The night view was beautiful, with no man-made scenery surpassing the spectacle created by the World Championship venue.
Flowerbed mazes, blooming meadows, illuminated trees, and vast starry skies – it was all comfortable and lovely.
Freya leaned back in her plush lounge chair, warily watching the man before her, remaining silent.
"There's no need for such hostility. Our goals are aligned," the man in black adjusted his veil and said earnestly, "I told you, your method is good, but it only gives her a sliver of hope. It won't fully set her career path back on track."
"Hmph, how can you know if you don't try? Maybe it will succeed~" Freya scoffed. Normally, no matter who was speaking ill of someone, she would just smile gently, listening without refuting or interrupting.
But when it came to that person, she couldn't stand it. That person was her dearest, placed at the very center of her heart. She didn't want to hear anyone say anything negative about her.
Whether it was true or not.
"You failed," the man in black stated with absolute certainty. "She's dead."
Freya suddenly shot up from her lounge chair, her entire aura condensing, causing even the air to momentarily still. Her expression shifted multiple times as she suppressed her frustration while trying to gauge the truthfulness of the man in black's words.
Why was this person so sure?
Even if this incident were to happen, it would be in the distant future. Why was this person so certain she would die? And this person seemed to know her very well…
Freya's mind raced through countless possibilities. Her expression darkened, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes fixed on the man entirely concealed by black, in front of her.
"Let's join forces," the man in black finally revealed the main point of his visit. "Your chances are too slim on your own."
"Alright." To the man in black's surprise, Freya agreed without hesitation, rendering his prepared lengthy speech and groundwork seemingly useless.
No hesitation, decisive and sharp, her gaze fixed on him, her expression unwavering.
"You were trained very well by Chacha, but in front of me… you're still a bit lacking." Freya glanced at the small crystal glass table before her, leaning against the balcony railing with her arms crossed, smiling gently, alluring and proud, bearing a slight resemblance to Bai Cha.
The man in black seemed to sense something and quickly retreated.
A faint, milky mist was slowly dissipating from a corner of the glass table.
"Anything that benefits her, I will do. Therefore, I agree to your proposal…"
The night was dark and windy, yet the distant neon lights outside remained as dazzling as daylight. The clamor of crowds and the honking of traffic could be heard from afar.
A machine whirred to life, revealing an ordinary face in the darkness. The man was tall and appeared to be someone who exercised regularly. At this moment, he was exceptionally focused, a peculiar glint in his eyes as he stared intently at the computer screen.
Code flashed rapidly on the screen, and the man's fingers moved like afterimages. Finally, as if finding what he was looking for, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.
It appeared to be a document, displaying portraits of different individuals.
He had finally found it!
The man seemed excited, his heart pounding fiercely, causing his fingers to tremble slightly.
However, before he could make any further moves, he heard a faint "click." The man didn't even have time to grunt before he collapsed straight onto the ground, his eyes wide open. To his death, he never understood what had happened.
"Boring."
Bai Cha lightly flipped in through the window, reinserting a micro-pistol into her belt. She walked over to the man's face and fumbled around for a moment, then swiftly peeled off a layer of skin from the seemingly ordinary middle-aged man's face.
At this moment, the lights in the building flickered back on. The hastily arriving guards and the person in charge broke out in a sweat the instant they saw Bai Cha.
Spies had already infiltrated this far. If not for Miss Bai's timely return, all this secret information would have been leaked, and who knew how many brave soldiers of Z-country would have suffered.
Another shadow flashed in from outside the window. Lucifer, with his tall and well-proportioned physique, appeared.
"Master, the situation has been handled," Lucifer said respectfully. "There were twelve individuals lurking around, not from the same group. Evidence has been collected, and the bodies have been cremated."
"Huh? You killed them all? Do you guys even have experience?" someone suddenly popped out from the crowd. "At a time like this, don't you know to leave a live one for interrogation? Miss Bai's abilities must be declining…"
"Bang!"
The young man, arrogant and still maintaining his accusatory pose pointing at Bai Cha, didn't expect Bai Cha to shoot so decisively. Before he could even finish his accusation, he lay slumped on the ground, blood staining his chest.
"Too talkative."
"Where's the person you were supposed to save?" Bai Cha snorted and turned to Lucifer, finding him carrying a sack. She felt a bit speechless, "You'll suffocate them like that."
Lucifer then untied the sack and released the person inside, much to everyone's surprise. Two people were bound tightly together inside.
One was the face of the middle-aged man from when the data was stolen, or rather, the face that man had used. The other was someone from the光明一派 (Guangming Yipai - literally "Bright Faction").
"What are you all standing around for? Clean up the scene and notify everyone for a meeting." Bai Cha snorted, leading Lucifer forward. The crowd instinctively parted, creating a path for them. Everyone held their breath, heads bowed in meek submission.
It was already 3:30 AM. The people finally assembled in the large conference room. Gong Yuechen's eyes were bloodshot. He and the Boss had just finished their work when they heard about the matter and rushed to attend the meeting.
The Boss was doing slightly better, having just returned from abroad and not yet adjusted to the time difference, his mind was relatively clear, though he had a headache.
Things had been truly unsettled lately. This was how many times they had convened a meeting with Bai Cha? Generally, Bai Cha wouldn't be involved unless there was a major case, which indicated just how dire the situation in Z-country was.
"Speak up. I'm giving you time to explain. Don't blame me if I don't give you a chance later." Bai Cha slammed the files onto the table and surveyed the room, pausing her gaze on some individuals.
The room fell silent; no one dared to be the first to speak.
"Not speaking? Then I'll speak. Don't blame me for not showing you respect." Bai Cha flipped through the files. The pages were densely packed with writing, even featuring photos of different people. The people beside her felt their scalps tingle.
"Betrayal, corruption, embezzlement, collusion, infiltration." Bai Cha chuckled, her laughter sending shivers down the spines of those in the conference room. "Infiltrators are for outsiders. I've never seen people use them on their own kind."
Saying this, she tossed the stack of documents in her hand to the Boss.
The papers scattered everywhere like a flurry. Lucifer stepped forward, swiftly catching the flying papers, organizing them, and placing them before the Boss. He also distributed a stack of his own printed documents to everyone present.
To everyone's surprise, Bai Cha didn't slam the table, curse, or rage this time. She was unusually calm, her eyes reflecting a deep twilight that made it impossible to guess her thoughts.
The only sound in the conference room was the rustling of papers. Some people didn't even dare to open the documents, their hands trembling as they held the first page, their small hearts pounding like drums.
"Miss Bai, we have reviewed all your documents. While some evidence is indeed clear, other evidence still requires careful examination," one person said, raising their hand, forcing themselves to speak. "We will establish an investigation team specifically to investigate this…"
"You are questioning me," Bai Cha stated calmly, looking at the person and the group beside them, her voice chilling. "After the investigation, there will be no follow-up, will there?"
The group immediately lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound. Yet, some, unafraid of death, mumbled quietly.
"This is too overbearing. Do we have to believe everything you say? We're not even allowed to express doubt."
This voice came from an unknown direction. Although it sounded like a muffled voice, it was certainly not quiet. At least in the conference room, many heard it clearly, and the group lowered their heads even further, not daring to breathe.
"Is the evidence not clear enough?" Bai Cha looked towards a corner of the meeting room. Her skill in discerning direction by sound was flawless; others couldn't tell, but she could distinguish it perfectly.
The conference room fell silent again. Bai Cha also fell silent, holding the documents in her hand and pausing for a long moment.
"These matters are quite significant. We need to handle them slowly. We certainly cannot cut them off decisively," a person of high status stated. "Many of these individuals have made significant contributions to the country and have unfinished important projects. Why would they do this?"
"Exactly, we cannot simply punish them," another person echoed. "Some things can actually be put aside…"
"Making a mountain out of a molehill, and a molehill out of nothing." Bai Cha's tone deepened, her voice sounding somewhat unfamiliar to everyone. "So you formulate laws… Forget it, do as you please."
Actually, Bai Cha wasn't sure how she felt. She just felt that everything was strange.
No understanding, no shared voice, no support.
Instead, there was doubt, procrastination, and injustice.
Bai Cha felt tired and disheartened. She suddenly felt her parents' sacrifices were in vain. She thought she wasn't alone, but looking back now, she was still alone.
How ridiculous. Her father had said he had to sacrifice himself.
"In many situations, words are not enough. Perhaps only bloodshed can awaken people."
But the reality seemed to be different. Ye Feng's sacrifice had indeed brought a period of fervor to Z-country, and the Shadow a period of rebirth, but only for a short while.
And now, Bai Cha sadly realized that everything seemed to be cyclical, returning to the beginning. She felt out of place with all of this, and she didn't know when most gazes began to carry doubt.
Bai Cha stood up. Without anger, without speaking, she walked out of the conference room under everyone's watchful eyes.
She showed weakness. Her departure signified the Shadow's weakness, but she didn't want to persist anymore. She felt it wasn't worth it.
"Master, it's cold at night." Lucifer stepped forward, draped his coat over Bai Cha, and took her hand, only to find Bai Cha's hand was ice-cold, sending a slight chill through his heart as well.
"Perhaps you don't need to try so hard," Lucifer whispered softly, his heart aching slightly. "When a person gets used to being fed, perhaps they forget how to eat by themselves and instead blame the person who feeds them."
Bai Cha: "..."
This metaphor was incredibly insightful.
It seemed Lucifer had adapted very well to human society after becoming human. The metaphorical phrase was too apt, making Bai Cha feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Beep beep." The sound of a mobile phone text message. Bai Cha opened it; it was a message from Gong Yuechen.
[Gong Yuechen: Bai Cha, don't be angry. There are quite a few people involved, and handling it too quickly is indeed troublesome.]
[Bai Cha: Suit yourselves.]
Gong Yuechen, who had been listening to the group's lengthy discourse in the conference room, read Bai Cha's message with mixed emotions. He was also very disappointed, feeling that his sister's efforts were in vain. However, he couldn't say anything.
He knew that the moment he spoke, he would become the target of everyone's criticism.
It was truly ironic.