Chapter 47 – Mistress K Revealed
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City C's industrial outskirts were no stranger to shadows. But tonight, the darkness was electric.
Inside an abandoned textile factory, Lin Nuo's drone hovered near a broken skylight, streaming a live feed back to Mo Chen and Xueqing, who sat inside a nondescript surveillance van a block away.
"There," Lin Nuo pointed at the screen. "That's her. Mistress K."
The woman wore a blood-red coat, black gloves, and a hat with a lace veil that partially obscured her face. But what wasn't hidden was her poise—elegant, calculated, lethal.
"She doesn't look like a broker," Meng Zhihao said, peering over Lin Nuo's shoulder. "She looks like a woman who commands men with a word."
"She is," Xueqing said quietly. "And she's not new to this world. Look at how she walks—military. Ex-intel, maybe."
Mo Chen's expression hardened. "We underestimated her."
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Inside the factory, He Jun stood trembling as Mistress K examined the jade piece he delivered.
"You were followed," she said without turning around.
"N-no, I swear!"
She tapped a finger against the artifact, eyes narrowed. "Do you know what I hate more than liars, Jun?"
He swallowed. "C-cold coffee?"
A pause. Then a sharp sound—crack!—as one of her men struck He Jun across the jaw.
"Cowards," she finished.
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Back in the van, Lin Nuo tensed. "She's executing him."
Mo Chen rose. "We move now."
"Wait," Xueqing said. "We need her alive. He Jun's death might shake her, make her sloppy."
"No time," Mo Chen replied, pulling on his jacket. "You said we bait the flame. Now it's time to dance in it."
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The breach was swift.
Mo Chen entered from the south side, Lin Nuo disabled the lights, and Meng Zhihao set off a flashbang through the eastern duct.
Xueqing came in last, eyes like ice. Mistress K turned slowly toward her, unruffled even as her guards fell.
"So," the woman said, her voice smooth, "you're the famous Bai Xueqing."
"And you're the rat behind the leaks," Xueqing replied. "Why?"
Mistress K smiled. "Because revenge, darling, is a woman's game. And in the last life, you burned my empire."
Recognition flashed in Xueqing's eyes.
Mistress K removed her veil.
"Lu Yiran," she whispered. "You're supposed to be dead."
"Supposed to be," Lu Yiran said, stepping forward, "but rebirth, my dear, isn't just your story."
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Outside, sirens wailed in the distance.
Mo Chen stepped beside Xueqing, gun raised.
"This time," he said coldly, "you won't get away."
Lu Yiran smirked, tossing a smoke bomb at their feet. "Catch me... if you can."
And with that, she vanished into the smoke.