Chapter 222

Su Xiao put away the 【Imperial Artifact Modification Blueprint】, and finally understood what quality above blue meant.

Seeing the astonishingly high score, Su Xiao's heart could not calm.

The score of the 【Imperial Artifact Modification Blueprint】 was 89; how powerful would equipment with a score over a hundred be? Impossible to estimate for now—only after obtaining the physical item could it be judged.

The sickly green gas gradually spread; Su Xiao quickly retreated outside the metal door, and after half an hour of moving through the tunnel, he returned to the fork.

After hesitating, Su Xiao chose to retrace his steps.

Catching up to Chi Tong was impossible, and his current condition, weakened by the poison, was far from good—if there were ambushes at the tunnel's end, trouble would follow.

If it were Su Xiao, after leaving the tunnel, he would have destroyed the exit to prevent further pursuit.

Not long after, Su Xiao returned beneath the house in Flower Street; before even emerging aboveground, he heard loud footsteps above.

"Hurry, surround this place immediately."

"My lord, all surrounding routes have been sealed."

Ignoring the commotion above, Su Xiao stepped out of the tunnel.

Su Xiao's sudden appearance startled the soldiers in the room; all raised their weapons—these were not imperial guards, but an elite unit.

"Lord Bai Ye, are you unharmed?"

A squad leader stepped forward; Su Xiao recognized his face and nodded—the room was filled with Esdeath's troops.

"General Esdeath is on her way. Do you know what happened to the Night Raid intruders…?"

"They escaped—the tunnel has side passages."

Heavy footsteps approached outside the room; Esdeath entered with a group of soldiers.

"How many did you kill?"

Esdeath already had a general understanding of the situation.

"One killed, three seriously wounded."

Su Xiao returned to his usual cold, expressionless demeanor.

"Hmm? Did all the other intruders flee? Did Night Raid send out everyone?"

"Unclear. Six were deployed total."

Esdeath understood—killing one and wounding three against six opponents was already an excellent result.

"Well done. I'll handle the aftermath. Was the Imperial Artifact recovered?"

"Taken by a Night Raid member named Chi Tong."

Of course, blame had to be laid on Night Raid—they had no possibility of negotiation with Esdeath, and would never be exposed.

Even if negotiation were possible, it was obvious Esdeath would believe Night Raid over Su Xiao—this was the advantage of infiltrating the enemy camp.

Today, the capital had been turned upside down; Su Xiao returned to a mansion arranged for him by Esdeath.

It was a gift from the young emperor to Esdeath—pleasant surroundings, though Esdeath usually lived in the barracks and rarely came here.

The mansion had many maids; as soon as Su Xiao entered, two young maids rushed forward to greet him.

Su Xiao first enjoyed a lavish midnight snack; bathwater and fresh clothing were already prepared.

As an assassination unit member, he would never wear imperial military uniform—the iron-gray imperial attire clashed with his aesthetic.

The Third Shadow Division had its own uniform: a long black overcoat.

After washing up, Su Xiao lay on a bed large enough to sleep at least five people.

He hesitated on the bed, choosing not to open Brand's treasure chest—until the cooldown of Lucky Flame ended, he would open no chest of blue quality or higher, including blue itself.

He had matters to attend to early tomorrow, so Su Xiao went to sleep early.

…

At two a. m., in a meeting room at Night Raid's headquarters on the outskirts of the capital.

There were seven people in the room—all key members of Night Raid.

They were:

Night Raid leader: Naji Naji Xitan.

New recruit: Tazmi.

User of Murasame: Chi Tong.

User of Romantic Cannon: Mayin.

User of Lion King: Leone.

User of Cross Tail: Laboke.

Lastly, the somewhat clueless Hill.

Hill was a naturally absent-minded girl with glasses, long purple hair, and the Imperial Artifact "All Things Severed: Soul Eater," a pair of scissors.

The giant scissors were at least one meter long, unnervingly sharp—the name alone revealed their lethality.

In the original timeline, Hill had already died by this point, but under the Contractor's influence, this absent-minded girl had survived.

Of the seven in the room, three were seriously wounded, and one key fighter had died—Night Raid had suffered devastating losses.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy; all seven sat in silence, heads bowed. Tazmi had tears sliding down his face—Brand had always cared for him; in Tazmi's heart, Brand was a brother.

"Tazmi, I understand how you feel, but this is our fate—we are the Shadow Division; death walks beside us always."

Leone, pale-faced, softly comforted Tazmi.

"Yeah, I know."

Tazmi pressed one hand to his face, sniffling.

"I'll avenge my brother."

Tazmi's fists clenched with a cracking sound; he hated his own weakness—when that man charged with his blade, the overwhelming killing intent had paralyzed him; if Brand hadn't shoved him aside, he would already be a corpse.

"Huh～."

Naji Naji Xitan exhaled a plume of blue smoke, preparing to summarize today's battle.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

Naji Naji Xitan tapped the table lightly, drawing all eyes.

"First, let me summarize today's events. According to intelligence from the Revolutionary Army's spies, the man you encountered today is named Bai Ye—a member of the Third Shadow Division, Esdeath's trusted confidant, a foreign shadow agent she took in during her northern campaign."

Though he has served under Esdeath for a short time, his formidable strength and unwavering loyalty have earned her complete trust—he is nearly always by her side, her personal bodyguard."

Though it sounds absurd that Esdeath needs a bodyguard, Bai Ye's strength makes him more than qualified for the role."

Now, let's discuss the firsthand intelligence you gathered. First, Leone."

Naji Naji Xitan flicked ash from her cigarette; though Night Raid had suffered heavy casualties, this woman remained calm.

Leone took a deep breath.

"I fought that man for about five minutes—I was cut over a hundred times, each slash piercing straight through bone; if not for Lion King's regenerative power, I'd be dead. No ordinary person could survive three cuts—absolutely not."

"And another critical point—if you're seen by that man and he begins tracking you, never flee toward isolated areas. Never. If he locks onto you in the wild, you're finished—no matter how you run, you can't escape. That feeling of being hunted… it's pure despair."

Leone felt the wounds still unhealed on her body, her fear lingering.

"One more thing—his blade may be poisoned. A poison similar to electricity, somewhat like Chi Tong's Murasame curse toxin—both can penetrate the body."

If Murasame's curse toxin brings death, that blade's 'electric poison' brings unbearable agony—the kind that makes you want to end your own life."

Even bold Leone fell silent here, her pupils trembling.