A dangerous glint flashed through Sakatoku Mai's eyes.
This person knew too much.
"By the way, what color are Lu Mingfei's boxers today?"
Ren Asakura suddenly shifted the tone and asked an absurd question.
Mai recalled the surveillance footage from earlier that morning.
"…Blue."
Ren Asakura silently pulled out his phone and dialed Lu Mingfei's number.
After only two rings, Lu Mingfei's anxious voice came through the speaker.
"Crap, Group Leader, where are you?! Don't do anything crazy! If you must, at least show some mercy! Please don't destroy the world—my life is just getting started!"
Ren Asakura sighed helplessly.
"Hey Mingfei, you're wearing blue boxers today, right?"
On the other end, Lu Mingfei let out a horrified gasp.
"No way! Group Leader, did you use divine sense to see through all my clothes?!"
Ren Asakura replied lazily, completely ignoring the enemy standing right in front of him.
"Of course not. Do I look that bored? Besides, if I were going to peek, I'd look at hot girls—not some rugged dude like you. I just asked a beautiful female observer. Thought I'd test her surveillance skills. Gotta say, not bad at all."
Lu Mingfei stammered, half-panicked.
"Seriously?! She even watched that closely? Have you no shame?!"
Ren Asakura chuckled. "Relax, she's a total stunner. You're not losing out. Do you know Sakatoku Mai? One of your three personal babysitters—your little bro paid a hefty sum to get her on your protection team."
Lu Mingfei: "Her?! Damn, Group Leader, you didn't kill her, right? She's a tall, leggy ninja beauty!"
Ren Asakura replied calmly, "Don't worry. I just asked if she was interested in changing bosses. Your little brother is kind of a piece of work, so I figured this gorgeous lady deserves a better employer."
Lu Mingfei: "I doubt you'll succeed. I mean, I know how dumb my 'onii-chan' is, but even then… Group Leader, you're not going to use force, are you?"
As Mai listened to the phone conversation between Lu Mingfei and Ren Asakura—so casual and familiar—it was as if they'd known each other for years.
But according to her own surveillance, Lu Mingfei didn't know anyone like this.
And how had she been exposed? Judging by Lu Mingfei's tone, not only did he know her, he also knew the other two and her boss behind the scenes.
She'd been careless. Completely underestimated her target.
Chances were, while she was watching him—he was watching her too.
Thinking of this, Mai felt her stomach sink. If her boss found out, she'd be overworked even more.
Ren Asakura, hearing Lu Mingfei's disbelief, instantly got defensive.
"What do you mean! I mean, sure, watching a ninja girl suffer can be entertaining… but I wouldn't… Hmm. Actually, maybe that's not so bad."
Mai was ready to strike. Lu Mingfei's situation had clearly gone out of control.
The man in front of her looked weak, his aura was faint—but his casual attitude made her extremely wary.
As she moved toward him, Ren Asakura didn't hang up the call. Instead, he struck a dramatic "Dio" pose.
"Oho? You're actually walking toward me? You're not running? You've delivered yourself to me, begging to die. Your target, Lu Mingfei, begged me so hard to spare you. Like a desperate student in an exam hall trying to pass before time's up!"
Mai didn't respond. Her expression turned icy.
Instead, it was Lu Mingfei's voice that came through the phone.
"Anyway, Group Leader, just don't kill her, okay? I'm hanging up now!"
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong!
Lu Mingfei hung up.
Mai didn't dare hold back anymore—her hybrid power surged in an instant.
Her pupils turned a bright golden yellow.
The physical capabilities of a hybrid far exceeded those of ordinary humans, and the power they could unleash was on another level.
Ren Asakura slipped his phone into his pocket.
"Oho… if you want to kill me, how about getting a little closer?"
"Dark Reflection!"
He activated his incantation.
Mai vanished in an instant!
An invisible blade slashed toward Ren Asakura.
CRACK! A shattered blade clattered to the ground.
Ren Asakura touched his neck. That strike had pierced even his usual body-protection aura.
It would take nothing less than a supernova to barely break through just one layer of Ren Asakura's defenses.
And he had 9,999 more layers to go.
Ren Asakura slightly turned his head toward the corner where Mai was hiding.
Under the coverage of divine sense, all forms of invisibility were worthless.
"So this is the power of a hybrid, huh? Humanity already has enough potential—why taint your bloodline with something else?"
Ren Asakura spoke directly to Mai in the corner.
In that moment, Mai chose to flee. Surrounded by Dark Reflection, she bolted toward the door.
"Running the moment you're outmatched—classic ninja move. But do you really think you can escape?"
A trace of amusement flashed in Ren Asakura's eyes.
As expected, the cat-and-mouse game is entertaining no matter where you play it.
Mai dashed madly through the stairwell.
But she didn't realize—she had been running on the same floor the entire time.
A looping trap, or rather, spatial distortion.
The corridor Mai was in had already turned into a labyrinth.
When she opened a door once more—Ren Asakura was standing right there.
"Hey, long-legged beauty, you're back again! Changed your mind? Want a new boss? We can discuss the salary!"
Mai immediately turned and ran again.
Ren Asakura smiled slightly.
"Am I really that scary? I'm clearly very handsome and gentle, thank you very much."
When Mai found herself back on the same floor again, she realized there was no escaping.
She suspected she had fallen into some kind of hypnotic incantation.
"Chasing a girl like this—it's rather rude, don't you think?"
Mai gave a charming smile, as if she hadn't been panicking just moments ago.
Ren Asakura stepped forward lightly.
"If you're gonna pursue a girl, you have to be relentless. If you give up easily, then you're not a proper simp."
Mai stared at him cautiously, backing away two steps on instinct.
"Equating deep affection with simping? That's just sad."
Her beautiful eyes fixed coldly on Ren Asakura.
The next moment—he vanished.
When he appeared again, he was right behind her.
"You can't really say that. After all, this world has no shortage of hopeless romantics."
Hearing his voice so close to her ear, a chill ran down Mai's spine.
Just as she tried to dodge—
A slender hand landed on her shoulder, but it felt like it carried the weight of ten thousand pounds, pinning her firmly to the ground.
Mai ended up crouching on the floor, completely immobile. Even the dragon blood in her veins fell silent.
"What do you think I should do with you? I mean, I can't kill you… but there are plenty of fates worse than death."
°°°
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