第3章 Petal Story: Taking New Grounds（2/2）

Lan got close to the stairs and started running towards it. The suit girl started moving to block her way, not daring to shoot again because Lan was too good at bouncing her own shots back at herself.

Lan threw the sword at the suit girl sideways, not trying to hit her, but to force her to move where she wanted her to, maybe to drop the gun. Shocked, the suit girl dodged by going up the narrow flight of stairs, still holding the pistol by her both hands.

Lan followed, since she was much taller than the suit girl, she caught up with her on the stairs immediately. Her left hand grabbed the suit girl\u0027s right hand and forced it to point straight up, while her right hand went between the girl\u0027s forearms and went at her chin in an open palm.

The suit girl released her left hand from gripping the pistol to block Lan\u0027s attack, while moving backwards to dodge. Lan kept pressing on, pinning the short and slender opponent on to the stairs.

Lan observed the gun she was trying to take over. It was a silver colored Wilson Combat M1911 with wooden grip panels, a very expensive high quality weapon. It had ten bullets at most, but the suit girl had used three already.

Then, she noticed the suit girl was blushing bright red and looking very embarrassed, trying to push herself up the stairs and away from Lan. Lan looked up and down the full body of the girl, and slowly noticed the reason. Her right knee was between the suit girl\u0027s slim thighs, just touching the girl\u0027s panties under tight black leggings. Without realizing what she did, Lan pressed on with her knee more, her black stocking rubbing and brushing against the leggings with a comfortable smooth feeling.

The suit girl did not feel comfortable at all from this move. She struggled to free herself, but only rubbed herself more on Lan\u0027s knee. Her suit jacket got pulled open, revealing a pink tie and a white shirt over her modest chest. She blushed even harder, about to cry out.

Lan noticed the suit girl was loosing her grip on the pistol so she tried pulling down the right hand with the gun. It did not take her much effort to lower it, and put the gun between their bodies. She pulled her right hand back from fighting the girl and grabbed at the gun.

Suddenly, the pistol fired. The suit girl\u0027s eyes widened in shock and pain. A small black hole appeared on her white shirt, blood coming out of it slowly.

She had accidentally pulled the trigger when she was still trying to escape Lan\u0027s knee, when it was pointed at herself. She looked at her stomach wound with surprise, and released the gun.

Lan pointed the gun away from both of them and took it over, then stood back up to have a better look at the suit girl\u0027s wound. She was very surprised too.

The suit girl wasn\u0027t able to speak, but waved at Lan, as if telling her she doesn\u0027t need help. She held onto upper stairs and slowly pulled herself up. Then, she turned around and started walking up.

Lan aimed at back of the suit girl\u0027s head and thought about ending her suffering, but decided she should save ammo.

Slowly, the suit girl reached the top of the stairs holding her wounds. She leaned against a wall to steady herself, then closed her eyes and sat down. Lan came up to her face to look for signs of life, ready to twist her neck if she was still in pain, but pulse on the girl\u0027s neck went out under Lan\u0027s touch on its own.

Lan heard the sound of running water coming from a large room with an open door. Holding the gun up preparing to fire on anyone inside, she approached it.

\"Please come in.\"

It was Miss Luo\u0027s voice, the same as what Lan knew from recordings. Not answering her, Lan carefully observed around the door before entering, gun still in front of her.

Lan saw a big office space in front of her, to its side a bedroom where the sound of water came from. There was only a young tomboyish girl with short brown hair standing inside the office, wearing white martial artist clothing and fluffy leg warmers but no shoes. She looked at Lan with eagerness to fight, but waited patiently.

Miss Luo was in the bedroom, taking off a black skirt, and there was nothing else on her beside a pair of clear stockings. She slowly walked out of the room, kept undressing herself in front of Lan, making Lan feel embarassed for the first time in the day after so much fighting and killing in intimate ways. Lan blinked and felt herself blush. Miss Luo had a beautiful body shape. Large firm natural breasts, spotless pale skin, and long dark hair. Her expression was always gentle, but Lan knew nobody at Bai Bi could trust this woman.

\"You\u0027re a Petal. The Black Hands, the Innocent Girls agent, the American, they all failed to stop you. Even my mechanic and my poor secretary Marina failed.\"

Lan tried hard to only look Miss Luo in the face.

\"Please come with me. We don\u0027t want any more bloodshed, Miss Bai Meihua is still willing to work with you in Japan if you can leave the past between our organizations behind.\"

\"I\u0027m so flattered, yes, I know her thoughts. But what about the rest of the company directors?\"

Lan didn\u0027t know what to answer.

The water was shut off. A maid came out of the bedroom behind Miss Luo, who handed the stockings to her. The maid took them then put them into a laundry basket. If the jogger told the truth, it was everyone left alive in the manor here.

\"Hana, please go outside and help Marina here. She deserves to take a rest.\"

The maid Hana nodded and went out of the room, paying no attention to Lan. Soon, she came back gently holding the dead suit girl Marina in her arms, in a respectful but emotionally detached way. Marina was fully limp, her head arched back facing Lan as Hana walked by.

\"Please let Anko here be your company while I take a bath.\"

Anko bowed to Lan, then posed ready to fight. Lan put her gun down on the office desk and took a step back, also readying herself to fight.

It had been several hours since Lan first started this mission, since she started watching the jogging guard. Fighting six opponents one by one with only her sword and melee skills was very exhausting, she thought Miss Luo and Anko must know that too. One wrong move, she could die in this fight.

Anko was strong for her size, about the same height as Lan but her legs, fully bare except the fluffy leg warmers, were thicker and more muscular. She also had some tan on her skin, but not as dark as the first guard or the wrestler. She looked a little younger than Lan, short loose hair dyed brown giving her a energetic feel.

Lan felt Anko was a good fighter, a hard opponent even if they both have full stamina. In a few moves, Lan saw her show experience from karate, taekwondo and judo, almost matching Petal training.

The office they were fighting in seemed much smaller once Anko started pressing Lan into corners with her attacks. Many of her moves were preparations for holding and throwing, as Lan could easily see, this knowledge made her keep running away from this girl in white. Lan\u0027s red high heeled shoes gave her more friction to stand steady on the floor carpet, but Anko was faster running barefoot.

Lan finally found an opening to reach out for a right punch at Anko\u0027s chin, but just before her fist moved half way between them, Anko made a quick turn and went to grab at Lan\u0027s forearm. Lan pulled back at the last second, just as she could stand still and catch her breath, Anko started a sweeping kick in at Lan\u0027s bottom. Lan only got away by a very little distance.

Lan noticed Anko was trying to force her to use all her remaining strength. She decided to take a risk and block a hit once, to break up Anko\u0027s rythm of attacking.

She stood still and crossed her arms in front of herself when a Anko made a straight punch. The punch was very heavy, more than Lan expected, showing her Anko\u0027s arms under the short martial artist dress were strong enough too. If Lan wanted to keep saving Chi, then she should avoid every punch from Anko. None of them tried to get the gun Lan put on the desk, it was a good fight for both of them.

Miss Luo had been in her bath all the time when they fought. She did not cheer Anko on or take a look, it was like they both forgot each other. The maid, Hana, was looking at them, but she did not seem to have any interest in the fight. She only turned to them after taking off the dead secretary Marina\u0027s suit jacket and shoes then folding her hands over each other.

Lan had to keep checking on the bedroom entrance in case Hana or Miss Luo would suddenly break into their fight and help Anko. Anko saw what she was looking at, she backed off briefly and turned to Hana.

\"Don\u0027t worry.\"

Anko was speaking to Lan more than to Hana, her voice was young and playful, maybe younger than all the other guards, while deeper than the seductive high school seifuku girl\u0027s voice. The maid closed the door.

Then, Anko went back to starting a high kick at Lan\u0027s stomach.

Lan stepped back to dodge, and one more step she would be pressing her back onto the wall. She jumped to her left, where she saw an opening in Anko\u0027s movement.

Anko still had more energy in her. She moved right in front of Lan and punched at her face.

Lan bent down to dodge, then she felt a heavy but soft strike on her exposed back, just missing her neck. She almost lost consciousness. It was Anko\u0027s bare right foot landing on Lan\u0027s back, she aimed for Lan\u0027s head but reached too far.

Anko raised her leg back up and pulled away, waiting to see how well Lan took the hit. She was still able to raise her head up and accidentally catch a look at Anko\u0027s panties under her short dress, it was also pure white. Anko did not mind her look.

\"Are you ready for more?\"

Lan nodded and stood back up. She stepped forward and went with an open palm strike at Anko\u0027s waist.

Anko dodged Lan\u0027s move easily, then grabbed her arm and turned Lan around. Next, Anko held onto Lan from behind. Lan\u0027s back fully felt softness and warmth from Anko\u0027s breasts pressing tight.

Lan felt the world turn upside down. Anko had flipped her over, trying to crack her neck with a back throw.

Though, Lan had expected this throwing move. She had guided Anko into making it with her strike.

As Anko released her and stood straight again, Lan propped herself up with her arms and easily made herself a steady position on her arms and legs. Immediately afterwards, she jumped up and kicked with all the strength in her left leg, at the back of Anko\u0027s head.

A sharp crack came from Anko\u0027s skull. She was instantly dead. The top of her body fell backwards right after the sound, and her legs bent down on their knees. She sat on her knees lifelessly for some seconds, then continued falling back. Next, her legs bounced out from under her, stretched out fully.

Anko\u0027s fingers and toes kept scratching the floor and relaxing, over and over again, then suddenly stopped. Her face was frozen in wide eyed surprise since she fell, she never had the time to feel herself being killed by Lan in the way she just tried to do.

The bedroom door opened and Hana came out, not surprised or disturbed at all by how the fight ended. She came up to Anko\u0027s corpse, closed the dead martial artist\u0027s eyes, then lifted her up and carried her in the same way she carried Marina. Anko was much taller and stronger than the slender Marina, but Hana did not seem to have any challenge.

Hana put Anko\u0027s body next to Marina\u0027s and pulled Anko\u0027s dress off, revealing the panties Lan saw and another tube top made of bandages. The two dead girls were laid there side by side, only in their underwear.

Lan wondered if all the guards\u0027 corpses need to be washed and changed into new clothing if Miss Luo wanted to send them to a funeral home without raising too much attention. Because the mission was to bring Miss Luo to Bai Meihua\u0027s hotel room as soon as possible, Lan would tell Miss Luo to wait until after the meeting before she can pay her respects.

Hana came out of the bedroom and stood in front of Lan. She bowed to Lan just like Anko did, and also made a pose ready to fight.

\"I will not harm Miss Luo, you can come with me to gaurantee her safety.\"

Lan was even more exhausted but she was not afraid to keep fighting. However, she was afraid that if she die or if Miss Luo escape because of this fight with Hana, her mission could fail and destroy Bai Bi\u0027s progress in Japan. It seemed there are many allies the older woman could have used in attacking them back. She felt she must try to make sure Miss Luo surrenders and goes to the meeting. If the maid decides to stop her, then Lan would taek her down by force too, if necessary.

Hana did not reply to Lan. They stood there watching each other carefully, not daring to make the first move.

Lan thought maybe she should just hold her ground like this and wait for Miss Luo to finish taking her bath. The older woman seemed to be more willing to talk.

Then, Hana leaped forwards ready to make punches at Lan. She saw Lan\u0027s sight leave her and scan around the bedroom door.

Lan dodged back, trying to defend herself with punches too. As her left fist was about to contact with Hana\u0027s right fist, Hana changed to a holding move pose and grabbed Lan\u0027s extended arm tight.

Lan realized she had became too slow and Hana was able to see her actions ahead.

Hana pulled Lan\u0027s left arm downwards and kneed her in the elbow, almost breaking it. Lan tried hard to not scream. She couldn\u0027t stay to fight much longer.

Lan\u0027s free right hand punched at Hana\u0027s small chest, Hana did not dodge but guided Lan\u0027s left arm held in her hands to push it out of the way. She was very strong, Lan already knew from the way Hana carried the other two dead bodyguards, and now she showed her self to be also very fast. Maybe, Hana was a even better fighter than Anko, they both seemed to be holding back for a fair fight, not going for the pistol or trying to grab Lan\u0027s long hair braids. Lan appreciated it and decided to not pull at Hana\u0027s long ponytail either.

However, Lan was not completely matched by Hana yet. She had lifted and drawn her left knee back at the same time Hana pulled her left arm. She kicked with all her strength, her strong shin making impact on the side of Hana\u0027s slender body.

Hana shouted in pain and let Lan\u0027s arm go. She backed away, just in time to avoid a kick aimed at her stomach from the right. She still had enough attention to sense what Lan was trying to do next.

Lan pulled back too. She thought, maybe if she can have enough distance between, she could make a rush faster than Hana could intercept. She had to choose a killing move carefully, it would be too dangerouse to leave Hana alive even after after defeat.

Lan knelt down to prepare for a leap. If she go straight and catch Hana in surprise, she could kick Hana in the neck and kill her instantly. If Hana dodged, she could still spin around and kick the maid in the side of her head.

She went forward, jumping up as Hana was about to fully recover. She exposed the underside of her minidress to Hana in the leap, her high cut panties easy to see. Lan didn\u0027t mind, not because Hana was going to die from this hit, but because Lan was very polite.

Hana stood straight and braced Lan\u0027s kick with her hands crossed in front of her, then brought her hands down forcing Lan to come down too. Next, Hana pulled her hands back and raised her left knee, hitting Lan straight in the stomach.

Lan went back to kneeling on the ground, coughing. She felt her Chi armor take a big hit, and would run out soon if she take more. Her muscle strength was also about to be depleted. She stayed there gasping, far from ready to continue the fight.

The maid walked up in front of Lan and put a hand on her throat. The other hand went for the back of Lan\u0027s head. She lifted Lan\u0027s face.

\"Please forgive me. Do you have any last words?\"

Lan heard Hana speak for the first time, her voice was very light and gentle.

Lan smiled and pushed both her hands forward, onto Hana\u0027s body, sending all the Chi she had left into the maid\u0027s breasts.

Hana immediately released Lan and stumbled back, sitting on the floor coughing after a few steps, holding her own throat. She struggled to get up. The Chi Palm had less than half strength, not enough to stop Hana\u0027s heart or leave much damage, but it was good enough for Lan.

Lan rushed to the desk and picked up Marina\u0027s pistol she left there, and fired at the right side of Hana\u0027s body. She still needed to end the fight, no matter in what way.

The bullet entered between Hana\u0027s ribs, then rolled through her lungs and heart, still having enough energy to leave her body from the left. Hana fell on her side, arms raised above her head, a small puddle of blood appearing under her immediately. Her eyes blinked in shock then closed.

The bedroom door on the other side of the office opened.

Miss Luo came out of the bath and started wiping herself dry with a towel, from spotless pale body to smooth waist length black hair. She gave the two dead girls on her bedroom carpet a long look, sad but not surprised at Anko\u0027s failure to stop Lan. She also saw Hana fallen on her side, dead in the office, but she did not say anything either.

Lan noticed the older woman had a very resigned expression. Miss Luo was known to be a good fighter and spy in the past, so Lan kept the gun lowered but ready.

\"I am very sorry for what had happened.\"

Lan said, looking at Miss Luo in her eyes. She was not very used to expressing emotions in front of people. As a Petal member, she can act in the ways Bai Bi Industries\u0027 clients wanted from her, and she was free to express herself to Hui, but she knew she was not good at communication.

She did not really know what to say to Miss Luo, because when clients and workers die on failed protection missions, it was the people in Bai Bi\u0027s relations department contacting their family. When Petals die on these missions their surviving team mates would receive more rest time and psychotherapy in their training, but they will also be isolated from other Petals until they were real for new missions. Bai Bi had always retrieved Petals\u0027 bodies from missions when possible, because they needed to stop information of the Petal unit from leakin, and all research what had been the reason for the Petals\u0027 failure and death. The stories and images of these girls\u0027 last fights would be used to teach better combat skills and encourage a stronger bond. Lan knew back in China there was a special facility not far from the headquarters training center all the Petals lived, a dead body storage base she had guarded and helped some researches there. All the Petals thought of it as only another piece of company property, important for the business and security of regular employees, not different in any way from an office or factory.

\"Please give me some time to dress up.\"

Miss Luo said to Lan, who just nodded. She went to the dressing table in her room, still naked, and started putting on jewelry. She put on a gold bracelet on her right wrist, a chain on her upper left arm, and a half gold half silver anklet on her right foot.

Lan felt like Miss Luo was putting on a teasing show just for her. She tried to look away but her sight kept following the pieces of jewelry Miss Luo held in her hands.

After putting on a silver and sapphire necklace in the end, Miss Luo came around and knelt down by her dead secretary and bodyguard. She kissed both of the girls slowly, giving Anko\u0027s muscular abs a light rub, then stood up to face Lan again with a seductive grin.

\"We are not in a hurry. I will have them send a car over when you are ready to meet Miss Bai. Please do not try to call for reinforcements because our snipers are watching the roads. We trust you to not call the police.\"

Lan said in a business like tone with no emotion.

\"Hana, I don\u0027t blame you for this dirty spot. You have done very well, always better than Marina. I saw her soil her panties, even Anko pissed herself a little. You don\u0027t need to clean up for them anymore this time.\"

Miss Luo did not reply, but knelt down again and laid her maid\u0027s corpse flat on the office floor, while avoiding touching the puddle of blood under Hana. She then turned to Lan.

\"The directors only wanted me to meet Miss Bai alive, because they want to force her to kill me with her own hands, they want to watch her cut my head off or fill me with bullets. They don\u0027t care about my organization at all, in Hongkong or in Japan. Do you want to see it too?\"

Lan stayed expressionless. She felt that she should defend the renown of her company and Bai Meihua.

\"Miss Bai and her father are the kindest people in the world, do as they say and they will never allow anyone to harm you.\"

The older woman walked around the office and stretched herself, walking to another dresser and picked out some make up. Lan thought the older woman was already very beautiful, too good for makeup.

\"Her father isn\u0027t like what you know. Even if he wants to spare me, I don\u0027t think the directors will listen. Have you heard them say your Miss Bai was too kind and weak?\"

Miss Luo spoke as she put on make up. Lan was starting to be annoyed.

\"Don\u0027t think of me in the wrong way, Petal, I like you kind of people, and I like talking to you. Oh, and please tell me your name?\"

\"It\u0027s Lan.\"

Miss Luo smiled at her and put everything back into the dresser, then pulled out a long black tube from its bottom drawer. It seemed like a big lipstick.

To Lan\u0027s surprise, Miss Luo propped herself up on the dresser and sat up on it, leaning her back against the wall. She sat with her legs half open in front of her, careless and no longer polite.

She unscrewed the lipstick open and pressed it on her lips.

\"Good bye, Lan.\"

Miss Luo put the tip of the lipstick into her wide open mouth and pressed a button on its back end.

A loud bang came out from the tip, while a brief flash of light appeared in her mouth. Then, a second bang lower in tone and a disgusting wet splash came after it. Behind her head and beautiful long hair, on the light purple wallpaper, a splash of red and white suddenly appeared, with a small black hole in the middle.

The lipstick had a hidden gun inside. It now fell onto her lap, still held tight in her right hand. Her legs had first kicked and sprung straight forward at the gunshot then closed in front of her, making her sitting pose on the dresser almost polite and conservative again.

Miss Luo\u0027s face was fully relaxed and relieved after the gunshot. Her eyes opened wide, rolled upwards from the impact but still appeared calm, even calming. Her head rested lifelessly on her right shoulder, tongue hanging out and drooling, slightly leaning forward and exposing the small exit wound from the bullet. As she had chosen, her death was painless, seductive, and as clean as possible.

Lan sighed and sat down at Miss Luo\u0027s desk. She had to call Bai Meihua and report the mission had just failed.

In less than half an hour, Bai Bi Industries\u0027 cleanup team was at the mansion entrance. Disguised as a delivery service, men picked the lock and went in silently carrying empty body bags for Lan\u0027s kills. Soon they filled the body bags and left just as silently, paid generously and watched by Petals to never expose their work.

Lan stayed behind, because to her even bigger surprise, the cleanup team told her Bai Meihua was coming to her in person. After everyone else alive and dead was gone, the founder and guardian of the Petal unit entered Miss Luo\u0027s bloodstained office. She was wearing her trade mark white dress, longer and more elegant than Lan\u0027s uniform minidress, while clearly in the same design pattern. It was always her sigh of leadership and solidarity to the Petals.

Before Lan could apologize, Bai Meihua wrapped her arms around her and held her tight, warming her up after an exhausting morning full of action.

\"Miss Bai...\"

\"It was my fault, Lan. I didn\u0027t know she had help from local gangs and they were preparing for war. I shouldn\u0027t have let them send you here alone. You did wonderful, I knew what she was like, but I hoped she would change.\"

Lan felt she was about to cry, but it was tears of joy.

\"Hold me for as long as you like, Lan, we will take everything on together.\"