城市猎人：系统升级之王

Chapter 24: A Special Partner

"Unthinkable that the Liu Family would suffer such a calamity – the patriarch and his two sons murdered, with the old master seriously injured. It looks like Tianfu won't be peaceful for a while."
"Yes, and who could be targeting the Liu Family? Dozens of guards were taken down, thankfully they survived."
"It seems this armed force has some conscience, targeting only the Liu Family and sparing the guards."
"The Liu Family has contributed much to Tianfu's stability over the years, and they haven't produced any prodigal children. Such a pity."
"I wonder how badly the old master is hurt. If something happens to him, the Liu Family will truly be finished."
"Could it be... never mind, forget I said anything."
"No, tell us! We won't spread it around."
"Well... it's just a guess. With the new king just crowned, could he be consolidating power...?"
"That's unlikely. The new king needs stability now; it wouldn't benefit the royal family to stir up too much trouble so soon."
"Yeah, just a random thought. Let's drink."
"Sure, cheers."
From the first to the fifth floor of the restaurant, nearly everyone dining was discussing the tragedy that had struck the Liu Family in the early hours. This illustrated the profound influence the Liu Family had on Tianfu.
"Big Brother, you finally came!" On the fifth floor, Yuexi, who had been eagerly awaiting their arrival, spotted Li Nianlong and Nalan Ruyue, her eyes brimming with tears. She rushed up and clasped Li Nianlong's hand, exclaiming, "Our savior!"
"..."
"Big Brother, Sister Nalan." Yue Chang stood by the table, a shy and embarrassed expression on her face.
Losing money twice in three days was truly embarrassing.
Nalan Ruyue nodded with a smile, while Li Nianlong was momentarily stunned before nodding emotionlessly. The four of them sat down together, and with Yuexi's newfound confidence, she called out, "Waiter, bring us our food!"
Thereafter, Li Nianlong seemed distant and spoke little, his mood visibly sour. Despite the Moon Sisters' attempts to engage him in conversation, he only gave perfunctory responses. As time passed, all three girls noticed his change in demeanor.
A delicate hand gently tugged on his sleeve. Li Nianlong turned to see Nalan Ruyue, her eyes filled with concern, signing, "Brother, what's wrong? Why aren't you happy?"
"It's nothing," Li Nianlong shook his head, his gaze shifting to the Moon Sisters'—no, specifically, their heads. He noticed that the aura above their heads, which had been yellow a few days ago, had now turned orange-red.
What did this imply? Li Nianlong had learned from Dragonfly that the Moon Sisters had committed murder, yet they weren't fully marked as criminals, indicating that the people they killed weren't innocent but also weren't utterly wicked. They carried a lot of resentment but didn't have lives on their conscience.
Regardless, the sisters had taken lives. Their harmless appearance belied their actions, and their unchanged demeanor after committing murder left Li Nianlong deeply troubled.
Remaining calm after taking lives suggested that the sisters were accustomed to killing. However, Li Nianlong didn't confront them immediately, as their auras indicated they weren't inherently evil—at least, they hadn't been until recently.
"Let's eat!" For now, Li Nianlong chose not to dwell on it.
Li Nianlong's mood dampened the dinner, and Nalan Ruyue returned home feeling gloomy, too preoccupied to prepare for the next day's buns. Yuexi, too, was uncharacteristically subdued.
"Tired from the day, sleep early," Li Nianlong said before heading upstairs.
Nalan Ruyue watched his retreating figure with a worried look, while a profound glint flashed across Yue Chang's eyes.
Deep into the night, Yue Chang soaked in a circular bathtub, playing with soap bubbles. Beside her, Yuexi rinsed her fair body under the showerhead. Amidst the splashing water, Yuexi asked, "Cang Cang, do you think Big Brother saw something?"
"I'm puzzled too!" Yue Chang dispersed her bubbles, her voice soft. "With our ability to hide our presence, he shouldn't have noticed anything, especially since we washed off any traces of blood. How could he know?"
"That's why it's strange." Yuexi rinsed her shampoo and fixed the showerhead, picking up shower gel. "When Big Brother arrived, he seemed fine, but he changed after seeing us. Did we miss something?"
Yue Chang thought for a moment, shaking her head gently. "We shouldn't have left any clues. It's strange, but it's Big Brother who's acting odd."
"Oh?"
"Xixi, did you notice?" Yue Chang looked at Yuexi, her gentle gaze tinged with sharpness. "Back at the restaurant, Big Brother kept staring at the top of our heads. Think carefully, was there anything on our heads?"
Yuexi frowned, recalling every detail but finding nothing unusual about their heads. "Shouldn't be, right?"
Yuexi wasn't certain. "We didn't wear hats or accessories, and apart from oil in our hair, there was nothing else."
"How greasy." Yue Chang leaned back, submerging her hair. "Mine's not oily, it's definitely yours."
"If I have oil, you have dandruff," Yuexi pouted.
"Guess not!" Yue Chang sat up, stretching her slender legs, her pale feet floating and swaying on the water's surface.
"That's strange." Yue Chang propped her cheek on one hand, her beautiful face clouded with confusion. "What did Big Brother see?"
Yuexi pondered, lathering herself in foam, her body now covered in a layer of white, obscuring certain intimate areas in a mesmerizing blur.
"Cang Cang..." Yuexi suddenly had an idea, her eyes lighting up as she crouched by the tub, looking at Yue Chang. "Do you think Big Brother is like us?"
"Really?" Yue Chang's eyes brightened, though not entirely convinced. "Master said there are fewer than ten superpowered individuals worldwide, and none like us with such powerful elemental abilities. When Big Brother took down those robbers on the train, he seemed like an ordinary person, maybe with some internal strength. How could he be like us?"
"People can't be judged by appearance!" Yuexi stood, rinsing off the foam. "Like us, we seem like a pair of cute and innocent twins, but who would've guessed we're the world's top assassins, the Moon Sisters? And abilities vary; we're combat types, maybe Big Brother has a different kind, like detection... Yes! Detection! He must have detected what we did, that's why he's unhappy."
Yuexi nodded repeatedly, convinced she was right.
"Really?" Yue Chang frowned in contemplation.
"Absolutely!" Yuexi giggled. "Since Big Brother is like us, it's easy. I'll talk to him and try to get him on our team."
"No way!" Yue Chang immediately vetoed Yuexi's plan.
"Why not?" Yuexi was puzzled. "Don't you want Big Brother to treat us warmer?"
"We're not sure if Big Brother is a superpowered individual." Yue Chang gently shook her head. "Before we're sure, we can't reveal ourselves. If he's not and discovers us, could you bear to kill him?"
Their master had instilled in them from a young age that superpowered beings and ordinary people belonged to different worlds, and they must never let anyone learn their true identities. If discovered, they must eliminate the person immediately to avoid fatal dangers.
Raised with this belief, the Moon Sisters regarded it as truth. Fortunately, no one had uncovered their true selves, but Yuexi's relaxed vigilance was a wake-up call, averted by Yue Chang's timely intervention.