This is Lin Yi's first time teaming up with Leone.
Leone is actually a girl from the slums of the imperial capital, so in a sense, the location of this mission is also her hometown.
Next to this slum is the largest red-light district in the imperial capital. They are only separated by a wall, but the stark contrast between the two creates a dramatic disparity.
Everything here seems to constantly remind and provoke Leone, questioning why there's such a huge difference within the same region.
On one side, people live in hell; on the other, in heaven.
The noble target of their mission has built several brothels in this slum because labor is cheap here. Many young girls, left with no options, eventually succumb to the darkness.
So, even though the place is rundown, it's a favorite spot for some high officials and wealthy merchants.
At night, the slum of the imperial capital becomes a flower street.
This street is a bit cleaner and more organized. People from all walks of life - beggars, merchants, bodyguards - wander around.
Both sides of the street are lined with hotels and brothels. Women stand at the entrances, some with pipes in their mouths, waving handkerchiefs, lazily beckoning to potential customers.
Lin Yi's main role this time is to provide support.
Nejenda doesn't want the members of the night raid to rely too much on Lin Yi's power, fearing they might lose their ability to fend for themselves, endangering their lives.
"Hehe, let's get this show on the road."
Standing at the entrance of the flower street, Leone gave a hearty laugh, patting Lin Yi on the shoulder, "Watch and learn."
With that, Leone clenched her fists to her chest, activating the power of her imperial weapon, transforming into the Lion King.
A yellow glow flashed, and for a moment, an image of a fierce lion appeared on her chest, then vanished. Marks resembling tiger stripes appeared on her cheeks, and sharp claws rose from her hands.
Yet, none of this took away from her beauty. It was a wild kind of beauty.
Now transformed into the Lion King, Leone's speed and strength greatly increased. She dashed between rooftops, eventually reaching the top of a tall building, quietly lifting a wooden plank.
Inside the room, there were people, accompanied by various noises.
"You shameless wench."
There were two men in the room. One of them was roughly grabbing a girl's hair. The girl, fairly attractive, was being pinned down by the man.
The other man was holding a syringe, a wicked smile on his face, as he was about to inject the girl with an unknown substance.
"Serve me well, make me happy, and you'll get the dose I promised you."
But the girl clearly looked confused, not paying any attention to the conversation between the two men.
Suddenly, the man with the syringe noticed a woman beside him who had overdosed and was unconscious. Her eyes were rolling back, her body twitching, and she even started to foam at the mouth.
"Boss, I think she might be dead."
The other man, who was still busy, paused for a moment. He glanced at the woman dismissively and then looked away.
"If she's dead, she's dead. There are plenty of women like her in the slums."
The other man nodded in agreement.
"Brother, our drug supply seems to be running low. We might need to discuss it with Lord Chibul."
"Bang!"
Leona could no longer restrain herself. The conversation between the two men had filled her with rage.
With a loud noise, Leona broke through the roof, landing on the floor, and coldly said, "You beasts, hell is where you belong."
"There's an intruder!"
The sudden commotion startled the man who was still 'busy', making him shudder with fear.
"Someone, take them down!"
The brothel's guards reacted quickly. This wasn't just a brothel; it was also a place where the nobleman sold drugs, a significant source of income.
So, the security was tight.
A group of guards in black burst through the door.
But before they could act, Leona, activating her imperial tool powers, rushed in. Her combat style returned to its primal state, relying entirely on instinct.
Like a cheetah, she darted amongst them, and in the blink of an eye, she had slashed several men to pieces.
The lead guard was taken aback. Just as he was about to pull out his gun and aim it at Leona, she kicked it away, bending the metal barrel in the process.
Then she kicked him off the roof, sending him plummeting from the five or six-story building.
"Damn, it's one of the Night Raiders."
"Run!"
Someone recognized the imperial arms transformed from the beast king on Leone.
This is also a very distinctive feature of Night Raid, impossible to hide.
They were just hired to do a job, with no intention of losing their lives. Seeing Leone effortlessly kill over a dozen men, the arriving bodyguards were frightened and scattered in all directions.
But these people, relying on the privilege of that nobleman, had often acted as accomplices to his atrocities. Every single act of theirs was enough to warrant their deaths hundreds of times over.
Leone, of course, would not be lenient.
She leapt forward, using both hands and feet, catching up to the group in just a few steps. In an instant, she tackled one of the bodyguards, violently smashing the back of his head with a single blow.
After dealing with all the bodyguards, Leone hurriedly slapped her forehead, almost forgetting about the main culprit.
The man who was 'dealing with business' in the room earlier.
She rushed back into the room, which was now empty except for the bodies on the floor and several terrified young girls huddled together, heads bowed in silence.
"Hey, you're free now. Run."
Leone instructed before hastily leaving. If her negligence led to the failure of the mission and alerted the enemy, it would be an unforgivable mistake on her part.
Fortunately, she had just followed the scent of the latter and met Lin Yi in a narrow alley.
Lin Yi was dressed in a magnificent and neat noble attire. If he wasn't in such a cramped and messy alley, he would look like a prince of the imperial capital.
He was holding a man by the collar, whose neck was already broken and was dangling, barely attached.
"I've handled it for you. You were a bit careless."
Lin Yi remarked.
Leone heaved a sigh of relief, then let her guard down, grateful the mission wasn't compromised. She casually walked over and threw her arm around Lin Yi's shoulders, not minding the familiarity.