Ti: July 9, 2020, 10:20 PM. City center, Lijing Square.
From the entrance of the square, the view was a forest of steel ford by a cluster of towering buildings.
Neon lights flooded in from all directions, rging into a sea of light. Electronic signboards of various colors were densely arranged, like a deck of playing cards spread out at random across a table.
However, every advertisent embedded in the building fa??ades was now broadcasting ergency evacuation alerts. The neon lights had turned into dazzling and dangerous alarm signals, surging across the entire square like a tide.
A few exception-making LED displays focused like caras on the sa image—
At the center of the square, a green-skinned freak stood tall, yelling at the onlookers, with five hostages kneeling behind him.
“Blue Arc, how long do you plan to keep hiding? In ten seconds, we’ll execute the first hostage!”
The green-skinned freak growled, then began a one-sided countdown:
“Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three…”
He rolled his eyes, glancing around with a chilling clarity, enunciating each word slower and more ominously,
“Two… one.”
Just as the countdown hit “one,” a grin suddenly appeared on the freak’s face, bloodshot eyes wide.
Gu Qiye—or more precisely, now he should be called “Blue Arc”—arrived with a thunderous boom, like a bolt of deep-blue lightning.
He slowly ca to a halt in the center of the square, deep blue arcs of electricity rippling from his body in all directions, then scattering like embers.
Blue Arc stood upright and looked through the electronic lens embedded in his helt at a man in a vest and black pants standing across from him.
The man had a wildly feral appearance, green skin exposed, and a pair of huge green wings on his back, a hybrid between man and beast.
An identity analysis popped up on the electronic lens:
“Subject No. 509. A frequent Esper criminal active in Lijing—‘Green Wing.’”
Blue Arc took a deep breath and looked past Green Wing to the masked criminals behind him and the hostages kneeling in front.
The hostages’ hands and feet were tied with hemp rope, their mouths stuffed with rags.
The criminals had guns pressed against the backs of their heads, and the barrels looked like they could fire at any mont.
He also noticed that each hostage had a ti bomb strapped to them. The blood-red countdown on the devices beeped steadily—each set to 10 minutes. That 10-minute window was slipping away second by second.
“Oh… look who’s here. Isn’t this our ‘Blue Arc’?”
Green Wing stared at Blue Arc, his hoarse voice delivering his lines with dramatic flair:
“Lijing’s prince, always in the spotlight, always adored by all…”
Blue Arc looked him in the eye, relaxedly quipping, “Should I say sothing like, ‘Let them go. If you’ve got a grudge, take it out on ’?”
“Such a cliche line,” Green Wing chuckled.
“It really is.” Blue Arc laughed too. “So, what do you want this ti?”
Their eyes locked.
“You surrender and co with
right now, and I’ll release them. How’s that?” Green Wing said slowly.
“To be fair, isn’t that line even more cliché than mine?” Blue Arc sighed, then asked, “Instead of obediently following you, why don’t I rescue them first, then arrest you?”
Green Wing let out a cold snort.
“Because they have ti bombs strapped to them. Never mind whether you can act faster than my n and save them before the bullets fly… Even if you pull it off, I have another group hiding in the crowd with the detonators.
The mont they see you act, they’ll trigger the bombs and blow you and the hostages sky-high.”
Blue Arc raised an eyebrow.
“Whew… that’s so thorough planning.”
Just then, a voice ca through the headset inside his helt:
“He lied. Green Wing’s n aren’t among the crowd. The detonator signals are coming from sowhere else.
Our people are searching the mall near the square for his accomplices. Once all five are located, we’ll take them down at once and seize the detonators. In the anti, stall Green Wing.”
“Got it,” Blue Arc whispered in reply.
“So what’s your plan?” Green Wing tilted his head and spread his green wings like a bat, arrogantly opening his arms as if to embrace his enemy.
“Gonna take
out? It’s just a few hostages dying. Won’t an much to you, right? You’ve seen plenty of corpses. A few more won’t matter.”
Blue Arc remained silent.
If he were uninjured, he’d have every confidence in his ability to wipe out the criminals in an instant, rescue the hostages, and dismantle the bombs before Green Wing’s allies could detonate them.
But tonight was different. He had just gone through a brutal battle, body covered in wounds.
The injuries were serious enough that he wouldn’t make it without help from the Association’s dics.
He had only managed a quick bandage job back ho—there hadn’t been ti for more.
Using full force now might tear open the wounds or even cause them to worsen instantly. At that point, he couldn’t guarantee his own survival.
“No.” Blue Arc shook his head and slowly raised his hands. “As you wish… I’ll go with you. Just let them go.”
“Deal.” Green Wing lowered his face and made a demand:
“Then wear this.”
He tossed over a pair of tal handcuffs linked by a chain, which clattered to the ground.
“What’s this?” Blue Arc asked, puzzled.
“A way to restrain you.” Green Wing grabbed the other end of the chain. “If you try to break free, the cuffs will explode.”
Blue Arc tilted his head and hesitated for a mont, then said,
“Uh… I get the logic, but did you really have to attach a leash to this thing? Makes it look like we’re doing so kind of kink play. Everyone’s watching, you know. Not exactly great for kids’ education.”
As he spoke, he pointed toward the right-side LED screen of the square.
The giant screen was acting like a cara, broadcasting a close-up of the two of them in real ti.
“Cut the crap,” Green Wing snapped, clearly not in the mood for banter.
“If you don’t put them on now, I’ll have them shoot.”
“All right, all right… Don’t rush . I’ll do it.”
Blue Arc sighed, speaking as he slowly bent down, keeping his hands raised in surrender.
“Hurry up… Can’t you guys move a little faster?”
He thought to himself, glancing at one of the high-rise buildings around the square.
His allies were disguised as civilians, searching from above for Green Wing’s n to disarm the detonators.
Gu Qiye didn’t want to put on the cuffs, but with the situation as it was, even if he was a thousand tis unwilling, he had to stall as long as possible and keep Green Wing from harming the hostages.
Right now, everyone’s eyes were on Blue Arc—including the hostages and criminals behind Green Wing.
Everyone wondered if Blue Arc would really put on the cuffs—wasn’t that basically surrendering to the villain?
A child in the crowd suddenly shouted, trembling,
“D-don’t give in, Blue Arc!”
“Shut up!” Green Wing turned and roared.
The boy’s legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground in fear.
But in that brief, dead-silent second,
The five criminals behind the hostages were suddenly bound by jet-black Binding Restraints, like snakes coiling around their throats.
The restraints yanked them upward—so suspended on advertisent signs, others hanging from traffic lights.
The criminals scread and struggled, their guns clattering to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, Blue Arc and Green Wing both froze, then turned to look.
Below a fashion billboard, a massive, pitch-black “cocoon” now hung in midair.
Bathed in moonlight, the strange thing stood silently overhead.
Up close it looked like a cocoon, from afar like a spider,
Dark webs spread outward from it, ensnaring all five criminals.
They looked like prey caught in a trap, dangling midair in Binding Restraints, utterly helpless.
At first, they cursed and thrashed,
But the more they struggled, the tighter the restraints squeezed.
Eventually, all that ca from their mouths were muffled sobs and agonized screams—the cursing gone without a trace.
Seeing this, Green Wing froze for a mont, then slowly raised his right hand in fury,
Pointing at the black “cocoon.”
He turned and shouted at Blue Arc,
“These are your people?! I told you—if you make a move, I’ll have the hostages blown up imdiately!”
“No…”
Blue Arc frowned and slowly shook his head.
“He’s not one of ours.”
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