Chapter 180

Chapter 180: State Your Purpose (Two-In-One)

“Why didn’t you even try to resist? You can control shadows, can’t you? Or did he trick you with candy or something?”  

Yiwen gritted her teeth, gripping Mi Xiaoliu’s shoulders and spinning her around like a top.  

If Sasha had a physical form, her eyes would’ve lit up: “Master, look at this little white-haired brat! Doesn’t this feel familiar? She’s basically Gloria 2.0! So mean—Master, let’s not play with her anymore.”  

To summarize: While lost, Yiwen had once again overdrawn her already-depleted luck reserves and miraculously stumbled upon Mi Xiaoliu—sitting in a bike basket after being kidnapped.  

Running into her “boyfriend” in a foreign city had stunned her, but at least he wasn’t hurt.  

What infuriated her was how Mi Xiaoliu hadn’t even attempted to fight back. The kidnapper hadn’t even been armed—just scooped her up and sprinted off like a track star.  

For someone who could instakill pseudo-humans and hailed from the Fallen City, a place even more chaotic than Fanzui City, this was pathetic. Look at Dias—middle-schooler, yet he kicked bullets and tried to shield his crush as a hostage!  

Sure, she had a Mi Xiaoliu Growth Plan, but she didn’t want him turning into some timid “prodigy” this early.  

For a moment, she even envied that little b*tch—who had people willing to take bullets for her despite her crimes.  

Whatever. At least this was the safest approach. That guy seemed to be a spatial ability user—could snatch hostages barehanded within his range.  

So much for “spatial abilities are ultra-rare.” Two in two months, each more annoying than the last.  

Meanwhile, Hayato Shigenobu was even more miserable.  

Under immense pressure, he pedaled furiously, baffled. Why am I the only one getting attacked? Why not the kid?  

Only when Yiwen screamed “Let Xiaoliu go and I’ll spare you!” did it click. Her identity’s still hidden—they think I’m a kidnapper!  

Is this the legendary “beauty brings calamity” in action?  

Without hesitation, he ditched the bike—and Mi Xiaoliu—then froze time and dove into a trash bin, sulking as he watched the two flirt. Maybe if I report this to the Boss, he’ll avenge me. At least break that brat’s leg?  

This time-stop felt slightly strained. Gravitational disturbances did affect space-time to some degree. Even his movements during the pause required “must reach that spot” precision.  

Yiwen finally stopped spinning. Dizzy, Mi Xiaoliu slumped against her chest—flat yet slightly more endowed than his own—steadying himself as Yiwen’s freshly washed jasmine scent enveloped him.  

By contrast, after three or four days on the run without bathing, Mi Xiaoliu carried only a faint grassy-mud aroma. Not unpleasant, but odd for a fair-skinned “boy.”  

“You’re doing this on purpose, you little pervert.” Yiwen flushed but didn’t push him away.  

No one’s around anyway, and I’m dressed as a girl now.  

If anything, she felt a flicker of pride. At least I’m not completely flat. Guess I can still attract boys.  

“Why’d you get kidnapped again? Both of us vanished at once—do you know how worried Mom is?”  

Hugging Mi Xiaoliu’s head, Yiwen grumbled. This isn’t even Fanzui City. How does he keep getting snatched the second I’m gone? That “premium hostage treatment” kidnapping ring again?  

That school nurse’s personality was bound to make enemies. Now her “son” pays the price. Good thing he’s got a reliable girlfriend like me.  

Then again, every major city had kidnappers. The more prosperous the city, the higher the risk—human traffickers loved “tender” urban kids.  

Mi Xiaoliu was pretty if you looked closely. But at thirteen, he was too old to sell as a “forgettable” child, and not a girl either…  

Letting that scumbag escape—so annoying!  

Mi Xiaoliu stayed silent, clinging to her to avoid falling, face buried in her chest—which Yiwen fully interpreted as intentional.  

“Whatever. Come back to the inn with me. We’ll head home together tomorrow.” Her cheeks burned again.  

Her remaining 200 mira definitely couldn’t cover another room and two bus tickets home. So… no choice.  

Earlier, I fantasized about renting a room alone with Mi Xiaoliu. Now fate delivers!  

But then—where was the inn?  

She scanned the area. Nothing looked familiar.  

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted in the distance—far louder than firecrackers, followed by unsilenced gunfire.  

After a year in Fanzui City, Yiwen knew that sound too well. But this was Sunshine City—since when did local Superhuman Police engage in all-out warfare?  

Carrying Mi Xiaoliu, she soared upward, spotting muzzle flashes two blocks away. Even the cursing had a distinct foreign mercenary accent.  

A car—financed to oblivion—engulfed in flames, whizzed past her and embedded itself into an apartment building also mortgaged to oblivion.  

Small-town Superhuman Police going this hard? Rare.  

Yiwen immediately flew the opposite direction.  

I’m on vacation. Not a local. Even if I weren’t, I wouldn’t risk Mi Xiaoliu’s safety to play the hero.  

But the farther she fled from the police station, the more unfamiliar the surroundings grew—even residential areas thinning out.  

Yeah, definitely the wrong way.  

Then her sharp eyes caught a monstrous shape leaping into the sky, its whale-like cry audible kilometers away.  

“…”  

No way. Sunshine City’s nowhere near the ocean. Where did I even get lost?

For a moment, Yiwen thought she had crossed worlds again.  

Though she didn’t know what was happening, it was clear that direction was a no-go.  

Just as she was about to change course, she felt Mi Xiaoliu tug at her clothes—right at her chest, with unmistakable force.  

“Mmm~” Yiwen let out a delicate, involuntary sound.  

Of course it was obvious! The boy had pinched the fabric between his thumb and forefinger, conveniently grazing a certain protrusion through both cloth and bra. No way that wasn’t on purpose.  

She swatted his offending hand away and glared.  

If he’s like this now, what’ll happen if we share a room tonight? She didn’t dare imagine.  

Mi Xiaoliu, oblivious, pointed toward where the whale had leaped.  

She wanted to go there.  

She knew the Boss’s ability.  

—  

The car plunged into the water, airbags deploying—but protected by qigong, it survived the impact.  

Airbags were great for cushioning collisions, but they became obstacles when trying to escape a submerged vehicle. For the governor, this wasn’t an issue, but Liu Longfei—stuffed into the passenger seat—was screwed.  

Bodyguards hauled their VIPs to safety. Liu Longfei’s bulk, however, made extraction a nightmare.  

This is unwinnable. What is that thing? Why target the governor?  

From the moment that prehistoric leviathan erupted from the river, the redhead knew something was off.  

Standing on hastily conjured ice, she stared into the depths.  

The massive creature had vanished, replaced by something slightly larger than a human. “Something”—because she couldn’t confirm it was alive.  

Sub-zero body. Heat-resistant shell. Boiling water and extreme cold had no effect. Even thick ice only trapped it briefly before it vaporized the frozen barrier with sudden heat.  

“Move!” the precog shouted.  

The redhead leaped back—too late. A projectile shattered the ice, severing her arm at the elbow.  

Agony nearly made her bite through her tongue.  

Pistol shrimp hunting technique. The mantis shrimp’s strike could eject water at 100 km/h.  

But this range and power defied biology.  

Wasn’t this supposed to be Multitool? What is this?  

She cauterized the stump with searing heat.  

The qigong user, electrocuted into unconsciousness, was out of commission. Thankfully, LV3s still provided backup.  

“Non-combatants, evacuate the governor! We’ll hold it here!” The redhead kept freezing the water.  

High temperatures should’ve countered her—but in this environment, hotter water froze faster.  

Sorry, mysterious assassin, but water is my domain.  

Her triumph lasted two seconds.  

“Off the ice! Incoming AoE!” the precog yelled, shoving Liu Longfei’s bulk across the frozen surface.  

A crimson glow erupted beneath the ice—blinding in the night.  

They barely reached shore before a laser vaporized the river, shooting skyward.  

The beam was visible for miles—even Humpback Whale, just reaching the residential district, saw it.  

Then, the submerged thing emerged.  

Slender, spiked tail. Fleshy wings. Claws. Heat-resistant scales covering every inch—like an armored demon king. Only its slowly regenerating chest hinted at vulnerability.  

—  

“Kid, tend the wounded.” Humpback Whale cracked his neck, eyeing the distant laser.  

Gone was his coat, replaced by form-fitting leather armor and his signature luchador mask. The tank barrel he’d twisted off like a pretzel dangled from one hand, radiating menace.  

To allies, it radiated reassurance. 

The tank—improvised by a mercenary metallurgist—had been a roadblock until Humpback Whale unmade it.  

The mercenary ambush, meant to stall the Superhuman Police, ended the instant he arrived.  

Best-case scenario for those mercs? Getting embedded in a wall. Humpback Whale’s ability wasn’t flashy—it just made everyone else look mediocre.  

Some might’ve preferred death. At least that paid better.

Enoch, meanwhile, vomited pathetically—cementing his resolve to never partner with Humpback Whale in Fanzui City.  

His job was simple, dose each wounded with stimulants to stabilize them.  

“You’re back up from downtown?” The local police captain exhaled in relief, eyeing Humpback Whale’s skull-crushing hands and opting against a handshake.  

“Yeah. Governor’s that way?” Humpback Whale jerked his chin toward the laser.  

“We were pinned down—I’ll mobilize units now.”  

If the governor dies here, my career’s over. Half the Superhuman Police brass will get purged too.  

Enoch, spotting the laser, whimpered: “Mr. Humpback Whale, I need a break—”  

Humpback Whale yanked him up.  

Break? A walking Senzu Bean doesn’t get breaks. Not with lives on the line.  

Leaping like the Hulk, Humpback Whale closed the distance in bounds—pausing midair to exchange mutually stunned glances with Yiwen, who hovered afar with Mi Xiaoliu.  

The scene he arrived at was grim.  

Four LV4s: one missing limbs, one unconscious, one combat-ineffective, and one clutching a shattered knee in existential crisis.  

Viruses failed—the target wasn’t human. Even successful infections lasted seconds before Wei Shi chewed an antidote herb.  

Mi Xiaoliu’s MVP move. 

The governor’s survival hinged on LV3s buying seconds.  

Which is why Humpback Whale always said only the qigong user was truly useful.  

“Reinforcements are close,” the precog panted.  

Enoch dosed the fighters with stimulants, then helped the redhead—his sister-in-law, whose connections had smoothed his vigilante path—retreat.  

The qigong user, revived by stims, gritted his teeth.  

No more mistakes. No letting Wei Shi close.  

The tide was turning.  

“Be careful,” the redhead warned. “His ability’s abnormal. He doesn’t just mimic creatures—he can temporarily replicate other abilities. Probably once per fight, with severe backlash.”  

Hence his injured chest upon emerging—forced evolution’s toll.  

“His body’s under immense strain. Almost like… Black Element?” the precog noted.  

Humpback Whale studied the figure before him—familiar, yet alien.  

He grinned.  

“Long time no see, little bro.”  

Wei Shi remained silent.  

“So, what brings you here? Your enemies are already dead—you didn’t even spare the newest members of their gang, did you?” Humpback Whale sat down casually, as if they were just catching up rather than squaring off for a fight.  

By now, backup from the small town’s Superhuman Police had arrived, megaphones blaring the usual “surrender for leniency” spiel.  

“You see? It’s not just me. More reinforcements are coming from downtown… You really think you can take on this many people?”  

Humpback Whale was bluffing. Only he and Enoch had come from the city.  

“Friend, if there’s any grievance between us, let’s talk it out. No need for violence.” The governor, sensing an opportunity, tried to mediate.  

Still, Wei Shi said nothing. No attacks, no movements.  

Then the precognitive ability user paled. His eyes flicked upward toward Yiwen and Mi Xiaoliu hovering in the distance before he tried shoving Liu Longfei toward the qigong user: “Protect the deputy director!”  

Too bad his scrawny frame couldn’t budge the mountain of fat. Liu Longfei just glared at him.  

Only then did Wei Shi finally move his lips beneath the armored scales.  

“Hourglass.”  

“Got it. Nobody moves—unless you wanna bet whether his fat can stop bullets.” Hayato Shigenobu materialized out of nowhere, yanking Liu Longfei aside and pressing a gun to his temple.  

No one knew how this bloated idiot had become deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau. 

Inspired by dumb internet videos, he actually tried to disarm Hayato—only to eat a brutal slap and a bullet to the leg.  

The scream was porcine.  

Detective Conan taught us. Shoot a hostage in the leg to hinder their movement, and the kidnapper might abandon them.  

Reality taught us. Kidnappers are unstable. Push them too far, and they’ll do anything.  

—  

“Taking a hostage? With this many Superhuman Police around, it’s basically impossible to succeed.” Yiwen saw the situation clearly and relaxed.  

Standard protocol for hostage-takers was demanding police retreat—but long-range ability users could still intervene covertly.  

Like when Little Demon King was still a beat cop. He loved hostage situations—just disable the gun from a distance and rake in the credit.  

“This is already over.”  

But why did that gunman look so familiar? Wasn’t he the guy who’d kidnapped Mi Xiaoliu earlier?  

Then the boy in her arms began squirming.  

“Stop moving. We’ll talk later.” Yiwen’s face burned.  

“Jingyin!” Enoch, helping his sister-in-law to safety, spotted Yiwen and excitedly reached for his mask—then froze, remembering her scolding from days prior.  

Wait. Is Jingyin holding a guy ? And why does he look like that Mi Xiaoliu kid??  

Jealousy seared through Enoch. They weren’t dating, but he still felt betrayed.  

Damn it. She must see him as a little brother… Yeah, who’d even consider dating a guy like that?  

He quickened his pace toward Yiwen—until the redhead hooked her remaining arm around his neck, stopping him cold.  

Enoch halted, remembering belatedly: Right, can’t run while carrying Sis.  

But her restraint wasn’t about that. Her gaze locked onto the sky. 

“Mi Xiaoliu. State your purpose for being here.”  

Yiwen: “??”  

Enoch: “??”

[Translator’s Note: I really need friends that share the same interests as me. Requirements: Love the Yuri Genre as much as me, and between 20-33 years old. Connect and chat with me on the Discord Server.]

[Translator’s Note: See the index page for this Novel if you want to see the Amazon Link for the eBooks.]

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]