Chapter 24 - Itches Need to be Scratched

After Xi Long's car disappeared, Ying Yue quickly locked the door and turned on her security system. Walking around her once spotless apartment she saw messy pillows and spots of water - all things that reminded her of him. Tying her hair up she grabbed her cleaning supplies and quickly mopped up the water and fixed whatever fell on the floor. Walking into the bathroom to wash her hands she could smell the lingering scent of his cologne. Finding her air freshener she sprayed the artificial 'ocean breeze' to the point of coughing.

"Finally." Ying Yue was uncomfortable. She knew that Xi Long was affecting her slightly and being the stubborn man he was this probably wouldn't be the last time he sought her out. Cleansing her apartment was her one way of keeping things in control...for now. Stretching her limbs, she relaxed her body and re-entered her secret room. Entering the study, she turned on the computer to search if news of today was released. Not that she doubted Xi Long but who knew the skills of his subordinates. Running a long code onto a panel she ran a preliminary search over the internet.

'Nothing, hmph okay.' Combining the long code with another code she ran a secondary deeper search. This search would find all news, posts, etc within the last 24 hours and pull the ones that had any of the words describing today's ambush. 'Got you!' Her eyes twinkled as she found some suspicious weibo posts from an hour ago. Chuckling she traced the ID to their location and found three accounts linked to the location. "Interesting," she could tell that this was a pre-planned attack and probably wouldn't be the last. Saving the information on an encrypted folder she then hacked into the cctv and deleted all footage of her from the streets, outside, and inside the restaurant. Since meeting Xi Long it seems that hacking and delete her footage from the country's database became a regular task. Satisfied at her damage control she closed her laptop, exited and secured the study room.

Lazing around her couch she was scrolling through the dark web on her disposable phone when something caught her attention. 'Ooh what's this.' Her eyes stilled upon reading a competition poster. An underground fighting organization was hosting a competition tonight, winner wins 50,000 yuan. A smirk grew on her face at the post. Her body was itching for a proper fight and it seemed like she had the perfect practice ground. She was a little unsatisfied at her fight this morning, other than numbers those men had no skills that made the fight enjoyable. These fights had no rules other than prohibiting people from killing their opponents, everything else was fair game. She could play around and test her skills on the market without worrying about consequences. Everyone there was involved in the underworld and used a fake name which also meant the added security of not having anything trace back to her. Ying Yue laughed out loud in excitement, "let's go have fun."

Walking back into her room she searched for her hidden suitcase. Although most of her outfits would fit this event perfectly fine she looked for the tougher material. Pulling out the hoodie, fitted black shirt, and black tights she flicked it a couple of times to get rid of the slight dust. Her mind stirred as she held the familiar clothing in her hands. It had almost been 4 years since she had to use these clothes. The memories of blood and bodies falling entered her mind as she tried to quickly dismiss them. 'Get it together Ying Yue, you are not the person you were before. No one knows who you are and no one will find out.'

Putting the clothes on with determination she emptied her mind of the past and focused on her current reality. She had her moments where the memories took over but they couldn't hurt her, she was stronger than that. Switching off her emotions she let the familiar cold energy take over. Her eyes switched as her soft brown eyes took on a lazy indifferent look. Covering her hands in a white wrap and putting on a face mask to protect her face she was finally ready to head out.

***

Country E was cold that night as the wind blowed strongly with the temperature dropping by the minute. It was quiet as Ying Yue walked towards the venue, her body huddled together to keep the heat inside her. As she got closer she saw the number of people loitering around the building. She was in the sketchy part of the country, drug deals and gang wars usually happened here which meant it was the perfect breeding ground for someone who wanted to make the quick buck. Walking confidently through the streets her steps were light as people barely noticed her passing through. Her clothes blended into the night further helping her camouflage. Seeing the run down factory she entered the door and saw a small desk with two squeezy men collecting cash. Heading straight up to the desk she slammed 500 yuan onto the table breaking their conversation.

"Who do we have here, seems a little small are you here to watch or fight."

"Fight."

The man was shocked when he heard her voice - a female?! His mouth turned into a perverted smile. "Hehe what's a pretty little thing like you doing here, run a long baby or else you might get eaten up. I'm sure there's a nail salon nearby, better suits a weak female like you." Him and his coworker next to him laughed at his joke. Before he could stop a pen was against his throat pressing hard against his skin.

"Fight." The man started sweating, glancing at the woman again he saw her cold-blooded eyes and the speed at which she attacked him. She was not someone he could afford to offend!!!

"Hehe sorry miss. Of course we will sign you up. Please forgive this servant, what name shall I place you as?"

"Call me....Viper."