Chapter 4: The Viper
Mrs. Nancy walked into the office with her right hand loosely clenched in front of her mouth and nose, her brows tightly furrowed. The first thing she did upon entering the room was to open the window, as her constitution already made it difficult for her to breathe.
The cool night breeze flowed into the room, stirring the hem of Mrs. Nancy's black gauze skirt. Her gaze fell on Su Xiao, who was seated behind the desk.
At that moment, Su Xiao was leaning back in the leather chair, a freshly lit cigarette dangling from his lips. Judging by his drowsy, half-lidded eyes, it was a wake-up cigarette.
"It's this late, and you still haven't gone back?"
Mrs. Nancy's expression remained composed as she walked to the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"Go back where?"
Su Xiao 'habitually' picked up the golden button on the desk and toyed with it. From its warm, polished sheen, it was clear he often held this item in his hands.
"Home, of course. I don't take you for a workaholic."
Mrs. Nancy chuckled softly behind her hand, then naturally began tidying up the messy documents on the desk.
"For me, as long as the conditions for living are met, there's not much difference in where I sleep."
From start to finish, Su Xiao remained completely at ease. If he showed even the slightest crack, the woman sitting across from him would latch onto him like a viper. Even killing her on the spot wouldn't salvage the situation.
Zuer City was the center of power for the entire empire. Here, authority was no less potent than martial strength. The large number of Awakened stationed here meant the place was both extremely dangerous and rife with opportunities.
For now, if Su Xiao could get through this crisis, he would secure a high starting point. The Execution Agency might not be a power institution, but it was a force of arms—more straightforward than any political body.
"That matter... is very troublesome. Even though she wasn't a direct-line royal descendant, those hounds won't give up. If they find even a trace..."
Mrs. Nancy didn't finish her sentence, but the implication was clear.
"Oh."
Su Xiao stubbed out his cigarette and began rummaging through the cabinet beside the desk. Soon, he found a box of biscuit-like food.
"So, you came to me in the middle of the night just to tell me this?"
Su Xiao looked at Mrs. Nancy with a 'caring' gaze, as if he were looking at an idiot.
"If it really was you, let's be straightforward. To be honest, with you in the Execution Agency, I feel at ease. I'll do my utmost to help you resolve this, provided you trust me."
Mrs. Nancy was somewhat displeased, as anyone could see the condescension in Su Xiao's 'caring' look.
"In the middle of the night, for this trivial crap? I thought maybe a region had gathered over a hundred Specters."
Su Xiao chewed on the biscuit, seemingly on a completely different wavelength from Mrs. Nancy. His attitude conveyed that the death of a single royal descendant was nothing compared to the Specter outbreaks across various regions.
"..."
Mrs. Nancy narrowed her eyes, her red lips curling into a smile. But inside, anger surged. She despised this Vice Legion Commander; his crudeness disgusted her.
Mrs. Nancy spoke sweetly, saying they were all on the same side. If there were any hidden circumstances, he should just say so, and she would find a way to suppress the matter.
Judging by her expression and tone, Mrs. Nancy seemed sincere, giving off a feeling of heartfelt openness. In reality, if Su Xiao had actually confessed the truth to her, he would have spent the night in prison, awaiting the verdict of the Tribunal.
"Is this your decision? Of course, if it really wasn't you, I apologize for my earlier words."
Mrs. Nancy clasped her hands together, her smile growing more captivating.
"Are you done?"
Su Xiao rubbed the biscuit crumbs off his hands, signaling that if Mrs. Nancy had finished, he needed to continue reviewing these documents. These were intelligence reports from various regional branches of the Execution Agency—each one a matter of life and death, otherwise they wouldn't have reached his desk.
"I've disturbed you. Get some rest."
Mrs. Nancy nodded with a smile, stood up, and walked out of the room. Such was the way of the royal descendants—even if they were cursing inside, they maintained politeness on the surface.
The meeting ended on a sour note. Mrs. Nancy's wish to replace the Vice Legion Commander was dashed. She already had a candidate in mind. Tonight, when she heard that Jane Vera had been blown to pieces, she immediately brought Awakened to Su Xiao's residence, but found it empty. On a whim, she came to Su Xiao's office, and indeed, he was there.
However, Mrs. Nancy was destined to be disappointed. From the moment she entered the room, she had been observing. Based on various traces, Su Xiao had been in the office for no less than a few hours, possibly even longer.
The door closed tightly. Su Xiao glanced at Bubu Wang, who was crouching by the door. Their eyes met, and Bubu Wang raised his head, understanding Su Xiao's intent: follow Mrs. Nancy, keep watch.
"Woof?"
"No need for full recording. Just capture the important clues."
Bubu Wang blended into the environment and leaped out the window.
"So there's a viper like that..."
Su Xiao clenched his fist, the golden button in his hand slowly deforming. He had always felt that the previous Vice Legion Commander's criminal behavior was somewhat absurd.
Think about it: as the de facto leader of a violent institution like the Execution Agency, would Li Kraser lack beautiful women by his side? Though he was lecherous, that old man had eight lovers, each one properly arranged. The funniest part was that once, stuck in a remote backwater, drunk and unbearably horny, he went to a red-light district. Unfortunately, that district was raided. The old man stubbornly refused to reveal his identity, fearing embarrassment, and eventually paid his way out of it.
Now ask yourself: would a lecher who went to a red-light district to relieve his boredom when drunk really force himself on a young girl he barely knew on a dark, windy night? That old man had traveled dozens of kilometers to get to that red-light district. If Li Kraser were truly a beast, he wouldn't have gotten caught.
Lecherous but not depraved—that was the impression Li Kraser left on Su Xiao. Moreover, there weren't many royal descendants in Zuer City, and even fewer among the younger generation. Coincidentally, that young girl was the fiancée of a young royal descendant, and she also suffered from a rare case of Stockholm syndrome. This was a textbook example of too many coincidences piling up.
Su Xiao quickly reviewed his political opponents in his mind, but after some thought, he felt this wasn't their doing. It was too crude—too crude to withstand scrutiny.
The good news now was that Su Xiao had cut off all intelligence related to that matter. By now, Su Xiao understood why Li Kraser had kept that girl alive. The old man knew something was wrong, so he left a witness, wanting to find out who was setting him up. With over 80% Awakening, Li Kraser didn't have long to live. Who had such a screw loose as to provoke a mad dog like that?
As long as the situation didn't change drastically, Su Xiao wouldn't get involved in this matter anymore. The trail was broken. Most criminals were caught because fear drove them to continue covering up their tracks, ultimately backfiring and delivering themselves to the authorities.
Su Xiao opened his task list. He needed to focus on his promotion mission. As for whoever was trying to harm him, he would ignore them for now. If it was Mrs. Nancy, things would actually be easier.
[Promotion Mission: Ghost Ring (First Ring)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.41
Mission Brief: Locate the Ghost Ring faction.
Mission Info: Eliminate the Ghost Ring faction from Zuer City (at least 60% of its members).
Time Limit: 10 natural days
Mission Reward: Determined by mission completion rate. Upon receiving the reward, the second ring mission will be unlocked.
Mission Penalty: Forced execution.
...