Chapter 87: Boom.

The businessmen nearby chuckled nervously. Lin’s confidence cracked. Liwu was more direct than the people she dealt with usually. Didn’t she know that people in their circles operated tactfully?

Weijun coughed, trying to diffuse the tension. “Dear….” he nudged Liwu, begging her to take things down a notch.

But Liwu wasn’t done. She leaned forward and said to Lin, “But if you want to confess tonight, don’t worry. I will have you in handcuffs before dessert.”

Lin Xiu Yi’s face flushed red, matching her gown. She excused herself quickly, heels clicking like retreating gunfire.

Weijun leaned close, whispering, “Must you do this?”

Liwu smirked. “Yes, she came looking to provoke me so I provoked her back. Reminding her of the crimes she has committed is my civic duty.”

He took her to the table and they sat down. Just as she told Linlin, Liwu gave out a lot of fake smiles through the dinner. Then, the dinner shifted into its centerpiece: the auction. A stage was set, black velvet curtains drawn back to reveal inventions.

Liwu paid a lot of attention to this event, looking out for items that the bureau would have to confiscate after the event.

It started off light. Zhao Ming, the comedian hired for entertainment that night introduced his invention first. It was a small dog robot that told jokes and poured baiju. The crowd roared with laughter, bidding for novelty.

Then, things got serious. A man introduced a liquid that could make plants mature in days, compared to months or weeks.

Liwu sat stiffly, sipping tea, her eyes scanning every corner. She noted everyone that bid, her smartwatch sending their faces back to the Bureau.

Her breath hitched when a book called the Living codex was introduced. It was a book that recorded not just words but emotions, allowing readers to relieve experiences exactly as the author felt and imagined the scenes. The seller was selling the technology.

It was not dangerous, but Liwu knew it would change reading experiences. Whether it was for the better, was a question she could not answer.

Up next for bidding was a rain manipulation device which drew a lot of attention. Liwu’s smartwatch buzzed faintly. A Bureau alert: Suspicious activity detected near the venue. Possible OHM threat.

Her eyes narrowed. She knew there were others on duty tonight but her instincts rose to the surface anyway. All day long, she had collected 30 bad luck points only.

“System, use five points to enhance the sense I need to detect danger.”

[-30 points.] It chimed.

The woman to her left yawned, stretching her arm. One of her sharp pink nails scratched Liwu’s nose. As soon as she let out an ’ouch’ she detected something. It was like her breathing senses had been multiplied. She sniffed the air. Beneath all the smells of food and perfume, there was something else–sharp, chemical, metallic.

As the auctioneer raised his gavel for the next item, Liwu’s gaze locked on a man near the back, a new investor. He was sweating profusely, clutching a briefcase too tightly.

Liwu’s nostrils flared. The scent was stronger now. Explosives.

She rose from her chair, her voice clam but cutting. “Stay here.”

Weijun blinked. “Liwu, what–”

She was already moving, weaving through tables, her hanfu flowing like a battle flag. Part of the crowd was looking at her, and part was focused on the stage.

Liwu stopped right next to the sweaty man. She said softly, “Ru Bochun, you would be wise to out the briefcase down right now.”

The man froze.

Liwu’s hand squeezed his arm, nails digging into his flesh. “You think you can bring a bomb into my dinner?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Big mistake.”

Agents of the Bureau, disguised as waiters and waitresses moved in, blocking Ru Bochun on every side.

“Put. It. Down,” Liwu repeated, her voice thin as a deadly blade.

Ru Bochun’s eyes darted, sweat dripping down his temple. “It’s…it’s nothing. Just documents.”

Liwu smirked. “Documents don’t smell like ammonium nitrate. They also don’t make you sweat until you stink up an entire room. Your heart is beating faster than a passenger in the back seat of a race car. You are afraid to die. Am I correct?”

“I….I…” Bochun stammered.

Liwu cut him off. “Either we cut your arm off and take the briefcase or you put it down.”

“We don’t have time for this.” One of the agents muttered. He shot a tranquilizer into Bochun’s neck.

Liwu caught the briefcase. She could hear the ticking coming from the inside. A host with x-ray vision said, “Five minutes until boom.”

Weijun arrived, curious about whatever it was that had brought his wife all the way to the back of the room. Before he could ask a question, Liwu and the waiters started moving to the door. Between them was a man who was slumped over. They were hiding him from the view of the guests in the room.

He followed them outside, to the men’s bathroom!

Two agents blocked the door while x-ray as they called him, opened the case.

Weijun gasped. “Is that a bomb?” he bellowed.

A bathroom stall opened. A man came rushing out, his pants around his thigh. His boxers were low, and his privates exposed. His eyes were wide in a panic. “Bomb, did I hear bomb?”

Liwu covered her hands. “Maybe try wiping your ass and covering up first.”

Another agent shoved the man back into the stall with his leg and closed the door.

Meanwhile, Liwu turned to x-ray, a young man with a white Mohawk and smile of a shark. “The last time you disarmed an explosive, I ended up with fish guts in my hair. Are you sure you have got this?”

Laughter erupted from one corner of the bathroom. The agents were relaxed, as if this was a daily thing for them.

Weijun waved his hands. “Hey, there is a bomb over here. Shouldn’t we be evacuating the building?”

“Is he always such a party pooper?” A man asked Liwu.

She rolled her eyes. “He is responsible, unlike you Agent Huang.” Liwu turned to Weijun. “X-ray may look like a punk but he is a wizard when it comes to explosives. I have never seen him fail to diffuse one before and trust me, we have seen worse than this.”

Weijun was partially relieved to hear that.

Then Liwu added, “The downside is that if he fails, the device will go off and then we will die with literal shit in our hair. I can only imagine what the press will say about that.”

One by one, the six agents in the bathroom made suggestions that made Liwu snigger.

“Shit auction.”

“Chamber of shit.”

“BOOM SHIT BOOM.”

“Shit shit Boom.”

“Shitty Bad Luck.”

The louder Liwu laughed, the more dismayed Weijun was. He decided right there, that if they survived, he would send President Tai Alix a memo on the unprofessional ethics of her people.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep