186: Chapter 186 Unexpected Event 2.0

Upon hearing this, Xing Yaoyan felt both relieved and nervous.

She was relieved because, thanks to her status as the Saintess of the Demon Race, Crow likely hadn't associated the underground bar with Star Beasts, merely suspecting that the secrets within might be related to the Yao Race.

She was nervous because things had reached a point where only Qian Mo could go in. If she said anything more, it would truly be counterproductive and further deepen Crow's suspicions of her.

With no other choice, after shooting Chi Xie a look to signal the start of their pre-arranged plan, Xing Yaoyan nodded and stepped aside.

Qian Mo patted her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

The young girl looked up at him, her eyes hiding a multitude of unspeakable emotions.

Qian Mo, who was a master of reading people, seemed to see buried deep within those complex emotions a feeling called "pleading."

Qian Mo... you'd better behave yourself... if the Star Nest is destroyed... I will never forgive you...

Their eye contact was very brief, breaking almost as soon as it began.

"I'm going in."

Qian Mo's expression didn't change, and Xing Yaoyan couldn't be sure if he understood her signal to play dumb and keep his mouth shut.

"Miss Wolf... don't worry, we humans are quite reasonable. As long as your Yao Race follows the rules on our territory, they will surely be fine..."

Crow walked over and spoke in a low voice.

"Uncle..."

Xing Yaoyan did not look up.

But that one word, "Uncle," caused Crow to fall into a strange daze.

The girl's face was hidden in the shadows of her hair, making it hard to see clearly. Combined with her white hair, he actually felt a peculiar sense of familiarity.

"One of the underlying logics of living beings is 'homogeneity.' People from the same place naturally feel better about each other than outsiders. It's the same for humans and Yao. Though you say you'll treat everyone equally, do you dare swear from the bottom of your heart that you won't always be on guard against them?"

"I certainly can't do it..."

Xing Yaoyan recalled the scenes when she faced human merchants in the Kingdom of Myriad Demons. Even though they tried their best to appear friendly, she couldn't hide the suspicion and disgust in her heart.

"Furthermore, there are some people in this world who have no human rights at all... They come from far away and know they are different from the locals. They want to show their friendliness, but people only drive them away indiscriminately because of those differences, never thinking to sit down and talk, or try to accept them..."

Listening to the girl's overly flat words, Crow stood quietly beside her and listened without interrupting.

He could hear grievance, pity, and indignation in her tone. Although he didn't know why such a young-looking girl would have such deep feelings about these dark societal truths, considering she was the Saintess of the Demon Race, such "precocity" didn't seem out of place...

"Sigh..."

Crow let out a soft sigh.

By now, he was ninety-nine percent certain that this underground bar definitely had a special connection with this Saintess of the Demon Race.

Perhaps this bar was opened by some Yao who had smuggled themselves into the Human Alliance. To support themselves and hide their identities, they specifically chose such a remote location to set up this underground bar...

He began to imagine the tragic experiences of these Yao.

Should he... turn a blind eye when the time comes? Their business was doing well, and seeing how clean the bar was, they must have put in a lot of effort...

What Crow didn't know was that beside him, Xing Yaoyan, who had taken in all his changing expressions, revealed a faint smile of a successful scheme.

It is said that the highest Realm of lying is when every word the liar speaks is the truth, but because of key information gaps, they lead people's thoughts astray while remaining convincing.

She knew that when it came to deception, she might not be a match for this experienced Enforcer squad captain.

Therefore, the emotions she showed while speaking were all her true feelings—not as the Saintess of the Demon Race, but as the Star Beast Xing Yaoyan, who had endured many hardships and lived cautiously hidden in human society.

Seeing that her goal was achieved, Xing Yaoyan pretended to be dejected and stopped talking, lowering her head to wait quietly for the final result.

In fact, besides this, she had also made a preparation in advance.

When she exchanged looks with Chi Xie earlier, she had already used the Voice Transmission technique she learned from Hu Wang to briefly explain her plan. She told him that if he really couldn't hide it, he should say he was from the Yao Race and had encountered her by chance, providing her with some assistance.

She believed that as long as Chi Xie brought her up, Qian Mo would likely stop making things difficult for them.

So... they should be able to safely dodge this unexpected inspection...

"Ding! Di-di-di-di!!!"

A rapid alarm sounded from the signal receivers on the chests of the Birdcage Enforcers. This was a signal for help.

At the same time, familiar spiritual energy fluctuations emanated from the bar, followed by the screams of the crowd.

Xing Yaoyan's body trembled slightly as she stared at the underground bar in disbelief.

She didn't understand why, despite all her preparations, Qian Mo had still ended up in a conflict inside.

"Wolf, Owl is in danger! We need to go in and rescue him immediately!"

A Combat Barrier quietly rose, completely enveloping a large area centered around the bar.

The voices of the team members came through the earpieces.

Parrot: Captain, the Combat Barrier has been deployed. Nightingale and I will arrive in three minutes.

Spirit Sparrow: Hummingbird and I are a bit far away; it should take ten minutes!

Crow: Good, Wolf and I will go support first. Everyone, stay in contact!

Crow then turned his head and said to the girl who was still dazed in place:

"Owl must have used his Superpower immediately after discovering an anomaly, so he could only press the emergency help button on his earpiece without reporting to us directly..."

As he spoke, Crow erupted with his spiritual energy and took the lead, rushing toward the bar.

"Keep up!"

Without waiting for the girl to react, he waved his hand, and a black shockwave instantly converged in front of him, slicing a large hole in the bar's door almost in the blink of an eye.

"Silver Dragon Enforcer Squad 'Birdcage' performing duties! Unrelated personnel, evacuate immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, people began running out of the hole one after another, most of them looking panicked, as if they had seen something terrifying beyond words.

The various noises made Xing Yaoyan feel agitated.

"Wolf! Hurry up!"

Dammit... what the hell is going on...

"Coming!"

Xing Yaoyan gritted her teeth and followed him, bracing herself for the worst.