Chapter 219: The Gap Between An Que and Chen Yunshi
This group of female madmen who suddenly popped out of nowhere had been brought to An Que’s attention a few days ago by his underlings. At that time, he didn’t pay much mind, thinking they were just high-powered ordinary folks who posed no real threat. Toss a couple of evil ghosts their way, and they’d be toast.
When he heard from his subordinates that several ghost gates still hadn’t been reclaimed, he looked into it a bit. Most of the ghost gates taken over were just lone wolves with no real strategic value. The only one that got snatched from under his nose was because its gatekeeper had gone on a mission.
This gave him the impression that these madwomen were no cause for concern.
Just as he was gearing up to gather his team, he bumped into one of these female madmen.
This woman was brazenly claiming a ghost gate, despite having no clue about its value.
By the time An Que and his crew arrived, the gatekeeper’s corpse was already as cold as ice.
“Hahaha, interesting! Too interesting! How come I didn’t discover you lot earlier?”
In the abandoned cinema, a young girl lounged on a high shelf, tossing two short knives up and down, completely unfazed by the arrival of An Que and his eight companions. Instead, she laughed loudly.
“What? You old bald donkey are the head honcho of the unlucky ones? What a loser! Ever thought about slicing off your own face and switching it up?” Her cute yet mischievous laughter echoed throughout the empty cinema. “You know what’s funny? I happen to be a face-swapping artist. Most people just call me a beautician and Qian Mian.”
“I love collecting faces. Want to be one of my memorabilia? Hahaha!”
Just a second ago, she was all giggles, but suddenly her expression turned ice-cold, catching everyone off guard with her mood swing.
“But no, you captured the father of my future partner, who might just end up being my father-in-law! I’ll have to slice off your head and send it back; do you think they’d like such a dowry?”
“Chairman.” One of the gatekeepers beside An Que started to step forward, but An Que raised a hand to stop him.
Beneath the shelf where the girl sat dangled a severed corpse, its skin hanging limply like a bloody angel with wings. Below it was the ghost of the gatekeeper, accompanied by an evil spirit clad in red.
These two ghosts weren’t after the red-haired girl above them; instead, they were hunched down below, eagerly lapping up the bl**d dripping from their former master.
This scene made all the gatekeepers feel a chill run down their spines.
This girl couldn’t be more than sixteen or seventeen; how could she commit such cruelty? What was even scarier was her complete lack of remorse after doing it, casually waving the gatekeeper’s face in one hand while juggling a bloodied kn*fe in the other.
“I’m the vice-chairman of the gatekeepers. Name’s An Que. And you are…?”
“No name; just call me Qian Mian.” The girl spread out the face she was holding and inspected it closely. Seeming to find the skin subpar, she frowned and tossed it aside, where it was immediately snatched by a few ghosts.
“Substandard! Not worthy of my collection.”
“I think Chairman An’s looks pretty good.”
“Miss Qian Mian, we may not be enemies.” An Que stepped forward, “The Lu family isn’t easy to approach. If you want to marry their young master, you’ll need to see if they even approve. Do you really think they’d let an unknown hired killer into their family? Not a chance! They’d just use you and throw you some measly rewards.”
“Besides, would you be willing to be a subordinate to a weaker man?”
“Do you really want to have a kid with a rich second-generation who’s been drained of all substance by wine and women?”
“Is that the life you want?”
“With your skills and power, you could reach for much higher and farther.”
“You understand what I mean, right?”
The subtext was clear—An Que wanted to recruit Qian Mian to their side to become a gatekeeper.
One dead gatekeeper wasn’t a big deal, but if they could recruit someone stronger and more capable—even if she was a madwoman—that would be a win.
“Becoming a gatekeeper is the best way to unleash your potential to its fullest.”
“I can’t promise you the world, but I can assure you it’s far more promising than being a rich second-generation’s oppressed fiancée.”
“This ghost gate can be yours, and I’ll give you time to investigate us. All I hope you do is make the right choice and walk the right path.”
An Que’s voice was smooth, wrapped in an inexplicable allure. Even the gatekeepers behind him sensed that his words could sway this female madman.
It made perfect sense—why settle for being a scorned daughter-in-law with responsibilities like childbearing and caring for in-laws when you could be a gatekeeper, living the high life and choosing whoever you wanted as your man?
That kind of life seemed much more suited to her.
However, Qian Mian’s response took everyone by surprise.
“What the heck are you babbling on about? Are you here to lecture me on how I should live? Do I need you to tell me what I want? You think your pathetic little gatekeeper organization is impressive? The small fries I used to crush with a flick of my finger were way more powerful than whatever you think you’ve got, believe it or not!”
“My collection has a total of one hundred and eighteen faces! I could get those losers to resurrect and just spitting on them would scare you all to tears, I swear!”
“You really think you can act all high and mighty here? Keep talking, and I’ll sew your mouth shut!”
At this point, An Que’s expression didn’t change, revealing only the tension in his jaw as he bit down hard.
Just then, Qian Mian’s eyes rolled, “You know what? I’m so awesome I can smack you all around. Here’s the deal: if you want to recruit me, fine! But you have to prove yourselves first!”
“If you can’t even find folks like me in your city, that just shows how useless you are.”
“Find those four people I just mentioned. If it’s too troublesome, just grab Zhao Mingyue for me! She’s just an ordinary high school girl with no background or power.”
“Zhao Mingyue is in the same class as Lu Liangting. I’m sure you can track her down.”
“If you can’t handle a simple girl, that just means you’re all a bunch of losers.”
An Que’s expression shifted. He recognized the strength in this madwoman. If the others were just as powerful, getting them on board would make taking down Qian Mu and Lu Liangting a breeze.
He trusted his instincts; these madwomen were indeed formidable.
As for Zhao Mingyue, he couldn’t figure out why she was suddenly mentioned—there was probably something special about her.
“Alright, I’ll come find you in three days.”
An Que waved and turned to leave, but one of the female gatekeepers behind him suddenly gasped.
Looking down, she found a kn*fe inexplicably lodged in her chest.
An Que spun around, spotting Qian Mian with a smirk on her face.
“Just a little demonstration of my strength! And relax, I wasn’t aiming for your throat. Just a little jab to the chest, right?”
“Small scale, small mindset. I once did something similar to a friend of mine. You know what she said?”
“She said, ‘You’re lucky, I still have another one!’ Hahaha!”
“And you’re the same; after all, you’ve still got one left.”
Qian Mian laughed wildly, making all the gatekeepers internally swear at her madness.
This girl was truly insane—completely unpredictable.
The thought of their boss trying to recruit her—maybe even her friends—made them hope it would never happen.
If they became colleagues, that would be the end of the line.
After An Que and the others left, Qian Mian rested her chin on her hand, “I wonder what those girls will think after hearing this.”
“Are they really gonna send us after Lu Liangting?”
“Is this for real?”
“Still, this old bald donkey has some skills. What’s he hiding? I sure hope it’s not an evil god or something.”
“Good thing I’m smart; otherwise, I’d be in real trouble.”
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As An Que and his crew exited the abandoned cinema, some of the guys wanted to check on the female gatekeeper’s injury, only to be slapped down.
“Chairman, are we really chasing after these people?” someone asked, crowding closer.
“Of course. They’re a bit mad, but their power isn’t to be underestimated. The more we gather, the stronger our trump card becomes.”
The gatekeepers stopped arguing; they realized An Que was targeting these lunatics not just for this mission, but likely had his sights set on Chairman Chen.
For years, he had been overshadowed by Chairman Chen. With a team of madwomen backing him, perhaps he could finally change the game.
An Que walked out silently, and if you didn’t look closely, you’d almost mistake him for a monk in his flowing attire.
“Why didn’t you let me take action just now?” a voice of desire echoed in his mind.
“Not necessary. If I fail, things could get messy.”
“Do you doubt my power?”
“Not at all. I just don’t want you making your move too soon. You’re the ace in the hole, and those should be saved for last.”
With that, the voice fell silent.
An Que’s true thoughts were on how to make sure both she and Qian Mu went down together; that way, he’d be rid of two potential disasters.
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Five more votes, pretty please! sniff sniff~
(Wait, it’s Saturday? I’m so confused right now, typing away.)
