Chapter 53 Still looking forward to the birthday party? *Kicked away*

Am I under house arrest?

Li Nai released the locked doorknob.

Turning around, I glanced around at the newly decorated multi-functional room, its style warm and elegant.

The room isn't large, but it's well-equipped. It has a bed, wardrobe, and dressing table, a private bathroom, an open-plan study, and a small living room.

The clock on the sunflower-framed exterior shows the current time as 7 a.m. Four hours have passed since Missyko was rescued in the early hours of the morning.

Dragging his tired body, which refused to sleep due to worry, he began to walk around the room again.

Stepping into the study, she saw a row of wooden bookshelves, behind which were displayed various types of novels. Her gaze swept over the titles, all of which were online novels she loved to read.

Then, she went into the small living room. Casually glancing around, she discovered a piece of origami hidden under the large screen.

I picked it up and opened it; it was a user manual for using the TV. Turning it over, I saw a list of movies and anime I'd already downloaded. At the end was a small, handwritten note, strong yet elegant.

—If you are not satisfied with the room, or if there is anything else you want, you can tell me.

It is the writing style of Misiko.

Li Nai blinked her tired and dry eyes and looked at the room again.

All of this effort came from Missco.

The voice of the command personnel could be heard from outside the balcony.

She approached the balcony, clutching the paper. Her bloodshot eyes were reflected in the glass door.

Outside, the sun shines brightly, and in the bright and pleasing European-style garden, all sorts of servants are scattered about, following instructions to dismantle the props set up for the birthday party.

A rainbow cloud arch made of colorful balloons lay on the ground. The inflatable letters for "happy birthday" were all stepped on and popped flat, never to float again.

Today is her birthday.

It might be the only birthday party of her life.

Everything is ruined.

Who destroyed it?

The image of torn strips covered in cream flashed through my mind.

The sentence above was written by her own hand on a page of the novel.

Qi Shuihan! You ingrate! You actually turned around and bit me!

She gripped the piece of paper tightly in her hand.

Crack!

The door handle turns.

Shoes stepping on the floor.

Someone has come in.

Her heart skipped a beat. The glass in front of her reflected the distorted, deep eyes of Missyco. A few footsteps sounded, and she was fully inside the room. Her head turned slowly, glancing sideways behind her out of the corner of her eye.

The newcomer had short, silver-white hair, the ends of which had grown a bit long and reached his collarbone.

Upon seeing the person, I felt relieved.

As soon as Lin Jingru entered, her cold, phoenix-like eyes swept over every corner of the room without restraint. She ignored Li Nai completely, as if she had only come to see if the room suited her taste.

Li Nai approached Lin Jingru, his eyes constantly glancing at the open door. There was no one outside.

Snap!

Lin Jingru suddenly took a step back and pushed the door shut behind her. Her stance, blocking her way, clearly indicated that she wouldn't be allowed to leave.

A strange feeling washed over her, but she smiled. "Is it okay if I go out now? Excuse me, I need to go see Missyco."

Lin Jingru remained motionless, coldly observing her for a few seconds before suddenly moving closer. As Li Nai dodged, she heard a warning from the other woman.

"I'm still worried about how to escape."

"Run away? What do you mean?"

Lin Jingru's cold gaze fell upon her face, a hint of curiosity in it. She took a step closer, "Who are you?"

Li Nai took a step back. "I'm Li Nai! You've lost your memory."

Lin Jingru took another step.

"Whom do you work for?"

She also took a step back.

"What are you talking about? What are you trying to say?!"

Lin Jingru leaned forward, her face as dark and brooding as a deep blue glacier beneath the surface of the sea. "What mission did you take to get close to my sister? What are your people planning?"

"Huh?" She was stunned. The mission...

Did Qi Shuihan sell her out completely last night?

Her voice was somewhat agitated. "What mission? I'm just an ordinary orphan, I don't have any powerful connections. What about Missyko? How is she? Is she still not well?"

Two beams of gaze from above her head seemed to be poised to strike her temples.

She suppressed the urge to dart her eyes around in a panic, lest she arouse Lin Jingru's suspicion. Head bowed, lips moving, she racked her brains for a plausible excuse.

A moment later.

Lin Jingru straightened up, creating distance between them, her hands in her pockets. Her phoenix eyes flashed with mockery, and her words were chilling.

"Save your brain cells. Your sister already knew last night, otherwise why would she lock you up here?"

Li Nai remained silent.

The person in front of me started talking more.

"My sister hates three things the most: lying to her, using her, and betraying her. Do you know what happened to the last person who did that?"

Of course I know. Li Nai recalled the scene where Missy mercilessly shot and killed Sister Hong.

She is now facing two dead ends.

They will either be executed by Mishiko or their existence will be erased for failing to complete their mission.

what to do.

Clench your cold, damp palms.

She stared blankly at Lin Jingru's legs. This younger sister, who cared deeply for her older sister but never received her love in return.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

Find another partner.

She turned around, her back to Lin Jingru, projecting an invisible control panel. To those behind her, it looked like she was so guilty and fearful after being exposed.

On the character profile card, target character #2, Missy, still does not show as successfully completed.

As expected. Obtaining the special medicine was only one important step in Missy's revenge plan.

Continue checking, scroll down, and the progress bar is stuck at—70%?!

It's 20% less than what I saw yesterday!

The shock she felt was contagious, reaching Lin Jingru behind her. Her phoenix eyes revealed blatant sarcasm—she couldn't keep up the act any longer.

A few minutes later, Li Nai sighed and spoke in a resigned tone.

"I approached your sister to complete a mission."

Lin Jingru's hands bulged in her pockets, as if she clenched her fists briefly before returning to calm.

“Tell me about the organization behind you.”

Li Nai paused, turned around, and looked at Lin Jingru. "No one ordered me. If I had to say, I am the organization behind me."

Lin Jingru immediately flashed a look on her face that said, "You're talking nonsense again, trying to make a last-ditch effort."

However, she did not press Li Nai further, temporarily skipping the topic of the organization and asking about the real purpose.

"Tell me what the mission is? What do you want to get from my sister?"

Li Nai did not answer immediately, but stared intently at Lin Jingru, deliberately stalling for time until the other party was about to become impatient.

“I can tell you,” he said, extending a hand, “unless you become my partner.”

Lin Jingru frowned and glanced at her hand with disdain.

"What kind of partner?"

"Partners. Only partners are qualified to share my secrets."

"Hmph. Still dreaming even when death is imminent."

Li Nai didn't withdraw her hand, her eyes fixed on the depths of Lin Jingru's gaze, giving off an inexplicable air of dominance. She spoke clearly.

"Right now, it's still uncertain who will die first."

Lin Jingru's phoenix eyes widened slightly as she finally looked into the person's eyes, seemingly only then realizing that the person in front of her possessed superpowers.

Having won the standoff, Li Nai felt a small surge of joy. Even her posture straightened considerably. She now resembled a seasoned businesswoman, beginning formal business negotiations with Lin Jingru.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm not some kind of assassin. Being my partner will be very beneficial."

Lin Jingru regained her initial indifference and remained unmoved by her words.

Li Nai extended a huge olive branch: "If you can help me get past Misike, I'll tell you my mission objective and even help you gain Misike's attention and care. How about it? After the mission is completed, I'll naturally leave. Don't worry, I promise I'll never let you see me again. And I certainly won't steal your sister."

Sigh, what a total siscon!

Lin Jingru glanced at her sideways. The atmosphere around them began to freeze.

Just as Li Nai continued to persuade her, Lin Jingru suddenly glanced nervously at the door, then quickly and nimbly hid inside the wardrobe.

Li Nai was stunned.

The next second, the doorknob was turned open by the person outside.

The door opened, and a long leg wearing black high heels stepped in first.

The sun was shining brightly today, filling the room with light that made the person's golden-brown curly hair gleam.

Missy looked radiant and didn't resemble someone who was seriously injured at all.

The potions in the system shop are really good; they're even more powerful than those special medicines.

"You're here. It's good that everyone's alright." Li Nai wanted to get closer to the woman, but his body wouldn't let her.

Moreover...

After giving her a gentle greeting with a calm gaze, Mishiko began to look around the room.

She stood there somewhat awkwardly.

"Do you like this room?" Missy suddenly asked.

Do you like it? Of course I do! It's already the upscale apartment in the neighborhood she dreams of living in. In her entire life, she's only ever lived in low-rent housing, the worst being a damp, dilapidated old house in a village, and the best being an apartment-style staff dormitory provided by her company.

"I'm glad you like it. I prepared it especially for you." Missy's tone was satisfied. However, her deep eyes remained calm, fixed on a certain spot.

"Don't stand there, let's go sit down."

As Missy spoke, she strode towards the beige and light blue patchwork sofa.

She responded and followed behind. Her gaze drifted casually down, then suddenly fell on the gun handle at the woman's waist.

Her legs went weak, and she stumbled, almost bumping into Missyco's back.

He quickly regained his footing and stealthily glanced at the woman. Fortunately, she didn't notice at all.

He thought to himself: Why is he carrying a gun? He's really cautious.

Upon reaching the sofa, Missy didn't immediately sit down. Instead, she casually pulled out her gun from her waistband—her old friend who had accompanied her through countless bloody battles over the years—and placed it on the glass coffee table as casually as if it were a keychain before finally sitting down.

Seeing that Li Nai didn't move, he patted the ground beside him.

"Don't be shy, sit down."

Li Nai remained motionless, except for a slight movement of her eyes—she glanced uneasily at the spot next to Misi Ke.

"Please sit down."

Missy gave a friendly, slight smile. However, to Li Nai, it seemed so out of place with the deep gaze fixed on her.

She avoided eye contact, forced a smile, and chose to sit at the other end. She only sat on about a third of the seat, her tense posture suggesting she was ready to run away at any moment.

Missy didn't pursue the matter further and continued chatting with her.

"Do you want to live here permanently?"

"Of course! I've always wanted to save money so I could make a down payment on the apartment I want to live in."

Recalling the moments before the apocalypse when she was striving to live towards her goals, this hopeful and beautiful feeling relaxed her considerably. A happy expression appeared on her face.

Missy took in the happiness in her eyes, her gaze, which had been submerged in the dark water, flickered slightly. "Then don't leave. I feel more at ease with you staying here."

Li Nai blinked, her surprise masked by a hint of unspoken emotion.

Then I heard Misiko say...

"The outside world is different from before; it's full of death and crisis. This is the last oasis of hope, and many people want to get in but can't find the way. Even if they do, they need to offer something of equal value to me in exchange for entry. You are lucky."

His calm, deep gaze fell upon the pistol on the coffee table.

Li Nai, whose nerves were constantly on edge, naturally noticed where the other person's gaze had fallen. She calmed her breathing and observed Misike's expression out of the corner of her eye.

His pale red lips parted again, revealing white teeth with a hint of cold blue. "Tell me your secret. I want to hear it from your own mouth, without any concealment."

The woman's deep eyes swept over her, awaiting her answer.

Li Nai lowered her head, twisting her fingers. What could she say? She had no idea how much Qi Shuihan had said.

Time passed by, second by second, so clearly.

As Li Nai quickly racked his brains to come up with a plausible lie, he suddenly heard a sigh that seemed to be a hallucination.

She stopped thinking and looked up to peek at the woman.

The sunlight outside the balcony was too intense, and the woman's dim face twitched slightly, as if she were pursing her lips, as if she were giving a bitter smile.

"Forget it. No matter who's behind you or what your purpose is, no one who gets close to me ever leaves alive. Tell me, are you willing to stay here forever, Li Nai?"

Missy turned to look at her directly. Her face remained calm throughout, like a lifeless, beautiful mask.

A chill ran down his spine. He clenched his fists on his knees for a few seconds, then slowly began to speak.

"My mission won't harm you; on the contrary, it will help you. I can't hurt you, nor can I let anyone else kill you."

Having already made her opening remarks, she took a deep breath and looked directly at Missy.

A jolt of electricity struck her forehead, and she was stunned again.

The woman's face was indifferent, seemingly no longer caring about her identity or purpose. Facing her, the woman was so confident and fearless. In her deep, dark eyes, the only thing she cared about was her answer: whether she was willing to stay, to be forever the other's pet, never to fly away again.

After all, you can only feel at ease if the people under your watchful eye are there.

That's fine too. Let's just say it's giving Missy a way out.

Li Nai nodded, her gaze unconsciously shifting away: "I will stay here forever. I will never leave."

Bang!

The wardrobe door was pushed open from the inside.

In the shadows, Lin Jingru walked out slowly, one hand in her pocket and the other holding her phone.

Tap the bottom of your phone with your thumb.

A recording has been leaked.

It was filled with Li Nai's voice.

"...I will leave naturally after the mission is completed. Don't worry, I promise you will never see me..."

Li Nai was completely astonished!

You scheming, sister-obsessed sis! Everything you recorded was detrimental to her.

He glanced at the gun; it was still on the coffee table. Then he looked at Misico, who was staring thoughtfully at the necklace in her palm. The pendant was hollow and contained no emerald.

His lips trembled.

No matter what, she was a woman's savior, so there should still be some room for maneuver.

No matter what, she carried out the woman's plan brilliantly; surely she wouldn't kill someone who had contributed to the success?

Again and again and again—