After exiting the airport, a car slowly pulled to a stop in front of the two. A man and a woman alighted. The man wore a plain black t-shirt and trousers, while the woman was average-looking, at least in He Li’s opinion, not as attractive as Sister Jiang. However, her attire was provocatively bold, featuring a crop top and shorts.
Both of them had guns holstered at their waists and sides.
They openly carried their firearms on the street, and after a glance, the surrounding people showed nothing but respect, no other reaction.
He Li and Bai Fei exchanged a look. As expected, the operating styles of the Spiritual Management Committees in each city were different.
“Bai Fei, He Li, thank you very much for coming to support us. I’m Li Mingjia, and this is Hong Si.”
The man named Li Mingjia greeted He Li and Bai Fei enthusiastically. His gaze quickly swept over them, as if confirming something.
“It’s no problem. Are we the only ones from the Binjiang Branch coming to support Biancheng?” Bai Fei asked.
“Yes, we only requested aid from your Binjiang Branch and the Northern Branch. After all, not every branch has a director who is a member of the Hunter group,” Li Mingjia said with a smile, taking their luggage and placing it in the trunk.
Hong Si opened the rear door and said with a smile, “Please get in. We’ll discuss the specific mission details once we return to our branch and meet our captain.”
He Li and Bai Fei got into the car. Although Li Mingjia and Hong Si were very enthusiastic and spoke with smiles, He Li still sensed disappointment beneath their smiles.
“Is it because Captain Susan didn’t come?” He Li thought to himself.
Along the way, Hong Si occasionally introduced famous landmarks in Biancheng, and He Li and Bai Fei kept looking out the window. Those being supported were reluctant to discuss official matters, and the two had no desire to do so either, idly watching the scenery outside.
To be honest, Biancheng was similar to Binjiang, with tall buildings and crowds of people. The difference was that Binjiang’s air was humid and hot, while Biancheng’s air was dry and hot, carrying a faint scent of blood.
Hong Si was still introducing Biancheng.
At this moment, He Li suddenly said, “Excuse me, may I interrupt for a moment?”
“Mm… please do,” Hong Si turned her head.
He Li rolled down the car window and pointed to a corner of a small square in the distance, saying, “Is a demon stealing and eating a hippopotamus in broad daylight from the zoo also a specialty of your Biancheng?”
“What?”
As soon as He Li finished speaking, the other three were startled. Li Mingjia slammed on the brakes, and all three looked in the direction He Li was pointing.
In the small grove in the corner of the square, a large, ugly monster was tearing open a hippopotamus’s hide with its claws, its sharp teeth constantly gnawing at the hippopotamus’s forelegs and belly.
Beep, beep, beep…
Just then, the demon energy alarm system in the car also sounded.
He Li silently grumbled, this alarm system was more garbage than Binjiang’s.
Bang! Bang!
Li Mingjia and Hong Si had already rushed out, charging towards the demon from left and right, firing their guns. Both of their bodies simultaneously glowed with cyan spiritual energy.
He Li and Bai Fei also got out of the car and leaned against it, watching the fight. They needed to get a preliminary understanding of the Biancheng Branch’s combat strength.
He Li took out a cigarette and offered one to Bai Fei, lighting it. He then said, “Brother Fei, are they… Level Five?”
Bai Fei exhaled a puff of smoke and commented, “The man is Level Five, the woman is Level Six. Their marksmanship is average, but their combat details are handled well.”
He Li nodded and said, “Neither of them is skilled in marksmanship. I observed earlier that both have calluses on the pads of their fingers, and there are numerous fine knife marks on their tiger’s mouth and the lower part of their palms.
They are skilled in both orthodox and reverse-hand knife techniques, and specifically with knives that lack a handguard. According to the standard spiritual energy weapons provided by the Spiritual Management Committee, only the short saber, about a foot and a half long, does not have a handguard.”
Bai Fei looked at the two who had already blasted the demon’s head and smiled slightly, sneering, “Not using their skilled knife techniques, but using marksmanship, tsk tsk tsk… They’re treating us like outsiders.”
He Li crushed the cigarette butt and said, “It doesn’t matter if they treat us like outsiders, as long as they don’t treat us as less than human.”
After speaking, He Li opened the door and got back into the car.
Bai Fei, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, praised the two approaching figures, “Truly clean and efficient marksmanship.”
The two smiled at Bai Fei in response to his compliment, then got into the car, and they drove back to the Spiritual Management Committee building.
On the 34th floor of the Biancheng Spiritual Management Committee Branch, they met the captain of the Biancheng Spiritual Management Committee Branch, Tong Yun, a tall, thin man with a weathered face.
“I apologize for not personally coming to the airport to greet you,” Tong Yun said after shaking hands with He Li and Bai Fei, then sitting down on the sofa. “I haven’t slept for nearly a week, I’m simply too tired.”
“Therefore, I sent all the members of the Biancheng Branch, except myself, to welcome you, to express my gratitude and respect for your support.”
“All the members of the Biancheng Branch, except you?” He Li asked.
“Yes, all members except me. As you can see, our Biancheng Branch only has three people left. There were originally seven, but four died within the past week.”
Tong Yun spoke calmly, his gaze, expression, and body language showing no change, as if he were recounting a mundane story.
Tong Yun did not strike He Li as an unpleasant person.
However, his indifferent attitude and expression, as well as his nonchalance when recounting the deaths of his team members, were indeed quite irritating.
He leaned back on the sofa, resting his left ankle on his right knee, his pair of polished alligator leather shoes dangling before He Li’s eyes. With his arms crossed, if his black suit were replaced with a red one, a purple rose placed in his breast pocket, and his physique were a bit more robust,
He Li felt that this guy was a living Akainu, Sakazuki.
His perpetually lowered gaze and the stern, downward curve of his mouth gave him an oppressive, scrutinizing aura when he looked up.
Bai Fei said, “It seems you encountered a very powerful demon.”
“I killed them.”
He Li glanced at Li Mingjia and Hong Si, who were silently drinking at the bar, and chuckled, “Surprisingly candid.”
Tong Yun looked up at He Li and Bai Fei, not bothering to shield the two team members drinking at the bar, and continued,
“They turned into demons while on a mission, so I killed them.”
He Li asked, “So, the purpose of your request for support was ‘not enough of my own people for me to kill’?”
Tong Yun blinked, looking at He Li with confusion. “Your peculiar idea shocks me. Shouldn’t the reason for requesting support be that we are short-handed?”
Tong Yun did not waste any more words. He turned to look at the floor-to-ceiling window. The sun was setting, and the sunlight streamed through the window, casting rings of distorted, beautiful golden light spots on the floor.
“It’s getting dark. You have two more hours to rest. You can eat, shower, sleep, watch adult films, or if you’re still in the mood, you can drive around Biancheng.”
“In short, two hours from now, the mission begins.”
Bai Fei frowned and asked, “What is our mission?”
Tong Yun lowered his leg, leaned forward, and looked at the two, saying, “Your mission has already been completed.”