Chapter 104: The Phoenix’s Concern (Please vote for this month’s tickets! Many more updates coming later!)

Chapter 104: Phoenix’s Concern

Love in this world takes many forms, yet it shares one commonality: whenever young men and women first fall into the net of romance, their emotions and trust are truly more intense, fervent, and passionate than anything else.

And, at the same time, more blind.

Although Chen Xiao was extremely curious about Phoenix’s background, he was unwilling to force the girl he adored to do anything she didn’t want to. Thus, he could force himself not to ask—this was Chen Xiao’s consistent character; he never liked to force things.

Phoenix was wearing a pure white, hip-hugging, mid-length skirt, paired with a beige beret worn at a jaunty angle. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and beneath the skirt, her fair, slender calves were visible. She was barefoot, sporting a pair of summery sandals. Chen Xiao, meanwhile, was dressed in the clothes Phoenix had provided.

Chen Xiao knew quality when he saw it. Back when his family was wealthy, he was no stranger to top-tier luxury brands. The outfit Phoenix had picked out for him—the seemingly simple black jacket was Burberry, and the dark-striped jeans were CK. Chen Xiao was well aware of the value of such an ensemble.

Furthermore, the suite Phoenix was staying in was a luxury room at the Hilton, the most expensive hotel in K City.

As the two stepped out of their room and stood in the elevator, Phoenix suddenly offered a shy smile. She reached out, linked her arm with Chen Xiao’s, and looked at the reflection in the elevator mirror. Pointing at the pair, her eyes dancing with mischief, she asked, "Look, do we look like a perfect match?"

Chen Xiao’s heart stirred. He looked down into her eyes, suddenly lowered his voice, and said softly, "I suddenly really want to kiss you right now."

Phoenix’s eyes grew warm. Naturally, she turned into his embrace, stood on tiptoe, and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. They held each other fervently, but once they parted, Phoenix immediately pulled away. Chuckling softly, she whispered, "Alright, don't push your luck! Even though we... well, we’ve only met three times. I don’t want you to think I’m a frivolous girl."

Chen Xiao looked into her eyes and saw that while her gaze was already clouded with longing, she was trying her best to restrain herself with reason. He nodded, his expression solemn. "I understand."

*Ding.* The elevator reached the ground floor. When the doors opened, Chen Xiao saw four men standing there. They were all dressed in black suits—not the attire of bodyguards or drivers; it was clear these were genuine designer suits.

The problem was...

In this world, some people possess such distinguished charisma that they can make even ordinary clothes look like world-class designer wear.

But others... even when wearing world-class designer labels, they make people feel as if they are wearing cheap knock-offs.

Without a doubt, the four men in front of them belonged to the latter category.

One tall, one short, one fat, one thin.

The four men in black suits stood in a row at the elevator entrance, staring solemnly at Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao was stunned. Being stared at by four such strangers, he felt quite bewildered, but then Phoenix chuckled beside him. "Chen Xiao, these are my four friends."

Friends?

Before Chen Xiao could speak, the tallest man immediately said, "We wouldn't dare claim the title of friends; we are merely Miss Phoenix’s assistants."

After he finished speaking, the four men bowed in unison, as if welcoming a mafia boss in a movie, and shouted in perfect synchronization: "Greetings, Miss Phoenix!"

Their movements were uniform and precise.

Chen Xiao also noticed that each of these four men wore an earpiece. Although they didn't have the monocle-style devices he was used to, it was clearly a miniature detector of some kind. Were these four also powered individuals?

As this thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but glance at Phoenix. Phoenix was incredibly sharp; she immediately guessed his thoughts and smiled slightly, whispering, "These four gentlemen are quite famous in the world of the powered."

Chen Xiao believed in one thing: anyone who looked truly bizarre usually had extraordinary talents. After all, in fantasy or martial arts stories, those who looked the most peculiar always possessed remarkable skills!

Ke Zhen'e, the Flying Bat, was blind.

Li Tieguai was a cripple.

Duan Yanqing, the leader of the Four Evils, was completely disabled.

And here were these four men, radiating an aura of shabbiness despite their high-end designer suits. Since Phoenix said they were famous in the global community of powered individuals, Chen Xiao dared not judge by appearances. He immediately felt a sense of respect and smiled politely. "Greetings to you all."

Though Chen Xiao greeted them courteously, the four men merely grunted. They held their heads high, not even sparing Chen Xiao a glance. With an air of arrogance, they turned to Phoenix and said with cautious, fawning smiles, "Miss, the car and equipment are ready. Shall we depart now?"

Phoenix gave Chen Xiao an apologetic look and nodded.

The car was parked outside the hotel—a long, black luxury limousine that was quite eye-catching. After boarding, the shortest of the four men in suits took the wheel, while the other three sat in the back with Chen Xiao and Phoenix.

Once in the car, Phoenix immediately retrieved a leather case from a compartment. She solemnly took out an exquisite box and handed it to Chen Xiao with a smile, her eyes narrowing as she said softly, "A gift for you. I put a lot of thought into preparing this."

Chen Xiao took it and opened it, only to find... a miniature detector?

However, its design was different from a standard one. A typical detector, aside from the earpiece, only had a single lens. It was inherently a bit odd—very few people wore monocles these days.

But this detector was connected to a stylish pair of glasses. The frames were subtle and elegant, not ostentatious in the slightest, clearly a high-end product.

"Your old detector was a knock-off; the database inside was incomplete. A genuine standard-issue detector links to the Service Agency’s database—the most comprehensive and up-to-date database among all major powered organizations in the world. It stores the files of all known powered individuals. When you encounter an enemy, the detector can instantly pull up their data, giving you the upper hand with intelligence. Knock-offs don't have this feature. While they can detect someone's ability, they fail if the opponent has shielding equipment. This one, however, only needs to identify basic features like facial structure and height to automatically search the database for matches and display their detailed abilities and background."

Phoenix explained with a smile: "Besides, you still have school and work. It’s too conspicuous to walk around wearing a monocle. So, I modified it into a pair of normal glasses. The left lens acts as a screen to display data. When not in use, it looks like an ordinary pair of non-prescription glasses. As long as you don't activate the detector's functions, it’s indistinguishable from regular eyewear. Also..."

As she spoke, Phoenix reached over and pressed a spot on the earpiece. With a *swish*, both lenses turned pitch black.

"Look, you can adjust them into sunglasses whenever you like. Plus, the detector has more features than a knock-off, such as X-ray vision, night vision, and so on..."

Phoenix smiled proudly as she watched Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao looked at the item in his hands, thought for a moment, and under her expectant gaze, did not refuse. "Thank you."

Phoenix gave a sweet smile, then suddenly put on a stern face. "You... you are not allowed to use the X-ray feature to look at girls!" She then leaned into his ear and nibbled on it gently. "And you’re not allowed to use it on me either!"

Chen Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. Seeing Phoenix’s flushed cheeks, he couldn't help but feel a bit distracted.

...

The long luxury car drove through the streets of K City and soon entered one of the city's underground tunnels—the oldest and longest in the city.

Once inside, Phoenix sat up straight and glanced at the three men in suits beside her. "Get ready. We’re almost there."

The three men immediately pulled several leather cases from under the seats. When they opened them, Chen Xiao was stunned: the cases were filled with firearms!

Of course, they weren't ordinary firearms, but electromagnetic guns specifically designed to deal with powered individuals!

Halfway through the tunnel, there was a narrow gap. The short driver suddenly jerked the steering wheel, and the car dove straight into it!

The gap was extremely tight, and as the long limousine squeezed through, the sounds of *bang* and *scrape* echoed as the sides of the car collided with the walls.

"Where is this?" Chen Xiao asked.

Phoenix smiled and explained, "And you call yourself a resident of K City? You don't know the history of this tunnel? This gap leads directly into an air-raid shelter. It was built decades ago during the war. When K City was constructing the tunnel, they utilized this underground system to save on costs. I spent quite some effort digging this information out of the municipal construction archives."

An underground air-raid shelter?

Chen Xiao’s eyes lit up!

That Yaksha... if he truly had a weakness for sunlight, wouldn't this underground shelter be the perfect place for him to hide during the day?

...

The car stopped soon after turning into the side path. After they stepped out, what lay before Chen Xiao was a pitch-black passage, about four or five meters wide, deep and gloomy, with no light at all. There was no telling where it led.

"This is the main body of the shelter. According to my intelligence, during his time in K City, the Yaksha hides here during the day." Phoenix looked into the darkness, then back at Chen Xiao. "Are you ready? Consider this a real-world combat training session."

In truth, Chen Xiao had little interest in making an enemy of the Yaksha, and he didn't really see the necessity of combat training. However, he couldn't bear to refuse a request from Phoenix.

Phoenix, as if possessing an intuitive mind, quickly guessed his thoughts. She sighed and whispered, "Chen Xiao, I know your nature is actually to live in peace, but... in your current situation, even if you don't want to make enemies, others may not let you off the hook. And I... I cannot be by your side at all times. So, I have to do everything I can to help you improve your strength as quickly as possible... I am doing this for your own good, do you understand?"

"Others... won't let me off?"

"Yes." Phoenix lowered her voice. "Your ability... especially the power of consumption, is a thorn in the side for many powered individuals, and something many organizations covet. Sigh, Chen Xiao, you don't yet realize how dangerous your situation is. When you went to Homeland Island last time, I was truly worried that the Service Agency would detain you and not let you leave... Fortunately, the Service Agency is an established organization; even if their higher-ups had such thoughts, they were ashamed to openly violate their own regulations. But that doesn't mean they don't want to! Do you understand? Plus, there are so many powered organizations, large and small, in this world. Not every one of them is as law-abiding as the Service Agency."