Chapter 49: As One Pleases

Miles gazed at the gray-haired young man's profile, his eyes brimming with admiration.

That terrifying, monster-like Dust-Burst had acted like a mere novice in front of the Esper! After catching a glimpse of the intel, the Esper had immediately grasped the mechanism of her ability, responded with a mysterious power, and resolved the confrontation with effortless grace.

"As expected of Mr. Esper! Truly, Mr. Esper is the strongest super-powered individual!!"

"Don't use those nicknames. Call me Mr. Gongsun," Gongsun Ce said, wincing as he rubbed his right arm. "And stop throwing around the word 'strongest.' I’m still far from that."

The boy in the peaked cap was stunned. "You, Dust-Burst, Skull-Head, Red... Miss Caldesia, and the others—aren't you all the strongest super-powered individuals?"

"That’s another common misunderstanding among newcomers! Remember this, Miles: 'The Strongest' is not a title for a group of people. There is only one 'Strongest' in this city, and he is the world's number one."

Had the situation not been so urgent, he would have loved to give the rookie a lecture on the weight of that title. Gongsun Ce brushed past the topic, used his white matter to bind Miss Dust-Burst into a cocoon, and walked toward Qiluo, who was still clutching a brick.

Qiluo was hesitating over whether to deliver a few more blows. Seeing Gongsun Ce approach, she hurriedly said, "Gongsun Ce, Caldesia, she—"

"Shi Yu went to help, taking the car you redirected. Don't worry, that dark-bellied handsome guy is quite capable."

"That's a relief!" Qiluo patted her chest in comfort. The gray-haired youth turned his face away, avoiding a lingering gaze at a particularly distracting area.

He asked tentatively, "Miss Qiluo, can you recall anything specific now? After seeing that woman, you should be able to recover some of your memories, right?"

The pink-haired girl put down the brick, her expression dazed. "I remember a lot, but... I don't understand. My power, the ability to manipulate information... it shouldn't have been reproducible! Why would..."

It seemed the true nature of Qiluo's ability was exactly as they had hypothesized. The reason for her confusion must be the "reproduction" she mentioned. In that case...

Gongsun Ce synthesized the information he had gathered.

"Miss Qiluo, the Cecil Laboratory conducted an experiment on you. That experiment granted you the ability to manipulate information, but also caused your memory loss. In order to recover you, a valuable test subject, the laboratory-affiliated Dust-Burst contacted Skull-Head, triggering this battle... Am I correct so far?"

"That’s right! But—"

"But there is another super-powered individual who can manipulate information."

Qiluo nodded in surprise. "Eh? How did you know?"

As expected.

When he was discussing things with his older brother, he had vaguely considered this possibility. The super-hacker who induced the children to "break out of prison" shared the same traits as Qiluo. Following the trail of "information," he would have eventually crossed paths with Cecil's people due to the investigation, even if he hadn't met Qiluo. Given Dust-Burst's arrogant style, a conflict was nearly inevitable.

Yet, he was unwilling to suspect Qiluo. He truly believed the child was incapable of such things... and so, he had to change his line of reasoning.

What if there was another super-hacker, another information manipulator more mature than Qiluo?

With that thought, his perspective opened up. The men in white coats only cared about capturing their test subject, while the authorities investigating the "prison break" were likely focusing on Qiluo as well. It was easy for them to suspect this highly suspicious girl—the mastermind could easily hide himself, using his abilities to act recklessly in the shadows, because Qiluo, standing in the light, would attract everyone's attention!

He had wanted to share this speculation with his brother immediately, but he quickly realized how reckless that would be—Mo Yuankai’s home was filled with electronic devices; no one could guarantee the mastermind wasn't eavesdropping.

That was why Gongsun Ce had gone home to check the mail at that particular moment. Visiting Yan Qi after reading the letter was a "reasonable" act; if there was indeed a transparent entity watching him from afar, this non-abrupt move would not reveal that he had already caught on. However, events unfolded faster than he imagined, and before he could investigate the mastermind, he had rushed to the central district to join the fray.

Now that Dust-Burst was defeated and Skull-Head would likely fare no better, it seemed the matter had come to a close. Yet, the unknown mastermind's true purpose remained shrouded in mist.

What exactly did he want to do?

Gongsun Ce felt as if he had missed something. He glanced at the boy in the peaked cap; the child’s eyes were unusually sharp, appearing completely different from his reckless demeanor that morning.

"...Wait. Miles, why are you here?!"

Miles slapped his forehead. The series of battles had been so intense that he had even pushed that scene at the small shop to the back of his mind.

"Skull-Head’s Walkman has music that can cause super-powers to go berserk!"

The gray-haired youth’s face darkened. "Explain in detail."

The two of them spoke urgently of everything that had happened in the shop: the Walkman, the unexplained music, the super-power surge, Qiluo’s song, the man in green robes... Gongsun Ce frowned deeply. He confirmed with Qiluo immediately: "Miss Qiluo, what is that music?"

"I’ve never heard of such a thing," Qiluo denied firmly. "Neither Star-Li nor I have ever sung a song like that!"

Gongsun Ce clenched his fists and looked back at the boy in the peaked cap. "Are you sure your condition was off before?"

"It’s true, Mr. Esper... Mr. Gongsun! I wasn't this panicked before, and..." He hesitated before insisting, "I feel like ever since the breakout failed, everyone I’ve met has been very excitable!"

Hyper-arousal, anxiety, tension, terror, unease. He was all too familiar with these; it was a period every super-powered individual went through, just like Qin Qianbai when she first arrived in the City of the Firmament.

Negative emotions were spreading among the relatively vulnerable, younger population. The music that could trigger a berserk state, the man in green robes who took it away—he was likely the same person he had encountered, a practitioner of the Impermanent Law whom even Yan Qi knew...

The alarm bells in Gongsun Ce’s mind rang frantically. He shouted at the boy, "Miles, do you have any electronic devices on you?"

Miles quickly waved his hands; his phone was left back at the shop.

The gray-haired youth rattled off an address at high speed. "Go to the place I said immediately and find a man named Mo Yuankai. Tell him everything you told me, from start to finish! Please, just as a precaution, do this for me!"

The boy's face paled. He wasn't a fool; seeing Gongsun Ce so anxious, he vaguely realized what the other was worried about. It was clearly something terrifying—even he understood what dire consequences it could bring!

It was no longer the time to be cowardly or play it safe. "I’m going, Mr. Gongsun!" Miles promised as he ran toward the Fixed-Wing District.

Qiluo blinked, not understanding why the two had suddenly become so urgent. "What about me, Gongsun Ce—ah?!"

She screamed as she floated up, taking to the air alongside the gray-haired youth.

"Sorry, Miss Qiluo! I’ll explain as we fly. I might need your help in a moment...!"

Gongsun Ce sincerely hoped it was all a false alarm. He sincerely hoped his deduction was wrong.

***

On the other side of the Central District, near the Central United University, there was a fast-food restaurant that students often frequented. It was built in a bustling part of the commercial street, usually crowded with people and full of life. Today, the battle between the top-tier individuals had sent everyone fleeing, leaving the streets desolate and quiet; even the sound of a pedestrian’s footsteps was clearly audible.

A man was strolling along the deserted street.

"Sparks ignited to tear through the night, lighting up the dreams of the children?"

He wore headphones, the beautiful melody putting him in a pleasant mood. He joined in, singing softly a song about dreams and stars.

"Starlight scattered from the cracks, making the dreamers unable to restrain themselves?"

"Fervent emotions gushing from the heart? A vow made, never to retreat?"

Two days ago, he had started from this place. In those two days, he had walked every street of this city on foot. With the song, finding things had become much easier. Having bypassed the intentionally laid interference, the hairpin had pointed him in the right direction. He stood before the shop window, staring at the empty display, and nodded with a smile.

Finally, this was done. He only needed to wait for a free moment to harvest the results.

It was time for the next thing.

"Must fulfill my dream..."

The Traveler sang the final line with satisfaction.

"Even if it means letting the world burn in ashes?"

The man in green robes took off his headphones.

In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from the spot. An expert in the distance responsible for monitoring him felt a chill—the man’s voice came from right behind him!

"This Walkman has music that can awaken the Dragon-kind."

The man in green pulled out a dark, nondescript box—an old-fashioned Walkman.

"Tell me, if all the Dragon-kind in the city heard the song inside, what exactly would happen?"

He laughed excitedly, like a child showing off a toy.

The expert’s mind went blank. Human common sense and reason made him refuse to understand the man’s words.

"You... you...?!"

The man in green tapped his foot lightly.

In that instant, the material world distorted. The asphalt road flowed like water, concrete buildings twisted like rubber; trees, grass, soil, steel—all matter twisted at his will, swirling upward like water caught in a cyclone!

Nothing could resist his intent; even hundred-meter-tall skyscrapers disintegrated in silence. This incomprehensible, magnificent scene completely transcended ordinary perception, as if a god who had grown weary of their creation had casually kneaded a patch of the city into clay in their palm, only to toss it aside.

Massive amounts of matter swirled in the air, the spiral dyed in blue light at the swordsman's whim. Under the Traveler's power, they decomposed silently, were easily compressed, bonded, and finally reshaped into a giant vehicle soaring through the sky—a magnificent aerial train!

The Traveler stood alone at the front of the train, opening his arms to the city below.

"Quickly. Come and stop me. Come and fight me. If you’re too late..."

He laughed with immense excitement and anticipation.

"5.7 million dragons will descend today!"