Chapter 239
by Golden DragonChapter 239: She’s My Girlfriend (Two-In-One)
“Thanks a lot. Twenty kilometers, and you only drove two hundred meters.”
Facing Yiwen’s sarcastic, fake-smiling accusation, the driver calmly took a drag of his cigarette. “Kid, quit the sass. Your uncle here’s an NTR fan. The fact that I didn’t take you sightseeing at the pyramids is me being merciful. This ride’s on me.”
Yiwen, ever the picture of politeness: “Oh, go f*uck your mom. Hope you end up stuffed in a trunk someday.”
It wasn’t like she was in a huge hurry anyway. Not every girl was like Lu Mingxue, someone she needed to be wary of. The real threats were still scumbags like Dias.
Zhang Huba lived in a quiet alleyway lined with single-story houses, where corn could still be seen drying on the ground—sparsely populated and tucked away from the main roads.
Superpowers really were convenient. While other students stressed over renting or dorm life, this girl ran over twenty kilometers to school every day… and then another twenty back home.
No wonder sometimes, even through her shoes, you could catch a faint whiff of… effort.
Zhang Huba’s willpower was nothing to scoff at either. Despite the lingering numbness in her hands, she’d spent the time tearing down all the photos plastered on her walls and even gave the place a thorough cleaning—though the noise had disturbed the little cat’s nap, earning her a few swipes of those sharp claws.
If you ignored its temper, the cat was actually adorable. So adorable it was impossible to resent.
“Call me ‘big sis,’ and I’ll give you my favorite nail polish. Be my little sister from now on, and I’ll buy you makeup all the time.”
Mi Xiaoliu squinted at her half-lidded.
Zhang Huba pouted, displeased. “You’ve scratched me so many times, stolen my bed, ruined my naps… How about I throw in a new lipstick too? Just bought it.”
Mi Xiaoliu ignored her, rolling over to continue her nap.
Yiwen had already bought her all that stuff anyway.
Always sleeping. What a lazy little thing.
Zhang Huba decided not to bother her further and headed out to make lunch.
Soon after, a message from Yiwen popped up on her phone, asking for her house number.
Could it be…?
Heart pounding, Zhang Huba replied.
It wasn’t like she’d taken sick leave. Maybe she could fake being ill? But the bed was already occupied by the cat, and pretending to be sick while cooking would just look stupid.
A knock came at the door. Yiwen had arrived as promised, immediately peeking toward the bedroom the moment she stepped inside.
“Yiwen, you skipped class today?”
“Where’s Xiaoliu—dammit!”
Yiwen slapped herself for the slip-up.
Zhang Huba: (⊙ˍ⊙)
She stood frozen, watching as Yiwen strode into the bedroom and scooped up the little cat in a princess carry.
At that moment, everything became clear. Why Yiwen had suddenly shared her location.
“Is… she your little sister?” She asked, clinging to denial.
“No. She’s my girlfriend. We won’t stick around—her parents are really worried. Thanks for looking after her.” Yiwen kept her voice soft to avoid waking the sleeping beauty in her arms.
Still asleep, Mi Xiaoliu nuzzled closer into Yiwen’s embrace.
Yiwen: Adoring gaze.jpg
“……”
Zhang Huba said nothing more, silently watching them leave.
Was this just an excuse to indirectly reject her? As Yiwen’s number one pursuer, she’d never heard of any girl like this being around Yiwen. Every time another girl got close, “Big Sis Barrett” would find a way to chase them off.
There was no way any girl could get close to Yiwen. She herself had always pushed others away.
Always kept her distance from everyone…
From everyone…
…Maybe.
The smell of something burning in the kitchen finally snapped her out of it.
Pulling out her phone, she stared at the photo she’d taken earlier while Mi Xiaoliu was asleep.
————————
“Yvonne, you absolutely cannot bark and make noise during people’s rest hours, understand?”
Bag in hand, Jim didn’t forget to grip his Shiba Inu’s muzzle and lecture it before heading out.
“Woof!”
“Ah, such a good listener.”
Jim pinched the dog’s cheeks.
Still, that dog meat hotpot yesterday has been delicious.
Jim’s gaze at his beloved pet slowly turned… questionable.
Wait, no—how could he think like that about his own dog?!
Jim hurried out the door, redirecting his questionable gaze toward the neighbor’s dog.
The neighbor’s Shiba Inu shuddered, lifting its head to meet his eyes in a battle of equal intellect.
Coincidentally, the neighbor’s dog had given birth to five puppies, and since the nearby residents were all dog lovers unwilling to spend money on buying one, they’d been gifted to the neighbors.
Though not from the same household, they didn’t have to be separated from birth—making them perhaps the happiest litter of dogs in the world.
The neighbor’s dog was the firstborn of that litter.
Hence, the neighbor had named it… Big Boss.
“Morning, Big Boss.”
Jim greeted Big Boss.
“Why the glare? Got a problem? Want me to sic Yvonne on you?” Jim tugged its ears.
Perhaps sensing the intent behind Jim’s gaze with its equal intellect, the dog suddenly barked twice, then squeezed through the fence and bolted out of the neighborhood.
“What the—?!”
Jim quickly ran to help his neighbor chase the dog.
But how could two legs outrun four? The moment they passed the gate, he was left in the dust.
“Big Boss!” Jim stretched out his hand like Iron Man’s iconic reach.
“I’m right here. Why are you shouting so early in the morning?” Isaac, dressed casually and wearing a mask, walked over in confusion.
This kid had actually sensed his presence ahead of time.
Jim gave him a surprised look. “I was calling the dog.”
“……”
It was indeed a very unpleasant first meeting, but business had to be discussed.
Isaac slung an arm over Jim’s shoulders, steering him away from the direction of the school.
“The batch of drugs moved out yesterday has been inspected. They contained a large number of substandard ability-enhancing pills. We can confirm that Meiqiantu Academy is definitely researching something, but the school’s management is sharp—our hackers couldn’t dig up any information. Be careful at school, don’t slip up… Take this and come with me to the old theater to meet someone.”
He handed Jim a ring and added, “Thread it on a string and wear it as a necklace, hidden under your collar. Or keep it in your pocket, wallet, anywhere—just don’t wear it on your hand.”
A ring was far too conspicuous as a symbol for a shadowy organization. Back then, everyone had thought it looked cool, so they’d designed it this way.
Looking back now, it was downright stupid. But with so many new members in leadership roles, changing it wasn’t easy.
“This is a mark of leadership, but real authority depends on the meeting later. That stone—you’ve kept it safe, right?”
Isaac tightened his grip around Jim’s neck, pressing down to emphasize the seriousness of the matter.
“It’s in my bag.” Jim pulled out a black stone from his bag to show Isaac.
Isaac didn’t stop him from checking it in public—mainly because the stone was utterly unremarkable.
It looked mostly gray, not particularly smooth, and had a weight closer to metal, though not as hard.
Holding it didn’t leave any residue or dust, unlike what you’d expect from a normal stone.
The edges bore marks from being cut by a sharp tool, with a thumb-sized smooth patch—likely a sample sliced off for research.
Beyond that, it had no distinguishing features. If thrown on the roadside, people would probably just kick it aside for being in the way.
What exactly it was, Isaac had no idea. He’d examined it for a long time yesterday and still couldn’t figure it out.
The container it had been stored in was intricately designed but left half-open
(Okulet had hidden the opening method from Heli).
The material used was similar to suppression handcuffs. Using such a large amount of it just for a storage box was extravagant—after all, the truly effective material in suppression cuffs was no bigger than a pin.
But Isaac had tossed it in some random corner, worried it might contain a tracking device.
Even if the stone’s purpose was unknown, its container proved its value.
Given Jim’s way of thinking, sending him to meet the other leaders would likely result in him being looked down on. So aside from pinning credit on him, this stone was also a bargaining chip.
Entrusting Jim with something important was an incredibly bold decision.
Forget whether he’d get caught by the original owner—Isaac half-expected Jim to use the stone as a table stabilizer.
Luckily, aside from a few stains, it was unharmed.
Compared to that, making Jim a leader was an even bolder move—but the benefits would be substantial.
For example, Isaac’s faction would gain an extra vote in decisions.
The two walked in silence until they reached their destination.
The “old theater” serving as their meeting spot wasn’t a place for plays but a long-abandoned cinema.
Its abandonment wasn’t due to anything major—just the owner being murdered by an employee.
In his final moments, the owner had painstakingly left behind a death message elaborate enough for a two-part police drama. But the cops didn’t even glance at it, just called in an ability user who solved the case in seconds by reading his retinas before clocking out.
It wasn’t completely deserted, though. At night, you could sometimes find couples getting cozy inside—or even spot it as a backdrop in certain online photos and videos.
When Isaac had scouted it earlier as a potential base, he’d even stumbled upon a guy photographing a scantily clad woman and snapped a few shots himself.
The two changed into combat gear before entering. Isaac motioned for Jim to stop just inside, squinting into the dim interior.
Rows of seats were buried under piles of unavoidable trash, including more than a few used condoms. The screen, riddled with holes, displayed an old movie projected from a decades-old projector.
The only audience was a woman sitting at the edge of the front row, seemingly unaware of their arrival, not turning her head.
“The Yellow River’s waters pour from the heavens,” Isaac called out the passphrase.
“Rushing to the sea, never to return,” the woman replied.
Isaac stepped back, signaling to Jim.
The correct response should have been “Your passphrase is wrong.”
Instead, the cinema doors slammed shut on their own, and the overhead lights flicked on, illuminating the entire space.
The woman in the seat opened her eyes.
On her lap was a girl in nothing but her underwear, eyes wide with terror as she “enjoyed” the forced lap pillow. Shadowy tendrils coiled around her limbs like ropes, and her own stockings gagged her mouth.
These kids were more cautious—and loyal—than she’d expected.
Dark, tentacle-like shadows stretched from the ground, enveloping the two like monstrous claws. Another shadowy tendril snatched the bag from Jim’s grip.
Then, the solidified shadows exploded—shattering harmlessly without injuring them.
The bag dropped to the floor.
Shen Qing frowned.
Isaac reacted instantly, flicking paper shuriken from his sleeve toward the overhead lights and the projector.
Unfazed by the loss of light, Shen Qing calmly drew back the curtains, flooding the room with blinding sunlight.
“You control shadows, not darkness?”
Isaac lunged for the bag, slamming a palm against the door—not just breaking it down but sending cracks spiderwebbing through the entire theater.
“Jim, move!”
The blast wasn’t just aimed at the door but radiated outward, fissures spreading rapidly.
Shen Qing pulled the bound girl into the shadows with her, sinking in after.
She had underestimated them.
But it didn’t matter. Her main objective was already achieved.
Emerging from the shadow of a roadside tree, she held the kidnapped girl by her side.
Attacking even their own ally—ruthless.
Running was the smart choice.
A second later, and they’d have been dead.
Shen Qing glanced at Heli, who was idly scrolling on her phone nearby, then pulled out the stone that should have been in Isaac’s bag.
She’d heard the “Star” could nullify abilities and even glow—that the material in suppression cuffs was a byproduct of its radiation.
But this stone showed neither trait.
“Is this it?” Shen Qing asked Heli.
“Yes,” Heli reached out.
Shen Qing didn’t hand it over. “Once Madam has a proper containment box made, I’ll deliver it to you.”
Heli frowned. That didn’t seem right.
Without another word, Shen Qing dragged the girl back into the shadows.
Her next appearance was outside the Chairwoman’s office.
Knocking, she presented the stone with both hands.
The Chairwoman took it, equally skeptical of its appearance.
This didn’t match her husband’s past descriptions.
“Madam, there’s something I’m unsure if I should mention.”
“Speak.”
“The Second Young Lady’s resurrection resets her memories. If the drug succeeds, you could wait until after her memories reset to administer it. That way, you could bring her home without resistance.”
“……”
The Chairwoman scraped her long nails against the stone’s surface, silent.
“Follow protocol. Never suggest this again.”
Shen Qing bowed, then delivered a sharp slap to her own face.
The Chairwoman closed her eyes, fingers tightening slightly. “Enough. No more self-punishment. Deliver the Star first, then handle the lab relocation… and deal with the Tian Xing Dao group.”
She never wanted to see another slap again.
Every time, it made her want to chop off her own hands.
“Madam, one more thing requires your attention.”
“Go on.”
“This morning, Tian Xing Dao attacked Arkham. Though they were subdued quickly, someone exploited the chaos to escape.”
“Nikita?”
The only prisoner the director could think of with ties to her.
How unfortunate he hadn’t gotten the death penalty.
“No. It was The Hanged Woman and The Albatross—the Level 5 the boss wanted to meet.”
Shen Qing’s expression turned complicated. She chose not to show the surveillance footage.
“It seems premeditated. The Hanged Woman used a makeshift key to unlock her cell, then decapitated The Albatross in the dark to free him from his mold…”
[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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