But before his fingers could even graze her, half a dozen triggers clicked in unison.
"Argh…"
He dropped to his knees with a scream, blood blooming down his thighs as he clutched at the wounds.
Noa stepped back, brushing a strand of hair from her shoulder. She adjusted her coat collar, calm as a still pond.
Then she spun around, with a precise snap of her heel, driving her boot into his cheekbone.
Crack.
The man fell sideways with a groan, blood trickling down his chin.
"This bast*rd…" she hissed.
One of the agents beside her silently offered a tissue. She took it, dabbing the corner of her mouth like a woman freshening up after a long meeting.
"Tidy him up," she said. "Bring him to the safehouse. Remember, Hangzhou City Police cannot know about him yet. Not until we interrogate him thoroughly."
"Yes, ma'am."
The six of them grabbed him, and she turned around to face Sungjun, who was standing not far away but watching everything in silence. The latter just stared at her, blinking. "Man, this girl is fiery than I thought. I cannot let my identity be known. Neither Pavel has any presence in this city, nor those two guardians of mine are here to protect me in case I say the wrong things, and she tries to investigate my background. The best thing to do is to peacefully resolve the matter and pacify her ego… Hmm…"
Noa did look like she had finally paid attention to Sungjun. She was about to walk toward him, but right then, the captured guy burst out into laughter. "You are good, lady, but I cannot afford to fail my mission. Since I cannot hide, I will have to take you down with me…"
At once, the mana core in his body was ignited. Within seconds, his life ended, and all of his mana reserves turned into pure energy, ready to explode.
Noa hurriedly spoke. "Everyone, leave the premises as fast as possible. I will form a barrier around and contain the explosion within the elevator."
"But, Ma'am…" As one of the armed officers tried to say something, she sharply spoke. "This is my order. Now, go…"
She grabbed the dead body and threw him into the elevator before stepping inside.
Meanwhile, the armed officers, her subordinates, rushed away from the scene. One of them was about to grab Sungjun on the way, but the latter quickly slipped from them and entered the elevator just as it closed.
Noa's eyes widened, and a sharp scream escaped her mouth. "Are you crazy. What are you doing?"
To which Sungjun replied, "Of course, to help you."
"I don't need help. This place needs it, idiot." She snapped at him. "Can't sense how much mana this guy has? If he explodes, there will be lots of casualties."
Sungjun replied. "You create the barrier as planned, and leave the rest to me."
Noa didn't know what he planned on doing, but knowing there wasn't much time, she didn't pay attention to him anymore and focused on pushing her mana out and extending it further to create a hexagonal barrier, trapping herself, Sungjun, and the dead body that was almost turned into a ball of compressed energy.
Noa, upon finishing the barrier, finally glanced at Sungjun. He was doing nothing but stare at the ball of energy. Guilt enveloped her mind, and the word, Sorry escaped her mouth. "Sorry, I shouldn't have dragged you up here… If only I get to…"
*Boom*
She didn't get to finish her words, and the explosion expanded at a terrifying pace. She shut her eyes instinctively, expecting to be hit, but instead, she felt a sturdy body standing in front of her and hugging her. Her face was pressed against his chest while her body was wrapped in his arms.
*Ding!
[100,000 mana particles have been deducted. Invincibility Skill has been activated. 8 seconds until effect ends.]
Ten seconds later, the elevator dinged softly on the first floor. Outside, a mother and daughter pair were waiting to board. Just as it opened, they saw both of them hugging, and she instinctively closed her 8-year-old's eyes, but then as Sungjun saw her, he freed Noa, who looked around. While the mana barrier was heavily cracked, the dead body dissipated, leaving behind nothing in the end. In the meantime, her hair became slightly messy.
She looked at herself and then slowly raised her head to look at Sungjun's face up close. As she stared at him in a bit of daze, Sungjun smiled. "Let's talk somewhere."
She nodded in a daze again.
After a while, Noa was seen in a restroom, fixing her hair and then applying her lipstick. As she checked herself again and again in the mirror, her phone buzzed. She took it out.
It had the image of Tianzhu, but a younger one from twenty years ago, and it was with someone well-known to the police department. "Why was this guy with Shen Triad's former Boss, Ren Fanjie? What was his relation to her? I knew at first glance that Tianzhu was a dreaded killer. The killing intent he was suppressing is huge, but I didn't expect him to have ties with such a dark criminal organization." She couldn't help but frown at the photo.
However, as she scrolled down, past the image, his basic details were shown. Unlike the image, the details are pretty much basic, but one detail attracted her attention: "The brother of Jiang Xueli, the White Fist?"
Meanwhile, outside, in the food court of the mall, Sungjun was waiting for her. He was scrolling through some reels out of boredom, enjoying the bit of modern technology that he couldn't do in the 90s, but then a message from Tempest popped up, shifting his attention.
[Tempest]: Sir, there is a small problem. The Black Dragon Gang caused some problems at Kremlinsk. Last night, as you know, our Cargo shipment was docked at Port Zimorodok, which was under the control of Zimnyye Ruki (Winter Hands). Their men were killed on the spot, leaving behind no evidence. But, a few minutes ago, Mr. Yuri got the message from Black Dragon. Ivan Drago claimed that he had our 1000 tons of Enriched RDX, and he was asking for 1 billion credits.
Clenching his fists, Sungjun murmured, "With Eva gone, Pavel no longer has eyes on the globe, and I bet they must have already found out about it, somehow. Those explosives were regularly used by Alexander for granite mining. It lessens the effort so much. But in the hands of a gang like Black Dragon, they will become C-4. As an organized criminal organization, they might not use it for themselves, but who knows which dark guild they will sell them to, which will then be used for terrorist activities. And going to war against Black Dragon will cause casualties on my side for sure. Some explosives aren't worth losing loyal men. However, if I accept the demand, Pavel's fame will be hit. No, I need to make a firm statement that anyone who messes with Pavel shouldn't have any future left."
He sent back the reply to his subordinate, who was currently at the hotel they were staying at.
Commander: Tempest, we are going back home. Make preparations. However, tell Ivan that I'm currently busy with some other matters. I will give him, not 1 but 2 Billion Credits. Tell him to wait for 2 weeks, and I will meet him in person.
Tempest: Sir, there is no need to give them money. It's just the Black Dragon Gang. Give me an order and I will destroy it for you.
Commander: The Black Dragon doesn't have the guts to steal our shipment and dares to call us. Someone is behind them. But it doesn't matter. They will be destroyed for sure. Just follow my instructions for now.
Tempest: Understood, Sir.
*
A couple of minutes later, Noa walked out of the restroom and came to the food court in a bit of nervousness and excitement, to the table where Sungjun was supposed to be sitting, but instead, she found a staff member there waiting for her.
As she approached the table, the staff member looked at her and asked. "Hello, are you Miss Noa?"
She nodded in a bit of daze, suspecting the worst.
The waiter gave her the slip and said, "Mr. Han left this for you."
A few words were there on the slip: Sorry for standing you up again, but something urgent came up. I have to leave. If fate permits, when we meet again, I will owe you a date."
She immediately tore it into pieces, anger creeping up to her mind, "This bast*rd… he didn't even leave behind a phone number and dares to say he owes me a date. I was just thankful because you saved twice… Who wants to go on a date… Hmpf…" She stomped her foot and walked away.