Back at the inn, the innkeeper had arranged a new room for Kaelin and Zixuan. As soon as they entered, Kaelin kicked off her boots, flopped onto the bed, and fell asleep in seconds.
By the time they awoke the next day, it was already late morning.
Downstairs, the group sat sluggishly around the table.
"Morning. You guys didn't sleep well either?" Mo Yan yawned as he greeted them.
"Nope. After what happened last night, who could sleep well?" Kaelin said bluntly.
"Strange, though. You seemed to be sleeping like a log," Zixuan remarked.
"Ah, don't call me out like that, Xuanxuan. And besides, a little nap is hardly enough to recover!"
Mo Yan nodded in agreement. "True. We're not exactly in top form today. If we plan to look for Evilbane, we might need to put it off for a bit."
That's when Kaelin suddenly perked up and looked around.
"Wait a sec—where's Tianlang? I haven't seen him."
Mo Yan shook his head. "No idea. He was gone when I woke up. Maybe he had something to do?"
"Unlikely," Zhao Heng said. "His things are still here. And given his personality, he wouldn't just disappear without a word."
"Pfft—probably off chasing some monster again," Kaelin scoffed, stretching lazily. "Well, forget him. Let's talk about what we're gonna do next."
"Find Evilbane?" Zixuan asked. "Even Tianlang doesn't have a solid plan. What can we really do?"
Kaelin suddenly grinned. "Actually, I do have an idea."
The room fell completely silent.
Given Kaelin's track record, when she had an idea, logic and safety typically exited stage left.
"…Let's hear it first," Mo Yan said cautiously after clearing his throat.
Kaelin nodded enthusiastically. "So, remember last night Tianlang said Evilbane shows up whenever evil events happen nearby? What if… we stage a robbery ourselves to lure him out?"
The other three stared at her in horror.
"You've got to be kidding me," Zixuan groaned.
Zhao Heng agreed. "Even if the logic holds, there's no guarantee it'll work."
"But if we don't try, how will we know?" Kaelin argued. "We'll pick a quiet alley after dark—Xuanxuan and I play the victims, while you two hide nearby and play the robbers. If we sell it well, Evilbane won't be able to resist showing up."
The three exchanged uncertain glances. No one wanted to say what they were all thinking: this is a disaster waiting to happen.
"…Well, it's not like we have any better options," Mo Yan eventually said. "Might as well give it a shot."
Kaelin's plan was half-baked and full of holes, but at this point, they were grasping at straws. Might as well see where this led.
After breakfast, they all returned to their rooms for a nap to recharge.
By late evening, around 10 p.m., Kaelin and Zixuan left first to scope out the "crime scene." Half an hour later, Mo Yan and Zhao Heng followed—but without a guide, and unable to read the signs on the streets, they ended up… somewhere else entirely.
"Is this the place?" Mo Yan peered into a narrow alleyway.
The two stepped in and looked around. No sign of Kaelin or Zixuan.
"Seems right. Let's get ready," Mo Yan said, pulling out a pair of black masks and fake daggers for their 'act.'
Zhao Heng took a mask but hesitated. "You really think this'll work?"
"No clue," Mo Yan replied without missing a beat. "But Kaelin sounded confident enough. Let's just roll with it."
"…Alright. We've come this far. Might as well see it through," Zhao Heng said, letting out a long sigh before slipping the mask on.
To make it look convincing, the two began practicing their threatening poses in the alley.
At that exact moment, a woman happened to pass by the entrance. Hearing strange noises, she peeked in—and was immediately greeted with the sight of two masked men brandishing knives and striking exaggerated, menacing poses.
"Let's get this party started!" Mo Yan declared, sticking out his tongue and glaring with one eye like some online ghost-hunting punk.
Zhao Heng added a wicked grin, complete with a twisted villain glare.
Their eyes met the passerby's.
Dead silence.
"…Uh. Hi?" Mo Yan awkwardly waved.
"HELP! I'M BEING ROBBED!!" the woman screamed.
According to her later statement, she had been accosted in a dark alley by two masked men with weapons who demanded money—and possibly more.
Meanwhile, Kaelin and Zixuan had been waiting for ages in the correct alley.
"They're so slow. What's taking them so long?" Kaelin grumbled.
"Maybe they got lost," Zixuan offered.
"No way. We agreed on the location beforehand!"
"You never know…" Zixuan shrugged.
They leaned against the wall and waited some more. Then two shadowy figures entered the alley. Kaelin brightened up, thinking it was Mo Yan and Zhao Heng at last. She straightened her posture and got into character, ready to start the act.
But as she took a closer look—and heard the voices—she quickly realized:
These were not her friends.
"Well, well. What are two pretty ladies doing out here this late at night?" one of the men sneered.
"Yeah," said the other with a lewd grin. "Out here at this hour… you're either for sale or lookin' for trouble. And since we're not your clients, why don't you just hand over everything valuable, huh?"
He pulled out a dagger, licking the blade with a grotesque grin.
"That's right, cooperate nicely and maybe we'll let you go. Or maybe not. No one's coming to save you here."
Kaelin's face twisted in disgust as she took a few steps back.
"Ugh, who even are you?"
Zixuan whispered, "Um… Kaelin, I think these guys are the real thing. Should we… fight?"
Kaelin whispered back, "I mean, this isn't the plan, but hey, we did want to attract Evilbane. This might work better than what we had."
"…Fine," Zixuan muttered, sighing. "Let's do it your way."
"Alright. On three, we scream together," Kaelin said. Zixuan nodded.
Both took a deep breath.
"One, two, three—"
"HELP! ROBBERY! MURDER! KIDNAPPING! ASSAULT!"
"Argh, shut up already!" the shorter thug clutched his ears. "Are you girls stupid or just deaf?! It's the middle of the night—no one's coming even if you scream till your lungs burst! Now shut it and give us your stuff before I really get nasty!"
"Oh? I do have a silver bracelet here. Want it?"
"Heh, of course we—wait, what?"
A cold voice rang out from behind the two men.
They turned instinctively toward the voice—and froze.
Leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, stood a white-haired woman in jeans and a simple shirt. Her gaze was calm, sharp, and unmistakably authoritative.
Everyone in Sin City knew her: Obsidian, the most feared officer in town.
The thugs' blood ran cold.
~~------------------------
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