Footsteps sounded from outside the alley; the others on the opposing side were already approaching. If they got surrounded, there would be no way out.

Emily Brooks fired again without hesitation.

Almost at the same time, Gavin Carter shook his head slightly and gently extended a finger downward.

This bat-person was very strange; it was hard to say whether Emily Brooks's second shot could finish him off. If she failed and got held up even for a moment, she might not be able to break out. Gavin Carter decided to give her a hand.

If they were strangers, Gavin Carter would never get involved in such a murky cause-and-effect situation. However, a few hours ago, Emily Brooks had helped him out of a bind at the coffee shop—this was a good deed.

So he would repay it.

“Bang!” A shot rang out, hitting the other side of the bat-person’s head. At the same time, Gavin Carter's finger descended.

The bat-person, who hadn’t even groaned at the first shot, suddenly let out a shrill, miserable scream this time. The hand grabbing Emily Brooks's ankle withdrew, and he rolled on the ground in pain.

Voices from outside the alley intruded. Emily Brooks didn’t even have time to check if he was dead; she withdrew and retreated before the encirclement closed in, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

She didn’t know how long she had been darting through the night when Emily Brooks suddenly spat out a mouthful of clotted blood with a “pfft,” leaned against a corner wall, and slowly squatted down, her expression pained.

The earlier clash of bat wings and mental secret arts had left her not entirely unscathed, and this forced escape had finally caught up with her.

She panted softly, took out her hovercar capsule, only to find that it had been smashed during the fight and could no longer transform into a car...

Now this was a problem.

Emily Brooks cautiously put away her fox-face mask to avoid being discovered by the patrol. But it still wouldn’t make sense—if anyone asked why she, Emily Brooks, was squatting here in the middle of the night, and word got back to those people, they would inevitably suspect that the fox-faced person was her.

She had to get back immediately...

Emily Brooks struggled to stand up with the help of the wall, only to see a man in Hanfu standing not far ahead, looking at her curiously: “Miss, do you need help?”

Emily Brooks blinked.

That Hanfu was so memorable—wasn’t he the one in the coffee shop whose face couldn’t be scanned?

Why was he out here in the middle of the night too?

Oh, right. This guy was so clueless he couldn’t even figure out how to pay; he was probably a newly transformed native creature who didn’t understand the ways of human society, and naturally wouldn’t have a place to stay—he could only wander around.

Emily Brooks deliberately confirmed, “Do you have a car?”

Gavin Carter shook his head. “No.”

As expected. Emily Brooks let out a big sigh of relief, a charming smile appearing on her face. “Little brother, big sis had a bit too much to drink... Want to go to a hotel and have a heart-to-heart with me?”

She thought to herself that once they got to the hotel and she knocked this rookie out, everything would be safe.

Gavin Carter remained expressionless. Little brother? Drank too much?

Do you take me for a fool?

Forget it.

He couldn’t be bothered to argue with a little fox. He tossed over a tiny pill the size of a fingernail: “You’ve been poisoned by a very special toxin. The unique scent of the toxin could potentially be tracked.”

Emily Brooks caught the pill instinctively and checked herself carefully. Aside from her injuries, there was nothing else wrong.

This pill was probably suspicious. She snorted inwardly, but kept up her seductive smile. “Why bother, little brother? I already said I’d go to the hotel with you...”

Gavin Carter sighed. “If you don’t take the medicine within three breaths, your whole body will go weak, and you won’t even have the strength to walk.”

Emily Brooks swayed over, her breath fragrant as orchids. “So you can do whatever you wa... huh?”

She really did start to feel numb all over. Her legs gave out, and she stumbled straight into Gavin Carter’s arms.

“Crap.” Emily Brooks was both shocked and embarrassed. Her seduction wasn’t real flirting—she had backup plans... but now she couldn’t use any of them.

In the dead of night, powerless, falling into a man’s arms—what would happen...

Gavin Carter stepped aside.

With a “thud,” Emily Brooks landed face-down on the ground, sprawled out like a fox eating dirt.

A string of little question marks overflowed above the back of her head.

Where did this steel straight man come from?

Chapter 3: Intertwined

Gavin Carter squatted in front of her and sized her up.

Emily Brooks managed to turn her head and meet his gaze.

“Not bad,” Gavin Carter praised. “That confused look in your glare is pretty good. No need to act all seductive.”

Emily Brooks gritted her teeth. “Are you not fully evolved or something?”

Gavin Carter chuckled. “Who isn’t just a skeleton underneath? Is your flesh especially fragrant or something? It’s not like I’ve never seen it before...”

Emily Brooks snapped, “If you touch me, you’re a jerk!”

Gavin Carter was noncommittal. “Someone’s coming now. If you don’t get up, I’m afraid someone else will touch you.”

Emily Brooks soon heard footsteps rapidly approaching from the other end of the street. Her expression changed slightly, and she swallowed the pill in her hand as fast as she could, scrambling to her feet.

She had just steadied herself when a squad of patrol officers ran over. “What are you two doing here!”

Without a word, Emily Brooks grabbed Gavin Carter’s arm, acting very close.

Gavin Carter glanced at her. This time, he didn’t dodge, letting her lean on him affectionately.

Being touched doesn’t make me a jerk, right...

Emily Brooks breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that this guy wasn’t as dumb as she thought...

As the patrol approached, someone recognized Emily Brooks. “Ah, it’s Miss Yin... and this is...”