Since Qiu Fa would definitely strip a mask away anyway, and since her face ten years from now was so different from Long Jin’s original face, there was no point in hiding it.
Right now, everything from her face to her physical age was completely different from Long Jin. She only had to be careful about one thing: she couldn’t use her Atavist power. If even a single dragon scale popped out, her real identity would be blown.
Once she was dressed, Jing Pei left the public restroom, walked over to her black motorcycle parked by the street, put on her helmet, and headed to the meeting spot.
The taxi kept moving forward. The streets were getting quiet, with fewer cars and people around. Most folks had already hurried back to the safety of their homes to spend the last hours of the day.
Qiu Fa rested his chin in his hand, looking out the window. An elderly man carrying a shoulder pole was also hurrying home. The baskets on either side of the pole held some fruit—bright red apples on one side, and orange tangerines on the other. The old man’s bent back and weathered face were worn by years of hard work.
Before long, Qiu Fa ended up with a big bag of tangerines on his lap. But since he didn’t really like eating them, he gave them to the taxi driver, who accepted them, feeling completely overwhelmed by the unexpected gift.
The car stopped in the agreed-upon suburban area. Once Qiu Fa got out, the taxi drove off.
Qiu Fa looked around. There wasn’t a soul within several hundred meters. Was the information broker late? Or was this guy just messing with him again?
Ever since the broker asked to meet up, Qiu Fa had gone over dozens of possibilities in his mind. But despite his doubts, he still chose to show up. After all, if that information broker actually had the guts to face him, this would be the perfect chance to bust him.
He waited for about two minutes before hearing the roar of an engine in the distance. His ears twitched, and he turned his head slightly.
Soon, headlights cut through the dark. A black figure sped into view along with the rising roar of the engine. A woman in a tight black suit was riding a sleek, cool motorcycle—both of them had smooth, beautiful lines, looking just like a piece of art.
A woman? Was she the information broker herself, or just a messenger? Qiu Fa watched blankly, biting on his cigar.
The bike came racing toward him like the wind and braked hard right in front of him. As the engine quieted, she planted one long leg on the ground to steady herself. A pale, slender hand lifted the helmet’s visor, revealing a pair of captivating, lively eyes fixed directly on Qiu Fa.
Qiu Fa froze. His heart seemed to skip a beat.
Then, as if making sure he was the person she had come to meet, she removed her helmet. Her wavy black hair spilled out like a dark waterfall, falling over her shoulders and down her back.
Under the bright moonlight, a stunning face—brighter than the moon itself—hit his vision like a bullet. Bold red lips, elegant and gorgeous, she was so breathtaking that even the finest jewels would look like worthless rocks next to her. Her eyes were alluring yet lazy, bright but shrouded in a hazy, melancholy mist. The tiny mole on her chin seemed to have a magical pull, drawing his gaze right to it.
She tilted her head slightly, offering him a bright, lively smile, and tossed something his way.
Though he was a split second slow, Qiu Fa caught it. He didn’t even look at what he was holding; his eyes remained locked on Jing Pei’s face, not blinking.
What landed in his hand was a bright red apple.
“A little meeting gift,” Jing Pei said, leaning back on her bike. She had an apple of her own, taking a crisp bite. The cool juice burst in her mouth, perfectly quenching her thirst.
“Who are you?”
Qiu Fa had no idea what had come over him. His mind had suddenly gone blank, and he couldn’t process anything. All that remained was a hazy blur.
“Director Qiu, didn’t I tell you this would be a private meeting between just the two of us? Do you really have that little faith in my word?”
Jing Pei got off her bike, walked straight up to him, and held out her hand with a smile.
“I’m Jing Pei, the owner of the Puzzle Intelligence Agency.”
Qiu Fa widened his cold, beast-like eyes, staring hard at her. “You’re the information broker?”
“Yep. Come on, let’s shake hands.” Jing Pei wiggled her fingers. Her beauty went straight to the bone—not a single flaw on her entire body. Her pale, elegant fingers looked like delicate jade, glowing softly in the dim light.
Qiu Fa stared hard at her outstretched hand, as if he wanted to devour it, before refusing in a cold voice.
“Do you think I came here to make friends, information broker?”
He forced the words “information broker” through clenched teeth. Jing Pei felt a little annoyed. She had gone to all this effort to make an impressive entrance, yet he was still being difficult. She pouted and turned her palm upward.
“Fine. If you won’t shake my hand, then we’re not friends. Give me back my gift.”
“As if I care.” Seeing her get annoyed, Qiu Fa’s expression grew even stiffer. He quickly held the apple out, though his eyes remained glued to her face.
Jing Pei reached out to take it… but couldn’t pull it away.
???
Jing Pei looked at Qiu Fa, then at the apple gripped tightly in his leather-gloved hand. What was his deal? Did he want it or not?
Qiu Fa frowned, complaining about her being slow. “Aren’t you going to take it?”
“Then let go first?” Jing Pei finally noticed something was off with him. Why was he looking at her like he wanted to eat her alive?
Just then, something soft and furry curled around her hand, making her jump. She looked down and found a thick, black-and-white striped tiger tail eagerly wrapped around her wrist. Its fluffy tip brushed against the back of her hand.
“Pardon me, but is this your tail, Director Qiu?” Jing Pei looked at him in sheer disbelief. What in the world? Why was this happening? She had never written anything like this in her novel.
Qiu Fa seemed to realize only then that his tail had slipped out.
Although he was a high-purity Atavist capable of transforming completely into a beast, he rarely did so. For one thing, animal traits usually appeared only when an Atavist couldn’t fully control their powers. On top of that, while a full transformation increased their strength by a huge amount, extremely high-purity Atavists like him could easily be overwhelmed by their animal instincts and accidentally hurt their allies. Most of the time, transforming simply wasn’t worth the risk.
Ever since losing his entire family, he had never shown these traits to anyone. So why had his tail appeared out of nowhere now?
Qiu Fa was shocked and tried to force his tail back using his Atavist power. But the tail seemed to have a mind of its own, defying his orders and wrapping tightly around Jing Pei’s wrist. It made Qiu Fa frustrated and embarrassed—how could his own tail be so friendly with this annoying information broker!
Only then did the tail reluctantly retreat.
Watching Qiu Fa battle his own tail, an old joke popped into Jing Pei’s head: As everyone knows, cats and their tails are two completely different creatures.
“Don’t suddenly hit me, okay? I’m really weak. One punch from you, and I’m done for.”
Jing Pei gave up on getting her apple back. After seeing his tail, she wasn’t annoyed anymore. She returned to eating her own apple and glanced curiously at the top of Qiu Fa’s head.
Would a pair of round, fluffy ears pop out next?
Qiu Fa was on guard now. He figured he must have fallen into some trick of hers, which was why his body was acting up and losing control.
Was it this thing? Qiu Fa ripped his eyes away from Jing Pei’s soft, juice-stained lips and looked down at the apple. A sudden instinct hit him. “Did you buy this from an old man with a shoulder pole?”
Jing Pei: “Ah, yeah, actually.”
She had been thirsty, and seeing the old man working so late, she had simply bought up the rest of his apples. She kept a few on the bike and gave the rest away along the road.
“Hmph.” Damn it, the tail is trying to slip out again! What is wrong with you!
Qiu Fa figured that even if the broker had been posing as a man all this time, there was no way they’d show their real face so openly. Yet he was absolutely certain this woman wasn’t wearing any disguise; this was her genuine face.
This mysterious figure, whom the entire world was hunting but whose face and location remained a total secret, was actually standing right in front of him. She had a certain presence—an air of someone who would never bow to or take orders from anyone else. She really was the legendary broker herself, not just some messenger.
Qiu Fa’s original plan had been simple: capture whoever showed up first and ask questions afterward. But now that the real information broker was standing right in front of him, he couldn’t bring himself to act. He didn’t even understand why.
“State your purpose,” he finally said, his eyes drifting back to her face.
“We’re short on time, let’s talk as we go,” Jing Pei said, tossing her apple core into the grass to let nature take its course.
The motorcycle engine was too loud for what came next. She abandoned it by the roadside, and the two of them used their naturally enhanced Atavist legs to sprint toward the destination.
Soon, Qiu Fa learned about the plot: someone was targeting Bubble 109 to force the government to scrap the Atavist Management Regulations at the upcoming 8.20 Conference.
“The machine is probably already running. We only have three hours to stop it.”
Qiu Fa’s eyebrows twitched. “Run faster.”
Neither of them was using their Atavist powers, and Qiu Fa wasn’t running anywhere close to his full speed. He was deliberately slowing down so Jing Pei could keep up. But with a hundred thousand lives at stake and only three hours remaining, they couldn’t afford to keep jogging at such an easy pace.
Jing Pei shook her head, completely honest. “I can’t use my Atavist power, Director Qiu. If I do, you’ll catch me next time.”
“You…”
“If you’re really in that much of a hurry, let’s try something else.”
Before Qiu Fa could react, Jing Pei stepped closer and leap up onto his back, holding on securely so he could carry her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her legs around his waist.
“Hey!” Qiu Fa stiffened, completely startled.
“Move it, we’ve got a hundred thousand lives to save,” Jing Pei said, nudging his stomach with her heels like she was urging on a horse. She was actually quite anxious, but she kept her cool. After all, she was playing the role of the morally gray information broker—she was doing a good deed by coming to help, but she had to act like she didn’t care either way.
Sparks of anger flared in Qiu Fa’s eyes. This woman… Yep, she was definitely that annoying information broker. It had been years since anyone had pushed his buttons so easily. This jerk didn’t respect him at all and was always teasing him! Just wait—once this was over, he was going to catch her and teach her a lesson!
But with the emergency, he didn’t waste time arguing or trying to pull her off. Stiffening up, he sprinted and leaped forward, his speed exploding to dozens of times faster than before. He didn’t put his hands on her, letting her hold on by herself.
The wind whipped her hair around and stung her cheeks, so she lowered her head to shield herself from it. Qiu Fa was moving quickly, but his steps remained steady. She could hear his heart hammering, probably because he was still on guard in case she tried something. Even so, carrying her didn’t seem to slow him down at all. Still, she couldn’t help but notice how broad and solid his shoulders were, and how lean his waist was under her legs. She could even feel his rock-hard abs through the thin fabric of his shirt.
Talk about a perfect V-shaped hunk.
“Rub against me again and you’re dead,” Qiu Fa growled, his voice freezing cold as if he meant every word.
Yet, Jing Pei felt his tail happily brushing against her back again, quickly wrapping itself tightly around her waist.
Since a tail was a bit too intimate, Jing Pei held back her strong urge to grab it and give it a good rub.
“Hey, look who’s rubbing against whom. Your tail seems to really like me, Director Qiu.”
