"Why don't you come over and have a drink with me? There's still a bottle here. It's said to be aged wine, quite good."
Xu Fu shook the wine jug in his hand. Instantly, a strange aroma drifted into my nose, making my heart race with heat, but I kept my guard up, watching him closely.
"I'm not going to do anything, Ethan Zhang. Isn't it nice to chat with a future enemy? Who knows, you might hear something important—like our cooperation with The Dark Banquet."
"What did you say?"
For a moment, I was tempted, but I quickly suppressed the urge. This was exactly what Xu Fu excelled at—playing with others.
"I'm being serious. You really won't come over for a drink?"
In the end, I sat next to Xu Fu, keeping more than a meter between us. I gripped the jar of wine he'd handed me and took a small sip—it was indeed exquisite. My eyes widened, and I quickly took a bigger gulp. The strong yet smooth flavor flooded my body, filling me with warmth.
"See? I told you it's good. The taste of aged wine is something special, but you have to savor it slowly."
Xu Fu moved closer with the wine jar, wanting to clink it with mine, but I didn't raise my jar. He looked away with a helpless smile.
"If you have something to say, say it quickly."
"You just went to see John Chou, didn’t you?"
I didn't reply, just gave Xu Fu a cold smile.
"Not answering is as good as admitting it."
"You bastard."
Anger welled up from deep inside me, and Xu Fu's gaze changed instantly—he stared at me coldly.
"A crucial research product from The Dark Banquet—the Dark Heart—was stolen and is still missing. According to my guess, it's in John Chou's hands."
"I'm heading back. You can keep guessing by yourself."
With a whoosh, Xu Fu blocked my path. I stared at him in surprise, my feet hovering in midair, a faint black mist beneath me.
"It's simple. Once you master the rhythm of the Dark, little tricks like this are easy. If you want to learn, I can teach you."
Suddenly, I glared at Xu Fu in anger. He was leading me on again. I wondered how he managed to do this so quickly after arriving, but then realized their cooperation with The Dark Banquet wasn't a recent development.