Chapter 48: Since We're Already Here

Yan Qi tossed the glass bead in his hand, clicking his tongue repeatedly.

"And this useless thing... tsk... hmm?"

Qin Qianbai landed beside him, cradling the silver-haired young man.

Gongsun Ce had already fallen into a deep sleep, and the black sword in his hand was trembling ever more violently—a sign of impending disaster.

Yan Qi glanced at the black sword, then at the glass bead, curling his lips into a wicked smile.

"Heh, since things are already like this... put him down."

Miss Qin wasted no words, withdrawing two steps as if she were a mother hen guarding her chick.

"What are you planning?"

The tall man scoffed, "I'm saving your lives! Use your brains, little girl. Does that look like a good thing to you?"

He was unmistakably referring to the sword in Gongsun Ce's hand.

The black sword that slew the dragon.

Its very blade exuded a sinister, bloody scent; merely looking at it made your eyes sting.

Could this be a weapon meant to protect humanity? The fighter’s intuition protested—absolutely not.

What had unfolded earlier was not humanity slaughtering the dragon disaster, but a calamity being devoured by another catastrophe. It was a disaster equal to the Glazed Calamity, perhaps even...

"It's a terrifying thing."

"No kidding. Listen up, whatever you see next, don't move."

Qin Qianbai carefully laid the silver-haired youth on the rooftop. Yan Qi approached, prodding the young man's arm with his toe.

Gongsun Ce lay motionless.

The tall man, in his peculiar tone, declared, "The Dawn Knight has arrived!"

Gongsun Ce sat up with a start, like a child awakened from a nightmare. "Who?! Where?!"

Yan Qi cursed, "Stop spouting nonsense. Remove the temporary heart—I'm giving you a new one."

A man in black official attire walked up behind Yan Qi, bowed silently, and handed him a transparent jar before leaving without a word.

Through the glass, its contents were visible: a heart, gently pulsing in green nutrient fluid.

The esper shuddered. "What the hell is that?! Whose heart is it?!"

"Save the chatter—get to work!"

The silver-haired youth cursed loudly, struck his chest with his right hand, and the white matter plugging the wound dispersed, revealing a ghastly scar.

Without hesitation, Yan Qi extracted the heart from the jar and shoved it into the youth's chest, as roughly as a monk hammering a stake.

"...!"

Gongsun Ce emitted an indescribable scream as the new heart began to beat, white matter connecting it to the blood vessels.

"It's fixed, Gongsun boy..."

Yan Qi chuckled, tossing the glass bead—the Eye of the Nether Dragon.

"Got it!"

He flicked it with his finger, and the bead shot forward, sailing straight into the esper's heart!

"You—?!"

Neither esper expected such a turn of events. Gongsun Ce felt as though all his blood might flow backward; before he could react, the man shouted, "Hurry up!"

The silver-haired youth rarely swore. "Are you out of your damn mind?!"

He snatched up the black sword and stabbed its tip into his heart. Blood spilled from the wound, but instead of dripping to the ground, it flowed along the blade, soaking into the blood-red cloth wrapped around the hilt.

Yan Qi pulled out a brush and rapidly sketched above the hilt. He drew a precise pentagram and slapped his palm forward. "Seal!"

The ink-black pentagram pushed the sword forward; the deadly weapon that should have pierced the youth's chest now gradually vanished, as though retreating into his heart. Even the spike at the end of the hilt disappeared. The ink star imprinted on the wound, healing it perfectly before fading away.

"Damned thing..."

Gongsun Ce barely managed to patch the hole in his chest with white matter, cursed with his last breath, and promptly passed out.

The Lawmaker of Creation put away his brush. "One more or less makes no difference! Done—let's go celebrate!"

Miss Qin stood motionless. "Look at you, that's the face of someone ready to beat you up. What did you just do?"

The tall man stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You have two bombs at hand. If detonated, at best the city is destroyed; at worst, the world is affected. There's only one suitable safe here—what do you do?"

Qin Qianbai stared blankly at him. "Find two more suitable ones—ones that aren't human."

Yan Qi laughed heartily.

"There were plenty who could wield the sword three years ago; now he's the only one left! Splitting them up is a rotten idea—the risk doubles. If trouble arises, we're doomed anyway, so better to seal them together: convenient and safe."

"I don't believe that's your only reason."

"I have my own considerations, but..." The tall man shrugged. "It’s none of your—damn!"

Yan Qi hadn't finished his sentence when the martial girl lost her patience. She stepped forward and drove her right fist cleanly into his abdomen, sending the scoundrel rolling on the ground clutching his stomach.

"Just you wait, little girl! I’m reporting this to the old man—don’t expect a penny in reward this time!"

"If Grandpa saw this, he'd join me in beating you."

Qin Qianbai hoisted her unconscious friend and walked over to the man sprawled on the ground. "Where’s Shi Yu?"

The irresponsible middle-aged man replied lazily, "That fool went off to fight with the lunatic."

Miss Qin shook her head in silence.

Everything she had witnessed this afternoon was beyond her comprehension.

By ordinary logic, they should head to the hospital now, but Yan Qi had just suggested a celebration.

Since there was no danger to life, she decided to go. She followed the grumbling man, leaving the rooftop.

·

February 13th, 11:00 PM sharp.

"Damned thing!!"

The moment he awoke from unconsciousness, Gongsun Ce sat up in fury, shouting.

"Whoa, so scary. When did I offend you?"

The first person he saw was not the arrogant middle-aged man, nor the expressionless girl, but the plump youth he had met that afternoon.

Mo Yuankai was sitting at the reception table, peeling an orange.

The silver-haired youth surveyed his surroundings, spotting a television occupying most of the wall and many familiar items. Only then did he realize he was lying on the information broker’s sofa.

This was Mo Yuankai’s home.

Gongsun Ce took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, brother, I didn’t mean it."

"Now you remember to call me brother."

The silver-haired youth put his hands together in apology.

"I meant to warn you something was off earlier..."

"Yeah. You called me brother for over six years, but today, the first thing you said was ‘Kai’—even my knee could tell something was wrong." The plump youth tossed the orange peel in the trash. "I can't talk like you do. When I chatted with her, I was sweating bullets, scared I'd slip up. Your message at first just said you’d pick up info on the way—next time you act, warn me in advance."

Gongsun Ce shook his head. "Don’t mention it. I only realized after dinner she wasn’t a Hunter."

"When did you start understanding Hunters?"

Even without knowing anything about the Hunter profession, one could spot the suspicious signs Alice displayed.

Leaving aside her ability to detect lies, how had Alice, single-handedly, chased two malicious Lawmakers into flight before encountering him? Tyros and Kaplo, even if busy searching for the underground entrance, shouldn't have been battered by a Hunter armed only with Shadow Orchid and the Demon-Breaking Arrow...

The most reasonable explanation was that Alice’s true strength far exceeded her own display. With that suspicion, he could pick out more oddities in her words.

Gongsun Ce shrugged. "She claimed Tianji is a calamity among the Freefolk, a battle-crazed maniac. Never mind that Yan Qi isn’t that bloodthirsty—would the Kingdom really share such information with its people? No subordinate of any knight would describe the man who rescued Supebia three years ago in that way."

Mo Yuankai pondered for a moment. "Battle maniac, Freefolk, calamity... not Tianji, but the Empire does have such a person."

"Really?"

"My guess is she deliberately muddled the intel, wanting you to harbor animosity toward Yan. Think about it: she had Kingdom intel, knew Tianji was on good terms with the authorities. If she was unlucky enough to meet him, she’d use your hostility to stir things up and escape—a logical plan."

The United States agents had been sabotaged before officially entering, and if the Kingdom was as short-staffed as she claimed, they’d probably run into Imperial personnel next. To be cautious, she’d muddle the information as a backup plan.

As for the esper’s chance encounter with the Lawmaker of Creation—that was something Shi Yu Ling could never have predicted.

"Outsmarted by her own cleverness..."

He stopped, realizing it sounded self-deprecating, and quickly changed the topic. "Where’s that scoundrel Yan Qi? He just shoved a dragon’s eye into my heart!"

"Don’t blame Mr. Yan—he must have his reasons." The plump youth handed him an orange. "Eat an orange to calm down."

"Oranges are heating."

"Ice oranges cool you down."

He took the orange and shoved it whole into his mouth. The cold flesh burst under his teeth, releasing a sour-sweet juice that flooded his mouth, bringing a unique tang and a refreshing sensation. The orange settled in his stomach, awakening a long-hidden hunger. He realized his last proper meal had been at the noodle shop nearly five hours ago.

With hunger came weakness and fatigue. He pressed his left hand to his stomach, about to complain of hunger, only to notice his wrist moved freely, as if it had never been severed.

The esper lifted his shirt and found all the wounds previously patched with white matter had healed perfectly.

"You called the ‘doctor’ here?"

"With injuries that bad, you think hospital? Of course we used superpowers." The information broker pulled a can of cola from the fridge. "Don’t worry about the cost—Mr. Yan is covering it this time."

"Being a loyal customer for years and not a single discount."

"The ‘doctor’ said, as he left, that after all these years, you still haven’t learned your lesson—get yourself battered like this and deserve the hefty bill."

"It’s not my fault. You taught by example. Is there any late-night snack? I’m starving."

The plump youth called out dramatically, "Whoa! All my fault, huh? Mr. Yan and that girl went out to buy food—they should be back soon. She’s never been here before—your girlfriend?"

"I’ve been single since I can remember, unlike you." The esper waved his hand. "If there’s nothing to eat, I’ll go wash my face first... Oh man, today is exhausting... sleepy and hungry."

The esper headed to the downstairs bathroom. The information broker waited a few seconds, then said, "Forgot to tell you: there’s someone in the downstairs bathroom."