"Oh, Wells, you should have done this long ago! Pursuing that yellow-skinned monkey? The higher-ups sure came up with that one!"
Listening to the voice in his earpiece, Wells's smirk instantly stiffened.
He wondered if the guy on the other end of the communicator was mocking him.
Standing before the main gate, Lin Qiu's face had already frosted over the moment the man uttered his insults. Hearing another voice echoing from the man's earpiece, she instantly understood everything.
An annoying suitor had turned into a sinister enemy; this honestly wasn't an entirely bad situation.
But just for this man's brazen and ugly display, she had to teach him a lesson today.
She, Lin Qiu, was not just the manager of the Exorcism Agency, but also a powerful Exorcist!
"Although I have no idea which faction sent you to your death!" As she spoke, a Longsword suddenly appeared in her hand. "But I'm sorry to tell you, you've really picked the wrong opponent!"
Her words had barely faded when the Longsword was instantly unsheathed.
Accompanied by the sword's hum, a silvery-white streak neared the man's neck in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the blade inches away, Wells showed no hint of fear on his face; he didn't even blink.
However, just as the sword blade was about to graze the man's neck, a sudden, powerful force struck Lin Qiu's Longsword, repelling it.
With a loud CLANG and a shower of sparks, the Longsword snapped in two.
"A sniper rifle? There's someone else here!" she exclaimed inwardly.
Her mind raced as she quickly grasped the situation.
Clearly, the other party had come prepared, but what they wanted was still unknown!
「At the same time, inside the Agency building.」
Taran, who had been secretly watching the commotion for some time, felt his smile vanish the instant he heard the man's words.
After sending a text message, a set of exquisite, dark-gold metal spheres materialized in his hand.
Observing the situation at the entrance, he gripped his weapon and moved closer.
It seemed like he hadn't had a chance to stretch his legs in quite a long time!
Lin Qiu, standing at the entrance, glanced at the broken sword in her hand, a cold light flashing in her eyes.
This sword had been with her for so long; she never expected it to break here today.
The potent Spiritual Power within her, dormant for a long time, surged and instantly flowed into the broken sword.
The next second, with a resonant hum, a dazzling white light erupted from the broken sword.
In the blink of an eye, the fallen sword tip floated up from the ground. As the white light flickered, the broken sword and its tip merged, becoming whole once more under the light's influence.
BOOM!
Seeing things go awry, the distant sniper pulled the trigger again. A bullet instantly sped towards Lin Qiu's head.
With a sharp CLANG, the rapidly approaching bullet was split in two by the white-light-wreathed Longsword and zipped past her.
Wells, who had been calm and collected, now watched Lin Qiu unleash her might, panic gripping him.
"How is this possible... a broken sword reforged, splitting a bullet with a sword?" he stammered.
Realizing the intelligence he'd received might be flawed, he stared in disbelief.
Wasn't it said this woman hadn't fought the Bizarre in a long time?
How could she be so powerful?
His retreating footsteps betrayed his panic. But Lin Qiu, having just split a sniper bullet in two, was not about to let him off so easily.
"Hoss, save me!" Wells shrieked.
Amid Wells's terrified cries, Lin Qiu, her Longsword glowing faintly, swung again.
A cold light flashed. The man desperately clutched his throat, but it was futile.
Crimson blood gushed from his severed arteries.
A few minutes later, the man on the ground was only twitching subconsciously.
"Damn it! The intel was wrong, the plan is flawed!"
「Far from the Exorcism Agency building.」
A figure sitting in a car slammed the steering wheel in frustration.
The man, who was supposed to approach with his weapon and "escort" Lin Qiu into the car, now had no intention of getting out.
He looked at Lin Qiu at the entrance of the distant Agency building and the person who had suddenly appeared beside her. The sullen-faced man decided to retreat for now.
"Unit One, retreat!" he ordered into his earpiece, starting the vehicle and preparing to turn around.
"Retreat? Belles, is this how you complete the mission assigned by the higher-ups?"
The familiar voice that suddenly crackled through the communicator startled Belles. "Palmer! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.
"It's been too long, and you still haven't completed your mission. Why do you think headquarters sent me with reinforcements? Order your men to assault that damned building immediately! Get what we came for, and then we pull out!"
Belles, incredulous, removed his sunglasses and retorted into the communicator, "Are you out of your mind? They've definitely called for backup! Are we supposed to go there and get ourselves killed?"
"Do you take me for an idiot like yourself?" A cold laugh echoed from the other end. "Don't worry, they won't make it back. And you'll have help!"
Before his words had fully faded, a roar erupted in the distance, followed by the staccato crackle of gunfire, like popping beans.
Startled by this sudden development, Belles stood there somewhat dazed as the voice on the communicator urged him again, "Hurry! The interception team can't hold out much longer! And remember, this is a direct order from the top!"
"Damn it, Palmer! You've caused such a commotion! Can we even get away now?" Belles yelled.
"..."
"Palmer? Palmer?!"
Silence from the communicator; the other party had clearly disconnected.
"Fuck! Damn Bichi!" he snarled.
After furiously pounding the steering wheel twice, and recalling the direct orders, Belles reluctantly issued a new command.
"All units, grab your weapons! Take down this damned building, now!"
「Inside the Exorcism Agency building.」
The Exorcists who were still inside and hadn't gone out rushed downstairs upon receiving Taran's message.
They arrived to find Lin Qiu, weapon in hand, standing over a lifeless body on the ground.
"Manager Lin, isn't that... your admirer...?" one of them stammered.
"Hmm?" Lin Qiu's icy gaze swept over him, instantly silencing the Exorcist.
Standing beside Lin Qiu, Taran frowned slightly as he looked at the body lying in a pool of blood.
"Have Amita run another thorough background check on this bastard. The previous intel on him must have been fake," Taran instructed.
"Yes, Manager Taran."
The chastened Exorcist immediately complied, practically fleeing back into the building.