As Lu Yunzhi called Jiang Qianyu, she was already nearly at her front door.
Her mind had raced the entire way home.
Maybe the Nightwatchers organization wasn’t as noble as she’d imagined.
Or perhaps she was simply too weak, too untalented—deemed worthless, and thus discarded.
Fierce power struggles plagued the upper ranks; most lower-tier Hunters lacked drive. Suspicion ran deep. Cooperation beyond one’s own squad was nearly impossible.
If that were all, she could’ve accepted it.
She could tolerate such an environment.
After all, however fractured they were, outright betrayal hadn’t happened—until tonight.
But tonight’s mission shattered what little security she had left.
Liu Yongkang’s betrayal of the captain. The real reason they were sent there. It all unsettled her.
The words in the footage might as well have screamed, “We’re here to kill Lu Yunzhi.”
Without the Gluttonous Harpy showing up, she would’ve died there.
No—more precisely: forced to consume countless souls, mutate, then be executed on-site. Her soul harvested afterward, devoured by someone else.
With reality laid bare like this… how could she trust any Nightwatcher again?
She’d never felt this disappointed.
Colleagues pretending to help were actually sent to kill her. Their captain fell to a friend’s betrayal. And the ruthless Gluttonous Harpy—ironically—saved her life.
Now she had to keep working alongside colleagues who all kept their distance.
And grow stronger to face the very Gluttonous Harpy who’d indirectly spared her.
Childish as it sounded, she couldn’t help wondering: in her world, who were the good guys? Who were the bad?
She pushed the front door open, took a deep breath, and steadied herself.
Glanced back at the quiet street—no one following.
No matter what, she truly hoped the Gluttonous Harpy would never appear here.
She double-locked the door and headed upstairs.
Past 1 a.m., the bedroom light was still on. Tiptoeing closer, she peeked in—Jiang Qianyu sat on the bed, soaking her feet in Lu Yunzhi’s large foot bath tub.
Wrapped in a fluffy bear-print onesie, she looked adorably petite, utterly absorbed in her tablet.
Behind her, Bai Dongqing slept soundly, hugging a rabbit plushie.
The scene soothed Lu Yunzhi’s tangled heart.
In that moment, she finally grasped the meaning of “home.” After today’s chaos, the contrast hit hard—it’d be a lie to say she felt nothing.
“Hey, Xiao Yu, I’m back!” Lu Yunzhi tapped the doorframe and stepped in, smiling.
She set the late-night snack on the nightstand, pulled a chair close, and sat facing Jiang Qianyu—chin resting in her palms, beaming.
Jiang Qianyu set down her tablet. “Got a promotion?”
“Huh?” Lu Yunzhi blinked. “What promotion?”
“You seem way too cheerful.” Jiang Qianyu tilted her head, pointing behind her. “Hand me the foot towel? Thanks.”
“Nah, promotion’s still a dream… though I wouldn’t say no.”
Lu Yunzhi fetched a pink towel from the bathroom, plopped back into her chair—and didn’t offer it.
“Let me help, Miss Jiang. Looks tricky for you.”
Noticing Jiang Qianyu’s puzzled look, Lu Yunzhi placed a hand on her leg. Her slender fingers traced slowly down fair, delicate skin before gently cradling her calf.
Jiang Qianyu wore only a plush coat-like nightgown. From Lu Yunzhi’s angle, above those smooth thighs lay the hem hiding that tantalizing “absolute territory.” When Jiang Qianyu lifted her legs, the fleeting glimpse sent Lu Yunzhi’s pulse racing.
As Lu Yunzhi lifted her feet from the warm water, her gaze followed: straight jade-like calves, perfectly shaped feet, snow-pale skin dotted with droplets—like polished white jade, a masterpiece.
Especially with crimson reflexology oil on her toes. That splash of red stripped away the “untouchable elegance,” adding a hint of shameless allure. It made Lu Yunzhi’s throat go dry.
She’d never considered herself a foot-obsessed weirdo.
She was a pretty girl herself—why was she reacting like this to another girl’s legs and feet?
Yet she swallowed hard, struck by an urge to cradle those feet…
The thought made her want to hide her face.
Ugh. Why did she suddenly feel like *disciplining* Jiang Qianyu?
Jiang Qianyu, utterly unprepared to be stared at so lecherously by another cute girl, looked away and cleared her throat.
“Ahem. So… what did HQ say?”
“We reviewed all Hunters’ recordings. Showed everyone the full footage. Still no clear conclusion.” Lu Yunzhi kept her eyes down, afraid Jiang Qianyu would notice her fluster.
“HQ assigned a codename to that little witch: Gluttonous Harpy, Class A. Honestly, I expected that.”
Jiang Qianyu turned her head. “Gluttonous Harpy?”
“Yeah—she consumes *a lot*. Important note: the case is ours now. Tracking and investigation fall to us…” Lu Yunzhi paused, memories from HQ flashing back.
“Everyone says she’s fixated on me—I was the only survivor. I feel it too. She won’t let me go. I’m… really scared.”
“I’m scared she’ll hurt you and Dongqing.”
“She’s digesting souls now—won’t surface soon. But later? Hard to say.”
“This… might be my last window of time.” Lu Yunzhi hesitated, then lifted her gaze, voice shifting. “Xiao Yu… will you keep partnering with me on missions? Just like this time?”
On the way home, she’d thought no one was trustworthy. But she had to move forward.
Now she realized—she *did* have someone.
Right here. Someone she could trust completely.
“Of course,” Jiang Qianyu said. “But… will your teammates agree?”
Lu Yunzhi gave a bitter smile. “I… don’t have teammates anymore. They fear the Gluttonous Harpy targeting them—or that *certain powerful figure* will suspect closeness. So none want to team up with me.”
“Don’t mind them. That’s human nature.” Jiang Qianyu half-closed her eyes. “Those scum don’t matter. You have me. That’s enough.”
The moment she finished speaking, Lu Yunzhi pulled Jiang Qianyu’s damp feet into her lap, soaking her clothes.
“Yunzhi! Your clothes are wet!”
“Wet… Good.” A mischievous smile curled Lu Yunzhi’s lips.
