Chapter 266: Thousand-faced Fox

"Ling Chen, who is she?" Xia Mutong, baffled by their conversation, couldn’t resist asking.

Ling Chen raised the corners of his mouth slightly and enunciated, "Thousand-faced Fox, the sixth-ranked assassin among the world’s top ten."

Among the top ten assassins in the world were all kinds of eccentric characters, few of whom were normal. The Thousand-faced Fox, active for a decade, had an age unknown to anyone. She became infamous for her ruthless exploits and history.

It was said that the Thousand-faced Fox was a handsome young man from a well-off family who tragically had his family annihilated by an enemy. To seek revenge, he schemed to get close to the foe with the intent to take their life. However, after repeated failures to take action, he couldn’t even get near his enemy. In the end, he went as far as to undergo gender reassignment surgery, transforming from a man into a stunningly beautiful woman.

Her efforts were not in vain; over the course of two years, she successfully caught her enemy’s eye and even became his woman. That was when her vengeance truly began.

No one knew how she exacted revenge on her enemy—some claimed she cut him up piece by piece to feed to dogs. Others said she devoured his heart whole. In any case, these rumors shrouded the Thousand-faced Fox in mystery and emphasized her ruthlessness in the world of assassins.

Due to personal reasons, the Thousand-faced Fox had one rule: no matter who hired her, she only killed men.

To men, a stunning beauty was like poison, irresistible and overpowering. With this advantage, the Thousand-faced Fox never failed; any man targeted by her was unable to escape her grasp.

"Assassin?" Xia Mutong’s expression changed slightly, and without another word, she immediately drew his gun, aimed it at the Thousand-faced Fox, and barked, "Don’t move, hands up!"

The corners of the Thousand-faced Fox’s lips curved up in a sweet smile, unfazed, as she observed Ling Chen with interest, nodding slightly, "You’re an interesting man. Anyone I want to kill can’t escape me, but you are an exception."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"If it were before, I would have tried every means to kill you, but not now."

Ling Chen said in a surprised tone, "Why?"

"Seven million dollars is too little; it’s not worth the risk. To kill you, the reward would need to be at least ten million dollars," the Thousand-faced Fox stated with her lips barely parting.

Hearing this, Ling Chen burst into laughter, gave a thumbs-up, and said with agreement, "You’ve got the right idea. My life is indeed worth more than seven million, but..." His tone shifted, "Since you’re already here, why not ’stay as a guest’ in East Sea City? I’m sure Officer Xia here will arrange a luxurious single room for you with all-inclusive services."

The Thousand-faced Fox smiled, holding back a giggle, "Mr. Ling, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you." While she spoke, a touchscreen phone appeared in her hand, her thumb precisely on a red virtual button in the center of the screen.

"Mr. Ling, you better advise your police officer friend to lower the gun. You’ve seen the handbag over there; as soon as I release my hand, everyone here will become my funeral companions, including you both. So, it’s best if you do not act rashly."

Xia Mutong was taken aback and quickly pulled out her phone to call for backup. But at that moment, Ling Chen swiftly reached over and pressed down on her gun barrel.

"Go ahead."

"No!" Xia Mutong protested anxiously, "She can’t get away!"

Ling Chen smiled calmly, "Officer Xia, if Thousand-faced Fox wants to leave, you can’t keep her here. This is the best way to minimize casualties."

"You do understand me. Well then, I’ll take my leave." Before departing, the Thousand-faced Fox didn’t forget to give Ling Chen a flirtatious wink. However, he couldn’t quite appreciate it, knowing that despite her appearance, the Thousand-faced Fox was not a genuine woman. Just the thought made him uncomfortable all over.

At the entrance of the bar, the Thousand-faced Fox suddenly turned around, her words loaded with meaning, "Mr. Ling, I wish you luck and hope you can get out of here safely." With that, she chuckled and vanished into the crowd of the bar.

Ling Chen, with a slight concern in his furrowed brow, interpreted the words of the Thousand-faced Fox as a warning. Although he was safe for that moment, as soon as he left the bar, there could be unknown dangers awaiting him.

Xia Mutong quickened her pace and rushed towards the outside. Seeing this, Ling Chen followed swiftly behind, grabbed her hand, and asked, "Where are you going?"

"She’s an assassin, we can’t let her escape."

"Trying to catch her alone is suicidal."

"I..."

"Let it be," Ling Chen said and pointed to the handbag by the bar, "Quickly evacuate the crowd and call the bomb squad to handle the bomb."

Xia Mutong hesitated, but ultimately stayed behind, prioritizing the safety of the public, as was her duty as a police officer. After making the call, she turned to Ling Chen, "Backup will take fifteen minutes to arrive. Hey, where are you going?"

She saw Ling Chen heading out and shouted to stop him.

But Ling Chen seemed not to hear her shouting and continued straight towards the door, ready to step outside.

"The damn bastard..." Xia Mutong cursed in her heart and hurriedly followed, blocking his path and demanded, "Where are you going?"

Ling Chen looked at her angry face and said helplessly, "Officer Xia, I have things to do. Why follow me and bother about what I do?"

Xia Mutong blurted out, "It’s not my concern, but if an assassin is after you, I can’t ignore it." As she spoke, her frustration seemed undiminished, scolding, "You’re not young anymore; why do you always joke with your life?"

Hearing this, Ling Chen’s lips curved into a barely-there smile as he looked at Xia Mutong, his eyes clear with an unusual gleam.

Is this little girl actually concerned for me?

Recognizing his gaze, Xia Mutong’s cheeks flushed, and unable to maintain eye contact, she wondered why she had said that. This annoying guy, let him die for all she cared, why bother with him?

Lost in her thoughts, Ling Chen slightly smiled, "Officer Xia, I know what I’m doing. Rest assured."

He left the Nanrong family residence to wander around out of concern for not wanting assassins to locate the Nanrong family, potentially endangering Nanrong Wanqing and others, also seizing the opportunity to draw out the assassins once and for all.

With that, disregarding Xia Mutong’s attempt to stop him, Ling Chen pushed the door open and walked out.

Watching his retreating figure, Xia Mutong stamped her foot in frustration and anger, then quickly followed him out.