The quiet of the night was broken only by the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoing against the empty city streets. Mounted on her sleek black horse, Li Mei rode through the darkness like a ghost—silent, swift, and unnoticed by the world that slept around her.
Clad in her tight, dark suit and wearing a black mask that covered half her face, she looked nothing like the soft-spoken college girl from earlier that day. Here, under the blanket of night, she was something else entirely—protector, hunter, a shadow among shadows.
Her sharp eyes scanned the streets as she made her way past closed shops and dimly lit alleys. She was searching. There had been a report of an underground arms deal happening in this part of the city—her next target. But before she could go any further, a piercing scream sliced through the silence.
A woman's scream.
Li Mei jerked the reins. Her horse whinnied and turned in the direction of the cry. Galloping forward, she came to a sudden stop just outside a narrow alley lit only by a flickering streetlight. There, she saw a woman cornered by three men. One of them was holding her by the arm, while the others laughed and searched her purse.
"Please… don't take it—please!" the woman pleaded.
"Shut up," growled one of the men, slapping the purse out of her hand.
Li Mei's eyes darkened.
With a graceful leap, she dismounted, her boots barely making a sound as they hit the pavement. She walked slowly toward the scene, each step calm and deliberate.
The three men turned.
One of them—a tall, bald man with a scar on his cheek—snorted. "What's this? A little girl playing hero?"
Another chuckled, "Go home, sweetheart. This isn't your world."
But the third man froze. His face turned pale as recognition sparked in his eyes.
"Wait…" he muttered, grabbing the arms of the others. "That's her. That's the Shadow."
"The what?" the first one scoffed.
"She's the one that broke Jin's arm last month. You don't mess with her."
They hesitated.
But arrogance outweighed fear. "She's just a girl," the scarred one said. "Let's teach her a lesson."
They lunged.
Big mistake.
Li Mei dodged the first swing effortlessly, twisting her body and sending a sharp kick into the gut of the first man. He gasped and stumbled backward. The second tried to grab her, but she spun, landed a jab to his jaw, then swept his legs from beneath him in one flawless movement.
The third tried to run, but she grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall with a strength that defied her size.
The woman watched in shock as the three attackers were reduced to groaning bodies on the pavement.
Li Mei turned to her gently. "Are you alright?"
The woman nodded quickly, tears in her eyes. "Thank you… thank you so much."
Li Mei took out a small phone from her belt and dialed a number. "Three suspects at the corner of Minhua and 12th. Assault and attempted robbery. Send backup."
She didn't wait for a reply.
Without another word, she mounted her horse again and disappeared into the night.
Meanwhile, across town, Zhao Wei stood in front of a noisy bar with an annoyed expression on his face. His best friend, Lu Chen, had once again gotten himself drunk beyond reason, and now it was up to Zhao Wei to drag him home—again.
He stepped inside, ignoring the smoke and noise. There, near the bar counter, Lu Chen was slumped against a table while a group of guys surrounded him, laughing cruelly.
"Didn't your rich daddy ever teach you to hold your liquor?"
"Pathetic little drunk."
Zhao Wei's jaw tightened.
"That's enough," he said coldly as he walked up to Lu Chen and lifted him up by the arm.
One of the guys turned toward Zhao Wei. "And who the hell are you?"
"His friend. We're leaving."
But as they turned to go, another one called after him, "You're both losers. Think money makes you tough?"
Zhao Wei turned, eyes cold. Without warning, he punched the man square in the jaw, sending him crashing to the floor. The others jumped in, but Zhao Wei didn't back down. One by one, he knocked them down with precise, brutal efficiency.
The bar fell silent as the fight ended. Zhao Wei adjusted his collar, barely out of breath, and turned toward the door with Lu Chen leaning on him.
But as he stepped outside, a glint of metal flashed in the corner of his eye.
A knife.
One of the men had followed them out and now, with rage in his eyes, hurled a knife straight at Zhao Wei's back.
He didn't see it.
But someone else did.
A gunshot rang out.
The knife spun off course and clattered to the ground.
Zhao Wei turned sharply, his eyes finding the shooter in the shadows of the alley. A figure clad in black, with a half-mask covering her face, stepped out just briefly before vanishing again into the dark.
Li Mei.
She hadn't intended to get involved. Her focus had been on tracking a different criminal tonight. But when she saw the knife fly through the air and recognized Zhao Wei, her instincts took over.
She didn't even hesitate before pulling the trigger.
Now, hidden once again by the alley's shadows, she paused only for a moment, watching him.
Zhao Wei stared at the spot where she had stood just moments before.
There was something about the way she moved… something oddly familiar.
Could it be…?
But before he could think further, she was gone.
Li Mei disappeared back into the darkness, resuming her mission. The man she was hunting tonight was still out there—a trafficker operating out of an abandoned warehouse near the industrial zone. She had to stay focused.
Her mind shouldn't be wandering to the man whose life she just saved.
But somehow… it did.
And Zhao Wei, still standing in the alley, looked up at the moonlit sky, one name echoing in his thoughts.
Li Mei.