Jane came back to herself from the dream and realized she was being wrapped in a reassuring warmth. She was lying face-down across the Salamander's thigh; to be honest, this giant's body was all knotted muscle, hard as iron, and not comfortable at all.
But it was precisely that rigid, unyielding solidity that made her feel an unusual sense of peace.
As Razor's behavior grew more and more extreme, the freedom this cunning woman could exercise shrank accordingly. Members of the personal guard looked as if they had contracted some kind of corrosive affliction—irritable, violent, and prone to breaking into gladiatorial duels over trivial matters, until one or several heads were hacked off.
Fortunately, as the person responsible for transporting food and medicine for the Mountain Lion Gang, Jane finally found an excuse to leave before the stored supplies ran out. At last, she could get away from places soaked in blood, piled with skulls, and filled with raging idiots.
When staying with that crowd, Jane did not dare relax for even a moment, maintaining constant vigilance. Thankfully, years spent moving through the darker underside of New Eridu had honed her caution—this veteran undercover agent had helped New Eridu Public Security take down numerous criminal groups.
She mocked the hostages who had been dragged in, laughed as she watched their heads get chopped off or their bodies thrown into the duel pits. When the lunatics around her cheered and roared, she put on the same false fanaticism. Yet the blood flowing across the ground and the piles of skulls outside the camp still kept her from ever feeling at ease.
This Razor was deeply wrong. She had infiltrated many criminal organizations, even served as a deputy in some of them, but she had never seen someone like this—no political demands, no economic goals, capturing hostages solely to kill them. Even if they were remnants of some religion, shouldn't they at least be trying to expand their followers and step onto the public stage?
It was as if the only things they cared about were killing, fighting, chopping off heads, or having their own heads chopped off. They shouted the name of some Blood God, leaped into pools filled with their victims' blood, and turned themselves into monsters similar to Razor.
They called this "ascension."
Damn it—turning from human into a monster, losing one's form and will, and they called that ascension?
It was clearly a kind of degeneration, like the hellish scenes recorded in books from the era of the old civilization.
She had originally planned to contact New Eridu Public Security to inform them that Razor's situation had changed—not only had he acquired large quantities of weapons, but also a significant number of mutants, making him extremely dangerous. But this time, Razor seemed to have suddenly gained intelligence; he actually had someone check her phone's communication records. After she sent a message to the Salamander, he confiscated her phone, and even had someone tail her the entire way, only letting her go right before she rendezvoused with the Son of Vulkan.
Mainly because this hulking man didn't look like a good person either—especially the way he decisively pulled his gun and fired, which scared that kid stiff, leaving him too afraid to come out and face the Son of Vulkan head-on.
"If you're awake, get up," Ignis said in the same hard, unyielding tone as ever. "Or you can sleep a bit longer if you want, but it's almost dark now."
"How long was I out?" Jane didn't move, keeping her position draped over the Salamander's leg.
"An entire afternoon. You looked exhausted."
"Anyone knock on the truck door?"
"One person. I put the gun barrel to his head, and he wisely left."
"Very reliable," Jane praised softly, tracing circles on his leg with her manicured nails.
The cheap manicure hadn't even been properly polished; even through his pants, the Salamander felt it scraping. He jerked his leg, stopping the mouse Thiren from going any further.
With that interruption, Jane lost any remaining sleepiness. She sat up and stretched, her whole-body creaking.
"I haven't had a proper night's sleep in a long time. Thanks for lending me a leg," she said, then leaned in again—this time slipping past the Salamander's arm and hugging the giant around the waist. He was simply too massive; her arms were barely long enough to circle him.
"If you're rested, we should part ways," the Salamander said, trying to push her away. She held on tightly, almost as if competing with him. Forcing her off wouldn't be hard, but it might hurt her.
"What a heartless man—sleeping with me and then just straight up dumping me," Jane drawled, sounding exactly like a pitiful maiden abandoned in a stage play. "Hmm, you smell like other women. Several of them, in fact. So, you're quite the ladies' man when I'm not looking."
Ignis fully understood now—she was treating him purely as a stress-relief tool. Considering she had to infiltrate a Cult of Khorne alone, even a weakened version, it was an extremely dangerous job that demanded constant tension. The Salamander decided to play along and let her take a few verbal liberties.
"Logically speaking, wouldn't it be you who slept with me?" he replied evenly. "I didn't move at all."
Faced with Ignis suddenly becoming less strait-laced, Jane froze for a moment, then burst into laughter that shook the entire cargo compartment.
"You know, I thought you'd always be cold and stiff like a rock. Didn't expect you to say something that fun," Jane said, loosening her embrace and leaning against his side. "That shift was way too sudden—I almost couldn't keep up."
She suddenly went quiet, making no movements or sounds, resting peacefully against the Son of Vulkan.
"Falling asleep again?"
"No." Jane poked his side with a finger. "Let me enjoy this quiet for a bit—fifteen minutes at most."
In the dark cargo hold, there were no other sounds, only their breathing and heartbeats. The cheap perfume Jane had sprayed on herself had mostly dissipated; otherwise, the smell wouldn't have been pleasant at all.
"What were you doing while I was asleep?" she asked softly.
"Checking news on my phone, and trying to gather information on the Mountain Lion Gang through the Inter-Knot and other channels," Ignis replied, feeling the woman's body heat through the fabric.
"Not wasting a second, huh? A great beauty lying on top of you, and you didn't think of doing anything?" Jane tilted her head and pressed her ample chest against him. "Didn't even think of stealing a kiss? Doing nothing makes me seem pretty unattractive."
"Should I do something, then? While you're still awake."
The Salamander turned toward her; in the darkness, his eyes looked like burning embers.
Jane showed no fear at all—this level of counterattack didn't even register for her.
"Sure. What do you want to do?" she said, wrapping her arms around the Salamander's neck.
Her fallen-woman outfit was tight, with a low-cut front. Combined with her generous curves, it formed a deep cleavage.
Even though, under Fire-Sight, Ignis saw only a thermal image, he could still make out the mischievous grin on her face. She was certain he wouldn't do anything to her.
And indeed, that was the case. Space Marines had their own codes, and Ignis knew full well he had no time for romance. Letting things stay frozen like this would be awkward, though, so he needed a way out. Fortunately, as a Salamander accustomed to preparing contingencies before battle, Ignis was ready.
He pulled a stick-shaped object from his pocket and stuffed it into Jane's mouth.
"A vegetable stick? When did you prepare this?" The Rat Thiren's nose was sharp; she opened her mouth, bit down on the instant veggie stick, and started chewing.
"Picked it up on a whim on the way here. I was planning to take it back as a snack for the Cunning Hares," Ignis said. It was dark enough that he didn't worry about blushing while lying. Of course, he'd bought it deliberately—he remembered her favorite flavor and had planned it as a small gift for their meeting.
Jane had no intention of exposing the lie; she simply found him rather cute.
"Say, have you really never thought about finding a woman to live with?" Jane teased while crunching on the veggie stick. "Oh right, the Cunning Hares have three very beautiful female colleagues. Maybe somewhere I don't know about, you're living like an immortal, arms full every day."
"I still have a mission to fulfill. I don't have that kind of plan for now," Ignis answered formally—but sincerely.
Until Chaos was purged, he had no mind for personal desire. Those things were far too dangerous; he couldn't allow them to grow unchecked in New Eridu.
"So, when your mission is finally complete, you'll consider it then?" Jane poked his side again, making Ignis itch. "You can consider me first, you know. I'm pretty interested in you." She bumped into him lightly. "Or do you already have a better choice?"
Ignis didn't answer. Purging Chaos was an eternal mission—meaning it would never truly end unless his life did, or the four Chaos Gods completely abandoned this region.
Compared that way, it seemed far more likely that the Salamander's life would end first.
Faced with Ignis's silence, Jane didn't press further. She knew this giant was far more emotionally invested than he appeared.
"No answer, huh? Looks like you've got plenty of options. What a charmer," Jane chuckled.
She stuffed the rest of the veggie stick into her mouth in one go, chewed, and swallowed.
"Time to go," Jane said, standing up and stretching. Suddenly, she grabbed the Salamander's face and left a warm kiss on his cheek.
"You—?" Ignis froze completely; he hadn't expected the sudden attack.
"What, wasn't that enough? Want a few more?"
Jane burst into cheerful laughter. This man, though powerful and fierce, was utterly defenseless in situations like this.
Ignoring the Salamander's reaction, she planted several more kisses on his dark face, the taste of cheap lipstick making Ignis slightly dizzy.
Then she raked her fingers through her hair, messing up the carefully styled look, and tore a few rips into her already tight dress.
Only when her full figure was on the verge of spilling out did she stop, satisfied.
"If you walk out with me like nothing happened, I'll be suspected," Jane said to Ignis, who had turned his face away and was sitting stiff as a board. "Razor sent someone to follow me, but don't worry—he hasn't mentioned you in a long time. He's far more interested in killing now, and the one he sent doesn't recognize you."
"You…" The Salamander didn't know what expression to make. "Sigh…"
"Come on. We've stayed in there long enough," Jane said, looking at his red eyes. "Ladies first—no, gentlemen first."
Toyed with from start to finish, Ignis shook his head helplessly, pushed the door open, and climbed down. Then he turned back to help Jane down, her hair disheveled and clothes in tatters.
Sure enough, someone emerged from the shadows nearby. The Salamander recognized him—it was the same guy who had knocked on the truck door and been scared off by the Salamander's massive gun barrel.
The man glanced at Jane, then at the Salamander, muttering a few words under his breath.
"Watch the cargo in the back. I'll drive," Jane said, flicking her hair aside and giving him no chance to speak as she headed straight into the driver's cabin.
Only after the truck roared away did Ignis hurriedly wipe the lipstick marks off his face.
Just what kind of material was that cheap lipstick made of? It was surprisingly hard to clean.
===BREAK===
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