Chapter 1 Surreptitious

Suren watched the short-haired woman quietly slip towards the club's back storage room, and he quietly followed, carrying a glass of wine.

Suren's disguise skills were extraordinary. His steps were unsteady, and his eyes showed just the right amount of intoxication. As he walked along, in a dimly lit area, he quietly poured a colorless and odorless potion into his glass, looking just like a greasy man up to no good.

Seeing the short-haired woman about to dart into the back storage room, Suren pretended to be overcome by the alcohol and staggered forward.

The collision caused the wine in his glass to splash onto the short-haired woman's nun outfit.

The nuns' robes were black, so the wetness wasn't immediately visible, but the large patches clinging to her skin were uncomfortable, and she was enveloped in a strong smell of alcohol.

Suren steadied himself and glanced at the short-haired woman, seemingly drawn by her beauty, and repeatedly apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry, miss, I bumped into you."

Although his words were gentlemanly, his hand had already reached her slender waist, and he asked close to her ear, "Care to have a drink with me?"

"..."

A flicker of barely perceptible disgust crossed Amelia's eyes.

A moment of doubt flashed through her mind.

She had been so careful to avoid everyone, so where had this guy come from?

She had no patience for this kind of low-class flirting, especially the lecherous look in his eyes, which was utterly repulsive.

But as a disguised club waitress, she couldn't refuse.

A strange look flashed in her eyes, and she turned to the customer, revealing a professional smile, "I'm sorry, sir, I need to get some wine for a table. Would you mind waiting for me at your seat? I'll come find you in a bit."

Both of them were putting on a show.

Suren knew that this woman wanted to find an opportunity to slip away, and he knew that he could force her to stay, but that would be too boring.

He also asked flirtatiously, "What's your name, miss?"

Amelia didn't want to get too involved, so she gave a fake name, tossing him a wink, "Alice."

Suren wiggled his eyebrows in response, "Then, Miss Alice, don't keep me waiting~"

"Of course."

Amelia nodded with a smile.

As soon as she turned her head, she rolled her eyes in disgust and quickly left.

.......

When Suren got close to the short-haired woman just now, his seemingly lecherous actions were actually to confirm something.

He found that the woman's scent was very simple, only a faint body fragrance, and none of the hallucinogenic odors that should be present in the club.

Clearly, she had used a "deodorizing agent" of moderate quality to remove the mixed scents.

This action seemed cautious, but it revealed other flaws.

Anyone truly targeting her would immediately be able to tell that she wasn't from the club.

Moreover, as soon as this woman entered the club, the fourth-tier professional who had been staying in the private room came out, surely having noticed something.

The short-haired woman's infiltration skills were quite professional, but she was still discovered. So, excluding some rare perception methods, it was likely that she had been marked with some kind of scent.

Suren figured that if it were him, he would definitely have defenses in place for such an important basement.

No need for any special methods, just put a special scent in the air that's not easily removed.

If someone went there and picked it up, it would be easy to identify them within a certain range, and it would be discreet.

Suren had been caught out by scents a few times, so he was particularly sensitive to them.

Besides, he had just asked Shabina for some information and learned that this club was the territory of the "Razor Gang."

The boss of this gang was called "Bear" Laurence Hilby, a fourth-tier professional with the talent [C-010-War Bear].

This talent not only made him strong in close combat, but also gave him enhanced smell, about three hundred times that of a normal human.

For such an important matter as catching "rations," that Augustus definitely wouldn't let just anyone participate, and it was likely that the fourth-tier on the upper floor was Laurence.

All of this further confirmed his judgment.

That's why Suren had poured a "scent interference agent" into the wine, as a subtle act of assistance.

......

"But this woman is going to run right into them now, going to the wine cellar."

Suren frowned slightly, sensing that the short-haired woman had gone to the wine cellar as sneakily as before.

Too bad, her partner, the old cowboy, wasn't nearby.

If he didn't step in, this woman would surely be caught.

Because someone was waiting in the wine cellar, playing the part of the hunter lying in wait for prey.

Thinking of this, Suren decided to help her to the end.

After all, that woman was going to save people.

The first time she came, it might have been because of some job or commission.

But this second time, it really seemed like she had a good heart.

Although "good people are rewarded" was a cliché, since he had run into this, he didn't want to see a good person suffer.

Suren's lips curled slightly, and he got up and walked over.

......

Amelia felt that she had been careful enough, avoiding everyone.

And she also discovered that the trafficker had not arranged any guards along the way in order to maintain secrecy.

This made it easier for her to sneak in again.

Apart from that greasy man she had met earlier, everything was going according to plan.

Amelia was feeling lucky, thinking that she would save as many as she could, when she arrived at the entrance of the wine cellar and rounded a corner.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a suit, with slicked-back hair and large tattoos on his neck, suddenly appeared in her view. He sat on a wine barrel like a statue, not revealing any hint of his presence. But his eyes were coldly watching this outsider who had suddenly broken into the wine cellar.

Just that one glance sent a wave of mortal fear crashing over her.

Amelia cursed inwardly, her back going cold.

As a detective, she immediately recognized "Bear" Laurence, the boss of the Razor Gang.

She hadn't sensed him at all, because he was a fourth-tier professional who had killed countless people.

This was bad!

This man was lying in wait here, clearly having discovered that there were people missing from the secret room.

Although Amelia's expression remained calm, her heart had fallen into the abyss.

If she was caught, she would be exposed sooner or later.

She was doomed!

Laurence looked at her nun outfit, sniffed, and seemed to confirm that she hadn't been to the secret room, and the murderous intent in his eyes subsided.

But he still had his doubts.

He changed his tone, sounding dissatisfied, "Why are you in the wine cellar when you should be serving customers in the front hall?"

The girls in the club had a high turnover rate, and even a gang boss couldn't possibly know all the girls working there.

"I... I'm new here..."

Amelia's expression of unease at suddenly encountering a gangster boss was perfectly feigned. She was about to say that she was new and didn't know her way around.

But just then, a drunken fellow in the distance impatiently shouted, "Miss Alice, where's the wine you were getting me? Oh, hurry up, come drink with me."

Turning her head, she saw it was the greasy man she had met earlier.

Oh, this guy had come at just the right time!

Never before had Amelia felt that this greasy man was so useful.

She quickly responded, "I'm sorry, sir, I'll be right there!"

She turned to look at Laurence, her bright eyes flashing with a pleading look.

In a high-end club, neglecting a customer was a serious offense.

Since she wasn't the person he was looking for, Laurence waved his hand, signaling that she could leave.

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and quickly walked away.

The inexplicable pressure of having narrowly escaped death dissipated in an instant as she turned around.

"Luckily, I wasn't discovered. Oh, why would Laurence be waiting here..."

Amelia felt a little smug, thinking that she had been lucky.

Although she found the greasy man disgusting, she had to greet him.

And at that moment, Suren, with a smile that was not quite a smile, was already waiting there.

Seeing her come, he unceremoniously put his arm around the little nun, looking like a horny drunkard, and said with a drunken breath, "Oh, Miss Alice, where have you been..."

Seeing that the woman still seemed to be rejoicing, Suren decided to give her a good lesson.

His big hands didn't hold back from taking advantage of her.

Olivia wasn't a club girl, and she forced herself to endure the disgust, dealing with him for a while before finally finding an opportunity to slip out of the club quietly.

......

After leaving the club, Amelia didn't rush to leave.

After changing back into her clothes, she felt a surge of anger building up in her chest that wouldn't dissipate.

She found a spot where she could see the entrance of the music house club, and muttered to herself with a fierce expression, recalling certain images, "Ugh... that damn greasy man! No, I have to go beat that guy up later and teach him a lesson, otherwise I won't be able to swallow this anger!"

But before the person arrived, an old cowboy with a dark face appeared in her line of sight.

Amelia's face turned awkward when she saw him, "Old man, you... how did you get here?"

The old cowboy said unhappily, "You have the nerve to ask me how I got here? Didn't you say you were going back? How did you end up here?"

After three questions in a row, Amelia felt a little guilty, knowing that she couldn't hide it, and could only say, "Those little girls are innocent. I just thought if there was another chance to save a few more, I'd come..."

But before she could finish, the old cowboy interrupted her sternly, "Do you know you almost caused a disaster just now!"

"..."

Amelia assumed that the old man had found out about her running into Laurence in the wine cellar earlier, and she didn't have the energy to argue back.

After all, she had made a small mistake.

She defended herself in her mind: But, after all, I was lucky and got through it without any danger.

The old cowboy sighed slightly and said, "I told you, this matter isn't as simple as it seems..."

Amelia's sense of justice made her feel that she had done the right thing, and she interrupted him with a coquettish tone, "Okay, okay~ Isn't there still you, old man? If I get caught, you can just judge those damn traffickers."

The old cowboy looked at Amelia, who hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation, and scolded sternly, "I can't clean this up this time! Don't you know there were several tricky 'big shots' in the club today?"

After a pause, he became uncharacteristically angry, "Besides, if someone hadn't saved you just now, you might be dead by the time I got there!"

Seeing the old cowboy's unusually serious expression, Amelia finally put away her relaxed expression and asked in confusion, "Someone saved me just now?"

Thinking of something, a look of concern flashed in the old cowboy's eyes, "I arrived while you were drinking. But I didn't dare to show myself, because of that person."

Hearing this, Amelia rolled her eyes. So, he had seen her acting earlier?

"Ah... Old man, you saw my embarrassing situation and didn't come to help me out?"

As she spoke, she weakly complained in her heart: That nasty greasy man, touching me... just thinking about it makes me feel disgusting!

"Help you out?"

The old cowboy knew that she hadn't realized the seriousness of the matter and snorted, "If that person hadn't helped you out, do you think you'd still be standing here talking to me?"

After a pause, he guessed something and asked back, "You don't think he was just taking advantage of you, do you?"

Amelia, thinking of those experienced hands, asked back with a resentful tone, "Wasn't he?"

The old cowboy glared at her and asked back, "Didn't you notice any smell on you?"

"What smell? No, I didn't..."

Amelia replied, then sniffed her arm. Apart from a faint smell of alcohol and tobacco, there was nothing special.

That was all the greasy man's smell.

She added, "Old man, are you talking about the smell of alcohol? Oh, that greasy man splashed a bunch of wine on me earlier. Disgusting guy!"

"Sigh..."

The old cowboy shook his head and sighed slightly, obviously this girl didn't understand.

He said directly, "It's because there's no smell that you haven't realized the problem! That's a very advanced 'scent interference agent' that can interfere with the detection methods of professionals with a keen sense of smell!"

"Ah?"

Awakened, Amelia finally realized something, "Are you saying... there was an interference agent in the wine?"

Thinking about it again, why would that greasy man put an interference agent in the wine?

And before she was about to save people?

In an instant, a flash of inspiration sparked in her mind, and she felt like she had discovered the truth.

But Amelia still couldn't believe that the greasy man would be so kind.

The old cowboy's eyes showed a thoughtful expression, and he nodded, "I didn't realize how you were exposed before. But seeing this 'interference agent,' I immediately understood that the basement must have some kind of special scent marker. If that person hadn't helped you cover it up, you would have been exposed already!"

Saying this, he looked at Amelia and added, "Otherwise, do you think you could have fooled a high-level professional with your poor scent-eliminating skills?"

"Ah... This...???"

Amelia finally understood why she had 'coincidentally' run into "Bear" Laurence in the wine cellar.

So that's how it was!

A wave of fear washed over her.

But what surprised her even more was that the greasy man had actually seen through everything?

Gosh, that was too scary.

How did he know that there was a scent marker in the basement?

And that she was going to save people?

Now that she thought about it, the fact that the man came to yell for her right after she met Laurence in the wine cellar wasn't a coincidence either?

But thinking of that lecherous look, Amelia still couldn't believe that such a greasy man could be such a deep, scheming, and resourceful person.

She said weakly, "Old man, could you be wrong?"

"Hmph! Wrong?"

The old cowboy snorted coldly, his expression becoming more and more serious.

He thought of the terrifying soul he had sensed earlier and the results of the divination, feeling that he had to teach his assistant a good lesson today, and asked, "What do you think of "Bear" Laurence's strength?"

Amelia said, "Very strong."

The old cowboy recalled the tingling sensation he had felt when he sensed that person, and said only lightly, "That guy is a hundred times more dangerous than Laurence!"

Hearing this, Amelia obviously didn't believe it, and argued, "How is that possible! That greasy man is just a first-tier doctor. The smell of disinfectant on him reminds me of the corpses in the dissection room, I definitely wouldn't be wrong."

She could believe that he was smart, saw through everything, and used an "interference agent."

But to say that that guy was a top expert?

Pah!

No way!

Besides, what kind of expert would be so indecent?

Taking every opportunity to take advantage of her?

No matter what, he was just a disgusting greasy man!

The old cowboy knew his assistant too well, and said unhappily, "You still think he was just being lecherous and taking advantage of you, don't you?"

Amelia said, "Wasn't he?"

The old cowboy said unhappily, "That's because his disguise is much better than yours! Think about it yourself, in that situation, Laurence had already noticed something was wrong. If he didn't act like a lustful drunkard, how could he have fooled everyone, including you?"

"Ah, this..."

Hearing this, Amelia finally ran out of temper.

If it was really a disguise, that person's disguise as a greasy man was flawless.

That lecherous look...

Ah... Heavens!

No matter how you looked at it, he was obviously an Lsp! (lecherous pervert)

The old cowboy added, "That person wanted you to learn a lesson! That's why he left some tobacco smell on you, afraid that you were too stupid to understand where you went wrong today even after you left!"

Saying this, he looked at the spot Amelia had chosen to stake out and said disdainfully, "Hmph, you, thinking of squatting here to beat him up?"

"..."

Amelia was scolded until she was completely out of temper and pouted.

Although she was still a little unconvinced, she knew she was wrong.

She asked, "But old man, since you knew I was exposed, why didn't you try to save me? What if that guy is a big villain too, since you said he's so powerful?"

"You girl just know how to get me into trouble!"

The old cowboy looked at the girl he had raised with his own hands, and after all, there was more doting in his eyes, and he sighed, "I did think of a way. It should be coming soon."

Amelia playfully shrugged her shoulders.

Saying this, the old man guessed what she was thinking and added, "You still think he was deliberately taking advantage of you, right? I'll tell you straight, I really did judge him. That person's 'heart'... is lighter than a 'feather'!"

"Lighter than a feather?"

Hearing this, Amelia's expression froze, and she finally showed great surprise.

Her old man's judgment of sin had never been wrong. If he said it was a villain, it must be a villain.

But he wasn't?

He was still a great guy?

......

Suren stayed in the club for a while, then prepared to go out for a stroll.

Since he knew that the club was one of Augustus's strongholds, he might be able to find other clues in the surrounding areas.

He walked down the street, and cold raindrops fell.

In this season, it rained non-stop in Leedon.

Looking up, the moon occasionally revealed its true face in the dim sky.

The moonlight was tinged with a faint blood red.

This phenomenon had been going on for days.

The newspapers said it was a natural phenomenon of air pollution, and the appraisal hadn't found anything wrong either.

As soon as Suren came out, he was surrounded by two little flower-selling girls, "Sir, would you like to buy some flowers?"

Suren smiled and bought two flowers to hold in his hand.

His mind was thinking about what he had encountered today, and for some reason, he couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

As he walked, he rounded a corner into a small alley.

He had originally wanted to find a quiet corner to squat for a while.

But he didn't expect to see two beggars under a neon-lit eave, probably a brother and sister, about seven or eight years old, their eyes were dim, and they had long lost their color.

Because it was raining, there were few passersby, and the beggars' bowl was empty.

Looking at their sallow faces, Suren thought about it, took out a few copper coins from his pocket, and dropped them into the bowl.

Then, he glanced at their bare feet, which had turned pale from soaking in the rain, and he took out a blanket. He tore it into two pieces with a "rip" and threw them over the shivering brother and sister.

Like breathing, he did something casually, and Suren didn't look back, just walked on.

At the same time.

In the distance, two pairs of eyes were paying attention to everything that happened at the entrance of the alley.

Amelia looked at Suren's actions, and the look in her eyes softened a lot, but she was also puzzled, "Old man, that guy was obviously kind to give the beggars blankets, but why did he tear them? Wouldn't that let the wind in?"

The old cowboy shook his head and said meaningfully, "He's someone who has truly seen the suffering of the lower class."

Amelia tilted her head and glanced at him, "Ah?"

The old cowboy said, "Beggars are controlled by gangs. That blanket is pretty good quality. If it wasn't damaged, it would appear in a pawnshop tomorrow. There's also dog-eat-dog among the beggars. Those two little beggars wouldn't be able to keep a good blanket."

Listening to this, Amelia murmured, "A tragic and hopeless world..."

The old cowboy shook his head, not speaking.

Suddenly, he noticed something and said, "The killer is here."

......

Suren wandered aimlessly on the street for a while.

He also noticed that there were two pairs of eyes that had been watching him since he walked out of the club, but he didn't pay attention to them.

Passersby with a single encounter were not enemies, and there was no need to pay attention to them.

They were probably just curious about his identity, and they were curious about him.

However, what made Suren feel a little strange was that, after observing for a while, they still hadn't left?

They should have guessed some of his previous methods.

But since they hadn't come to thank him, what did it mean that they hadn't left?

Intuition told Suren that something might happen tonight, so he patiently waited.

Then, he quickly saw the result.

At this time, a middle-aged man with a fat head and big ears, surrounded by several men in suits who were obviously bodyguards, walked out of a high-end club.

Suren glanced at the noble crest on the steam car by the roadside, it seemed to be a Count.

This was already a high-ranking nobleman.

However, at this moment, Suren's pupils suddenly shrank, "What is that?!"

In his perception, a very gloomy spirit appeared.

As soon as it appeared, the temperature of the entire street plummeted.

The water vapor in the sky suddenly turned into snowflakes, and the puddles on the ground instantly froze into frosty white ice where it passed.

"A soul? No! It seems to be a special form of energy..."

Suren's expression suddenly became serious.

His right eye couldn't see it, but his left eye's All-Knowing Eye saw a mass of white chill that looked like a soul.

A strange phenomenon suddenly appeared, but the people on the street obviously didn't see that thing.

But the bodyguards had already noticed the sudden drop in temperature and protected the fat Count, "Protect the Count!"

But before a fourth-tier guard and several second and third-tier professionals could even remove their installed gear, the invisible chill swept over and instantly froze them into ice sculptures.

The chill was so intense, so terrifying!

Seeing this, several outer bodyguards quickly fired at the chill, and a series of alchemical bullets exploded, but they didn't hurt the white mist at all.

Looking again, the white mist had disappeared.

In just a few breaths, the Count and his bodyguards were killed instantly.

......

Suren immediately understood, "This is a political assassination!"

Recently, the political situation in Luying had been turbulent, and it was not uncommon for high-ranking nobles and members of parliament to be killed in Leedon.

The fact that this Count was assassinated on the street was likely the work of rival politicians.

After the gunshots, there was chaos on the street, and people from the various clubs rushed out in a frenzy when they heard the commotion.

Looking at the lifelike ice sculptures, people panicked and fled in all directions.

Seeing the bizarre means of the ice-freezing man, Suren's mind flashed with some of the information he knew.

Then, a thought that he found hard to believe emerged: "A Frost Demon Wraith? Raphael's neuro-mechanical technology?"

Dr. Banks was one of the core members of Duke Raphael's neuro-mechanical technology team in Old Leedon, and he had once mentioned some of Duke Raphael's secret plans. That ambitious Duke not only used this technology to create super-mechanical warriors, but also had many other top-secret projects.

One of the most important projects was to force people's souls out and turn them into ghost warriors – the Frost Demon Wraith Project!

If "super-mechanical warriors" were physical combat power, which was very limited, then these "Frost Demon Wraiths" were magical applications of technology, which were very bizarre and were intended to be a terrifying means of slaughtering high-level professions.

Dr. Banks was not responsible for the research in this area, so he didn't know much about the specifics.

But now it seemed... Duke Raphael's secret project had been completed!

Seeing the chill, which clearly had soul fluctuations, killing people before his eyes, Suren immediately thought of this technology.

"This Frost Wraith is a special form that exists outside of solid, liquid, gas, and plasma states. Unless you encounter a professional who uses Haki, it is difficult to restrain it. And once the number forms an army, it poses a deadly threat to even top-level professionals..."

Thinking of this, Suren's eyes sparkled.

He originally didn't want to go looking for trouble with the old cowboy and the short-haired woman, but seeing this, he felt that the matter might be directly related to those two!

.......

On the street, the old cowboy and Amelia also witnessed the bizarre scene of the chill killing people invisibly.

The old cowboy was obviously surprised, and murmured, "I didn't expect it to be the famous 'Frost Demon'."

Amelia blinked and asked, "Is that the mysterious killer who has been rapidly rising in the assassin's guild rankings to the top 100 recently?"

The old cowboy's eyes were full of thought, "Yeah."

There had been too many accidents tonight, making him wonder if something special had happened.

Amelia also pondered for a moment, then glanced at the old man and asked in confusion, "Although the assassin who came was this one, why is your face so serious, old man? Since the person you judged, he naturally deserves to die."

"I'm not saying that the Bronny Count didn't deserve to die. But..."

The old cowboy shook his head, his eyes solemn, and said, "But I always thought the 'Frost Demon' was a professional assassin with a special talent. But the soul fluctuations just now were very special..."

Amelia frowned as she listened, "Ah?"

The old cowboy didn't seem to understand either, and shook his head.

Then, he thought of something else, and a look of bitterness appeared on his face, "We're in trouble."

Listening to these inexplicable words, Amelia placed her hand on the fire gun at her waist, "What do you mean?"

The old cowboy encountered something and shook his head with a wry smile, "Girl, don't do anything later."

Before Amelia could figure out what this meant.

The old cowboy suddenly turned his face and looked at the person who appeared out of nowhere behind him.

The sharpness in the old man's eyes instantly disappeared, and he immediately revealed a smooth sophistication, directly admitting defeat, "This gentleman, don't misunderstand! I was the one who spread the news, but I really don't know the 'Frost Demon'!"

Amelia's expression was strange, and looking at the person who appeared out of nowhere behind her, wasn't that the greasy man from the club earlier?