Chapter Twenty-One: The Battle Begins

Five minutes after the provisional president, Cardecia, returned, the first meeting of the Cyber Ghost Music Club came to an abrupt end.

“How come I just got back and there’s only the two of us left?!”

“Gongsun’s gone to work, Qin Qianbai took Kira out to grab a bite… After all, two hours have passed, and everyone has their own things to handle.”

The blonde girl collapsed on the table in frustration.

“Damn it, this broken table looks older than the whole city! This is nothing like I imagined—just a place for tea parties!”

In fact, the student council had originally planned to grant them the best room for their club activities to avoid trouble. But Lianyi Shiyu felt that for such a laid-back group, a slightly “remote” classroom was more than enough. As a spot to idle away time with friends, this was just right.

The young man in the suit patiently listened to the girl’s complaints. When she was finally tired and gulped down water, he spoke.

“Cardecia, tomorrow is Saturday.”

“Hmm? Oh, the thing we talked about yesterday! Have you decided where to go?”

Lianyi Shiyu recalled the hastily made plan and, following the first step, extended the invitation.

“Tomorrow—”

·

Nighttime, six o’clock sharp, Dinging District.

“Open the door, open up.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, it’s me. Any food?”

After this brief, pointless exchange, the iron gate of the garden house swung open, and the gray-haired young man stepped into the informant’s home.

Mo Yuankai was unwrapping takeout at the dining table.

“A large potato pizza with molten cheese crust, double cheese base, and a side platter—enough for two.”

“So generous with dinner? Don’t rush to eat, check out the surprise I brought you.”

“Wow, let’s see what it is…” The overweight young man glanced up, his face turning green. “Are you kidding me, Ce?”

Gongsun Ce solemnly placed a large box of salad on the table.

“A premium salad from the healthy deli Miss Qin recommended. To keep it healthy, I even threw away the dressing for you.”

The informant groaned in anguish. “You really have the heart to feed your big brother grass?!”

“A promise is a promise—I said I’d buy you salad. Look, I’m light, so I’ll have the big pizza, you’re heavy, so you get the healthy salad. Makes sense, right?”

Mo Yuankai shoved the salad aside in disgust.

“Come on, you eat what you bought.”

“At least have a couple of bites to fool yourself.”

The esper sat down, grabbed a slice of pizza, and took a hearty bite. The crispy crust was topped with bacon fried to a slight char and chunky potato wedges, all melded together with mayonnaise, cheese, and beef, creating an irresistible surface. Just looking at it was enough to make one’s mouth water. The first bite revealed a complex texture and perfect doneness, the combined power of carbs and fat flooding his senses. The stretchy cheese was a visual delight, making him eager for more.

Such food was a pleasure to eat, but prolonged chewing inevitably led to cloying fullness. The informant tossed him a bag of iced tea, and Gongsun Ce used his telekinesis to float the orange liquid out, gulping down half the bag like it was jelly.

He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “So satisfying.”

“You use your ability even to eat—must be nice, huh?”

“It’s fantastic,” he replied. “Sometimes I can hardly remember how I managed before I had powers.” He took another sip. “Running two errands today wore me out.”

Mo Yuankai chewed his pizza. “What’s your take on things?”

The question, of course, referred to what Gongsun Ce had seen on his two trips.

That morning, Gongsun Ce had gone to the airport again, stopping several middle schoolers attempting to sneak out in suitcases. At noon, seven elementary school students tried to escape via the rail elevator, so the gray-haired youth had to rush to the Dinging District port—clearly, two more groups of kids being manipulated.

“I’m telling you, it’s getting more ridiculous by the day. Yesterday at least it was middle schoolers; today it’s elementary kids.” Gongsun Ce shook his head in exasperation. “What were they thinking? Who comes up with such a harebrained idea as climbing into the rail elevator? Even the brute-force plans cooked up by the muscleheads of the Death’s Wing were more credible.”

Mo Yuankai grabbed a chicken wing from the side platter.

“Are we sure they weren’t being used for malicious attacks?”

“I checked thoroughly on the spot—no dangerous goods, no sign of activated abilities.” The esper shook his head. “My impression is… let me see how to put it…”

The informant spat out a bone. “A kindergarten amateur troupe run by a first-grader strategist.”

“Perfectly vivid. The whole thing just screams amateur hour. Whether it’s the kids making the escape or the so-called ‘mastermind’ feeding them intel, they clearly have only a shallow grasp of the city’s situation. Otherwise, who’d hatch such a lousy plan?”

It was reasonable for manipulated young boys and girls to impulsively try to escape. But for the “mastermind” to devise such a hopeless plan was odd.

A true decision-maker, privy to vast amounts of information, would naturally see things from a different angle—should be able to grasp the situation and spot flaws with ease. That’s why Mo Yuankai and Gongsun Ce had at first suspected the “mastermind” had some ulterior motive.

But now another possibility dawned on them: perhaps the “mastermind” was also just a child, acting on a sudden impulse.

“A highly skilled hacker who can obtain detailed schedules and access keys, and yet is a kid. Is that possible, big brother?”

Mo Yuankai curled his lip.

“When I was little, I could’ve pulled it off. Why assume others can’t? They’ve got the skills, at least. The authorities couldn’t catch them and came to me; I was up half the night but found no trace.”

There weren’t many people or groups with such skills… The gray-haired youth quickly compiled a list of suspects in his mind.

“Should I go knock on doors tonight and ask around?”

“No need. We don’t have a definite target yet. If it really is a newcomer, we might spook them. Let’s just observe for now.”

Three slices of pizza remained. Mo Yuankai unceremoniously pulled two large pieces to his side, leaving the smallest one for his junior.

“I’m looking into that girl you mentioned too… I’ve got some interesting ideas. I’ll share them when there’s progress.”

“Come on, don’t turn into another riddle-speaker like Yan Qi.” Gongsun Ce snatched the last slice, worried he’d miss out if he hesitated. “This morning I sent a letter to the Dawn Knight, along with some local snacks I bought near home.”

Mo Yuankai stopped chewing.

He put his pizza down, eyes wide, mouth agape, drawing out his words in disbelief, “Wow—whaaat—”

Gongsun Ce added, exasperated, “I also updated the Seventh Knight on your weight situation.”

“Wha—hey! Don’t do that!” The informant’s drawn-out exclamation turned into a sharp shout. “Come on!”

“I genuinely believe outside intervention is needed to stop you from advancing any further down the path to sumo stardom.”

The overweight youth looked devastated, staring at the salad box as if it spelled his doom.

“All these years of brotherhood, and this is the betrayal I get.”

The esper covered half his face with one hand.

“Hate me if you want, oh ignorant brother, and turn that hatred into the strength to lose weight…”

“Screw you.”

Mo Yuankai gloomily gathered up the takeout boxes. Gongsun Ce, still at the table, asked, “Big brother, can I borrow your car tomorrow?”

“You need a car? That’s rare. Planning to take a girl for a spin? Which one?”

“The coolest, of course. I want to use it to help Shiyu chase Cardecia.”

The informant eyed him askew, mouth twisted, head cocked to the side like a bull in an abstract painting.

“You’re helping Lianyi Shiyu chase Spencer?”

The esper thumped his chest. “I even roped in Miss Qin and Kira to help. Tomorrow, we’ll make sure he wins her heart!”

His big brother still seemed stuck in his abstract state.

“Ce, I’ve always liked two things you used to say,” he intoned slowly. “One: Don’t meddle in other people’s private business. Two: Self-awareness is a virtue.”

“Shiyu asked for my help, okay!” the esper protested. “Besides, I, Gongsun, am well experienced in this field—you succeeded back then because I helped, didn’t you?”

Mo Yuankai looked at him as if at an ant who claimed to have single-handedly redirected a meteor.

He pressed his palms together and sighed mournfully, “Lianyi Shiyu is doomed tomorrow…”

Gongsun Ce began to protest, but his big brother simply shook his head, as if he could already see the tragedy to come.

And so, the day passed uneventfully.

Those who had been searching the city yesterday still came up empty-handed today. Another twenty-odd middle schoolers decided to escape; since the esper planned to devote himself to helping his friend’s romance, tomorrow’s work shift would fall to a certain newly appointed law enforcer.

Thus, the people of the City of the Sky welcomed the weekend…

·

The next day, 9:30 a.m.

“Just as expected, Cardecia hasn’t left yet!” Kira reported.

“All clear, I’m watching from the rooftop,” Qin Qianbai chimed in.

The esper listened to the updates in his earpiece, nodding with calm satisfaction.

“A flawless start! Are you ready, Shiyu?”

Lianyi Shiyu gripped the steering wheel. “I’ll do my best… Shall we begin?”

Gongsun Ce waved his right hand, signaling the start of the operation.

“Operation commence! First stage—pick her up in the sports car, Shiyu!”