He just broke up with his girlfriend and is already living with the devilish rich girl.

Bai Ziheng took his phone out of his pocket, turned on the screen, and handed it to her.

My phone's home screen is just a photo.

A very beautiful and gentle woman stood next to him.

Bai Ziheng was dressed in military uniform, expressionless, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

That photo was taken on the day he enlisted in the army. His sister insisted on taking it, saying that her brother had to keep a memento of wearing a military uniform.

His sister, on the other hand, was dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, the jeans even being somewhat faded from washing.

"My sister now runs a breakfast shop on Huai Shu Street in the east of the city. Her noodles are especially delicious. I'll take you there sometime."

Zheng Yueyao looked at the photo and smiled softly.

That smile was faint, but it was more genuine than any of her expressions today.

She looked up and said earnestly, "Yes, I'll be looking forward to it."

Bai Ziheng put the phone away.

"So, for the sake of our promise to go eat noodles together, think carefully about what you should do next."

"Thank you," she said softly.

Will you... come to see me again?

"Not necessarily, I'll come whenever I have time."

"...I will wait for you."

Bai Ziheng didn't say anything more, turned around, opened the door, and walked out.

The door closed gently behind him, and the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance echoed in the corridor.

Zheng Yueyao let out a long breath, leaned against the headboard, and looked at the neatly folded uniform on the chair.

She reached out and gently touched the badge on the cuff of her uniform, her fingertips lingering on it for a long while.

I can't do anything that would worry Xiaoguang anymore.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open again.

She looked up and paused slightly when she saw who it was.

Chen Guodong is the deputy director of the Ninghai City Action Department and her direct superior.

"Uncle Chen? What brings you here?"

"I came to see you."

Chen Guodong sat down in the chair that Bai Ziheng had just sat in, smiling gently.

"Xiao Yao, have you really thought this through regarding tomorrow's plan?"

"If you insist on participating, I can place you in the reserve team, which is relatively less risky."

Zheng Yueyao shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Chen, I was too impulsive before. I will withdraw from this operation."

Chen Guodong was visibly taken aback.

He adjusted his glasses, scrutinizing her expression: "Why the sudden change of heart? Didn't you insist on participating before, ignoring everyone's advice?"

"I'm still injured, so instead of forcing myself to prove myself, I should focus on getting better first."

Zheng Yueyao smiled.

"I don't want to do anything that will worry the people who care about me anymore."

"Especially Xiaoguang. Someone who can't even treat his own wounds will only be a burden to his teammates on the battlefield."

Chen Guodong looked at her, and the scrutiny in his eyes gradually turned into relief.

He stood up, walked to her side, and patted her on the shoulder.

"Okay, it's great that you think that way."

"You've always been too stubborn, always wanting to shoulder everything alone, and never turning back no matter how much you've suffered."

He looked down at her, raised his hand and gently touched her hair, like a father comforting his child.

"What a good child."

Then Zheng Yueyao saw it.

A faint purple glint flashed in Chen Guodong's eyes.

She was all too familiar with that light; it was a sign that her powers were being activated.

Her body reacted before her mind could react, and she tried to push him away, but it was too late.

The purple hue spread across her vision like ink dripping into water, and her consciousness began to sink deeper and deeper.

She opened her mouth as if to shout, but her lips only moved silently before her eyes went completely vacant.

Chen Guodong withdrew his hand, looked at the girl sitting quietly on the edge of the bed with lifeless eyes, and remained silent for a long time.

He took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with his sleeve, his voice so low it was as if he were talking to himself.

"Don't blame me, Xiao Yao."

"Your father is too stubborn this time. I have tried to persuade him many times. The higher-ups do not want to see him use troops on a large scale at this factory, but he will not listen."

"He wants to lead the entire Ninghai Special Administration Bureau to overturn the entire factory, to find the mole, and to dig up evidence."

"If we let him continue investigating, it won't just be a few people who die."

He put his glasses back on, the lenses obscuring his eyes that still held a faint purple glow, and his voice remained calm.

"I hope your death will make him understand what a price is."

...

...

Let's go back to the present.

The barbed wire fence surrounding the factory hummed softly in the night wind.

The beam of the searchlight slowly swept across the empty factory area.

Zheng Yueyao, dressed in a dark suit and with a standard long knife at her waist, stood outside the factory's side gate.

Her eyes were fixed ahead, but her pupils looked like two unfocused glass beads.

Chen Guodong stood beside her, with another person by his side.

A tall, thin man, wearing blue factory overalls and a technical supervisor's badge on his chest, had a face full of tension.

He glanced at Zheng Yueyao, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Minister Chen, are you sure it's okay? This woman is Zheng Ningyuan's daughter. What if she suddenly wakes up—"

"no problem."

Chen Guodong spoke in a flat tone.

"My superpower has been completely implanted into her subconscious; she is now just a puppet that obeys orders."

"Besides, she is Zheng Ningyuan's daughter. As long as she is in our hands, that old man will not actually give the order to attack."

The tall, thin man swallowed hard, nodded, and retreated back inside the factory gate.

Chen Guodong raised his hand to signal, and Zheng Yueyao followed him into the factory gate like a puppet on a string.

The iron gate slowly closed behind the two of them.

Not far away, Bai Ziheng sat on an old locust tree, a cigarette dangling from his lips, quietly watching this scene.

He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag after the two of them had gone inside.

...

...

There weren't many people in the fountain square at night; a few children were chasing and playing.

A teddy bear is handing out flyers.

The bear costume was thick and stuffy, and its movements were clumsy.

Several children surrounded it, laughing and jumping up to knock the flyer out of its hand.

The papers were scattered all over the floor, wet by the splashing water from the fountain, and stuck to the floor tiles.

The teddy bear crouched down to pick it up, but the children kicked it again and ran away laughing.

It didn't make a sound, but just knelt on the ground and picked up the soaked flyers one by one. Its bear paws weren't very nimble, and it took several tries to pick up one.

A pair of ankle boots stopped in front of it.

The bear puppet tilted its head, then raised its two paws and pulled the huge bear head off.

A sweaty face was visible inside, with short hair plastered to her cheeks. Her features weren't particularly striking, but they were quite pleasing to the eye.

She exhaled a breath of hot air and looked up at the person in front of her.

Luo Yao stood in front of her, bent down slightly, and poked her round, chubby belly with her index finger, her smile full of amusement.

"An S-rank operator, yet you spend your days handing out flyers, dressing up as a mascot, and getting kicked by kids. You really are something else."

A hint of wariness flashed in the woman's eyes.

"How do you know who I am? And who are you?"

Luo Yao smiled and raised her hand, drawing a circle with her index finger on the chest of the mascot costume.

"Who I am is unimportant. However, I need to hire you to do something."

"Sorry, I don't take private jobs."

"If you want to hire someone, go through the proper procedures at the Special Administration Bureau."

The woman moved the hand away from her chest and bent down to pick up the remaining flyers.

Luo Yao wasn't annoyed and followed behind her slowly, saying...

"I sent you the Buster Call, but you didn't answer it. I came to you in person, but you still didn't answer—"

She suddenly stopped walking, and her voice turned cold.

"Do you really have to make me angry before you'll listen to me?"

The oppressive aura descended silently.

The woman froze, unable to even look up and meet his gaze.

Instinct told her that if she looked up now, she would die.

"What...what do you want me to do?"

Luo Yao's familiar mischievous smile returned, and she reached out to pat her shoulder.

"It's simple. Tonight, the Special Administration Bureau is conducting a large-scale operation. I need you to go to the scene and help me protect someone."

"If he really can't hold on any longer, you're responsible for taking him away for me."

"You don't need to worry about anyone else, is that simple?"

The woman was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Name your price."

"Can...can I let you drink my blood?"

Luo Yao thought she had misheard.

"what?"

The woman took a step forward, and the flush on her face visibly crept from her neck to the tips of her ears.

She clasped her hands to her chest, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Your aura, its purity, its oppressive presence... you must be some kind of high-ranking vampire, right?"

"I've always wanted to experience... what it would feel like to be sucked by a vampire as beautiful and powerful as you. It must be so wonderful... please."

She bent her knees and was about to kneel down.

"Really, I can kneel down and lick your feet, please—"

"You woman!! Wait a minute! You wait a second!"

Luo Yao took a step back, her expression changing from amusement to shock and then to disgust.

"Are you out of your mind? Why are you blushing?! What's with that heart in your eye?! Take it away! Take it away right now!"

The woman clasped her hands together, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her gaze was sincere.

Please.

Luo Yao took a deep breath and pointed towards the exit of the fountain square.

"Get out of here! And another thing! I'm not a vampire!"

The woman trembled at the shout, then picked up the bear's head from the ground and ran away, tumbling and crawling.

Luo Yao stood there, staring at the bulky figure that ran further and further away, and it took her a while to recover.

Is this woman the only S-rank operator in Ninghai City?

That legendary top-tier fighter who goes it alone and can't even be summoned by the Demon Buster Order?

Qingyao had mentioned this person to her before, saying that she was "a bit special".

Qingyao's expression at that moment clearly showed she was suppressing a laugh.

Now she knows why.

This is more than just a little special.

That woman is a fucking psychopath.