Xiao Rui gave me a puzzled look. I stood up, settled the bill, and then led her out of the restaurant.
I took a quick glance around. The surroundings were filled with tall buildings, plenty of places to stake out. But for us, it didn't matter; any spot would do. I glanced back into the restaurant, a sly smile forming on my face.
"This will do…" I stomped on the ground beneath my feet. We were standing on the rooftop of a 30-something story office building across from the restaurant, offering a perfect view of the people coming and going through its entrance.
"Here?" Xiao Rui looked at me with suspicion. "Who?"
"Who else but that woman…" I looked down, but our target hadn't appeared yet.
"You mean there's something off about her?" Xiao Rui asked, confused.
"We'll know soon enough. Let's just wait and see." I jumped onto the railing, still chewing on the toothpick from the restaurant, smiling silently.
Xiao Rui understood and waved her hand, sending two beams of light to cover us, making us invisible. The trust between us was built through countless life-or-death experiences, something ordinary people couldn't possibly match.
A moment later, from the bustling crowd below, a very beautiful young woman emerged. She was about my age, her long chestnut-colored hair bouncing with every step, drawing attention as she moved through the crowd. Those big, bright eyes sparkled like stars, her radiant smile matching perfectly. She was unmistakably the same woman we had seen earlier in the café.
But this time, no one was with her, and she seemed unaware that anyone was watching. In fact, she had no idea. After leaving the restaurant, she headed straight eastward, her heavy shoulder bag seemingly full of something.
Xiao Rui and I exchanged a glance, and in the next moment, we vanished from our spot.
We quietly followed behind her, even as she hailed a taxi. We didn't let our guard down for a second. About an hour later, the taxi left the bustling city and gradually slowed to a stop in a desolate suburban area.
The car door opened slowly, and the beautiful woman stepped out, stopping to smile at the empty air in front of her. I'll admit, her beauty was quite rare, but after a recent unpleasant encounter, I didn't dare let my mind wander again.
Then, she spoke coldly, "I'm curious, who's been following me for so long?"
Xiao Rui and I exchanged a wry smile before revealing ourselves. No need to explain—our cover was blown.
I gave her a gentlemanly bow, grinning, "Hello, beautiful. We meet again…"
Xiao Rui stood behind me, his hands faintly glowing with a bluish light.
The woman, a little surprised, said, "You? We've met twice already, haven't we?"
"Three times," I thought for a moment and then realized. That's right—three times. The first time was a few days ago when we bumped into her at the hotel. The second time was at lunch with Ling Xuan in the restaurant. I had thought she couldn't see me then, but given her abilities, it wouldn't have been hard for her to notice me. And the third time—now—we were face-to-face.
"Right, it's been two times. But hey, I saw you twice today at the restaurant. Don't tell me you're having two meals?" I joked casually, playing it off as if nothing had happened.
The woman snorted, "That's none of your business. I'll eat however many meals I want. Is it a crime to eat when I'm hungry?"
I took a few steps back and smiled. "Ah… you're hungry, so you eat. Because you'll need your strength for killing afterward, right?" My tone grew colder, and I glanced at the taxi. The driver was slumped over, motionless.
The woman sneered. "He just died suddenly. Did you see me kill him? I didn't do anything."
I scoffed. "You didn't need to do anything. Just the scent you're wearing is enough to kill an ordinary person. Am I right?"
The woman froze for a moment, then regained her harmless demeanor, a sly smile forming. "Well, you do know quite a bit… So, what now? Are you two handsome guys planning to bully a helpless girl like me?"
Xiao Rui swiftly moved, positioning himself behind her. With me in front and him behind, we had her trapped. Although we weren't sure of her strength, with the two of us, it wouldn't be difficult to restrain her.
Her expression grew serious as she coldly said, "Two men against one woman? Let's see just how powerful you human abilities users really are!" Before her words even finished, she transformed into a beam of light, speeding toward me.
I didn't dare be careless, quickly summoning a glowing shield in front of my chest. A faint fragrance hit me—dangerous for ordinary people, but not difficult for us to resist. In an instant, she was upon me, light shooting from her hands.
Each beam collided with my glowing shield, making sharp "pops." I spread my hands, and the light in my palms began to coalesce into a sword. Gripping it, I lunged toward her.
The sword cut through the air with a sharp, slicing sound. Even with her impressive speed, she had to dodge my attack. It might seem a bit ungentlemanly, fighting a delicate-looking girl like this, but when I saw what Xiao Rui was doing, you'd realize I was being quite restrained.
Somehow, Xiao Rui had leaped into the sky, his robe billowing despite the lack of wind. Two orbs of purple lightning formed in his hands, growing larger by the second. I knew this was Xiao Rui's special ability—he could convert particles in the air into charged ions.
From past experience, I expected him to throw the orbs down separately, creating an opening for me to strike while our opponent was distracted or dodging. But this time, Xiao Rui abandoned our usual tactics. Just as I was preparing for our old strategy, he combined the two lightning orbs into one and hurled it down.
The fused orb expanded in size, growing dozens of times larger. Both the woman and I were suddenly engulfed by its shadow.
"Damn it… I'm still down here!" In that instant, I cursed every possible curse I could think of, my body trembling with fear even as my feet moved swiftly. I threw up every defense I could and bolted to the side. As for the woman, I assumed she'd been obliterated by the lightning orb.
But before I could breathe a sigh of relief, Xiao Rui's face suddenly darkened as he quickly descended. The next moment, I saw her—somehow, she had appeared behind him, her right hand turning into a black blade, aimed at his back.
I couldn't react in time, so I sent out dozens of sword-like beams, firing them toward the pair without aiming.
This move was only meant to distract her. As for Xiao Rui, I figured he'd rather be hit by my blades than her deadly hand. I'll admit, there was a hint of payback in my mind—after all, he'd just left me in such a precarious position.
But I did succeed in delaying her for a few seconds. She was forced to dodge the incoming swords, and Xiao Rui, unfazed, quickly retreated from her reach.
As she struggled to fend off both my swords and Xiao Rui's attacks, I seized the moment, charging forward and launching a powerful palm strike toward her.
Now caught between my sword and fists, the woman seemed overwhelmed. She enlarged her hand-blade, shattering the light swords one by one. But then, to my astonishment, she retracted her blade and just stood there, not moving. By the time I realized, my palm was already just inches from her chest.
Her black, tight-fitting outfit clung to her body, her ample chest practically bursting from the fabric. If I struck now, what would happen?
In that moment, my teenage mind, used to nothing more than holding hands with Ling Xuan, went completely blank. My face flushed as I hovered in the air, my hand barely a centimeter away from making contact.