Chapter 181

Chapter 181: The Scapegoat (Three-In-One)

Hayato Shigenobu, boldly snatching a hostage in front of everyone, was a master of audacity—and successfully froze the situation.  

Wei Shi strode heavily toward Hayato, the black scales on his body clinking like metal with each step.  

The qigong user tensed, ready to retaliate for the earlier electrocution, but the hostage forced restraint.  

“Why are you here?” Wei Shi hoisted Liu Longfei up, glaring coldly at Hayato.  

Secretly, he slipped an apple slice hidden between his scales into his mouth to heal. Compared to natural regeneration, the items Mi Xiaoliu provided were far more effective. Though slower, the apples defied the laws of thermodynamics.  

“Little sis was crying for her dad, so I came to check.” Hayato’s grin didn’t waver. “How could I refuse? What if she punched me with her tiny fists?”  

Ignoring context, it sounded heartwarming.  

Wei Shi knew better but wouldn’t address Hayato’s disobedience now. Reckoning later.  

He glanced at Liu Longfei, then shot Hayato a look.  

What’s the point of grabbing him ?  

Few knew the governor’s nephew was an ability user—a fact suppressed to maintain his “ordinary” image.  

LV3 Flesh Manipulation, similar to Wei Shi’s ability but with a very different application—hence why Hayato kept slapping him around.  

His most grotesque trick? Peeling off chunks of fat like clay and sticking them onto others.  

Limitations:  

– Fat couldn’t stray more than 10 meters from his body.  

– Attached fat couldn’t move much or function as surveillance.  

– Extremely niche.  

Disgusting? Yes. But Wei Shi had considered it a unique disguise method—until thermal vision confirmed the governor’s nephew was just a glory-seeking parasite.  

“The governor’s shielded by qi. Even time-stop can’t touch him.” Hayato shrugged. “But you hate this fatass anyway, right? Same difference.”  

Despite the tension, Humpback Whale remained cross-legged on the ground: “Kid, how much longer can your body hold out? It’s been years since you took that superpower drug. You’re running on fumes.”  

Wei Shi’s glare was icy: “I told you what happened back then. I don’t blame you for not helping. But if you stand in my way now—you die.”  

Humpback Whale paused. “I tried legal channels. Almost succeeded… Forced ability evolution hurts, doesn’t it? How much longer can you last? Let the innocent go. He didn’t know.”  

Hayato shot Wei Shi a surprised look. The Boss never mentioned side effects. Wei Shi had never used inhibitors in front of him or Mi Xiaoliu.  

“Innocent?” Hayato’s smirk turned vicious. “Stats say he scams college girls yearly—leaking their nudes online before ghosting them to find new targets.”  

Intel from Hermit.  

Liu Longfei flushed, stammering denials. Some of the cops’ stares turned sharp—some young vigilantes visibly hoped Hayato would pull the trigger.  

Without the governor’s presence, a few might’ve stormed in, encouraging the hostage’s demise.  

Wei Shi glared again. Useless hostage, now even more useless.  

“Don’t act rashly. The kid beside him likely has time-stop,” Humpback Whale warned the others.  

The Clown Girl had traded group intel for a lighter sentence. Though she didn’t know identities, the limited roster made guessing easy—especially after Wei Shi name-dropped Hayato’s codename.  

“State your demands. Don’t harm the hostage,” the governor urged, unfazed by Liu Longfei’s exposed crimes.  

Yet knowing he was the real target, he didn’t offer to trade places—instead edging closer to the qigong user.  

All eyes turned to the precog, pressuring him for a solution.  

“Don’t provoke him. All his malice is directed at the governor… But don’t let him stall. Reinforcements are coming.”  

Wei Shi frowned. Reinforcements? Did Night Hawk miss someone in the merc roster?  

“Boss, what’s the play?” Hayato asked.  

Unaware of Wei Shi’s physical state, he didn’t know if his leader could still dominate. If Humpback Whale was right, retreating with the fatty as leverage might be wise—but Wei Shi wouldn’t quit before killing the governor.  

“Where’s Princess?” Wei Shi muttered.  

“With her little boyfriend. All over each other—probably kissing by now.” Hayato embellished.  

Wei Shi’s brow furrowed deeper. Liu Longfei squealed as his arm nearly pulped in the armored grip.  

Some young vigilantes cheered internally.  

Wei Shi turned to the governor: “Remember me? Codename Black Shark. LV4 Physical Enhancement… Or should I say—Scapegoat?”  

You call this physical enhancement?  

Everyone’s faces twitched.

The governor’s face paled, his palms slick with sweat. Now he understood why this assassin had come.  

Black Shark—a Superhuman Police officer with an unshakable sense of justice.  

Like the governor, he was a complex adult. When encountering fake beggars, he acted on whims—sometimes ignoring them, other times exposing their scams.  

During his tenure, he’d uncovered 130+ fake beggars in Fanzui City—many earning more than him.  

Hot-tempered, yet fiercely protective of his subordinates.  

Graduating from the police academy 25 years ago, his physical enhancement ability wasn’t exceptional—commonplace among ability users.  

Strengthened limbs. Reinforced skin. Dense bones. Full-body upgrades. But morphing his anatomy? Rare.  

“He’s strong—top of his class. But not quite Humpback Whale’s level.” 

(In Humpback Whale’s own words.)  

Wei Shi was lucky, as if blessed by protagonist halo. Cases found him, and he solved them flawlessly. Investigation, counter-surveillance, tracking, deduction—all mastered.  

Before Officer Chen’s transfer to Fanzui City, Wei Shi had been Superhuman Police Captain.  

A life winner—until that incident.  

Many knew he’d once had a perfect family.  

A beautiful wife. A brilliant daughter. Healthy parents…  

All dead, because his identity leaked.  

Before stumbling into the Night Hawk network, he’d blamed a child snapping his masked face during an arrest. Even now, he hated cameras.  

Normal people knew not to photograph Superhuman Police unmasked. But the world had “special” kids with “unique” perspectives.  

Like those moviegoers who wanted Spider-Man’s identity exposed—”OMG, dorky Peter Parker is Spider-Man?!”—without considering the consequences.  

Or ability users like Hermit, whose psychometry could unmask anyone.  

Wei Shi had never been patient. Had a child truly caused his family’s deaths, he’d have crushed them without remorse.  

So the Superhuman Police Captain turned to Night Hawk for truth—and uncovered a disgusting, absurd farce.  

—  

The Story (Starring Liu Longfei):  

Years ago, Liu Longfei lived in Fanzui City—fat, but not grotesquely so.  

Academically trash. Zero talents. Only hobbies? Badminton—if “standing still, waiting for the birdie to land” counted.  

Born to be a nepo baby.  

Then he awakened a useless ability—the kind that doomed most to poverty. Yet instead of despairing, he dreamed of becoming a hero.  

Leveraging his uncle’s connections, he joined the Superhuman Police—padding his fat to fill out an old combat suit, posing as a muscular powerhouse.  

But fat masquerading as muscle was still fat.  

Daydreaming of glory, he never honed his ability.  

During missions, he was slowest, ate most, and did least. Others charged ahead, hoping he wouldn’t screw up.  

In the Superhuman Police, no one respected him. Every officer had a role—his was being useless decor.  

(Even Jim was more helpful.)  

Of course he resented this—until his “big break”, arriving first at a gang’s drug deal, firing wildly, and accidentally hitting a gas tank, exploding a car and scaring off the buyers.  

Gunplay > Abilities.  

Among the dead? A gang leader’s son.  

A nobody gang. Even with eyewitness accounts of Liu Longfei’s ability, they couldn’t touch FBI data.  

(Today, hacking the FBI is easy. Back then? Not so much.)  

But this was the peak of the Superpower Drugs chaos—when even street thugs could score drugs, thanks to the Brotherhood, a since-crushed syndicate.  

The nobody gang kidnapped the governor’s son, mailing a fingernail as warning: “Cooperate, or we’ll send more.”  

No ransom. Just one demand: “Who’s the flesh-morphing cop?”  

The governor raged—until a bullet grazed his forehead.  

LV3 “Sure Hit” ability user.

(Common back then, now mostly bedridden from Black Element.)  

With his son hostage, the governor folded.  

But selling out his nephew? Never. Admitting Liu Longfei’s identity would guarantee his son’s death.  

So he chose a scapegoat—someone with a similar ability.  

The gang couldn’t tell who was under the mask. They only knew the codename and power.  

Wei Shi, an LV4, would never learn why his family died. During the drug frenzy, every cop had arrested gangsters. Who could track all their grudges?  

Guilt-ridden, the governor transferred Liu Longfei to obscurity. The clueless fatty thought his “heroics” earned him a promotion to the Intelligence Bureau.

This simple story cost Wei Shi’s entire family.  

Learning the truth, beyond rage, he felt insulted. This was why? Not even a kid’s photo?  

He’d fought crime as Captain, only to be sacrificed for a worthless coward.  

Disgusting. Nauseating. The ultimate humiliation.  

He still remembered his daughter’s bright smile at the dinner table: “Dad! I got into the Metropolis University!”  

As for seeking justice through the law… He’d tried. The result spoke for itself.  

Killing the governor would be faster.  

“I don’t know you. Friend, there must be some misunderstanding.” The governor feigned ignorance.  

This was the one misdeed in his otherwise spotless career. How could it warrant death?  

“Don’t know me? Fine.” Wei Shi’s laugh was icy. “Then how about a hostage exchange? Or… making him your scapegoat?”  

The governor stayed silent. He knew agreeing meant no return.  

“Uncle, save me!” Liu Longfei—deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau—whimpered pathetically.  

Hayato glanced at Wei Shi.  

“Take him as leverage and go. I’ll handle one more here.” Wei Shi’s tone was flat. “If they chase, kill him.”  

“Roger that, Boss. Put in a good word for me with Hermit later~”  

In a blink, Hayato and Liu Longfei reappeared meters away, the gun still pressed to the fatty’s head. The shredded pants hinted at how Hayato had moved him.  

The battle reignited. Humpback Whale finally moved.  

They were police. Even if Wei Shi’s target was a civilian, duty demanded intervention.  

This time, Wei Shi clashed directly with the qigong user while fending off Humpback Whale’s strikes.  

One man overpowering two. Even without his side-effect-laden abilities, biological mimicry alone devastated them:

– Electric eel-level volts.  

– Mantis shrimp-speed punches that vaporized river sections on impact.  

– A single clean hit could cripple even the Humpback Whale.  

The qigong user paled. What the hell? The precog said he was at his limit!  

Yet Wei Shi had used Hayato’s diversion to devour Mi Xiaoliu’s apple slices—fully healing. They weren’t the only ones with “Senzu Beans.”  

As for the hundred Superhuman Police? Like Humpback Whale versus the mercenaries, they were cannon fodder. Only those useful at range survived, the rest died escorting the governor—only to find Wei Shi’s rage followed wherever they fled.  

Even while retreating, the governor worried for his nephew. As Yiwen said: “What a good person.” (Sarcastic.)

“Calm down, kid! I hired a mind-reader—”  

“No naivety. I want one outcome.”  

“What about Mi Xiaoliu? The police know her identity!”  

That froze Wei Shi for one second.  

Amid the chaos, the forgotten virus ability user slipped away—targeting Hayato.  

No need to fight that monster.  

With Wei Shi’s virus immunity gone, he struck, paralyzing Hayato instantly. Time-stop? Useless against neurotoxins.  

Just as planned, Hayato collapsed.  

Too easy.  

—  

“Ten seconds to answer. Or I’ll drain your body heat faster.”  

As the redhead spoke, Yiwen felt Mi Xiaoliu go cold in her arms—unnatural for summer.  

“Wait, stop! What are you doing?!” Yiwen clutched Mi Xiaoliu’s hands, rubbing warmth into them.  

Wasn’t this injured woman a police officer? Why hurt Mi Xiaoliu?  

Mi Xiaoliu hugged herself, uncomfortable but not suffering.  

“I said STOP!”  

Yiwen tackled the redhead—aggravating her wounds with a pained hiss.  

“Jingyin, no! She’s badly hurt!” Enoch, crushed beneath them, pleaded. “There’s got to be a misunderstanding!”  

In too much pain to resist, the redhead returned Mi Xiaoliu’s body heat. “White Whale. Do you realize what you’re doing?”  

Yiwen eased the pressure.  

They’ve investigated me. Even know my codename.  

“Why are you two at each other’s throats? Talk it out!” Enoch helped his sister-in-law up, utterly lost.  

What’s wrong with Mi Xiaoliu?  

“Don’t you see, little White Whale?” The redhead smiled weakly. “That ‘boy’ wasn’t kidnapped. She came to assassinate the governor.”  

“What? Mi Xiaoliu’s just a shadow user! Why would—” Yiwen turned—only to find Mi Xiaoliu staring at the distant battle.  

Wei Shi dominated. The only concern was whether he’d accidentally kill the Humpback Whale.  

(Mi Xiaoliu gave him so many apples. All she got was “Good job”—no allowance.)  

Farther away—barely visible—Liu Longfei wrestled the gun from Hayato, jamming his sausage fingers against the trigger, aiming at Hayato’s head.  

“Xiaoliu?” Yiwen’s stomach dropped. “Let’s go. This violence… it’s not for us.”  

“No.” Mi Xiaoliu shook her head.  

“Xiaoliu, listen—” Yiwen reached for her hand.  

She was starting to understand.  

“No.” Mi Xiaoliu pulled away.  

“Don’t you get it, White Whale? She is Multitool’s subor—”  

A flicker of blinding light.  

“You little b*tch—”  

Sweet Mi Xiaoliu became ruthless Mi Xiaoliu.  

Legs braced, she hefted a comically oversized energy cannon—mismatched against her petite frame.  

Under Yiwen and Enoch’s shell-shocked stares and the redhead’s “I knew it” glare, blue flames erupted from the barrel.  

Streaks of azure plasma arc across the sky—avoiding the battlefield—before converging on Liu Longfei.  

Bullets from nowhere—heavy machine-gun rounds—scythed through the air, reducing the fatty to minced meat.  

Yiwen’s brain: (Insert “Mom’s Spaghetti” meme here)  

“Good… sis…” Hayato, still paralyzed.  

“Tch.” Wei Shi clicked his tongue. Bad luck, Hayato.  

Yiwen’s wish for Mi Xiaoliu to be stronger?  

It has been granted.

[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]