Hibiscus entered South Street Bar as agreed.
She glanced at the "Little Bird Spinning" sign and couldn't help but sigh—truly hiding in plain sight.
The waiter responsible for receiving her looked terrified and uneasy, eyes constantly dodging, body trembling slightly, almost fumbling as he led the masked customer through the dance hall and private rooms. The passage was completely unobstructed, with customers and security guards encountered along the way eager to avoid her like the plague, sweating profusely. The entire room was filled with an oppressive atmosphere.
Really sorry about that.
Having just awakened Origin and being in a state of unconscious magic power release, Hibiscus easily frightened people, giving them the feeling of a Tyrannosaurus rex crawling to their ear to whisper secrets.
But this conveniently reduced trouble—truly the perfect method for controlling the scene.
According to the netizens, some magical girls' Origin was so powerful it directly affected the natural environment. Full release would bring lightning, thunder, and torrential rain upon appearance, magic power release comparable to hurricane cloud formations passing through—that was true oppressive presence. Actually, Hibiscus thought it was similar to how some powerful Disaster Beasts landing in cities created strange celestial phenomena, what people generally called "ominous omens" and linked to Disaster Beasts, triggering massive religious behavior.
Hibiscus didn't think deeply about it. At this moment, the waiter led her to the manager's office door—obviously the negotiation and trade would take place here. She must heighten vigilance and prepare for battle at any moment.
Two people inside the room, adult men.
One person in the inner room, a girl.
In an instant, she detected the situation separated by one door. Was keen hearing and smell alone enough? She didn't understand the principle, but just knew it with certainty.
The waiter respectfully opened the door and made introductions. A suited man came into view—the Storm Gang leader. This person's appearance and behavior matched the intelligence, so the huge crystal beside him should contain Disaster Beast remains, larger than imagined, emanating a murderous aura.
Li Tian got straight to the point: "Thank you for honoring us with your presence, friend. You may inspect the goods."
"No need to inspect. One glance reveals authenticity. The fragrance can't lie—at least there's no disguise method currently."
Hibiscus coldly glanced at the suited man, the implication being don't try to fool me, thinking I'm an amateur? Guessed right—fortunately she had a group of external supporters providing detailed intelligence. Simple identification and appraisal was no problem.
"Sorry, I absolutely meant no test." The legendary Black Fiend kept his posture very low, but this couldn't make the girl relax her vigilance at all.
"Those weapons shouldn't be enough to buy one piece of remains."
"If it's you, I'm willing to offer a discount."
"Then I won't be polite. Honestly, my reception method is rather special."
Hibiscus placed her hand on the crystal block and slightly activated her magic power release. Instantly, cracking sounds came, fine cracks covering the surface. The hard substance used to package the highest-grade contraband was actually cracked by someone barehanded—this scene made both observers furrow their brows.
Bang!
When the crystal block completely shattered, her palm finally made zero-distance contact. Inside her body, a brand new energy seemed to rise, rapidly growing and expanding, incomprehensible for the moment.
She couldn't directly awaken magic yet, but had a clue—no rush. The task of contacting Disaster Beast remains was complete.
However, she didn't receive a completion notification, and at this thought Hibiscus tensed throughout her body. In other words, danger was definitely far from over, perhaps just beginning? Could it be inviting the wolf into the fold? Taking a step back, she couldn't refuse the system's high rewards.
"...You seem very distrustful of us, when clearly the transaction completed quite well, didn't it?" Black Fiend said eerily.
"Anything else to say?"
"We might as well try joining forces against Changfeng Financial Group."
Hibiscus's eyes sharpened—sure enough, she hadn't guessed wrong. She was assumed to be related to Ningfeng Harbor's number one giant enterprise. That was fine—at least it proved the disguise was correct.
She probed: "What benefits? And who can guarantee victory?"
"Freedom, of course. You should also be infected, forced to take their drugs to barely survive. But I've mastered the method of actively fusing infection... You've already experienced it, haven't you? That exhilarating feeling of life's hierarchical sublimation. I've investigated you—you're very mysterious, but none of that matters. The key is we can scheme together. Why not consider making a profit?"
The suited man seemed amiable and consultative but was actually tense and ready to strike. Negotiation and threat coexisted—any carelessness would trap her in encirclement.
Hibiscus hoped to chat more and extract intelligence, but the other party was tight-lipped, and the system task temporarily required battle...
Bang!
Everyone looked toward the sound to see an office corner door burst open. A schoolgirl tied up in her uniform tumbled down with her chair, spitting out the handkerchief in her mouth from the fall, immediately crying out: "Hero, save me—"
That unlucky child Jin Ruochu really wouldn't stay put.
The manager was furious to the point of facial distortion, taking three steps in two to pull out a dagger and gesture: "If I don't leave some marks on your face, you won't learn your lesson."
The next moment, a chair flew through the air and struck his back hard, making him immediately fall unconscious.
Li Tian didn't even look at his useless subordinate and pressed a button on the office desk. Immediately, a group of armed men burst into the room, surrounding it watertight with dozens of guns aimed at the black-masked figure.
"Perhaps you want to save someone? Or are you really a bodyguard? No matter—I'll give you one last chance. Cut off one of her fingers and the matter ends."
Hearing this, the usually carefree fool Jin Ruochu finally showed fear.
Hibiscus walked in front of her to block, and Jin Ruochu's expression had just eased when she stared in shock, along with the gang members, because the masked black-clad figure opened her coat to reveal it was covered in grenades, pulling the pins without a word and throwing them out. Almost simultaneously, the girl embraced the hostage and rolled into the adjacent room.
Boom!
No one could have guessed the intruder would cleanly detonate grenades in the cramped space. Instantly, shrapnel penetrated bodies and tore flesh—a rain of blood and carnage.
How could ordinary people know that Hibiscus reacted at superhuman speed faster than pulling triggers and used Levitation techniques to resist damage? Both girls were safe while the office was in ruins with half collapsed—building quality was worse than imagined.
Hibiscus patted dust off herself and untied Jin Ruochu's ropes. The latter was expressing thousands of thanks when she got flicked on the forehead.
"I'm not your bodyguard. Pay attention yourself—there won't be rescuers every time."
"Right, you're a righteous hero."
Before she finished speaking, Hibiscus's expression suddenly changed as she grabbed the girl and dove. A magic power gust swept past the back of her head. Even so, her back ached faintly, probably injuring internal organs.
Looking back, she saw a giant two meters tall, swollen like a balloon and covered in crystal. It was actually Li Tian—though his appearance had changed drastically, he was still recognizable. Could a human body undergo such massive changes in a short time? Regardless, the intimidating presence couldn't be faked. The opponent could actually use magic power, even having similarities to Disaster Beast aura. If not for advance warning from netizens, Hibiscus would have been dumbfounded.
Wait! The Disaster Beast remains had disappeared, with life reactions manifesting within the crystal giant's body. What was happening?
"Fusion technology does exist—Dad really achieved it." Jin Ruochu murmured.
"Lots of questions to ask, but now's not the time." A purple reagent bottle appeared in Hibiscus's hand as she drained it in one gulp. "Leave quickly. I can't take care of anything else next."