If Steelbull City were a religious sect, it would definitely be a demonic cult—through and through. Even the typical cultists here would probably be considered law-abiding citizens elsewhere. When it comes to ruthlessness and cunning, this city could make any cultist feel as pure as a country bumpkin fresh out of the village. Honestly, if you put the bigwigs from Bright Summit here, they'd instantly look like paragons of virtue and ambition. The Blue Bat King got hunted down by Master Exterminator just for sucking a little blood, but in this place, he'd be cast as Batman, a righteous hero.
But even in a demonic cult, you have to admit there are a few people you just can't help but respect. If Steelbull City's former overlord was the Demon Emperor, then his only heir would be the cult's Saintess. You can envy her, admire her, or secretly badmouth her, but you can't deny her importance in this city.
The previous overlord of Steelbull City was basically the god of the underworld, almost a figure of worship. If the criminal world had its own version of 'Brother Guan' to pray to, he'd be the obvious choice.
And now, this heavyweight who could shake all of Steelbull City with a stomp—the Lady of the Night—has arrived in the Queen's District. She made it official, called out names, and came to visit the rising new star of the Queen's District: No One Under Heaven. For this day, Pierce and Xiao Di ran themselves ragged, cleaning up the rooftop villa until it sparkled. As true Steelbull locals, they took this meeting very seriously. They were both relieved to have the villa—otherwise, they’d have no idea how to host such a big shot.
Only Jill Young, after holding it in for ages, finally muttered, "A brat like her still calls herself Lady of the Night? You can tell she's got a serious case of 'main character syndrome.'"
"Hey, what did you just say?" Xiao Di’s face zoomed into view, her aura blazing as she closed in and growled, "That brat’s almost here. Who knows if her fans will show up early to scope out the place? If they hear you calling her a brat, those people will go after you like it’s life or death! So remember, don’t call her a brat again!"
"You’ve already called her a brat several times."
Ugh, what a pain. Running a gang and I still have to deal with this kind of crap? What’s up with Steelbull City—everyone’s a rabid fan. The regular fans are already a handful, but if we get Lady of the Night fans too, we’re totally done for.
Midnight, outside the building’s entrance, Jill Young watched the crowd lining the street like it was some celebrity welcome. These people waved glow sticks and whispered excitedly, just like they were greeting a superstar. Jill took a deep breath, sidled up to Pierce, and asked, "Do you have the phone number for that unreliable cat?"
"No idea," Pierce replied instantly, on guard. "What are you planning?"
"I was just thinking, if that guy rolled up in the cat-mobile and started running people over, what do you think that would look like?"
"Hey, don’t do anything crazy!" Xiao Di whispered, "Why are you so salty about this?"
"Hmph, I’ve never stood at the door in the middle of the night to welcome anyone in my life." Jill Young grumbled, "She’d better bring some interesting news."
Just then, as the fans buzzed with excitement, a motorcade appeared in the distance. It was like a royal procession—three cars in front, three in back, all guarding the most luxurious one in the middle, which pulled up to the entrance. The door opened, and out stepped an old butler-type, who circled around, opened the side door, and bowed to help someone out.
The moment Jill Young saw her, she couldn’t help thinking, "This one’s got a totally different vibe!" In a world that’s modern, wild, and violent, this girl was pure gothic lolita. Imagine: black dress, wide-brimmed black hat, black veil, black gloves, black socks, black shoes—wrapped up head to toe. Even with Jill’s sharp eyes, she could see this seventeen-year-old girl had a total poker face.
"That outfit and that expression belong at Dracula’s funeral, not in Steelbull City…" Jill quipped, then forced a smile. She’s a gang boss now—gotta act the part. How do you greet this brat again? Right, a warm hug… Ugh, no way am I hugging a stranger. Handshake it is.
As Jill raised her hand to greet her, the tall, skinny old man with a vintage monocle suddenly blocked her, scolding, "How rude! The young lady would never shake hands with you." He looked Jill up and down critically, snorted, "No red carpet? You let the young lady step on this filthy ground—how can such a sin be forgiven?"
Jill’s eyebrow shot up, her annoyance practically radiating. Pierce quickly grabbed her sleeve, forcing a smile and sweating bullets, whispering, "Stay cool, boss, don’t lose your temper!"
The old man was about to say more when the Lady of the Night spoke up. Her voice was lovely, but floated like a midnight breeze through an empty hall. To put it simply: straight-up ghostly. "Inside."
"Yes, miss." The old butler bowed, raising his right arm as if to escort her, then as he passed Jill, he snorted, "I’ll let you off for now." And marched off like he owned the place.
Xiao Di hurried in after them, but Jill Young stood her ground. She shot a dangerous look at Pierce and said, "Pierce, this brat better be as impressive as you say—and she’d better bring something good for me. Otherwise…"
"I get it! I get it!" Pierce was nearly in tears. These two bosses were just too much—caught in the middle, he was really stuck.
Jill took a deep breath, turned around, storm clouds all over her face. She tugged up her mouth with her fingers—okay, fake smile locked in. Jill marched into the building with her best fake grin. "It’s just hosting a brat, right? How hard could it be?"
But reality had news for her—sometimes, hosting a brat was actually really tough. Especially when said brat had the Old Butler with the monocle tagging along.
This so-called Lady of the Night barely spoke; nearly all the talking was done by the Old Butler. And the exchanges between him and Jill Young? Brutal. Here’s how it went:
Jill invited them to the elevator. The Old Butler said, "Such a cramped space, with so many people crowding in—bad for our young lady’s health."
Jill asked the brat’s name. The Old Butler said, "Such vulgarity! How could our young lady’s name be casually revealed?"
Jill thought she’d cut to the chase—no old grudges, no new beef, so what were these two jerks doing lording it over her turf? The Old Butler said, "Utterly lacking in manners and upbringing! Didn’t even prepare a meal for the young lady."
Even when the meal was ready, the Old Butler still found fault with everything—this was bad, that was worse. Apparently, eating on the sofa was also against the rules.
So, let’s find somewhere proper to eat—a fancy western restaurant three blocks away should do. But on the way, the Old Butler started up again, with plenty to complain about. Highlights: First, the car can’t go over sixty kilometers per hour, for the young lady’s safety. And—why are there red lights on the way? You local big shots can’t even manage a green-light escort?
In that stretch limo, Pierce at the wheel and Xiao Di in the passenger seat were sweating buckets, watching Jill Young in the rearview mirror like she was a ticking time bomb. "Hahaha, you’re right! True nobility needs all this pomp!" Jill laughed loudly in agreement, then shot a look at the drivers that could haunt your nightmares—her eyes were glowing redder than the stoplights.
The boss was almost at her breaking point.
Bottom line: Jill Young realized the real pain wasn’t the poker-faced girl, but the nitpicking old man. The wide-brimmed hat and veil kept her face hidden from most, but Jill could see everything. Whenever Jill asked the girl’s name or purpose, the brat tried to answer—only to get cut off by the old man every time.
"Pierce…" Jill’s voice sounded like it came from the depths of hell, now almost as ghostly as the Lady of the Night.
"Here!" Pierce jolted, every hair on end.
"Whatever happens, deal with that old bastard. Otherwise, I can’t promise what I’ll do."
"Understood!"
For the next while, the Old Butler went on a full-blown mocking spree. Serious talk? Nope. Gossip? Nope. Games? Nope, and if you try, you suck. Karaoke? Nope. Dessert? Nope. Exposed skin? Nope. Heat and exhaustion? Nope. Pierce tried everything to handle the guy, but he was impossible—nothing worked.
By 2 a.m., everyone was sitting in a new spot, and Lady of the Night still hadn’t said more than a few words. Jill Young couldn’t even fake a smile anymore; exhaustion seeped through her whole body. Not even after mastering Dragon Elephant Power had she felt this wiped out. That urge to punch someone but having to hold back—truly soul-crushing.
The Old Butler pulled out a cigar from his pocket, lit it up with all the swagger in the world. Smoke billowed out—and just then, the Lady of the Night let out a gentle cough.
That single cough made Jill Young’s eyes flash—she sprang to her feet. "No smoking!"
"Huh?" The Old Butler was stunned. He was always the one saying 'no'—no one ever told him 'no.'
"Look at what you’re doing to this kid! The air’s so thick with smoke, even I’m about to suffocate. Come on, come on." Finally, an excuse to get away from the old man. Jill grabbed the Lady of the Night, threw an arm around her shoulder, and led her out. "I’ll take you next door."
"Uh…" The Lady of the Night hesitated.
The Old Butler stood up to protest, but Jill’s eyes went cold. Out of sight from the Lady of the Night, she grabbed an ashtray—yep, good heft and hardness. "Here’s an ashtray for you!" Like magic, the ashtray vanished from Jill’s hand and reappeared on the Old Butler’s forehead.
Thud! Blood spurted from the Old Butler’s forehead as he collapsed. Pierce was quick, muffling the scream, while Xiao Di snatched the bouncing ashtray and started whacking the Old Butler like she was breaking bricks. Both knew Jill was at her limit—if she snapped, it wouldn’t just be a beating. So, better to act before the boss explodes.
To them, smashing someone with an ashtray didn’t count as 'losing it.' As long as the Lady of the Night didn’t see, they could quietly deal with the Old Butler.
When the Lady of the Night heard the first thud and turned around, all she saw was the Old Butler sitting upright on the couch, his back to her. Xiao Di and Pierce flanked him, urging him to eat, drink, and smoke—a picture of harmony.
"See? Nothing’s wrong. They’re just having fun. Come on, you can trust me!"
"Mm." The Lady of the Night nodded gently, finally letting Jill lead her away. Out of sight, the Old Butler—face bloody, mouth taped shut—got pummeled again by Pierce and Xiao Di. Honestly, their grudges weren’t much smaller than Jill’s. The old Pierce and Xiao Di would never have dared lay a finger on the Lady of the Night’s butler, but after hanging around Jill, they’d picked up a bit of her wild streak.