Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Yu Manli's pupils suddenly contracted, and a fine line finally appeared on her face: "What do you mean?"

"Still pretending?" Zhou Xiao's lips curled into a slight smile. "We were locked in a struggle in the steam for so long, the floor was as slippery as oil, and yet you stumbled the moment you turned to leave—what a coincidence!"

"You..." A faint blush suddenly rose on her cheeks, and she instinctively pulled her arm away.

"Yu Manli," Zhou Xiao's tone suddenly turned serious, each word clear, "the poison needle in your sleeve is already showing its tip, why aren't you making a move? This isn't the composure a qualified agent should have."

Before she could finish speaking, Yu Manli's expression changed drastically! With a flick of her wrist, a blue-tipped needle was already at Zhou Xiao's ribs, moving with lightning speed!

Zhou Xiao remained motionless, his right hand flashing as he gripped her wrist, twisting her body, contorting her arm, and pulling her forward—all in one fluid motion! Yu Manli was pulled close to his chest, the needle now pressed against her own carotid artery.

A textbook countermeasure.

The sense of familiarity is overwhelming.

The next instant, Zhou Xiao flicked his knuckles, and the syringe flew out of his hand—

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Three sharp sounds pierced the air as the syringe was driven deep into the auditorium pillars, its tail still humming and vibrating.

"If you were in the enemy camp, you would have fallen three times already," Zhou Xiao said calmly. "Your skill level is still lacking."

Yu Manli was speechless.

She couldn't understand how he had managed to pinch her pulse beforehand.

In fact, she never intended to really kill him—it was just a test pawn set up by Wang Tianfeng.

Zhou Xiao raised his eyes and looked at Yu Manli, who was standing quietly a few steps away: "Miss Yu, shall we continue the dance, or shall we exchange a few more blows? I'm happy to oblige."

Fight? The duel in the bathhouse had already determined the winner.

She was no match for him.

If we continue down this path, all that will be left is embarrassment.

Yu Manli paused, and the corners of her lips, which had been frozen for many years, slowly lifted, revealing a very faint, yet genuinely awkward smile: "Then... let's continue dancing." She took the initiative to reach out and place her hand in his palm again, and the dance resumed.

"I know you." She suddenly spoke, her voice three degrees softer than before. "Zhou Xiao. He joined the school ten days ago, and the instructor personally praised him as the 'Number One Talent'—a well-deserved title."

Nowadays, the name Zhou Xiao is no longer a new name in military academies.

"So Miss Yu had been paying attention to me all along?" Zhou Xiao replied with a smile. "Perhaps you have some brilliant insight?"

"I wouldn't presume to offer such insightful advice." Her tone relaxed, even becoming somewhat casual. "I'm just curious—why would someone like you choose this path?"

"Do what you love." Zhou Xiao looked into her eyes, paused for a moment, and said, "The Military Intelligence Bureau is never the final destination for those who have no other choice."

Life presents many crossroads; which path you choose is entirely up to you.

These words, though seemingly light, were actually quite heavy, clearly a stone thrown into her heart.

Yu Manli was forced to join the Kuomintang when she was on the verge of a cliff—this was the only piece of driftwood she could hold onto.

Her eyes dimmed slightly: "Hmm... So, do you regret it?"

"No regrets." Zhou Xiao mentally calculated the progress of the dungeon. "Once you enter this door, there's only one path—forward, and don't look back."

Yu Manli nodded and said nothing more.

The two turned around quietly, music flowing, their steps in perfect sync, and for a moment they were speechless.

After a long silence, Zhou Xiao finally broke it: "By the way, have you paired up the life-and-death partners yet?"

"No." She shook her head gently. "The instructor said... they haven't found the right person for me yet. So, I can't leave yet."

Not yet paired?

interesting.

Before the dance ended, the conversation began. The thin layer of ice between them had quietly melted away, revealing a warm current.

At this moment, in the shadows of the second-floor corridor of the auditorium, two figures stood quietly, their gazes fixed on the two people dancing hand in hand on the dance floor.

It was Wang Tianfeng and his sixth brother, Zheng Yaoxian.

Wang Tianfeng narrowed his eyes, his voice low and deep: "This Zhou Xiao is indeed a fine piece of work. As for Yu Manli... she's still lacking in experience; a few casual words made her lose her sense of propriety."

The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

Zhou Xiao's words to Manli were not just empty talk, but a carefully designed test—he wanted her to lose her composure.

In the world of espionage, one must remain calm even in the face of imminent danger, and be able to laugh and joke even with a gun to one's temple. But what about Yu Manli? Before she could finish three sentences, a fire ignited in her eyes, her breathing tightened, and her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Once her emotions crumbled, her facade was exposed; and once that exposed her, she was not far from death.

Just as Zhou Xiao said: If she really jumped around like that in the enemy camp, she would have been riddled with bullets long ago.

This wasn't mockery; it was a wake-up call—Zhou Xiao personally gave her an introductory lesson.

Yu Manli eventually realized what was going on, and her expression gradually relaxed. Her tone became calm, and she resumed chatting with Zhou Xiao as if nothing had happened.

The lights in the ballroom flickered. Zheng Yaoxian was still dressed in a sharp trench coat, sunglasses covering half his face, a cigarette between his fingers, but his gaze swept across the crowd like a knife: "Old Six, my eyes don't recognize people, they only recognize ability. You forced Zhou Xiao into the 'Death Mission' plan? It's like using gold to hammer iron nails—a waste."

Wang Tianfeng nodded in agreement, then turned his head and asked, "Sixth Brother, what brings you here today?"

"I came here specifically to see Zhou Xiao." Zheng Yaoxian exhaled a puff of smoke. "Let's see how much this kid can really eat."

The results were even more striking than expected—he received top marks in all subjects, and his practical simulations were clean and efficient. Even Wang Tianfeng privately praised him as "like a dagger that has just been tempered."

"Shall we meet?" Wang Tianfeng probed.

Zheng Yaoxian waved his hand: "No rush. There's plenty of time to cultivate good seedlings."

He paused, then added, "Take good care of that girl named Yu Manli. In the future, have her lend a hand to Zhou Xiao."

Wang Tianfeng was taken aback: "Partners in life and death?"

"No." Zheng Yaoxian's voice was not loud, but every word was firm and clear. "It's about cooperating with a partner."

Partners in life and death are buried together in the same pit and go to the underworld together; cooperative partners are those who secretly pass knives and openly shield each other from bullets, and those who take on more danger for each other.

Wang Tianfeng suddenly laughed out loud: "Sixth Brother, you have a really sharp eye! I originally planned to match her with Mingtai, but since you've chosen her, I'll change the arrangement right away."

If you count on your fingers, Zheng Yaoxian is one of the few people in the Military Intelligence Bureau who can truly convince "Madman" Wang Tianfeng.

……

In the center of the dance floor, Zhou Xiao and Yu Manli were still spinning.

Her skirt swayed gently, her steps steady, but she suddenly spoke: "Zhou Xiao, would you like to hear a story?"

"I'd like to hear the details," Zhou Xiao replied, but he knew in his heart that he had already seen through the past events in "The Disguiser." But now that she was taking the initiative to reopen old wounds, he was more interested in hearing what she had to say for herself.

Yu Manli's tone was as flat as a stagnant pool, as if she were reading someone else's obituary: "I am a murderer."

Zhou Xiao's eyelids didn't even twitch.

he knows.

"When I was fourteen, my parents died suddenly. I slept under bridges and ate spoiled bread. I was so hungry that I was seeing stars. God thought I hadn't suffered enough, so when I was fifteen, he made me contract tuberculosis. I coughed up blood until I fainted."

"When I was about to die, a businessman surnamed Yu pulled me out of the water and changed my name to Yu Manli. Later, my older brother supported my education, hoping that I could live a life with my head held high."

"But his good days didn't last a year. On his way to deliver goods, he was ambushed in a mountain ravine by three bandits and hacked to death."

Zhou Xiao paused slightly, his voice lowering: "And then you killed them?"

"Hmm." She forced a smile, a smile more bitter than tears. "This was my first time taking action. The day I heard the news of my brother's death, I squatted beside his body and counted the wounds three times. I memorized everyone's scars, moles, and whether they walked crookedly... Three days later, I lured them into the dilapidated temple one by one, leaving none alive."

A sixteen-year-old flower bud, stained with blood before it even bloomed. The deeper the hatred, the steadier the hand.

She paused for a few beats before continuing, "After taking my revenge, I went to the county government office to turn myself in and was sentenced to be executed in the autumn."

"I met Wang Tianfeng in prison. He saw that my eyes were still sharp and my bones were still strong, so he dragged me into the Kuomintang secret service—that's how I've managed to survive until today."

"You're right." She looked up and stared directly at Zhou Xiao. "I came here because I had no other choice. But if I were really afraid of death, I wouldn't have gone to see the officials in shackles."

Zhou Xiao nodded: "You're not afraid of death, you're only afraid of living a life that's not human."

Yu Manli's eyes lit up, as if a lamp wick had been suddenly turned on, but she didn't reply—she understood the weight of those words.

Zhou Xiao suddenly asked, "Do you believe in fate?"

She chuckled softly: "Fate?"

"As the old saying goes, 'Three periods of bad luck and six periods of good luck,' each has its own destiny." Zhou Xiao's voice was soft, yet it sounded like nails being hammered into the floor. "Your bad luck has dissipated. From now on, it's time for things to go smoothly. Trust me."

"Pfft—" She couldn't help but laugh out loud, "A secret agent believes in this? In our line of work, we don't even trust shadows completely."

Zhou Xiao just smiled and didn't answer.

The music was in full swing, and the hem of her skirt swirled open, when Zhou Xiao suddenly heard a clear sound: "Ding! Ball attendance complete, reward issued..."

Can you even check in and receive prizes at a dance party?

A thought struck him, and he immediately retrieved the information: "Check."

"Ding! You have gained +99 in Fighting Skill and Super Memory."

Fighting Skills +99: Rebuilding your bones and muscles, lightning-fast reflexes, punches that carry the wind, and dodges that create smoke—this is not just icing on the cake, but a complete transformation.

Super memory: It can instantly imprint what it sees, whether it's a note you glance at, a secret whisper you hear, or a license plate you glimpse. It can all be perfectly replicated in its mind.

Can martial arts really reach new heights? His previous feat of taking down Guo Qiyun with his bare hands had already astonished onlookers. This further advancement is undoubtedly a timely help.

These days, survival isn't about luck, it's about having a strong fist and a quick mind.

And a super memory? That's what special agents rely on – intelligence is fleeting, and whoever can memorize it in the blink of an eye holds the key to survival.

Both of these things strike at the heart of the problem.

"Wait a minute." Zhou Xiao's heart skipped a beat. "System, let me ask you something—according to what Yu Manli just said, her experience seems different from before?"

The system coldly replied: "Answering this requires 500 points. Confirm payment?"

Isn't the points threshold way too high?

Is this system just a makeshift setup hastily put together by some engineer with the "Xun" name in their name?

However, Zhou Xiao wasn't intimidated by these points at all: "Answer quickly!"

The system's voice was calm and steady: "Host, this world is a fusion of multiple film and television works, a highly hybrid parallel universe. Character backgrounds may have been added, deleted, or slightly adjusted, but everything is real—not a fictional setting."

"Yu Manli's changing background is a natural manifestation of the logic of how this world works."

"I see!" Zhou Xiao's mind cleared. "It seems that the rules here allow for flexibility, which makes it seem more real."