The display emitted a faint blue glow as a pair of hands tapped rapidly across the keyboard.
【Why did you delete my post? What are the Nightwatch even doing?】
【This manga is still getting updates?!】
Posts were deleted one after another, and eventually his account received a permanent ban.
His hands froze above the keyboard, trembling incessantly.
"Why? It's so strange — why isn't anyone saying anything? Isn't the existence of the Surface and Hidden Worlds top secret? Isn't the Nightwatch itself top secret?" he kept muttering.
Just then, his forum inbox received a private message.
【Group number. I have all the same questions you do. We're the same kind of people.】
He picked up his water cup, took a sip, and with shaking hands typed in the group number and joined the chat.
As he joined, new members were also flooding in continuously.
[Does the Nightwatch have a tip line?]
[Strange — judging by the update timeline, this manga has been serialized for at least a year. Nobody noticed anything wrong this entire time?]
Everyone in this group was almost certainly an ability user. Here, no one asked the stupid question of "are you guys just doing text roleplay?"
He typed a message as well: [The existence of ability users is just out in the open now, and this manga artist is using the Nightwatch as the protagonists, created a Trisolaran character who stomps all over 【Red Moon】 and massacres everyone — this is way too absurd, how can nobody do anything? Are the Nightwatch dead?]
Just then, he saw the same ID that had invited him into the group post a message.
[How do you know it's fiction? Consider the possibility that it's literally depicting reality.]
The group went silent for a moment.
Then similar statements came pouring in.
[So there are clever ones among us after all.]
[If this manga is recording real events, would the Nightwatch even dare to interfere with the ability user who can do something like this?]
[What do you mean?]
[Volume 2, Chapter 13 — see that beautiful passerby? That's me.]
[I'm 【The Painter】.]
[...What a coincidence. I'm 【The Lover】. Looks like we're among the first batch of ability users to discover the manga's existence. We've all appeared in it, even if just as background details.]
[This manga is absolutely real. Absolutely. I've seen 【Yanmo】's face without his mask — his sister and I attend the same university. I saw him when he was dropping her off at school, and his face is identical to how it's drawn in the manga!]
[Is there anyone among the SS-rank ability users who could pull this off? Perfectly reproducing real events in a manga?]
[Have you noticed that the weaker the ability user, the more they're like ordinary people — they think this manga has been serialized for ages. But the stronger the ability user, the more they can tell that this manga is actually a recent creation. Our cognition was altered — on a global scale.]
As similar observations multiplied and more people with firsthand encounters joined, the group — now numbering over a hundred — eventually settled on a few key questions.
[If this manga is real, then what is Bi Xi?]
[Ultra SS-rank ability user — does a monster like that really exist?]
...
Wen Nian finished reading the update in her dorm, thoroughly satisfied, and started browsing the forums.
"Cat-type wins again, as it should!" She happily clicked on several posts that were obviously from like-minded fans.
【[Character Post] Has everyone read the new chapter?! Our adorable Green-eyed Kitty — Clip Bro totally deserves him!】
OP
[Image]
Fat Fish truly wastes no ink — just look at this tiny panel, Bi Xi's expression as he sets down his glass and narrows his eyes.
Got hit by the spice, didn't he!
1L
A kitty, absolutely a kitty!
2L
So that's how it is — Bi Xi has never had alcohol before?
Somehow that makes him even cuter. Totally gives off the vibe of someone who's never encountered modern society.
If the green-eyed little snake is this adorable, then doesn't that make Clip Bro a devil-keeper?
3L
Who understands?! This chapter is basically: Hooman, why won't you play with kitty?
Cat-type, we win! Whose ultra mega big bad manga-designated strongest is drinking milk at a bar?!
4L
Is the person two floors up a genius?!
"City's Edge Side Story: Keeping a Devil" makes its dazzling debut!
5L
The moment something happens, the first person he suspects is Bi Xi — so you do know he wants you to play with him, don't you, Clip Bro!
【[Character Post] Snake-type was in the lead before — how come the forums are all cat-type again now?!】
OP
Does nobody think Bi Xi in the new chapter is terrifying? That feeling of a python coiling tightly around its prey — Bi Xi is clearly snake-type!
1L
OP, calm down for a second.
From my observations, the daddy fans love the snake-type, and the mommy fans are in the cat camp.
The mommy fans are making fan content, the daddy fans are running power-level analyses. OP, you're not alone!
2L (OP)
What's left to say about Bi Xi's power level?
3L
Classic Bi-gong energy from OP — already accepting as gospel that their man is the strongest in the world.
4L
Hooman, Bi's shoulders are broad enough to carry Clip Bro and all of Clip Bro's burdens.
Hooman, when you need it, you can lean on Bi's mighty chest.
5L (OP)
A villain this terrifying obviously has to be the top!
Where are all of you seeing cuteness?! Screaming!
"True, the green-eyed snake is cute too." Wen Nian found herself once again locked in an internal struggle. Just then, she spotted a trending discussion post about the characters.
She usually avoided posts that were obviously going to devolve into character wars or power-scaling debates, but this one had shot to the top of trending almost immediately after the new chapter dropped. She was curious what was going on inside.
"If I see any character bashing, I'll back out immediately." She thought, then clicked the post.
【[Discussion Post] What does everyone think of the Trisolaran in the new chapter?】
OP
I feel like something big is coming, but the Trisolaran's attitude doesn't sit right.
I see lots of people on the forums calling it flirting. What the hell kind of flirting — are you serious?
The last chapter already confirmed the Trisolaran is ultra SS-rank, an existence that outclasses 【Red Moon】. An ultra SS-rank powerhouse flirting with You Shuo, a mere A-rank? Why? Does he have a little girl living inside him?
This isn't a BL manga, right?
So what's the deal with the Trisolaran, really?
1L
Seeing the name "Trisolaran" amid the sea of Green-eyed Kitty posts genuinely brings a tear to my eye.
In an era dominated by mommy fans, there are still old-guard artisans who resist the commodification of male beauty.
But OP, you're kind of sounding like a mommy fan yourself — you've started gender-bending him now.
2L
Don't know, don't care. My devil is gorgeous regardless.
3L
Hold on — can someone please answer my question first: why does nobody on the forums think Bi Xi is the one who kidnapped Yi-dog? I came here to discuss the plot and all I see is people thirsting over looks or fighting about power-scaling. Does nobody want to actually discuss the story?
Clip Bro was so serious about guessing whether Bi Xi kidnapped Yi-dog. Do none of you care at all?
4L (OP)
Mainly because there's no suspense there.
Bi Xi clearly isn't the type to tie someone up and summon people to a rendezvous. How did 【Quick Blade】 die? Have you forgotten? Someone like him usually just kills and moves on — kidnapping is beneath him.
5L
Agreed with OP. The Trisolaran gives off more of a raw cruelty vibe — pure brute force, no need for convoluted schemes. Kidnapping is obviously not his style.
【Jiao Tu】 has already been captured, so it's probably the forces behind 【Jiao Tu】.
6L
True. When I think of Bi Xi, my first instinct is that if it were him, he'd kill right in front of Clip Bro. He wouldn't bother with kidnapping.
I keep feeling like Bi Xi as a character has this sense of dissonance — sometimes he seems incredibly sharp, as if he knows everything.
But other times I get the feeling he genuinely doesn't understand, and what the character stans say could also be right — what if Bi Xi killing 【Quick Blade】 really was his idea of helping Clip Bro take out an enemy?
Good intentions, terrible execution. It's not impossible.
7L
Interesting theory, but would a normal person act like that?
26L (Floating Ice)
To the poster above — this is a manga. High combat power but low emotional intelligence isn't exactly an unprecedented character archetype, and Bi Xi isn't even low-EQ — he's more like someone whose thought process fundamentally differs from an ordinary person's.
The kidnapping is indeed not Bi Xi's doing. The reasoning is simple, and everyone has already articulated it: for him, killing is straightforward; kidnapping is unnecessary.
When he kills, there's no emotional fluctuation — perhaps he's accustomed to it, or perhaps the environment he originally came from simply lacked any concept of morality or conscience.
Clip Bro feels fear precisely because he senses Bi Xi's indifference toward life. Antisocial personality. Doesn't consider humans his own kind. Regards human beings as toys.
Do any of you keep count of how many eggs you eat each year?
That's the feeling Bi Xi gives me right now. He surveys everyone else from the vantage of an apex predator. Rather than low emotional intelligence, it's more accurate to call it a cognitive gap between predator and prey.
In his perspective, everyone aside from Clip Bro is an egg that can be "consumed." As for Clip Bro — he's the hen that lays the eggs, so he needs to be kept healthy and well-fed.
But that's so he can lay more eggs, or so the eventual stew will taste better.
And Yi-dog — in the previous chapter, Bi Xi didn't even deign to look at him properly. On what basis would Yi-dog warrant special treatment from Bi Xi?
In short: Yi-dog doesn't qualify.
You Shuo only suspects Bi Xi because he's too emotionally compromised to think straight. Bi Xi just spooked him, which created an inertial bias. Once he calms down and reflects, he'll be able to tell that this has nothing to do with Bi Xi.
27L
I understand the logic, but that was genuinely chilling. Are you sharing a brain with You Shuo or something?
28L (Floating Ice)
Continuing from above — this is the most reasonable interpretation.
As for the sweet milk and tanghulu and whatnot from the last two chapters — Bi Xi is literally someone from a bygone era. An unearthed relic who can't keep up with the times. Based on how the manga has characterized Bi Xi so far, he genuinely doesn't understand modern society.
Never been to a night market, never eaten tanghulu, tried a mixed drink for the first time, switched to something else the second time — he simply didn't like it.
His fixation on Clip Bro is most likely because Clip Bro was the first person he encountered — imprinting.
But once he encounters more hens, you can guess what fate awaits Clip Bro.
29L
Master, I have seen the light. Also, there's a detail from the last chapter — Bi Xi doesn't like sour hawthorn berries, but he still ate the entire tanghulu.
He doesn't waste food. Even if he dislikes something, he'll finish every last bite.
30L
So doesn't that mean Clip Bro is already a reserve ingredient?
You Shuo already traded away his soul. Does he even stand a chance against Bi Xi?
31L (Floating Ice)
That's up to the protagonist himself. As the manga's lead, Clip Bro can't actually get eaten for real.
I'm also very curious to see how he'll save himself. Keep in mind, he's up against an ultra SS-rank ability user — no one knows how terrifying his true power might be.
Can he really protect the people around him? Or rather — can he prevent the devil in the bottle from emerging and destroying everything he holds dear?
I want to know what Clip Bro's ending will be.
Of course, I'm also looking forward to the next chapter's plot. What I anticipate most is still Bi Xi — he's truly too enigmatic. What does his past actually look like?
Is he a born predator, or was his mindset shaped by experience? I'm genuinely dying to know.
...
Wen Nian read up to this point, scrolled ahead, and saw that the analytical powerhouse hadn't posted further.
"Snake-type after all, I guess. So scary." Wen Nian rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. "If this person's analysis is right, then wouldn't Bi Xi be the final boss?"
Sure enough, the replies below were flooded with [villain fans rejoicing] comments.
When Wen Nian read manga, she rarely analyzed anything deeply — she simply loved watching how characters' fates unfolded under the story's momentum. But after reading this post, she suddenly felt as if she'd gained new insight.
Indeed, if this poster's analysis was correct, then Bi Xi fundamentally lacked normal human values and thought processes. He was, by nature, the very definition of a predator.
This kind of person stood in complete opposition to You Shuo, who stubbornly upheld his own sense of justice. Different values, different mindsets. For now, Bi Xi was willing to play, and You Shuo — his weakness exposed — could only comply. But this relationship was destined to be short-lived, as fleeting as fireworks.
Either Bi Xi would grow bored, or You Shuo would reach his breaking point. The ticking time bomb was always there — it was only a matter of when it would detonate.
There was just one point where Wen Nian disagreed with this poster. She recalled the chapter that had just been updated — the bar, Bi Xi sitting alone.
Before You Shuo arrived, no one had been there to keep him company. To this day, the only person willing to be with him was You Shuo — even if that was merely the result of intimidation and coercion.
"Bi Xi is actually really lonely, isn't he?" she thought.
Every time Bi Xi appeared, there wasn't a single person at his side. His entire gaze was focused solely on You Shuo.
What if he was sincere?
A monster that had been alone for years — perhaps hundreds, perhaps thousands of years — wouldn't he go mad from the bottomless solitude after being released from his bottle?
Fanfic writers came equipped with unlimited powers of imagination, and as Wen Nian's thoughts spiraled, she managed to move herself to tears before anyone else.
Just then, she received a text from her roommate. You Ling's message said she'd be back late tonight.
Wen Nian looked down and replied with an OK.
Her new roommate was wonderful — she just seemed very busy all the time. Wen Nian wondered if she'd be interested in doing a photoshoot together. That face of hers was a crime against cosplay if it went unused.
...
You Ling had been rushing from place to place all evening.
She couldn't go as Bi Xi. Without absolute certainty, You Ling wouldn't use Bi Xi's identity to wade into a situation that clearly involved multiple high-ranking ability users.
You Shuo was an A-rank ability user. Anyone bold enough to move against him wouldn't fail to send high-rank operatives of their own.
You Ling was currently a small fry. Scaring people was one thing, but she couldn't actually barrel in on bluster alone.
She couldn't win a fight, and fear was too dependent on luck. You Ling didn't like relying on luck.
"I'm actually a cautious person," You Ling muttered.
Unless she was pushed to the absolute limit, she would never gamble.
Bi Xi's character concept was far too important to her — she couldn't risk it.
Moreover, Bi Xi's character traits were becoming fixed, and certain things didn't suit him. He was better suited for behind-the-scenes matters — things that were lofty and above it all.
She needed an identity she could deploy freely. Bi Xi's status could also be elevated through others.
The ultimate boss couldn't go without a minion, could he? She had no intention of trusting other people, so she'd do it herself. She might as well repurpose her own identity — recycle what was otherwise useless, and sever the connection between herself and Bi Xi entirely.
She was a Puppeteer. What was wrong with running a few alt accounts?
【Redemption successful. Host remaining activity time: 38:45:13】
In an instant, her entire body was enveloped in black. When the darkness receded like a tide, her appearance had completely changed.
She needed a persona distinct from "the strongest," so this time her look was still as water. Her eyes were the same red as her true appearance, and her hair had turned silver-white. You Ling considered for a moment, then summoned blackness to her palm. When it receded, a white mask had materialized — its eyeholes and mouth shaped like crescent moons, giving it an uncannily eerie look.
She pressed the mask onto her face upside down, then pulled up a hood to hide the white hair.
All black — beneath short sleeves and shorts were skin-tight black gloves and stockings. Only the white mask was a different color.
And so, beneath the mask: an even more beautiful mask.
She extended five fingers and waved her palm through the air. Three twisted red lines appeared on her palm, forming a pattern. She turned her hand over, and a white card materialized in her grasp. She pinched it between two fingers, flipping it end over end like ocean waves — the white card dancing in her hand like a butterfly.
This was something obtained from breaking down 【Railgun】. All of a puppet's possessions were inherited by the Puppeteer. In the manga, the Nightwatch used a dimensional space to imprison criminals, and the organization behind 【Jiao Tu】 — which was closely tied to the Nightwatch — appeared to use the same technology.
Soul-bound ID cards shouldn't normally be usable by others, but she was a Puppeteer. What belonged to her puppet belonged to her.
She lowered her gaze. A flash of electricity arced across her palm.
Including the puppet's ability.
She'd given 【Quick Blade】's body to the Nightwatch. That counted as a loss, but going forward, such mistakes wouldn't happen again.
The manga hadn't shown where You Shuo was being taken, so You Ling had to track it down herself.
Fortunately, she'd captured a 【Railgun】.
His memories, while they hadn't clearly revealed 【Jiao Tu】's appearance, did contain a sign that frequently appeared in his flashbacks.
Jiufang Medical.
It wasn't among the three bases 【Jiao Tu】 had exposed, which meant it very likely hadn't been abandoned.
If not for the situation with You Shuo, she would have preferred to investigate further — at least identify who 【Jiao Tu】 was before charging into enemy territory. As things stood, she had no choice but to go in directly.
There was only one Jiufang Medical in Jinli City on the map. In the memory fragments, the viewpoint had been facing the Jiufang Medical sign head-on, which meant the actual location was the building directly across from it.
Both buildings sat in a remote area. At night, the faint glow of the streetlamps couldn't even illuminate the ground ahead. The buildings themselves carried an air of neglect — grime from years of sun and rain clung stubbornly to the wall surfaces.
You Ling held up 【Railgun】's ID card and swiped open the ground-floor entrance.
With a beep, the door opened before her, revealing an interior that was the polar opposite of the exterior.
Immaculate floors. A brightly lit corridor. And the unmistakable sound of footsteps.
The spacious base was devoid of a single person.
"Code name Railgun arriving at Base A39."
You Ling looked up. The door behind her slowly closed, and the arrival announcement played only once.
Quite an operation. You Ling thought.
She'd originally assumed 【Jiao Tu】 was backed by nothing more than a small criminal ring, but clearly, she'd underestimated them.
Entering enemy territory alone, You Ling's heart rate spiked briefly before quickly settling back to calm.
Having a code name and clearance, 【Railgun】 moved through the base without obstruction. He'd only died tonight — regardless of whether 【Jiao Tu】 had notified the higher-ups, the base's access permissions still hadn't been revoked.
The primary reason 【Jiao Tu】 had been discovered was that the conspiracy had been exposed — the online contact for the missing ability users was him.
In the manga, these missing ability users all shared one thing in common: they were pursuing greater power.
Some had resented their abilities as too weak; others had wanted to upgrade. But according to the manga's established rules, abilities were virtually impossible to upgrade.
Then 【Jiao Tu】 had used the promise of offline ability enhancement to lure the victims away. Of those, ten bodies had been recovered — every last one reduced to nothing but dry bones.
You Ling detected a thick scent of fear in this facility. There were almost certainly other victims here.
She'd found no trace of You Shuo yet, so first — a thorough investigation of the base.
She followed the trail of fear, going deeper and deeper.
Until she passed through a door, and the space opened up.
The room was as wide as a basketball court, but instead of hoops, it held row upon row of beds. White beds with metal restraints binding the occupants above, glass casings partitioning them apart. Groaning seemed to echo throughout the hall.
The sign posted by the door read: 【Petri Dish】.
As far as the eye could see: some had heads swollen to translucence, and beneath the transparent skulls one could glimpse enormous, writhing, iridescent larvae. Others had been split in two down the middle, with only slime mold connecting the halves of their shells, propping up hearts exposed to the open air. Still others had saplings growing from their chests, drawing sustenance from the body's blood and life.
They didn't resemble humans. They were more like handfuls of soil, cultivating unknowable things.
You Ling's hands slowly clenched into fists. This was the true Hidden World. Perhaps 【Jiao Tu】 sending some random nobody to kill her had actually been a kindness, by comparison.
What exactly were the Nightwatch protecting? She didn't know. She only knew that You Shuo had been facing danger the entire time — constantly, ceaselessly, without a single moment's rest.
"...Kill."
You Ling caught a faint sound — so weak, so thin, that she had to strain to distinguish it from the ambient groaning.
"Can... can you please, kill me."
It came from the person whose skull was incubating the iridescent larvae. The worms had displaced most of the brain, and yet somehow, coherent speech was still possible.
No — it wasn't coherent speech.
You Ling heard the person repeat the same sentence over and over: "Can you please, kill me."
"Is that your wish?" You Ling asked.
"Can you please, kill me." The person said the same thing again.
You Ling's lips curved upward. "Sure."
If this were You Shuo, he would probably find a way to get the Nightwatch medical team to attempt treatment. But she was a ruthless person who valued efficiency. She'd simply grant a quick death.
She extended her hand and brushed it across the glass barrier. In the next instant, electric current conducted through the equipment and into the glass enclosure.
The body on the restraint bed convulsed violently, arched upward, then fell still and made no further sound.
You Ling turned around. Her face was expressionless as she looked toward the rear of the hall. The announcement system's voice echoed down the long, narrow corridor.
"Code name Jiao Tu arriving at Base A39."
Jiao Tu was here.
At the same time, from the back of the hall, a man in a white lab coat — wearing a surgical mask and glasses — pushed open the door on the diagonal and walked in.
"Who are you?" he asked. "I haven't seen you before."
"Does that matter?" You Ling slowed her steps and approached. Her face sank into shadow, leaving only the ghastly white mask visible. "Corpses don't need names."
She slowly raised her hand. Electricity erupted in an instant.
...
【Jiao Tu】 still wore the Nightwatch's mask and the Nightwatch's cloak as he strode into what was now Jiao Tu's sole remaining base in Jinli City.
Behind him, a man carried the unconscious You Shuo over his shoulder and followed inside.
"Never thought I'd see 【Yanmo】 brought this low. Ha ha ha!" The man was powerfully built, one arm alone sufficient to support the full weight of an adult male like You Shuo. "He thought taking me down would end things — never expected the one making the real move was you. The look on his face? I'll be savoring that for the rest of my life."
The man wore a smug expression as he walked a few steps further. "Yiluoqi — this is your captain. Day in and day out, 'Shuo-ge' this, 'Shuo-ge' that. Don't tell me you don't feel even a little reluctant?"
The door behind them closed. 【Jiao Tu】 removed his mask.
Edge Squad member Yiluoqi — it was his face. It was him.
The young man who so often smiled with sunshine and cheer in the manga now had not a trace of warmth on his face.
"【Boulder】, are you questioning my loyalty to the organization?" he said. "I grew up here. This is my home. Or have you been reading too much manga and lost your mind?"
In the manga, You Shuo was the protagonist, which naturally made his two teammates part of the main cast.
Characters in the main cast were never ordinary.
Edge Squad currently had only three members — small in number but elite. Besides A-rank ability user and captain You Shuo, there were two B-rank ability users: Sui Xiao and Yiluoqi.
Yiluoqi had been rescued by the Edge Squad's old captain from a certain ability user organization — a victim, or so the story went. He was the male number two of the main cast. Since the protagonist You Shuo was a stoic and taciturn type, Yiluoqi was the one responsible for livening up the atmosphere.
Quick with a quip, constantly calling "Shuo-ge, Shuo-ge." Despite a tragic past, the man himself was endlessly upbeat.
A spatial-type ability user. Code name: 【Shuttler】. He could traverse any space at will, like a bird soaring freely through the sky.
Forum readers called him Yi-dog precisely because of that cheerful, bouncy personality.
Sui Xiao was Yiluoqi's polar opposite — she wasn't free at all. She gave the impression of someone dancing in shackles.
Her ability was so overwhelmingly powerful that she couldn't control it herself, and an ability-related incident had erupted, leading to her capture by the Nightwatch.
Sui Xiao possessed an exceptionally strong sense of empathy. She couldn't accept that she might pose a massive danger to society, and when the Nightwatch came for her, she turned herself in willingly.
A biological-type ability. Code name: 【Mycelium】. An immensely lethal killing ability, which was why Sui Xiao typically refrained from using it. When she did, it had to be in areas with minimal population to reduce the spread.
Fortunately, the old captain had been nearby during the first outbreak. The old captain had an eye for unconventional talent and brought her into the Nightwatch.
Sui Xiao had initially been quite withdrawn, but after spending enough time with the other two, she'd gradually opened up.
Edge Squad was entirely the old captain's creation. When you thought about it, You Shuo was also someone the old captain had picked up off the street — the only difference being that You Shuo had met the old captain just once, because that single meeting was the old captain's dying moment.
The old captain appeared rarely in the manga, because she died at the very beginning of the story.
She hadn't told You Shuo anything of substance — not even why an A-rank ability user like herself had turned up battered and broken on a street corner, waiting to die.
Even now, as the manga continued its serialization, the only explanation given was "ability malfunction." In the moment before death, the old captain told You Shuo: "Young man, I see potential in those bones of yours. From now on, you're the captain of Edge Squad."
You Shuo was thrust into the role without preparation, knowing nothing about the world of abilities. There had been plenty of friction among the team members early on.
If he hadn't needed to support his younger sister, and if the Nightwatch salary hadn't been genuinely generous, he might not have stuck with it at all in the beginning.
The early part of the story was largely about the three of them learning to work together. But through trial after trial, they'd become closer than family.
Not a single reader outside the manga doubted that.
"Yiluoqi, you're too good of an actor around them. So good that even the Leader was starting to believe it," 【Boulder】 said slyly. "Love and magic, justice and friendship — all just lethal poison. Not exactly suited for people like us."
"This exposure was entirely your blunder. You didn't cut out the root, didn't even intercept the tip-off, exposed yourself, and brought the Nightwatch into it. The Leader has to wonder whether you've actually started buying into all that love and magic nonsense," 【Boulder】 added.
"Tell the Leader not to worry. You Shuo is a good person, but that's all," Yiluoqi said. He opened a clearance panel, and the central computer materialized before his eyes. "If his sister had died and he'd stopped investigating the organization, he could have kept being captain. Unfortunately, that's not happening — he insists on digging, so he has to die."
The "rescue" had been the organization's scheme all along — its sole purpose to embed 【Jiao Tu】, a B-rank ability user loyal to the organization, inside the Nightwatch.
Yiluoqi's fingers tapped across the floating keyboard. "Observation Room 1. Take him there. I'll report to the Leader and let him decide what to do with 【Yanmo】."
【Boulder】 let out a whistle and carried You Shuo down a corridor. "This is 【Yanmo】 we're talking about. Ha ha — I can die happy now."
"Don't mess with him," Yiluoqi said.
【Boulder】 let out a grunt. Whether he'd actually listened was anyone's guess. Yiluoqi waited until his silhouette vanished down the corridor, then initiated a connection to the Leader.
The dial tone rang for nearly three minutes. Cold sweat beaded on Yiluoqi's forehead.
【Boulder】 was right — after reading the manga, the Leader was extremely displeased with him. He'd been far too casual around You Shuo, and the Leader didn't like that.
The moment the connection finally went through, the long torment ended.
"Leader." He bowed his head. "【Yanmo】 has been captured and placed in the observation room. Awaiting further instructions."
A deep, electronically distorted voice responded.
"Kill him."
Yiluoqi pressed his lips together. "Leader, 【Yanmo】's value is exceptionally high. He's both an A-rank ability user and the manga's protagonist. If he could be turned to our side, he'd bring the organization tremendous utility."
The deep electronic voice said slowly: "You are Jiao Tu. Not Shuttler."
"My deepest apologies, Leader." Yiluoqi lowered his head further. "I will carry out the mission."
"【Farshore】 will record 【Yanmo】's death. ETA to Base A39: ten minutes."
The connection closed. Yiluoqi didn't lift his head for a long time.
After a while, he finally straightened his spine and said with a bitter smile: "A-rank ability user, 【Farshore】. They really don't trust me, do they?"
Yiluoqi didn't actually know how large the organization he belonged to was. But there was one thing he was certain of: the organization definitely had S-rank ability users.
He'd been part of this organization since birth, yet he didn't even know what it existed for.
He didn't know, and he couldn't leave.
He murmured: "I'm sorry, Shuo-ge. I wanted to see what a miracle looks like too, but I'm not the protagonist — so miracles won't come to me."
"Even a legendary being like the Demon God only had eyes for you."
...
"Hm hm hm~" 【Boulder】 carried You Shuo over his shoulder and deposited him inside a glass pod.
This was an observation room designed for special ability users, equipped with ability-suppression capabilities. After confirming that You Shuo's hands and feet were all bound, 【Boulder】 pulled out his phone and snapped several photos of himself posing with You Shuo's unconscious face.
"Manga protagonist. Heh — nothing special." 【Boulder】 hummed as he edited his photos with filters and posted them to his social media.
【Checking in with manga protagonist You Shuo. Pretty handsome, I have to say.】
Below, rows of replies:
[You actually managed to nab him?]
[Jealous (biting handkerchief)!]
[Boulder-baby, when are you going to check in with Bi Xi?]
【Boulder】 replied to the last comment: [Trying to get me killed? All the nerve, none of the guts!]
As he typed, You Shuo's eyelid twitched.
When You Shuo came to, his head was still throbbing.
Everything had happened so fast — the shock was overwhelming.
He'd been too overconfident. Sui Xiao was recovering, the logistics and medical teams had negligible combat power, and requesting reinforcements from the outer-city Nightwatch would take ages just to process the application — so he'd truly come alone.
Originally, 【Boulder】 was only a C-rank ability user. He could have subdued him. What he hadn't expected was Yiluoqi —
He opened his mouth but couldn't produce a sound.
"Don't bother. There's no way we'd let a Decree-type ability user like you speak," 【Boulder】 said, replying to messages on his phone with one hand. "Everyone who's read the manga knows what your ability is. Of course we'd target your weakness. Yi-dog is just a dog — before the manga, his position in the organization was important, but now he's expendable. To prove his loyalty to the Leader, he naturally has to go the extra mile, which means being extra harsh on you."
You Shuo lowered his head. A clear red line ran across his throat — a wound from Yiluoqi's dagger. He'd gone for the vocal cords.
A-rank ability user, 【Yanmo】. Decree-type ability. All beings of lower rank than himself must obey his spoken commands.
The restrictions were only two: first, he had to speak aloud; second, the number of uses per day varied depending on his physical condition.
He opened his mouth. 【Boulder】 glanced over. "Want to ask who we are? Why we're doing this? What manga?"
"Can't answer the first two — if it ends up in the manga, I'll be held responsible. As for the last one — I'm surprised you Nightwatches still haven't noticed. You've all been drawn into a manga. You're the protagonist. These days, protagonists are basically orphans by default — every close relative dies, and friends of the protagonist drop like flies too. That's what creates conflict and buzz. Maybe you're cursed. Given the current plot trajectory, it fits pretty well."
Manga, protagonist — You Shuo couldn't make sense of any of it.
But the latter part he understood. This man was saying that everyone who got close to him would die.
That remark struck at the very core of You Shuo's weakness. The people around him truly had fared poorly.
His parents. You Ling too, if not for Bi Xi. And now Yiluoqi — whatever the truth of the situation was. Sui Xiao, if she found out, would be devastated. She'd made Nightwatch life her entire world, treated them as family. Now her family was falling apart.
【Boulder】 saw You Shuo's mood plummet and pressed on: "Oh, by the way — Yi-dog is 【Jiao Tu】. When he gave the order to kill your sister, he didn't hesitate for a single second. After all, he's nothing but a dog."
You Shuo's head snapped up, eyes boring into him.
"The Leader will definitely make him kill you with his own hands to test his loyalty. Whether it's true or not — just wait and see for yourself," 【Boulder】 said. "I just didn't want you dying with unanswered questions. After all, I'm sort of a fan of the protagonist."
False. All of it, false. You Shuo refused to believe a single punctuation mark from this man. Whatever Yiluoqi had done, he needed to hear it from Yiluoqi himself.
He tested his wrist bindings with a subtle twist. His limbs were all bound, and the air inside the pod had elevated carbon dioxide levels, inducing a drowsy, heavy-headed sensation.
No good. He couldn't break free on his own.
"Don't look at me. I'm not letting you go," 【Boulder】 said. "I'm a protagonist fan, sure, but you really hurt when you punched me earlier. I'll enjoy watching Yi-dog kill you with his own two hands."
You Shuo lowered his head. There was nothing to hide from. This was entirely his fault.
Why Yiluoqi? Had he been threatened? Controlled? Brainwashed?
None of this should have happened. Everything about tonight was wrong.
How could it be Yiluoqi?
"The people you trust aren't necessarily as good to you as I am."
In that moment, You Shuo suddenly recalled the devil's words. It seemed Bi Xi had been right — the people he trusted really hadn't been as good to him as Bi Xi.
Was this the kind of moment where one prayed for divine intervention? He despised himself for the thought.
But the only being capable of appearing like a miracle at a time like this was Bi Xi.
He knew he was a terrible person — fearing Bi Xi's power on one hand, hoping for his arrival on the other.
"Bi Xi..."
He called the name silently, in his mind alone.
Had Bi Xi found a new toy? If You Shuo was still special to him — would he come?
Would he still grant his wish? Or had he, too, grown weary of a man who brought nothing but disaster?
If what this man said was true — had he gotten Lingling killed? Had Yiluoqi found Lingling because of him? Was it because of him that —
Just then, 【Boulder】 abruptly put down his phone and shot to his feet, staring fixedly in one direction.
"Looks like cockroaches got into the base," he said, his body beginning to swell.
Biological-type ability. Muscle hardening. Impervious to blades and bullets — even firearms couldn't breach his reinforced shell. His physical defense could reach its absolute peak.
But in the next instant, a flash of electricity flickered from the depths of the darkness.
In a heartbeat, the electric bolt snaked forward like a serpent, and in the blink of an eye it had engulfed 【Boulder】.
BZZZT.
You Shuo watched 【Boulder】's body convulse once, then go limp. Tiny electric snakes leaped across his skin — not a single wound visible on the surface.
The electrical surge had pierced straight through to his heart. No matter how tough the shell, it couldn't stop the electricity already present in a living organism's own body.
You Shuo knew: he was dead.
He looked into the depths of the darkness. Footsteps, distinct and measured, grew closer with every step.
Bi Xi? No — this wasn't Bi Xi's style.
Bi Xi was more spectral, his true ability impossible to discern. Compared to an ability user, he was more like a miracle-worker who transcended abilities entirely.
At last, the figure in the darkness stepped into the light, and You Shuo saw a mask. Beneath the shadow cast by the hood, the pure-white crescent-moon mask looked profoundly eerie.
The hood concealed too much. The black stockings beneath the shorts could be worn by anyone regardless of gender. The only thing he could be certain of was that this person was not Bi Xi.
The devil hadn't come.
Perhaps he really had grown bored — just as he'd said, You Shuo truly was a coward, and so even the devil couldn't be pleased.
Manga protagonist? He didn't know what that meant. He only knew that the people around him kept leaving.
Even with Yiluoqi — he desperately wanted to believe he'd been coerced.
He truly didn't want to lose the precious few people left in his life. He didn't want to lose anyone else.
Don't leave him with nothing but memorial tablets.
You Shuo knew his emotions were off right now, but emotions couldn't be controlled. Even if he told himself not to be tense, not to be afraid, not to be sad — his brain had a mind of its own.
Some things couldn't be escaped simply by refusing to face them.
Like right now.
The glass pod opened with a beep. The crescent-moon mask tapped a few commands on the control panel, and the restraints binding You Shuo released automatically.
"Can you walk?" The voice behind the crescent-moon mask was androgynous — a neutral, youthful tone that revealed nothing.
Without waiting for You Shuo's answer, the crescent-moon mask answered for him: "Fine. You can't."
Then the crescent-moon mask crouched in front of the restraint bed, back turned to You Shuo. He — or she — reached behind, took one of You Shuo's trembling hands, and placed it on a shoulder, then stood, carrying him on that back.
"What would you ever do without me?" the crescent-moon mask sighed quietly.