1 Shadow fox

"Big boss, I've copied everything into the hard drive." Ying Yue panted. She was running along the side wall of the gated facility towards the area with a giant willow tree. She'd climb up there and jump over. Easy.

Her earpiece buzzed with a sound of approval. "Good. Come back to HQ, shadow fox. Oh, and someone seems to be tailing you. Lose him."

'Tsk.' If she hated anything, it was not doing her job flawlessly. She glanced behind her. Indeed, someone was running a few meters behind, albeit discreetly. He had light feet, she'd give him that.

Ying Yue was too busy thinking about the man giving chase that she didn't realize she was already well past the tree until she hit the end of the wall. Skidding to a stop at the corner, she sighed in frustration.

The man was drawing near. It was too late to run over to the tree now without an encounter.

Ying Yue touched her mask to make sure it was in place and pulled her cap lower.

The man skidded to a stop.

His knife glinted under the moonlight. "Hand over the drive." He turned his knife over from hand to hand. "If you were thinking of escaping, think again. We've got back-up coming in." He chuckled.

Ying Yue grimaced. For someone as skilled as her, this was one of the few times that any security detail caught her in the midst of a mission. Normally she's able to go in and out without anyone finding out. She had to get out of this situation, and fast.

"Shadow fox. You're losing your touch. Get out of there now."

"Copy." Ying Yue carefully slipped the hard drive into her jacket and made a move.

Pak!

A powerful kick to his wrist sent the knife flying. Unable to recover from his surprise, the man didn't notice Ying Yue's fist colliding with his jaw…

Bam!

He stumbled onto his knees and passed out cold. By the time back-up came, she was already long gone.

"Here ya go, Big boss." Ying Yue dropped the hard drive on Big boss' desk with a loud clunk. She took a seat on his couch and propped her feet up.

"What did I tell you about putting your feet up on my coffee table??" Big boss snapped. He paused like he was thinking about something and then his voice slightly gentled, like he was talking to a child. "Also, what happened back there? You almost got caught."

She rolled her eyes. Seeing her reaction, Big boss immediately wanted to take back the concern he was showing. He pursed his lips and frowned.

"The keyword there is ALMOST." She stressed. Earlier, she was too focused on getting in and out and beating her own personal record of finishing a mission in 58 minutes that she forgot to check on the security team. You know what they say. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Being the top spy agent at Juyan Intelligence with the codename shadow fox, Ying Yue knew she was her boss's favorite. She got things done, and she did them fast. More than that, no one has ever seen her face. It was doubtful anyone even knew she was a woman.

She grinned and put her feet down. "So, what's next for me tonight?"

Juyan Intelligence is an underground spy agency based in S city with multiple satellite branches all over China and a few abroad. They weren't exactly legal, but they weren't illegal either. The police force sometimes tapped them when they were at a dead end. They had connections to the government but aren't tied to them either. Sometimes they had dealings with the underworld as well, but rarely. Their clients were mostly rich and powerful men who could pay. Clients can ask them for any information they want, and they can even steal unpublished blueprints or documents for all they care. There was only one thing they didn't allow themselves to be paid to do -- kill.

They weren't against killing when their life was on the line though. Shadow fox did her best not to kill anyone in her missions, but she did like to injure them or break their bones when caught in an uncompromising situation. Just like tonight.

Big boss sighed. "None for the rest of the night. I've distributed the private investigation cases to the kids. Unless you want to take one on?"

One perfectly shaped eyebrow rose up.

"No, thank you. Those missions are too boring for me. Even if they do pay well." She stood up and checked her watch. It wasn't midnight yet, but she needed the beauty sleep. "I gotta go. I still have work tomorrow."

"You're still working in that company?"

She rolled her eyes. "I thought you appreciated us having double jobs."

He leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. "Yeah yeah, now get out of here."

She grinned back at him and blew a kiss. "Au revoir!" [1]

The door closed with a soft click. Just a couple of years ago, when he first met her, Ying Yue was emotionally unstable and kept to herself. She was too skinny, her hair was always a mess, and when left alone she'd be crying day and night. It took him months to break into her shell. But one day, she just snapped out of it and fixed herself. Now she was a pain in the ass who didn't know how to shut up. Big boss sighed, shaking his head.