Chapter 85: Hidden Agendas
Lin Lingling.
The first time Chen Huaiâan learned the girlâs name, he immediately gave her a nicknameâTriple Egg, or just Triple Zero.
In his impression, she was a terminally ill case of secondhand embarrassment, a brat with a worse case of delusions than his own.
But they barely had any interactions, having only met once before.
So the real question wasâwhy was this barely familiar girl suddenly at his doorstep?
And, if he wasnât mistaken, she hadnât used the front door.
She had
climbed in through the window.
"Emmm, this budget hotelâs security system is pretty useless, huhâŠ"
Looking at the bloodstains all over the floor, Chen Huaiâan felt his head throb.
How was he supposed to clean this up?
More importantly, how was he going to explain this to housekeeping?!
"Forget it, letâs get her inside first. The floorâs too cold."
Out of respect, Chen Huaiâan went back inside to put on some clothes before carrying Triple Zero in. He had only been wearing a pair of boxers.
On the sofa, the ever-vigilant Baji stiffened as he saw Chen Huaiâan carrying the little thief inside.
Why?!
Why wasnât the big boss crushing this little thief into dust?
Why was he carrying her so
gently
?!
Could it be⊠it had attacked the wrong person before?
The more Baji thought about it, the more terrified it became.
What if the moment this little thief woke up, she spilled the truth?
What if the big boss realized it was a
demon
?
What if that triggered a
memory awakening
and he summoned endless divine lightning, reducing Baji to a pile of burnt fur?
Then heâd toss it into a pot, sprinkle some scallions and cooking wine, cut it into pieces, dip it in soy sauce, and have it as a drinking snack!
Was this how it was all going to end?!
All its efforts, all its strugglesâhad they been for
nothing
?!
Completely oblivious to a certain taotieâs existential crisis, Chen Huaiâan was busy dialing 120.
Sure, his
Spring Revival Acupuncture
might
work on Triple Zeroâs condition, but this was a life-or-death situation.
If a few needles didnât do the trick and she died, wouldnât he be the prime suspect?!
Balancing the phone between his neck and shoulder, he carefully placed the girl on the sofa.
The moment Triple Zero lay down, her head lolled to the side, andâ
"Blerghâ!"
A mouthful of blood spewed onto the floor.
"
Holy shâ Did she get into a full-coverage crash?
"
Chen Huaiâan was stunned.
As soon as the call connected, he quickly described Triple Zeroâs condition to the doctor.
ă"Her injuries are critical! You need to administer first aid immediately. Iâll guide you through it!"ă
The doctor instructed him to stop the bleeding and perform CPR.
Lifting her bloodstained school uniform, Chen Huaiâan saw deep, jagged wounds on her chest and abdomenâclaw marks.
The flesh was mangled, the skin flayed open.
They
definitely
werenât human-made.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the bedsheets and tore them into strips, quickly dressing her wounds.
At this point, he knew there was no way he could keep staying at this hotel.
So why even
bother
worrying about the mess?
"Next is CPR."
Following the doctorâs video tutorial, he positioned his hands over her chest and pressed downâ
Crack.
"Pfftâ!"
Triple Zero spat another mouthful of blood straight onto the ceiling.
Chen Huaiâan: "âŠ?"
Wait.
When did his strength get this ridiculous?
One push and he
broke
her ribs?!
Poor Triple Zero had already fractured three ribs from her earlier injuries. Now, thanks to Chen Huaiâan, she had
three more broken ribs
âperfectly symmetrical on both sides.
"
This isnât working. I need to use acupuncture.
"
Seeing her barely breathing, Chen Huaiâan couldnât afford to hesitate.
Legal consequences be damnedâif he didnât act now, she was dead.
He swiftly pulled out his silver needles.
For some reason, his movements felt sharper todayâfaster, more precise, and steadier than ever before.
In just a few moments, he had already targeted the necessary acupoints to stop the bleeding.
Then, he moved on to stimulating bone regeneration.
How did it work?
He had no idea.
Maybe it boosted stem cell production or something.
ă"The big boss⊠is personally treating her?! Who
is
this guy?!"ă
Baji watched in horror as Chen Huaiâan expertly administered the acupuncture.
It had officially lost all hope.
The fact that the big boss was personally administering acupuncture said everything.
Baji shrank into a corner, quietly awaiting its miserable fate.
"Iâve done everything I can. The rest is up to fate."
Chen Huaiâan carefully moved Triple Zero off the sofaâright in front of Baji.
Baji: "âŠâŠ"
The big boss was sentencing it to death!
But⊠did it dare make a move?
It did
not
!
âWeird. Why is Baji acting so timid today?â
Chen Huaiâan glanced at the black cat, which was cowering in the corner, but didnât think much of it.
Maybe it was just scared.
Cats were naturally sensitive animals, always wary of unfamiliar scents.
Less than ten minutes later, Lin Lingling groggily regained consciousness.
The severe blood loss and hunger left her dizzy.
But the moment her eyes caught sight of Baji, the intense aura of demonic energy jolted her
completely
awake.
Her entire body convulsed in terror.
With Baji staring at her, Lin Lingling felt a cold chill run down her spine.
She didnât dare move.
It was
that
demon!
The one that had blasted her out the window!
Her breathing turned shaky as despair filled her chest.
Her mission last night had gone terribly wrong.
She had received intel that the target was just a B-rank demon.
Turned out, that info was outdated.
It wasnât just
one
demonâit was a whole nest.
That B-rank black rat demon had already evolved to A-rankâand had spawned an entire litter of C and D-rank offspring.
She
might
have handled a single A-rank demon.
But a
whole swarm
? No way in hell.
She had barely escaped with her lifeâ
Only to flee straight into another
death trap
.
Now she was truly doomed.
Just as she thought that, the black cat took a step closer.
Its golden eyes locked onto hers, unblinking.
This was it.
She was going to die.
She was going to be
eaten
âher body torn apart, leaving no trace behind!
Lin Lingling whimpered internally.
She was still just a student.
Just a young girl.
She hadnât even gotten to fly on a sword yetâhow could she die
here
?!
"Miiyaa~"
A soft, gentle meow snapped her out of her panicked thoughts.
Her wide, fearful eyes darted slightly.
The black cat was very close now.
And thenâ
Lick.
Lin Linglingâs eyes
bulged
.
It licked her.
The big bad demon licked her.
Her vision swam.
She nearly fainted
again
.
"Yo, youâre awake!"
A ridiculously handsome face suddenly popped into view.
Chen Huaiâan smirked as he saw Baji licking Lin Linglingâs face.
"Huh, looks like Baji really likes you. It never licks
my
face."
Lin Lingling was
shocked
.
What the hell?!
This demon was calledâcalled
Baji
?!
Baji shuddered from head to tail.
Licking the bossâs face?
Thatâs a trap!
No way in hell!
This beast still wants to live a few more years! No way itâs falling for that!
"Th-Thank you⊠for saving meâŠ"
Lin Lingling stammered as she stared at Chen Huaiâanâs stupidly handsome face.
Her mind was still a chaotic mess.
Her body felt weak, so she simply shut her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts.
"No need to thank me. The ambulance is almost here."
And as if on cueâ
A group of paramedics burst into the room, hotel staff trailing behind them.
In just a few seconds, Lin Lingling was secured onto a stretcher.
Baji, still on edge, finally relaxed.
Good. Sheâs leaving.
Forever.
It wasnât until she was inside the ambulance that Lin Linglingâs mind cleared a little.
Chen Huaiâanâs relationship with Baji was unclear.
But one thing was certainâ
Chen Huaiâan was not some evil, ruthless monster.
Perhaps the talismans on him were connected to the black cat?
In the Demon-Slaying Bureau, there were Awakeners who had formed pacts with demons to gain power.
This situation wasnât
impossible
.
Waitâ
Her bloodstains!
Those black-furred rat demons could track her by scent!
Oh no.
Oh no no no!
Lin Lingling struggled to sit up, desperately trying to warn Chen Huaiâan.
But the next secondâ
Two nurses shoved her back down.
Thenâclickâ
An oxygen mask was strapped over her face.
"Patient is in critical condition! Sheâs seizingâreturn to the hospital for emergency treatment!"
The lead doctor issued a strict order.
The ambulance sped off with sirens wailing.
On the stretcher, Lin Lingling stared blankly at the pale ceiling.
A single tear of deep regret slipped from the corner of her eye.
âBig Boss, Iâm sorry⊠I didnât mean toâŠâ