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Join the ServerTurning our attention to Zi Yanran, who had returned to her accommodation, she was seething with anger. The ambush she had encountered earlier had infuriated her.
Her fury wasn’t born from the assassination attempt itself, but from the utterly depraved and maniacal methods employed by her attackers. They had shown no regard for the lives of their own citizens.
Of course, such disregard for human life seemed to be an old tradition in Japan.
Recalling the recent incident, Zi Yanran still felt a chill. The horrific scene remained vivid in her memory, and she hadn’t yet fully recovered from the shock.
The inferno had spread like a merciless reaper, devouring lives in every direction. Screams and cries for help had echoed through the chaos.
Though Zi Yanran had faced assassinations by ability users in Xia Kingdom, they paled in comparison to today’s assault. This wasn’t merely an assassination; it was an act of indiscriminate slaughter.
Xia Kingdom’s ability users, despite their cunning methods, always exercised some restraint, never wantonly harming the innocent. Today’s assassins, however, had seemed to lose all semblance of reason, caring nothing for the lives of others.
She held little affection for Japan due to historical issues, but those were matters of state, unrelated to ordinary people. Witnessing innocent civilians struggling in the blaze had filled her with profound self-reproach.
She felt as though she had indirectly caused their deaths, and this crushing guilt left her deeply unsettled.
Just as Zi Yanran was consumed by pain and self-blame, Bai Mengqi’s voice drifted into her ears.
“Yanran, I’m back. Open the window.”
Upon hearing Bai Mengqi’s return, Zi Yanran immediately rushed to the window and opened it. Though she saw no one, she distinctly felt someone enter through the opening.
When she closed the window and turned around, Bai Mengqi was already standing silently behind her. A look of deep hurt crossed Zi Yanran’s face, and she suddenly embraced Bai Mengqi tightly.
Her voice heavy with emotion, she asked, “Mengqi, do you think I shouldn’t have come to Japan? If I hadn’t come, would all those people have died today?”
Hearing Zi Yanran’s self-reproach, Bai Mengqi’s expression instantly grew somber. She knew Zi Yanran was caught in a spiral of self-doubt.
She gently patted Zi Yanran’s back, offering comfort. “It’s alright, don’t be sad. What happened today was truly insane, but you must understand that their deaths aren’t your fault. You’re simply here for business.”
“If anyone is to blame, it’s their own people. Sometimes, you shouldn’t let your sense of morality weigh you down too much.”
Bai Mengqi was a seasoned veteran. She had slain demons, monsters, and ability users alike. In her eyes, all enemies were the same.
She would never extend sympathy to an enemy, for that would only endanger herself. However, the first time she had taken a life, a certain degree of guilt had lingered, even if the person had been utterly evil.
Under Bai Mengqi’s soothing words, Zi Yanran finally managed to suppress the uncomfortable emotions churning within her. She took a deep breath, striving to calm herself.
Then, her gaze firm, she declared, “While that may be true, I still feel unwell. I’ve decided we must resolve things tomorrow. We need to leave Japan as soon as possible.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Mengqi’s face registered a hint of dilemma.
“Ah? But I still have some matters to attend to.”
She needed to pinpoint the locations of her Immortal Crystal fragments. If she could retrieve them, she absolutely would; otherwise, she would have to find another time to return to Japan.
Even retrieving just one fragment would significantly boost her combat power, enabling her to reclaim the remaining shards.
One look at Bai Mengqi’s expression, and Zi Yanran knew exactly what she was thinking. She chuckled.
“Oh, don’t worry! I only meant I’d complete my mission first. Then, we can find a way to evade their surveillance and secretly stay behind, can’t we? I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
At these words, Bai Mengqi immediately understood. A warm current surged through her heart as she gazed at Zi Yanran’s trusting eyes.
“Indeed, you’re right.” She nodded. “Then we’ll settle your affairs tomorrow and then figure out how to stay.”
****
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaodie received a phone call from an unknown individual.
–Butterfly, it’s time for you to act.
A cold, unfamiliar Japanese woman’s voice came from the other end of the line. Zhou Xiaodie’s brow furrowed tightly after receiving the call, though what was said remained a mystery.
In any case, after hanging up, her mood was heavy, as if burdened by a significant mission.
****
On the other side, Bai Mengqi and Zi Yanran had resumed their affectionate banter.
“Change your clothes. You’ve been wearing these for two days, constantly fighting outside. Aren’t you afraid of getting dirty?” Zi Yanran suddenly demanded that Bai Mengqi change.
Bai Mengqi’s mind filled with questions. “Why? What mischievous idea have you come up with now?”
Zi Yanran cupped Bai Mengqi’s face, examining it closely. “I can’t help it; your face is truly too angelic. Honestly, I’d love to see you in ancient attire. If you dressed like one of those Great Immortalesses, you’d be breathtakingly beautiful, not of this mortal realm.”
As Zi Yanran spoke, a fleeting look of bewilderment crossed Bai Mengqi’s face. The female ghost who had intruded upon her dreams yesterday seemed to have unlocked a secret within her body, forcing her to ponder this very question.
However, she didn’t want to show it in front of Zi Yanran, so she smiled and said, “But there are no such clothes here. Let’s talk about it when we return home.”
Zi Yanran merely giggled, then opened her suitcase and pulled out a pure white dress. “No ancient attire, but I have this. Go take a shower.”
She handed the dress to Bai Mengqi, who gave a wry smile. “I feel like you’re truly raising me as your daughter, honestly.”
Despite her words, she dutifully went to take a shower. She did, after all, need to change; she had been wearing the same clothes for two days.
****
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaodie, after much heavy contemplation, finally made up her mind. She arrived at the technical director’s room and gently knocked on the door.
After a moment, the technical director opened the door. Seeing Zhou Xiaodie, he smiled and asked, “Ah, Secretary Zhou. Does President Zi have any instructions?”
Zhou Xiaodie offered a slight smile. “President Zi sent me to retrieve our technical materials. Tomorrow is the final day of negotiations, and she wants to review them carefully once more.”
The technical director immediately invited Zhou Xiaodie in. Once inside, she closed the door behind her.
The technical director then handed her a specially designed USB drive. “The data is all in here. For security, it has a double lock. You’ll need President Zi’s key to access its contents,” he explained.
Zhou Xiaodie nodded and took the USB drive. She looked at the drive in her hand, her expression unreadable.
She knew this USB drive contained the company’s core technical data. If it fell into the hands of a competitor, the Zijing Group would suffer immense losses.
“Alright, thank you. I’ll deliver this to President Zi immediately.”
After taking the item, Zhou Xiaodie left the technical director’s room. However, she did not go to Zi Yanran’s side; instead, she left the hotel directly.
As she was leaving the floor, a bodyguard asked her, “Secretary Zhou, where are you going?”
Zhou Xiaodie calmly replied, “President Zi asked me to run an errand.” The bodyguard, hearing this, did not stop her. He knew Zhou Xiaodie was Zi Yanran’s secretary, and as such, she was undoubtedly a trustworthy person.
Otherwise, why would someone untrustworthy be brought to such crucial business negotiations? Thus, Zhou Xiaodie smoothly exited the hotel and departed by car.
Her departure was coincidentally witnessed by a sharp-eyed bodyguard. A premonition of unease surged within him, for he knew they had all agreed that bodyguards would handle any necessary errands, and other staff members were strictly not to leave the hotel.
He immediately reported the situation to Liang Qiuyu. Liang Qiuyu instantly grew alert. She hurried to Zi Yanran’s accommodation and knocked on her door.
Zi Yanran opened the door, questioning, “Captain Liang, what’s wrong?”
Liang Qiuyu quickly replied, “Miss Zi, did you arrange for Secretary Zhou to go out on an errand?”
Zi Yanran paused, then shook her head. “No.” As soon as she said no, Liang Qiuyu’s expression immediately turned grave.
She looked at Zi Yanran. “Miss Zi, Secretary Zhou might be compromised.” Zi Yanran’s heart jolted at the news.
She carefully replayed Zhou Xiaodie’s usual behavior in her mind but found nothing abnormal. Yet, she also knew that people could hide their true intentions; sometimes, those who seemed fine on the surface could conceal vast conspiracies.
Moreover, Bai Mengqi had once warned her. “It seems President Zi has a mole nearby.”
Seeing Zi Yanran’s solemn expression, Liang Qiuyu understood. “President Zi, have you not verified her identity?”
After a moment of thought, Zi Yanran replied, “I only know she has some secrets. But otherwise, there haven’t been any issues; she’s been with our company for several years.”
Liang Qiuyu’s face showed annoyance. “It seems she must be one of the many spies Japan has sent to our Xia Kingdom.”
Zi Yanran, hearing this, suddenly remembered something else. “Now that you mention it, she did join the company in the same year our Zijing Group made significant breakthroughs in this technology.”
This detail allowed Liang Qiuyu to be one hundred percent certain of Zhou Xiaodie’s identity. “What? Then she’s definitely one of them! What do we do now?”
Liang Qiuyu grew anxious. She knew her mission was essentially a failure. If the technical data were leaked, their negotiations would become meaningless.
However, Zi Yanran did not appear overly stressed. She simply looked out the window with a hint of regret, as if lost in thought.
After a while, she finally spoke. “It’s fine if she exposed herself. It saves me from having a ticking time bomb by my side. Besides, the main USB drive doesn’t actually contain the technical data. The true technical information is with me.”
Liang Qiuyu immediately froze. “What? Are you serious?” She couldn’t believe her ears.
Zi Yanran nodded. “Indeed. The USB drive was made in two copies precisely to create a diversion and prevent internal theft. That’s why I told those in the know that the data was on the technical director’s USB drive.”
Liang Qiuyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “Is that so? You startled me. It’s good that nothing is wrong.”
She then asked, “What should we do next?” Zi Yanran gazed out the window, contemplating for a moment, then said, “It’s better that she exposed herself. It saves me from having a ticking time bomb by my side.”
Liang Qiuyu immediately nodded in agreement.
You’ve got to see this next! There Is a Monster in The Imperial Palace will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : There Is a Monster in The Imperial Palace
