This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 481: Encounter

Chapter 481: Chapter 481: Encounter

Diana took a long-distance bus back to Opportunity City and it was already around 9 p.m.

The weather was gradually getting chilly. She couldn’t help but zip her jacket up higher to protect her collarbone and neck, took off her cap, loosened her ponytail, shook her long hair, and observed the passengers at the bus station.

If she hadn’t guessed wrong, Steve must have already known about the assassins’ failure. He must be crazily calling her now, right?

Of course, this speculation was based on the premise that the assassins were indeed sent by Steve.

Diana wasn’t clear about what had happened at the Administration Bureau. Since she had returned from the 2006 timeline, the Administration Bureau was no longer the place she knew.

The streets of Opportunity City were empty at night, and only Raffi Road was somewhat lively.

She walked briskly through the streets, unsure whether to go home or not, as perhaps Steve had sent assassins to lurk nearby.

"Stop being paranoid..."

Diana muttered to herself, but her agent’s instincts told her that someone nearby was following her. She looked back but saw no one, so she quickened her pace towards the 24-hour coffee shop she frequented.

No matter how she threaded through the streets, although no one appeared, she always had the feeling someone was following her.

"Damn it..." Diana cursed under her breath. The pursuer had followed her so far and she couldn’t locate him at all. It seemed she had encountered a master.

Diana slipped her hands into her pockets, fumbling with the blue Holy Diamond, unsure how many assassins would come this time.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from an alley beside her and yanked Diana inside.

"Damn it!" Diana’s body tilted, Longsword in hand, ready to stab to her right, but another hand grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall.

"Diana, calm down, it’s me."

A familiar face appeared before her, dark in the night, visible only by his white teeth.

"Bader?!" Diana exclaimed in surprise.

Bader was still in his imposing blue suit, his face not clearly visible under the night sky.

"Diana, who exactly have you angered?" Bader asked.

"How do you... how do you know I’m here?" Diana asked warily.

Bader looked across the street at the small coffee shop and back at Diana, saying, "They said you weren’t at home and refused to return to the Administration Bureau. I figured you must be at the 24-hour coffee shop you frequent."

"Hmph... I was in Norton City last night and just got back." Diana said.

"Alright, enough of that. Who exactly have you angered? Why are you on the assassination list?" Bader asked.

"I fucking don’t know! Wang Ailin... she’s missing, she’s on the list too," Diana said angrily.

"The Administration Bureau will figure something out..." Bader began to say but was interrupted by Diana.

"Just figuring something out isn’t enough! Those assassins have already visited her home..." Diana said.

"Saw the body?" Bader asked.

"No, there were no bloodstains, no signs of a struggle, the scene was staged to look like a burglary," Diana shook her head.

"Hmm... how amateur. Diana, everything will be alright. Trust me," Bader said.

"How can I believe that everything will just be alright? How will it get better?" Diana looked up at Bader.

"Do you really have no clue at all? Think about the things you’ve been through in recent months," Bader said.

Diana sighed, crossed her arms, and turned her back on Bader, knowing what he meant.

"Do you know where Chen Ke is now?" Bader asked.

"I don’t know, and he has nothing to do with this," Diana said.

"Are you so sure?" Bader asked.

Diana scratched her hair, somewhat shaken.

"Can you contact him now? Why not ask him directly? He saved you from 2006; he’d probably be willing to save you again," Bader said.

Diana turned and looked at Bader, whose expression seemed to imply something.

"Tell me, Bader, how far did your investigation into him go?" Diana asked.

"He appeared twice at a fishery in Deep Anchor, but then he couldn’t be found anymore. Maybe you should find time to check it out?" Bader said.

"Since you know this clue, why don’t you go yourself?" Diana asked.

"I’ve already been there, but he wasn’t there. Also, I can’t always be hanging around that place, you’ve taken surveillance courses, haven’t you?" Bader said.

Diana fell silent for a while, her mind churning with thoughts.

"By the way... Diana, are you really not in a romantic relationship with him? After all you’ve been through together," Bader asked again.

"Stop joking, Bader..." Diana shook her head.

"That’s good, I told you this clue. If you find anything, don’t be too stingy," Bader added.

"If he really has a problem, I will personally take care of him," Diana said.

"That’s the Diana I know," Bader smiled.

...

Lucina returned to the fishery, which had become a ruin.

Yellow caution tape had blocked off all the roads within the boundaries of the fishery. She slipped past the blockade and saw several human outlines drawn in chalk on the ground—those were the fishery workers who had died in the fire.

The loss was significant, but at least the fishery was a legitimate business run by Hainerd for retirement, and the United Federation would provide compensation.

A beam of light swept over Lucina, and a familiar engine sound came from behind. Lucina turned back and saw Hainerd’s pickup.

"Lucina!" Hainerd quickly jumped out of the truck and ran towards his daughter, embracing her tightly.

"Dad... I..." Lucina felt a bit dizzy.

"I thought you were burnt to death... I thought I lost you, just like I lost your mother," Hainerd almost sobbed.

"Dad... we’re in trouble..." Lucina said.

"Tell me, Lucina, what happened? Why did the fishery catch fire?" Hainerd asked.

"It was Si’s consortium, we took their green Holy Diamond, and they came after us," Lucina said.

"Did they hurt you? Where have you been all this time?" Hainerd asked.

"I..." Lucina hesitated for a moment and then decided to conceal what had happened in the past few hours. If she told Hainerd that she had been interrogated by three men for half a day, Hainerd might go crazy.

"I drove them off, then tried to find Chen Ke for help..." Lucina said.

"You and Chen Ke, both of you can’t lie... and when I left, wasn’t he with you?" Hainerd asked.

"Dad, he didn’t let me tell you, but I think after all this, I must tell you... it’s not that he didn’t want to help me... but..." Lucina said.

"Lucina, where did he go?" Hainerd asked.

"He disappeared... he was sitting in a chair, and then... he just vanished," Lucina said.

"What...? Disappeared? Left?" Hainerd asked.

"No, not left, he just disappeared... slowly vanished, I don’t know if he will come back because he looked panicked when he left... I’ve never seen him like that," Lucina’s voice trembled, mixed with anxiety and fear.

"This isn’t like you, Lucina, pull yourself together..." For the first time, Hainerd saw his usually strong daughter so frightened, so he hugged her tightly.

"Let’s go find Pihom. You look very tired, Lucina," Hainerd consoled.

At that moment, a cab stopped beside the pickup, and a person got out.

Both looked towards the cab, and in the light, they saw a woman approaching them.

"What is this... What happened here...?" the woman asked in surprise.

"Lady, what are you doing here so late?" Hainerd asked.

"My name is Diana. I’m an agent with the Administration Bureau. Was this place a fishery before it was burned?" Diana asked.

"That’s right... This fishery is mine. Since when is the Administration Bureau responsible for fire damage assessments?" Hainerd asked again.

Lucina eyed Diana warily, her muscles tensing.

"I... I’m looking for someone, an Asian guy named Chen Ke," Diana said.

Upon hearing Chen Ke’s name, Lucina instantly pulled a Glock pistol from her father’s holster and aimed it at Diana without hesitation, pulling the trigger.