A few days flew by, and soon it was the day of Eden's concert.
Kiana, holding her ticket, found her assigned seat.
Looking at the bustling, lively crowd around her, her mood lifted.
"Everyone has such happy smiles on their faces, and nothing weird is happening. If only life could always be this lively and peaceful."
"It's a pity Mu didn't come along. And Su... I can't let him know about my current situation for now."
Thinking of this, a wave of disappointment washed over Kiana.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone sitting directly behind her, wrapped tightly in a coat with a baseball cap pulled low to obscure his face, looking for all the world like he was trying to hide from the authorities.
Su stared at the solitary Kiana, confused.
What's going on? Did Mu not come with her?
Feeling like he was being excluded from the group, Su had spent a long time agonizing over it before deciding to tail Kiana to the concert. He wanted to see exactly what these two were up to that required cutting him out.
Knowing that his "bro" also had a ticket, he guessed "he" would definitely show up.
So, the day of the concert, Su had staked out Kevin's house, ready to follow him.
Everything had gone smoothly. He successfully tailed his bro from the house.
But what puzzled him was that from start to finish, Kiana was alone. There was no sign of Mu anywhere.
Just as Su was pondering this, he saw a girl with purple hair and glasses sit down right next to his best bro.
After a moment of surprised eye contact, the two began chatting.
Clearly, his best bro knew her.
In an instant, a lightning bolt of realization struck Su's brain. A bold hypothesis formed.
"Wait... have I misunderstood Mu and Kevin?"
Su was an extremely sensitive and observant person. Watching Kiana talking to MEI, he could practically feel the intense emotions radiating from her.
Su lowered his head, the bold theory solidifying in his mind.
Is it possible... that my best bro Kevin is crossdressing specifically to get close to this purple-haired girl?
As for why?
Maybe this girl is a lesbian...
That would explain why only Kevin is here and Mu didn't come. Because this is a stage Mu deliberately left for Kevin!
I get it! I totally get it now!
...
Li Mu stood at the very back of the auditorium, looking at Su, who was bundled up so suspiciously he might as well have written "I AM SUSPICIOUS" on his forehead. Li Mu couldn't help but be confused.
Su, what are you doing here?
In Li Mu's plan, Su didn't have much of a role in the early stages. The only thing he needed to do was stay alive until his part came up.
But the world was becoming increasingly dangerous. Li Mu had to keep his eyes on the script and couldn't protect Su 24/7.
So, it would be best to find a safe place for him to hide.
"A safe place..."
Li Mu pondered. He remembered Su's ambition was to become a doctor. And among the people he knew, there was a woman who, while not exactly a doctor, possessed medical skills that rivaled any physician on the planet.
A flash of green crossed Li Mu's mind. A bold idea formed.
Mobius's lab is always short on staff because of her terrible reputation. Su is talented. Why not throw him to Mobius as an assistant?
Although Mobius had a notorious reputation, Li Mu knew she was actually quite protective of her own people. Plus, her lab would be extremely safe until the Herrscher of Dominance arc.
Thinking this, Li Mu glanced at Su.
Su's body shuddered involuntarily. He looked around nervously.
"Strange... why do I suddenly have a really bad feeling?"
Li Mu quickly withdrew his gaze from Su, Kiana, and MEI.
He wasn't here to watch the concert with them. He was here to discuss a business deal with Eden.
Li Mu merged into the crowd. Using the environment to his advantage, he easily slipped past Eden's professional security team and into the backstage area.
The A-Rank Valkyrie "Wraith" Stigmata from the Schicksal Intelligence Unit not only gave him shapeshifting abilities but also imbued him with all her stealth techniques.
Eden's security was professional, but against him, they were amateurs.
Li Mu found Eden's private break room and sat down, planning to wait for her to finish the concert so they could talk.
However, as he sat quietly, he heard strange noises coming from the adjacent room.
Li Mu looked around and pressed his ear to the wall.
His enhanced physical stats gave him superior hearing. Even through the wall, he could vaguely make out voices.
"As long as we pull off this job, we can wash our hands of this life for good..."
"Where the hell is the Ace of Spades? She's late..."
Hearing the voices next door, Li Mu's expression turned strange.
After a moment of thought, blood-red mist began to seep from Li Mu's body. His figure distorted within the crimson fog, rapidly shifting into a different form.
Using the full-length mirror in Eden's dressing room, Li Mu checked his new appearance.
Pink hair. Flawless features.
It was Elysia.
The Stigmata's "Shapeshifting" ability was essentially biological mimicry. It reconstructed appearance by analyzing target DNA. To mimic someone, he needed at least 10ml of their blood.
As for Elysia's blood?
Li Mu actually had plenty. Back when he was her "Big Brother" in the orphanage, he had used various excuses to draw quite a bit of her blood for "future research."
Recalling the past, he flashed a peace sign at the mirror and smiled. Then, he pulled a spray bottle from his System inventory.
He shook it and sprayed his hair. Instantly, the pink locks turned a light purple.
Simultaneously, he took out a pair of orange-red contact lenses and put them in.
Seeing his reflection transform from "Flawless Elf" to "Wicked Siren," Li Mu nodded in satisfaction.
Finally, he put on a black face mask.
Why change his appearance?
Lol. Who commits crimes with their own face?
Right now, he wasn't Li Mu. He was the Far East Bandit, the Faded Elf!
...
On stage, Eden sang her heart out.
The auditorium was packed. The audience waved glow sticks and banners printed with Eden's face, moving like a tide.
Her voice swept across the venue, stirring up waves of emotion.
As the song ended, the crowd screamed in frenzy.
"EDEN!"
"EDEN!"
"EDEN!"
"Miss Eden, I want to be your dog!"
"Bro upstairs, you broke the combo!"
"NO! I am Miss Eden's dog!!!"
In the audience, Kiana and MEI were also swept up by Eden's singing, waving their glow sticks enthusiastically.
Looking at the excited MEI beside her, Kiana felt incredibly lighthearted. She couldn't help but sigh, "If only these peaceful days could last forever."
Hearing Kiana's words, MEI thought of her father's recent turnaround and their improving life. She empathized deeply.
"Yes. It would be wonderful if this peaceful life could continue forever..."
Just as they were lamenting, Eden's concert moved to the next segment.
Interaction!
Eden would choose a lucky audience member to sing a song with her.
On stage, Eden raised her arm high, index finger pointing upward.
"Now then, to my dear listeners... may I invite one of you to join me in song?"
Eden lowered her arm, her finger pointing towards Kiana's section. The stage lights began to move towards her.
Kiana and MEI exchanged a look, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
"To think I'd encounter such a low-probability event. Looks like today really is my lucky day," Kiana mused, preparing to stand up.
But the spotlight stopped right in front of her, then suddenly jerked away, moving rapidly to a completely different direction. It stopped on a very secluded section of the stands.
The light fell. It illuminated a girl wearing a face mask with light purple hair.
It was Li Mu, disguised as the Faded Elf.
Ignoring the mix of jealousy, envy, and gnashing teeth from the surrounding audience, Li Mu walked onto the stage without fear.
The true owner of the stage, Miss Eden, was bewildered. She hadn't controlled the lights just now.
However, as she looked at the person walking up the stage, her expression shifted from confusion to shock.
Her eyes widened slightly, disbelief written all over her face.
Although the person was wearing a mask, had different hair color, and the wrong eye color, Eden couldn't possibly mistake her.
"Elysia, how did you..."
Before Eden could finish her sentence, Li Mu flashed behind her and scooped her up in a princess carry.
Before Eden or anyone in the audience could react, he sprinted off the stage with Eden in his arms.
Leaving behind a stunned audience and an empty stage.
After a few moments of silence, the crowd realized this didn't seem to be part of the show.
The venue instantly erupted into chaos.
...
Next door, a group of men and women in work uniforms were gathered together.
They weren't Eden's logistics staff. They were a gang of kidnappers disguised as workers.
Their purpose was self-evident: to kidnap Eden, the brightest star of the era.
A wealthy client had posted a high bounty on the "Chrysalis" network, and they were the hitmen who took the job.
Although they were assassins, they did everything from finding lost pets to investigating affairs. Naturally, they also did kidnapping.
However, the kidnapping operation hit a snag before it even began.
"Why hasn't the Ace of Spades arrived yet?"
The leader of the operation was furious.
"Captain, she said she had a family emergency, but she'll be here soon."
The captain checked the time, his anger rising.
"I've heard of being late for work, being late for school... but being late for a kidnapping?! This is a first!"
"Absolutely zero professional ethics! Once this mission is over, I'm applying to have her rating lowered... BANG!"
A loud crash interrupted him. The door was kicked open violently. As trained assassins, the group instantly dove for cover, drawing their weapons.
But upon seeing the person who opened the door, the kidnappers froze.
A girl with light purple hair and a face mask stood there, holding another unconscious girl in a princess carry.
And the person in her arms was their target, Eden!
"Th-this... this is..."
Just as the kidnappers were recovering from the shock, the purple-haired girl spoke. "I told you, I'd be here soon."
"So you are the Ace of Spades... BOOM!!!"
Before the captain could verify her identity, a massive explosion rocked the hallway outside. The sound of shouting and chaotic footsteps surged toward them.
Everyone's face went pale.
Li Mu, disguised as the Faded Elf, smirked beneath his mask. "No time! Follow me!"
Without waiting for them to react, he sprinted out.
"Dammit! Follow the Ace of Spades!"
The plan had clearly gone off the rails, but they had Eden. Now they just needed to break out and deliver this troublesome woman to the client.
The captain cursed under his breath, grabbed his pistol, and led his team after her.
Outside, Eden, who had supposedly been unconscious in Li Mu's arms, showed zero signs of actually being knocked out. She was curiously observing Li Mu and the surrounding scenery.
Li Mu winked at her. Eden understood immediately.
She closed her eyes and went limp.
"Fainting" once again.