serpent, bringing their bodies even closer together. Her breath was fragrant, and her voice carried the husky allure of someone who had just awakened.

"Well... how does it feel?"

Feeling the astonishing softness, elasticity, and warmth beneath his palm, Dawn shamelessly squeezed twice more and gave his honest assessment.

"Very good. So good I can't bear to let go."

Stussy forced herself to endure the strange sensations coursing through her body and the surging embarrassment in her heart. She lightly bit her lower lip and snorted unhappily.

"Hmph... so you barged into my room in the middle of the night just to grope me to your heart's content?"

As Dawn continued enjoying the excellent feel beneath his hand, he explained why he was there in the same casual tone one might use to discuss the weather.

"Some petty thieves have come to the island, and I need you to deal with them. The others have already set out. I only came to wake you up, but I didn't expect... you had such a fine habit when sleeping. I couldn't resist putting my hands on you."

Stussy forcibly endured the waves of tingling brought by Dawn's seemingly magical hands, doing her best to keep herself from making any strange sounds as her pearly teeth gently bit down on her lower lip.

"Since... since there's a mission... shouldn't you... let go of me? Or do you... want to do something else under cover of the night?"

Feeling the beauty in his arms growing warmer, along with her tentative invitation disguised as resistance, Dawn suddenly released her. He deftly rolled off the bed and stood beside it.

"I don't like forcing people."

He straightened a collar that did not need straightening, his tone returning to calm.

"Especially not a woman like you. I would rather wait for the day when you willingly lie in my arms."

"I believe that day is not far away."

Stussy froze. The sudden loss of touch and warmth left an inexplicable emptiness in her heart.

She had already prepared herself for the worst and had even begun considering how to deal with what came next, yet she had not expected Dawn to let go so decisively.

While she felt relieved, an indescribably complicated emotion rose within her. She looked deeply at Dawn standing beside the bed, her expression shifting uncertainly.

She quickly rose and began dressing in front of Dawn without the slightest attempt at concealment. Her movements were elegant and swift, though the faint redness of her ears revealed that she was not as calm as she appeared.

"I don't know where you get that confidence,"

Stussy finished dressing, slipped into her high heels, and walked to the window. With her back to Dawn, her voice returned to its usual slightly languid and distant tone.

"But I'm not a woman who falls for men so easily. You'll regret missing this chance, Mr. Dawn."

With that, she did not wait for Dawn's response. Her figure flickered as she used Soru, instantly vanishing through the window and melting into the night outside.

Dawn looked at the empty window and smiled indifferently. He did not care about Stussy's final bit of bravado. Some prey were fun precisely because of the chase.

He turned and headed straight back to his room. All he needed to do next was wait for news from the others.

In the darkness at the edge of the mine, the three assassins had already set several sinister traps. They hid at their predetermined ambush points, holding their breath as they waited for those "guards" below to be alerted and walk into their trap.

Suddenly, a faint rustling came from the pile of rocks beside them.

The three immediately became alert, their muscles tensing as their hands reached for the weapons at their waists.

Suddenly, a small fox with snow-white fur timidly poked its head out from behind a rock and curiously examined them.

"Whew... it's just a fox."

The tall, thin assassin sighed in relief and wiped nonexistent cold sweat from his brow.

"You scared me."

"It's just an animal. Chase it away."

The broad-faced assassin impatiently waved his hand.

The female assassin, however, seemed rather fond of the beautiful White Fox. She stopped her final inspection, crouched down, forced the kindest smile she could manage, and stretched out a hand to pet White Fox's little head.

"Little one, how did you get here? Leave quickly. It's dangerous here..."

However, just as her hand reached halfway forward, a fierce, almost human-like glint flashed through the eyes of the seemingly harmless White Fox!

Whoosh!

The white blur sprang into action!

Fast as lightning!

"Ahhh—!"

The female assassin let out a shrill scream and clapped both hands over her face. Blood quickly seeped through the gaps between her fingers. Several claw marks, deep enough to expose bone, had appeared across her face!

"Attack!"

The burly assassin reacted first, immediately drawing his pistol and firing. The tall, thin man also hurriedly pulled out a dagger and lunged forward.

But White Fox moved with unimaginable agility. With a light push of his limbs against the rocks, he darted and shifted as though weightless, easily evading the bullets and the dagger's cold edge.

As he elegantly turned in midair, his two forepaws became the sharpest blades, trailing afterimages as they precisely slashed across the burly man's and the tall, thin man's throats.

"Ghk... ghk..."

The two froze, their eyes filled with incredulous terror. Both clutched their necks desperately, but they could not stop the blood from gushing out like fountains. Their bodies crumpled limply to the ground.

Watching her two companions die in the blink of an eye, the female assassin with the clawed face was terrified out of her wits. Without hesitation, she turned and tried to flee!

Assassins had never believed in avenging their companions.

At that moment, White Fox, having landed lightly on the ground, opened his mouth and spat.

An orange-red fireball the size of a human head, radiating scorching heat, appeared out of thin air and shot toward the female assassin's back like a meteor.

Boom!

The fireball exploded the moment it struck her! The violent blast tore through the night's silence, and the dazzling flames instantly lit up the sky above the mine, completely swallowing the fleeing female assassin.

TO BE CONTINUED