Chapter 40: Shadowstalker Fox

Given that his friend was far too naive, Lan Shaoyu soon gave up on trying to communicate with him. Although many males enjoyed gathering to discuss such topics, he was an elegant man, and for him, such matters were truly difficult to put into words. Most importantly, he did not have a female companion of his own. The knowledge he possessed regarding those sensations had been forced upon him by the elders of his family. After all, during that process, the female's experience directly influenced the degree of purification, which was why some families privately mandated a course for adult males.

Bai Mufeng frowned as he scanned his surroundings, his tone heavy. "Did the Enforcement Team just come and go?"

"Yes, I heard the bar's back door was attacked, but those people have already left." It was Lan Shaoyu who answered. Even while chatting with his friend, he had not forgotten to listen carefully to the ambient sounds. Several booths nearby were discussing the recent attack. They were primarily concerned with whether the little female was alright, and only after receiving confirmation that she was merely a bit shaken did everyone feel at ease. It was well known that seats in the bar were becoming increasingly difficult to secure; the adjacent area was currently being demolished, and it would likely take a few more days before it could accommodate more people. Therefore, if they were able to get in today, there was no guarantee they would be able to secure a spot tomorrow. If they failed to see the little female, it would be a great loss.

***

The first encore song Jiang Qin performed today was "Tomorrow Will Be Better." The stage was a picture of purity: blue skies, white clouds, and green grass. The guests in the audience remained intoxicated by the performance, and only those with high mental power noticed the undercurrents surging beneath the surface. Bai Mufeng and his two companions were tense, while Shi Lichuan and the other two stood directly in the shadows of the stage. They suspected that someone had infiltrated the venue. As for why no one else had noticed, that was only natural; their perception as S-rank males was far superior to that of the others. At the moment, they were the only four S-ranks in the bar; the majority of the others were B-rank or A-rank males.

"If there is an attack, Tianyou, you go and protect the little female." Gu Tianyou, who had looked rather frivolous until now, grew serious and nodded solemnly. The little female's safety was tied to whether he would be able to find a partner of his own choosing in the future, so he would naturally spare no effort to protect her. Furthermore, as a Federation soldier, protecting females was their duty.

Jiang Qin, unaware of anything amiss, was fully immersed in her performance, her mind filled only with musical notes. She found that her state of mind was exceptionally good today. Perhaps because her mental power level had increased, she felt that the entire world had opened up while she was singing. That dull, sluggish feeling in her head had vanished. The most obvious sign was that many guests had fallen into a state of deep intoxication today. If this were a bar back on Earth, people would likely suspect she was using drugs. Previously, she could only lead B-rank males into her mental world, but today, many A-rank males were also drawn in, which was why they remained completely oblivious to the impending danger.

Boom—

A loud crash shattered the music. Those whose mental states were being calmed were instantly jolted back to reality. The scene descended into chaos. The females screamed in terror, and the males shouted, "Quick, protect the females!" One had to realize that there were over a dozen females present that night, and they could not allow these damned dangerous elements to snatch them away. If they were merely kidnapped to serve as "calmers," that would be one thing, but many organizations kidnapped females to use them for experiments. These people believed that once they discovered why females were born with calming abilities, they could alter the entire interstellar landscape. Any losses along the way were considered necessary sacrifices. Once they became heroes of the galaxy, no one would care about their illicit actions. Thus, they were extremists who constantly lured new males to join them, brainwashing them into believing that their sacrifices were worth it. When the results of their experiments were revealed, they would all be heroes, pioneers of the age, and great contributors whose names would be written in history books for eternity.

However, law-abiding males did not agree with this approach. The increasingly rare number of females was the retribution for their past recklessness! Many believed that the fact that calming abilities appeared only in females was a matter of destiny—the cries of injustice from the deceased females. Of course, the researchers were not superstitious; they preferred the theory of evolution, suggesting that after being persecuted, females had evolved the ability to protect themselves in order to survive. From then on, males and females became entities that checked and balanced one another.

***

This time, the one attacking Jiang Qin was not a large tail, but a fox that had suddenly appeared behind her.

"Damn it, it's an S-rank Shadow-Shifting Fox beastman!"

The fox had already turned invisible and hidden behind her, so the moment the lights were destroyed, he had immediately seized her. Those furry, sharp claws gripped her slender neck tightly, and she could feel his hot breath against her ear. "Little female, you had best not move, okay? Otherwise, my claws might accidentally slice through your throat..."

The furry fox muzzle leaned close to her face, and he even stuck out his tongue, wanting to lick her cheek. Jiang Qin felt a surge of revulsion and turned her head away. Because of this movement, the sharp claws grazed her neck, and blood began to trickle down.

"Ah, what a tempting scent," the massive fox head sighed in ecstasy beside her ear. He seemed determined to disgust her.

Shi Lichuan had not yet transformed; he remained in his human form, trying to approach, but seeing Jiang Qin injured, he was forced to hold back, afraid of causing further harm. "Fox Ear, don't hurt her. We can talk about this."

There were very few Shadow-Shifting Fox beastmen in the Federation, and only two were of S-rank. The one before them was Zoe, who had left his family five years ago, betrayed the Federation, and joined the wanderers. However, he had since become a sworn enemy of his family and had changed his name to Fox Ear. In recent years, relying on the talents of his beastman genes, he had committed many illegal acts. The Shadow-Shifting Fox race was inherently cunning; his talent included the ability to turn invisible and merge with the darkness—he could sneak through anywhere as long as there was shadow. Coupled with his high rank, he had always managed to escape unscathed.

Shi Lichuan had not expected that someone like Fox Ear would show up for a mere C-rank female. It wasn't that he couldn't beat Fox Ear, but the problem was that the opponent refused to fight, which made the situation incredibly frustrating.

"Yo, isn't this the famous model student from the Federal Military Academy, Shi? What's wrong? Have you fallen so low that you're working as a bouncer for a bar? Why don't you come and join me, brother? I can give you a female, you know—a female you won't have to share with anyone."

Although Fox Ear did not seem in a hurry to leave and was even in the mood to taunt Shi Lichuan, Jiang Qin sensed that he was preparing to take her away. She did not know much about the methods of beastmen, but she knew that once she was taken, it would be difficult to escape. However, she could not act rashly; her ability had only just awakened, and even if she revealed it, she would not be able to escape from this fox. She had to keep it as her trump card and wait for a better moment—a time when she was certain she could get away—to use it.