Bella stood by the window, silently watching the man who had returned to the street. Her eyes sparkled with tears as she held the necklace hanging around her neck with both hands.
She knew this was the greatest gift he had given her.
When he wasn't around, the necklace would protect her in his stead. She didn't know why, but even when she was alone, holding the necklace seemed to convey a warmth that dispelled her fear and anxiety, as if the boy were right beside her.
Bi Xiao glanced back at the girl standing by the windowsill. Their eyes met for an instant, feeling like a moment that lasted an eternity.
Resolutely, he turned his head towards Natasha and Barton.
What could he say? The girl already had a good impression of him, and now, inadvertently playing the hero saving the damsel in distress, he had also revealed the presence of a demon. Coupled with his callous words, it would easily lead the girl to imagine a silent hero traversing the world, seeking out demons and protecting it.
This sequence of events was perfect, all the elements were there, and the emotional impact was genuine. A girl sheltered in her ivory tower couldn't withstand this, her heart would be won over in no time.
To be honest, it was impossible for Bi Xiao not to have some feelings for Bella. He had planned to stay in Forks for a while to see how things developed, but the demon incident fast-tracked everything.
Bi Xiao decided he needed to properly thank that demon for merging its life essence with his.
"That guy has his eyes on the girl?"
Natasha, having watched everything from the start, glanced with interest at the boy before her. With her experience, if she couldn't see through this, her title as a top spy would be meaningless.
"Earlier?"
Barton, more curious about the abilities Bi Xiao had shown, couldn't comprehend how even his superior reflexes and dynamic vision couldn't catch up. The second-floor window hadn't been broken, nor had Bella's elderly father been alarmed. Clearly, this was beyond an ordinary person's capability.
Even among mutants, such power was rare.
Ignoring their words, Bi Xiao looked up at the sky. His jet-black pupils, tinged with gold, saw black gas rapidly spreading under the endless clouds in the rainy weather.
He could feel the demon's strong hiding abilities. Before Natasha and Barton approached, he hadn't even noticed anything amiss.
Even with most of his senses sealed, his passive abilities remained. Whenever he sensed a demon or an invader from another world, he would instantly detect it.
For a demon to escape his perception, it must be formidable.
Now it seemed like a taunt, marking Bella to stir up trouble and attract his attention, challenging Bi Xiao to find it.
"Want to play a game of cat and mouse with me?"
"Only, who is the mouse, and who is the cat?"
Boom!!
A sleek black Ducati roared under the moonlight, speeding along a long, muddy road in the rain, like a wolf running through the night.
Mud and rain splattered as Bi Xiao, in a black jacket, T-shirt, and jeans, rode the motorcycle. The wind blew through his black hair.
Far behind, a black Chevrolet SUV chased with all its might, but the distance was growing.
"Damn, that thing must be going over 300 kilometers per hour."
Driving, Barton slapped the steering wheel, clearly dissatisfied with the speed. He was pushing the car to its 200 kph limit, but had to slow down for turns.
The motorcycle was at its top speed, an extremely dangerous feat on a muddy road where a mistake could lead to a fatal crash.
Barton knew controlling such speed and a motorcycle was easy for the boy.
But he was still human, and no matter how skilled, he was only human.
"We are following him, that thing is spreading fast. Shaw said it wasn't simple… Understood, I'll track it all the way."
In the passenger seat, Natasha buckled her seatbelt, ending a call. She looked at the frustrated Barton: "The Director will send our people to seal off the areas around Chino Town, but the actual participants will only be us."
"We need equipment support. Our previous gear was nearly destroyed fighting that thing. Bullets and normal arrows won't work."
Barton shouted while driving: "Maybe the Director should prepare a lot of holy water and have jets spray it from the sky."
He was a top agent, but he usually dealt with flesh and blood enemies. Now, facing who-knows-what, he was grateful for the special gear he and Natasha had grabbed from HQ. Otherwise, they might have been dead.
"I believe the rain will dilute it. Our equipment is already placed outside Chino Town, and the target isn't us, it's Shaw."
"Yeah, this world is too fantastical. I'm starting to believe that guy isn't a mutant, but related to something strange. The Director should hire some priests."
Facing Natasha, Barton couldn't stop ranting, shedding his cold, efficient agent demeanor.
"Maybe a good idea. We can suggest it to the Director. He might agree." Natasha casually replied, checking the locator on her phone. It only showed their Chevrolet, while Shaw's marker had pulled far ahead.
A thoughtful look crossed her face. From the power Shaw had displayed, blocking military satellite images wouldn't be hard. Yet, he hadn't done so.
She didn't believe he hadn't noticed, but more likely he didn't care, confident in himself.
Clearly, Shaw had many secrets she didn't know.
She had a premonition that this mission might reveal Shaw's true nature and show her another side of the world.