Chapter 57: Breach of Contract

Xingyu walked through the familiar long corridor with practiced ease.

She had never before thought that the air of Ring F, heavy with the stench of blood and mold, could feel so refreshing.

At the thought that this might be her last day staying here, Xingyu felt an unaccustomed surge of elation.

Pushing open the heavy iron door, she was hit by a thick wave of pungent body odor mixed with cheap tobacco. Miao Yan and a group of Ashes Gang members were already waiting.

Logically speaking, these nocturnal creatures should still be fast asleep at this hour, but right now, a dozen or so burly gang members stood alert on either side, their eyes fixed on her like starving wolves eyeing a lamb, ready to surround her at any moment.

Miao Yan sat right in the center, striking a pose like a self-proclaimed emperor. His gaze was sinister, and a meaningful smile hung at the corners of his mouth.

"What, coming prepared?" Xingyu spoke.

Her gaze swept across Miao Yan's information prompt.

There was not much of interest, except for a new detail that had appeared after last night, which caught her attention.

[Numinous Intensity: 28/28]

"Pulling off something as big as taking down the Borderland Mutual Aid Alliance naturally requires all the brothers to be present." Miao Yan grinned, though the smile did not reach his eyes. "Is that bastard really stone-cold dead?"

Xingyu took the supervisor's badge out of her pocket and tossed it over. The new second-in-command hurriedly caught it and handed it to Miao Yan with a bow.

"As agreed, I've come to collect my reward."

Miao Yan carefully examined the badge. The badge bearing the character for "Ninefold" emitted a faint glow.

"Not bad." His expression was unpredictable, and finally, he said darkly, "But who knows if this is even that bastard's badge?"

The atmosphere in the room instantly tightened, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder. Gang members instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons, their eyes gleaming like starving wolves watching their prey.

Xingyu could feel the predatory gazes surrounding her, but her expression remained unchanged, as if she were completely detached from the situation.

Xingyu knew very well that this was indeed a badge belonging to a senior agent of the Ninefold Agency, rather than the one worn by a regular supervisor.

Yet right now, who cared about the truth?

Clearly, Miao Yan had changed his mind.

Over the past two days, Miao Yan had evidently reassessed the situation.

With numerous elites now gathered within the stronghold, his confidence was visibly bolstered. Those gang members who ought to have been sleep-eyed were now full of vigor, clearly having made preparations in advance.

Her successful negotiations of the previous few days had relied entirely on Xingyu's bluffs.

Perhaps Miao Yan had finally seen through it, or perhaps he believed Xingyu did not look particularly formidable, making her manageable even if she possessed supernatural abilities.

Regardless, his mind seemed to have cleared up a bit.

Had it been a few days ago, she might have needed to find ways to prove herself or continue playing along with him.

But now, the situation was entirely different. She was no longer what she used to be; she no longer needed to rely on probing, deception, and pretense.

"You want to break our agreement?" Xingyu's voice was as cold as ice, sharp enough to draw blood.

The gang members swarmed forward, blades flashing as every weapon was aimed straight at Xingyu. The cold metallic gleam flickered in the dim light like the sickle of death.

Miao Yan slowly stood up, every step he took reeking of threat. "Listen here, little girl."

He bared his teeth in a ferocious smile. "You did a good job, but... who knows if you're just playing me for a fool? This badge doesn't look anything like that bastard supervisor's."

He closed in on Xingyu, breathing alcoholic fumes directly into her face.

"I shelled out fifty thousand new coins just to buy that bastard supervisor's dog life. Do you have any idea how much effort it took us to scrape that money together? Fifty thousand new coins!"

"Cut the crap," Xingyu replied, her patience completely exhausted. "We signed a contract, and you know that very well."

Miao Yan suddenly burst into a wild laugh, his laughter filled with mockery and disdain.

He slammed his fist heavily onto the table, making the entire room tremble. The surrounding gang members joined in with jeering laughter, their eyes brimming with contempt and menace.

"A contract? You think a scrap of paper can scare me?" Miao Yan roared. "Don't you think you're taking yourself a bit too seriously? I advise you—"

The next second, the words remaining unsaid were abruptly choked back in his throat as his expression suddenly froze, his face turning deathly pale.

Xingyu took out the folded contract.

The white sheet of paper floated mid-air.

"I have already fulfilled my responsibilities... So, what happens when an agreement is broken?"

Amidst the stunned gazes of the crowd, that sheet of white paper suddenly hovered in the air, as if supported by an invisible hand.

Then, it began to split slowly down the middle.

The two halves of the paper transitioned from pristine white to ash-gray, the blackness spreading outward from the edges, disintegrating into tiny specks of soot.

Defying gravity, the fragments drifted upward, dancing like ghosts in the air.

Miao Yan's reaction was the most violent.

His gaze suddenly went blank, his pupils dilating rapidly as if he were staring at some horrifying spectacle.

A brief flash of confusion crossed his face, instantly twisting into an expression of excruciating agony.

A heart-rending scream burst from the depths of his throat, deafening as it echoed within the cramped room.

"Aah! My head!" He grabbed his head with both hands, his fingernails digging deep into his scalp as if trying to rip the pain straight out of his brain. Fresh blood seeped from between his fingers, trickling down his cheeks and leaving crimson droplets on the floor.

Miao Yan staggered back a few steps, slamming hard against the wall before sliding down to the floor like a sack of sand.

He began to thrash frantically on the ground, his legs kicking out uncontrollably as his shoes scraped harshly against the floorboards.

"Stop it! Stop it!" he shrieked, his voice hoarse and broken. Cold sweat poured from every pore, quickly soaking through his clothes.

The surrounding gang members froze in place like statues, their eyes bulging, low sounds of terror rumbling in their throats.

Someone trembling took half a step forward, wanting to help their leader, only to be yanked back by an invisible force of dread.

Miao Yan continued to roll on the floor, like a fish out of water. His groans of agony were mixed with incoherent mumblings, as if he were begging some unseen presence for mercy. His body convulsed continuously, his muscles tensing to their absolute limits as if they might tear apart at any moment.

"Breaching the contract"...

So this was the consequence.

Xingyu leaned down, easily pinning Miao Yan's convulsing body.

In an instant, the tip of her blade pierced accurately into Miao Yan's heart, like a destiny long since written.

Blood blossomed like a red flower, slowly spreading across Miao Yan's chest.

His eyes widened, the last breath of life escaping his lips.

It was a calm, ordinary death.

She stood up, turned around, and swept her calm gaze across every single person in the room.

Some members had already quietly retreated toward the door, ready to flee at a moment's notice.

Others stood frozen in place, seemingly unable to fully comprehend what had just transpired. Cold sweat rolled down their pale faces, soaking their collars and emitting the sour stench of fear.

A young gang member, still bearing youthful acne scars on his face, flashed a look of crazed fanaticism in his eyes. Consumed by extreme terror and rage, he drew a rusted dagger from his waist and charged at Xingyu with a roar.

"Go to hell!"

Xingyu sidestepped lightly, her right hand whipping out with precision to strike the young man's wrist.

With a crisp crack, the dagger slipped from the young man's grasp, spinning across the floor and producing a harsh metallic scrape.

Before the young man could even react, Xingyu's left hand had already clamped around his throat, effortlessly lifting the taller young man off the ground.

The young man's face turned instantly flush, his hands clawing futilely at Xingyu's arm while his legs kicked uselessly in the air.

The eyes that had just burned with fanatical madness now held only pure terror, and a weak whimpering sound escaped his throat.

Still... I'm not tall enough yet...

Xingyu muttered internally with a hint of self-mockery.

With a slight exertion of her fingers, the sound of snapping bone echoed out.