Chapter 632: An Zhiyue Teased, the New Child of Destiny!
Yao Qi sent word that he wanted to negotiate and be allowed to leave, but An Zhiyue could not possibly agree; allowing a major wanted criminal who had caused countless bloody incidents to escape was absolutely out of the question!
However, An Zhiyue could not enter Xihe Shopping Mall. While not many ordinary people recognized her face, almost no strong individuals in the dark world did not know her. The name of the Yanxia Female War God was like thunder, shaking the world. As for disguises, it would be extremely difficult to fool a Half-Step Celestial Master as cunning and sinister as Yao Qi. The aura of a strong individual is very difficult to conceal, especially for a Martial Dao Grandmaster whose surging vital energy is like a blazing sun, unless they are skilled in methods of concealing their aura.
An Zhiyue was not one skilled in such arts. She was a weapon forged for the battlefield, a force of nature meant to be unleashed, not hidden. Her very presence was a declaration of war. Though a woman, her combat style was defined by raw, unrestrained ferocity. This was the same woman who had personally suppressed the leader of the infamous Blood Skull Mercenary Group, the Shura Demon King, Chu Yun. The memory of that battle still sent ripples through the underworld. She had been utterly overbearing, her every strike a thunderclap of power that shattered bone and will. She had beaten Chu Yun, a so-called Child of Destiny, into a broken mess, leaving him a cripple unable to even care for himself. Her aura was a beacon of martial dominance, a raging inferno that would be impossible to mask from a paranoid and cornered beast like Yao Qi.
If An Zhiyue were to so much as step across the police cordon, Yao Qi, holed up inside the mall, would instantly sense her suffocating pressure. The man was a cornered wolf, and her arrival would be the signal for him to go completely berserk. He would undoubtedly begin an indiscriminate slaughter of the civilian hostages. The destructive power of a Half-Step Celestial Master was terrifying to behold, their internal energy a volatile force capable of turning them into a walking bomb. A single, desperate attack could gut several floors of the building, and the resulting carnage would be a disaster for the Yanxia Special Department.
They needed an operative who could move like a ghost and strike like a viper. Someone skilled enough in aura concealment to walk right up to Yao Qi without triggering his senses, and powerful enough to guarantee a one-hit kill, severing the serpent's head before it could even hiss.
"That bad guy is in Hangzhou right now; I wonder how carefree he is there. Should we find him?" Liu Ruyan bit her lip lightly, her charming fox-like eyes filled with a simmering hint of resentment. It had been days since she had last seen that infuriating scoundrel, Shen Anyu. The silence was beginning to wear on her.
Just a few days prior, he had materialized without warning, using his ridiculous supernatural skill, Love Infinite Teleportation, to appear inside her private quarters at Jiangjing Manor. He had proceeded to 'comfort' her thoroughly before doing the same for Ye Liyou, Yang Luoluo, and Ruan Lingshan. The man was an enigma—a whirlwind of intoxicating arrogance and obvious power who appeared and vanished at will, leaving behind a trail of flustered hearts and the lingering scent of his cologne.
Fortunately for him, that absurdly convenient teleportation ability meant he was never afraid of being caught juggling his affairs. He could always appear just in time to provide his unique brand of 'comfort' whenever and wherever he pleased.
"Find Shen Anyu?" An Zhiyue's heart stirred. The suggestion hung in the air, both a perfect solution and a minor annoyance. She knew better than anyone the terrifying depths of her good nephew's power. Killing Yao Qi with a single, silent blow would be child's play for him. More importantly, he possessed aura concealment techniques so profound that he could stand right next to you and feel like nothing more than a shadow. He was the perfect candidate.
Ding-a-ling-ling.
Just as An Zhiyue was about to pull out her phone to contact Shen Anyu, a sharp ringtone cut through the tense silence. It was an encrypted call, the frequency reserved for the highest echelons of the Special Department. She answered, her expression hardening into professional focus. Her replies were short and clipped.
"Okay, I understand. Then I'll wait for him to come."
After a brief but dense conversation, An Zhiyue hung up, a thoughtful, almost complicated look in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Zhiyue?" Liu Ruyan asked, her voice laced with concern. She shifted closer, the subtle scent of her perfume a comforting presence amidst the tension.
An Zhiyue didn't bother hiding anything from her. Liu Ruyan hadn't been brought to this high-stakes standoff rashly. For one, her own strength had reached the Great Grandmaster level, making her a formidable operative in her own right. Secondly, and more officially, Liu Ruyan was affiliated with the Special Department, holding a rank equivalent to a senior consultant. She was cleared for this level of intelligence.
"You should know the person they're sending," An Zhiyue said, her voice a low murmur. "Xiao Fan!"
"Xiao Fan?" The name struck Liu Ruyan with the force of a physical blow, her eyes widening in genuine surprise. Hearing that name from An Zhiyue's lips dredged up memories from a not-so-distant past.
Three years ago, Xiao Fan had been a living legend, a Super Soldier King whose name shook the foundations of Yanxia's special operations community. He was the undisputed ace of the Yanxia Special Department, the General Instructor of the elite Black Dragon Special Forces. He and An Zhiyue, who held the same position for the Fire Phoenix Special Forces, were considered the twin pillars of their generation. Their rivalry was legendary; they were a perfect match, trading wins and losses in grueling sparring sessions that pushed them both to their absolute limits.
But then, three years ago, Xiao Fan had vanished from the public eye. He retired abruptly from the Special Department for reasons that were never disclosed, turning a deaf ear to all attempts to persuade him to stay. He simply walked away.
"Yes, the very same Xiao Fan you're thinking of," An Zhiyue confirmed. "That was Elder Ling on the phone. He said that Xiao Fan has been living in seclusion in Hangzhou all this time. He's already asked Xiao Fan to come and assist. Xiao Fan has been officially retired for three years now. The grace period is over, and his reputation in the dark world has gradually faded. Yao Qi is a newer generation of criminal; it's very unlikely he'd be familiar with Xiao Fan's face or history."
"Elder Ling's meaning is clear," An Zhiyue continued, her gaze fixed on the monolithic shopping mall. "He wants Xiao Fan to make the move. To ensure a foolproof success."
Listening to An Zhiyue, Liu Ruyan's charming eyes shifted, a flicker of doubt in their depths. She spoke softly, her voice barely a whisper, "Elder Ling is known for being cautious to a fault. For him to say Xiao Fan's involvement would be 'foolproof'... could it be? Has Xiao Fan already broken through to the Celestial level? I remember clearly he wasn't a Celestial when he retired three years ago."
An Zhiyue gave a slow, deliberate nod. "If Elder Ling said so, then he must have broken through."
The implication was immense. Yao Qi was an experienced Half-Step Celestial Master, a hardened killer with monstrous strength. To kill him with a single, decisive blow would require more than just a newly ascended Celestial expert. It would demand someone with profound power and absolute control.
"Hmph. I still think it would be safer to have that bad guy come over," Liu Ruyan snorted lightly, a hint of a pout on her lips. At the end of the day, she trusted her own man more, even if he was a world-class scoundrel.
"Nephew's wife, do you really trust my grand-nephew that much?" With a potential solution in hand, An Zhiyue's heavy mood lifted considerably, and she couldn't resist teasing her friend, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes.
"An Zhiyue! If you call me 'nephew's wife' one more time, I'll make trouble for you!" The sudden address sent a wave of heat rushing to Liu Ruyan's delicate face, turning her cheeks a lovely shade of crimson. She glared, her indignation a charming sight.
An Zhiyue's grin widened. "If I don't call you 'nephew's wife', should I call someone else that? I have a feeling you'd make even more trouble for me then."
"You..." Liu Ruyan was rendered utterly speechless, unable to form a retort. The threat was too real. Could she really tolerate her best friend, An Zhiyue, addressing another woman with that title? The thought alone sent a pang of jealousy through her. She was caught. She would have to suffer this silent loss.
A mischievous expression graced An Zhiyue's heroic and pretty face. She secretly marveled at her grand-nephew's capabilities. 'That boy, Shen Anyu, he's truly something else,' she thought. He had actually managed to tame a creature as wild and cunning as Liu Ruyan.
She knew Liu Ruyan's personality better than most. The woman was a fox playing with its prey. Seemingly charming and alluring on the surface, she could play men to death without breaking a sweat. Countless young masters, heirs to vast fortunes who coveted her beauty, had tried to pursue her. Every single one had been toyed with, manipulated, and ultimately left disheveled and utterly humiliated.
Yet here she was, completely under Shen Anyu's thumb. A simple, playful tease was enough to make her blush and stammer, completely stripping away her usual cunning facade. More astonishingly, An Zhiyue knew for a fact that Shen Anyu had more than just Liu Ruyan in his life. Liu Ruyan herself was aware of this, yet she didn't raise a fuss. This level of conquest made An Zhiyue admire her grand-nephew immensely.
"Xiao Fan is here," An Zhiyue suddenly transmitted via a secret sound technique.
Their previous banter had, of course, been conducted through the same method. It was impossible for any outsiders, let alone the enemy, to overhear. The trope of villains loudly plotting their schemes in public was a foolish fantasy that would get you killed in the real world.
"Where?" Upon receiving the transmission, Liu Ruyan didn't immediately turn her head. Instead, her long, charming fox eyes scanned the surroundings with her peripheral vision. Any sudden, overt movement could be detected by Yao Qi, who was surely observing the perimeter from a hidden vantage point within the mall.
But Liu Ruyan saw no one who fit the description of a legendary Super Soldier King. She couldn't help but feel a pang of confusion. She and Xiao Fan had met several times in the past; it was impossible for her not to recognize him, and it had only been three years. His face should still be fresh in her memory.
"The one wearing the blue delivery uniform," An Zhiyue's voice echoed in her mind.
"Eh? Eh??" Liu Ruyan's peripheral vision swept over the area again, and what she saw left her inexplicably astonished.
About seven or eight meters to her rear right, there was indeed a delivery man. He was wearing the bright blue uniform of an Ele.me driver, holding several large plastic bags filled with takeout boxes, looking anxiously at the police line as if his delivery was being held up.
'That's Xiao Fan?' she thought, her mind reeling.
The former Super Soldier King of the Yanxia Special Department? The legendary General Instructor of the Black Dragon Special Forces? A former Martial Dao Grandmaster and now a suspected Celestial-level powerhouse... had become an Ele.me delivery man?
"Tsk tsk, this Xiao Fan's disguise is quite good. If you hadn't reminded me, Zhiyue, I really wouldn't have noticed him. He's completely unremarkable, with no trace of a strong individual's aura. He just looks like an ordinary delivery man," Liu Ruyan transmitted back, her voice filled with genuine admiration. The concealment was perfect.
"Of course," An Zhiyue replied, her mental voice flat. "Because Xiao Fan has been an Ele.me delivery man for these three years since he retired."
"What?" Liu Ruyan's charming eyes widened, and she almost gasped aloud, nearly breaking her covert posture.
A Super Soldier King retired to deliver takeout???
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