In the scene, Madam Maeda was moving through a dark alley far from the main road.

Her luxurious kimono was now tattered.

The hem of her clothes was cut by a Sharp Weapon, stained with mud and blood.

On her fair arm, a deep, bone-visible wound was seeping blood, staining a large patch of her plain sleeve red.

In the distance, several figures, like phantoms, silently encircled her from both ends of the alley.

Their steps were light, their movements coordinated and unified, like a pack of well-trained hounds cornering their prey.

Zhou Huai frowned slightly.

Why was this White Butterfly being hunted?

Had her undercover identity been exposed?

Or was it for other reasons?

As colleagues, Zhou Huai naturally couldn't stand idly by.

He sighed inwardly.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to leave work early today either.

Zhou Huai controlled Caesar to stand up.

He turned to Natsume Rinku, who was eating with relish, and instructed, "Get some rest early."

Natsume Rinku was first startled, then suddenly a little panicked.

She instinctively reached out her small hand and grabbed Caesar's pant leg.

"Master, where are you going?"

Unbeknownst to her, Natsume Rinku had already developed a sense of dependence on this mysterious man.

She was very worried.

Very worried that her master would leave her here alone and never care for her again.

Zhou Huai paused his steps.

He looked down at the girl's eyes, which were filled with fear and unease, and softened his tone.

"I'm going out to do something."

"I'll be back soon."

"You stay in this villa and don't run around."

Upon hearing this, Natsume Rinku not only didn't let go but clutched even tighter.

She gathered her courage, looked up, her eyes holding a trace of plea and anticipation.

"Can... can you take me with you?"

"I'm a Professional now too, I can help Master!"

Zhou Huai looked at her eager little face, trying to prove herself, and couldn't help but smile.

"Let's talk about it when you become stronger later."

Natsume Rinku's expression, upon hearing this, became exceptionally serious.

She released her hand, stepped back, and bowed deeply to Zhou Huai.

Her small frame stood perfectly straight.

"Master, I will definitely become very strong in the future!"

Seeing her serious expression, Zhou Huai's heart stirred slightly.

He couldn't help but reach out and gently pat her head.

The little girl's hair was very soft, with a faint fragrance.

"I have high hopes for you, work hard."

After speaking, he no longer lingered.

He turned and stepped out.

Accompanied by the butler, he left the villa... It was a rainy night in Takamagahara.

Maeda Haneda leaned against the cold wall, gasping violently.

Blood loss made her vision blur, and the bone-deep wound on her arm throbbed with a burning pain.

Rainwater soaked the stray hairs on her forehead, sticking them to her pale cheeks, making her look disheveled.

At both ends of the alley, five dark figures had completely blocked all her escape routes.

They were like a pack of patient hounds, quietly tightening their encirclement.

The middle-aged man leading them stepped out of the shadows.

He looked at Maeda Haneda's haggard appearance, a look of heartbreaking pain on his face.

His name was Maeda Okawa, the current leader of the Tri-Mouth Gang.

He was also Maeda Haneda's husband.

"Haneda... you... why are you an undercover agent for the Great Xia Country?"

His voice trembled, filled with the pain of betrayal.

"Why? Why?"

"Answer me! I poured my heart out to you, yet you deceived me like this!"

"My heart truly aches."

Maeda Haneda looked at his exaggerated performance and let out a cold sneer.

"Save it." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Her voice was not loud, but it was like an ice-tempered knife.

"Your hypocrisy sickens me."

She raised her eyes, her gaze full of disdain.

"If the Tri-Mouth Gang members knew that their revered leader was actually a homosexual only interested in men, I wonder what their expressions would be."

The sorrow on Maeda Okawa's face instantly froze, then turned into a distorted grimace of a secret exposed.

He glared at her fiercely, his eyes as if wanting to devour her alive.

"Nothing you say matters now."

His voice became chilling.

"Haneda, I'll give you one last chance."

"Tell me everything you know, and perhaps I'll consider sparing your life."

"You might even continue to be Madam Maeda."

"Pah!"

Maeda Haneda spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground.

"Even if I die, I will never tell you a single word."

Maeda Okawa's patience was completely exhausted.

He stepped back, waved his hand at his subordinates, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Kill her."

The five dark figures moved instantly.

Like hungry wolves preying, they pounced on the exhausted Maeda Haneda from different angles.

Maeda Haneda clenched her silver teeth and slid a gleaming short blade from the sleeve of her kimono.

Instead of retreating, she advanced, charging towards the two who lunged first.

The short blade cut a tricky arc in the rainy night, aiming directly for one person's throat.

That person reacted extremely quickly, dodged sideways, and their samurai sword slashed down with the momentum.

Maeda Haneda ducked, reversed her grip on the short blade, and fiercely stabbed it upwards into the opponent's abdomen.

"Pfft!"

Blood gushed out.

But the other person's attack also arrived simultaneously.

A flash of bright sword light passed, leaving a new wound on Maeda Haneda's leg.

The intense pain made her body sway, almost causing her to kneel.

She struggled to stand firm, kicked the chest of the person she had just stabbed, and used the force to roll backward, temporarily creating distance.

Alley fighting was her specialty.

But blood loss and physical exhaustion made every movement incredibly heavy.

The remaining four gave her no chance to breathe, closing in again.

Sword lights and shadows intertwined in the narrow alley, forming a net of death.

Maeda Haneda fought with all her might, taking down another person.

The cost was a heavy slash to her back, causing her to fall forward onto the ground.

Rainwater mixed with mud splashed all over her face.

She struggled to get up, but a foot heavily stepped on her back, pressing her firmly to the ground.

Maeda Okawa slowly walked in front of her, looking down at her.

"I told you, you brought this upon yourself."

He raised the samurai sword in his hand, its blade gleaming chillingly in the dim light.

Maeda Haneda closed her eyes, awaiting death.

However, the expected sharp pain did not come.

A crisp, piercing clang of metal echoed in the rainy night.

Clang—!!!

Maeda Haneda suddenly opened her eyes.

A figure had appeared in front of her at some point.

The person wore a black trench coat, gold-rimmed glasses, and had a solemn expression.

In his hand, he held a long tachi, its blade effortlessly parrying Maeda Okawa's determined strike.

Rainwater dripped from his hair, yet it did not affect his calm and mountain-like demeanor in the slightest.

"You..."

Maeda Haneda's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.

"Why are you here?"

The newcomer didn't turn back, just smiled calmly, his voice gentle.

"Young Miss Haneda, you have done so much for me, taken so many risks."

"Now that you are in trouble, how can I stand by and do nothing?"

The atmosphere in the alley instantly solidified.

The two remaining killers were on high alert, warily staring at the suddenly appearing man.

And Maeda Okawa's expression was even more shocked than Maeda Haneda's.

He looked at the familiar face, the distinctive gold-rimmed glasses, his voice changing pitch.

"How could it be you?"

"Sato?!"