The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Long Ao sniffed uncomfortably; this awful smell was truly awful.

The interior of the culvert bar was larger than I had imagined. Under the dim, flickering colored lights, it was crowded with all sorts of people. Scantily clad dancers swayed on the small central stage, and patrons surrounded the rough wooden tables, making a lot of noise. The air was filled with a restless atmosphere.

The moment the two entered, they attracted a lot of attention. Their youthful faces, the school uniform Chen Guan was wearing, and the coffin behind him were all unusually eye-catching.

Several malicious glances swept over, but they looked away the moment they saw the Huaqing school uniform. Who would dare to mess with a Huaqing student here?

If anyone dares to mess with a student from Huaqing University, they'll chop the earthworms in their house in half and shake the egg yolks apart.

Long Ao's expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on the bar. A bald, burly man with a scar on his face was wiping glasses; he appeared to be the bartender, and based on Long Ao's experience, he was usually one of the bartenders there.

He walked over and tapped on the table.

The bartender looked up, glanced at him, then at the coffin behind him, grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth: "A new face? What would you like to drink?"

"Looking for someone." Long Ao pushed a photo onto the bar counter. "Have you seen this before?"

The bartender didn't even glance at the photo and continued wiping the glasses: "We have so many people coming and going every day, I can't remember them all."

Long Ao placed a small stack of banknotes on top of the photo: "Do you remember now?"

The bartender paused, glancing out of the corner of his eye in a certain direction before quickly looking away. He picked up the banknotes and mumbled, "...It might be in the warehouse in the back. I think I saw it there this afternoon. Go down this way."

The bartender, having taken the money to do his job, shamelessly betrayed Shadow Mouse, pointing him in the wrong direction.

"Thanks." Long Ao turned around and gestured for his teammates to follow.

Chen Guan sighed inwardly, thinking that bringing Long Ao along was the right decision. If he had brought An Changqing, it might not have had the same effect, as An Changqing was too upright.

This person seemed to be born to be the emperor of the underworld, and all the procedures were carried out smoothly.

Passing through the crowded dance floor, I pushed open a small door marked as the staff entrance. The noise was mostly shut out. The passage was narrow and the lighting was even dimmer, with only a few emergency lights emitting a pale white glow.

At the end of the passage was a heavy iron door, slightly ajar, from which faint voices could be heard.

Long Ao made a gesture, and the two of them held their breath and moved closer.

"...The items are fine, but where's the money?" a hoarse voice asked.

"What's the rush? I'll give it to you after I've inspected it." Another slightly slick voice replied.

Long Ao gently pushed open the door a crack.

Inside was a warehouse filled with wooden crates and barrels, and the air was thick with a musty smell. Two figures stood in a slightly open space.

With his back to the door was a short, thin man in a black bodysuit with two daggers at his waist—it was Shadow Rat. Opposite him was a man in a suit who looked like a middleman.

On the wooden box between the two people was a small metal box, half-open, and it was unclear what was inside.

Upon seeing the main character, Long Ao instantly erupted, his crimson aura surging forth as he pounced from one side, blocking any escape route.

Chen Guan followed closely behind, his spiritual power quietly spreading, his illusionary abilities poised to be unleashed.

The sudden attack startled the two people inside the warehouse.

"Damn! There's an ambush!" The middleman-looking man reacted the fastest, cursing and running away without hesitation.

Shadow Rat was both shocked and furious, but he was experienced and reacted very quickly. The moment Long Ao's fist was about to hit him, he suddenly lowered his body and slid away as if he had no bones. At the same time, he flicked his hands and several dark lights shot towards Chen Guan and Long Ao.

Clang! Long Ao didn't even glance at the hidden weapons, directly deflecting them with his aura, while Chen Guan used his coffin to block them.

As for Shadow Mouse, at the same time he threw the dart, his body had already mysteriously merged into the wall and disappeared.

"He got away!" Long Ao roared, punching the wall where the Shadow Rat had disappeared. Stone fragments flew everywhere, but the figure was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Guan's gaze locked onto a corner; he had already caught it...

The sickle was ready to strike.

However, in the blink of an eye, a sudden change occurred.

A bright sword light instantly illuminated the entire room, slashing down without warning from the ventilation duct at the top of the warehouse.

The sword light was not vast or imposing, but it was so sharp it was terrifying. It pierced through the gaps in Long Ao's attack with unparalleled precision, striking first despite being slower than the opponent.

puff!

A soft sound, like a hot knife cutting into butter.

Before Shadow Rat could break free from Chen Guan's illusionary interference, he was struck by a sudden, incredibly swift sword light that pierced through his chest from behind, leaving a spray of blood and pinning him to a stack of wooden crates nearby.

The sword light solidified, revealing a longsword with an ancient design and a blade that gleamed with a cool, moonlit luster.

The sword trembled slightly, emitting a low hum, firmly pinning the Shadow Rat in place, with wisps of black energy emanating from the wound.

"Ugh!"

The Shadow Rat let out a shrill scream and struggled to break free, but the sword seemed to possess an unusually domineering power, preventing him from mobilizing any of his supernatural abilities. He could only twist in vain like an ordinary prisoner.

The warehouse was deathly silent.

A slender figure landed lightly at the ventilation duct opening.

Her long silver hair shimmered faintly in the dim light, her black eyes were calm and undisturbed, and her delicate face carried a serene air that kept people at a distance.

She wore a simple, moon-white outfit with a light gauze cloak embroidered with silver cloud patterns over it, her posture as upright as bamboo.

It was none other than Guan Jinyue, the top student at Taipei College!

She landed silently, her gaze sweeping over the two people waiting in the warehouse, finally settling on the Shadow Rat, who was pinned to the wall and groaning in pain. Her eyes remained completely calm, as if she had only done something insignificant.

"Guan Jinyue?" Long Ao recognized her, his brows furrowed slightly, and he stood with his fists clenched, but he did not let his guard down.

This is the academy city of Huaqing Academy. It is obviously unusual for the top student of Beishi Academy to suddenly appear here and interfere with their mission.

Long Ao's eyes were sharp, and his crimson aura had not yet dissipated. He stared at Guan Jinyue, his fighting spirit rising faintly. He felt a strong threat from the other's sword strike.

Chen Guan didn't speak, but quietly observed Guan Jinyue.

The girl before him, with her aloof demeanor and dazzling swordplay, displayed a ruthless and decisive nature that seemed completely at odds with her appearance. He had initially thought she would have a personality similar to Zhao Qingyin.

Guan Jinyue ignored Long Ao and walked straight to Ying Shu, extending her fair hand to grasp the hilt of the sword that pinned him down.

"Hand over the stuff." Her voice was clear and pleasant, yet carried an undeniable chill.

The shadow mouse, its face filled with terror, gasped for breath, "Wh...what...I don't know..."

Guan Jinyue slightly turned her wrist.

"what!"

An even more piercing scream rang out as the sword churned within the Shadow Rat's body, causing the black energy to dissipate even faster. The Shadow Rat felt as if its soul was about to be torn apart by the power of the sword.

"The... metal box you're looking for..." he said haltingly, pointing to the small metal box that had been placed on the wooden box during the transaction.