Killer Queen (GL) - Chapter 8

Luo Yu had been out for a while, and when she returned, she brought back some snacks from a roadside stall. Although the chef at the Luo family mansion was excellent, after eating mountains of delicacies, shark fins, and abalone, these cheap roadside goods seemed exceptionally delicious. Luo Yu was obsessed with these snacks and would buy some to try whenever she had the chance.

“Look, I bought stinky tofu, chive potstickers, mashed potatoes, and braised meat rolls.” Luo Yu wrapped her arms around Xi Qi’s neck and showed off the handful of food by dangling it in front of Xi Qi’s eyes.

Xi Qi suppressed the urge to subdue her with an over-the-shoulder throw. For a professional killer who was always on high alert, even sleeping with a gun in hand and never letting her guard down, Xi Qi could absolutely not allow anyone to approach her from behind, nor could she leave her unguarded back to anyone else. Moreover, three feet was the minimum safety distance for a killer, and anyone who had crossed that line in the past had been assassinated by Xi Qi’s dagger. However, after nearly a year of being together, Xi Qi had become familiar with Luo Yu’s breathing and footsteps, knowing it was Luo Yu returning even before she got close. Otherwise, at this very moment, Luo Yu’s throat would have already been slit by a dagger.

Luo Yu, completely unaware, continued to embrace Xi Qi’s neck, resting her head on her shoulder, and chuckled, “I went out to solve a troublesome matter for you, so you’re treating me to this meal.”

Xi Qi was still not quite used to physical contact with others; this intimacy felt a little foreign to her, yet she didn’t completely reject it. Xi Qi frowned slightly but ultimately did not push Luo Yu away.

“Is the matter resolved?” Xi Qi turned her head to ask. She was adept at killing, but dealing with this kind of trivial matter of a young man’s affections gave her a massive headache—it was annoyingly troublesome, lacking the straightforward satisfaction of killing someone with a quick strike.

“That guy was quite infatuated. He asked me if you had a boyfriend. I said, ‘No, who would dare to be your boyfriend?’ Then he asked, ‘Since you don’t have a boyfriend yet, why won’t you go out with him?’ So I told him, ‘You two are not from the same world.’” Luo Yu’s light breath fluttered against Xi Qi’s ear, soft, like a thin feather. Xi Qi suddenly felt uneasy and pushed Luo Yu away.

“Whatever. As long as it’s resolved.” Xi Qi actually didn’t care about the lives of others. For her, having seen too much death and too much bloodshed, and having killed many people herself, she was long accustomed to it, taking it in stride and remaining unfazed. Furthermore, what did the life or death of others have to do with her? Although the matter started because of her, even if the person really jumped off a building, she would not have any psychological burden. Her bl00d had run cold many years ago. However, if the person did get into trouble, the police would be involved, and she would become the center of public attention, which could very likely expose her identity and be extremely detrimental to her. Therefore, Xi Qi didn’t want to make a big fuss, and it was the best outcome for Luo Yu to go and smooth things over.

“Do you want to try some of these things?” Luo Yu was about to put the food into her mouth when Xi Qi stopped her.

“Let me check first.” The “check” in Xi Qi’s mouth was naturally a toxicity test. The food served to Luo Yu in the Luo family was inspected by Luo Shi-San and others, so Luo Yu was not familiar with the issue of poison, but Xi Qi had been living on the brink of life and death alone for many years and had been poisoned and ambushed in her early years, so she was quite proficient in this area.

“I want to take you to meet someone later.” Mentioning the serious matter, Luo Yu’s expression also became slightly serious.

“Who?”

“You’ll know when we get there.” Luo Yu was deliberately secretive, smiling without answering.

On the way to “Night King,” Xi Qi first made a detour to another place. The underground mall, also known as the black market, was a place for buying and selling illegal goods, a dark place full of filth. Money laundering, drug dealing, prostitution, arms smuggling, and even slave trading and human trafficking took place here. The location was extremely hidden; Luo Yu was so dizzy from following Xi Qi’s turns that she finally arrived, convinced that if she came alone next time, she would still get lost and fail to find the destination. Walking inside, the space was vast, with numerous shops lining the area. Luo Yu had never known that such a world, a place of dark, illicit profits, existed beneath this city.

Both Luo Yu and Xi Qi were wearing hats, pulling the brims low to cover their eyes, and wearing masks. If they were on the street outside, such attire would naturally draw a lot of attention and sideways glances, but here, everyone dressed this way, unwilling to expose their identity or let others see their faces. After all, the people who come to this place are either fugitives, robbers, or killers, mercenaries—none of them are easy to deal with, and they might even run into enemies. Therefore, here, if someone were to carelessly and openly show their face, they would instead become the focus of everyone’s attention, seeming out of place.

“Half of the shops here are businesses under the Luo family,” Xi Qi whispered into Luo Yu’s ear, keeping her voice low.

Luo Yu was astonished. As the young mistress of the Luo family, she had absolutely no idea that the Luo family was also involved in arms smuggling and drug dealing.

Xi Qi saw Luo Yu’s surprise and sneered, “Otherwise, did you think the Luo family only kills people? At least half of their colossal financial empire comes from the profits of these businesses. Arms and drug smuggling are incredibly lucrative, but most organizations don’t dare to do it, and even if they do, they can’t monopolize such a large piece of the pie. A major power like the Luo family naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity to seize wealth.”

“The Luo family monopolizes the black market?” Luo Yu thought to herself. Luo Han had never told her any of this. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen Luo Yi take action for several years, yet he was busy all day long. He was probably managing these businesses of the Luo family.

“You could say that. It’s just that the Luo family isn’t involved in casinos, prostitution, human trafficking, or loan sharking. The profits from those aren’t substantial enough; the Luo family looks down on them.”

Luo Yu’s mouth was wide open, large enough to swallow an egg. The profits from casinos weren’t enough? Loan sharking wasn’t considered highly lucrative? The Luo family actually looked down on them? Luo Yu suddenly understood why Luo Shi-Si and the others were so lavish with their spending and why the high-end cars parked at the Luo family were as common as cabbage and radishes.

Xi Qi looked at Luo Yu’s stunned expression and sighed, “You don’t know anything, so why did you provoke such a formidable organization for no reason?”

“Are you scared? It’s all my fault for dragging you into this.” Luo Yu sincerely criticized herself, while also using a bit of a provocation.

“I don’t care. It’s the same whether you offend one deadly fire-starter or two.” Xi Qi’s tone was flat and nonchalant; she didn’t take it to heart at all.

“What kind of organization did you offend before?” Since it could be mentioned alongside the Luo family, it must not be simple. “And who are the people who are hunting you?”

“Unit 7. Follow me in.” Xi Qi did not answer, instead diving into a shop covered with thick black curtains. It was a very common, very common place that sold s3x toys. Luo Yu almost choked on her own saliva, stuttering, “W-W-What is this place? W-W-Why did you bring me to a place like this?”