CHAPTER 25: BOUNTY HUNTERS [I]

Luna stood on the city street, her hat tilted low and dark glasses covering half her face.

To the crowds walking by, she was just another pretty woman waiting for someone.

To the five million people already tuned into her live stream, she was unmistakably Luna Keller.

She smoothed the hem of the black dress he had told her to wear.

She had argued with herself for nearly an hour in her apartment, wondering if it was too much, if it made her look desperate.

In the end, she gave in to his suggestion, and now here she was — purple hair falling like silk waves down her shoulders, lips glossed, posture perfect.

The hovering drone buzzed softly beside her, camera fixed on her, catching her nervous glances at her wristwatch.

Each tick of the second hand felt louder. Ten minutes had passed.

The stream was merciless.

[@Shadowblade77: He’s not coming lol]

[@PinkDove: Classic stood-up moment]

[@CrowGod: This is embarrassing, turn it off already]

[@LovelyLily: Why would someone like him date a streamer?]

[@MaddoxPlays: She’s been waiting forever... yikes]

[@2KWatchers: Imagine paying for a date and he ghosts you live 💀]

[@DarkKnight09: I told y’all, he’s too cool for her]

[@FrostFang: This hurts to watch ngl]

[@ScarletQueen: No way he actually shows]

[@JesterMan: She’s been scammed lmao]

Luna bit her lip.

’No... he wouldn’t.’

Would he?

Her fingers tightened around her clutch.

He had replied to her message earlier.

He said he would come.

But as the minutes dragged, doubt began to claw at her.

It wasn’t the sting of rejection that hurt — it was that she had gone out of her way, dressed up, and it was even live on stream too.

If he didn’t show...

Her chest tightened.

Then her body lurched.

The ground vanished beneath her feet as she was lifted into the air, strong arms sliding under her knees and back.

She gasped, hat nearly flying off, before her body relaxed into the hold instinctively.

She didn’t need to look.

She knew the feel of this embrace.

Lucius.

[@AquaMage22: HOLY SHIT]

[@ViviStar: HE SHOWED UP]

[@JaxonPro: My man just picked her up BRIDAL STYLE]

[@RedFang: Bro came in like a movie star 😭🔥]

[@MoonlightGirl: Yessss I KNEW he wouldn’t ditch her]

Luna exhaled, relief flooding her chest.

His scent calmed her more than she wanted to admit.

She tilted her head back to look at him, and the drone swung upward, catching the perfect angle.

Lucius wore a perfectly tailored black suit, the lapels crisp, a crimson flower tucked neatly in his breast pocket.

His hair was slicked back, his sharp face illuminated by the city lights.

He looked effortlessly striking — like a man who belonged in a different world.

"Sorry for being late," he muttered, eyes flicking down to her. "I ran into a bit of trouble along the way."

His tone was casual, as though he hadn’t just swept her dramatically off the street in front of five million viewers.

"I just got here," Luna lied smoothly, forcing a smile.

She’d been standing there for more than ten minutes, but pride wasn’t something she was willing to sacrifice on stream.

[@RazorCut: The way she’s covering for him 😭😭]

[@SilverMoon: She waited FOREVER but still said that 🥹]

[@ChaosLord: She’s down bad lol]

[@MissCherry: I would too ngl... look at him]

[@TalonEdge: THIS MAN LOOKS LIKE A GOD IN A SUIT]

Lucius’s gaze flicked across the crowd below, his eyes were scanning.

He didn’t release her as they floated higher, the drone humming after them.

"Oh... by the way." His tone shifted slightly, more serious. "I don’t think we’ll be able to have our date."

Luna’s heart skipped. "Wait — what? Why?"

He angled his chin downward. "If you didn’t notice, people have been following you."

The drone zoomed automatically, lens adjusting to where she had been standing moments ago.

A man stood there, head tilted up, watching the sky.

His scarred jaw and broad shoulders were instantly recognizable.

[@PixelHero: HOLY — IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS??]

[@AshHound: That’s Rabid Wolf!!]

[@IronBlade: No freaking way, a Class-S Bounty Hunter??]

[@KittyKat: He’s famous as hell, this just turned into a manhunt]

[@ZeroPoint: Lucius vs Rabid Wolf?? Stream of the year??]

Luna’s chest tightened.

"That’s... Rabid Wolf. He’s one of the most well-known bounty hunters..." Her voice shook.

"So it’s true," Lucius muttered. "They were waiting to tail you so they could get to me."

"They?" Luna asked carefully.

"Yeah." His lips curled in a half-smirk. "This place is crawling with them."

He shifted course suddenly, descending onto the rooftop of a nearby building.

A woman stood there, her stance sharp and dangerous.

She wore dark ninja-like garb, two curved daggers gleaming at her hips.

Her mask covered half her face, but her eyes glimmered with predatory intent.

Lucius tilted his head, unimpressed.

"Doesn’t that feel embarrassing to wear in 2025?"

The drone hovered close, capturing her as she placed a hand on her hip.

Her curvaceous figure was obvious even through the fitted assassin’s garb.

"You’re quite a funny one," she said smoothly.

Her voice carried a sultry lilt despite the tension. "I suppose that’s expected of the only Space Awakener alive."

She twirled one of her daggers lazily. "My name is Mist. Remember it."

Lucius raised a brow. "And what exactly am I supposed to do with that information?"

She chuckled, stretching her arms languidly.

The motion pulled her outfit taut, leaving little to the imagination.

[@ThighBreaker: HOLY SHE’S HOT]

[@KingSlayer: Mommy?? Sorry... Mommy??]

[@LustMage: Bro idc what she’s doing, she can choke me with her thighs]

[@CrimsonWolf: This stream is FULL of degenerates]

[@SunRose: Y’all are shameless, she’s literally here to kill him]

Her eyes sharpened. "I’ll be the one to claim the bounty on your head."

And then she vanished.

Her body dissolved into pale mist, a blur streaking across the rooftop.

In a blink, she materialized again, daggers drawn, aiming for Lucius’s throat.

Luna’s breath caught, her fingers digging into Lucius’s coat.

The strike never landed.

The sound of an impact cracked the air.

Mist’s face smashed against something invisible — an unseen wall that shimmered faintly with distorted light.

Her body rebounded with a gasp of pain, daggers slipping from her hands as she lost balance.

Then she fell.

The rooftop was dozens of stories above ground.

Nothing stopped her descent as her figure plummeted into the streets below, disappearing into the neon blur of the city.

Lucius let out a low chuckle, his voice carrying in the morning.

"Embarrassing~"

[Author’s Note]

I was planning to remain lazy for the rest of today 😭But I woke up and saw 100 PS, two Chapters incoming.