A brightly lit train rumbled across the elevated bridge, whipping up an evening breeze that drifted endlessly over the city skyline.
At this very mont, Black Cocoon hung upside down beneath an aerial work platform. His Restraining Band Senses pierced the veil of night, allowing him to gaze at a distant skyscraper from afar.
On the rooftop of that building stood a slender figure clad in a black bodysuit. Leaning against the railing, the person cast a sidelong glance at the scene unfolding on the long street below.
Black Cocoon observed the silhouette, recalling the intelligence he had gathered by communicating with Hacker through Host Body Two during the brigade gathering.
[Xia Pingzhou: What does the newbie look like? What is their ability, and exactly how strong are they?]
[Hacker: You are so annoying. Are you just incapable of letting any woman go?]
[Xia Pingzhou: I am just curious if the new mber is stronger or weaker than . Otherwise, wouldn't I end up at the bottom of the barrel again?]
[Hacker: I do not believe you.]
[Xia Pingzhou: I am gay.]
[Hacker: ...]
[Hacker: Su Ying, the new mber No. 4. She usually likes to wear a long black coat over a black bodysuit and wears glasses. Her age is unknown. I only just found out what she looks like, and her ability is still unclear.]
[Hacker: She and the Leader are hanging out over by Hongyue Comrcial Street in Lijing. I heard they plan to make contact with Black Cocoon. After all, Black Cocoon just got into a brawl with Tun Yin over there.]
[Xia Pingzhou: Is Black Cocoon really that important for the Leader to pay so much attention to him?]
[Hacker: Who knows... Oh, by the way, I could not dig up Su Ying's background. She is incredibly bizarre. I asked the Leader, but he refused to say anything either.]
[Xia Pingzhou: Watch out for insiders.]
[Hacker: Relax, I am the ultimate insider killer.]
[Hacker: Speaking of which, I could not uncover your background either. Lord knows what your deal is. If it were not for the fact that the Leader does not care about the origins of the mbers, I would say you are pretty suspicious too.]
[Xia Pingzhou: Maybe both she and I are insiders.]
[Hacker: That is fine. I will be keeping a close eye on both of you.]
[Xia Pingzhou: I am smashing my mobile phone right now.]
Black Cocoon continued to stare at the distant figure. 'If I am not mistaken, that person should be Su Ying...' he mused. 'I fished around Hongyue Comrcial Street all day, and I finally lured her out... But she and the Leader are targeting
to begin with. I am baiting them, and they are baiting . Under these circumstances, I can only use my Restraining Band Avatar to make contact. Otherwise, things could easily go wrong.'
If the situation permitted, his goal naturally was to have Black Cocoon capture this new mber, and then use Restraining Band True Words to interrogate her and force the truth out of her.
That way, he could finally figure out whether this new mber was his real mother or a fake.
If she was his real mother, then why did she fake her death during that accident five years ago, hiding the fact that she was still alive from Gu Zhuo'an and her three children?
If she was a fake mother, then how did she know Gu Wenyu's mom, and why would she borrow his mother's na—Su Ying—to join the White Raven Brigade?
What exactly was the connection between her and Su Ying, and was that connection related to Su Ying's death?
Of course, the most ideal scenario was that this Su Ying had absolutely nothing to do with Gu Wenyu's mother, and it was simply a coincidence that they shared the sa na.
If that were the case, Black Cocoon's worries would vanish into thin air, and his plan could proceed as usual: rely on Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuo'an's obsession with Rainbow Wing to further guide them closer to the organization, allowing him to seek out intelligence on the Salvation Society.
Thinking of this, Black Cocoon proactively switched his mobile phone to airplane mode and wrapped it securely within his restraining bands.
This was to prevent Hacker from conducting a wide-range scan of nearby electronic devices while the Restraining Band Avatar was in contact with Su Ying, which could result in his phone getting hacked.
Ever since he had learned the extent of Hacker's abilities, Black Cocoon had decided that whether Host Body One interacted with the Leader or any other mber of the brigade, he had to ensure he carried no smart devices on his person.
Constrained by Hacker's capabilities, he had to communicate face-to-face every ti rather than relying on mobile phone text ssages, lest Hacker find an exploitable opportunity. That little brat of a prodigy was no joke when it ca to network technology.
At this mont, down on Hongyue Comrcial Street, the group of ard robbers had already stord into the bank. They swiftly pulled their triggers, using overwhelming suppressive fire to gun down two security guards before firing into the ceiling, forcing every employee in the bank onto the floor.
Amidst the stream of light converging from the neon signs, pedestrians on the street scread and fled in all directions. Instantly, the crowd flooded toward the street's exits while car horns blared endlessly from every side.
Both Su Ying and Black Cocoon refrained from making any rash moves, instead quietly observing the chaotic scene unfolding below.
Su Ying's objective was likely to wait for Black Cocoon to appear so she could make contact with him on behalf of the Leader.
It was even highly probable that they had orchestrated this bank commotion themselves. After all, a brief investigation into Black Cocoon would reveal that wherever sothing entertaining happened, this morally ambiguous eccentric was likely to show up.
All they had to do was spend so money to hire a bunch of desperadoes to stage this entire scene inside the bank.
anwhile, Black Cocoon's goal was to capture Su Ying and figure out whether or not this person was his mother.
Su Ying's position was not very far from him, so he had no choice but to maintain his stealth and bide his ti, waiting for her to put a little more distance between them before releasing his Restraining Band Avatar.
Otherwise, if she detected Black Cocoon's True Self, everything could instantly fall apart—after all, Su Ying might just be a decoy, with the Leader lying in ambush nearby, waiting for Black Cocoon to take the stage.
At this mont, although Black Cocoon could not clearly see the situation inside the bank from his vantage point, his hearing—amplified by his Restraining Band Senses—allowed him to pick up on the commotion inside and roughly gauge what was happening.
He quietly kept his eyes on Su Ying in the distance while listening intently to the noises within the bank.
A flurry of rapid footsteps echoed as the robbers carrying explosives rushed toward the vault, planting the devices on the heavy doors. A rhythmic "beep-beep-beep" rang out, followed imdiately by a deafening "Boom!" that reverberated across the entire comrcial street.
The robbers roared, "Move faster!" as they charged into the vault with their duffel bags. They grabbed fistfuls of banknotes from the shelves and stuffed them inside, acting like a pack of starving wolves pouncing on fresh prey.
Right then, Su Ying made her move from the rooftop. Like an agile wildcat, she leaped gracefully between the high-rises and alleyways, grabbing onto a ventilation pipe to slide down. She kicked off a wall to land atop an illuminated billboard, and finally swung through the air before dropping down onto the street.
In that split second, a mask suddenly materialized over her face—a mask resembling the visage of a feline. Its cat-like pupils were vertically slitted, and the whiskers on the cheeks were as sharp as claws, stretching all the way back toward the ears.
'A Celestial Drive?' Black Cocoon wondered. 'From what I can tell, she doesn't have any place on her person to conceal a mask, so this mask must be her Celestial Drive.'
As he pondered this, he extended his right hand, peeling off a cluster of restraining bands onto the top of the aerial platform. The bands writhed and surged upward, gradually stacking together to form a twisted, humanoid shape.
The pitch-black restraining bands completely encased the humanoid figure, turning it into a "maskless, coatless" version of Black Cocoon, exactly like how he appeared every ti he made his debut in Japan.
Black Cocoon gave the Restraining Band Avatar a gentle push, sending it plumting downward. In mid-air, the avatar shot out restraining bands to snag a traffic light pole, bending the tal out of shape from the force. Gripping the bands tightly, it swung in a rapid arc, launching itself toward the bank.
At this very mont, inside the bank.
Five robbers rushed out of the vault with massive bags stuffed full of cash, only to find that their lookouts near the entrance had already been laid out on the floor by a figure wearing a wildcat mask and a black bodysuit.
Su Ying stood with one foot planted on the back of their unconscious accomplice. She turned slightly, staring at the remaining n through her mask.
The very next instant, the five robbers snapped out of their daze. Raising their rifles in unison, they unleashed a storm of gunfire at the woman. Bullets poured out, forming an inescapable barrage. Su Ying had nowhere to run, yet her silhouette suddenly grew blurry and distorted, trembling in an eerie manner.
It looked exactly like a television screen abruptly glitching out, followed by the figure on the broadcast stretching and convulsing amid a sea of white noise and static.
In a flash, her form vanished entirely from the rain of bullets.
By the ti the deafening gunfire ceased, the lead robber turned his head in bewildernt, only to suddenly find a cat face pressed right next to his ear. The woman behind the mask whispered sothing softly to him.
The robber jolted in shock, his pupils dilating. But before he could even react, Su Ying vaulted onto the backs of two other robbers. She drove her knees directly into their spines with bone-crushing force, pinning them face-first against the floor before knocking them out cold with swift knife-hand strikes.
The remaining three accomplices finally gathered their wits, swinging their rifles toward Su Ying and pulling the triggers.
Su Ying tilted her head to glance at the gun barrels. With lightning speed, she hoisted up the bodies of the two robbers beneath her, using their flesh and blood as a at shield to completely block the incoming barrage.
Amid the sickening "thwack-thwack" of bullets piercing flesh, bloody holes rapidly blossod across their bodies. Crimson spray splattered in all directions, but not a single bullet touched Su Ying.
Imdiately after, seizing the split second when the other three paused to reload, Su Ying hurled the two mangled bodies forward, crushing two of the shooters beneath the weight. She instantly lunged in front of the final man, grabbing his right wrist and yanking it forward to break his balance. Twisting her body, she jamd her back against his chest and delivered a devastating shoulder throw, subduing him on the ground.
With a heavy thud, the man's body was slamd into the floor by Su Ying, the sickening crack of breaking bones echoing clearly in the air.
The last two robbers struggled to their feet from beneath their dead comrades, pulling their triggers wildly at Su Ying.
At that exact mont, Su Ying's body underwent another bizarre transformation, blurring into an eerie phantom once more, as if a reflection in a mirror had suddenly shattered. Her form violently contorted before she vanished from the spot.
The very next second, she blinked into existence directly behind the two robbers, hooking her long, slender legs around each of their heads.
Twisting her upper body against the ground, she exerted a fierce burst of strength with her legs. With a crisp snap, their heads were wrenched all the way around. They ceased all movent, expressions of utter bewildernt frozen on their lifeless faces.
"Coming out to commit cris without any supernatural abilities these days... What a complete lack of self-awareness..."
Su Ying murmured softly as she slung the duffel bags full of cash from the floor over her shoulders.
Just then, she abruptly lifted her head, only to see a massive, pitch-black chrysalis hanging upside down from the ceiling.
Su Ying straightened up, gazing silently at the giant cocoon as the lights inside the bank flickered on and off. Many of the fluorescent tubes had been shattered by the crossfire, raining a steady patter of white shards onto the floor.
Su Ying tilted her head and spoke with complete calm, "I grew impatient waiting and ca out to find so fun, and only now do you finally show up."
The massive black cocoon slowly unraveled, and a humanoid figure entirely swathed in restraining bands erged. In his hand, he gripped a children's picture book titled "Little Tadpole Looks for Its Mother."
The Restraining Band Avatar spoke, "Oh, I know you... the brigade's new mber, Su Ying, right?"
"It seems the Leader was right. You possess a bizarre ability to spy on others," Su Ying said as she peeled off her mask, exposing her face to the flickering lights.
Her features shifted continuously—one mont she looked like a glamorous middle-aged woman, the next, a pure young girl. Yet, no matter the face, it retained the exact sa cold indifference, devoid of any decipherable emotion.
Su Ying had apparently already heard from Qi Yuanli that Black Cocoon possessed an unknown ability for gathering intelligence, so she showed no surprise when he stated her na.
Black Cocoon's inverted gaze locked onto Su Ying's shifting face. 'Does her Celestial Drive also have the ability to change faces?' he thought. 'That power to suddenly vanish just now must have originated from her Celestial Drive as well.'
"Pardon my bluntness... but I actually know a Su Ying too."
"Is that so?" Su Ying kicked aside a corpse by her feet and replied casually, "Feel free to share."
Black Cocoon lowered his gaze, idly flipping through the picture book as he spoke. "The Su Ying I knew t with an accident five years ago and was buried forever in this city. She left behind three pitiful children and a berserk, foolish ox."
Black Cocoon paused. "Ms. Wildcat, may I ask if there is any connection between you and that Su Ying?"
Hearing this, Su Ying stood slightly stunned in place. "I didn't expect anyone else to know about that. Color
surprised... No wonder the Leader of the White Raven Brigade pays so much attention to you, even making your capture my first assignnt upon joining."
"You haven't answered my question," Black Cocoon shrugged. "Are you the real Su Ying, or a fake Su Ying? Or perhaps you actually have no connection to that Su Ying at all... But judging from your reaction, that doesn't seem to be the case."
"Who knows? Perhaps I am the Su Ying you speak of, or perhaps I am not..." Su Ying replied indifferently, her shifting features abruptly solidifying into a single face.
It was unmistakably the visage of Gu Wenyu's mother from his mories. In his mind, Su Ying had always looked incredibly youthful, possessing a beautiful face and an aura that was both aloof and gentle.
Black Cocoon froze for a mont.
Even her voice had transford to sound completely identical to the Su Ying of Gu Wenyu's mories. "Tell , why do you know Su Ying, and why are you so fixated on whether or not I am her?"
Black Cocoon stared at Su Ying's face. 'As expected...' he thought. 'Since she was able to replicate this face, she either knows Host Body One's mother, or she is Su Ying herself.'
"It seems you really do know her, miss," he muttered.
"What else could it be?" Su Ying said. "Isn't the answer plainly right in front of your eyes?"
"Mom," Black Cocoon suddenly called out.
Su Ying flinched in surprise.
That unexpected 'Mom' montarily short-circuited her brain.
The entire bank briefly descended into a dead silence.
"Mom... It's , Su Zimai, Mom..." Black Cocoon abruptly altered the details of his Restraining Band Avatar's vocal cords, shifting his tone entirely to speak with Su Zimai's voice. "Don't tell
you don't recognize
anymore. I thought you were already dead..."
Imdiately after, he shifted his facial structure into the likeness of Su Zimai before peeling back the restraining bands covering the face.
Staring at the face of a young girl that bore a ninety percent resemblance to her own, Su Ying stood completely dumbfounded, frozen to the spot.
Seeing her stay silent, the upside-down Su Zimai sniffled in mid-air, using a restraining band to wipe a snotty nose while sobbing pitifully,
"Mom, why did you lie to us... We all thought you were dead."
anwhile, outside the bank, the real Black Cocoon hanging beneath the aerial work platform scratched his jaw and thought,
'You didn't think you were the only one who could change faces, did you? Let
see... whether you are really my mother, or just pretending to be her, and what exactly your motive is for pretending to be my mom.'
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