Chapter 33: Bait

"Here, osmanthus and lotus seed soup. I had to run several blocks to find this Chinese-style breakfast," said Susan as she handed a paper bag to Chu Zihang, containing a cup of osmanthus and lotus seed soup along with a few buns.

"Thank you," Chu Zihang politely replied. Getting breakfast was essential after waking up early.

"Youth is indeed a wonderful thing," muttered a nearby agent upon seeing the scene. However, Susan immediately pulled out a larger bag containing everyone's portions, bringing smiles to the agents' faces.

Sipping the hot millet porridge through a straw, Susan found herself in the third day of the mission, feeling more like a vacation after the initial tension.

They were tailing Milanra, accompanying her every step, trying not to raise suspicion. Susan and Chu Zihang had temporarily assumed the roles of a couple.

However, Chu Zihang's impassive demeanor didn't quite fit the image of a young man in love, leading even the staff to question their relationship, with Susan mostly doing the talking.

Fortunately, Slaughter probably wouldn't pay much attention to them, being fellow Asians. As long as they didn't seem too suspicious.

Other agents had it tougher, as there were fewer female agents this time, making them appear more like a company outing than a covert operation. Even Chu Zihang felt compelled to joke about their conspicuous trench coats and wondered if they could opt for something more casual.

Now, just into autumn, it was a bit much.

At noon, they found themselves in a couple's restaurant.

"Is it really okay for us to be so leisurely?" Susan observed, feeling uncertain about the practicality of their war tactics course.

"We should be fine. Our group probably has it the easiest," Chu Zihang said casually, mixing his salad.

"It seems you're quite confident in Lu Chen," Susan remarked, noting Chu Zihang's trust in their teammate.

"He's strong. If Slaughter decides to make a move, he might take care of it before we even arrive," Chu Zihang replied, pushing the salad he mixed towards Susan in a gentlemanly manner. "But instead of worrying about that, we should be concerned about the other team. Though, according to what you said, the likelihood of her being attacked is minimal."

"Perhaps," Susan said absentmindedly, gazing out the window, her thoughts wandering as she looked at the blurry reflections on the glass.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen felt exhausted these past few days, not just physically but mentally. He imagined the mission to be straightforward—locate the target, eliminate them, and call it a day. Instead, it had turned into a government-funded vacation with a female companion.

Based on Lutisia's latest summary of the victim's social relationships, they discovered that all the victims, except for the female agent, actually had boyfriends...

Not surprising. Such beautiful ladies having boyfriends is quite normal.

The issue was they didn't know if this correlated with Slaughter's XP system. So after discussion, in order to maximize the resemblance to the victims, they arranged male companions as bait again.

Perhaps Lutisia had ulterior motives, but her plan didn't succeed...

Because Lu Chen was assigned to Milanra's side, and upon learning this, Milanra felt extremely grateful to her senior sister.

Meanwhile, Lutisia teamed up with Lancelot.

It had to be said that Lancelot was much better at acting than Lu Chen. At least Lu Chen and Milanra standing together—one Eastern and one Westerner, coupled with his stiff expression—didn't look like a couple at all.

But Lancelot and Lutisia, two nobles, walking together seemed like a match made in heaven, with no sense of dissonance.

At the end of the window, the man and woman sat facing each other.

Under the sunlight, the light golden hair adorned with silver hairpins emitted a charming signal. The slightly curled strands were cute yet noble, modest yet straightforward. The goose-yellow short-sleeved shirt exuded a sporty mood, while the front black bow tie was both fashionable and captivating. Beneath the light blue dress was a smooth white silk, and the girl exuded youthfulness from head to toe.

Milanra had clearly dressed up today, not for the elusive Slaughter but for the young man sitting across from her, who, in his casual outfit, looked quite handsome—this was the result of his days of doll dressing.

At first, he refused, but Milanra said it was part of the mission expenses and could be reimbursed, so Lu Chen gladly accepted.

"Lu Chen, aren't you going to eat more?" Milanra's beautiful eyes filled with concern as she looked at Lu Chen, as if she felt he had lost weight over the past few days due to the mission.

Lu Chen:...

Could you stop looking at me like that?

That's something Fingal fabricated! I can afford to eat!

Just because I can eat doesn't mean I can't survive on a normal person's diet, you know?

"It's already this time, I'm going to meet a friend. You should head back to the hotel earlier this afternoon," Lu Chen said casually, glancing at the time according to the standardized schedule of the past few days.

Although the bait needed to have boyfriends, the boyfriends couldn't always accompany them, giving Slaughter the opportunity to strike.

These past few days, they had been going to places frequented by the victims, essentially giving Slaughter ample opportunities to meet the bait.

"Oh, okay. See you tomorrow then," Milanra said sweetly, even thinking that if Slaughter didn't show up, spending a few more weeks here wouldn't be bad.

After leaving, Lu Chen got into a taxi. Of course, the driver was actually an agent of the execution department. After leaving the area, he would change his attire and come out again. This was his second duty.

Besides accompanying Milanra for shopping every morning, he had to remain hidden in the afternoon. Regardless of whether Milanra or Lutisia had any trouble, he had to rush over to assist.

As Lu Chen idly sat in a café, his earpiece suddenly received instructions from the executive officer.

"All units, be advised, the target has made contact with bait number one."

Lu Chen immediately perked up. Bait number one referred to Milanra. After three days, there was finally some movement. He just hoped it wasn't some boring person just striking up a conversation.

But before he could relocate to go check on Milanra's situation, another instruction came through his earpiece.

"All units, be advised, there's also contact at bait number two!"

Lu Chen's steps halted. If one wasn't enough, now there were two?