"Yo—who's got the nerve to stir up trouble on my Lightning Wolf's turf? Don't you know I was sleeping? I'm in a really bad mood right now!"
A woman covered in chains stepped forward. She wore the same yellow martial outfit as Galina, the female street fighter from before, but this time she also had a leather coat draped over her shoulders.
She clearly didn't recognize Leo at first. The way she came out—idly playing with a dagger—meant she hadn't really looked his way. But when she finally lifted her head and glanced at Leo and Rosh with contempt…
Her movements froze.
"Yo! Long time no see!"
Leo quickly raised a hand and greeted her with a smile. He actually had a pretty good impression of this female street boss. After all, they had once openly discussed whether to sleep together, which made their relationship—by his standards—fairly close.
For the woman calling herself Lightning Wolf, however, this was anything but friendly. The corner of her eye twitched when she saw him.
She might only be the leader of a small street gang, but authority still mattered here. If Leo casually blurted out that she'd once been willing to sleep with him—and even demanded payment for it—her reputation would be finished on the spot.
She strode up to Leo, shrugged off the leather coat and tossed it to one of her subordinates, then grabbed Leo by the collar and yanked him close.
"Who the hell are you greeting like that?! Why are you causing trouble on my turf?!"
Whether those two dead men were her subordinates or not didn't matter. People dying on her territory meant the guards would come knocking.
And when that happened, she'd be the one they'd squeeze.
That was exactly why she had come out personally.
"Actually, I was attacked by those two. They were probably after my money. Strictly speaking, this was self-defense."
Lightning Wolf let out a cold laugh.
"Ha! Go tell that to the guards."
The guards didn't care whether it was legal or self-defense. They'd still come after her. After all, she was the boss here.
"So?" Leo asked with interest.
Seeing his smile, Lightning Wolf immediately regretted ever being stupid enough to say that ten gold coins would get him into her bed.
She was short on money, sure—but if that got out, she'd be finished in this line of work.
And she had absolutely no intention of paying the guards out of her own pocket.
Grinding her teeth, she spoke.
"Without ten gold coins, this doesn't end."
Ten gold coins.
Hearing that, Leo's expression instantly turned… indulgent.
Which made Lightning Wolf lift him straight off the ground by his collar.
She wasn't tall—only twenty or thirty centimeters taller than Rosh. She looked imposing, sure, but in reality…
Seeing Leo being lifted, Rosh's staff began to glow again, magic gathering as she prepared to strike at any moment.
"Ten gold coins isn't really a big problem."
Leo's smile remained infuriatingly relaxed. Hearing that he was willing to pay, Lightning Wolf finally set him down, then angrily punched him in the chest.
"What kind of expression is that supposed to be?!"
"Don't sweat the small stuff. Since I'm paying for your sake, how about you answer a couple of questions?"
Leo rubbed his chin and politely made his request while eyeing the attractive but rough-looking female fighter in front of him.
Lightning Wolf snorted, deliberately avoiding his teasing gaze, crossed her very well-endowed chest, and spoke bluntly.
"Fine. What do you want to know?"
Leo glanced at the beautiful yet unkempt woman and asked his first question.
"What's your name?"
"Tangie. Lightning Wolf. Tangie."
Tangie raised an eyebrow irritably.
"If you're thinking about revenge, just come find me."
She disliked Leo not just because every time they met, he ended up challenging her authority in this area—but also because…
Leo saw her as attractive.
The moment she sensed his gaze, her skin felt tight all over, accompanied by an irritating, restless sensation.
"Tangie, huh. Then the second question."
Leo suddenly leaned in close, speaking softly by her ear.
"Are your bodily fluids poisonous?"
Tangie froze, not immediately understanding what he meant. Then she let out a cold laugh.
"Of course. My poison isn't extremely lethal, but paralyzing your nerves is no problem. My blood won't damage your body, but I can make you watch yourself slowly lose all sensation, turning into livestock at my mercy. I can let you clearly feel how your body gets torn apart piece by piece!"
As she spoke, Tangie licked her finger, then pressed the saliva-coated fingertip against Leo's arm.
In an instant, Leo felt a strange sensation where her saliva touched him.
It wasn't pain.
It was numbness.
Like the dull, creeping numbness of long-term lack of blood flow.
A possibility flashed through Leo's mind. At the same time, Tangie continued.
"So yeah, no lethal toxin. You think everyone's like that lunatic you saved? Most people just use poisons their bodies can handle. You don't need to worry—you won't be poisoned to death. People in this line of work are here for money, not to chase some insane 'limit of poison.' As long as you don't mess with me or break the rules, you won't be tortured."
She rolled her eyes and held out her hand.
"Now give me the money."
After bribing the guards, she'd still have some left over. She had no intention of being polite about it.
Then—
She stared at the twenty gold coins in her hand, stunned. Her eyes widened as she remembered her earlier "agreement" with Leo.
"This is…"
"I want to see if I'll die from your poison. That way, tonight you can come to my place…"
Leo smiled as he reached out, his hand sliding naturally to Tangie's waist, then moving toward her hips with confidence.
Tangie froze.
And just before his hand could touch something soft and springy, she slammed her fist straight into his chest, sending him flying backward.
"Go die already!"
Cursing at him, Tangie fled in a hurry, her face burning red.
On the side, after watching her leave, Rosh crouched down in front of Leo's head, looking down at his smiling face with a blank expression, and couldn't help commenting,
"You really are a pervert, Big Brother."