The corridor was deathly silent.
The two had just stepped into the elevator when, in the blink of an eye, a group of men emerged from another elevator. They groped their way in the dark towards the woman's room. Judging from their demeanor, they were all here to assassinate her.
The door creaked open, revealing a pitch - black interior.
A man in the back accidentally stepped on the heel of the man in front. The man in front whipped around and slapped him hard on the head. "Keep it down! If we wake her up, we're all doomed."
The man nodded vigorously. Then they tiptoed towards the bed.
The man at the front was incredibly lecherous. In the moonlight, his few teeth were bared in a sneer. Once they got rid of this woman, the auction would surely be a walk in the park.
He held a knife in his hand. Another man yanked the quilt off the bed. Just as he was about to strike, he saw a man lying sprawled on the bed with a beer belly.
Next to him was a lanky man hugging him.
The men were instantly dumbfounded. They looked at each other in confusion. "What's going on? Isn't this the woman's room?"
Just then.
The man at the back suddenly realized that there was only one possibility: the woman had gotten wind of their assassination plan and found a safe place to hide. She just had to show up for the auction the next day.
...
The two stepped out of the elevator. Shen Jianyi looked around at the darkness. The corridor lights were voice - activated. She coughed, then hugged the wall as she walked.
The man behind her, however, swaggered along as if he had no fear of anything.
Shen Jianyi frowned and finally stopped in front of a room. She rapped lightly on the door.
"Knock, knock—"
After a few knocks, Shen Jianyi patiently waited outside. Gun leaned against the wall, arms folded, looking nonchalant.
Not long after, there was a stir inside. The door opened a crack, and Xia Liang peeked out cautiously. After making sure it was Shen Jianyi, she opened the door wide.
As the two entered, Xia Liang's eyes kept wandering over Gun.
"Master, why did you suddenly come to my place?" Xia Liang turned on the light.
The room was flooded with light. Seeing a man lying on the bed, Shen Jianyi was taken aback. She turned her head in confusion. "Why is there a man in your room?"
"I don't know. He came to kill me, but I managed to overpower him." Xia Liang cleaned her hands.
Just then, she suddenly heard noises outside. The footsteps were approaching steadily and becoming clearer.
"Someone's coming," Shen Jianyi said warily.
Since Hongxiu might show up at any moment, it would be a disaster if they were recognized.
Xia Liang seemed a bit flustered too. She opened the bathroom door and pushed them in. She made a "be quiet" gesture to the two inside.
In this cramped space, Shen Jianyi could clearly feel the man's erratic breathing, but she dared not make a sound.
However, there was no movement outside for a long time. Shen Jianyi was about to peek out to see what was going on. Just as she was about to move, Gun grabbed her.
"Don't move. They're here!"
Just as he said that, the room door was flung open. Then came a shrill female voice, which sounded extremely out of place in this quiet and stuffy environment.
"Did someone come to your place just now?" The voice rang out, indicating that Hongxiu had sensed something. After all, she was the third - ranked bounty hunter, so it was normal for her to notice.
Xia Liang shook her head. She showed no sign of fear in this situation. Instead, she said defiantly, "No, I've been alone here all the time."
After saying that, she stepped aside and pointed at the unconscious man on the bed. "They came to kill me, but they were no match for me and I knocked them out."
Hongxiu snorted. "Why didn't you just kill him? You'd have one less competitor at the auction tomorrow."
"It's not necessary," Xia Liang said. She didn't want to have blood on her hands for no reason.
Hongxiu sat down on the sofa, but her eyes never left the bathroom door. She always felt like there was something moving inside, that it wasn't empty.
Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and immediately got up. Xia Liang couldn't stop her. "Is there someone in your bathroom?"
Xia Liang was stunned. She became even more nervous. Her scalp tingled as she was afraid that Hongxiu would find out Shen Jianyi was inside.
She quickly blocked the bathroom door, protecting it with both hands, looking very tense. "Are you too nervous? There's no one inside."
The more Xia Liang acted like this, the more suspicious Hongxiu became. If there really was no one inside, why was she being so evasive and not letting anyone in?
"Get out of the way!" Hongxiu put her hand on Xia Liang's shoulder and yanked hard, trying to push her aside.
But Xia Liang just stood there, refusing to budge. "Hongxiu, don't go too far. Mind your own place."
Hongxiu snorted. "My mission is to stay by your side and help you get the chip. Of course, the professor won't ask about anything that happens in the process."
As soon as she finished speaking, she exerted a little more force. Xia Liang was no match for her and was pushed to the side.
Xia Liang stumbled and fell to the ground. Hongxiu turned on the light in the bathroom. The room immediately brightened up, and the figures of the two people inside gradually emerged.
The corner of Hongxiu's mouth curled up in a mocking smile. She had guessed right. There really were people inside.
The moment the bathroom door opened, the man inside stepped out sideways. Before Hongxiu could react, Gun knocked her out.
"Ugh—"
Hongxiu's vision blurred, and soon she saw nothing. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
Gun turned to the people in the room. "Come out. It's taken care of."
Shen Jianyi walked out. She stepped over Hongxiu's body and walked up to Xia Liang. "I thought your place would be safe, but I forgot about Hongxiu."
"I always feel like Hongxiu knows your identity. Otherwise, why would she suddenly come here so late at night?"
It was true. Shen Jianyi sat on the sofa, looking helpless. "Why is Hongxiu everywhere? She's such a nuisance."
The organization probably recruited her to target her. Shen Jianyi's cold eyes fixed on the woman lying on the ground.