Anrelo's Defection

The room, predominantly light-colored, is decorated with cozy floral patterns.

A young woman sits in a hazy white light.

Su Ming strode over.

Her skin was covered with fine lines, and upon closer inspection, one could sense Magic Power flowing within them.

Hearing the noise, the other person turned to look at Su Ming, revealing a porcelain-white face.

It's Yise.

It's a puppet version, though.

Su Ming continued to approach, and the puppet stood up to meet him, its forehead gently touching his, its pupils a translucent amber color.

His hand naturally rested on the other person's waist.

The doll's lips pressed against mine.

Soft and warm.

Then Su Ming woke up.

Su Ming opened his eyes.

The first thing you see is the ceiling of the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater. The curtains are drawn, but bright sunlight shines through the gaps, indicating that morning has already passed.

Su Ming felt somewhat resentful about the dream he had just had.

It's all that Anrelo's fault for messing with the doll!

Su Ming got up, brushed his teeth, and glanced at the time on his phone: 10:00 AM.

Last night, they broke into Niu Nier's house to make arrangements, and didn't return until four in the morning. Su Ming has been sleeping soundly until now.

Su Ming put his earphones in and then sent a message to indicate that he was online.

Sure enough, reports poured in.

"The fake notebook with Hairspring writing was discovered two hours ago..."

"... Anrelo tried several times, but he couldn't break through the puppet's defenses..."

"... Finally Death Knell destroyed the doll and left..." Su Ming nodded; everything had gone as planned.

It's hard to believe that Death Knell could remain calm in such a provocative and insulting trap.

Yise was quite angry about some of the details, and she made no secret of the fact that her positive feelings towards Su Ming had been completely shattered.

Of course, she didn't really object; she carried out the instructions diligently throughout.

What is Anrelo doing?

"I stayed at home for half an hour, and then went to another place to pick up some things."

Support team report.

"Currently moving at high speed."

"The direction we're heading might be the dungeon of the Plundering Clock."

The Chihuo points out the key points:

"Anrelo did all this alone, without any subordinates."

Su Ming grinned. "So he's planning to flee."

The Chihuo chuckled, "Obviously."

Su Ming thought for a moment.

Even though Anrelo was already on the verge of death, it was still too dangerous to directly ask him for information about Ximina.

The Plundering Clock will capture and interrogate him; Su Ming's contact with him is like offering himself up for good.

Either Su Ming will be exposed as a result, or at the very least, Ximina's importance will be brought to the attention of others.

Su Ming decided to take the roundabout route.

"Where are Anrelo's men located now?"

The team behind the scenes searched and quickly located the target.

****

There was also movement coming from the next room; it was clear that Yise was also getting up.

Su Ming walked to her door and gently knocked with his fingers. "What is it?" Yise asked, "Wait two minutes for me to change."

"I'm looking for Jinxiu. I want her to come out with me," Su Ming said.

"Jinxiu hasn't woken up yet," Yise said.

She opened the door quickly.

Yise had a hair tie in her mouth, her hands behind her head, still fiddling with her hair. A few unkempt strands fell beside her face, adding to the messy look.

Just like the last time we were at the exercise site.

Upon seeing Yise, Su Ming's gaze inevitably lingered on the girl's lips for a moment.

He quickly covered it up, slipped into the room, and saw Jinxiu on the pillow.

The Star Fairy lay in the center, its translucent little wings softly spread out, hugging a small corner of a towel, and making very soft breathing sounds.

Last night, Jinxiu was the main force in setting up the magic array at Niu Nier's house, and she's exhausted.

Su Ming picked up a quill pen and teased Jinxiu with the downy bristles at the end.

Jinxiu frowned, rolled over, and buried her head in the corner of the blanket. Su Ming gently patted her a few more times before she groggily opened her eyes.

"Ugh... what's wrong!" Jinxiu sat up, opened her eyes groggily, and puffed out her little face.

"Sorry, I have to get back to work," Su Ming said, shrugging.

"Snort!"

Jinxiu yawned, then with a whoosh, she burrowed into Su Ming's forehead.

****

Afterwards, Su Ming went out onto the street.

"A key member of the Plundering Clock departed from the palace, heading in the direction of the Death Knell."

Su Ming listened to the announcement through his headphones.

"It could be a message sent by Abidaqi," said the Chihuo. "Of course, it could also be a normal dispatch."

For long-distance communication, Taya needs to use a communication array to send and receive messages.

The Death Knell that have flown too far are currently in a state of "disconnection." "It doesn't matter," Su Ming said. "Anyway, the fewer 'important personnel' there are in Cloud Fang City, the easier it is for me to move around."

He bought a peach from a roadside vendor; it was brightly colored and had a fine velvet on its skin.

With a gentle pinch, juice will flow out.

"This compensation is pretty good, isn't it?" Su Ming said.

[At least you still have some conscience.] Jinxiu's mood immediately improved a lot.

She looked around but didn't dare to come out.

Even eating while hiding in Su Ming's chest is not allowed, as fairies are creatures easily sensed by spellcasters.

"We can only eat it when we get back." Jinxiu was slightly disappointed.

[Don't worry, peaches can't fly.] Su Ming reassured her.

With guidance from his team, Su Ming quickly located his target.

It was a wounded half-tiger man, one arm wrapped tightly and slinged across his chest.

Blood still seeped through the bandages. He walked dejectedly towards his dwelling, his tail dragging listlessly behind him.

The Death Knell went off in the morning; he was one of the unfortunate injured, but also one of the lucky survivors.

The other five colleagues, who fared even worse, are already dead.

What's even more disheartening is that there's no telling when this will end.

Death Knell was already bad-tempered, and with this mess, her actions became even more unpredictable. She rarely killed anyone, but inflicting various punishments was commonplace for her.

On the way, the half-tiger man encountered the team that was still searching.

Faced with this sudden change, this group of people also lost their will to "work" and were just going through the motions absentmindedly.

They greeted each other, their faces showing a shared sense of unease.

****

As the half-tiger man walked back to his hut, a hand suddenly blocked the door.

The half-tiger turned his head and saw a half-cat youth.

He was puzzled and was about to ask, "Who are you looking for?" when it seemed as if a segment of time had been cut off.

Once the half-tiger man returned to normal, a non-existent memory had been implanted into his mind.

"Oh, it's you, Hajimi!" the half-tiger man laughed.

Su Ming waved the contents of his hand: a jar of wine and some food.

"I heard you were injured, so I came to see you."

Welcome, welcome!

The half-tiger quickly ushered Su Ming into the house.

The sound of the two talking could be heard gradually.

What kind of alcohol should I bring?

The witch doctor told me I couldn't touch it for the next few days.

"Doctors always use the same excuse..."

"Drink some wine, it'll speed up your blood circulation and guarantee you'll recover quickly!" "... Then just drink half a glass." The half-tiger man reluctantly agreed.

****

At the same time, Anrelo was also taking action.

The Death Knell has gone to find the Hairspring.

But even a fool would think that these two Clock Hand couldn't possibly be fighting to the death.

They will definitely settle accounts, and their actions will be exposed no matter what.

Anrelo decides to defect.

Only by living could he hope to make "Bi Ling".

That was Anrelo's perfect partner in her mind, with the beautiful appearance of Death Knell, but with a gentle and lovely personality.

She will listen, she will embrace him gently, and she won't cut him in two.

Anrelo didn't know what the future held, but she was absolutely unwilling to die so inexplicably.

The problem is, he might escape Cloud Fang City, but he absolutely cannot escape Water Chestnut Island. The Death Knell will never let him go!

Anrelo concluded that in the Taya World, only one organization currently possessed the ability to help him survive.

He continued onward and arrived at the dungeon of the Plundering Clock in Cloud Fang City.

The person in charge Zannuoxiao, came out to greet them.

Anrelo took out the token.

"Investigate related cases and interrogate Lang Yefu!"

Zannuoxiao found it odd, because Lang Yefu was captured by a different group.

She betrayed the Plundering Clock, becoming an intelligence agent for "Fang of the Wild" and also serving as the head of the Cloud Fang region.

Logically speaking, this case has nothing to do with Anrelo.

However, Anrelo considerable power, Zannuoxiao dared not be negligent, immediately leading him into the interrogation room.

Before long, a female half-werewolf was brought over by the guards.

Her wrists and ankles were shackled heavily, her greyish-white fur was matted with blood in several places, and old and new wounds overlapped. She walked unsteadily, but her eyes were cold. "Sir, do you need help?" Zannuoxiao, "This Lang Yefu is very stubborn."

Anrelo waved.

"This case involves organizational secrets; you may all leave."

Although this was somewhat against the rules, rank mattered, and Zannuoxiao had no choice but to leave the interrogation room with his guards, leaving only Anrelo and Lang Yefu behind.

****

Lang Yefu glanced at Anrelo, a mocking smile appearing on her face.

She knew Anrelo; after all, they had been colleagues.

"When did my case ever require Anrelo's presence?"

Anrelo leaned closer to the half-werewolf, pinched Lang Yefu's face, and forcefully turned it toward herself.

"What's wrong? Are you that thirsty?"

Lang Yefu scoffed, "Wouldn't it be better to go to a brothel and find some warm and beautiful women?"

She suddenly opened her mouth, Anrelo stepped back and avoided being bitten. Lang Yefu, settling for second best, spat at Anrelo.

Anrelo wiped the saliva from her face.

"I have a way to let you go," he suddenly said.

Lang Yefu's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.

"Don't embarrass yourself with that kind of deceptive rhetoric."

How about trying something new?

Anrelo, however, said seriously.

"All I need is for you to tell me how to directly contact the higher-ups of the Final Bone Mad Machines."

Lang Yefu let out a cold laugh.

"I am able to contact them."

"But so what?"

"They won't trust you," Anrelo continued.

"I have something very urgent to ask them for help."

"Exchange intelligence with the organization."

Lang Yefu, however, remained unmoved.

"No way."

"I will not hand over the communication rune code."

Anrelo steadied himself; this was expected.

But he didn't have time to waste on this woman.

At any moment, the real problem might be discovered to lie with him at the Plundering Clock!

Anrelo steeled her resolve.

He opened the door, called Zannuoxiao in alone, and then closed the interrogation room door again.

"My lord, what are your orders?" Zannuoxiao asked. Anrelo took a deep breath and suddenly attacked.

****

Outside the door, the guards heard the sounds of various instruments of torture striking flesh coming from the interrogation room, and they were used to it.

After a while, Anrelo reopened the door, slightly out of breath and looking angry.

The guard looked over and saw that, as expected, Lang Yefu had become covered in wounds.

She was bound to the torture rack, blood dripping from her hair onto the ground, forming a small pool of dark red.

Zannuoxiao stood to the side, his expression cold.

Clearly, the torture just now did not yield a satisfactory confession.

"Take Lang Yefu back!" Zannuoxiao said angrily.

The guards stepped forward, untied the half-werewolf, and dragged him toward the cell.

"The boss really went all out," one of the guards said.

"She's not moving at all, is she about to be beaten to death?" another person remarked after a glance. "Traitor, well, if she dies, she dies. Someone else will take the blame anyway."

The sounds of their conversation faded into the distance.

Anrelo led Zannuoxiao out of the dungeon.

No one suspected anything; Anrelo's identity Quarter Hand was very useful.

Before long, the two arrived outside the prison.

Zannuoxiao looked up at the sunlight, still finding the scene incredibly unreal.

"You really brought me out?" Lang Yefu, who was enveloped in an illusion to resemble Zannuoxiao, looked around.

For the first time in months, she breathed in the air of Cloud Fang City— not exactly clean, but far better than the air in the dungeon.

"Was this all an act?"

Lang Yefu spoke calmly, still showing no trust in Anrelo.

"The illusion I placed on Zannuoxiao won't last long," Anrelo said quickly. "Hurry!"

He grabbed Lang Yefu and they quickly left.

This is the home of the half-tiger man.

The wine jar was mostly empty, and the food was scattered and messy.

Unsurprisingly, the half-tiger was completely drunk, sprawled on the table snoring.

[Anrelo actually sent Ximina to cook for the Death Knell.]

Jinxiu was surprised by the information she obtained from the half-tiger, while simultaneously erasing his memory of the recent period.

With the added effects of alcohol and the concealment provided, no one could detect anything amiss.

[It's not a bad thing.] Su Ming said, [If this hadn't happened, Ximina might have already died from forced labor.]

[But is she, a princess, really that good at cooking?] Jinxiu didn't understand.

Who knows?

Su Ming unfolded his phone and zoomed in on the map of the Cloud Fang Royal Palace.

Most of the area had been converted into a mining area, with only one corner still retaining the residence of a "key member" of the Plundering Clock. Su Ming circled it and sent it to the personnel responsible for monitoring it.

"Ximina is right here, let's see if we can find her."

The monitoring personnel gave it a try.

A dozen minutes later, they responded helplessly.

"There's no viewpoint, and you can't see the people inside the building."

Su Ming sighed.

"So, the only way to find out the details is to go into the palace?"

Due to the constant flow of large numbers of laborers in and out, access to the royal palace became very lax.

It's not difficult to blend in.

The Chihuo was greatly alarmed upon hearing this.

"Absolutely not!"

"Abidaqi is inside, along with four or five Pseudo-Saint Rank." "You'll definitely be seen through!"

Su Ming shook his head.

"I mean, let the mechanical mouse go in and look."

"As long as I can get close to Ximina, I have a way."

Su Ming had already devised a plan to "rescue" Ximina.

The Chihuo still objected.

"Still dangerous."

"The senses of High Rank superhumans are capable of detecting mechanical rats."

"It doesn't matter if the rats are destroyed, but it will expose your existence."

Although the mechanical rat cannot be directly identified as Su Ming, its presence here is highly suspicious.

This will certainly alert and make the Plundering Clock alert in this regard.

"If only I could lure these 'important officials' away for a moment," Su Ming murmured.