Cipher flicked her ears nonchalantly, deciding to put those thoughts aside for now.
After all, with that restless troublemaker Sparkle stirring things up, the ones who would truly suffer would definitely be the people from the Holy God Church.
In that case, why should she worry? She might as well enjoy the current peace and quiet.
Cipher stretched lazily, took one last glance at the post, and couldn't help but shake her head inwardly.
"Sigh... greedy people always end up paying the price for their greed..."
The moment she finished speaking, however, she curled her lips into a self-deprecating smile.
"Wait... I don't think I'm exactly in a position to judge anyone."
"Whatever. No matter how it all ends, they'll just have to accept their bad luck~"
With that, Cipher turned off her phone, no longer bothering with those troublesome matters.
"Hmm... Come to think of it, if I sell this information to Liu Yunshuang, I should be able to make quite a bit of money, right?"
As for whether that counted as backstabbing Sparkle?
Oh, they were all old acquaintances. Sparkle surely wouldn't mind her helping to flesh out the side story!
The more Cipher thought about it, the more profitable it sounded. Her high heels clicked crisply against the pavement as her steps became noticeably lighter. The tail behind her swayed happily from side to side like a little fox that had just stolen some candy, her delight impossible to conceal.
...
Inside Viewing Tide Residence, a quiet stone path stretched into the distance.
Cipher walked briskly, her footsteps echoing clearly through the otherwise silent courtyard.
Just then, an incredibly faint sound suddenly reached her ears.
Cipher's willow-like brows furrowed slightly.
Almost instinctively, she spun gracefully to the side, narrowly avoiding a figure that suddenly lunged out from the shadows.
Thud—
"Oww..."
A familiar cry, shrill and tinged with tears, rang out.
Cipher looked toward the source of the voice.
The one sprawled on the ground, rubbing her arm with a pained grimace...
...wasn't that her own Little Princess?
"Cat Sister, why did you suddenly dodge?!"
The Little Princess rubbed her aching arm and glared at Cipher with puffed cheeks.
Cipher folded her arms, a half-smile playing on her lips.
"Then why did you suddenly pounce on me, Little Princess?"
"I... Hmph! Who told you to lie to me! One day, when I get the chance, I'm going to pack you up, you bad cat, and sell you to a pet shop!"
"Oh? It's only been a little while, and the Little Princess has certainly gotten bolder."
A mischievous smile spread across Cipher's face.
She stepped forward and skillfully pinched the Little Princess's soft, bouncy cheeks, gently tugging on them while watching the fair little face deform beneath her fingers.
The Little Princess's eyes quickly reddened from the pulling, but she couldn't break free. All she could do was puff up her cheeks and glare resentfully at the "wicked" Cat Girl before her.
"Yoo... wet go of beee... you onwy know how to buwwy meee..."
Hearing the Little Princess's garbled complaints, the smile on Cipher's lips only grew more mischievous.
So the only thing that had gotten "tougher" about the Little Princess... was her mouth.
After thoroughly satisfying herself, Cipher finally let go.
She gently rubbed the Little Princess's reddened cheeks before asking with a smile,
"Alright, alright. By the way, how did you know I was here?"
Meng Xingyao covered her cheeks and shot Cipher a fierce glare before turning her head away with a huff, her cheeks still puffed up.
Even so, she answered honestly.
"Hmph. With your personality, you'd definitely choose a secluded path like this to avoid getting hit on by random people."
"Haha... Is that so?"
Cipher couldn't help laughing.
She lightly tapped her chin with a fingertip before her eyes shifted slightly.
"Fine then. Where are those partners of yours?"
"Huh? What partners?"
Meng Xingyao blinked blankly, clearly having no idea what Cipher was talking about.
Almost the instant those words left her mouth—
Several dazzling attacks suddenly came crashing toward them without warning.
Boom—!
A deafening explosion erupted as the spot where Cipher and Meng Xingyao had been standing was instantly engulfed in flames.
The stone path beneath their feet shattered under the tremendous force. Chunks of rubble and dirt were blasted into the air as thick smoke billowed everywhere.
Immediately afterward, five figures crept out from their hiding places.
There were five of them in total, each wearing an unfriendly expression and clearly targeting the two women.
"Tch, that's it? Easier than I expected."
"How boring. I thought this would actually take some effort."
"Seriously. I figured the survivors of the Anime Convention Incident would be something special. Turns out they just got lucky."
The five heavily disguised figures stood leisurely upon the shattered stone path, chatting casually among themselves with arrogant expressions, as though the explosion moments ago had been nothing more than a trivial warm-up.
After all, even a First-Level Ability User, if caught completely off guard by a coordinated attack from five opponents...
Even if they somehow survived, they would at the very least be gravely injured—if not dead, then stripped of half their life.
"Enough. Quit talking."
One of them cut off the conversation in a deep voice.
"Go check on them. Don't overdo it—we need them alive if possible. If you kill them, we won't be able to explain ourselves."
The others nodded in agreement.
After all, their mission was to capture the targets alive whenever possible.
If they accidentally killed them, there would be no way to report back.
Just as they were about to step forward to investigate, a lazy, playful voice drifted toward them from behind.
"My, my. I was wondering when our Little Princess's taste had become so awful... but it turns out it's just a bunch of opportunistic rats."
The voice carried lazy amusement and unconcealed ridicule, brushing lightly across their ears like a feather.
The five instantly froze in place.
Their expressions changed dramatically as they whipped around.
There stood the Cat Girl, who should have been reduced to ashes by the explosion...
...completely unharmed.
She stood with one hand resting casually on her hip, lazily smiling at them.
Her other hand was carrying someone—
It was none other than Meng Xingyao.
The five men's expressions shifted once again.
Almost instinctively, they retreated several meters, their hearts pounding violently.
The exact same thought flashed through every one of their minds.
'How did this woman do that?'
Whether it was pure speed or some kind of teleportation...
Either possibility was enough to send chills down their spines.
While they were still trying to process what had happened, Meng Xingyao, whose head was still spinning from being carried away, finally regained her bearings.
She slid down from Cipher's grip, steadied herself, then frowned as she looked warily at the five people before her.
"Hey! Just who are you people? Why did you suddenly attack us?!"
However, the instant Meng Xingyao finished speaking, the man who had been issuing commands suddenly stomped heavily on the ground.
Thump!
Almost simultaneously, Cipher sharply sensed the ground beneath her high heels beginning to tremble.
The moment she noticed the anomaly, she immediately grabbed Meng Xingyao and vanished from the spot in a flicker.
In the very next instant, several enormous stone spikes—each as thick as a bucket—burst violently out of the ground, stabbing toward the exact spot where the two had been standing.
"Left!"
Accompanied by a sharp shout, one of the attackers reacted instantly.
Without the slightest hesitation, he whipped out a handgun and fired toward the indicated direction.
A triumphant grin spread across his face.
"Listen up, brat..."
"The times have changed!"