Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 11. Nicole Griffith
—Kebo Street Area—

This is located in the most remote neighborhood in downtown Glenley, surrounded by numerous factories, slaughterhouses, and low-rise buildings. Abandoned garbage and fermenting food are everywhere, and dark rats forage for food while sleeping soundly alongside drunkards on the roadside.

This place is also known as a slum.

The factory's black chimneys were still belching out coal smoke. It was already 10 p.m., and the dilapidated orange streetlights flickered, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a horror movie.

He Ye followed Nicole ahead, almost holding her nose as she walked through this slum; it smelled awful.

Vomit, a fermenting stench, and feces.

He walked along the road with a stiff upper lip, occasionally kicking away the hands of drunkards who stretched out to block his way.

The two had left the bar almost half an hour ago, just to go to that so-called Baplo Credit Loan Company.

Would a lending company really set up in such a place? — You know, this is where the people at the very bottom of society live.

“Hey, Nicole Griffith, you better not try anything funny.”

Realizing something was amiss, He Ye pinched his nose and hummed in response, gesturing to Nicole who was hurrying along with her head down. He didn't want the girl to have any bad intentions.

"Of course not... I will return the money to you."

Nicole said sullenly, and walked ahead.

He Ye couldn't see her expression clearly, but he could sense that she wasn't in a high mood. But what did that have to do with him?
Hua Heye was already being incredibly merciful by not spanking her; she only made her return the money she was owed.

Continue on your way.

In the slums, crooked houses are crammed together, and mold creeping out of the cracks in the walls is a testament to the living conditions. The cries of the unemployed can be heard all around, and the sighs of the elderly can be heard from the flimsy tents.

He Ye's thoughts were slightly stirred, but he simply wrapped his clothes tighter and breathed a puff of white mist into his palm.

Suddenly a sound came from ahead.

"Sir, I know you're disappointed in me right now... but I really... really never intended to disappoint you..."

Nicole replied dejectedly, not daring to look back, but simply walking forward in the night wind of the slums, her fingers chattering again.

"It's okay. I don't care anymore."

He Ye said softly, all he wanted now was to get the money back, then get away from Greenley City, away from everything and everyone there, and start a new life in the third cycle in a city where spring is in full bloom.

"...I'm sorry..." She seemed to bite her tongue as she tried to apologize.

baffling.

He Ye was too lazy to pay attention to her anymore, and instead focused more on his surroundings. The end of the war should have been a time for rebuilding, but the lack of victory in the war was suppressing too many things.

Farmers went bankrupt because they couldn't get their land back, and they ended up living in cramped houses.
Unemployed workers, orphans, and criminals all converge in one place: cheap land, convenient commutes near factories, and remoteness where the rule of law is difficult to enforce.

"Ugh, I really want money."

Finally, we arrived at a brightly lit building.

"Baplow Credit Lending Company"

It's like a luxurious place that shouldn't exist in a slum. The walls are painted white, and two marble lions are placed at the entrance. You have to climb nine steps to get up there.

A disheveled young man sat on the edge of the steps, shaking his head and sighing, "I really want money! If someone could give me some money, I'd do anything!"

His mutterings were irrelevant.

Nicole Griffiths finally stopped, glanced nervously at the company's name, and then turned back:
"This is it, sir."

"You really didn't lie to me..."

He Ye murmured in surprise, not expecting that there would actually be a loan company in this slum, and it looked quite legitimate.

"Then, I will take the money out and return it to you."

She bowed solemnly, looking at He Ye, and bowed again.

"Okay, okay, I know you were wrong. Just give me back the money." He Ye held his head, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Ok."

After Nicole finished speaking, she tried to wipe her face with her hands, but found that the more she wiped, the dirtier it became. She was a little troubled and looked at her two black palms. She wished she hadn't made them so dirty before.

"What is this?..." He Ye was in a tense silence.

"I need to clean my face before I go in."

Nicole explained sullenly. She couldn't clean her face right now, and there were no water taps on the street in this slum.

He Ye was speechless, wondering if the Bapulo Credit Lending Company was some kind of sacred temple to them, something that required them to be thoroughly cleansed before entering.

"Sir, may I use your handkerchief?"

Nicole pleaded hesitantly, her eyes darting away.

"If I had a handkerchief with me, things wouldn't be like this now," He Ye said irritably, taking two steps forward. "Come here."

"Huh?" Nicole approached in confusion.

He Ye stretched out his hand. His palm was clean, but there were some calluses on it. There was no need to investigate where they came from, since the purpose of his palm was simply to wipe away dirt.

"Uh uh uh eh eh eh—"

Nicole closed her eyes, feeling a little flattered, because her grandfather was rubbing her face.

Ke Heye just didn't want to get her clothes dirty. Since she didn't have a handkerchief and wasn't wearing any clothes, she could only use her clean hands to wipe the dirt off her face.

"What exactly did you put on your face...?"

He Ye said without speaking and holding his breath, "After touching it for a short while, it felt like I was rubbing slime."

"Spit, mud, sewer..."

"Okay, okay, stop, stop, stop." He Ye didn't dare to listen any further; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep his hands.

Nicole kept her eyes closed as her face was kneaded until her skin was slightly clean, while He Ye's hands were already dirty. He sighed and looked at his hands, thinking that he would have to get soap and wash them properly when he got back.

"Okay, although it's not as clean as washing your face with water, at least I can see your face clearly now."

"How's your face?" Nicole blinked. "Pretty?"

"..." He Ye was speechless. "Not bad," he said perfunctorily after a long while.

Nicole smiled in surprise, lowered her head and said, "Sir, your hands are so gentle."

Forced into a corner, He Ye could only sigh as she looked at her hands, which were now covered in dirt. She waved her hand and said, "Go and come back quickly. I'll be waiting for you."

“Yes, sir!” she said happily as she stepped onto the stairs.

The nine-story staircase wasn't high; in the blink of an eye, she had passed the stone lions and entered the Baplo Credit Company, which was another world.

He Ye stood there, feeling a little bored. He looked around and saw smoke billowing from the factory chimneys, low and crooked houses under the moonlight, and ragged children picking up trash not far away.

"Sigh, can someone give me some money..."

A mournful voice came from the side.

He Ye turned his head and noticed the down-and-out young man, who had been talking to himself from the beginning. But he wasn't being kind; he was just sizing him up out of boredom.

It's not very comfortable staying in the slums.

He Ye really wanted to leave.

But he still had to wait for Nicole to get her money back, so he wandered back and forth in front of the loan company, kicking stones, his hands dangling dirty.

Although I don't know how she'll get back the money she's already paid back... Speaking of which, how did this guy even manage to rack up a massive loan of 24?

Is it because of gambling?

However, I heard her say that she had only known about gambling for four weeks and had always won, so it was unlikely that she would incur debt because of it.

It is highly likely that this Baplow credit lending company engaged in illegal activities, such as issuing loans at interest rates that did not comply with regulations, or having hidden traps in the contracts that were difficult to detect, and Nicole Griffith, the orphan, was trapped in it because of this.

Should we bother with such things?
Too much trouble.

He Ye was already exhausted. Nicole's affair had already hurt him deeply. It was her fault; she shouldn't have stolen the wallet. Even if Baplo Company was illegal and violated regulations, in this matter, it was Nicole's fault.

He Ye just wanted to start a new life.

Don't know how long it has been.

It might be 10 minutes, or it might be 20 minutes.

The moonlight grew increasingly hazy.

He Ye felt tired as he paced back and forth. The waiting made him irritable and exhausted. He even started to disregard his image and sat on the steps in front of the company, waiting for Nicole to come out.

The down-on-his-luck young man next to him didn't leave; he was still sighing and even struck up a conversation with He Ye: "Do you have any money?"

He Ye's pockets are now cleaner than his face.

"No."

"That's a shame."

Fortunately, the dry conversation didn't last long.

The doors of the Baplo Credit Company finally opened, and He Ye turned around excitedly to look, but unfortunately it wasn't Nicole Griffiths who came out, but another unfamiliar scarred man, chewing on a cigar.

Holding a wad of bright green banknotes in his hand, he shouted:

"Which of you two is He Ye?"

"He Ye?" He Ye was surprised to be called by this name.

However, I'll raise my hand for now.

"I'm He Ye, what's up?"

"You're He Ye?"

The scarred man approached in a confrontational tone, acrid smoke billowing from his cigar. He sized her up for a moment, then slapped the banknotes into He Ye's hand.

"Here you go, this is your money, take it!"

He Ye realized that this was the debt that Nicole wanted to get back. He immediately counted it and thought that his long wait was not a waste of time. He would eventually get the money back.

However, He Ye frowned and stopped her.

"Wait a moment, friend."

The scarred man turned around in confusion, scratched his smooth head, and asked, "What's wrong, brother?"

"The money is not enough. The amount you should have given me was 17,657 crowns, but I only have 9,500 here."

He Ye waved the banknotes in his hand, puzzled: "Almost half is missing."

"Really? So this is the price you agreed on?" the scarred man said helplessly, taking off his cigar. "But that little guy is only worth this much, no more."

He Ye was taken aback.

"What's the meaning?"

“It’s exactly what it sounds like, my friend.” The scarred man exhaled a smoke ring. “What, you’re not satisfied?”

"I don't understand you."

"Heh~" The scarred man glanced at He Ye, then turned away without bothering to pay attention, since it was a waste of breath to talk about something that had already been agreed upon.

He Ye didn't chase after him, but just watched him disappear before her eyes, blinking and feeling a sense of bewilderment.

No way……

He held his forehead in his hand, looking at the bright green banknotes in his palm. The scarred man's words, "That little guy is only worth this much money," made him feel a sour taste in his stomach.

impossible……

Suddenly, I remembered Nicole's actions before she went in. This rat, who always got herself all dirty, actually took the initiative to wipe her cheeks clean this time.

This would undoubtedly be a dangerous move in the slums, and in a lending company, they wouldn't lend an extra penny just because someone is prettier.

unless……

Unless Nicole Griffiths sold herself in exchange for the 9,500 crowns in He Ye's hands.

(End of this chapter)