Before long, the vehicle slowed to a halt next to an abandoned warehouse.
Cipher stepped out from the passenger side. Looking at the dilapidated structure—which was almost identical in style to the one they had raided during the Tiger Gang's trade yesterday—she couldn't help but criticize it.
"Why do all these organizations love trading in abandoned warehouses? And why is it always this exact same model of warehouse?"
"Because the interiors are massive and can hold a lot of people. Even if a fight breaks out, the open space makes it suitable for either taking cover or attacking."
"As for the design..." Lu Zhaoran explained as she climbed out of the car. "The warehouses in this district were indeed all manufactured by the same company before they were abandoned."
"I'll go grab those two from the trunk, then we can get on with the trade."
Lu Zhaoran glanced at the armed guards standing watch at the entrance, then walked to the rear to hoist the two men onto her shoulders. After confirming they wouldn't wake up anytime soon and weren't about to die, she gave Cipher a quick "let's go" and marched toward the entrance.
Cipher followed closely behind.
However, just as Cipher prepared to step inside, a guard leveled his rifle and blocked her path.
"Apologies, Ms. Cipher. Our agreement is to trade with Ms. Lu Zhaoran. You cannot enter."
Both Cipher and Lu Zhaoran frowned simultaneously.
Lu Zhaoran snapped back irritably, "Cipher is my partner. Without her, this trade wouldn't even exist. Why isn't she allowed in?"
"Apologies. Director Chu stated that whoever contacted them is the one who conducts the trade. He doesn't care who facilitated the deal," the guard repeated flatly.
"Have Chu Qingyu come say that himself. You're just a gatekeeper who isn't even B-rank; how dare you speak to us like that?"
As Lu Zhaoran's impatient words fell, Cipher watched as a pitch-black rift momentarily flickered in front of the guard's neck before vanishing instantly. Had her dynamic vision not been so exceptional, she would have missed it entirely.
A thin red line appeared on the guard's throat. Blood trickled down, quickly staining his collar crimson.
Lu Zhaoran expected the man to recoil in fear, but to her surprise, he remained rooted to the spot, staring at them with a stern, unwavering gaze.
"Apologies. Rules are rules. Even if you kill me, my comrades will still stop you."
"How many Credits are you even making a month? Is it even enough to buy a burial urn? Is it really worth throwing your life away like this?" Cipher asked, her brow furrowed.
"Credits? Who would risk their life for those things?" The guard reacted as if he had heard a hilarious joke.
"We gathered together to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the corporations! For this noble ideal, we will not hesitate to sacrifice our lives! How could corporate lapdogs like you possibly understand our feelings! Hahaha—ugh!"
A black rift instantly severed the guard's neck. His eyes bulged as he clutched his spraying throat, slowly collapsing to the ground.
Lu Zhaoran had lost her patience and struck.
Looking at the guard's corpse—and the fanatical light that hadn't faded from his eyes even in death—Cipher felt a wave of nausea. What kind of organization brainwashes a living human being into something like this? This was practically a cult.
"Let's go."
Disgust flickered in Lu Zhaoran's eyes as she stepped over the body to continue forward. Cipher prepared to follow, but immediately, another guard stepped out from the side, blocking her path again.
His eyes showed no fear or grief over his companion's death; there was only the cold calm of someone executing an order.
Lu Zhaoran grew restless, preparing to use her ability to kill this guard as well. However, Cipher stopped her.
"Zhaoran, wait. Just go in and do the trade yourself."
Lu Zhaoran looked at her with confusion.
"These people have been brainwashed into death-soldiers; killing them won't change anything. Since they're so insistent on keeping me out, I simply won't go in."
"I'd like to see what kind of trick the Backcurrent Alliance is trying to pull, anyway."
Cipher shrugged helplessly. Yet, upon closer inspection, those azure pupils revealed not helplessness, but cold indifference and disdain.
"Cipher, if you stay out here alone... won't it be unsafe?"
"Setting aside the fact that you're the one going into the warehouse for the trade, I'm out here in the open. I shouldn't be in more danger than you, right?"
"Besides, I'm stronger than you. I should be the one telling you to stay safe."
"But..."
"No 'buts.' The trade is more important."
Before Lu Zhaoran could finish, Cipher pushed her toward the warehouse entrance. Immediately, two guards stepped forward and decisively slammed the heavy doors shut.
"Whew... finally got Zhaoran inside. Now then... it's your turn, right?"
Once she was certain Lu Zhaoran was completely inside, Cipher let out a breath and turned her head toward the residential building across the street.
Clap... clap... clap...
The sound of slow applause drifted from the building. The front door opened, and two figures slowly emerged. One of them looked at Cipher, who was standing with her arms crossed, and spoke slowly.
"As expected of the A+ rank Cipher. To think you sensed us from such a distance."
"Your sounds are far too obvious. Your footsteps, your breathing, even the sound of your heartbeats..." Cipher reached up and pointed to the pair of cat ears atop her head. "Nothing escapes my ears."
The man glanced at her ears and sighed. "Fine, I admit I underestimated the hearing of a feline gene-mod; it truly is sharp."
Suddenly, his tone shifted, becoming laced with contempt. "But in my view, it seems you have also underestimated us..."
With a snap of his fingers, a curtain of light shimmered into existence like an inverted bowl, instantly trapping Cipher and the two men inside.
"Since your ability is time-stop, the smartest move would have been to take your friend and run with your tail between your legs the moment you sensed us. Instead, you stood here like an idiot waiting for us to come to you."
"But now? This entire area has been sealed tight by ability-interference. Aside from the three of us, not even a fly can get out. So, for someone like you—who couldn't even kill a mere B+ rank healer..."
"How do you plan to perform this 'caged beast' act? Will you bare your teeth in a pointless struggle... or will you just get on your knees and wait to die?"