Cipher emerged from the door behind the counter only to be greeted by a scene of absolute chaos.
Masses of people were slumped over tables, sprawled across the floor, or collapsed onto one another. Without exception, everyone had fainted. Drinks and food had been overturned, leaving the ground a filthy, sticky mess.
'Hmm... I should probably try to avoid opening the bottle in crowded places from now on. Otherwise, a whole crowd is going to pass out every single time.'
Cipher murmured to herself as she surveyed the sea of unconscious bodies.
With a light tap of her toes, she landed atop a table. After a few successive leaps, she quickly reached the entrance of the Mercenary Association. She chose this path simply because the tables were significantly cleaner than the floor.
Reaching the exit, Cipher pulled out her terminal and dialed Lu Zhaoran.
After a series of pips, the call was quickly picked up. Lu Zhaoran's voice drifted through, sounding somewhat dazed.
"Hello... who is it..."
"It's me, Cipher~"
"Ah! Big Boss! Is something the matter?"
Upon hearing Cipher's voice, Lu Zhaoran's groggy mind snapped into focus. According to the survival instincts she had honed through years of "thigh-grabbing," whenever a benefactor who could provide benefits called, she had to cling to them tightly.
"Drive over to the Mercenary Association. I need you to pick someone up."
"Eh? Oh, okay! I'm coming right now. Anything else?"
Cipher thought for a moment before adding:
"Bring plenty of those fast-acting injections of yours, then head over."
"Mm-hm, I'm on my way!"
Hanging up, Cipher stowed her terminal back into her system inventory and began waiting for Shen Yan's arrival.
Before long, a pale-faced Shen Yan walked out of the Association's main gates.
The moment he saw her, he asked, "Why did all the other mercenaries inside faint? Was it caused by that aura of yours?"
Cipher nodded.
"Their strength was too low, so they all passed out. Don't worry, though. As long as you don't touch that breath directly, it won't have any lasting effects on the body."
Shen Yan breathed a sigh of relief at her explanation, though he remained skeptical about the "no lasting effects" part. After all, the agony he had just experienced was very real. That sensation of pain interwoven with the brink of death was practically torture; it was something he would never be able to forget.
"By the way, go ahead and jab yourself with this."
As she spoke, Cipher produced a syringe and handed it to Shen Yan.
Shen Yan took the device, looking hesitantly at the translucent white liquid inside.
"What is this...?"
"A type of anesthetic. Just one shot of this..."
"It's a sedative. Even an A-rank would collapse within a minute after one dose."
"...Can I choose not to?"
"No. It won't kill you anyway."
"This is..."
Shen Yan stared at the syringe in his hand, falling into deep thought. To be honest, this was the first time he had been expected to inject himself with such a potent anesthetic. Usually, he was the one drugging others.
He felt... very conflicted.
Just as Shen Yan steeled his resolve to give himself the shot, the syringe suddenly vanished from his hand.
Immediately after, he felt a sharp sting in his right arm.
He looked down at his arm in a daze, only to find an empty syringe sticking out of it.
"When... did it... get there..."
The moment he finished those words, an overwhelming wave of drowsiness crashed over him. Already weakened by the deathly aura from earlier, Shen Yan stood no chance against the sedative.
After struggling for about twenty seconds, a loud thud echoed as Shen Yan fell face-first onto the ground, sinking into a peaceful slumber.
Standing to the side, Cipher toyed with her Flipping Coin. Watching the collapsed man, she let out a sigh.
"Good grief. You were taking forever. Don't you know time is money? Since you were being so hesitant, this cat decided to help you out. No need to thank me."
With that, she knelt down, pulled the syringe out of his arm, and waited for Lu Zhaoran to arrive.
A short while later, Lu Zhaoran pulled up to the front of the Association in her off-road vehicle.
"Big Boss Cipher! Over here!"
Lu Zhaoran rolled down the window, waving and shouting toward the roadside.
Seeing her arrival, Cipher hoisted Shen Yan onto her shoulder, tossed him directly into the back seat, and then climbed into the passenger side herself.
"Shen Yan? Why is it him?"
Lu Zhaoran recognized the man Cipher was carrying at a glance, shouting in a hushed, surprised tone.
Cipher settled into the seat and responded, "This 'Boss Shen' is the one who sold our commission location to the Backcurrent Alliance, which led to the Spark Squad and me getting ambushed."
"So, I decided to settle the score. After all, our troubles started with him."
"I see." Lu Zhaoran realized. "So we're taking him back now?"
Cipher nodded. "Take him back. We have the trade with the Backcurrent Alliance tomorrow afternoon, right? This Boss Shen is the perfect way to squeeze out more intel about them."
"Since he loves collecting intelligence so much, I refuse to believe he doesn't have any dirt on the Alliance."
"As for how to get that info out of him, I'll leave that to you. I'm not very good at that part."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoran confidently thumped her chest.
"Leave it to me! Interrogation is my specialty! After all, I used to be a Sin-Purging Knight!"
★ ★ ★
Soon, the two returned to their hideout with Shen Yan.
After getting out of the car, Lu Zhaoran went to the back seat, dragged Shen Yan out, and promptly gave him another injection for good measure.
"I'll take him down to the basement for interrogation now. Anything else you need, Big Boss?"
As she hoisted Shen Yan up, she looked toward Cipher.
"Nothing else. I'm fine."
"Actually, Little Lin—weren't you just woken up by me? Why don't you go back to sleep first? There's no need to rush this very second."
"Besides, the trade isn't until tomorrow afternoon, right?"
Hearing Cipher's suggestion, Lu Zhaoran paused to think and quickly agreed.
"Alright. Just to be safe, I'll give him a few more shots first. You go ahead and sleep, Big Boss. I'll head to bed as soon as I'm done."
"Mm. Get some rest. Goodnight~"
"Goodnight~"
After saying goodnight to Lu Zhaoran, Cipher returned to her room. Stripping off her shoes and coat, she flopped onto the soft bed and was soon fast asleep.