2:00 AM on August 12th, Osaka Bookstore.
The night was already deep, and the inside and outside of the bookstore were quiet. But you could faintly hear the sound of cicadas coming from the street. Su Wei sat on a swivel chair, drinking tea and reading a book, while Black Cocoon hung upside down from the ceiling, quietly reading "Shounen Jump".
After a while, the phone in the pocket of his trench coat suddenly rang, a "ding-dong" notification sound popped up.
Black Cocoon raised an eyebrow, took out his phone, and glanced at the ssage that popped up at the top of the screen from Gu Qiye.
[Gu Qiye: The ti for action has been set, at 12:00 AM on August 14th.]
[Gu Qiye: Rainbow Wings won’t necessarily deploy everyone, they’ll leave two people to guard Osaka... Currently unsure if the ones guarding Osaka will be people from the Salvation Society. If they are, we need to think about how to split up and act accordingly.]
[Black Cocoon: Understood, just let know how Rainbow Wings allocates their personnel.]
"Is it a ssage from Qiye?" Su Wei picked up his cup and took a sip of tea.
"At 12:00 AM on August 14th, Rainbow Wings will reach Naless Island and launch an offensive against the Light-Eating Bee race." Black Cocoon said while typing, "Rainbow Wings is ruthless, grandpa. It seems they plan to wipe out all the Light-Eating Bees on the island, not sparing a single one."
"That leaves us with two days of leisure ti."
"Exactly, it’s quite like a novelist’s deadline; the closer it gets, the more you can’t panic." Black Cocoon said, "When the ti cos, make sure to keep an eye on my dad, I’m really worried he might cause so accident and ruin things for and my brother."
"Don’t worry, I’ve already reminded him not to act on impulse." Su Wei smiled, "You should rest well and prepare, don’t wander around carelessly. Additionally, your current identity isn’t suited for exposing yourself. If you get targeted by people from the Salvation Society like your sister, it could be troubleso."
"Alright, understood."
Black Cocoon said, raising his eyes from the comic book, tapping the phone screen with the restraint belt, he sent a few ssages to Gu Qiye.
[Gu Qiye: You say the condition for the Bee King’s birth is for the Bee Princes to devour each other?]
[Black Cocoon: That’s correct, it’s highly likely. But it seems the Bee Princes don’t know about this yet.]
[Gu Qiye: How co? Maybe they just don’t want to kill each other?]
[Black Cocoon: I’m not sure, I feel like there’s an issue with the Queen Bee, causing the Bee Princes to be unaware that the secret to becoming king is to eat their brothers alive.]
[Gu Qiye: Is that so.]
[Black Cocoon: Anyway, during your operation, try to separate the Bee Princes and defeat them individually. Don’t let them have a chance to consu other Bee Princes’ corpses.]
[Gu Qiye: Got it, that’s exactly what the upper echelon wants as well, and Rainbow Wings’ supercarrier Garfield has left many drones on the island to monitor every move of the Bee Race.]
[Gu Qiye: So, we’ll take advantage of the Bee Princes being scattered to launch an attack on the island, defeating them one by one.]
"Stop chatting with Qiye, let him get so rest early too." Su Wei interjected unexpectedly.
"No worries, how can my brother compare to regular people? He’s practically a superhuman." Black Cocoon shrugged, "Fun fact, back when we were in school, he only slept two hours a day without any problems. Not to ntion he’s now evolved even further, I think he doesn’t need sleep anymore."
"Nonsense." Su Wei scolded, neither cold nor warm, "Don’t just rely on your brother, let him rest well too."
"Alright."
Black Cocoon squinted his eyes, shook his head, sighed heavily, and thought to himself that getting his identity exposed cos with so many difficulties, always being nagged by elders, it’s really annoying to listen.
He humd a tune while lowering his head, tapping away on the phone with the restraint belt, replying to Gu Qiye’s ssage.
[Black Cocoon: Very cool, indeed in Rainbow Wings, schoolchildren are a force to be reckoned with. Maybe the creator of this world is indeed a die-hard schoolchild. Let’s not chat anymore, your good grandpa suggests you rest early.]
[Gu Qiye: Grandpa, such a strange word, honestly when it cos down to it, I may not be able to think of him as one of my own.]
[Gu Qiye: Not familiar, after all.]
[Black Cocoon: No worries, your whole family is like that, just love to catch your own kind and beat them up, I’ve long been accustod to it.]
After sending the ssage, Black Cocoon lifted his eyes from the phone, looking at Su Wei with a profound expression hanging upside down.
"What’s wrong?" Su Wei asked gently, "Unhappy after being scolded by ?"
"Uh... actually, I think you could show yourself earlier, that way my brother won’t have to work so hard." Black Cocoon scratched his chin, finding a way to counter Su Wei’s words.
"Back then, I didn’t know how to face you all, honestly... if it weren’t for you accidentally coming to find , I might have never known how to face you kids." Su Wei said softly, pushing the brewed tea forward.
"Oh oh, now I see why all my siblings are so awkward and difficult, it’s passed down from you, our grandad." Black Cocoon spread his hands, jokingly said, while using the restraint belt to slowly pick up the teacup from the counter.
Then he took off his mask, letting the restraint belt hold him up, and leaned down to sip the hot tea. The heat burned his tongue, making him click his tongue, suspecting that his grandfather was secretly plotting revenge.
Gu Wenyu sighed softly, fanning the tea with the restraint belt while asking Su Wei:
"Where’s my old man? Haven’t seen him all night, is he going to rush in for a surprise family reunion while I’m unmasked? Just like so Diaper Demon."
"He’s exercising in the basent." Su Wei took a sip of tea and remarked, "Fortunately, the basent is large and deep enough with good soundproofing. Otherwise, with the disturbance his ability makes, I’d be constantly dragged off for tea."
Gu Wenyu leaned close to the teacup again, got burnt again, decided not to drink tea, and quietly placed the cup back on the table with the restraint belt, putting his mask back on and pressing the lock button beside his ear.
He thought for a mont, then lifted his head, "Speaking of which, I still don’t know how strong my old man is now."
"I sparred with him several rounds today." Su Wei slowly said, "Compared to when he was just a small-ti criminal, ’Ghost Bell,’ he’s improved quite a bit and his power has surpassed most Catastrophe Levels, almost approaching the Lake Hunting people."
He paused, "If he had this kind of power twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to entrust Su Ying to him back then."
"People always grow amidst regret, but sotis the price is too heavy." Black Cocoon spoke, suddenly tilting his head as if discovering sothing remarkable, "Oh? So you were paying attention to Ghost Bell back then too, what was the trigger?"
"I was just worried that Qiye might be killed by him, so I monitored Ghost Bell for a period of ti and even studied his abilities out of boredom. Once when Qiye fought him, I pitched in to assist."
Su Wei said, shaking his head and sighing, "But never did I expect you to tell in the end that my dear son-in-law is Ghost Bell, my feelings were so complicated."
"It’s alright, Grandfather." Black Cocoon nodded, expressing deep sympathy, then said rhythmically, "In this family, I’m afraid there will be many more things to complicate your feelings. Welco to our Gu family."
He paused: "So, what exactly is my old man’s ability now?"
"He can actively control the hour hand’s position on the Clock Tower, aning he can choose any of the twelve abilities he needs, as well as his ti suspension incrented from one second to..." Su Wei’s voice suddenly stopped.
He squinted slightly, slowly turning his head to look outside the door.
From outside the bookstore ca a sound of air being torn. Suddenly, a gust of wind descended over the streets of Osaka, dimming the myriad neon signs montarily like candles snuffed out by the wind.
Black Cocoon paused slightly, closed his "Shonen Jump," placed it silently on the shelf, and then turned to look outside the bookstore.
"Hmm... what’s going on?" he asked, "I didn’t expect custors at this hour to visit the bookstore?"
"It should be the Bee Prince from the Light-Eating Bee race, nad ’Qiao.’" Su Wei said, "He was still reading in my store yesterday."
Black Cocoon hesitated for a mont, squinting his eyes, "Grandfather, you sure have plenty of custors in this store, seems like I should consider whether I’d be borrowing books that the Bee Prince wants before taking them out."
Su Wei remained silent, his facial expression still calm but a hint of seriousness could be seen from his gaze behind the lenses.
He could sense it; that strange, dignified aura wasn’t singular, outside the bookstore, there were at least two entities of the sa level—indicating Great Bee Lord "Qiao" didn’t co alone! He brought another Bee Prince.
"Wenyu, hide yourself." Su Wei instructed, "Under no circumstances should you reveal yourself unless I give my consent, hurry!"
Black Cocoon squinted silently, nodded quietly, wrapped himself into a huge, pitch-black cocoon with the restraint belt, and then the cocoon slowly vanished.
He wouldn’t doubt Su Wei’s decision; after all, the latter has been a veteran Catastrophe Level stronghold, his judgnt should be more accurate than his own. Soon, true to his prediction, two peculiar and stern figures approached from outside the store.
Their footsteps were gentle, seemingly without hostility. Yet Su Wei’s Spirit remained tense.
Qiao walked into the bookstore, his long tail raised up, his dark golden eyes cold yet bright;
Following him was a slender figure with a human female face—her pupils were blue, dressed in a sea-blue dress, short hair adorned with a blue bow, and a pair of enormous wings on her back.
"You brought a friend this ti?" Su Wei adjusted his glasses and then asked Qiao.
"Yes, this is Caron, the Third Bee Prince of our race." Qiao introduced.
"Is she here to read books as well?"
"No, her wings can turn invisible, allowing to fly away from the island without being detected. This way, those superpower users won’t be attracted here." Qiao said, "Since I’m the guest, I should behave like one, trying not to cause trouble for you."
"Nice, turns out you have so manners." Su Wei chuckled softly.
"Qiao, being friends with humans... if Her Majesty the Queen Bee finds out, that would be problematic." Caron said softly, pressing a finger to her chin.
Qiao remained expressionless. But in the next mont, he suddenly raised his head, looking up at the bookstore ceiling.
The ceiling appeared blank, yet he stared intently. A while later, Qiao turned back, casting his cold gaze toward Su Wei, almost speaking word by word:
"You also brought along a friend?"
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