Subduing the Assassin Miss, Killing the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys.

Yeah, she's not a normal person anymore, why would she be afraid of assassination?

"So, the only one you need to be afraid of is Mebius herself."

As they spoke, both their gazes landed on Mebius.

Mebius, being stared at by the two, rolled her eyes at them.

"You two are fine, but I'm the one with the problem now. Tell me, what's the plan?"

"How about Velvie stays with you for a few days? Then she can leave after I've turned the assassin?"

"...It's not impossible."

After thinking for a moment, Mebius nodded in agreement.

It wasn't an unreasonable request, and it was for her own safety.

Until nightfall...

"Let me guess, who will they try to assassinate first this time? Me, or Mebius and the others?"

Chang Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed, watching the only entrance.

In that instant, a black figure flashed by.

And within that black figure, a hint of cherry blossom pink flashed.

"The first one to find me? That makes sense, after all, I'm the mastermind. Capture the king first."

The moment Chang Yuan finished muttering this to himself.

The figure suddenly drew a long sword and instantly lunged at Chang Yuan.

The attack was decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Facing this strike, Chang Yuan slightly sidestepped and dodged the blade.

The sword, embedding itself three inches into the wall behind Chang Yuan, demonstrated the immense force of the attack.

"As expected of one of the future Thirteen Flame-Chasing Heretics. To already possess such strength as a normal person, tsk tsk tsk."

After dodging the attack, Chang Yuan stood to the side, watching the assassin, who was momentarily stunned by her first miss.

However, the assassin didn't remain distracted for long. She quickly regained her composure and attacked Chang Yuan again.

Each of her strikes targeted vital points, such as the neck, heart, and temples.

All of these were lethal pressure points.

But without exception, every stab missed.

Seeing this, the assassin decided not to continue and prepared to flee.

From Chang Yuan's evasive maneuvers, she could tell that he wasn't using his full strength. Therefore, this target was definitely not someone she could handle.

But just as she was about to escape, a sentence from Chang Yuan froze her in place.

"I say, the renowned Poisoned Pupa assassin, Miss Sakura, and you think you can just walk away? Then wouldn't my first squad's second-in-command be very embarrassed?"

Hearing that her entire identity had been revealed, Sakura froze in place.

Immediately, she turned to Chang Yuan with a look of disbelief.

"Curious how I know your identity?"

Seeing Sakura's gaze, Chang Yuan guessed what she was thinking.

"What if, hypothetically, you've already become a pawn, and they sent you to assassinate me just to get rid of you using my hands? After all, as high-ranking members of the Flame-Chasing Moth, how could they not know my strength? You know, I once teamed up with Airi to defeat the Second Herrscher."

Of course, the above was pure fabrication, intended to destabilize Sakura's mind and win her over.

And Sakura actually believed it. After all, she knew the nature of those people; it wouldn't be surprising for them to discard someone once they're no longer useful.

Assassins knew too much about the dark dealings of their employers, so very few managed to survive and retire. Even after retirement, they would face endless troubles.

That's why she planned to go into hiding with her sister after retirement, away from all the famous places, and live in some unknown corner.

"But you can believe me, I'm not allied with those council members at all. They are just wary of my strength, which is why they sent you to assassinate me. Even if the possibility is slim, they still wanted to try. After all, if they fail, it's just the death of an assassin, and it has nothing to do with them. So, are you willing to defect to my side? I can guarantee your sister's absolute safety, provided she joins the Flame-Chasing Moth."

After speaking, Chang Yuan pulled out a chair, sat down, and crossed his legs, looking at Sakura.

Upon hearing the conditions Chang Yuan proposed, Sakura's heart wavered immensely.

After all, she had long wanted to stop working for those council members, who knew when she might become a discarded pawn, like now.

But she couldn't be sure if the man in front of her could truly guarantee her sister's safety.

"Don't you trust me? You can try calling your employer. I can make him die instantly, leaving no chance for revenge."

"...If that's truly possible, then I will pledge my loyalty to you."

If Chang Yuan could truly do it, then his sister's safety would absolutely be guaranteed.

Immediately, Sakura also called her employer.

Meanwhile, Chang Yuan had activated the nanobot surveillance equipment. He wanted to see who the mastermind was.

"Did you call me because the mission is complete?"

"...Mm."

After replying softly, Sakura's gaze settled on Chang Yuan.

At this moment, Chang Yuan also learned which councilor was the mastermind.

He immediately grinned and then pressed the detonation button.

This time, he would kill the chicken to warn the monkeys, to break their pride which they were so proud of.

Just as Sakura was curious, the sound of an explosion came from the other end of the phone.

Beep, beep, beep—!

"How was it? Enough to protect your sister? When they try to make a move on your sister, I'll get the news, and then I can make them die instantly."

"...Poisoned Cocoon assassin, codename 'Forget-me-not', real name Sakura, pledges loyalty to you."

Putting down the long blade in her hand, Sakura knelt on one knee, swearing her allegiance.

Seeing this scene, Chang Yuan's smile was almost uncontrollable.

If he wasn't a player of pure love stories, who knows what kind of plot might have unfolded right now.

"Pretend the mission failed and go back. I know there are still some councilors who aren't the mastermind, but with the main mastermind dead this time, they probably won't dare to make a move anytime soon.

You can use this opportunity to bring your sister to a city near the Flame-Chasing Moth's headquarters base. I can guarantee your sister's absolute safety in this area."

This wasn't an empty boast; he could truly do it.

Velvie's manufactured nanobots had already begun monitoring the entire Flame-Chasing Moth headquarters base from every possible angle.

While the surrounding cities weren't monitored yet, it was only because the nanobot manufacturing hadn't caught up.

Once it did, it would be 360-degree global surveillance without blind spots.

This would make dealing with the Honkai much simpler.

"Yes, and this is my personal number. You can command me anytime if you need anything. I will become the sharpest blade in your hand."