Liu Yingyue continued to walk nonchalantly through the loading dock, her every movement guided by Song Qingshan's voice in her earpiece.
She was, forced, to avoid any unnecessary confrontations.
Since the explosion happened, many of the Hunter's had rushed to the site of the explosion and went patrolling around the area, trying to figure out what happened.
This unexpected development worked to Liu Yingyue's advantage, as many of the guards abandoned their posts to around where the victim was being held to converge on the explosion site.
Liu Yingyue slipped between crates and containers, her steps were soundless as she evaded any Hunter's running by with skill that seemed almost effortless.
Liu Yingyue stopped in front of a red shipping container and asked into the earpiece, "This one?"
"Yeah," Song Qingshan responded. "She should be in there. Now, just quietly open the—"
But before Song Qingshan could finish his sentence, Liu Yingyue took matters into her own hands. She delivered a powerful kick to the lock on the metal doors, sending it crashing to the ground.
There, in the corner, Liu Yingyue found what she had been searching for.
A frightened, crying little girl with snot and tears streaming down her face, tape covering her mouth and she sat huddled on the cold floor, her tiny hands and legs bound by rough ropes.
Her eyes widened with fear as she saw Liu Yingyue.
"Found the kid," Liu Yingyue reported.
"...good. Now get her out of there, safely, and as fast as you can." Song Qingshan didn't bother to scold Liu Yingyue, which would have been useless and a waste of breath.
Liu Yingyue's gaze fixed upon the trembling child, tears streaking down her face, and an grimace flickered across her features.
'Ew'
Despite her initial aversion, Liu Yingyue let out a resigned sigh and walked over to the child. She knelt down beside her and smoothly drew a blade from her waist, the glint of steel catching the dim light. The little girl, wide-eyed and terrified, reacted instinctively, squirming away and closing her eyes as her sobs grew louder.
"Be quiet, kid," Liu Yingyue threatened, her tone laced with a menacing undertone. She hated the sound of people crying, even more so from a kid.
Liu Yingyue brought her blade down, slicing through the restraints that bound the child's arms and legs. The rope fell down onto the floor, but she deliberately left the tape over the child's mouth.
But as Liu Yingyue scrutinized the scene, she noticed amidst the shadows that cloaked the trembling figure of the victim, there was someone else in the room out of view.
"..."
"..."
Their eyes locked in an eerie silence, both parties equally surprised and wary.
Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, the stranger's eyes widened with stark recognition, and she involuntarily uttered a startled exclamation, "Cassim—!?"
Before another word could escape the stranger's lips, Liu Yingyue's hand slapped over her mouth.
"Shut up," she hissed, her eyes locked onto the stranger's with a warning intensity that brooked no further sound.
The stranger's face contorted into a bewildered expression, her brows furrowing as she stared at Liu Yingyue.
Meanwhile, Liu Yingyue maintained her focus on the entrance to the shipping container, her eyes scanning left and right for any signs of movement. Convinced that their brief exchange had gone unnoticed, she withdrew her hand from the stranger's mouth. She watched the sudden relief that washed over the stanger's face, her features relaxing as she took in a breath of fresh air.
With a small gasp, the stranger turned her head toward Liu Yingyue and her eyes slightly widened. "Is that you, Amir?"
Liu Yingyue refrained from making direct eye contact, choosing instead to keep her gaze fixed on the entrance. She subtly altered her tone and language, adapting to the stranger's question.
"What do you think?" Her voice took on a deeper, somewhat gravelly quality, the smoothness of her speech was rougher, more coarse in texture. Liu Yingyue's eyes briefly flickered toward the stranger.
The stranger's lips curled into a sardonic smile, a mix of bitterness and nostalgia in her expression as she muttered, "So it is you...and your English now sucks ass." Lowering her voice at the end so that Liu Yingyue wouldn't hear.
Raising an eyebrow, Liu Yingyue discreetly muted her earpiece to avoid any potential distractions, and so that her dear Song Qingshan wasn't going to complain again about going off topic from the mission.
She then responded to the stranger with a hint of amusement, "Yes? I thought it was obvious?"
"I'm sorry if I can't recognize someone I haven't met for five years, especially when you're hiding half your face behind that mask..!" the stranger retorted, her voice still carrying a hint of annoyance.
"Lower your voice, Lucia. Your loud mouth is going to attract those rats."
Lucia's frustration was palpable as she said, "You try to be quiet then when you're bound by rope!" She punctuated her words by raising her bound hands, the rope clearly visible, and wiggling her ankles to emphasize her predicament.
Liu Yingyue couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Well, I see that you're still a prick. Even your voice got more annoying."
"Says you! Your voice somehow became more croaky; I didn't even know that was possible from your old hag voice from high school."
"Hah? Old hag? You're the old hag, you prick!" Liu Yingyue's irritation flared to the surface. Her forehead creased with a visible twitch, and her eyes narrowed beneath her mask.
In the midst of their banter, Wen Xiaomei, who had been crying and in fear moments ago, managed to free her mouth from the duct tape. She stared at the two grown adults, who were bickering, with an oblivious expression and asked innocently, "Are you my prince charming who came to save me?"
"What!?" Liu Yingyue's eyes widened in genuine surprise as she abruptly changed languages, shifting her attention towards the kid.
Wen Xiaomei's sparkling eyes and joyful squeals of admiration took her completely off guard. Liu Yingyue's initial surprise gave way to a complex mixture of amusement and exasperation. She blinked behind her mask, her body momentarily freezing in an almost comical fashion as she tried to process what the hell she just heard.
"Yay! Now my love story is nearly complete! Come on, my prince charming, save me from these villains, and then we can get married!" Wen Xiaomei exclaimed with childlike excitement.
Liu Yingyue's masked face displayed a moment of disbelief as she blinked, caught off guard by Wen Xiaomei's unexpected response. Beside her, Lucia struggled to contain her laughter, her body shaking uncontrollably as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle her amusement.
Liu Yingyue glared at Lucia, her eyes narrowing with a mix of irritation and amusement as she scolded, "Stop laughing!"
Lucia, however, continued to chuckle uncontrollably, clearly finding the situation highly entertaining. Her shoulders shook, and she even wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she laughed away.
Lucia struggled to regain her composure as she said, "I'm so sorry that I offended you, dear prince charming. Now why don't you save your princess and then get married after? Bring me along, I want to attend the wedding!"
"I'm going to kill you," Liu Yingyue muttered, her eyes narrowing at Lucia and how her body shook with unrestrained laughter, her own irritation growing with each passing moment.
Wen Xiaomei, unable to tell the tension in the air, wagged her finger playfully at Liu Yingyue. "Hubby, you have to give Miss Pretty a happy smile! Not an angry one! I want Miss Pretty Lady to attend our wedding!"
"Bwahahaha!!!" Lucia continued to laugh heartily while Liu Yingyue stood there, a complex mix of annoyance and amusement playing across her features as she exchanged bewildered glances with Lucia.
"Do you wanna get out of here or not, Lucia..!?"
Lucia tried to catch her breath between fits of laughter, her body still shaking from her earlier amusement. She managed to smirk despite her breathlessness. "Ha—! Yes, yes. I do."
Liu Yingyue looked down at her with annoyance in her gaze. "I see that you're still a piece of shit," she cursed in english.
Lucia slowly glared upwards and punched Liu Yingyue in the shoulder, "Oh, be quiet, old hag," she quipped.
"Stop with that old hag shit. I'm not old!"
"Yes you are!"
"By like, three fucking months!"
"Three months yet you're already ageing!"
"I'm only twenty-three you prick!"
"Twenty-three years from one-hundred!"
"One-hundred!? One-hundred years old my ass!"
Lucia looked Liu Yingyue up and down, taking in all the minor details of Liu Yingyue's attire, how she was dressed in a sleek black suit that clung to her figure, emphasizing her build. And the white shirt beneath the suit jacket added a touch of contrast.
The black pants she wore hugged her hips and tapered down her legs, accentuating the graceful lines of her silhouette. The fabric moved in a way so with her every step, it'll highlight the subtle sway of her hips and the confident stride in her walk. Her suit jacket sculpted her shoulders and back, giving her an air of authority.
As Lucia's gaze traveled, she couldn't help but notice how the suit seemed to amplify Liu Yingyue's aura. It was as if the clothing were an extension of her, enhancing her already formidable presence.
But Lucia wasn't going to mention any of this, instead, her smirk grew even wider as she teased, "What ass?"
Knowing damn well that she was lying.
"My ass that your mom ate last night," Liu Yingyue proudly responded.
"My mom's happily married to my father. Thank you very much, old hag."
Liu Yingyue rolled her eyes. "Damn, she's still with that man? I thought their marriage would crumble, gave it two months max."
"It surprised me too, but here we are. I still have two parents." Lucia shrugged.
"And here you are being kidnapped by a human trafficking group."
Liu Yingyue arched an eyebrow, her arms still spread wide as if presenting a grand revelation.
"Okay, how about you get these ropes off me first? It's starting to get annoying." Lucia raised her tied wrists.
"How about…nah."
"...what do you mean, 'nah', you hag."
"I just think you look better like that."
Liu Yingyue's posture remained confident and composed. Her arms crossed in front of her, and she leaned slightly to one side, her weight shifting effortlessly as she regarded Lucia. From behind her mask, her eyes conveyed a sense of amusement mixed with a hint of curiosity as she looked up and down Lucia's bound figure.
"Like what..?"
Lucia suddenly regretted asking that, her brow twitching in a slightly exasperated manner as a single sweat droplet trickled down her cheek.
Liu Yingyue suddenly had a smirk creep up onto her face. She leaned slightly closer to Lucia, her posture imposing over Lucia making it clear who was in control. Her eyes bore down on Lucia with a glare that one could discern a sharp, almost predatory glint that seemed to shine through the mask, sending a chilling aura through the air.
"Being tied down, helpless and needing someone, that being me, to help you out," she taunted, her voice dripping with a mix of amusement and superiority.
"...are you kidding me?"
"No."
"Get me out of this old hag."
Liu Yingyue tilted her head slightly, her smirk still intact as she continued to tower over Lucia.
"No," she repeated.
Lucia scrunched her brows in annoyance, she bit her tongue for a moment before relenting. "Please?"
Liu Yingyue remained unyielding, a playful glint in her eyes. She wanted to see just how far Lucia would go.
Lucia realised that she needed to push a bit further, took a deep breath and added a touch of playful flirtation to her plea. "Pretty please?" She batted her eyelashes playfully.
"And?" Liu Yingyue continued to tease, her tone playful as she leaned in closer, her fingers tracing the ropes binding Lucia.
"Oh my god—my pookie wookie honey bear."
"Yeah no, that's enough."
Liu Yingyue lowered herself and knelt before Lucia and sheathed out her blade, slicing through the ropes that bound Lucia's wrists and ankles. As soon as she was free, Lucia rubbed her sore wrists, which bore red marks from the tight bindings.
She winced as her fingertips traced over the tender skin, the pressure points on her wrists tingling with discomfort. Her movements were careful as she massaged her wrists to relieve the pain and her fingers gently tracing the reddened skin.
"You're still an annoying ass hag," she mumbled under her breath as she shot a sidelong glance at Liu Yingyue.
"And you're still so gullible that you got kidnapped," Liu Yingyue retorted, "Mind explaining why the hell you are here?"
Lucia sighed and, with a resigned gesture, pointed at Wen Xioamei still standing there oblivious. "I saw the kid getting taken. And me, being the civilized human being I am, tried to help." She rolled her eyes for added effect.
"And you got your civilized human being ass, kidnapped."
"Sorry I couldn't beat down three grown ass men having guns pointed at my head."
Liu Yingyue pushed down on Lucia's bottom lip, her fingers grazing its smooth surface, before finally asking, "Are you hurt anywhere else, hmm? Did you break any of your precious bones? "
Lucia was taken aback, noticing that Liu Yingyue wasn't meeting her gaze but rather looking elsewhere. A smug smile curled on her lips as she decided to tease her a bit and get back at her.
She extended a finger, gently tracing the contours of Liu Yingyue's face, her nail barely grazing the skin as she moved closer to her chin. With a quick, almost playful flick, Lucia pinched Liu Yingyue's chin and made Liu Yingyue look directly into her eyes.
"Don't you know it's rude not to look at someone when talking?" Lucia said.
"And don't you know that it's stupid to try and save a kid you don't even know from three grown ass men wielding guns."
Lucia's grip on Liu Yingyue's chin tightened, her fingertips pressing into the skin beneath her touch. The muscles in her forehead tensed as tiny ticks appeared, her eyes narrowing slightly as she retorted, "Are we still on this topic?"
Liu Yingyue met Lucia's gaze with indifference, but tinged with a hint of mockery as she replied, "Yes, and I'm not dropping it."
Lucia's fingers trailed down her jawline and reached the exposed skin of her neck. She traced Liu Yingyue's throat before her touch settled on the peculiar collar that adorned Liu Yingyue's neck.
The collar itself appeared somewhat reminiscent of a dog's collar, with a sleek, black leather strap encircling Liu Yingyue's neck. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice the minor details. The leather was embedded within it were small, clear vials. These vials, if observed closely, contained some kind of unknown substance.
Lucia's fingers lingered on the collar, her eyes held a subtle hint of curiosity as she examined the unusual accessory.
"Then I'm not going to drop the fact you have a collar around your neck."
Liu Yingyue looked down at Lucia with an unyielding expression. She raised one eyebrow in a nonchalant manner, her shoulders moving slightly in a casual shrug.
"At least I'm not into bondage with strangers."
"At least I'm not into pet play."
"At least I have some taste in the people I choose to be with."
"At least I'm not acting like a damn dog."
"Well this 'damn dog' is the one who saved your stupid, prickly ass!"
The tension between them escalated. Lucia's fingers clenched around Liu Yingyue's collar, her grip firm and with a swift, forceful motion, she yanked Liu Yingyue down, bringing their faces to the same level.
"Well at least this 'prickly ass' has some sense of humanity for her friends! Unlike some old hag who suddenly left without warning, no words, texts or calls..!"
"I'm sorry if I have a life outside of you pricks."
"That life is completely ghosting us?!" Lucia practically spat out her accusation.
"You—!"
Before anyone could throw any hands, a gentle tug was felt on both Liu Yingyue and Lucia's pants. Wen Xiaomei looked up at them with beady eyes, her innocent gesture attempting to defuse the growing tension between the two adults.
"I don't know what you guys are saying…but don't fight. Meimei doesn't like when people fight..!" her lips quivered slightly as her voice trembled; she seemed on the verge of tears and her eyes welling up.
"Look what you did, Amir!" Lucia shot a glare up at Liu Yingyue.
Liu Yingyue, on the other hand, appeared genuinely puzzled, her brows furrowing as she tried to understand Lucia's accusation. "What did I do?"
"Make the kid cry?"
"Who gives a shit, just shut her up with the tape again."
Lucia sighed, "I see even after five years, you still can't handle kids. You're still so brash."
Liu Yingyue's response was marked by a dismissive wave of her hand. "What did you expect? Those little rats can never shut up."
Lucia chuckled and her lips curled into a smile. "Still a dunce head."
"Who are you calling dunce head?"
"No one, no one," Lucia quickly resorted back.
"Prince charming! You're supposed to save me, not argue with Miss Pretty Lady!" Wen Xiaomei wailed as she raised her arms toward Liu Yingyue, her small hands reaching out as if pleading for rescue.
Wen Xiaomei's watery eyes were wide and her lower lip quivered. Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks, and her whole body seemed to tremble with emotion as she cried.
The relentless screams of Wen Xiaomei reverberated within Liu Yingyue's skull like a never-ending cacophony of chaos. Each shrill cry felt like a piercing needle drilling into her brain, sending waves of agony coursing through her head. Her temples throbbed more and more, as she could feel the onset of the pounding headache that was already there, but made worse.
As Wen Xiaomei's cries continued, Liu Yingyue's distress grew more pronounced.
'Goddammit…this is why I hate kids. I don't even react this badly to the fucking test days'
With her own discomfort escalating by the second, Liu Yingyue's patience wore thin. "Lucia, shut her up!"
"Okay, okay!"
Lucia knelt down beside Wen Xiaomei, her movements slightly awkward as she attempted to calm the crying child. She fumbled with her words, trying to form understandable words with the minimum knowledge vocabulary she knew.
"Um…kid, don't cry," Lucia stammered, her tone lacking the usual confidence she displayed in her banter with Liu Yingyue.
Wen Xiaomei sniffled, her teary eyes fixed on Lucia. "Miss Pretty Lady, why do you sound so weird?" she asked with innocent curiosity.
Lucia's frustration surged, and she could feel the familiar irritation creeping in. She turned her gaze to Liu Yingyue, who just stood there and stared with a smug expression.
"Oh, I thought you were good with kids?" Liu Yingyue said, her voice tinged with sarcasm as she shot a pointed look at Lucia.
"You try calming down a crying kid while knowing the bare minimum of the language they speak!"
"Then why the hell are you in China when you can barely communicate?!"
"Becau—!"
As Lucia was about to explain, Liu Yingyue's ears detected the approaching sound of footsteps. Reacting swiftly, she silenced Lucia by slapping her hand firmly over Lucia's mouth, preventing her from speaking.
Liu Yingyue followed it up by pulling out duct tape from thin air and slapped that over Wen Xiaomei's bawling mouth to stifle her cries.
"Tell me your reason later." Liu Yingyue placed a finger over Lucia's lips and whispered, "I remember I still have a job to do." And turned her earpiece back on.
"What the hell, No.1!? Stop muting at random!" Came the annoyed voice of Song Qingshan through the earpiece.
"Right, got it," Liu Yingyue replied, her voice shifting seamlessly into a different language. "Mind giving me a route, 18, I got a few tails on me,"
"Did you atleast get the victim?!"
"Yup, along with an annoying prick," Liu Yingyue responded, glancing over her shoulder at Lucia, who remained clueless about the conversation conducted through the earpiece and what they were saying.
"I'm sorry, a what?"
"Give me a fucking route already."
"Got it! Jesus…" Song Qingshan exclaimed. He typed a few things into the keyboard before turning his attention to the bank of monitors in front of him. "Six meters down, turn left after the second hall, you should see a green shipping container," Song Qingshan directed, his eyes scanning the various camera feeds at Liu Yingyue's location.
"Copy that."
Liu Yingyue looked back at the two people behind her, one kid and one annoying prick. So, the only rational action was;
"Put me down you old hag!"
"Mhmphh—!"
Liu Yingyue balanced the kid over her shoulder, securing her with practised ease. The young girl's muffled protests with the tape over her mouth sounded like a series of incoherent mumbles.
With the child securely perched on her shoulder, Liu Yingyue cradled the annoying prick in her arms, carrying her effortlessly despite the latter's complaints.
As soon as Liu Yingyue dashed out the shipping container, the Hunter's who were initially drawn by the commotion, swiftly swung their flashlights toward the shadowy figure as it emerged from the shipping container. Their instincts kicked in, and they began to chase the intruder. Their footsteps echoed through the narrow passages of the loading dock, creating a cacophony that somehow reverberated in the open space.
One guard, upon inspecting the shipping container that had held the victim, stumbled back in disbelief. He called out to his comrades in alarm, "The...the stock has disappeared!"
Panicked shouts and urgent radio transmissions ensued as the guards mobilized, realizing what just happened. They alerted their superiors and called for backup and more Hunter's began to rush over the area
Liu Yingyue heard the increasing chaos behind her and knew that she had to move carefully, with two people in her arms. She followed the directions provided by Song Qingshan through the earpiece and navigated the routes of the loading dock with ease.
After a while of running through the loading dock's passages, the footsteps of the pursuing guards grew steadily closer. Liu Yingyue could feel their relentless pursuit, a drumbeat that echoed in her ears, which was very annoying.
However, Liu Yingyue suddenly found her path blocked by a tower of shipping containers. She muttered a few curses under her breath, directing her frustration toward Song Qingshan for the directions that had led her here. Until she noticed that the earpiece was glitching and failing to receive any signals.
The communication had been severed at the worst possible moment.
'Fuck…Why is the quality dogshit!?'
Liu Yingyue's eyes swept across the area surrounding the dead-end, scrutinizing every nook and cranny, her brows furrowed ever so slightly.
Liu Yingyue would usually just bomb her way out of things, which also created a grand exit just how she liked it. But she currently had two people on her, using a bomb would be slightly stupid.
Her eyes shifted between Lucia and Wen Xiaomei. And then, as if a switch had been flipped, Liu Yingyue's lips curled into a confident grin.
"Carry the kid for me," Liu Yingyue whispered to Lucia.
Lucia looked at her with a raised brow, but nodded. "Alright…"
Lucia scooped Wen Xiaomei up. Then, without saying anything, Liu Yingyue lifted Lucia up into her arms. Lucia's eyes widened in surprise and her feet left the floor abruptly, caught off guard by the sudden lift, she clung to Liu Yingyue, her heart racing.
With Lucia held securely in her arms, Liu Yingyue quickly calculated her steps and distance, before running up to the corners and jumped from side to side, leaping from one ledge to another.
The final corner approached, and Liu Yingyue adjusted Lucia's position, holding her closer to her chest with one arm and making sure that her figure was secure while extending the other. Liu Yingyue's hand latched onto the edge of the shipping container and pulled them all up with one swift motion.
Liu Yingyue naturally drew her firearm from its holster around her waist, the metallic click of the weapon echoing softly. The cool, sleek metal of the weapon gleamed dully in the ambient light. The gun was equipped with a silencer but she didn't want either Lucia or the kid to see anything.
In a split second, Liu Yingyue leaned closer to Lucia, her voice lowered to a hushed whisper, "Cover the kid's ears and eyes, same goes for you."
Lucia needed no further explanation as she recognized the tone of Liu Yingyue's words, and she complied, her movements mirrored those of Liu Yingyue as she positioned herself to shield Wen Xiaomei from whateverstupid decision Liu Yingyue was going to do.
The Hunters which were climbing up, having their hands outstretched and reaching for their prey, had Liu Yingyue's gaze settled on their exposed hands and without wasting a moment, she raised the firearm, didn't even aim and pulled the trigger.
The suppressed shot was a whisper in the darkness, barely audible, but its impact was far from subtle. The metal bullet found its mark, striking each outstretched hand clawing its way up.
Then came the searing agony as the metal projectile pierced through their skin. The Hunter's screams shattered the eerie silence. Blood spattered as the bullet tore through their skin, sending shockwaves of agony through the Hunter's.
Their cries of pain pierced the air, mingling with the sudden chaos and confusion. Gripped by searing agony, the Hunter's recoiled, their wounded hands losing their grip. As they tumbled backward, their bodies collided and entangled in a chaotic tumble, limbs flailing in desperate attempts to regain their balance.
Liu Yingyue then pulled out a hand grenade. When some Hunters managed to regain their footing and their guns trembled in her direction, she brought the grenade to her mouth, her lips curled into a grin, and bit down hard on the ring with a deliberate motion that seemed almost predatory. The moonlight's reflection played ominously off her exposed teeth as she readied the explosive device.
Liu Yingyue threw the grenade toward the Hunter's, the handle now dangling from her index finger, which was pressed against her lips in a "shush" gesture while her voice dripped with sinister intent.
"Goodnight."