In another world, Lu Mingfei is learning card making.

Jiu Demai kept her voice very low and moved her feet lightly toward Lu Mingfei.

Some might think that the Word of Light, Mingzhao, is useless, but as a ninja, she never looked down on this Word of Light that was ridiculed as "only able to conceal one's form".

This is because the training she received from childhood was exactly what it was—ninja training focused on 'concealing one's form'.

Ninjas are trained from a young age to walk silently through corridors—first on bluestone and marble, then on wooden planks, and finally on tatami mats. They cannot slip, they cannot fall, and they cannot make a sound.

As they grow a little older, they are required to suppress even the sounds of their bodily instincts: heartbeat, breathing, the friction of bones as they take steps, and even the twitching of muscles inside their bodies must be suppressed to the point that even a weasel cannot hear them.

Of course, that's what they say, but in reality, Mai Shutoku has only met Kamaitachi a handful of times since her debut until she was recruited by her current boss.

In these few operations, she successfully achieved the true goal of her training: to evade the Kamaitachi's senses.

But this time, feeling the gentle breeze brushing against her body, Mai Shude couldn't help but relax a little more.

In situations like these, it's crucial to avoid tension. The Kamaitachi's Word of Power can only evade its perception through 'avoidance'. If she dared to be even more tense, even if it was just a slight tingling of the hairs on her body—

She was certain that the guy in the white dress would throw a punch at her.

In a daze, she had a feeling that the Kamaitachi she needed to avoid this time was the real Kamaitachi, while the ones she had to avoid before were just people with keen hearing.

One step, two steps, three steps—the ward space was already small, not to mention that a large part of it was occupied by various monitoring equipment. Mai Jiude gently reached out and pulled hard—

"Eh—"

Lu Mingfei felt an overwhelming force pull him out of his hiding place. Immediately afterward, a sharp sensation appeared on his neck, the blade exuding a chilling aura that sent shivers down his spine.

"No, sister..." Feeling the slender hand gripping his shoulder, Lu Mingfei tried to turn his head to look back, but the fingers on his shoulder tightened even more, preventing him from seeing the assassin's face.

"Sister, we have no past grievances or present conflicts, so why have you come to assassinate me today?"

"And how did you manage to persuade my uncle to join you? First, you had him force his way through the door to distract the caregiver, then you sneaked in to kill me. Why did you go to all that trouble?"

"I have neither money nor power, what good would killing me do? You might as well assassinate that George W. Bush; at least his call for a global war on terror would actually affect your business..."

Suddenly, Mai Jiude realized that taking Lu Mingfei hostage seemed like a mistake.

The boss stipulated that they couldn't actually harm him, but rather deal with the people around him. She had initially thought that this kind of innocent, timid person would tremble like a leaf once a knife was held to his throat—

But who knew that once the blade was actually at his neck, it was as if some strange switch had been flipped, allowing him to chatter on and on like a machine gun?

"Shut up, do you know what you are now? A hostage, do you even know what a hostage is?" Mai Shude lightly pinched his delicate neck in a menacing gesture. "If you don't quiet down, I'll tear you apart..."

The touch on her fingertips subtly hardened, and Mai Shude's expression changed repeatedly before she immediately withdrew and retreated.

But Lu Mingfei still managed to headbutt him below the ribs.

"You scoundrel!" the woman in white roared, her fingers clawing out. Jiu Demai saw it clearly; the wind from the claws that cut through the air could even generate a heat wave that changed color behind the knuckles, which was enough to show that this claw was a ruthless move capable of splitting stone tablets.

So how exactly did this target manage to do it? How did they manage to get such a ruthless character as a subordinate, and also have a red-clad man who manages the money...?

Mai suddenly remembered the complaints her partner had made along the way.

"No way, is this really a palace intrigue drama?"

Having missed its target, Mai Shude decided to retreat.

If her previous kidnapping of Lu Mingfei had some element of saving face, the moment she saw that Lu Mingfei was indeed not the kind of innocent rabbit she could use as leverage, Mai Shude realized that she had truly fallen for him this time.

Even if she were to actually tear up the ticket, her hardened skin might still have a chance to block the blade—or at least protect her neck.

The moment she made her move, that ruthless character was enough to dress her up as Louis XVI, Shang Yang, or even a cosplayer of Boyi Kao.

It depends on the meaning of "makeup artist" to determine which one it is.

While Mai Shutoku does attend fashion conventions and even anime conventions regularly, that doesn't mean she's willing to sacrifice her life for cosplay.

Especially when cosplay can't be filmed and released, and can only remain on archives.

Jiu De Mai leaped back to the bedside, ready to jump off the building, but Lu Mingfei stopped Jing Shu at that moment.

"Miss Mai Jiude, is that right?" Lu Mingfei frowned, looking the female agent up and down. "Alright, your boss has transferred your employment relationship. From now on, you'll work under me."

"……what?"

Mai Shude silently lowered her leg, which was propped up on the window, and uttered a short question.

……

Rewind a moment, to the moment after Lu Mingfei smashed his headbutt down.

In the time that Lu Mingfei perceived, the surrounding world fell silent almost simultaneously. This room seemed to have been abandoned by the world, and even the wind no longer showed mercy to this land.

But right here, a god descended.

A beam of bright moonlight slanted across the deity, unable to illuminate his black evening suit, yet it still generously bathed him in a silvery glow. He smiled and reached out, gently straightening Lu Mingfei's swaying body—

"Brother, why do you look so disheveled?"

Lu Mingfei didn't respond to his mockery, but simply looked around. He quietly called out to the Internet of Things, and unlike the last time they met, this time the thing appeared before him naturally, as if his call was no different from any other time.

"So that's how it is... Multiverse, is this the reason for your change, brother?" Lu Mingze, the younger one, naturally reached for the panel of the multiverse, just like a little brother who couldn't see his older brother's screen.

His hand passed through the floating screen, but it couldn't change its direction even slightly.

Lu Mingfei's mind raced, and the webpage disappeared. He had summoned it back simply to confirm whether he had fallen into the illusion again—and the result was obvious.

Outside of the illusion, time truly stood still.

"So, this demon... what exactly do you want from me?"

Lu Mingfei sighed helplessly. At this moment, he could only negotiate with Him, otherwise He could escape from this frozen spacetime, but Lu Mingfei could not.