Gao Wu: After transforming into a soft girl, I became a calamity?

"Hey kid, what are you doing here?"

Ye Chenyang closed his umbrella and had just sat in the passenger seat when Cheng Qiao's voice rang in his ear.

He turned his head and saw Cheng Qiao with both hands on the steering wheel, looking at him with a half-smile, his eyes clearly saying, "I saw everything."

"Meeting someone."

"hehe."

Cheng Qiao chuckled softly and gestured with his chin toward the beverage shop.

"I've been here for a while. I just happened to see you seeing that girl out, and you were even standing at the door watching her go. That's so thoughtful of you!"

"This...isn't this normal? Don't overthink it, we're just ordinary friends."

"Normal? Just friends."

Cheng Qiao raised an eyebrow, looking incredulous.

Before Ye Chenyang could answer, he continued speaking on his own:

"Hey, you don't actually have a crush on that girl, do you? You've asked her out so many times. And honestly, when you took leave before, were you working as a sparring partner?"

"Um?"

Ye Chenyang didn't react for a moment. He had filled in "personal reasons" when he asked for leave before, without specifying what he was going to do. Where did Cheng Qiao hear that from?

Cheng Qiao seemed to sense Ye Chenyang's doubt and chuckled:

"My nephew told me this, is it true?"

Ye Chenyang was speechless for a moment; it turned out that someone had leaked the information.

The "nephew" Cheng Qiao mentioned refers to the young man Zhao Gang, whom he met when he entered the house last time.

That kid... he's such a blabbermouth, I wonder what kind of fabrication he made about his relationship with Jiang Mian.

"Speaking of which, that young lady... is called Jiang Mian, right? I heard she's one of the senior talents in our city this year?"

"Yes."

Jiang Mian's awakening caused quite a stir, and her name and sequence were not exactly secrets.

"No wonder you're so interested. A high-ranking person in your class has high potential, is beautiful, and has a good personality. It's no wonder she attracts attention."

"Captain Cheng, it's not what you think."

Ye Chenyang rubbed his temples in exasperation.

He had never thought about it that way, and his concern for Jiang Mian was only out of a sense of responsibility, to help someone to the end.

"Didn't you used to find those young girls troublesome? Why are you being so proactive with her?"

Is it proactive?

I seem to be paying extra attention to Jiang Mian.

When did it start?

Was it when we first met, when she was quietly working amidst the wreckage of the disaster? Was it when she was huddled and trembling in the eye of the storm in the warehouse? Or...?

It seems that from the very first time they met, his gaze would unconsciously linger on her.

"She...is different."

"puff……"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Qiao almost burst out laughing.

Ye Chenyang realized the ambiguity in the words and was about to explain when Cheng Qiao waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. It's normal for young people to make friends, especially such outstanding peers."

After saying that, he turned the car key, and the car slowly drove away from the roadside, heading towards the South District Public Security Bureau.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Qiao spoke again, but the topic had shifted to official business.

"Did you see tonight's mission notification?"

"Hmm." Ye Chenyang sat up straight.

Cheng Qiao had sent him a text message before, but she didn't go into details; she wanted to talk to him in person.

"Target information?"

"Du Biao, he's involved in underground business."

"Underground...inhibitor?"

After a moment's thought, Ye Chenyang knew what Du Biao did.

"Yes. The crackdown has been strict lately, and drug dealers who deal in inhibitors have basically gone into hiding. There are only a few still active."

"This guy... he's got guts, is he an Awakened One?"

"Second-tier strength, sequence 235, [Hunter]. Not very strong, but has very sharp senses. Slippery and slippery, it ran away several times."

"Second-order..."

Ye Chenyang raised an eyebrow.

Generally speaking, awakened individuals of this level can earn a decent income from any job they take on.

Reselling inhibitors can yield a profit of about 60% of the selling price per vial, but the risks are also very high.

"That's quite rare. This person used to be a staff member of the Market Supervision Bureau. Seven years ago, he was fired for reselling controlled drugs and served five years in prison."

Cheng Qiao picked up the conversation and added:

"After I got out, I couldn't find a legitimate path, so I made a living by trading inhibitors. It was always lukewarm, but I just didn't fail."

Ye Chenyang nodded. Although the management within the system wasn't as strict, the red lines were still there.

Once you cross that line, you'll not only end up in jail, but your identity document will also be flagged, and most legitimate organizations won't hire you.

It's understandable that someone would return to their old ways when they had no other options.

"This mission came so suddenly. Did they pinpoint his location? Or are they planning a deal tonight?"

"The intelligence says he has a big deal tonight, but the other party is also very wary, and the transaction location has to be decided at the last minute. The colleagues who are keeping an eye on him have roughly narrowed it down to a certain area..."

Cheng Qiao paused, then uttered four large words:

"Happiness Community"

Upon hearing this, Ye Chenyang's expression became somewhat strange.

Happiness Community is a notorious red-light district located at the junction of the south and west sides of the city, and it is known for its chaotic atmosphere.

Given the current situation in the city, the surviving gangs from the west side of the city, fearing the insane infected individuals, have all gathered there.

Is the other party trying to confuse them with this?

"What's with that expression, kid?"

Cheng Qiao glanced at Ye Chenyang and continued:

"At this time of year, that person is definitely on guard. We must subdue him tonight. If all goes well, we might be able to uncover a lot of information about people with hidden diseases."

Cheng Qiao's tone became more serious, clearly indicating that he attached great importance to tonight's operation.

"……clear."

……

It was 9:30 PM.

Jiang Mian nestled in bed, watching as a new message finally popped up in the encrypted channel.

[Enter from the entrance of Lane 1, east gate of Xingfu Residential Area, southwest of the city.]

The message was brief, and both parties knew this was their last transaction with each other, so they only provided a simple address.

Jiang Mian left the channel and deleted her visit history.

She kicked off the covers, got out of bed, and grabbed another black raincoat from the doorway.

It's the outfit she wore during her last transaction.

The material was thick and almost opaque, and the brim was wide. She always thought it was quite useful, as it could easily cover her face.

Of course, it's also possible that she bought a size too big.

After tidying up a bit, she left home.

She deliberately took a detour through the east of the city before finally arriving near her destination, which was already close to 10:30.

The walls of the buildings in the target community were mottled and covered with all sorts of little GG stickers, and the water on the road was deep enough to reach her ankles.

This is "Happiness Community," but despite its name, it's actually a chaotic collection of old-style apartments.

Jiang Mian released his long-closed senses.

Normally, in order to suppress any unnecessary appetite for awakened individuals, she always uses [Wind] to block her senses, especially her sense of smell.

At this moment, all sorts of sounds could reach her ears through the wind.

For example... in the alley in front of her, there seemed to be a strange colliding sound and the panting of a man and a woman intertwined.

"?!"