CHAPTER 17 ♦ THE WAY OF KILLERS

With regards to the kidnapping, Qin Shu Hua’s guilt towards Qin Ke Xuan had reached history’s highest. Hence, he firmly chose to close both eyes regarding Qin Ke Xuan’s devastating mid-year examination results and decided that he should care about this neglected child more.

The night when he heard about her results, they were sitting at the dinner table, and so he asked her affably: “Xuan Xuan, which high school do you want to go to?” If he did not communicate with the school leaders, with Xuan Xuan’s results, other than technical schools, she would not have any other choices.

“The best one.” Qin Ke Xuan said as a matter of fact.

Qin Shu Hua was shocked: “You want to go to First High?” To get into that school, with Xuan Xuan’s results, was not just difficult, but very difficult!

Jiang Hui Lin placed a chicken wing in Qin Ke Xuan’s bowl, saying: “What about First High, just go have a meal with the principal, worst comes to worst, donate some money, and everything’s a done deal. It’s best to spend some money to go to a good school, don’t tell me the money you make is for hiding?!” Also because of Qin Ke Xuan rescuing back the kidnapped Qin Peng Cheng, Jiang Hui Lin was, currently, being unprecedentedly good to Qin Ke Xuan.

Qin Peng Cheng also placed the chicken drumstick in front of him in Qin Ke Xuan’s bowl, beaming: “Sis, enjoy the drumset.”

With regards to their sudden concern and care, Qin Ke Xuan was no different at all and continued on with life as usual.

Qin Shu Hua looked at their harmonious relationship in gratification. It would be even more perfect if Xuan Xuan could smile. “Right, I’ll make an appointment with First High’s principal tomorrow to talk, we’ll definitely let Xuan Xuan attend First High.”

The second day, Qin Shu Hua left the house bright and early in the morning to meet First High’s principal. The two of them drank a whole morning’s worth of tea, and only finally after Qin Shu Hua suggested making donations to purchase a large collection of books did the principal nod his head reluctantly.

When Yin Xu Dong heard Qin Ke Xuan was going to go to First High, he was so excited he practically bounced around. If it were not for Qin Ke Xuan’s murderous glare, he would have hugged her and spun several rounds.

“Next time if I didn’t call you, don’t enter my room.” Qin Ke Xuan, while watching Conan, said to the Yin Xu Dong who had appeared unsolicited sitting on the floor.

“Hah? Why not? Wasn’t everything fine before?” Yin Xu Dong asked, uncontented.

“This is not of your concern.”

“Oh.” Yin Xu Dong replied, crestfallen, then immediately thought that no matter how intrepid Qin Ke Xuan was, she was still a girl, so she probably minded not having privacy, and felt at ease.

Qin Ke Xuan finished an episode of Conan and switched off the computer, starting to chase people out: “During the holidays, follow the new training requirements, don’t look for me if it’s nothing important, I want to see results by the time school starts.”

Yin Xu Dong raised his hands, asking: “What is considered important?” He personally felt that coming over to play every day was very important, as to whether Qin Ke Xuan would agree with his point of view would be hard to say…

“When you’re dying.” Qin Ke Xuan was expressionless.

“…” Yin Xu Dong crawled back, rejected, and washed up to turn in for the day.

Qin Ke Xuan looked at the message she had just received; there was a mission tonight.

As the night drew on, households turned their lights off, Qin Ke Xuan laid on her bed, her eyes closed, sleeping. When her phone on her side vibrated, her eyes flew open, and she quickly got up, answering the call, “Who’s this?”

“An Ye, we’ve reached.”

“Mmh, coming now.” Qin Ke Xuan hung up after speaking and lifted her blankets to get off the bed. She was already in all-black and skin-tight attire.

An Ye, full: An Ye You Ming, was her codename in this organisation, and was also her original codename in that organisation, similar to the top killer in that* organisation.

(T/N: the text was not clear whether the other killer with the same codename was in her current organisation or the organisation she was in last time.)

(T/N: “暗夜幽冥” = “An Ye You Ming” directly translated means Dark Night Hell)

You Ming… she recited this name soundlessly, Qin Ke Xuan’s bright eyes darkened for a split second, but she quickly shook her head, and her eyes regained its gleam once again.

Qin Ke Xuan jumped down from her balcony lightly without any sound and used Qing Gong to skim over the distance towards the location, only stopping to walk when nearing the location. She saw a car parked along the roadside, making out the car plate number under the murky glow of moonlight, she then briskly walked over, pulling the car door open and crawled in.

The people in the car upon seeing Qin Ke Xuan entering started the car.

“An Ye, today’s mission is to infiltrate into the Xiao family and steal the list of names of moles they have planted in our organisation.” A guy sitting beside Qin Ke Xuan said.

Qin Ke Xuan frowned; so far, the missions she had been sent on were just to steal things. They actually dumped her a load of these crappy missions, what, did they think she was a thief now?

The guy sitting in the front beside the driver turned to ask Qin Ke Xuan: “Say, An Ye, exactly how old are you? No matter how I look, you look like a junior high kid. If I hadn’t seen what you are capable of, I would seriously think you’re a kid Boss had abducted.”

When the three of them first saw the so-called comrade Boss had brought, if it were not for the chilly aura she had eluded, they almost thought their organisation was delving into the human trafficking business.

Another guy beside him immediately nodded his head in agreement: “Exactly! Boss is definitely enslaving you, this is child labour! An Ye were you abducted by Boss?”

The Boss they were referring to was Zhou Lin, while the people on the car, including the driver, were Qin Ke Xuan’s accomplices for this mission. The codename of the guy sitting beside her was Wolf, the one in front beside the driver was Jackal, and the driver was Leopard. They had always wanted another comrade codenamed Tiger so they can match and become Wolf Jackal Tiger Leopard, but Qin Ke Xuan “acted upon her own initiative” and codenamed herself An Ye, and for this, the other three of them grieved fiercely for a period of time. That was their long-cherished wish! And it was so easily trampled on heartlessly by Qin Ke Xuan!

They were all twenty plus young adults with slightly extroverted personalities and liked to occasionally tease Qin Ke Xuan, the only female compatriot*.

(T/N: the text was not clear whether Qin Ke Xuan was the only female in their mission group or the only female in the entire organisation.)

After interacting with them for a period of time, Qin Ke Xuan having deeply acquainted herself with their habits looked out the window quietly, ignoring them.

Wolf continued: “Don’t be like this, An Ye babe, chat with Ge Ge*, communicating our emotions or something can increase our tacit understanding.” Qin Ke Xuan replied without even turning her head: “I can still complete the mission without you people.” What she was very unambiguously hinting at was that you guys were not essential, and if possible, it would even better without them.

(T/N: “哥哥” = “Ge Ge”; older brother)

Everyone was shot down by her words.

Leopard pressed his wounded chest with one hand, the other holding the steering wheel, and said: “An Ye Mei Mei, you’re breaking my heart! How can you talk like this to us?”

(T/N: “妹妹” = “Mei Mei”; little sister)

Qin Ke Xuan’s temples throbbed. She was already very discontented with having to do a thief’s job, why was it that these bunch of comrades arranged to her were, even more, noisier and shameless!

Going on missions should be a soundless operation, where only a few hand gestures would suffice as commands, even if they were intercepted by the target, they were still to remain silent. Staying silent even if they were injured, consuming poison to suicide if their mission failed and were captured, that, was the way of killers!

She inhaled deeply to suppress her volcanic anger and continued looking out the window, ignoring the three fellows.

Wolf, Jackal and Leopard very tactfully stopped joking with Qin Ke Xuan, aye, girls’ tempers nowadays are so bad! To the point that they were even anti-social, and would not make a sound if the situation did not call for it.

Tonight’s location was a little far, and the mission this time was thornier than previous ones. Of course, the so-called thornier was what Wolf, Jackal and Leopard said, Qin Ke Xuan, however, still thought stealing stuff was not challenging at all, she just wanted to quickly finish the mission and stay far far away from these three fellas.

When they were still a distance away from the Xiao family, the car drove into a dark alley and stopped.

“An Ye is tonight’s main charger, Wolf, stay outside to shadow her, Jackal and I will aid An Ye’s operation.” Leopard was the leader of their team; he was the one arranging the operations every time.

Qin Ke Xuan upon hearing that raised her eyebrows, Leopard saw that and explained: “Even though I’m the leader, everyone in the team must be capable of taking up the main force role. The previous few times were just to familiarise you will our activities, this time was to test whether you can catch up with us. Of course, we know you can definitely successfully complete the mission, so just treat this as a necessary procedure to grasping how the main force works.”

These kinds of missions required familiarising? What a joke! Qin Ke Xuan only nodded her head to express her understanding.

“Wolf, stay in the car and make yourself available to be contacted anytime, Jackal, Leopard, catch up.” Qin Ke Xuan commanded simply, pushing the intercom earpiece into her ears and opened the car door to alight. Jackal and Leopard following tightly after.

“Let’s go.”

Her voice dissipated and Qin Ke Xuan was already dashing in the direction of the Xiao family. Jackal and Leopard immediately followed, and Leopard said into the intercom softly: “An Ye, don’t run too quickly, it’ll drain your energy.”

Qin Ke Xuan was speechless. She could not use her Qing Gong in front of normal people, so this speed was already very slow, but she still slowed down such that Jackal and Leopard would not lose her. When they reached the outside of the Xiao family’s house, the three of them hid in the shadows of the potted plants. Qin Ke Xuan looked at the panting Jackal and Leopard in disdain, saying: “Jackal? Leopard?” With this kind of speed and physical strength, they still dared to name themselves such codenames, were they not afraid of being laughed at?

The two of them were depressed.

After a while, when their breathing steadied, Qin Ke Xuan said: “Leopard, stay behind to take care of the back, contact me anytime there’s any movements. Jackal, follow me in.”

Leopard asked: “Will just the two of you be enough?” He shut up after being glared at by Qin Ke Xuan.

The two of them detoured around the backyard and found a blind spot the CCTVs did not cover. Just as the two of them were about to flip over the wall into the place, a pair of gleamingly green eyes under the electric light stared at the two of them. That was bad, it was a house-guarding dog!

Just as Jackal was about the curse, a cobble flew from Qin Ke Xuan’s hands, straight the dog under the wall, cutting off its bark in time.

The two of them leapt down from the wall. Jackal approached the dog lying on the ground, asking softly: “Fainted?”

Qin Ke Xuan replied expressionlessly: “Died.”

Leopard had thought it was a person who died through the intercom and sternly warned them to not kill anyone. They only needed to steal things, so do not kill unnecessarily to invite trouble for the organisation. Moreover, the Xiao family was not to be trifled with. They had intended to handle the dark organisations since long ago, hence all the more they cannot afford to allow them to grasp their weakness.

Jackal’s eyes could not help spark, almost as bright as that dog’s eyes, and gave Qin Ke Xuan a big thumbs up. That move was way too sick!

During the following part of the operation, Jackal had never felt so relaxingly simple and easy. Following An Ye cut through all the difficulties, tidying up that hidden alarm system thing was a cinch. With that, they snuck into the Xiao* old fellow’s study room effortlessly.

(T/N: “萧老头” = “Xiao old fellow”; referring to the head/oldest member holding the power in the Xiao family)

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Translator’s Note: frankly I think Qin Ke Xuan seems more like an assassin than a generic killer, but it’s too troublesome to change the title and stuff, so oh well.

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TRANSLATOR & EDITOR: WYNNE