Early morning on August 1st, inside a bedroom in the seaside villa.
The sea breeze blew gently, lifting the white curtains as sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto Ke Mingqing's face.
A moment later, he slowly woke up.
Ke Mingqing opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
He stared blankly at it for a moment, then turned his head on the pillow to take in his surroundings. He was lying in a pure white bed, covered by a blanket printed with Winnie the Pooh.
The funny thing was, he had no idea who had stripped him out of the Blue Pigeon Battle Suit last night. Right now, he was dressed in a clean set of men's pajamas.
The sea breeze wafted in, ruffling Ke Mingqing's bangs.
As Ke Mingqing sat up, a girl in a white dress with a teardrop mole opened the door and walked in.
Kuroki Hitomi placed a folded, ordinary T-shirt and a pair of shorts by the bed. "I don't have any men's clothes at home, so I asked someone to buy these. You can wear them for now."
"I sent them to Gu Mengqing for repairs," Kuroki Hitomi said expressionlessly. "She'll finish the work in a day. Tomorrow morning, I'll leave the suit at the train station."
"Sorry for the trouble," Ke Mingqing said, stifling a yawn and shrugging. "I'll head home at noon, so I'll impose on you a little longer."
"Mm, it's fine." Kuroki Hitomi nodded. "Little Red Riding Hood will be back around noon. Leaving before then will be just right."
Ke Mingqing suddenly felt an urge to laugh. "You make it sound like we're having an affair. We're a legitimate couple—why do we have to hide from her?"
"Since we're a legitimate couple..."
Kuroki Hitomi paused and looked up at him. "...Then from now on, before you do anything dangerous, can you tell me first?"
Ke Mingqing fell silent for a moment. "This time was different. If I dragged you into it, you could have died."
He didn't dare tell her that he had spent the previous night maneuvering among a group of A Rank monsters, walking a tightrope where a single misstep would have left him without even a corpse.
Kuroki Hitomi didn't possess the multifaceted intelligence network he did, nor did she have a convenient escape ability like Theater Puppet. Naturally, he hadn't wanted her involved.
Or rather, looking at all the players across the entire world right now, he was the only one qualified to participate.
Kuroki Hitomi said nothing, merely tilting her head slightly as she watched him.
"You really helped me a lot," Ke Mingqing sighed softly. "You contacted other players to cover for me, and you helped make my battle suit. Yeah, back at the movie theater, too—if it weren't for your help, I might have died in that public restroom."
He paused. "How can I repay you?"
Hearing this, Kuroki Hitomi actually gave it some serious thought before asking softly, "Then, do you want to have breakfast with me?"
Ke Mingqing froze, turning to look at her. The sea breeze and morning light caressed the girl's fair cheeks. The teardrop mole at the corner of her eye accentuated a gaze that was quiet yet spirited.
He thought about it. "Just that? There aren't many occasions where you can ask me to do things for you. You can be bold and order me around—like asking me to get rid of one or two troublesome people for you."
Kuroki Hitomi nodded. "Just that."
"Alright, then what are we eating?" Ke Mingqing gave her a look of total surrender.
"Little Red Riding Hood isn't home. The other servants haven't arrived yet, but I can cook."
"Sure. I'll take a shower first, otherwise I'll stink," Ke Mingqing said, throwing off the blanket. He scooped up the folded clothes by the bed and headed out of the bedroom.
Stepping into the long, spacious corridor, he spotted the bathroom at a glance. Walking in, he couldn't help but marvel at how different the lives of the rich were. Kuroki Hitomi's bathing area gave off the vibe of a Japanese public bathhouse—it was massive, with folding screens blocking the line of sight.
The tub was already filled with hot water. Sunlight spilled in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a shimmering, colorful gleam across the rippling surface.
"I already ran the hot water for you," Kuroki Hitomi's voice drifted in from outside.
"Come on, you're being so considerate you're acting like my mom."
"That's not entirely out of the question..."
"Please spare me."
Ke Mingqing sighed and looked up at the mirror above the sink. It was nothing short of a miracle—the wounds on his face had completely vanished. His skin was perfectly clean, not even a scar remaining.
"This way, I won't have to worry about my older brother and second sister interrogating me when I get home."
He murmured this silently to himself, scratching his cheek as he tore his gaze from the mirror.
Ke Mingqing stripped off his pajamas, stepped past the folding screen painted in a Japanese ukiyo-e style, and walked step by step toward the excessively spacious tub, submerging his entire body in the hot water.
Next, he buried his head underwater, blowing a stream of bubbles before popping back up for a breath of air.
"It's great to be alive... It would be even better if I didn't have to exterminate the super-human species."
Through his wet bangs, Ke Mingqing gazed at the bathroom's floor-to-ceiling windows.
It had rained last night, so a corner of the sky over the horizon was still gray, but the coastline itself was bathed in bright sunlight. A yellow bus rolled slowly down the highway.
Ke Mingqing stared into the distance. It felt as though all the scheming and fighting from the previous night had never even happened.
So, to ground himself in reality, he opened the Quest Panel and looked at the striking lines of red text.
[Main Quest 1 (Stage 3) Completed: Participate in the 'Comet Fragments Defense Battle' alongside Top Hero, and survive the mission.]
[Main Quest 2 (Stage 3) Completed: Help the magical girl Ember survive the 'Comet Fragments Defense Battle', or induce the magical girl Ember into Witchification during this event, or kill the magical girl Ember.]
"Does half-Witchification count as Witchification?" Ke Mingqing muttered. "Though it is true..."
He suddenly recalled that scene from last night: the girl, with azure blazing fire drifting from the corners of her eyes, slowly ascending into the sky. Gripping a massive umbrella sword, she looked like a descending deity.
Ke Mingqing shook his head and continued reading downward.
[Main Quest 3 (Stage 3) Completed: Ensure that Black Magic Hand survives the 'Comet Fragments Defense Battle', and guarantee that your secondary identity within Death Crow is not seen through by the other members.]
[Main Quest 4 (Stage 2) Completed: Help the mythic vessel 'Red Lotus' survive the 'Comet Fragments Defense Battle', or personally kill the mythic vessel 'Red Lotus' during the 'Comet Fragments Defense Battle'.]
[The following are the total quest rewards obtained this time: 4 Attribute Points, 15,000 EXP, 13,500 superhuman coins.]
[Your superhuman coin balance is: 14,500 coins.]
"I'm rich." Ke Mingqing raised an eyebrow. "With this much money, if I save up a bit more, I feel like I could buy an A Rank skill. If I remember right, an A Rank skill is around 20,000 superhuman coins?"
[Your EXP has exceeded the cap, automatically leveling up by 3.]
[Current Level Progress: LV. 14 (2,200 / 7,000 EXP)]
'Jumping from level eleven to fourteen in one go... I wonder which player could even keep up with my leveling speed,' Ke Mingqing thought as he opened his personal panel.
He allocated three Attribute Points to the 'Spirit' attribute, and put the remaining point into 'Agility'.
[Congratulations, the player's 'Spirit' attribute has increased from D Rank to C Rank (↑ 3 points).]
[Congratulations, the player's 'Agility' attribute has increased from C++ Rank to B Rank (↑ 1 point).]
[Current attributes of player 'Ke Mingqing' are as follows: Strength: C; Agility: B; Spirit: C]
'I already have a B Rank attribute. Am I still far from being able to duel an A-Rank Superhuman?' Ke Mingqing wondered. 'I feel like I could already spar a few rounds with my sister now—assuming she hasn't undergone Witchification.'
He soaked in the hot bath for a little while longer, burying his head underwater to test how long he could hold his breath.
It wasn't until his head started spinning that he finally breached the surface. He stood up, dried his body with a bath towel, and changed into a yukata.
Returning to the bedroom, Ke Mingqing opened the two phones resting on his pillow and checked the messages he had received on each.
The messages on his backup phone were from 'Xia Lingxue' and 'Commander Lin Yin', while his main phone only had messages from 'Little Red Riding Hood'.
[Little Red Riding Hood Who Sells Matches: Are you okay? Why did you suddenly disappear last night?]
[Little Red Riding Hood Who Sells Matches: I told them you were still alive in my report. I hope you really are.]
Ke Mingqing tilted his head slightly. As he dried his hair with a towel, he used his other hand to type a single question mark into the chat box and hit send.
[Ke Mingqing: ?]
[Little Red Riding Hood Who Sells Matches: ?]
[Little Red Riding Hood Who Sells Matches: Where did you go last night?]
[Ke Mingqing: I didn't want to hold you back, so I found a place to hide. Is everyone else okay?]
[Little Red Riding Hood Who Sells Matches: Your Top Hero died. Shadow Girl and that kid whose name I don't know are still alive. All three members of Team Diamond Man are dead. The magical girl Sakurahime is still alive.]
[Ke Mingqing: What about my sister?]
[Little Red Riding Hood Who Sells Matches: We're not sure yet. Senior was taken away by them. Our people are currently looking for her.]
[Ke Mingqing: She's definitely fine. I'll go home and check.]
[Little Red Riding Hood Who Sells Matches: People from the Hero Company are also looking for you. Do you want me to tell them?]
[Ke Mingqing: Let's leave it at that. Sorry for the trouble.]
Ke Mingqing put his phone away and headed downstairs. The image of that black kid suddenly flashed in his mind, causing him to pause on the spiral staircase.
"If you had known this would happen, you would've been better off staying in the countryside to farm... But as long as you remain a member of the super-human species, you'll have to be killed by me sooner or later. At least this way, we can avoid turning into bitter enemies."
He lowered his head, murmuring softly, but then he suddenly caught the smell of burnt charcoal drifting from the kitchen.
Ke Mingqing froze for a second, then quickly picked up his pace and hurried into the kitchen. Sure enough, something had burnt.
Fortunately, Kuroki Hitomi wasn't the stereotypical anime heiress who would burn the kitchen down or serve plates of unspeakable horrors. She simply happened to burn one dish, that was all.
The other dishes were excellent, both in appearance and taste.
A moment later, the girl with the teardrop mole turned around, wearing an apron. Holding a plate in each hand, she offered a faint smile, showing off the food she had cooked.
Ke Mingqing gave her a thumbs up. She tilted her head, her pitch-black hair swaying gently.
After staying until nearly noon, Ke Mingqing said goodbye to Kuroki Hitomi and took the morning bus home.
Before long, he got off at the Old Jingmai District stop.
The sun beat down mercilessly, the melodious chirping of cicadas filled the air, and the streets and alleys continued to bake in the heat. GG billboards cycled through ads for old cigarette brands, posters of last century's Hong Kong movies still clung to the walls, and bedsheets were drying on a pole at the street corner.
Ke Mingqing walked through the area with his hands stuffed in his pockets, feeling as if a lifetime has passed.
After a short walk, he took out his keys, opened the door, and took off his shoes. He then crossed the empty living room, heading up to the second floor through the dappled sunlight.
He opened a wooden door, stepped into one of the bedrooms, and sat on the edge of the bed. Turning his head, he saw Xia Ningzhi wearing clean pajamas, a bandage wrapped around her forehead.
The bedroom was quiet, save for the rhythmic ticking of the clock.
"A-Qing!"
A moment later, her eyelids fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes and quickly turned her head, her gaze locking onto Ke Mingqing sitting by the bed.
"Sister, what happened to you?" Ke Mingqing was taken aback.
Xia Ningzhi also froze.
Last night, she had clearly seen Blue Pigeon get shot straight through the abdomen, but right now, Ke Mingqing was perfectly alive and well. For a moment, she couldn't tell what was a hallucination and what was reality.
Xia Ningzhi sat up. "Where's Little Li? Where is she?"
"She's taking a nap in the next room. Sleeping like a log," Ke Mingqing said. "I'm more interested in knowing what happened to you. We haven't seen each other for just one night, and you already have bandages wrapped around your head?"
Xia Ningzhi stayed silent for a second, raising a hand to touch her forehead.
"Your big sister tripped while jogging last night and hit her head. And then... and then I went to the hospital to get it bandaged, came back, and fell asleep right away!"
She paused, pointed at her eyelids, and said in all seriousness, "Look how well I slept! My dark circles are completely gone!"
'Sis, you're way too terrible at lying,' Ke Mingqing thought disdainfully.
He sat on the edge of the bed, quietly staring into her eyes. It took a long moment before he enunciated, word by word:
"Can you just be honest with me? What exactly happened?"
Xia Ningzhi was stunned for a long time. Then, averting her gaze, she muttered, "Everything I said is true. Why would your big sister lie to you?"
Ke Mingqing fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "Alright, just get some good rest first... I won't bother you anymore." With that, he turned and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Xia Ningzhi watched him leave. Left alone, she sat blankly on the bed, staring at the wooden door.
After a while, she lowered her head. She still couldn't remember who exactly had saved her from the members of Death Crow amidst that sea of fire.
She could only vaguely recall seeing a figure in a black skinsuit. That figure was as cold and clear as ice, making the temperature of the entire world feel like it had plummeted.
"Wait, where is my battle suit?" Xia Ningzhi patted her body, suddenly realizing it was gone. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked left and right.
Just as she was caught in her confusion, her phone suddenly let out a "ding." She froze for a moment, then followed the sound to find her phone resting by her pillow.
Xia Ningzhi picked up the phone and glanced at the new message.
[White Jack: You're welcome, Miss Nezha. This is Lord White Jack's care for his collaborators. I've already returned your battle suit to the harbor. I hope our next collaboration will be just as pleasant.]
"So it was him..." Xia Ningzhi murmured blankly. "Wait, no. That person in the skinsuit didn't have an ass as perky as White Jack's... Or was it really just my hallucination?"
Remembering the scene of Blue Pigeon collapsing right before she passed out, she suddenly slapped her cheeks with a loud smack, leaving two red handprints on her face.
"What exactly is going on now..."
Xia Ningzhi sighed, pulled the small blanket over herself, and lay back down, practically curling up into a hamster. "Forget it, let's just sleep."
Muttering this, she turned her head on the pillow, looking out the window at the sunny sky. Her gaze settled on a bird perched on a telephone pole, and the corners of her mouth suddenly curled up into a faint smile.
The girl slowly closed her eyes. Before long, she was swallowed by drowsiness and drifted into dreamland.
Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Ke Mingqing leaned against the other side of the bedroom door, quietly recalling the events of the previous night.
.......
......
Late last night, under a torrential downpour, White Jack and Xia Lingxue stood together in the corridor of a private clinic, watching the rainstorm outside the window.
"I need a favor from you," Xia Lingxue suddenly said.
"I never thought there'd come a time when Miss Zero would need my help. What an honor." White Jack shrugged, feigning surprise in his tone. "Feel free to ask."
Xia Lingxue crossed her arms and stayed silent for a moment before saying, "Tomorrow, when my younger sister wakes up... I want you to text her, telling her that you saved her and brought her home."
"Uh... which of your younger sisters are you referring to?"
"The one acting as Nezha," Xia Lingxue said.
"Understood," White Jack said. "Then as compensation, I hope we can stay in touch and cooperate whenever needed."
"We'll talk after you do it," Xia Lingxue said expressionlessly, a lollipop stick poking out of her mouth. "Don't try to pull any tricks. I won't accept an untrustworthy collaborator."
"Then you've found the right person. White Jack is the most trustworthy man in the world." White Jack spread his hands. "I'll be taking my leave then, Miss Zero. I still have to return Miss Nezha's battle suit..."
He paused. "Sigh, I'm truly working myself to the bone for your family."
"Who exactly are you?"
"Who do you think I could be..." Dropping that sentence, White Jack put on his top hat and walked out of the private clinic without looking back.
.......
.......
Ke Mingqing snapped out of his reverie. Leaning against the back of the door, he lowered his head and exhaled. 'Just as I thought, Sis refuses to confess her identity to me. She's also afraid of letting me find out she was the one who killed my biological parents.'
'Why bother?' he thought. 'It's not like I care.'
"Since my third sister is awake too, then the only one left is..." Ke Mingqing fell silent for a moment, then turned his head to look at the bedroom door that had a sign reading 'Ke Mingqing and Pigs Are Not Allowed Inside'.
The door was shut tight, shadows cloaking half of its frame.
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