Chapter 171: Chapter 159: Want Me? Then Come and Get Me Yourself
It was nearly noon, yet the sky was as gloomy as if a curtain had been drawn over it. A gray-white fog permeated every corner of Zone 19, and even the Beastmen with the sharpest vision couldn’t see through such a dense fog.
Few Beastmen would choose to be out and about at a time like this, aside from those hoping to make a quick buck by prying open shops to steal valuables, Mixed Breeds scrounging for food, and the patrolling Beast Police.
This was the season the Beast Police of Zone 19 hated most. The low temperatures dulled their sense of smell, and the cold air, saturated with the scent of Mutant Species, greatly hindered their operations.
The Mutant Species darting about in the fog and attacking people on sight had also brought their work to a standstill.
Mingxi, Leighton, and their party were also affected by the sudden change in weather and the Mutant Species.
"What’s going on with the Military Department?" Belial shouted, kicking away a Mutant Species that lunged out of the fog as he retreated to Mingxi’s side. "Don’t tell me the Mutant Species broke through their defensive line."
"This is nothing," Leighton said, firing two shots into the fog. A Mutant Species shrieked and collapsed.
Mingxi and Belial stood back-to-back in a defensive stance. Mingxi’s brow furrowed as his gaze swept over the growing pile of Mutant Species corpses on the ground.
This was the Central District, yet in less than half a day, the number of Mutant Species had suddenly skyrocketed. Of course, they didn’t need to worry about the Military Department. What he was worried about was *her*.
From the intelligence they’d received, the battle between the Military Department and the Mutant Species had reached a fever pitch. He’d heard they were using a Mimic Mixed Species to trap the King Seed this time.
They had seen the little Mixed Breed follow those wolves into the West Wall construction site, which made him uneasy, even though he had already confirmed that the Military Department had prepared its own Mimic Mixed Species in advance.
Mingxi gazed in a specific direction through the fog, his hand resting on the flare gun at his waist.
Belial said, "We can’t waste our time here. If this keeps up, how are we supposed to complete our mission?"
Belial complained to Leighton, "And you transferred most of our people away! We barely had anyone to begin with."
Tired of his constant nagging, Leighton said, "If you want to complete the mission, then listen to me. Otherwise, you can run home crying to your old man right now."
’I oughta empty a clip into that sheep,’ Belial thought.
As if hearing his silent complaint, the Mutant Species that had just burst from the fog to attack them froze as if paralyzed. Then, they turned in perfect unison and vanished back into the mist.
In the blink of an eye, the Mutant Species were gone from sight.
Belial was completely baffled. "Why did they all run off? Where are they going?"
Leighton scoffed, "Who cares where they’re going? The Military Department can deal with them. What, you getting sentimental? Sorry to see them go?"
Belial shot him a glare.
Just then, Leighton’s wrist terminal vibrated. He raised his arm to look at a message that had just popped up. "Huh? Looks like we’ve got a bit of signal."
Mingxi relaxed the hand he had on his flare gun and activated his own terminal.
The signal was unstable, but it was better than nothing. He immediately sent a message to "W," asking for news about the "little Mixed Breed."
W replied almost instantly. A look of astonishment flashed across Mingxi’s face as he read the message, and he looked up toward the residential area across the street.
After a brief pause, he started walking briskly toward it.
"Hey, Mingxi, where are you going?" Belial called out, hurrying after him.
Leighton grabbed both of them and pulled them back. "What’s the rush? We need to wait for the signal from Little Black and the others!"
...
「The Underground Arena.」
Kuinan stared at the motionless fox in the cage, then glanced at the Detection Device on the table.
It was still alive, but its readings hadn’t changed at all.
"Don’t tell me it’s actually a fake," Feng Xiao said, his voice laced with doubt.
Wind Blade stroked the gleaming blade on his wrist and said coolly, "Should we wake it up? If it dared to fool us with a fake, it deserves a lesson it won’t forget."
Kuinan said nothing. He propped his head on his hand, seemingly contemplating how to deal with the fox, his eyes filled with a restless frustration.
’He’d much rather this Firefly Heart Stone be real.’
He wanted to see with his own eyes if the King Seed Core could, as the rumors claimed, reduce a Mixed Breed’s mutation and turn it back into a normal Beastman.
"Boss."
Just then, one of his men walked over and handed him something. "We’re being tailed."
Kuinan pulled his gaze away from the fox, took the spherical object from his subordinate’s hand, and held it up to examine it.
Feng Xiao glanced at the tracking device in Kuinan’s hand. "It’s the police," he said. "They were the ones who helped the fox get away from us yesterday."
Kuinan crushed the tracking device, his expression shifting unpredictably. "Go and play with them for a while," he ordered.
Feng Xiao replied, "Yes, sir."
The moment he finished speaking, a message suddenly popped up on Kuinan’s terminal.
Kuinan’s single eye glanced dismissively at his wrist, then froze.
He slowly sat up straight and opened it.
Want me? Then come and get me yourself.
Kuinan checked the sender’s ID. It was an unknown number.
But he knew instantly who it was from. He didn’t have the slightest doubt.
His eye glinted as he stared at the chat window, his entire body trembling with uncontrollable excitement.
Kuinan realized his interest in this little Mixed Breed went far beyond just making money off her.
Ever since she’d stabbed him in the eye, he’d been unable to forget her scent.
Just the thought of her made his mouth water, as if some primal hunting instinct in his very genes had been fiercely awakened, always thrilling him to the point of shivering.
Kuinan quickly typed a reply: Little thing, where are you?
After sending it, he tapped his fingers rapidly against the back of his other hand, his eye glued to the chat window.
A moment later, a new message popped up:
Right above you, you cowardly rat who only knows how to hide underground. (scorn)
Kuinan was so enraged he actually laughed. ’This little thing,’ he thought. ’Sometimes she almost makes me forget she’s a Mimic Mixed Species.’
He glanced at the unresponsive fox in the cage. He was dying to get his hands on the damned little Mixed Breed, but he suppressed the urge, refusing to fall for her trick. He typed into the chat window:
How many people did you bring?
As Kuinan waited for her reply, his mind raced with countless ways to torture her.
A video call request popped up, its blue light dancing in Kuinan’s eye.
With a flick of his finger, he accepted the call—
"Just me."
Gu Ning stared coldly at the face she loathed, suppressing the fear deep in her heart. "What’s the matter?" she said slowly. "Are you scared?"
Kuinan stared at the face that had occupied his thoughts day and night. "Well, well, little thing. It’s been a while. You’ve learned how to talk?"
The video feed cut out.
Kuinan was silent for a moment, then shot to his feet and strode outside.
...
...
"I told you to wait for Little Black’s signal!"
Leighton shoved the two "little lions" into the car. "What’s the hurry? We need to lure them out and weaken their numbers first."
Belial pouted. "If they’re too scared to come out, why don’t we just toss a few bombs in there and blow them to kingdom come? You’ve got the kill order, anyway."
Leighton shot back, "Yeah, great idea. You’re so smart, how about I let you be the Zone 19 Police Chief?"
"If you’re offering, I’ll take it—"
"Someone’s coming," Mingxi said, grabbing the back of Belial’s collar and yanking his head back inside the car before shutting the window.
A few seconds later, a snowmobile slowly pulled up beside their vehicle.
