KUNLUN – The Little Lotus

Chapter Nine

Meanwhile, deep inside the forest, Lianhua stood before the only surviving attacker. He had been securely tied to a tree, his arms stretched out and fastened to two neighboring trunks so that even the slightest movement was impossible. Wide awake, he glared at the little girl with undisguised hatred. Lianhua paid the look no attention. Instead, she turned calmly toward Yangchen. "Mouth." Without asking a single question, Yangchen stepped forward, forced the prisoner's mouth open, and Lianhua casually tossed a small pill inside. Instinctively, Yangchen reached toward the man's throat, intending to force him to swallow. Lianhua lifted one hand. "Not necessary." For the first time that evening, the corners of her lips curved upward ever so slightly. "It dissolves in the mouth." Yangchen blinked before quietly lowering his hand. Both of them simply watched the prisoner in silence. Yangchen's expression was one of mild curiosity, while Lianhua regarded the man so coldly that he suddenly felt the surrounding air grow heavy. The silence stretched on until he could bear it no longer. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Lianhua slowly stepped forward. In that instant, her entire presence changed. The quiet, fragile-looking little girl seemed to vanish, replaced by something so cold and oppressive that even Yangchen instinctively recognized it. He gave a small nod and muttered, "Shadow Mode." Looking at the prisoner, he could not help feeling a trace of sympathy. The captive noticed the look immediately and froze. Why would a man like him pity him? What exactly were they planning? Before he could find an answer, an irritating itch appeared on his shoulder. He instinctively tried to scratch it, only to remember that both arms were firmly tied to the trees. All he could do was endure it. The itching grew stronger with every passing second until it became almost unbearable. Lianhua stopped directly in front of him and quietly asked, "It itches... doesn't it?"

The prisoner's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the little girl. Suddenly he gasped and instinctively turned his head toward his right hand. Only then did he realize what had happened. The unbearable itch spreading through his shoulder had distracted him so completely that he had never noticed his hand repeatedly scraping against the rough bark of the tree. The sight was horrifying. Layer after layer of skin had been rubbed away, exposing raw flesh beneath. Blood slowly dripped onto the forest floor, yet no matter how desperately he tried, he could not stop his own hand from continuing its relentless movement against the bark.

Lianhua watched him in complete silence before speaking in a calm, almost gentle voice. "That doesn't look good." She tilted her head slightly. "I can help you... but first I need answers." The prisoner nodded frantically, tears already forming in the corners of his eyes. "Yes... yes... I'll tell you everything! Just make it stop! Please... make it stop!" Someone quietly placed a folding chair behind Lianhua. She sat down gracefully, crossed one leg over the other, and looked at him as though they were simply having a conversation. "Who were the men you ambushed?" The answer came immediately. "Government! They work for the government! The boss told us they were coming to destroy the organization, so we prepared an ambush." Lianhua gave a slow nod. "Go on." The prisoner swallowed hard as the itching grew even worse. "We... we had inside information." His breathing became ragged. "One of their own... the boss married his sister to one of them years ago. That man has been feeding us information ever since." He looked at Lianhua with pleading eyes. "I've told you everything... please... help me..."

Lianhua remained silent for several seconds before turning her head slightly toward Yangchen. No words were needed. He understood immediately. A suppressed shot echoed through the forest. The prisoner's body went limp, his suffering ending instantly. Lianhua neither looked at the corpse nor reacted in any way. Instead, she calmly asked, "Did you record his statement?" Yangchen nodded. "Everything." "Add the recording to the evidence and prepare a report. Use the wounded team leader's report as the template."

The team stared at the swarm of beetles in stunned silence. Finally, Ma Guowei slowly raised a thumb. "Shadow... you're incredible." Lianhua calmly slung her backpack over one shoulder. "I need to find my herb bag." Before anyone else could move, Sun Weizhe lifted a cloth bag into the air with a proud grin. "Already found it. I spotted it while checking the surrounding area." Lianhua accepted it with a small nod. "Well done." Sun Weizhe immediately puffed out his chest. Praise from their boss was rarer than gold. Without another glance at him, Lianhua continued, "I need to have a few things renovated at the house. Using a local construction company wouldn't be ideal. Our own people will pose as the contractors instead. I'd rather not attract unnecessary attention. After all..." She looked at them with a perfectly expressionless face. "...I'm just a helpless young girl." Absolute silence followed. Every member of the team simply stared at her. Helpless? That word had never belonged in the same sentence as Shadow. To everyone else, she looked like a fragile little kitten that could barely defend itself. They knew better. That innocent kitten could become a blood-soaked demon before anyone even realized a fight had begun. Sun Weizhe slowly raised his thumb again. "Boss... only you could call yourself helpless with a straight face." Lianhua raised a single eyebrow, and an icy gaze settled on him. "Are you saying I'm not a helpless young girl?" Weizhe swallowed so hard they all heard it. "Everything you say is correct, Boss." The others quickly looked away, pretending not to have heard a thing. Completely oblivious to their reactions, Lianhua continued, "Since I have no idea how to find a suitable company myself, I'll ask the real estate agent for a recommendation. Naturally, she'll recommend our people. If anyone investigates me later, that's exactly what they'll find. Nothing more. Nothing less." She covered a small yawn with the back of her hand. "I'm leaving." Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared into the forest.