"I'll have a latte, thanks," Shuo Ye said to the waiter with a faint smile. The waiter, wearing a warm grin, nodded and jotted it down in her notebook. "And bring me a slice of cheesecake too."
"I just want a black coffee," Lin Mi replied expressionlessly from across the table.
"Hah, your coffee taste is seriously like some old man's," Shuo Ye teased.
"Elderly people shouldn't drink coffee—it can cause arrhythmia and nervousness," Lin Mi stated flatly.
Bai Xin twitched the corner of her mouth, watching their exchange. Ever since that day Lin Mi told Cold Night Feather she'd get stronger, she'd turned completely emotionless. Shuo Ye was the opposite—her former aloof image had vanished completely, and now she went out of her way to provoke Lin Mi.
"I'll take a cappuccino and an Opera cake," Bai Xin added.
The waiter bowed with a smile and headed to the back. Bai Xin nervously scanned the surroundings. It was 8:05 a.m., the sun had just risen, but the café was already filled with customers having breakfast. The hum of the central AC was drowned out by soft music from the speakers, making Bai Xin feel a little drowsy.
Yes, the three of them were currently inside that café.
"Hey, is it really safe for us to be this conspicuous?" Bai Xin whispered.
"Ah, it's broad daylight—what are you scared of?" Shuo Ye dangled a lollipop she'd pulled from nowhere, like a delinquent with a cigarette, radiating big-sis energy.
"Those waiters aren't ordinary people," Lin Mi suddenly said before Bai Xin could respond.
"Hmm, you noticed too? Share your guess," Shuo Ye asked, intrigued.
Yep, Bai Xin was ignored again.
"Their footsteps are steady, and their breathing is calm. Everyone has calluses on their hands—specifically where the thumb meets the index finger and on the palm. That proves they've trained extensively with cold weapons. Their index fingertips also have calluses, meaning they frequently handle guns."
"Uh, why would vampires use cold weapons? Don't they have claws?" Bai Xin asked curiously.
"No, no—we never said they were vampires," Shuo Ye whispered. "Probably thralls or something. In a real fight, they'd be our biggest obstacle. Imagine a bunch of people with superhuman strength pointing blades and guns at you!"
Bai Xin pictured it and shivered. Ability Users' bodies weren't that tough unless they were High-Ranking Ability Users or specialized in physical enhancement. It was like playing a game where your character hits as hard as the boss but has paper-thin HP—you had to rely on skills to survive. Humans were just fragile like that.
Their combined strength was barely B-rank level—tiny shrimp in this chaotic world. Their only edge was powerful weapons and combat suits. Thinking of that, Bai Xin glanced down at the special suit hidden under her clothes.
This suit was the one Shuo Ye had pulled out that night—far stronger than the academy's student-grade gear. Hers was officially called Type Black Dragon, the heavy armor class. Lin Mi's was Hidden Wolf. Shuo Ye's was Cypseloides Niger.
According to Shuo Ye, the three suits were prototype upgrades developed by her family. Bai Xin's Black Dragon could withstand heavy sniper fire and had built-in tech like a personal barrier generator. She didn't understand how it worked—she just used it.
Honestly, to Bai Xin, the suits only differed in color and the glow of their energy lights...
Speaking of the suits, Bai Xin couldn't help but wonder about Shuo Ye's background. She didn't know what family stood behind Shuo Ye, only that it was a colossal power. Custom-modified guns, that Black Hawk helicopter they'd used, and these insane combat suits... Bai Xin was already itching to cling to Shuo Ye's leg.
As Bai Xin drifted in thought, the waiter arrived with her cappuccino and Opera cake.
"Hey, big sis, do you have a plan?" Bai Xin asked through a mouthful of cake.
Compared to Bai Xin's messy eating, Shuo Ye looked elegant—like a noble lady enjoying afternoon tea in her garden. Lin Mi, sipping black coffee expressionlessly beside her... yeah, their current dynamic had already morphed into a light novel title in Bai Xin's head: *The Commoner Trapped Between a Stoic Butler and a Scheming Young Lady!*
Shuo Ye took a sip of her latte. "Of course. Lin Mi and I will 'use the restroom' to scout this place. You? Do whatever."
Bai Xin thought, *Sorry for being dead weight*, and finished her cake.
Soon, the two pros were off, heading toward the restrooms like a girl with a full bladder and another with stomach trouble. Bai Xin drained her cappuccino. Alone in this vampire den—even if it looked like a cozy café—gave her the creeps. She stood to leave.
Then she remembered Shuo Ye and Lin Mi hadn't paid the bill.
"Damn it! They totally did this on purpose!" Bai Xin fumed after paying the unfair cost. She pulled out her phone and started playing a match-3 game.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure. She quit the game and focused on that direction.
"Huh? Li Xiao Xiao? What's she doing here? And that's... the café's back door?"
Bai Xin was looking at a narrow alley barely wide enough for one person. Inside stood a shabby door she remembered from her last visit with Li Xiao Xiao—it had left a deep impression. The door clashed horribly with the café's decor: blue paint peeled off in patches, revealing rust underneath, and a thick chain wrapped around the broken handle, as if no one wanted outsiders entering.
Curious and with nothing better to do, Bai Xin decided to check it out. She tiptoed through the short alley, careful not to brush against the dusty walls. Just before exiting, she stopped and peered out with only half her head visible.
That broken door sat at the top of a long downward staircase. From outside, it looked like pure shadow—a gateway to hell or the gaping maw of a predator. How did Bai Xin know about the door? Last time with Li Xiao Xiao, she'd noticed the alley and later snuck in alone, resulting in days of nightmares.
Right now, Li Xiao Xiao was walking into that passage with a pale-skinned young man. They chatted and laughed, complimenting each other. Soon their figures vanished into the darkness, followed by the clinking of chains. The door at the passage's end must have opened.
Then, Bai Xin clearly heard a faint, almost imperceptible hum—like precision machinery whirring. It came from the passage's end!
She'd heard it last time too but dismissed it as an AC unit or her imagination since it was so quiet. But now, no longer an ordinary girl, Bai Xin caught the unnatural sound.
"Fuck!" Realizing this café was a hidden vampire nest, Bai Xin's face paled.
Everyone knew vampires hated sunlight—some even burned to ash in it. Bai Xin didn't know which vampire lore applied here, but they definitely avoided light. The café had only three floors, all with large windows flooding the space with sunlight, just like its name suggested.
So where would vampires hide secrets? Underground. That hum was likely a large transport mechanism—like an elevator.
Which meant Li Xiao Xiao was in danger.
"Damn it, I knew something was off!" Bai Xin smacked her forehead. Li Xiao Xiao's expression had been wrong—like a life-sized, exquisite doll: beautiful but vacant.
Though Li Xiao Xiao was likely in peril, Bai Xin wasn't stupid enough to charge in. She'd just be free food for vampires—maybe even rejected as low quality.
"Cold Night Feather said vampires need virgins to summon something, so Li Xiao Xiao should be safe for now," Bai Xin muttered, calming down. "I should find Shuo Ye and Lin Mi, head back to the agency, and plan properly!"
As she hurried out of the alley, she saw Shuo Ye and Lin Mi burst from the café doors. They grabbed her arms, one on each side, and dragged her to their car—a fiery red Ferrari, unmodified, just a regular sports car.
Bai Xin was shoved into the back seat. Lin Mi plopped down beside her. Shuo Ye slammed the accelerator. The engine roared, and the Ferrari shot forward like an arrow.
"What the fuck? What did you do?" Bai Xin looked back at the café. The waiter who'd served them snarled, about to burst through the doors. The moment Bai Xin finished speaking, a massive explosion erupted inside. Tongues of fire engulfed the interior, and a shockwave shattered the glass, blasting outward. Bai Xin was stunned—they'd promised no big scenes when they left.
"Just gave them a pound of modeling clay," Shuo Ye said, licking her lips.
"Holy shit! Are you insane?" Bai Xin hadn't realized "modeling clay" meant the C4 explosive Shuo Ye had molded like putty that night. "One pound can blow up a commercial plane!"
"Ahem, details later," Shuo Ye said uneasily, glancing at the rearview mirror. "We've got bigger problems right now."
Bai Xin looked back. Two black sedans were tailing them closely.
