Dream Bar, second floor.

Led by the senior who had fused the Demon Hound gene, Ma Xiwei and the senior sister quickly reached the second floor of the bar.

“Where is that woman?”

Ma Xiwei lowered her voice, using “that woman” to refer to Catwoman, so as not to alert her.

The senior said nothing, only pointing toward a girl sitting in the corner.

Ma Xiwei followed his finger and saw a girl who looked like a university student.

Her outfit was conservative—no cleavage, no legs exposed—she wore black‑framed glasses with a student‑like air, sitting alone, a little awkward in the corner.

She looked like it was her first time in a bar, shy and introverted.

“Are you sure it’s her?” Ma Xiwei asked.

The girl didn’t match the lewd Catwoman described in the task profile. Most likely, her appearance was carefully disguised.

Still, caution demanded confirmation.

The senior confirmed, “Her scent matches perfectly with Catwoman’s belongings I smelled at the Public Security Department. There’s no mistake.”

Ma Xiwei nodded, “Then let’s take her down now.”

The senior and senior sister made an OK gesture, splitting into three directions to approach casually.

Moments later, they closed in, cutting off her escape.

Just as they prepared to strike, the girl quietly scrolling her phone smirked.

In a flash, she leapt, smashed through the glass behind her and jumped down.

“After her!” Ma Xiwei shouted.

All three dove after her in pursuit.

“She’s too fast! We can’t keep up!” Ma Xiwei gasped after only a few hundred meters.

The senior said, “It’s fine, I can track her scent. As soon as she stops, we’ll catch up.”

Ma Xiwei shouted as she ran, “Ming, Shan, you two are faster—go ahead, I’ll follow behind.”

“Alright, we’ll go first.”

The Ordinary Tier 7 senior and senior sister surged ahead, leaving Ma Xiwei trailing by dozens of meters.

The crowded street made visibility poor, but she had a tracking watch like the others. Following the signal, she pressed on.

* * *

After five minutes, she caught up to them, waiting at the mouth of an old street.

“We lost her,” the senior said, “Her scent disappeared—masked by something.”

Ma Xiwei pulled out a vial, “Ming, this is a Gene Amplification Potion. Drink it, see if you can pick up her scent again.”

“I’ll try.”

He uncapped it, but just then caught Catwoman’s faint scent again.

“No need, I smell her again—in the street ahead.”

“Then let’s move!” Ma Xiwei urged.

Guided by scent, they entered the old street, reaching a filthy alley piled with stinking trash.

“No wonder I lost the trail,” the senior said, pinching his nose, “The stench covered it, but once I adapted, I caught it again.”

“Let’s finish this quickly,” Ma Xiwei said.

“Yes, the stench is unbearable,” the senior sister agreed.

They pressed on, following the scent into a dead end.

There stood the bespectacled girl, leaning on the wall, still on her phone.

“Good hiding spot,” the senior said, “Almost lost us.”

The girl lifted her head, smiling faintly, “Did you forget? The cleverest hunters often appear as prey.”

She tossed her glasses aside.

Cat ears sprouted from her head, whiskers unfurled on her cheeks.

In an instant, the meek student became the wild Catwoman.

Her biological pressure surged to Ordinary Tier 9!

“Ordinary Tier 9?!”

Terror replaced their shock. This was far beyond the mission profile.

They turned to flee.

“Hmph. Trying to run?”

Catwoman sneered, leaping past them to block their way.

She fixed her eyes hungrily on the senior, “Handsome boy, I’ve wanted you since the moment you stepped into the bar.”

Boom!

Before she could pounce, Ma Xiwei hurled a smoke bomb. Purple‑blue smoke spread.

Anyone inhaling it would have their biological activity suppressed, senses dulled.

Perfect for fighting or fleeing.

Covered by the smoke, the three clutched their noses and escaped.

Only after they were far did they stop.

“That was close,” the senior sister said with a pale face, “No wonder she’s evaded capture for so long—she’s been hiding her true strength.”

“Call Dean Ma Zhenhe,” the senior said, “Tell him to fix that mission—Catwoman is Ordinary Tier 9.”

“I’ll do it,” Ma Xiwei said, trembling as she took out her phone.

But she hesitated, thinking of Lin Zichen. He’d also taken the Catwoman task. If he faced her without protection, he would surely die.

‘I have to warn him.’

She opened WeChat and called Shen Qinghan. She had no direct contact with Lin Zichen, so she’d rely on Shen Qinghan to tell him.

She might hate him, but this wasn’t a grudge worth his life.

* * *

Back in the alley.

Catwoman, clear of the smoke, regained her senses.

Bang!

She kicked a wall in fury, “Damn it, the cooked duck flew away!”

Three kicks later, she calmed and left quickly—her cover was blown.

“Hmm?”

Exiting the alley, she froze.

Ahead on the old street, a breathtakingly handsome young man was approaching.

He was even more stunning than the senior from before.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hungrily, ‘So handsome. Fortune and misfortune walk together. Boy, too bad your luck ran out when you met me.’

Unable to resist, she lunged at him, eager to drag him somewhere secluded for her pleasure.