Hearing the voice, Zhou Pan abruptly raised his head.
Only then did he notice a woman standing in the shadows. Though she wore a mask and hat, he recognized her the moment he heard that voice.
"Yu Li!? What are you doing here?"
The woman chuckled softly, removing her hat as she replied, "Naturally, to eliminate loose ends."
"What loose ends?" Zhou Pan couldn't comprehend her words, but primal fear made him instinctively take a step back.
Then it suddenly dawned on him: "Are you here to get back at me for the forum incident!? Damn it, I knew it!"
"The forum? That too, I suppose." Yu Li touched her chin thoughtfully. "Mainly, I need to retrieve something I left with you."
Zhou Pan reflexively denied it: "I didn't steal anything from you! Stop making false accusations!"
"Who said you stole it?" Yu Li's eyes curved into a smile. "I placed it on you willingly."
Unaware of the anomaly on his body, Zhou Pan looked down frantically. "Dammit! You secretly planted—"
His words were cut off by the woman's icy tone.
"I thought you'd behave yourself."
She leisurely put on gloves and picked up a wooden rod prepared earlier. "But I miscalculated. Apparently, those incidents didn't teach you your lesson."
Worse, his resentment had caught the attention of the Heavenly Dao, making him a tool for revenge against her.
This bar also happened to be PEACE's territory.
If she didn't reclaim Black Moon soon, the protagonist's group might discover it and potentially misuse it.
Le Yi had advised her to shut up online trolls by force.
Yu Li found some truth in those words.
Indeed, some people only learn fear through pain.
Dragging the wooden rod, she approached Zhou Pan step by step, stopping before him to gaze down coldly. Her fox-like eyes glowed faintly red.
The dim light cast shadows across her face, her dark hair loosely cascading down her back. Half her face disappeared into darkness, her beautiful features devoid of emotion—like a demon from hell.
"Must I beat you into submission?" Her voice was flat and emotionless.
Zhou Pan's pupils contracted as he stared at the rod in her hand, stammering, "W-Wait, Yu Li... I..."
Shit! Who dares assault someone so brazenly!?
Spotting the security camera in the corner, his eyes lit up: "Yu Li! There's surveillance here! You—"
Before he could finish, the camera sparked and short-circuited.
Heaven has forsaken him.
Trembling, he backed toward the door, only to find it mysteriously locked.
? When did that happen!?
Yu Li suddenly laughed softly. "Zhou Pan, you chose a great place for your part-time job. If not for the owner tipping me off, I wouldn't have known you worked here."
Zhou Pan froze, then instantly understood.
Damn it! They're in cahoots!! No wonder the door's locked!
Who knew this random job would land him in Yu Li's territory!?
Seeing her raise the rod, he gritted his teeth and bolted for the exit.
Watching him flee, Yu Li calmly lifted the rod and hurled it with precision.
Zhou Pan gasped, clutching the swelling lump on his head. "Fuck—! Yu Li, you @#*+!"
The woman only stated coolly, "Next time won't be so lenient, Zhou Pan."
"Bitch!" He gnashed his teeth but couldn't muster a proper threat.
"You'll pay for this!"
Is this really Yu Li? She was never before!
Once Zhou Pan fled, Yu Li removed her gloves and murmured:
A man's laughter echoed from the darkness.
"As they said, Yu Li, you're quite interesting."
Tossing her gloves into the trash, Yu Li glanced sideways at the man emerging from the shadows.
"Really? You, however, are boring, Rong Fan."
Rong Fan studied her while subtly holding up his phone, lingering on her fox-like eyes before looking away. "How did you know it was me?"
"Does it matter?" Yu Li readjusted her hat, shadowing her eyes completely. "I recall declining your meeting request."
Rong Fan smiled naturally. "I'm not here for that. I just happened to pass by and witness... an altercation."
He wiggled his phone. "Ah, right... and accidentally recorded it. Would this footage suffice as reason to meet, Miss Yu?"
Yu Li only gave him a sidelong glance.
Rong Fan's smile stiffened.
Why does this scolding feel familiar?
As Yu Li opened the back door, his voice carried an odd tone:
"This bar's owner is Cen Xiu from PEACE, no? Xing Yuan despises you—yet he allowed his teammate to assist you?"
When she turned, his grin widened.
"Yu Li, your deception feels... strikingly familiar."
At the bar counter, Jiang Xi drank heavily with her head lowered. Hou Liang snatched her glass away.
"Xi Xi, stop drinking!"
Jiang Xi blinked dazedly before reaching for another glass.
Hou Liang's brow furrowed. "Jiang Xi!! Why are you treating yourself !?"
The words made her freeze.
"*I'm* the problem? Hou Liang... you're blaming me too now?" She looked up with reddened eyes. "Do you know what they're saying about me on the forums?"
Her voice grew frantic: "I don't know why they turned on me! I did nothing wrong! Was staying silent a crime? They twisted my words! I only tried to help, but now they claim I was delusional!"
"And Bo Jingmo blocked me first! I defended him for years, yet he humiliated me publicly! How dare he! Does he forget how I praised him to everyone!?"
Drunken rage overpowered her filter. Hou Liang couldn't interject.
"And Yu Li! She mocked me first! In the dungeon, I didn't even confront her for killing you! Why is *she* the victim now!? Ever since she appeared, my life's been hell!! Everything's ruined!"
Cen Xiu's group halted upon overhearing this tirade. Exchanging glances, they hurried over.
Hou Liang had briefed them, but none expected Jiang Xi's meltdown.
Unnoticed by them, a black-haired woman in a hat sipped juice at the counter.
Rong Fan swirled his drink, clicking his tongue. "The whole PEACE crew, huh? You knew they'd come?"
Yu Li lowered her mask slightly, replying indifferently:
"Keep talking, and I'll throw you out myself."