Orlov approached me, his sword moving so fast it almost disappeared. "You know you're going to die, don't you?" he said. "Maybe you'll try to buy your life? I don't usually make deals, but who knows, you might convince me."

I responded loudly so everyone could hear, "Too many words for a coward. Boo!" I let out a fake scream, and the poison in my gloves took effect. The gloves had a special material that released a hidden toxin when crumpled. After I hit Orlov's cheek, the poison entered his bloodstream through the capillaries. The red mark wasn't a blush, but an allergic reaction. The diameter of the spot showed how resistant his body was, and I could calculate further results down to the second.

Orlov was strong, and I had to check his sword for almost a minute. But in the end, my calculations were accurate. The toxin went into the active phase at the same time as my "boo" sounded. The poison partially paralyzed and partially relaxed his body, hitting all the right places.

Orlov wobbled and fell forward with a panic in his eyes. A noticeable stain appeared on his white pants. The crowd whispered, "The brown count... both the older and the younger ones... Did he faint out of fear? Apparently, some family ailment."

I smiled proudly, evaluating the results of my plan. The enemy was defeated and punished for his treachery. Now I could return. I hoped the Asian woman in the red dress was still there. But as I looked around, I saw an old enemy, the night robber Arya made me fight. If he was seeking revenge, I had to strike the first blow.

As I reached into my pocket, my fingers instinctively searched for the second glove, which I had also laced with poison.

***

After the botched robbery, Blue Whale lost his job at "Happiness" and found himself blacklisted by potential employers in the city. While his former company allowed their employees to have side jobs, causing harm and getting caught was not tolerated.

Fortunately, Whale's old colleagues helped him secure a job as a guard for an Asian guest. Initially hesitant, memories of his past as the Night Avenger urged him to take the position. To his relief, the job wasn't boring, and he found himself attending a party thrown by his former employers. The party was lively, with half-naked maidservants wandering around.

Feeling bold, Whale slipped his business card to a couple of beauties under a fig leaf. However, things quickly turned sour when he had to follow Mrs. Li-Si as she left. He had no choice but to tail her discreetly, not wanting to offend his former employer's security. As he approached her car, someone threw a glove at him, asking if it belonged to him.

"I prefer larger sizes. Everywhere," Whale quipped, throwing the glove in the trash and grinning at a passing waitress. She didn't seem impressed, and Kit imagined a future where he'd have throngs of adoring girls vying for his attention.

However, he quickly refocused on his job, rushing to follow Mrs. Li-Si's car as it headed southwest towards the outskirts of the city. Although he was curious about their destination, Whale knew better than to ask questions. As a guard, he had to be silent and unobtrusive. Outside, the city's houses gave way to a vast expanse of construction - evidence of the new governor's grand plans for the city.

"Stop," Li-Si commanded the autopilot, and Whale suddenly realized that her voice sounded different today. It sent shivers down his spine.

"Come here," Li-Si motioned for the guard to approach her with a flick of her finger. He couldn't believe his luck and eagerly reached for her with his lips and body. Whale sometimes had similar fantasies, but he never imagined they could become a reality.

"And now..." Li-Si interrupted him with her finger. "You're going to die."

Her eyes glowed red, her face turned white with a reddish fuzz, and her enormous teeth stretched towards Whale's neck. He wanted to scream, but his body wouldn't move - perhaps some kind of mental technique. He was scared, and on top of that, thoughts raced through his mind about how unappealing he was going to look when he died.

"Ew!" Li-Si recoiled unexpectedly and withdrew her teeth. "Did you just soil yourself?"

Whale was speechless, even if he wanted to say something.

"That's disgusting," Li-Si made a face. "You know, I like it when the victim resists, fights back... But you're just like a rabbit caught in headlights. It's not appetizing at all. And you're a former mercenary and veteran!"

The girl spat vulgarly, then leaned over and pushed Whale out the door. He lay still as the car disappeared into the distance. An hour later, he regained his mobility and realized how lucky he was to be alive. He briefly considered turning in the Asian werewolf fox, but then he realized that she wouldn't have threatened him for no reason. Who would believe a former criminal and ordinary person like him? Even his old comrades had written him off.

Maybe he should accept that life had given him a second chance and make the most of it? And also... change his pants.

***

After dealing with the guard, I scanned the area for any other threats, but the coast was clear. Feeling satisfied with my work, I decided it was time to leave the party. Arya caught up to me and agreed that we should head back home for some peace and quiet.

As the autopilot brought our elite version of the Volga to the guest porch, Arya asked me, "Are you going to continue teaching your Valera?"

I replied, "Probably not," shaking my head.

Arya couldn't resist making a vulgar comment. "Did you finally find a girl who doesn't want to stick her fingers up your ass while I'm not around? Or did you just decide you're into boys?"

Feeling proud of myself, I responded, "Well, actually, there was one lady who was into me. Unfortunately, she disappeared..."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Arya just laughed, knowing exactly how to get under my skin.

I decided to switch things up and asked her, "And are you asking because you want to come onto me again? Your dimensions really inspire me, but are you ready to be on the bottom?"

Arya's response was not what I expected. "I haven't seen anything soldier-like from you in a while," she wrote, and I could see the anger in her eyes.

Feeling inspired by her challenge, I said, "Actually, that's what I wanted to suggest. Since 'Happiness' decided to set a trap for me, we won't tolerate it! We'll go on the hunt ourselves and clear out all their illegal establishments that are still in our area!"

***

Arya wanted to object to her companion that the corporate bigwigs weren't responsible for the day's duel. However, she decided to accept the offer for a new night raid. "Well, since you insist," she sighed, realizing Lex had no time for small talk.

After arriving at the house, Lex disappeared into his workshop to assemble his urban combat gear. Meanwhile, the moon rose, and Arya rejoiced in the return of her strength and familiar body. She was a little sad to part with her dress, though. She couldn't undress without help, and calling Lex was risky as she might lose control during the transformation. It was better to let things be.

"Shall we go?" Lex burst into her room, already in his combat armor and cloak. Arya wasn't dressed yet, and for a moment, Lex froze, staring at her still body, which was tired from the day's events. "Let's go," Arya's mood suddenly lifted.

She got up, pushed Lex out of the door, and then dressed up before heading outside. Perhaps she shouldn't let him see her naked just like that. It could be an interesting game, but she also needed to have another fight with Lex. He didn't understand that all his tricks were just that - tricks. A real warrior could only be made in battle. Arya tried not to think about why she wanted her strange partner to become a true warrior.

***

I had chosen a place for the night that I had disliked for a long time. It was a big and expensive club, supposedly inconspicuously hidden in the basement near my shopping center, under the sign of a drawn yellow smiley face balloon.

"Why here?" Arya asked, lying next to me on the roof.

"They annoy me," I answered honestly. "Okay, alcohol or whatever else they sell there. It's not my business to interfere with the habits of this world! But they don't clean up! Every morning I pass by them, and it's all littered with bottles, cans, and condoms. And there are so many of them that even for an orgy, it would be too much! What are they doing with them? Blowing them up and playing Star Wars?"

"What?"

"Never mind," I waved my hand. "The main thing is that we came here to uncover this mystery and put an end to the garbage lawlessness!"

"Put an end to the trash dealers!" Arya supported me.

"And the condom ones too!" I reminded her.

"And them too!" The orc agreed. "How are we going to infiltrate? While we were lying here, I saw at least a couple of igig guards. Weak ones, but can you handle them?"

"I can handle them!"

"So what's the clever plan? Are we going to change and pretend to be customers?"

"No clever plans!" I shook my head. "Pigs are unworthy of that!"

I also wanted to test my new suit, which I modified based on the "rat cloaks" jumpsuit. I stood up straight on the roof, spread my arms wide, stretching the membranes between them and my body. We're not very high up right now, but below us is the metro ventilation outlet, so according to Valery's calculations, there should be enough airflow to keep me from falling and allow me to fly.

"Hurry up!" I yelled to Arya, then quickly glided down.

The wind whistled in my ears, the force field covered my face so that I could see where I was going and not crash into anything prematurely. Static electricity discharges ran along the edges of my steel helmet, and then, right at the club's doors, some guy seemed to appear out of nowhere, and I crashed right into him.

He, of course, tried to dodge, but it was quite problematic when I accelerated like a rocket. Valery turned on my protective field to the fullest just a moment before the collision, and it consumed half of the energy supply, but I stopped without any harm to myself. However, both guards and the stranger scattered in different directions. The "Happiness" mercenaries immediately wisely lost consciousness, but the third one was still twitching, reminding me of a stunned fly. He quickly waved his arms and legs, but due to the paralysis, nothing happened, and he eventually stopped moving.

I approached the stranger calmly and hit him with the stun gun, one hit after another. Despite the multiple jabs, he didn't seem to feel a thing. But then Arya appeared and delivered a powerful blow to him, knocking him out cold.

"Resilient," Arya commented, assessing the stranger's toughness. She then turned to me and asked, "Did you mean to do that, or was it accidental?"

I hesitated for a moment before confessing, "I only meant to stun the guards."

"But you got him too," Arya pointed out. "And do you know why? It's because you've decided to become a warrior, and you're starting to develop the intuition that sets veterans apart from novices. Maybe you have a talent for this."

"Or maybe I just got lucky," I countered.

Arya didn't argue with me, but instead smiled in her own unique way. We fell silent, and I quickly searched the bodies of the guards and the stranger, hoping to find some valuable items. Together with Valera, we could add them to our arsenal.

Suddenly, another bouncer appeared, attracted by the commotion. Arya took care of him, then another one, and another. In the end, six bodies lay at our feet. It was a relief not to have to chase anyone down.

After waiting for a moment, we moved inside. We navigated a narrow corridor, climbed some stairs, and encountered a man in a wardrobe who looked like he had seen a ghost. I didn't bother with him and instead walked into the main hall. I pulled out a trauma gun that I had taken from one of the guards and emptied the entire clip into the columns on the stage. Unfortunately, the music continued to blare, and no one paid any attention to us.

"Better like this," Arya reached out and tore the building's power cable.

"Your hair stood on end," I evaluated the effect of electricity on my little sister.

She didn't have time to reply because in the red flicker of emergency lighting and eerie silence, we were finally noticed.

"Do you see them?" I asked Arya.

"I see them," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dozens, even hundreds of people gathered here - some with glassy eyes, some lively and full of energy - all of them looked at us. And only now did I wonder, what if this crowd decides to attack? There was no security here, but the guests themselves could be dangerous. How many aristocrats or gangsters are here, and how many Igigovs among them?

"Nobody move!" I made a decision. "This is a tax inspection! Everyone line up and come to us with your documents!"

"Are you serious?" Arya managed to ask as the crowd began to act.

I don't know what exactly influenced them - the words "tax", "inspection", or "don't move" - but the entire crowd suddenly recoiled, and then, like a swarm of cockroaches, scattered in all directions.

"I told everyone to stand still!" I encouraged the hesitant.

Five minutes later, the club was empty. Only empty bottles and condoms were scattered everywhere, as usual. Although today, a dozen little shoes and two dozen handbags were added to the usual piles of garbage. Arya and I carefully gathered them into one pile, added a couple of orc-broken tables, and then set them on fire. Today marks the end of the oldest club of the "Happiness" corporation in Moscow.

***

After our thrilling adventure last night, I decided to sleep in a little longer in the morning, but Arya was up and ready to go as soon as her alarm went off. I could hear her getting dressed with one ear, but even though I could have offered to help, she never asked. Soon after, I heard some rustling and heavy breathing coming from her room. At first, I had some vulgar thoughts, but when I peeked through the slightly open door, I saw that she was doing her regular workout routine.

While it might be a normal task for most people, it was an incredibly challenging one for Arya's body, given her wheelchair and limited arm mobility. Despite this, she persevered and tried to awaken some of the familiar orc strength in herself.

I didn't say anything at the time, and I never will in the future. Arya usually pretended not to care about the imperfections of her body, and it's best to let it stay that way. I know that my little sister is a true warrior - not because she can knock out Superman with a right hook, but because she always fights, no matter what.

"Hey! Wake up!" Arya finished her training and emerged from her room ten minutes later with some notes for me. "What are you doing under the covers? Come on, show me your hands! You're daydreaming about me, aren't you?"

I had no choice but to jump up and quickly wash my face. We had a lot to do that day, including a duel between Fat Sam and the girl with pastries, checking yesterday's loot, and seeing what the news had to say about our night raid.