Chapter 71 - Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 71 - Two Paths The cleanup staff diligently went about his work as usual, though that remark seemed oddly suggestive? An Heyu arrived swiftly at the organization's hideout. However, due to time constraints, by the time he reached there, Li Li had already made a round trip to and from the real world. Presently, she was sitting on a box, reviewing her textbooks from memory. The end of the semester was approaching, with not much time left before the final exams. If possible, she truly wished she could bring her textbooks over. It was odd, really. She had double the time compared to others, so why couldn't she make better use of it? After pondering it over, Li Li could only shake her head. Her system strictly prohibited any interchange of items between dimensions, as if to avoid any intersection between the two worlds. Upon entering the hideout, An Heyu saw the chaos — organization members strewn across the ground — and Li Li, who seemed rather relaxed, sitting nonchalantly with her legs crossed. “Hello~” Li Li greeted upon seeing An Heyu. An Heyu's golden eyes surveyed the surroundings before he looked at Li Li and spoke in a surprisingly calm tone: “Since things have turned out this way, let’s continue.” Dyed-eye City was different from Four-Way City; entering required identity verification. An Heyu personally handled these matters, so in his view, they should initially conceal their presence, investigate, and adapt to the new environment before taking action. Yet, it seemed that he had reflected deeply on the way here, for his current decisiveness was unexpected. “Perhaps you are right, and we do not have the time for a slow and methodical buildup.” Upon hearing this, Li Li felt that An Heyu might have started imagining scenarios again, which his subsequent words indeed confirmed. “The situation in Four-Way City is substantial, and they will not be able to keep it under wraps for long. Soon, you will become the target of everyone’s attention,” An Heyu said, “We have very little time at our disposal, and we need an ally to draw attention while we conceal ourselves.” “I have been too hesitant.” He concluded, then said, “Let's capture Zone Three directly.” This declaration was unlike the usual cautious and indecisive An Heyu. Li Li blinked, feeling an urge to applaud the new 'Red Crane' version of An Heyu — proactive and assertive! Although his assumptions were off-base — she was merely gathering intelligence — she wouldn't oppose making a significant move. “Sure.” Li Li jumped down from the box, “Overnight, we’ll conquer Zone Three through strength.” She walked breezily to An Heyu, pushing up her sunglasses to look into his golden eyes. “Just my style,” she said. “Go for it, Red.” The golden gleam, hidden amidst the night, masked everything in obscurity under the cover of illusionary magic. For those in Zone Three who thrived under the perpetual night, this guaranteed a sleepless night. Golden ripples, visible only to them, enveloped them within its domain, while Zone One's Ability Guild remained oblivious. Dyed-eye City was divided into thirteen sections. Six years ago, after Lin Ran officially settled in Dyed-eye City, she merged the Lin noble domains, thus zoning these thirteen districts. Zone One was the core, akin to the pupil of an eye; Zones Two and Twelve were like the eye's whites on either side. The remaining Zones Three through Seven formed the upper eyeliner, with Eight through Eleven and finally Thirteen as the lower, encircling the central pupil — Zone One. Being on the periphery, Zone Three wouldn’t alarm the central powers promptly. As time passed, with the dawn breaking, Li Li's appearance shifted, with the cowlick atop her head swaying in the breeze. It was nearing five in the morning. Overnight, Zone Three's new leader had emerged. While An Heyu was busy clearing up, consolidating available resources, and exerting final intimidation, Li Li — less skilled in this regard — watched for a while, then clapped off her hands and left. She wanted to witness Dyed-eye City not just bathed in endless night but at the threshold of night and day. Amidst his busywork, An Heyu momentarily lost track, and by the time he looked around again, Li Li had already vanished. He remained quietly, took a deep breath, then resumed his work, making the most of the time remaining before five. An Heyu believed he should have grown accustomed, considering how evasive Hei Ge had been since their first encounter. “He always has his reasons,” An Heyu told himself. Unlike his brother An Guyu’s aimless wanderings... ... Leaving the relatively remote Zone Three, Li Li walked the streets closer to the city center, which were largely deserted at this early hour. Tall buildings lined the streets, yet unlike the pristine city she saw during the day, after a night of chaos, some structures were damaged, showing signs of blasts. It didn’t resemble the orderly city of daylight at all. She stood by the roadside, gazing at the sky as it gradually brightened. With one minute until five. The gray sky brightened, and then, an anomaly occurred. The debris from damaged buildings floated, repositioning themselves and filling the voids seamlessly. Black soot from demolished structures rapidly faded, flickers of fire appearing and disappearing, leaving them pristine. Dirt, debris, and even sporadic bloodstains on the ground vanished rapidly as though being rewound. In the final minute, the entire city underwent a transformation. As if time had reversed, returning to the structured capital it was before nightfall. The countdown ended, birds chirped among the greenery, the sun rose, gradually brightening the city, dispelling the darkness. Curtains flew open, voices arose, engines roared to life, and the mechanical sounds of daily life grew louder. It was as though the entire city awakened. Li Li remained in place, observing the rising sun, a habitual smile tugging at her lips. “Time reversal, or is it an object state reversal?” she mused. The type of ability differed between time reversal — a conceptual power — and object state reversal — a spell-type power. One thing Li Li could confirm: “That range, at least S-class,” she slid her hands into her pockets, stepping into the bustling street. Was the Ability Guild of Dyed-eye City behind it, or someone from the Lin nobles? Does Lin Ran know about the perpetual night while crafting a daytime utopia? The mayor’s contradictory actions, the night’s semblance of secrecy amidst blatant chaos — this city was more enigmatic than any she'd visited before. Across the street, a large screen lit up, following advertisement with a flashing bounty announcement. Coming from the Empire Ability Guild headquarters, it was the highest bounty: the illusionist Hei Ge, power level unknown, extremely dangerous. Anyone successful in slaying him would receive a noble title from the royal family. It seemed Four-Way City had concluded matters following Qu Yan’s death. Li Li glanced at it, continuing her walk. The morning breeze blew, teasing the cowlick on her head. What did Hei Ge’s bounty have to do with Cowlick Li? What did Cowlick Li have to do with Li Li anyway? ... Time quickly came for the manga update, yet Li Li, due to a looming deadline, gave up the update to work overnight on her course assignments. Only after submitting her work the following day did she find time to check the update. This update continued the post-catastrophe narrative in Four-Way City and Yi Ming’s new journey. As she had predicted, following Qu Yan’s death, the Floating City’s Qu noble put pressure on Rao Yue, the last of the Yue noble hierarchy. Rao Yue, together with An Guyu, reported selectively to the Floating City. An Guyu concealed his acquisition of abilities, recommending Rao Yue to the Qu noble without revealing any knowledge. Upon learning of An Heyu’s death, the Qu noble refrained from pressing Rao Yue further, shifting focus to Hei Ge. Qu Yan’s intent to kill An Heyu remained hidden, though indeed three S-class fell in action; Hei Ge was blamed for all their deaths. Through this incident, Hei Ge’s name spread across the empire — after all, he slain three S-class individuals! 【Hei Ge is gaining fame! Totally cool!】 【Truth be told, Hei Ge only took two lives; adding one seems insignificant?】 【As a long-term Beyond Black and White power analyst, I guarantee Hei Ge isn’t A-class! How could an A-class achieve this?】 【Perhaps due to the last update, seeing things unrelated to Hei Ge pinned on him felt unsettling.】 【There were just two! No need to tarnish his name!】 【Counting the burdens Hei Ge has carried over the years, like murdering Li.】 Prompted by the comments, Li Li realized she had indeed borne many burdens unwarranted. However, she figured that accumulating debts wasn’t a burden, as carrying some responsibilities could be beneficial for character portrayal. Naturally, if something wasn’t hers, she’d be sure to discard it eventually. Following up on the Four-Way City events, Yi Ming and the others discussed their next destination. After all, they couldn’t stay in Four-Way City forever, yet currently, Yi Ming didn’t require anyone’s assistance, nor did he have a specific target city. In the scene, they sat in line at Heart Plaza, watching a flock of white doves meander on the ground before them. “I want to become stronger,” Yi Ming stated earnestly, “to truly act as a protector, rather than the protected.” Besides Hei Ge’s urging, he had found his own motivation. 【Yi Ming doesn't know that Li Baige is actually Hei Ge yet. Who knows how he’d feel when he finds out.】 【I feel for the little corgi and Hei Ge, who can't protect his friends. They both strive to get stronger for someone.】 【Here come the tears. Damn it, Cowlick Li is truly the perfect white moonlight!】 Tang consoled Yi Ming, “It’s not your fault.” But Yu Xiao, oblivious to the tension, nodded, “Indeed, you’re not strong.” “Want me to remind you that you’re a C-class too?” Tang glared at Yu Xiao. Yu Xiao looked puzzled, “I never said I was strong.” Tang was at a loss for words, only able to continue glaring at him. Oblivious, Yu Xiao continued, “I know a place where you can get stronger.” After Yi Ming pressed for more details, he said, “The Sang Noble's domain in Triumphant City has various arenas. If you want, you can fight to grow stronger there.” “But I heard the duels are usually to the death and very dangerous,” Yu Xiao added. Nonetheless, his previous words had already solidified Yi Ming's resolve. “I’m going,” Yi Ming declared firmly. “Even if it’s life or death, I must become strong so I’m not powerless when needed.” “I don’t mind,” Yu Xiao blinked, looking at Tang. “I’m a healer; without me, you’re doomed,” Tang slightly tilted his chin up, adding, “Besides, it’s closer to Floating City.” At that moment, An Guyu joined them, squatting down beside. “If you’re heading to Triumphant City, I’m coming too,” he said. “The Sang family holds answers I seek.” “Is it alright for you to leave Four-Way City?” Yi Ming asked, not fully comprehending the noble intricacies. “It’s fine,” An Guyu replied. “I’m the An family patriarch; I’m free to go where I please.” Even as a lone patriarch, he remained a patriarch. Yi Ming watched this transformed young nobleman, so different from their first meeting, and resolutely agreed, “Alright, let’s go together.” 【I cursed the Crybird when he first appeared, now I can't say a bad word.】 【Is this manga proof that growing up means losing people? Yi Ming has lost someone, and so has An Guyu.】 【This is growth! Welcome Crybird to the protagonist team!】 As Li Li read the manga, she arched an eyebrow, mused aloud, “Are we splitting paths now?” She was in Lin's Dyed-eye City, while Yi Ming and his group headed to Sang’s Triumphant City. While not absurdly far, there was still a city between them. Under such circumstances, she wouldn’t be able to sneak into Yi Ming’s frame. Not to mention rescuing anyone — even using abilities, it would take at least fifteen to twenty minutes to travel. One possibility was that Hei Ge would drop off the radar, staying silent until the next appropriate appearance. Another possibility was... the manga would start presenting dual storylines!