On the coastal highway, Su Zimai and Blue Arc locked eyes.
Above them, the entrance to the villa was designed like a Torii gate, situated close to the sea.
The sea breeze blew comfortably, fluttering Su Zimai's hair as an electric scooter cruised leisurely along the coastal highway.
The rider was humming a song. When he caught a glimpse of Blue Arc's back out of the corner of his eye, he imdiately turned his head and exclaid, "Blue..." The mont the word left his mouth, he t the gaze of over a dozen bodyguards, their glares frightening him into a stutter. "B-B-Blue..."
In a flash of inspiration, he quickly changed his tune. "B-B-Blue Energy... Blue Energy batteries."
It seed the rider was a fellow countryman, speaking in flawless, beautiful Chinese. The electric scooter rolled past the public bench.
"Oh... Blue Energy batteries?"
On the public bench, the great artist Black Cocoon scratched his chin, seemingly having gathered so creative inspiration.
He decided that for his next appearance, he would leave behind a drawing of "Tun Yin Mouse" chewing on a "Blue Arc Battery," stirring up so hype in Japan for the bromance between Blue Arc and Tun Yin.
While Comrade Tun Yin was still in China, he would shape his image in the eyes of the Japanese into that of a codian. This was also paving the way for Tun Yin's grand future; if he really couldn't cut it as a Transgressor, he could always co to the Tokyo Tower exhibition area to perform on the streets in the future.
Striking while the iron was hot, now was the perfect ti for Tun Yin-san to enter the Japanese entertainnt circle.
Taking on the stage na "Tun Yin Mouse," eating Tokyo Tower models raw every day while signing autographs for passing fans—wouldn't that be a viable way to make a living?
He had even thought up a catchphrase for Tun Yin:
—"After a thousand voyages, I return as... a Colonel."
Black Cocoon humd cheerfully in his mind, turning his head to look at the bickering siblings beneath the Torii-style entrance.
Su Zimai stared motionlessly at Blue Arc. The psychological trauma from yesterday still lood over her, causing a single thought to involuntarily pop into her head whenever she saw him:
—'Is this guy actually my brother?'
But she quickly snapped out of it. The Commander and Xu Sanyan had already proven that Gu Wenyu was neither Blue Arc nor Black Cocoon.
At this point... what else was there to think about?
This big blue electric mouse standing before her didn't have the slightest relation to her family. She shouldn't harbor any inexplicable feelings toward him; treating him like a complete stranger was the right approach.
Thinking of this, for the sake of decency, Su Zimai spoke up politely, reluctantly introducing herself,
"My na is Ke Zinan. I'm a mber of the Ghost Train Gang."
"You both share the surna Ke," Blue Arc noted curiously.
"That's right, she's my younger sister," Ke Qirui said, her lips curving into a smile as she gently wrapped an arm around Su Zimai's shoulders.
"She's your sister, then who is my sister?" A short distance away, Black Cocoon narrowed his eyes from his spot on the public bench. "So you guys are just sharing a sister over here? Shared bicycles are one thing, but sharing a sister should at least require my signed consent, right?"
Blue Arc looked at Su Zimai for a mont, then looked back at Ke Qirui.
He remarked casually, "That's nice. Hmm... I have a younger sister too, but she has a bit of a temper and tends to offend people. She usually doesn't want much to do with ."
Ke Qirui didn't take it to heart, replying politely, "She sounds like a lovely girl. When the day cos that Mr. Blue Arc retires with honor, perhaps you can bring your sister out to openly stroll around with us."
"After I retire, that day will co... But working as a Transgressor requires a mask. Otherwise, enemies will appear endlessly, and they will use every thod conceivable to target the people close to you. There are simply too many cases like that." Speaking up to here, Blue Arc paused, adding with a sigh,
"In that regard, I really envy you Exorcists. You don't have to operate in the public eye, nor do you have as many spectators and enemies as we do, so you don't need to wear masks."
"Who knows?" Ke Qirui shook her head. "Actually, an Exorcist's job isn't just about exorcising demons; sotis we end up being resented by other Exorcists too... Anyway, let's head inside to talk. Standing out here is a bit unsightly."
Blue Arc shrugged. "If you hadn't ntioned it, I would have forgotten. The auction organizers have been waiting for us for a long ti, and the rest of the core bodyguard team has already arrived."
Ke Qirui teased, "In that respect, I truly admire you, Mr. Blue Arc. Despite having lightning-fast speed, you sohow manage to be the last one to arrive."
"Fun fact: procrastination and high efficiency are not mutually exclusive."
"I suppose that's true."
Su Zimai followed behind the two, silently listening to their conversation.
She had always admired the Commander's social skills. Ke Qirui was always poised and elegant no matter where she was. Regardless of the other party's status or social class, she could converse with them comfortably and freely, flowing from one topic to the next.
Thinking of this, Su Zimai cast a sidelong glance at Blue Arc's profile.
She suddenly felt that Blue Arc didn't seem quite as annoying as he did on TV—she wondered if it was because her subconscious kept comparing him to Gu Wenyu, giving her a preconceived filter of goodwill.
Ke Qirui pulled a pipe from her trench coat pocket and clamped it between her teeth, teasing, "You give off a very peaceful vibe, Mr. Blue Arc. I thought you would be as quick-witted and sharp-tongued as you are when confronting criminals. At first, I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with your train of thought."
Blue Arc pondered for a mont. "A friend of mine once said the sa thing about ..."
"Is this friend of yours nad Black Cocoon, by any chance?" Black Cocoon narrowed his eyes. He was sitting like a samurai atop the Torii-style entrance, silently watching the three of them enter the villa.
As Blue Arc, Su Zimai, and Ke Qirui stepped inside, the luxuriously decorated main doors of the villa swung shut.
Black Cocoon distributed his gravity onto his restraining bands, wrapping them around a massive Yaksha stone statue in front of the villa. Pulling on the restraining bands, he landed squarely on top of the statue.
He then used the statue's head as a springboard, leaping upward and slipping through a window onto the villa's second floor. The second floor was completely empty; all the guests were gathered in the first-floor living room.
Acting as if he were in his own ho, Black Cocoon took a seat at a leisurely pace.
Leaning his back against the mahogany railing, he held his breath and kept his restraining bands transparent. He turned his head and, through the gaps between the balusters, silently observed the scene in the first-floor living room out of the corner of his eye.
At this mont, a total of nine figures were gathered in the living room below.
Excluding Blue Arc, Ke Qirui, and Su Zimai, Black Cocoon recognized two of the remaining six people.
One of them was dressed in a kendo uniform with her hair tied in a high ponytail. She was a heroic and valiant-looking young woman who appeared to be no older than twenty, her eyes shining with vigor. This was none other than Sakura Bud, the Dragon-tier Transgressor who had engaged in a standoff with Winged Man at the Tokyo Tower the night before.
The other was a mber of Ke Qirui's Ghost Train Gang: Xu Sanyan. He was the unlucky Exorcist who had failed to track Gu Wenyu last night and ended up being followed instead.
As for the remaining four people in the living room, Ji Minghuan didn't recognize them.
However, he guessed that these individuals were likely from the Exorcist side. If they were famous Transgressors, they would definitely be listed on the official website of the Japan Transgressor Association. A quick search on his phone would have told him who they were, so they couldn't be Transgressors.
"Welco, everyone. We have been waiting for you."
After a brief mont of silence, Sakura Bud, the representative figure of Japan, spoke first. Her popularity in Japan was equivalent to that of Blue Arc in the eyes of the Chinese, so her status was naturally extraordinary. However, whether her strength was even half as formidable as Blue Arc's was hard to say.
Sakura Bud's voice was as clear and refreshing as spring water. She began her introductions, "You all should have heard my na before. Allow
to introduce the personnel from the Japanese side first."
Saying so, she used the poml of her katana's hilt to gesture toward a man beside her dressed in a dark blue kimono. "This is a Tier 2 Exorcist from the Exorcist Association, Fuyuyama Nobunaga. He is known as the Berserk Current Samurai, and his Celestial Drive is a Katana."
Black Cocoon took a look. The kimono-clad man nad Fuyuyama Nobunaga had a shaved head, and a blade-like chill emanated from his long, narrow eyes. He truly lived up to his na.
"A pleasure to et you," Fuyuyama Nobunaga said.
Sakura Bud then pointed her hilt at a long-haired young man on her left, who was dressed in traditional Onmyoji attire. "This is Kyomori. He prefers not to reveal his real na, so you can just call him by his Exorcist codena. His Celestial Drive is a Mirror, and he is a Tier 2 Exorcist."
Kyomori nodded in silence.
He had a feminine face adorned with heavy makeup, and he covered the lower half of his face with a folding fan, resembling a male actor from a Japanese stage play. In short, his appearance didn't quite align with Chinese aesthetics—if it were the highly cultured Tun Yin Mouse here, he would have undoubtedly slapped the label "effeminate man" right on the guy's face.
Finally, Sakura Bud aid her hilt at a young man wearing a turtleneck sweater, sporting curly black hair and round-rimd glasses, exuding a gentle and elegant aura. She introduced him:
"This last gentleman is Haihara Ritsu. He's a Tier 2 Exorcist who temporarily joined our ranks. Prior to this, he served the British Exorcist Association and only recently returned to Japan. His Celestial Drive is Playing Cards."
Haihara Ritsu wore a sheepish, gentle smile and nodded at the group.
Sakura Bud lowered her katana hilt, tucking it between her arm and waist, and raised her eyes to look at Ke Qirui.
She said, "With that, the personnel for the Japanese core bodyguard team have all been introduced. Miss Ke Qirui, as the Commander of the Ghost Train Gang, please introduce your mbers."
Ke Qirui smiled faintly. Removing the pipe from her mouth, she mimicked the young Sakura Bud's posture. Using the stem of her pipe to point at Su Zimai, she introduced smoothly,
"Ke Zinan. She just advanced to a Tier 2 Exorcist yesterday. Her Celestial Drive is Magic Gloves."
She then pointed her pipe at Xu Sanyan, who was wearing a black high-collared trench coat.
"Xu Sanyan, a Tier 2 Exorcist. His Celestial Drive is an Umbrella."
Lastly, she pointed at a tall man dressed in a Taekwondo uniform, wearing a headband around his head.
"Lin Zhengquan. His Celestial Drive is chanical Prosthetics. Once summoned, he can cover his limbs with these chanical prosthetics. He is a Tier 2 Exorcist, and also the one among us closest to reaching Tier 3."
Sakura Bud nodded.
Fuyuyama Nobunaga rested with his eyes closed, showing clear disdain. Kyomori covered his face with his folding fan, silently appraising the group. Haihara Ritsu stood with his hands behind his back, a soft, harmless smile plastered on his face.
Finally, the gazes of all eight people converged on Blue Arc, who hadn't said a single word since the introductions began.
Blue Arc crossed his arms, raising an index finger clad in a tal glove to point at himself inquisitively.
He didn't speak, but his gesture seed to ask: 'Do I really need to introduce myself?'
All eight people shook their heads simultaneously, giving him ample face. Who didn't know this Chinese superstar? Even in Japan, Blue Arc's popularity was just as sky-high. Just walking through a shopping mall, one could see various exquisite Blue Arc figurines and posters being sold in the display windows.
"Then that settles it..." Blue Arc, still with his arms crossed, let out a low chuckle from behind his helt. "Here's to a pleasant cooperation. I hope we can catch the entire White Raven Brigade in one net."
Right at that mont, Black Cocoon, who was sitting by the mahogany railing on the second floor and eavesdropping on their conversation using his Restraining Band Senses, felt his vision go dark.
He thought to himself, 'You've got to be kidding ... Are these Japanese guys joking? Are they seriously going to use these minnows to fight the White Raven Brigade? I feel like the Long-Lived Lovesick Hag alone could slaughter them all.'
Black Cocoon sighed silently. "As expected, the Japanese are incredibly unreliable... Good thing I had the foresight to seek out my old man beforehand."
He had originally hoped to spot so standout figures within the core bodyguard team that would make his eyes light up.
But from the looks of it, the Japanese were either hiding their true strength or completely lacked a clear understanding of the White Raven Brigade's combat prowess. In any case, there was no need to hold out hope for them; he would just have to rely on himself.
"May I ask a question, Mr. Blue Arc?" Sakura Bud asked, suddenly speaking up as she looked at him.
"Of course," Blue Arc replied. "What's on your mind?"
Sakura Bud rested her hand on her katana hilt, hesitating for a second.
She was clearly still confused about last night's events. At the ti, that mysterious bandaged man had suddenly appeared and helped her rescue the hostages. Afterward, during a live news broadcast aired to all of Japan, he had drawn a picture of Tun Yin and casually ntioned, "Blue Arc and dogs are not allowed inside."
It was evident... this mysterious bandaged man nad Black Cocoon must have a pretty good relationship with Blue Arc and Tun Yin.
Thinking of this, Sakura Bud asked, "May I ask what your relationship with Black Cocoon is?"
Black Cocoon was just starting to feel a bit sleepy, but to his surprise, he heard his own na. His eyes beneath the restraining bands brightened slightly as he perked up, full of energy, and pricked up his ears.
"Good friend... Good friend... Good friend."
Black Cocoon clenched his fists, cheering Blue Arc on in his heart and silently urging him to admit their relationship.
He sent a text ssage to Blue Arc's phone.
After a mont of silence, Blue Arc's pocket suddenly vibrated. He took out his phone and glanced at it.
[Black Cocoon: Good friend, Good friend, Tomodachi.]
As if worried Blue Arc wouldn't know the phrase, he had specifically annotated it in three different languages.
Blue Arc skimd the contents of the text ssage. Then, in a chillingly cold voice, he spoke at an unhurried pace:
"We aren't close at all."
He paused, hesitating for a mont before continuing, "Hmm... A punk like him who has no real power but loves to play tricks can't even be called a criminal. He's like a stray dog on the side of the road—whenever you see him, it's hard not to want to kick him."
"Agreed," Su Zimai, who had been silent the whole ti, suddenly chid in.
Up on the second floor, a solitary and helpless Black Cocoon hung his head low, drawing circles on the floor with his finger.
It seed he was already brainstorming how to torture these damn siblings once they got ho.
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