Chapter 49: The Fake Li Hongyou! I Think You’re the Strongest!
Bai Xuan paused thoughtfully, then replied in all seriousness, “Magnetic field manipulation. Phoenix’s power. Laser eyes. Superman’s physique. Fallen hypnosis.”
He gave a casual shrug. “If I really had to compromise, I suppose I could settle for super regeneration... though that’s barely acceptable.”
“?”
Li Hongyou stared at him, briefly stunned by how he rattled off a list of overpowered abilities as if he were reading off a shopping list.
With that kind of power, you wouldn’t just be a regular Investigator—you’d be overqualified for the elite ranks of the Investigation Bureau.
“You’ve got quite the imagination, kid.” Li Hongyou rolled her eyes at Bai Xuan, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Forget about Ninghang City—even in Baihai City, you wouldn’t find anyone with a lineup like that.”
“Joining the Bureau means facing Anomalous Disasters head-on. You need real firepower to survive,” Bai Xuan answered matter-of-factly, as if it were common sense.
Li Hongyou suddenly leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. Her eyes narrowed, a sly and conspiratorial glint flashing within them. “What do you think about spatial teleportation abilities?”
“?”
Bai Xuan hesitated, then smiled. “Spatial powers are impressive, sure—but if all you can do is basic teleportation, I’d still say it’s not as strong as your telekinesis, Miss Li.”
“Wrong!”
“Actually, your telekinesis is the strongest, most incredible power there is!”
“Becoming Huaguo’s top Investigator is just a matter of time for you!”
Li Hongyou chuckled softly, a hint of pride flickering in her gaze, though she couldn’t help but glance away.
Bai Xuan followed her eyes and noticed a black insect nestled among the leaves of a decorative potted plant in the restaurant. It was easy to miss, but the faint red glow on its back stood out.
A surveillance device?
Wait—
Were they being monitored right now?
At that same moment, in a shadowy underground room, a woman wearing a Plum Blossom Three mask turned to the masked Four of Spades beside her.
“Confirmed—Li Hongyou isn’t with Su Yue. We can move.”
“Got it!” Four of Spades grinned, his expression savage. “This time, I’ll bring her back for sure!”
“No more mistakes,” Plum Blossom Three warned coldly. “Fail again and we lose the bounty.”
“I know!”
Without waiting for a reply, Four of Spades strode into the next room.
Plum Blossom Three’s gaze drifted back to the computer screen in front of her—a live feed showing Li Hongyou and Bai Xuan sharing dinner.
…
Who was behind the surveillance?
Bai Xuan’s mind raced. Only two groups made sense: the Investigation Bureau or the Extremist Organization. But since Li Hongyou herself was part of the Bureau, there was little reason for them to spy on her. That left only the Extremist Organization.
Were they monitoring Li Hongyou?
If her current mission was to protect Su Yue, it made perfect sense for the Extremist Organization to keep tabs on her movements.
After all, with her strength, even D-rank Extremist Organization members would be no match for her.
But all of this assumed—was the person in front of him really Li Hongyou?
Her appearance was identical, but there were subtle differences. For one, she had a suspiciously intense sweet tooth—a trait that hardly matched her slim, petite frame.
Even her speech patterns were slightly off—less precise than when she’d impersonated Liu Qian earlier.
Of course, she could easily fool those Extremist Organization thugs.
But why impersonate Li Hongyou? Most likely, it was a classic “lure the snake from its hole” tactic.
As these thoughts churned, Bai Xuan glanced at his Legendary Perspective. Sure enough, there was movement at Su Yue’s Lakeside Villa.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion shook the villa, drawing startled looks from the Investigators and security officers on duty.
“What’s happening?”
“It must be the Extremist Organization!”
“Everyone, stay alert!”
Weapons were raised in an instant. The entire squad snapped into combat readiness.
Suddenly, a figure tore through space and materialized before them.
With a vicious grin, he spat, “Investigators and officers of Ninghang City—if you don’t want to die, get the hell out of my way!”
“Shit... he’s got six arms!”
“Open fire!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The officers fired immediately, but the wounds on Four of Spades’ body closed up in seconds, healing right before their eyes.
“If you want to die so badly, don’t blame me!” Four of Spades sneered, lunging toward the nearest officer.
But just as he was about to tear the man apart, several Poker Cards whistled through the air like throwing knives, embedding themselves deep in his flesh.
Then—
Boom!!
A deafening blast—the Poker Cards exploded, blowing several holes straight through Four of Spades’ torso.
“Is... is it over?”
“I’m not sure...”
“He has to be dead, right?”
The officers exchanged uneasy glances, eyes fixed on the mangled corpse.
Just then, a man clutching a Poker Card rushed onto the scene.
“Whew... just in time!” Huang Xin panted, chest heaving.
He’d come running the moment he heard the commotion, saving the officer with a last-second throw.
But as he looked at Four of Spades, his expression darkened—
The villain’s shredded body was regenerating—muscle and flesh knitting back together at a speed visible to the naked eye!
“Damn it!”
Huang Xin’s heart sank. He shouted, “Get back! He’s not—”
Before he could finish—
Bang!
A thunderous impact. Four of Spades shot forward like a cannonball, slamming into Huang Xin and sending him flying over ten meters, crashing hard into a van.
Huang Xin lost consciousness instantly.
Four of Spades let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Is that all Ninghang City’s Investigators can do? Pathetic.”
With that, he turned toward Su Yue’s villa.
But as soon as he took a step, he realized—at some point, Poker Cards had been plastered all over his body!
Boom!
WHOOM!
A column of fire erupted, engulfing him completely.
High above, Li Hongyou hovered in midair, surveying the battlefield with icy calm.
As the strongest combatant on this mission, it was her job to analyze every shift in the field.
“Three Spade Puppets?”
“No... four.”
“I’ll take out the one that slipped into the villa first.”
She dove, streaking toward Su Yue’s Lakeside Villa...
…
Inside the villa, Bai Yu kept a sharp eye on the chaos outside.
Noise echoed from all directions, her frown deepening.
Three out of four defensive lines—set by the Investigators and security officers—were already under attack.
That meant at least three enemies were assaulting simultaneously.
“Bai Yu, we just need to hold the villa. The others can handle the rest.” A nearby officer whispered, “Keep patrolling—we can’t let them find an opening.”
“Mm.”
Bai Yu nodded and was about to move when she suddenly drew her gun, spun toward a shadowy corner, and pulled the trigger!
Bang! Bang! Bang!