NIKKE, Swordmaster Ark Succubus Daily

"Whatever, at least you know this place better than I do."

"Thea—"

An anxious voice came from the abandoned shed next door.

Li Zuoyi saw a woman with long black hair climb over the broken wall and run towards him.

The woman looked anxious, seemingly unconcerned that her wide, yellow peony-patterned trousers were covered in mud.

Just to be on the safe side, Li Zuoyi drew his longsword and asked Xiya beside him, "Isn't that your relative?"

Thea, however, gritted her teeth, her face full of anger, as if she had seen an enemy.

"Thea, you're alive! That's wonderful... Thea! What are you going to do?"

Thea suddenly gripped a dagger and stabbed at the woman who had suddenly appeared.

But what skills could a six or seven-year-old child have? Every attack was easily dodged by the woman.

"Thea, watch out! The dagger is dangerous, drop it quickly."

The woman dodged the attacks and even helped Thea, who was unsteady on her feet, avoid being cut by the dagger in her hand several times.

"Peony! It's all your fault, it's all your fault!"

Thea fought back fiercely, falling to the ground several times, only to immediately get up and continue. She shouted, "If you hadn't brought that woman to our house, my parents wouldn't be here..."

Thea fell again, this time her limbs trembled and wouldn't cooperate; she had no strength left to get up.

"Why did you only come now, Peony... Why... If you had come sooner..."

Thea's forehead hit the ground, tears mingling with dust as they rolled on the ground. She struggled to get up, sobbing until her throat was hoarse.

"Boss, Thea, she..."

A slightly thin man, panting, ran up behind the woman named Mudan. Li Zuo looked at the two of them and asked, "Who are you?"

From what Thea said, one can roughly guess that the woman named Peony in front of them seems to be related to the person who absconded with 300 million.

It might be a breakthrough.

"who are you?"

Peony looked at the swordsman in front of her. He looked very young, but he gave off an extremely experienced feeling.

“An ordinary person.” Li Zuo smiled, but still gripped his sword.

"Can an ordinary person open the gate of the barrier wall by themselves?" Peony asked in a cold voice, her delicate brows furrowed.

She wouldn't simply trust someone who was so careless.

"So you saw it? Were you right next to me?" Li Zuoyi said with some surprise.

"I just got here... Thea, are you alright...?"

Just as Peony was about to explain, she saw Thea forcibly get up from the ground. She tried to help her up, but Thea chased her away with her wildly waving dagger.

Thea bit her lips until they bled, and a resentful voice squeezed out from her throat: "Peony—!"

"No, I am..." But soon, Peony lowered her head, her face full of guilt: "I'm sorry, Thea, it's my fault. Now at least let me..."

Thea gripped the dagger, ready to stab again, but was lifted up from behind, her feet off the ground.

"Let me kill her, let me kill her!"

"Thea..."

Peony was very worried about her condition.

"It seems there's an irreconcilable conflict," Li Zuoyi said to Mudan. "But I have a way to help you."

"..." Peony did not respond.

At the same time, he twirled the sword in his hand, then looked at Thea in his other hand with a playful smile, and said to Peony:

"You have no reason to refuse, right?"

"What do you want?" Peony sensed the threat in his voice.

"Three hundred million." Li Zuoyi's request was simple and clear.

Peony's eyes widened, then she gritted her teeth and said, "So you really came for the money too."

“I just want the money,” Li Zuoyi added. “I don’t care who took the money, and once the three hundred million is in my hands, you’ll be out of your current predicament, won’t you?”

"……I see."

"Then the deal is done."

"You sold me out?!" Thea shouted angrily.

"This is the dirty adult world. Remember this lesson well and make use of everything at your disposal."

"Well……"

Li Zuoyi said to Thea, who was struggling in his arms, "I know you want to kill her, but you don't have enough strength right now, but I have a way to make you succeed."

"What is it?"

Thea was well aware of her own strength. If it weren't for her older brother, she would still be hiding in her mother's arms, watching helplessly as her enemy left.

Li Zuoyi was satisfied with her attitude and said, "It's assassination. Infiltrate her side, learn everything about her, use everything she can give to strengthen yourself, and then kill her when she is least on guard. This is the best path you can take right now."

Who would keep someone who could kill them by their side?!

In places like the outer perimeter, children are generally more precocious, so although Thea is young, she is not stupid.

What kind of idiot would keep someone who wants to kill them by their side?!

“I will!” Peony shouted to Thea, “I will teach you, train you, and then, when you feel the time is right, you can kill me! I promise!”

"Liar..." Thea couldn't believe it.

"But, as someone who knows her character best, you should know very well whether she can do it or not, right?"

Li Zuoyi also realized that Xiya and Mudan used to have a very close relationship.

"I……"

Li Zuoyi could tell what kind of person Mudan was just from Xiya's expression.

He put Thea back on the ground and said, "Now it's your turn to choose. Will you wander alone in the outer region, or will you follow your enemy and find another opportunity to assassinate her?"

Thea hesitated for a moment, then silently walked towards Peony, stood before her, and said, "One day I will definitely kill you..."

"Ah."

Peony hugged Thea, who had finally relaxed and fainted.

“Now, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise, Peony,” Li Zuoyi said to Peony with a smile.

Chapter Thirty-One: Oh no, I've become a terrorist!

"Is it alright to just hand Thea over to your underling like this?"

Li Zuoyi used a rusty shovel to dig a pit, shovel after shovel, until a pit about two people wide gradually appeared.

“He knows this area well and can take Thea to a safe place.” Peony held up a simple metal cross. “I’m sorry to have you help me bury Thea’s parents.”

Peony still wanted to bury Thea's parents first, even though it was just an abandoned cemetery, it should be enough to comfort their spirits in heaven.

In fact, Peony hadn't expected this person to actually be willing to help. All the greedy people she had ever met were impatient and anxious.

"If you can give me the money quickly, I can even customize a tombstone for you." Li Zuo put the bodies of Xia's parents into the pit.

Peony has already admitted that the 300 million is in her hands, but not with her. She will go with her to retrieve it later.

"Your friend just gave you the money like that?" Li Zuoyi asked.

“We are friends. She came to me with money and said she was in danger, so of course I had to protect her.”

Peony stood before the cross, hands clasped together, eyes closed, in sincere prayer.

Leave Thea to me. Even if she resents me, I will raise her.

After praying, Peony covered Thea's parents with soil.

Thus, a grave that Thea could come to mourn in the future was completed.

Peony glanced sadly but resolutely at the cemetery, then turned and left, saying to the young swordsman, "Come with me, I'll give you the money."

"Finally..." Li Zuoyi casually tossed the shovel aside and walked to Peony's side.

"By the way, I still don't know your name?" Peony asked.

Although he acted like a ruthless mercenary, she felt he wasn't completely evil.

She was far away, but she could still clearly see the dagger and energy bar he gave Thea for self-defense.

He also allowed Thea to temporarily accept her.

I can say that I owe him a debt of gratitude.

“I’m just an ordinary person,” Li Zuoyi insisted. “Once I get the money, we’ll be done with each other. There’s no need for this.”

"I understand, I won't ask anymore." Peony didn't press the matter; a chance encounter was fate. If fate allows, they would meet again in the future.

Li Zuoyi followed Mudan as they wandered around the maze-like outer area. If it weren't for someone familiar with the place leading the way, he probably would have gotten lost and died there.

Along the way, he also saw many residents of the outer area. Most of them had dull eyes and seemed dazed, but he also encountered some fierce people who approached them.

But upon seeing the peonies, most of them retreated on their own.

It seems she still has some influence in the outer region.

The two were walking on a suspension bridge, with a sewage channel as wide as a river beneath their feet.

Peony glanced at the swordsman's sword and asked with great interest, "Where did you train your swordsmanship? It's amazing that you took down so many enemies in one go."

If her Peony Society had such a swordsman, it would surely be able to help many more people.

"Self-taught," Li Zuoyi replied dismissively.

Even though he was clearly giving me the look that he didn't want to talk to me, this peony kept trying to strike up a conversation.

"Can someone learn to this extent on their own? Are you a genius?" Peony covered her mouth in surprise.

"Let's put aside whether it's a genius or not," Li Zuoyi sighed, "haven't we reached our destination yet?"

"That's the house up ahead," Peony said, pointing to a two-story building with a fairly intact roof.

After crossing the suspension bridge, Li Zuoyi followed Mudan to the front of the house. She used her business trip key to open the door, and the two went inside.

The house's decor has a strong ground-level style, and it was probably built around the time when the Ark was first built.

Peony took out six black cards from a hole in the sofa cushion and handed them to Li Zuoyi: "The money is all in here."

Li Zuo took the stack of black cards with a hint of disbelief: "That's all?"

“How could this house possibly hold 300 million?” Peony said, arms crossed. “This will do, won’t it?”

"Let me check."

Li Zuoyi tucked the black card behind his phone and sent a message to Anik:

[Anik, please check the money in my card.]

[Confirming...]

Seeing the swordsman checking each card one by one with little change in expression, Peony asked, "How is it?"

Li Zuoyi simply tossed the cards back to her, saying, "Six cards, not a single credit point."

Should he be disappointed? Or should he say it was expected?

Now he realized things were getting complicated.

But for the sake of the outpost, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go down.

"Impossible!" Peony gripped the black card, examining it repeatedly, somewhat flustered. "I haven't used it since I got it, and this house doesn't look like it's ever been broken into..."

"Idiot...you are..." Li Zuoyi rubbed his forehead, speechless. "Didn't you ever think that I deliberately transferred the money away and then gave you the card?"

"So you did it?" Peony gave an ugly smile.

"No." Li Zuo scratched his head. "I really wanted to say that I received the money, because then I could go back."