NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

You can rest assured, Mr. Du would never do anything like double-crossing someone…

Click!

A crisp click of a mechanism locking came from behind Xue Mei, interrupting her speech and prompting her to turn around and look behind her.

Then, a man surnamed Fei returned to the antique-style sliding door at some point. A warm, gentle smile graced his face, and he spoke with sincerity and earnestness.

"From what you're saying..."

"Is everyone here?"

Chapter 191 Reasoning (5K)

"Half the wine's spilled, what's the point of drinking it now?!"

"I'll get you a new cup right away! Please forgive me!"

In the pool, a frightened waitress in a swimsuit stood trembling in front of the "Hades Gang" leader, holding a tray in her hand and timidly apologizing.

She is so tired.

She had to constantly go up and down the pool steps, and walk back and forth in the pool that was waist-deep, all while maintaining a sexy gait.

If it weren't for Kana's unwavering willpower, let alone accidentally spilling the wine, it would have been questionable whether she could even smoothly walk to the middle of the pool after getting in.

Unfortunately, the gang leader, whose body was covered in demon tattoos, did not accept Kana's apology.

Then, in a fit of rage, he swept his arm, knocking over the woman's plate, wine glass, and drinks into the pool. Afterward, he coldly walked out of the pool and waved to the female manager who was entertaining other leaders in the distance.

Upon seeing Hades' actions, the waitress turned deathly pale, to the point that her makeup seemed somewhat mismatched with her skin tone.

Please forgive me!

At this moment, Kana didn't care about the plates and glasses sinking into the pool. Her eyes were filled with eagerness, forcing her to awkwardly wade across the pool.

Her figure had lost all its former cold and alluring charm.

……

"What's the situation over there?"

Standing at the doorway, the person who had locked the retro double doors ignored Xue Mei's puzzled look, gestured with their chin toward the pool, and asked matter-of-factly:

"Do you get punished for making mistakes?"

Following the man's gaze toward the pool, Xue Mei saw Kana hurriedly moving toward the female supervisor, and a fleeting look of sympathy flashed across her eyes.

"Deduct money."

The waitress answered almost involuntarily. She didn't know why, perhaps because she'd never encountered anyone who cared about their affairs before, so after answering the guest's question, she even added on her own initiative:

"As long as it's not a customer who hits us, we won't get hit. Women with injuries don't fetch a good price at night."

Listening to Xue Mei's words and seeing the slender waitress pleading with the woman in the dress, Phoenix, who wasn't in a hurry to do anything, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Judging from this, it seems you've been skimming off quite a bit."

"We deduct fifteen days at a time here. Kana's situation is a bit special..."

The woman mustered her courage and turned back to meet the lieutenant's gaze again, a hint of bitterness creeping into her professional smile.

"She and her mother both have leukemia, and most of their wages go towards medication, rent, and protection fees, leaving them with no savings at all."

Her close female friends would often find various excuses to let her eat and drink for free, saving up whatever little bit she could.

"Ah."

"...Guest, you have excellent taste."

As they made their way to the third floor, although they only spent a few minutes together, Xue Mei could still tell that Phoenix's personality was far different from that of other gang leaders in the outer district.

He was even more easygoing and humorous than those so-called noble guests from the Ark.

Considering Kana's current situation, the heavily made-up waitress gently bit her lip with her pearly teeth, then smiled seductively, her tone unmistakably provocative, and said:

"Don't let Kana's cold and aloof appearance fool you. She's a bit timid, but if you really win her heart, I guarantee she'll make you weak in the knees every night once you get to know her."

"That won't be necessary."

The lieutenant, who was "completely uninterested" in women, decisively waved his hand and shook his head, refusing Xue Mei's pimping offer on the spot without even thinking about it.

Immediately afterward, under the waiter's slightly disappointed gaze, Phoenix reached his right hand inside his clothes to confirm that the surveillance screenshot of Klaus was still there, and then quickly walked towards Kana and the head waiter.

"Miss Kana, I heard you're short of money for medical treatment, is that right?"

There were no beating around the bush, no linguistic finesse. The man even skipped the self-introduction, turning to the tuxedo-clad butler in front of the woman and getting straight to the point:

"What was her ransom?"

The words came out of nowhere, the man arrived uninvited, and his tone left no room for argument.

Not only was Kana, who was feeling lost and desperate, stunned by the scene, but even the shrewd and capable female manager was momentarily speechless at the sight of this person's actions.

Two seconds later...

The steward, barely regaining his senses, covered his mouth and smiled sweetly, "Sir, Kana is still young, and her ransom will not be cheap."

"How many."

Seeing the unfamiliar man's impatient and anxious look, the steward's foxy eyes grew even more amused, and his voice inadvertently became more seductive.

"Guest, you have two million in spare cash, enough to keep you entertained in our shop for ten years. Besides, we have all kinds of products. Isn't that better than buying a sickly one and getting tired of it after two years?"

"So it's two million, right?"

Having received a clear quote, the lieutenant nodded in satisfaction, then glanced sideways at Ms. Kana, who was still confused about the situation.

"I'll give you another million for treatment later. You owe me a total of three million, understand? Now follow me and answer whatever I ask."

Having said that, before the steward, whose eyes were shining, could speak, Phoenix turned around again and walked straight toward Hades's position.

As for Kana, under the manager's winking and shoving, she stupidly and quickly followed the man's back.

……

Which companies are they from?

Walking over to a coffee table, in front of the people present, the lieutenant pointed and gestured without any regard for manners.

"Who are the leaders? Who are the deputies?"

"..."

When Phoenix asked her questions, Ms. Kana did not give a specific answer immediately.

She looked nervous and fearful, especially when a burly thug stood up. The woman, who had just offended their boss, was so frightened that she almost took a step back.

"who are you?"

They don't have the uncouth behavior of petty thugs who start yelling and cursing at anyone who's looking for trouble.

Hades' leader leaned back lazily on the sofa, his triangular eyes sweeping over Phoenix's shoulder as he stared at Kana's bewildered expression, asking in a somber tone:

"If you booked this frivolous woman in advance, you can have your fun tonight. We'll find her again in a few days."

Those who were invited to the VIP hall on the third floor by Black Maru Company today must be tough targets, aside from their thugs and bodyguards.

In Darrow's view, his decision to give up the woman was already a sufficiently friendly gesture.

However, to his utter surprise, the young man standing by the coffee table didn't even bother to look at him.

"Hmm, this one's the eldest, which one's the second eldest?"

The fact that someone was asking a waitress about her attitude undoubtedly angered the members of the Hades gang, especially the two top henchmen, whose brows furrowed with murderous intent.

Is it bluffing? Deliberately picking a fight? Or simply being brainless?

"...From left to right, the third one...is the second-in-command."

Kana fearfully hid behind the man. Although she was timid, she was still a woman born in the outer region. She quickly realized that the man in front of her was probably not after her body.

He himself was very likely to be dragged into a brutal gang conflict as some kind of victim.

Trying to remain neutral is suicidal; choosing one of the two options might offer a glimmer of hope.

"They are all Hades's men..."

Knowing she couldn't escape, Kana resigned herself to her fate and quietly revealed everything she knew to Phoenix.

There are no other gangs.

"Great, keep it up."

With a satisfied flick of his right arm, the lieutenant "flicked" a tactical dagger out of his sleeve with his perfunctory yet effective acting skills.

Swah——

Seeing that someone dared to pull out a knife here, the two Hades ace henchmen were also taken aback. However, their habit of maintaining vigilance over the years made them stand up instinctively, grab the bathrobes hanging on the back of the sofa, one on each side, and pounce on the person without saying a word.

Fabric is not actually as fragile as you might think.

Simply hold both ends of the fabric with both hands and twist it into a rope. Although it can't withstand the stabs of a knife, it can easily block several slashing attacks.

Therefore, neither of the two thugs felt that they were at a disadvantage.

Two against one, how could we lose?