Several days flew by, and the day of Eden's concert finally arrived.
Kiana clutched her ticket and found her seat.
Looking at the lively crowd around her, her mood lifted.
"Everyone looks so happy. Nothing strange is happening. If life could always be this lively, that would be great."
"It is a shame Mu did not come. And Su… I cannot let him know about my situation yet."
Thinking of that, Kiana felt a bit down.
What she did not notice was someone sitting behind her, wrapped tightly in a coat, wearing a baseball cap pulled low, clearly trying to stay hidden.
Su watched Kiana sitting alone, puzzled.
What was going on? Mu did not come with her?
Feeling increasingly like he had been excluded from the group, Su had decided to follow Kiana to see what she and Mu were really up to.
After learning that Kevin had also obtained a concert ticket, Su guessed he would definitely attend.
So the day before the concert, Su had waited outside Kevin's house, planning to tail him.
Things had gone smoothly. He had indeed spotted Kevin.
But strangely, Kevin was alone the entire time. There was no sign of Mu.
Just as Su was thinking this over, a purple-haired girl with glasses sat down beside Kevin.
After exchanging surprised looks, the two started talking.
It was obvious that Kevin knew her.
In an instant, lightning struck Su's mind, and a bold idea formed.
"Wait… did I misunderstand Mu and Kevin?"
Su was incredibly perceptive. Watching Kiana talk to Mei, he could sense that intense emotion between them.
Slowly, Su lowered his head, a daring hypothesis taking shape.
Could it be that Kevin was crossdressing to get close to that purple-haired girl?
As for why?
Maybe that girl was into women.
That would explain everything.
Why only Kevin came. Why Mu stayed away.
Mu was deliberately leaving the stage to Kevin.
He understood it all now.
…
Li Mu stood at the very back of the audience, staring at Su, who was bundled up so tightly he might as well have worn a sign saying something was wrong.
Su, why are you even here?
In Li Mu's plan, Su had little role to play early on. His only job was to stay alive until his time came.
But the world was growing more dangerous, and Li Mu could not protect Su forever while keeping up with the script.
It would be best to find him a perfectly safe place to lie low.
"A safe place…"
Li Mu thought. He remembered that Su aspired to become a doctor, and he happened to know a woman whose medical skills rivaled any doctor alive.
A green figure flashed through his mind, and a bold idea formed.
Mobius's lab was perpetually understaffed due to her reputation. Su had good talent. Why not throw him over there as an assistant?
Mobius's reputation was terrible, but Li Mu knew she was fiercely protective of her own. And her lab would remain extremely safe until the Herrscher of Domination appeared.
As Li Mu thought this through, he glanced at Su.
Su suddenly shivered and looked around.
"That is strange… why do I suddenly feel like something really bad is about to happen?"
Li Mu soon turned his attention away from Su, Kiana, and Mei.
He was not here to watch a concert with them.
He was here to do business with Eden.
Blending into the crowd, Li Mu used the environment to slip effortlessly past Eden's professional security team and into the backstage area.
The A-rank Stigmata of the Valkyrie Ghost from Schicksal's Central Intelligence granted him not only shapeshifting but also all of her stealth techniques.
Eden's security team was professional, but not nearly enough to stop him.
Li Mu found Eden's private resting room and sat down to wait for the concert to end.
As he waited, though, he heard strange sounds coming from the adjacent wall.
He leaned closer and pressed his ear against it.
Thanks to his enhanced physique, even through the wall he could make out voices.
"As long as we pull this off, we can retire for good…"
"Why has Spade Four not arrived yet…"
Li Mu's expression turned odd.
After a moment's thought, blood-colored mist spread around him. His figure twisted and reshaped within it.
Using the full-length mirror in the room, Li Mu examined his new appearance.
Pink hair. A flawless face.
Elysia.
The Stigmata's shapeshifting was essentially a form of mimicry, reconstructing one's appearance by analyzing DNA. To mimic someone, he needed at least ten milliliters of their blood.
As for Elysia's blood?
He had plenty.
Back when they were in the orphanage and he was her "big brother," he had drawn her blood many times under various excuses for future research.
Remembering those days, he flashed a peace sign at the mirror, smiled, and pulled a spray bottle from his system inventory.
After a quick spray, his pink hair turned pale purple.
Then he took out a pair of orange-red contact lenses and put them in.
The reflection in the mirror shifted from pure and flawless to something eerie and sinister.
Li Mu nodded in satisfaction and pulled on a black mask.
Why change his appearance?
Simple.
Who commits crimes using their real face?
Now, he was no longer Li Mu.
He was the Far East's most notorious outlaw.
The Faded Fairy.
…
On stage, Eden sang.
The audience was packed. Fans waved glow sticks and banners bearing her name, moving like waves.
Her voice swept through the venue, stirring the crowd into a frenzy.
When the song ended, the crowd erupted.
"Eden!"
"Eden!"
"Eden!"
"Miss Eden, I am your loyal dog!"
"Hey, that chant is off!"
"No, I am Eden's dog!"
In the audience, Kiana and Mei were caught up in the excitement, waving their glow sticks.
Seeing Mei just as thrilled, Kiana felt unusually at ease.
"If only peaceful days like this could last forever."
Hearing her words, Mei thought of her father's renewed life and felt the same.
"Yes… if this calm life could go on forever, how wonderful that would be."
Just then, the concert moved to its next segment.
Interaction.
Eden would choose a lucky audience member to sing with her.
On stage, Eden raised her arm and pointed outward.
"My dear listener, would you join me for a song?"
Her finger lowered, pointing toward Kiana's direction. The stage lights began moving toward her seat.
Kiana and Mei exchanged shocked looks.
"For something this unlikely to happen to me, today really is my lucky day," Kiana murmured as she stood up.
But the lights stopped just short of her and quickly shifted again, landing on a remote corner of the audience.
There stood a masked girl with pale purple hair.
Li Mu, disguised as the Faded Fairy.
Ignoring the envy, jealousy, and fury in the crowd, Li Mu strode onto the stage without hesitation.
Eden, the true master of the stage, was momentarily confused. She had not controlled the lights.
But when she saw who had stepped onto the stage, confusion turned into shock.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Despite the mask, different hair color, and altered eyes, she could not be mistaken.
"Elysia, how did you—"
Before she could finish, Li Mu flashed behind her, scooped her up in a princess carry, and bolted.
Before Eden or the audience could react, the two were gone.
All that remained was a stunned crowd and an empty stage.
A moment later, everyone realized this was not part of the show.
The venue erupted.
…
Next door, a group of men and women in work uniforms gathered.
They were not Eden's crew, but kidnappers disguised as staff.
Their goal was obvious. To abduct Eden, the brightest star of the era.
A wealthy client had posted the job on Poison Cocoon, and they were the ones who accepted it.
Though assassins by trade, they did everything from tracking lost pets to spying on cheating spouses. Kidnapping was nothing new.
This time, however, things went wrong before they even began.
"Why has Spade Four not arrived yet?"
The man the others called Captain was furious.
"She said she had a family issue but would arrive soon."
The Captain checked the time and grew even angrier.
"I have heard of people being late for work. Late for class. But late for a kidnapping?"
"This is unprofessional! After this mission, I am filing a request to lower her rating—bang!"
The door was kicked open violently.
The trained assassins instantly took cover and drew their guns.
Then they froze.
At the doorway stood a masked, pale-purple-haired girl, carrying another unconscious girl in her arms.
That girl was Eden.
"This… this…"
Before they could recover, the girl said calmly, "I told you I would be here soon."
"You are Spade Four—"
Boom!
A massive noise erupted outside, followed by chaotic shouts.
Everyone's faces changed.
Behind her mask, Li Mu smiled.
"No time. Follow me."
Without waiting for a response, he rushed out.
"Damn it! Follow Spade Four!"
The plan had gone horribly wrong, but as long as Eden was secured, that was all that mattered.
The Captain cursed and led the others out.
Outside, Eden, who had been unconscious in Li Mu's arms, showed no sign of it now. She curiously observed Li Mu and their surroundings.
Li Mu winked at her.
Eden understood immediately.
She closed her eyes, relaxed her body, and went "unconscious" once more.
…
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