Chapter 187
by Need_More_SleepChapter 187: New Mission
“How’s Bed 905 doing?” an older nurse asked.
“Keeps asking for his phone. Throws things when we don’t give it to him. Does he even realize he’s a prisoner?” a younger nurse complained.
“The little girl next door is much better behaved—just a bit squirmy during IV insertion. Last time, her mom had to step in. I almost wonder if she’s faking it just to see her.”
“Kids are scared of needles, it’s normal… So she just sits there, doing nothing?”
“Sometimes she does homework her mom brought. But should prisoners even be allowed pens?”
“That’s new. Kids these days actually like homework?”
The older nurse glanced at the surveillance feed, where Mi Xiaoliu’s room was. She is sitting in the corner.
Her hands were cuffed with power-suppressing restraints as she doodled with colored pencils.
The nurse had checked her drawings before—imaginative was an understatement. Some were downright eerie, crimson oceans, pale blue suns…
Later, after corrections, she realized Mi Xiaoliu had simply mixed up the crayon colors. At first, she’d suspected hidden messages.
The giant Humpback Whale had spun a tale about the governor’s assassin poisoning the girl, leaving her colorblind as a side effect—all to sway the judge’s sympathy. Poor kid.
Midway through coloring, Mi Xiaoliu froze, staring blankly.
There she goes again. Spacing out.
The nurses stopped paying attention to the adorable little girl—despite her track record suggesting she could escape anytime, maybe even vanish the entire building.
Her appearance was that deceptive. After two days, they’d labeled her a “good kid.” But they were nurses, not prison guards.
Next door, a self-styled “justice warrior” paced his cell.
Rumor had it he’d turned to Black Element after his mom refused to verify his game account. The “compensation” money from his vigilante stint? All spent on microtransactions.
Now he was plotting a jailbreak, trying to pick his cuffs with a wire—only for it to snap inside. His frantic scratching in the security feed was downright comical.
—
Mi Xiaoliu wasn’t actually zoning out.
A holographic window had popped up in her vision, floating midair like a screen.
“The world belongs to the Trisolarans!” Sasha gasped.
The interface was familiar—Night Owl Network, her own account.
Thanks to Sasha’s reminder, Mi Xiaoliu had never removed her beginner combat suit even though it was temporarily inert, so she hadn’t retrieved her Night Owl phone.
Sister Hermit once warned her, if the police catch you, the phone self-destructs.
The Boss had said, If arrested, don’t drag us down. Just end yourself.
Later, Sister Hermit under Wei Shi’s orders was amended. Never suicide. Stay silent, and you’ll be safe.
Over the past two days, countless interrogators had grilled her about Night Owl.
Good cop, bad cop. Officer Chen showed up. Even Lu Mingxue got dragged in for a round of Brain Network torture.
Result? Hypnosis failed. Mind-reading hit dead ends. Direct questions got a blunt “Not telling.”
Three days. Zero progress. Could they beat it out of her? The Humpback Whale would riot. Heli might flex her Lasvedo connections.
Maybe she really doesn’t know? Just a victim.
Even Humpback Whale, who’d spun the lie, almost believed it himself.
—
Mi Xiaoliu didn’t swipe at the air nor did the projection respond—yet it switched to a chat screen.
A single unread message waited.
It opened automatically. The avatar? The Invincible Hobo.
A tiny owl in the corner confirmed the sender as Night Owl (Not a client).
The owl’s wings were spread—a message from a teammate. But unlike others, this owl wore a tiny crown.
[King.3] Prophet: You have a new mission.
Mi Xiaoliu didn’t reply. This was one-way communication—no input possible.
She tilted her head, puzzled.
Group 42 only has four members. None named “Prophet.”
And she’d never seen a title prefix before.
Yiwen once joked. People like that probably paid for VIP access.
The messages continued.
[King.3] Prophet: An easy mission. Stay with the police as Night Owl’s mole.
[King.3] Prophet: No need to report their movements—just watch for Easter agents. “Lose” your phone to them. It’ll explode anyway. You’re now whitelisted—a privilege.
[King.3] Prophet: If they demand miracle herbs, comply. One per week. Stockpile spares. If they ask for a live demo, “summon” one from thin air. If the dream server breaks, find an owl nearby and feed it. Maintenance will contact you later.
(— Wang San)
The message ended abruptly. A 10-second countdown appeared in the window’s corner before it vanished automatically—no option to refuse.
Logically, an undercover mission should never fall to someone like Mi Xiaoliu.
Sasha was stunned. This is as absurd as sending Jim to infiltrate Tian Xing Dao. Not that the police would be that stupid.
But it meant Mi Xiaoliu was whitelisted now—no more Night Owl assassins hunting her, no need to risk stealing police intel.
Unbelievable. That Wang San, with his Tier-1 villain face… is actually on our side? Well, “good” wasn’t the right word for Night Owl members.
But Easter…
Wang San’s warning about Easter moles in the authorities didn’t surprise Sasha.
After everything that happened, even with their data hacks compromised, Easter should’ve narrowed things down. Sasha had considered making Mi Xiaoliu change her identity—though the girl herself resisted.
Are they hesitating because of that thing she’s holding?
A knock interrupted her thoughts. Another policewoman entered—who even knew how many this made by now.
—
Next morning.
Yiwen arrived with her lunchbox as usual.
Her explanation to her mom had been vague, echoing Humpback Whale’s fabricated story.
She’d expected her psychologist mother to see through it—but instead, Raven’s imagination ran wild, and she tearfully rushed to comfort Heli.
Sorry, Mom… but if you graduated, your professors must’ve been asleep at the wheel.
It also made Yiwen realize something. Why did Mom keep hinting for Toby to look after Mi Xiaoliu? What weird ship was she trying to push?
The thought irked her.
Even if they were just friends now, she wouldn’t let Toby win.
Mi Xiaoliu’s partner should at least be strong—maybe two years older to take care of her.
Ideally, someone already interning with a stable job offer, since Mi Xiaoliu was a glutton who’d need home-cooked meals.
And given Mi Xiaoliu’s frail health, flight powers weren’t too much to ask—easy school pickups.
Since the incident, Yiwen had reverted to masculine or androgynous outfits. Maybe the emotional fallout left her traumatized.
The shock was too much. With Mi Xiaoliu under interrogation, Yiwen hadn’t asked about the “Father Machine.” If overheard, it might add another charge.
Besides, the police weren’t sharing Father-related clues anyway.
—
At the front desk, Yiwen was stopped.
“Your friend’s been transferred,” the head nurse said.
“What? Where could she go?” Panic set in.
“Juvenile detention, probably. She’s only thirteen.”
Pure Black Element cases without complications started in prison—just with lighter labor. Monthly steam therapy continued until symptoms worsened enough for hospitalization.
Yiwen’s stomach dropped.
Movies always showed juvenile detention as a den of predators. A soft moeblob like Mi Xiaoliu? She’d be harassed—or worse—by older inmates.
This… this is…
[Translator’s Note: See the index page for this Novel if you want to see the Amazon Link for the eBooks.]
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