Absurd Moonlight and the 'Black Warriors'!

On the building's rooftop. The moonlight fell like frost, while the glow of neon shimmered across Bai Zhou's face. Dangling his legs over the roof's edge in a perilous pose, Bai Zhou did not care in the slightest. As though he had finally cast off a crushing burden, a long-absent joy surfaced on the youth's weary face, and his clear eyes shone with spirited vigor. Even if those suffocating, vicious pursuers who could strike at any moment were to descend from the heavens the very next second, Bai Zhou once again possessed the confidence to face them. Having to exhaust every drop of mental energy calculating everything in advance just because he was too weak and helpless... that style of doing things was simply not suited for him after all. Every Extraordinary walking the occult path had their own style. Along roads shrouded in thick fog, some carefully felt their way with astrolabes, while others walked into the dark to embrace corruption. And Bai Zhou was the sort who, though afraid of death, felt extreme outrage and indignation at moments of life and death because of that very fear, and so took up his blade to cleave through the fog. —Wielding his purple-gold saber, unleashing the full might of his Moon Cinder Oath of Victory Slash—that was his answer! The Special Control Bureau? The Zijing Group and whatever unpredictable pursuers they had left? What were enemies? Cut them down, and that would be that. This was Bai Zhou's answer. "..." Crow stood off to the side, the hem of her trench coat fluttering in the wind. She suddenly felt that Bai Zhou really ought to find a mirror and look at himself right now. The high-spirited confidence on Bai Zhou's face at this moment bore no trace of the cautious, insecure youth she had first met. ...In Crow's eyes, even after stepping onto the path of the extraordinary, there was no essential difference between an Extraordinary and an ordinary human. Only strength of spirit was true strength. To become extraordinary, one had to forge an extraordinary heart first. Bai Zhou had truly grown up... The speed of his growth never failed to astonish her. It was as though he grew a leap every single night, transforming in the blink of an eye from a seed into a sapling, and now into a tree beginning to offer shade. Perhaps if Crow were to say a few words to remind him right now, Bai Zhou would realize how far he had come, and then proudly stand with his hands on his hips for a while. ...But Crow would never say that. If he wanted her to praise his progress from the bottom of her heart— The current Bai Zhou was still far from earning it! "Crow, look at the sky." Bai Zhou's voice suddenly reached Crow's ears. "What is it?" Crow raised her head, looking up toward where Bai Zhou was pointing. There were very few clouds tonight. Across the deep night sky hung a magnificent canopy of brilliant stars, constellations taking shape in their respective sectors, breathtakingly beautiful. And amidst the twinkling stars, there was also a "star" that moved slowly, blinking with soft bursts of light now and then. "What's that?" Bai Zhou pointed at it, blinking. "That is... an airplane," Crow replied without hesitation. Airplanes flying thousands of meters above, with the lights on their fuselages blinking rhythmically, appeared to people on the ground as "moving stars." In the modern era, this was an exceedingly common sight. "An airplane?" Bai Zhou, of course, had never seen such a thing, and he stared at the "star" with a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, something akin to a car, but it can fly in the sky." Crow nodded and patiently explained: "Just like the cars you saw at the Special Control Bureau, they're products of modern industry." "Of course, Extraordinaries played a very important role in that as well." "Whether it was Tao Chengdao, known as 'Wan Hu,' or the Wright brothers who invented the airplane, they were all one of 'us.'" Crow raised a hand, catching a wisp of wind in her grasp. The wind swirled around her slender fingertips, the tiny vortex taking on a nearly translucent, tangible form. "Our Extraordinary predecessor in the Eastern Federation, Tao Chengdao, sacrificed his mortal body so that his final spark of spirit could escape into the atmosphere. There, he encountered the shed skin of a wind serpent and forged a contract with it." "From then on, humanity gained the qualification to traverse the stratosphere." "Later, with the help of a suitable ritual, the Wright brothers of the Western Federation hammered together a strange bird out of wood, cloth, and a crude gasoline engine, naming it an airplane and declaring humanity's initial conquest of the skies." "Da Vinci's manuscript conjectures, the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon experiments, the crashed Hindenburg airship... generation after generation of predecessors pressed forward relentlessly." "In the realm of the sky, whether Extraordinary or ordinary, there has never been any shortage of prophets martyred while exploring unknown frontiers." "In the manuscripts left behind by the famous Extraordinary Da Vinci, there is a thought-provoking line—" "'We never invented flight; we are merely redeeming, bit by bit... redeeming our long-lost right to soar among the stars.'" Pondering for a moment, Crow added very seriously: "Theoretically..." "If you cause an even bigger ruckus and alert the official higher-ups, there will be helicopters mounted with autocannons coming after you." That sounded terrifying. A chilly night breeze swept past, and Bai Zhou, perched on the rooftop edge, shivered. Then he looked up again. The higher up one went, the stronger the wind became, and the rooftop wind was quite fierce. The howling gale rushed through the heights, as though it might shake the very stars down from the sky. This moving star stood out distinctly against the tranquil night sky, looking as if extraterrestrials had come to visit the Blue Star. "Magnificent humans," Bai Zhou ultimately remarked. It was no extraterrestrial visitation, but a masterpiece created by the humans of this very planet beneath their feet. Just as Bai Zhou sat on the rooftop now, images of leaping past the ledge into a free fall instinctively crossed his mind... Humans envied the wings of birds and had never ceased fantasizing about flight. They yearned to experience the rushing wind against their ears as they took to the air, yearned to break free of all restraints and achieve a romantic transcendence... Winged angels and broom-riding witches—these mythical figures all embodied humanity's longings. Even for Bai Zhou himself, his very first thought upon stepping onto the path of the extraordinary had been when he would be able to fly. To soar high into the air— For some reason, this was a craving etched into the deepest depths of human genetics, yet forever elusive! Yet in the civilization of this Blue Star, humans had used their cleverness and wisdom to fly so high into the heavens with tools, standing shoulder to shoulder with the stars— Magnificent! Just as Crow said, so-called flight was essentially a silent, splendid ritual miracle that had spanned centuries! Moreover, this miracle was still continuing to this day. Still... "Why does an airplane fly so high, yet never crashes into the stars?" Bai Zhou asked. "..." Faced with Bai Zhou's earnest question, Crow was struck momentarily speechless. A great question—never ask it again. No one who had undergone twelve years of compulsory education could possibly ask something like that. Yet when it came to Bai Zhou, explaining it to him was truly difficult. After thinking it over, Crow decided to abandon a long-winded explanation involving the cosmos, the atmosphere, and aerodynamics. —Mainly because she did not understand that much of it herself. And so, Crow tightened her little face and answered simply and forcefully: "Because..." "The stars dodge!" The stars dodge? "Is that so?" Bai Zhou was somewhat surprised, but found the answer unexpectedly airtight. "Mm..." Seeing Bai Zhou's pensive expression, Crow averted her gaze, avoiding his eyes. Her cheeks felt slightly warm. Still, at any rate, she had managed to brush off Bai Zhou's endless questioning for the time being. She retracted her earlier thought that Bai Zhou had grown up. Although Bai Zhou was no longer a weak Extraordinary, when it came to common sense... Crow had already made up her mind. —Buying a copy of *One Hundred Thousand Whys* was a matter of utmost urgency! However. Suddenly, Bai Zhou furrowed his brow and looked over at Crow: "...Wait, something's wrong!" Crow's heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong?" Bai Zhou's expression grew solemn: "Earlier, you said Major Luo most likely has the consumption method for Tears of the Moon Goddess..." "So I started recalling what extraordinary materials the Major had bought at the auction, thinking I might turn up something." So it was about the Major. Crow quietly breathed a sigh of relief, then put on a cool face as she looked at Bai Zhou, her brow knitting slightly: "And then?" "And then it suddenly hit me—at the auction, the Major paid an exorbitant price to win a Midnight Compass!" "A Midnight Compass?" "Right. As long as one has the target's name and birth chart, it can bypass ritual wards and pinpoint the target's location with precision once a day at eleven at night." Recalling everything that had happened at the auction, Bai Zhou said in a grave voice: "Even without a birth chart, relevant information like a photograph can barely substitute for it." "—Looking at it now, there's no doubt that this was meant for me!" If Bidder Number 2 truly was the Major... Bai Zhou could think of no reason why the Major would buy such an item and not use it on him. Fortunately, he already knew the Major's identity and had witnessed him winning the item with his own eyes. Otherwise, once his location was exposed and an ambush laid in advance... A chill ran down Bai Zhou's spine. Yet upon hearing this, Crow took a different view: "It seems that having temporarily lost your trail, the Major is quite desperate as well." "But the way I see it, this might not necessarily be a bad thing!" "If you were unaware of this, that compass would be enough to kill you a hundred times over... But as it happens, you do know, and the Major happens not to know that you know." Crow narrowed her eyes, her furrowed brow gradually relaxing: "—In this way, the enemy is exposed while we are concealed, and the initiative falls into our hands." "Isn't it just a location ping every night at eleven?" The wind rustled Crow's collar, and a faint smile touched her sparkling gaze: "As long as we hold this intelligence in advance, then whatever location he gets..." "Won't that be entirely up to us?" Bai Zhou's eyes lit up, instantly grasping Crow's meaning: "At a time like this, we definitely can't let him realize that we already know about the compass." "In fact, we can use it against him to arrange a few new surprises!" A so-called location ping was nothing more than a piece of intelligence. At a time like this, whoever commanded the initiative of intelligence held everything. Turning the tables and catching a turtle in a jar—countless examples of this existed in books. With just a brief thought, Bai Zhou had already conceived several ways to deliver "surprises." —Naturally, the simplest and most effective among them... Was an explosion, the thing Bai Zhou was most familiar with. Bai Zhou could not stop the Major from using the compass, but what the Major learned through it was another story. Though it sounded a bit like wishful thinking... He actually rather hoped the Major would personally lead a team to hunt him down. "As expected of you, Crow!" Bai Zhou praised from the bottom of his heart: "—You're practically an ultra-skilled supervillain!" Crow: "..." Bai Zhou felt curious once more. Crow's familiarity with being "wanted" and "countering manhunts" could no longer be described as mere proficiency... It was a second nature bred into her very bones. She gave off the kind of nonchalance where someone would rob a bank, and then immediately stroll across the street to have a bowl of noodles before leaving. —Without ten years of experience as a villain, one could never cultivate such mastery! *Grumble... grumble...* Having temporarily set aside the weight on his mind, Bai Zhou was just about to stand up from the rooftop when his stomach suddenly rumbled aloud. Crow cast a sideways glance at him. "I'm hungry," Bai Zhou coughed lightly in embarrassment. "I want breakfast." Crow understood completely. After all the turmoil, whatever energy he had must have been completely depleted. Even a donkey turning a millstone for half a day ought to be given some feed, to say nothing of a youth in his growth spurt who had faced one crisis after another... "However, it's three in the morning." Crow shook her head regretfully. Even the most diligent breakfast shop would barely open its doors at four. Looking down from the rooftop at this hour, one could take in half of Tinghai City at a glance, with thousands of households tightly shuttered. There was no breakfast to be had, only shut doors. No matter how lacking in common sense Bai Zhou was, he knew this was not the time for breakfast. "That's fine, then I'll just wait," Bai Zhou rubbed his belly and said with a shake of his head: "Once day breaks, I want to go try Tinghai's xiaolongbao." After breakfast... He would have to head over to that Yuanmeng Middle School to investigate, with no telling what trouble awaited him there. And that was not the end of it. Come nighttime, he would have to prepare in advance to deal with the Major's forces... Just thinking about it made his head ache. Still, all of that was business for after daybreak. Before dawn, Bai Zhou only wanted to empty his mind and rest for a bit. At least everything today was far better than yesterday's despair. Each day was better than the last. Things would work out in the end. Bai Zhou mused with optimism. Then, he began focusing all his thoughts on what the very first freshly steamed basket of pork xiaolongbao and the very first steaming ladle of millet porridge from the breakfast stall would taste like. The more he thought about it... The more his mouth watered. And his stomach grew even hungrier. Bai Zhou sat down on the edge of the rooftop once more, his legs dangling in midair and swinging back and forth. He raised his right hand, the one marked with the crescent moon, propped his cheek against it, and closed his eyes. His breathing grew increasingly steady and shallow. The shadow of the building loomed tall and vast, while the youth's shadow was small. Just like that, he fell into a deep slumber. Waiting for the dawn. *Tap...* A very, very soft sound. Crow draped the tattered cloak Bai Zhou had just taken off over his shoulders. Suddenly. Bai Zhou's body swayed twice, causing Crow's stealthy movement to freeze in place. "?" *Whoosh...* A gust of wind swept across the rooftop, lifting a corner of the cloak. And Crow's figure, bent toward Bai Zhou right at the prominent edge of the rooftop, remained entirely motionless against the howling wind. The scene seemed frozen; the air felt congealed. ...Fortunately, Bai Zhou did not wake up. Which meant he had not seen Crow draping the cloak over him. This allowed Miss Crow to finally let out a sigh of relief as she slowly straightened up. "..." Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Miss Crow's face returned to its usual icy aloofness. One sat, fast asleep. The other stood beside him, her trench coat fluttering. The two of them simply stayed quietly at the edge of the rooftop, their silhouettes stretched long by the gentle moonlight. Stretched longer, and longer... And then, within the elongation and distortion of the moonlight, their shadows... Came to lean shoulder against shoulder. —Fortunately, Miss Crow did not turn her head to see this. Otherwise, someone would probably have drawn her blade once more to slash at the moon and shatter this absurd moonlight. ... On the other side. Branch 36's underground base. The Major had finally dealt with that damned headquarters supervisory team, temporarily settling them into the base's luxury guest quarters. "Provide them with the finest food and drink with all our might. Whatever they want, give it to them. Even if they don't ask, find ways to give it anyway. As long as they're willing to accept gifts, things will be easy to manage." In the meeting room, the Major gave orders to several officers: "Especially that Gem Witch—" "I've heard that every time she makes a move, gemstones are consumed. She likely hails from an extraordinary background and possesses a generous, magnificent disposition. Vulgar things like mundane wealth probably won't move her heart." "So forget about money. You must find a way to discover her personal preferences and tailor your approach accordingly." "...There is only one rule: you must not let them handle any official business!" The Major's voice paused here. He lowered his gaze, scanning the crowd, and hissed in a sharp, suppressed whisper: "The case regarding Bai Zhou must never be passed to their hands. You are to drag out the time as much as possible." "—In the meantime, I will resolve the matter of Bai Zhou as swiftly as possible!" Some of the officers hesitated as if wanting to speak, wishing to point out that there had been no news of Bai Zhou for so long, and that the Major's mental state visibly seemed somewhat off... Was there really no issue with these arrangements? Yet seeing the Major's eyes, which had turned bloodshot for reasons unknown, every officer felt a chill in their heart and refrained from uttering another word. In the end, they simply snapped to their feet with a crisp rustle, saluted, and responded: "Yes, Major!" ... The Major returned to his office. Two people dressed in bizarre attire were already waiting here. "Officer Luo." Seeing the Major enter, they bowed slightly toward him. A man and a woman, their styles of dress exceptionally distinct—walking on the street, they would undoubtedly turn heads with their extreme alternative fashion. Both wore painted masks over their faces, and their entire bodies were covered in an array of vivid colors... Without a doubt, they were Painters from the Fine Arts Society. The woman with the curvaceous figure was the new first-ranked Painter following Munch's death. The other was naturally the new second-ranked Painter after Munch's demise. Originally, counting Edvard Munch, the three of them had been the ones dispatched by the Fine Arts Society to hunt down Bai Zhou together. Yet no one could have anticipated that before even catching sight of Bai Zhou, the strongest among them had perished first... "Regarding Munch, I am deeply sorry." The Major was not surprised by their arrival and nodded toward them. Only, when mentioning Munch, his expression became somewhat unnatural: "The payment has already been transferred to the previous account." "You may verify it." Hearing this, the female Painter waved her hands repeatedly and said in a low voice: "No need. We naturally trust your credibility, Major." "Let us put the matter of Munch behind us—" "We heard you have a way to locate Bai Zhou tonight, and that is actually why we came." "Bai Zhou..." The Major's gloomy expression seemed slightly strange, but in the end he merely shook his head: "Yes, Bai Zhou..." Before today, his absolute kill target had indeed been Bai Zhou. Yet after today, the person he most wanted to skin alive had become that unknown Bidder Number 22. Regrettably, he knew nothing about that person, and the Midnight Compass could only help him track down Bai Zhou. ...Bai Zhou it was, then. "Regarding tonight's operation, I have also prepared some helpers for you." The Major's words caused the two Painters to pause slightly in surprise. Next, the Major clapped his hands twice, *clap, clap*. The applause sounded exceptionally crisp in the silent office. The very next instant— *Clack! Clack!* The sound of machinery grinding into motion rang out. The bookshelf behind the Major automatically swung open. As though a curtain had been drawn back, a dark, deep secret passage was revealed. Deep darkness flooded the lengthy corridor. Then, one pair, two pairs, ten pairs, dozens of pairs... densely clustered crimson points of light abruptly flared to life within the thick gloom. Those were human eyes. Yet they resembled beasts even more. Cold, pure, and utterly devoid of emotion. By the faint light spilling from the office, the Painters could barely make out the scene within, and their hearts nearly stopped beating. —For along the ceiling and the walls on both sides of the secret passage, these human figures were densely clinging to every surface. Every single one had their entire body wrapped tightly in black cloth strips, resembling ninjas or warriors, blending seamlessly into the darkness. Like bats, they adhered to various spots without a shred of apparent weight. "They are..." The two Painters held their breath instinctively. Even as individuals who prided themselves on being extraordinary, they had never seen "people" like this. Most importantly, they sensed a lethal threat emanating from these "people." No one could have imagined that the Major would conceal such monstrous things within his own office. "They are the helpers I prepared for you." Looking at these "people" who had been hidden in his office's secret passage for who knew how long, the Major's gloomy expression finally eased considerably. As the Major spoke, those pairs of eyes in the secret passage seemed to receive some signal, focusing squarely on him in unison, as if awaiting his command. They remained silent, utterly still, and an inhuman sense of oppression rose naturally from them. They did not seem like living humans, but rather a pack of precision-engineered, callous killing machines. "Hardly anyone knows of their existence." "...Feeling no pain, offering absolute obedience—the strongest 'biological weapons' I designed personally!" Looking at them, the Major's voice gradually steadied, and his chest puffed out slowly. With his mood considerably improved, he finally reclaimed his haughty pride from these creations: "Each one is an extraordinary masterpiece that has undergone biological modification, fused with a fraction of the Black Box's characteristics." "Carrying inherent corruption, adaptable to all environments—they can be called an infinitely enhanced version of the Swordbearer tactical squads." As he spoke, the Major slowly turned his head, the shadows from the secret passage cloaking half his body. Those pairs of crimson eyes shone behind him, fanning out like a peacock spreading its feathers. This overwhelming sense of oppression even made the two Painters, who stood at the pinnacle of Rank 4, feel as if their blood were freezing, causing them to hold their breath involuntarily. "I call these masterpieces..." The Major whispered, his words falling slowly, syllable by syllable, into their ears: "—The 'Black Warriors'!"