The taller man won this struggle through his physical advantage.
He stood up covered in wounds, swaying unsteadily as if he might collapse at any moment.
The other, thinner man was already half-dead, lying on the ground with his breathing growing shallower than his inhalations...
The victor spoke in broken phrases:
"I... won... I can... live... on..."
After speaking, he too collapsed weakly to the ground, falling unconscious.
Battered and bruised, he had no strength left whatsoever.
His face was completely covered in blood.
His mouth was filled with both men's blood.
Even though he ultimately won, his condition remained utterly miserable.
He too was severely injured.
"I'm sorry, there are no winners here. We're all people without choices," Ms. Thia said with complex emotions.
She had returned to her most authentic state. Having achieved her purpose, she no longer needed to pretend to be lustful and unrestrained.
Ms. Thia walked silently to where the two men lay on the ground.
She carefully checked their conditions.
After confirming they had no possibility of fighting back.
She let out a long sigh and silently began her work.
She used the butt of that black-gold revolver to strike their heads, blow after blow.
The sound of metal colliding with flesh was dull and oppressive.
"Thump"
.......
After Ms. Thia had completely ended both men's lives with her revolver's butt.
She stood up holding the blood-soaked revolver, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"Within three days, use this revolver without a scratch to end seven lives."
"I did it, Evan. Wait for me! Soon, I'll be able to rescue you!!"
Ms. Thia's face was also splattered with blood from the head blows.
Making her appear quite terrifying at this moment.
Her blood-stained revolver still contained one unused bullet.
The final two men, due to their severe injuries and unconsciousness, hadn't required her to use this last bullet.
They had been beaten to death directly with the gun butt.
As for this remaining bullet, Ms. Thia didn't plan to use it for killing—she would use it to protect herself...
To ensure she could safely meet that Mr. Loren.
To prevent unexpected incidents on her return journey, she had specifically saved this bullet.
For emergencies.
In the slums at night, any kind of accident could happen.
Having completed Mr. Loren's task, she absolutely wouldn't allow herself to fall halfway.
Ms. Thia began walking back to her home.
It was already late at night.
She needed proper rest to recover her condition.
Then, early tomorrow morning, she would set out to find Mr. Loren.
To ask that mysterious and powerful Mr. Loren to rescue her poor husband.
On her way back, perhaps because of the aura she radiated, or perhaps because of the blood covering her face, she encountered no trouble along the way.
Those who wandered in the darkness continued, as before, to avoid this unusual woman at all costs.
Even when some reckless youths curiously eyed Ms. Thia, their companions quickly pulled them away.
"Trying to get yourself killed! Hurry up! Pretend you didn't see her!!"
.......
Abandoned street, Raven Agency.
Even though it was already late at night, Loren still hadn't slept.
Having just watched a good show, he was in excellent spirits.
He reached out to stroke the raven on his shoulder, smiling as he murmured to himself:
"Ms. Thia, it seems you're unexpectedly suited for walking in darkness."
Loren quite liked clients like this—calm yet decisive, intelligent yet resolute.
Even if she showed some flaws during her hunt, it was only due to inexperience, not foolishness.
Only people like this made Loren feel his choices had meaning.
Early the next morning.
When the sky had just begun to lighten, Ms. Thia, having rested only half the night, eagerly arrived at the abandoned street in the Gray Zone.
A light drizzle was falling from the sky at this time.
Ms. Thia didn't use an umbrella, coming directly through the rain to stand outside Raven Agency.
She stood outside, deliberately waiting for a while.
Estimating when Loren would be awake, she finally raised her hand to knock on the door after the sky had fully brightened.
The rain grew increasingly heavy.
"Please come in, madam."
Hearing Loren's voice from inside, some of the anxiety in Ms. Thia's heart eased.
Ms. Thia reached out, pushed open the door, and entered Raven Agency.
After entering, she removed her half-damp coat and placed it on the wooden coat rack behind the door.
Then, with her hair still wet, she walked to that classical desk.
Loren still sat behind the desk, though today there was no raven on his shoulder.
That raven was currently dozing with closed eyes in the huge steel birdcage inside the room.
Ms. Thia thoughtfully glanced at the raven in the steel birdcage, momentarily distracted.
Was it a real raven?
Soon, she remembered her purpose for coming here.
"Mr. Loren, I've completed your task," she said with some tension after regaining focus.
This was already her last hope.
If she were a gambler, then at this moment, she had no way back.
Loren detected her tension and comforted her with a smile:
"Ms. Thia, there's no need to be so nervous. I'm a man of considerable credibility."
"Although your hunting was somewhat green, it still qualified as an excellent performance. I quite enjoyed it."
"In light of your outstanding performance, besides fulfilling your commission, I'd like to give you a unique reward."
"Please take out that revolver, madam."
Ms. Thia froze—there was a reward too?
She instinctively retrieved the revolver from her bosom, placed it on the desk, and handed it to Loren.
Loren didn't take it, merely raising his hand to gently sweep it over the revolver.
His hand emitted black-purple light, and after lightly passing over the revolver, the black-gold revolver turned pink.
An extremely vibrant pink, quite flamboyant.
The barrel length had also changed slightly, becoming more slender.
The revolver's overall shape had become more harmonious, like a carefully polished work of art.
Loren smiled as he pushed the pink revolver back toward Ms. Thia.
"Madam, from now on, this revolver belongs exclusively to you."
"I've added some small surprises to this revolver."
"Worth mentioning is that it no longer needs bullet reloading. As long as its stored energy isn't depleted, the bullets are unlimited."
"Of course, correspondingly, it now only consumes Spirit Stones."
"If you feed it enough Spirit Stones, perhaps you'll witness its evolution."
After speaking, Loren gazed appreciatively at Ms. Thia, like a boss looking at his outstanding employee.