NIKKE, Swordmaster Ark Succubus Daily

Looking into Mudan's clear but somewhat confused eyes, Li Zuoyi said calmly, "Think what you want. I'm only here for the money."

"No, I..."

At this moment, Peony felt anxious about her lack of language skills.

"See? Peony, you'd better stay away from him," Rosanna said seriously.

"He's like a mercenary who only cares about money; he might very well betray you for it. But we Hedonia have money, so let's keep Hedonia..."

"But he just helped us..."

“That’s right,” Sakura interrupted Peony, saying:

“In the outer districts, this kind of thing happens countless times. If you encounter it once, you might not even have a chance to regret it. He's a very cunning man. Peony, you're too naive to handle him, but I should be able to…”

Peony was still trying to figure out how to explain that she hadn't suspected the young man, but the more she listened to Rosanna and Sakura, the more she felt something was off.

It feels like the two of them are...

Seeing that Peony seemed about to react, Rosanna acted decisively, immediately grabbing the swordsman's shirt collar in a slightly provocative manner, and said:

"Sir, I heard you want to pay your reward in one lump sum, right? I'm willing to pay you 300 million credits upfront, on the condition that you come to my organization, Hedonia. How about it?"

That's right, Rosanna, who had witnessed his strength, aimed to bring this man under her control.

He is indeed a threat to the outer region, but if Hedonia can be subdued, it will not only have a very reliable army, but also deter many villains in the outer region, thereby expanding Hedonia's influence.

"And then follow you through a lifetime of fighting and killing?" Sakura looked down on Rosanna's tendency to use violence at the drop of a hat; she believed violence should be the last resort.

"Sir, how about coming to my Qingming Festival? Although it's also a gang, the number of times I'll need your help is very few."

Sakura, holding a long-handled pipe, walked over to the swordsman, squeezed past Rosanna, and smiled, seemingly leaning on him, "Moreover, I'm also willing to pay you 300 million credits in one go."

Although the three of them were very close friends, they were still considered rivals within the organization.

Therefore, she will not allow Herdonia to become the sole power.

"I knew it!" Peony finally realized, and said somewhat angrily, "You two!!"

“We didn’t coerce Mr. Rosanna. It’s all up to him. Whichever company he chooses, the other two are not allowed to complain,” Rosanna said, spreading her hands.

“Young man…” Peony looked at the swordsman, wanting to know what he would choose.

After listening to their argument, Li Zuoyi said to Rosanna and Sakura, "I will not choose you."

Peony's eyes lit up with anticipation: "Then come to my Peony Gathering..."

“Sorry, I won’t go either,” Li Zuoyi said. “Because if I did, all the acting I just put on for the other side would be useless.”

The deliberate disengagement from them is intended to prevent the central government from causing trouble for the peripheral regions.

Because he will definitely use this identity to act many more times in the future, if he joins them, once exposed, the outer perimeter will face the wrath of the central government.

“Then at least let us repay this kindness,” Rosanna said earnestly. “I only hope that you will not refuse this, sir.”

Li Zuoyi thought for a moment, then held out his hand, "Then you can pay me."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Trap

"Fifty million...fifty million...one hundred thousand..."

Li Zuoyi held the black cards of Mudan and others against his phone, watching his account balance grow to over 100 million credit points.

"Sorry, young man." Peony blushed slightly. "I'm not as rich as those two."

"It's alright." Li Zuoyi's gaze fell on the suit jacket he lent her, which was bulging out of shape, and he said, "I already received another kind of payment."

Peony recalled the shameful moment from earlier, and her already blank mind became even more feverish. She waved her hands haphazardly, "Young...young man, is it really okay to do it like this?"

“Then I can…” Li Zuoyi bent his five fingers and made a grasping motion.

Such an obvious hint surprised both Sakura and Rosanna.

"That, that's something only lovers can do..." Peony tilted her head, her face flushed red, and she froze.

“Peony, have you forgotten? We are Niki.” Rosanna coughed. “Sir, please don’t make such jokes.”

Peony realized what had happened, and for some reason, a sense of disappointment washed over her. She laughed awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry, I was overthinking it."

That's true, most people wouldn't be attracted to Niki.

'Drip drip'

Rosanna's phone rang. She glanced at it and said, "EH has been found. It's in the abandoned chemical plant in Sector D."

Sakura thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be quite close to here."

Li Zuoyi said, "In that case, I should leave too. It wouldn't be good if the Central Government army saw that we were still together."

Peony wanted him to stay, but she was tongue-tied and didn't know how to start the conversation. She could only open and close her mouth repeatedly, unable to utter a single word.

Sakura glanced at Peony's condition, sighed, and said to the swordsman who was about to leave, "My lord, you're going to find EH next, right?"

"Mm." Li Zuo nodded.

"We share the same goal, so why not travel together?"

"Didn't I say? If we're attacked by the central government's army..."

"Then why don't you just change your posture?" Sakura lowered her eyelids slightly and said with a smile:

"For example, change your clothes, or take off your clown mask, anything that's different from before will do."

Having discerned Sakura's thoughts, Rosanna put one hand on her hip and echoed her sentiments:

"Fine, you don't believe us, but don't you even believe in Peony?"

Peony looked at the young man, hoping in her heart that he would stay.

"I'll protect you!"

Li Zuoyi looked at Mudan, and she moved closer to him, looking into his eyes, and said earnestly once again, "I will protect you!"

“I, Rosanna, will protect you, even at the cost of Hedonia’s honor.”

“Me too.” Sakura looked at him and said, “With Niki protecting you, you should be safe. Even if we encounter the Central Government army, with my and Rosanna’s subordinates, they won’t do anything to us.”

Looking into Mudan's hopeful eyes, Li Zuoyi lowered his gaze and thought for a moment before finally nodding. He then took off his mask and tossed it aside.

Rosanna's eyes lit up, her gaze intense: "Oh~ so he's a handsome guy."

Cherry blossoms, though covering their mouths, also revealed a rather interested look in their eyes: "You are indeed quite pleasing to the eye, but you seem to be quite young."

"Alright, let's go." It was almost dusk, and Li Zuoyi didn't want to waste any more time.

……

……

Area D, abandoned chemical plant.

The various massive chemical equipment inside the factory had long since ceased production, and the complex brass pipes that filled the entire factory resembled a giant maze.

The iron gate was opened, and a pretty girl with a charming appearance walked into the factory.

Her right arm was badly damaged, revealing the complex mechanical structure inside.

Even so, she still had a sweet smile on her face.

A girl dressed in a rebellious style glanced at the scene in the center of the factory and said with a detached look:

"You're back, Viper?"

"I'm back, Krau."

The viper looked at the man in the suit at Krau's feet and said, "Who?"

Krau said calmly, "A member of Hedonia."

"Viper!"

A small, thin figure leaped down from the high brass pipe, landed on the ground, and then rushed towards the venomous snake with a loud laugh, his eyes wide open like an excited puppy welcoming its owner home.

"I'm back, Jackal." The serpent gently stroked the jackal's head with its other, unharmed hand.

"Hehehe~" The jackal really liked this feeling.

All three had one thing in common: they all wore non-removable collars around their necks filled with explosives.

Because before they were turned into Niki, all three of them were from the Outer District and were not trusted.

They now belong to the outsider forces and are the property of Missilis.

Having received orders from Shuen, they are currently on a mission in the outer region.

"What happened to your arm?" Krau asked, looking at the snake's already ruined arm.

"We encountered a slight mishap," Viper said with a smile.

"Accident?"

"On my way here, I encountered three mass-produced Nikis." Viper's smile remained unchanged.

"These are incredibly powerful mass-produced Nikis. They're characterized by numbers on their faces: three, four, and five. It took me a lot of effort to escape, and they're probably on their way now. I'd better run away quickly."

Upon seeing the wounded venomous snake, the jackal growled and bared its teeth, "I'll go and tear them all to pieces!"

"No~" the viper stopped her, "Even your teeth would probably break."

Even when he saw his companion injured, Krau still showed little emotion.

"Probably another toy of some important person." She shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about that for now. How's the mission going?"

They have a mission to perform, and if they don't do it properly, that guy Shuen could make their collars explode at any time.

"EH has already gone back and is making preparations. Should we seize her now and bring her to Shuen?"

The venomous snake was still smiling, but its eyes were narrowed, like a venomous snake flicking its red tongue.

“Wait a minute, there are other things to take care of.” Krau said to Viper, “Remember the black card you gave Hannah that would trigger a tracking signal whenever it was used?”

"Hmm, what's wrong?" the snake asked.

"It was used, and then..."

Krau recounted what she had observed that day about a man wearing a clown mask.

The venomous snake's smile deepened: "I never thought that even Krau could make a mistake; he escaped all the traps he set."

"Who knew he could handle so many central government troops? He's too unpredictable. We need to deal with him first."

Krau looked at the jackal and asked, "How's the installation of the explosives going?"

"It's all installed according to Krau's requirements!" The jackal nodded with a grin.

"Hmm." Krau drew his pistol from his waist and aimed it at the man at his feet.

“Nikki can’t kill humans.” Viper lowered his eyelids, a faint smile on his face.

"I know."

Krau took out the man's phone, entered the password he had just extracted, successfully unlocked it, and sent a message to the boss of Hedonia: "EH is in the D district, at the abandoned chemical plant."

So she pointed the pistol at the chemical equipment next to her and fired.

'Boom! '

A bullet struck a piece of metal that had fallen off the chemical equipment, sparking as it bounced off and flew in another direction.

'poof'

The bullet pierced the man's head, blood flowed out, and he died instantly.

“Let’s go. We can use the toy of the big shot who’s chasing you.” Krau tossed his phone onto the corpse. “That way, that man should be dead.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine Kidnapping

Area D, abandoned chemical plant.