The woman called Sixth Sister had just said “No matter how great the matter is, it can be set aside for now—see Fifth Brother first.” From this, it seemed that as long as Song Qi and the others could meet Qian Wu first, they would most likely survive.

The situation matched Qi Xia’s speculation perfectly. Only two or three minutes had passed when Song Qi emerged. His right hand had completely recovered.

“Sorry, everyone. Please follow me inside to rest for a moment. Fifth Brother is rather busy at the moment.” He nodded to the three of them. “In about half an hour, he should be able to see you.”

Qi Xia looked down at Song Qi’s right hand, finding it somewhat incredible. This person called Qian Wu could even restore a severed hand—could he possess an “echo” capable of healing and saving lives?

Was he the source of the strong scent that Yingxiong had detected?

The three followed Song Qi into the prison and waited in what appeared to be a guard’s rest room for about half an hour before finally hearing footsteps in the corridor.

The three slowly stood up and looked toward the door.

What would this person called Qian Wu, the leader of “Cat,” look like?

A few seconds later, a tall woman appeared at the doorway. She wore a black leather jacket and had short, efficient-looking hair framing an exceptionally capable face.

On her left cheek was a terrifying scar, as if it had been caused by some wild beast’s bite.

The woman walked forward a few steps, her pupils flickering slightly, then extended her hand toward Qi Xia and said, “Hello. I’m Qian Wu.”

The atmosphere became somewhat strange for a moment.

“You are Qian Wu…?”

“The genuine article,” the woman said.

“Hello.” Qi Xia didn’t shake Qian Wu’s hand, only nodded indifferently. “Qi Xia.”

“So… Qi Xia…” An expression that was half-smiling yet tinged with melancholy appeared on Qian Wu’s face.

“Do you know me?” Qi Xia asked.

“I don’t.” Qian Wu withdrew her hand. “This is our first meeting.”

Qi Xia’s brow furrowed slightly. This woman should be lying.

But then again, who said the boss of “Cat” had to tell him the truth?

Qian Wu smiled at Qi Xia. “What’s with that expression? You seem to doubt my identity.”

“I do doubt it.” Qi Xia still frowned. “The two people behind you both call you ‘Fifth Brother,’ yet you’re actually a woman?”

“Me? A woman?” Qian Wu looked down at her own body. “That doesn’t seem to be a problem.”

Qiao Jiajin and Officer Li exchanged glances, also finding it rather odd. Did someone really need to look down at their own body to confirm their gender?

“Damn, you’re not some kind of pervert, are you?” Qiao Jiajin blurted out.

“Ha, how could that be…” Qian Wu looked up at Qiao Jiajin again, similarly showing an expression of wanting to speak but holding back. She paused, then said, “Are you all interested in my gender…?”

“I’m not interested.” Qi Xia interrupted without mercy. “Qian Wu, let’s talk.”

“Oh…?” Qian Wu turned to look at Qi Xia. “I know you should have many questions, but now isn’t the time.”

“Not the time?”

Qian Wu didn’t speak, but pulled over a chair and sat down, then waved at everyone. They all sat down as well.

“Smoke?” She pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her leather jacket pocket and offered them to everyone.

Neither Qi Xia nor Qiao Jiajin took any, but Officer Li accepted without hesitation.

Qian Wu stood up, bent down to light Officer Li’s cigarette, then took one herself and lit it.

Qi Xia felt something was off and asked, “What are we waiting for?”

Qian Wu took a drag on her cigarette and said slowly, “Waiting for someone.”

“Waiting for someone…?”

No one spoke further, just waited silently. Qi Xia sat at the table without a word, calculating the current situation in his mind. Qiao Jiajin looked at the furniture layout in the room, thinking about which piece of furniture he should grab if a fight really broke out.

Officer Li and Qian Wu quietly smoked their cigarettes, looking at each other in silence.

The most restless person in the room was none other than Zheng Yingxiong. He paced around the room, lifting his nose and constantly sniffing, as if searching for something.

In the time it took to smoke one cigarette, Qian Wu extinguished the butt in her hand and turned to give the lip-ring woman a look.

“Yes.” The woman nodded, then her lips moved slightly, as if speaking to someone.

A few minutes later, footsteps sounded in the corridor, and a refined-looking man pushed the door open.

“Sixth Sister… you called for me?” the man said in a low voice.

“Nineteen, Fifth Brother wants to speak,” the woman said. “Come in and stand.”

“Understood.” Nineteen nodded. “Leave it to me.”

Song Qi and the lip-ring woman exchanged glances and were about to leave the room when Qian Wu called them back.

“It’s fine, no one needs to avoid this.” Qian Wu waved her hand. “Song Qi, Zhou Liu, you sit as well.”

Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, Nineteen silently stood beside them and closed his eyes.

At this moment, Zheng Yingxiong slowly retreated behind Qi Xia, muttering softly:

“I… smell the fragrance of ‘Silence.'”

“What…?”

Qi Xia turned his head and stared at Zheng Yingxiong with a bewildered expression. Before he could say anything, he felt their room being enveloped by a strange force. All sounds from outside the room quietly became utterly silent.

Something seemed to have happened.

“Everyone, there’s no need to be nervous.” Qian Wu said with a serious expression. “Nineteen’s ability completely isolates the surrounding area from outside sounds. This is just to let us have a proper conversation.”

“Conversation…?” Both Qiao Jiajin and Li Shangwu’s faces flashed with a trace of wariness.

Qi Xia, however, turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong, many questions arising in his mind.

At the same time, Qian Wu spoke up: “Qi Xia, ‘Heaven’ is looking for you.”

“Oh?” Qi Xia turned his head back, looking at Qian Wu with an expressionless face. After all, he had already guessed this answer to some extent. “So you’re afraid of walls having ears? So ‘Heaven’ commissioned you all—what is their ultimate goal?”

“I don’t know.” Qian Wu waved her hand, and Zhou Liu retrieved a bottle of what appeared to be very old foreign liquor from a nearby cabinet. “Qi Xia, today I want to see your attitude, then decide whether or not to hand you over to ‘Heaven.'”

Qian Wu naturally passed the liquor to Qiao Jiajin, but half a second later felt something was wrong. She withdrew her hand and asked, “How should I address you?”

“A’Jin from Bolan Street.”

“Bolan Street… A’Jin…” Qian Wu hesitated, a trace of melancholy passing through her eyes, then placed the bottle in front of Qiao Jiajin.

“This…” Qiao Jiajin looked at the half-bottle of liquor before him and swallowed slightly. He felt as if he had ascended to heaven. “Is… is all this for me to drink?”

“Not quite.” Qian Wu smiled. “A’Jin, good liquor in the ‘Land of End’ becomes scarcer with each bottle drunk, so you can’t have it all to yourself. I’m going to drink with you.”