Chapter 22: An Auspicious Beginning
Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
Lian Yi Shiyu sat in the driver's seat of a bright red sports car. According to a certain enthusiastic esper, he had borrowed this car especially for today’s mission, claiming it could “solve almost any unexpected problem.” It boasted autonomous driving and tracking modes, making it ideal for surveillance tasks; with the paired app on his phone, he could control the car remotely via voice commands; the jet engine enabled acceleration “that would terrify enemies,” and the hidden wings on either side allowed brief flights at high speed; it was armed to the teeth, capable of clearing most obstacles with missiles in under half a minute; and, if surrounded, its transformation feature would provide a dramatic surprise for any adversary.
Lian Yi sincerely hoped he wouldn’t need any of these extra features today. The reason he hadn’t flatly declined his friend’s offer was simply that the car’s sleek design was undeniably eye-catching—exactly the sort of thing Kaldaisia would love.
If only it didn’t have all those features Gongsun Ce described. Where did he even find such a thing?
“Take the sports car to pick her up, Shiyu!”
He must not let Kaldaisia touch the steering wheel—not even for a second. Reminding himself of this most vital precaution, Lian Yi started the engine amid his friend’s encouragement.
“This is...”
The red sports car glided down the main avenue in the Fixed Wing District. The young man in the suit was slightly surprised. This car felt much smoother than the “special vehicles” he’d driven before: he barely noticed any engine noise, and the extra weight from the weaponry actually improved its stability on the road.
He recalled the gray-haired young man mentioning he’d spent last night tuning the car, and felt a surge of gratitude.
Gongsun Ce’s voice drifted into his mind through their connection.
He responded with a smile, feeling some of his anxiety melt away.
Though everyone seemed unreliable most of the time, and yesterday’s endless discussions hadn’t yielded a proper plan, the sincerity behind their efforts for his romance was unmistakable. It was just an ordinary date... With his friends’ help, success was inevitable.
The car swooped gracefully into a side street, stopping at the entrance to Kaldaisia’s apartment. Lian Yi took a deep breath, replaying his friends’ movements to ease his nerves.
Gongsun Ce, tasked with remote command, was leaping rooftops, observing the overall situation. Qin Qianbai, energetic and resourceful, handled any accidents in the surrounding area. Qiluo, who could render herself nearly invisible using her ability, was reporting the time and location from close range.
Accidents at long, medium, and short distances could all be managed—this arrangement was airtight...
Lian Yi hesitated slightly.
The gray-haired young man’s voice was thick with exasperation.
...Embarrassingly, he couldn’t find a reason to rebut.
Gongsun Ce encouraged him.
It’s time for a change...!
Determined, Lian Yi rolled down the window, rested his left arm on the sill, and flashed a confident, proactive smile toward the apartment entrance.
“Good morning! I wanted to change how I’m perceived, so I prepared a little surprise for you. Do you like this car?”
What would Kaldaisia say? Based on her personality, she’d probably shriek in surprise, then tease him that this was hardly her style.
Lian Yi looked into the girl’s eyes. She wore jeans and a white T-shirt today, the fitted outfit accentuating her slender figure. Her blue hair, different from her usual look, made her seem especially mature—yet the emotion in her eyes was somewhat off from what he’d expected...
Wait.
Wait a minute.
Blue, long hair?
Lian Yi’s smile froze.
Kaldaisia didn’t have such a figure, rarely wore plain T-shirts, always brought her signature hat when going out, and never dyed her hair...
The woman in front of the window, familiar yet startled, hugging her arms and retreating—
Wasn’t that Sister Ling?!
Shi Yu Ling hugged her arms, shuffling backward.
“Ah, you’ve changed, truly changed—I have to admit, even I feel terrified... What are you up to, you lunatic...?”
More importantly, why are you out here instead of Kaldaisia?!
As if in answer to Lian Yi’s silent outcry, the blonde girl peeked out from behind Shi Yu Ling.
“Wow, this car is awesome!” Kaldaisia whistled. “Since when did you learn telepathy? How did you know I wanted to bring someone along today? With this car, it’s so much easier~”
Clapping delightedly, she said, “Lian Yi, let me introduce you—this is my new tenant, Miss Alice! Alice dear, this is my good friend Lian Yi Shiyu!”
Shi Yu Ling’s unnerving gaze slowly shifted to the landlord, like a wary girl lured into a suspicious place, staring at her overly enthusiastic boss.
Lian Yi’s smile hadn’t faded yet, but his eyes brimmed with panic, looking like a privileged youth about to take a drive only to encounter a monstrous beast.
Kaldaisia remained oblivious to the siblings’ gazes, bubbling with excitement. “I just wanted you two to meet! We’re sure to have a great day together!”
·
Gongsun Ce shouted, “Miss Qiluo?! Why didn’t you report this?!”
The twin-tailed girl replied, confused, “Didn’t you just ask me to tell you how long until Kaldaisia reached the door?”
“She brought someone with her—didn’t you see?!”
Qiluo replied, even more puzzled, “I saw, but you didn’t ask me how many people were with her.”
The gray-haired young man slapped his forehead in despair.
“My fault, my fault, my mistake.”
·
Shi Yu Ling’s skin prickled with goosebumps. She looked back and forth between the two, horrified, angry, absurd, and incredulous. “You two planned this...?! Hey, Lian Yi, you did all this just for...?”
I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood, but it’s definitely not what you’re imagining!!!
Stay calm, Lian Yi, summarize the situation. Kaldaisia seems to have some plan, Sister Ling appears to have misunderstood something. Simple phrasing should—No, this isn’t a problem that can be fixed with clever words!
What now? This situation is hopeless—there’s no way out this time...!
The human mind, under extreme conditions, can operate far faster than usual, just as Lian Yi was doing now in this disastrous opening!
In a flash, he came up with an ultimate solution, using his available abilities to salvage the hopeless scenario!!
Lian Yi braced his hands on the steering wheel, his face expressionless. “Activate transformation mode.”
Boom, crack, clatter! The bright red vehicle trembled with growing, fantastical sounds. Its sleek shell broke apart into geometric chunks, exposing pipes and a framework beneath; the four wheels shrank and became crucial parts of the limbs; the front folded down into a chest; the driver’s seat shifted to the center, merging with rising components to form a majestic head!
“Red Meteor!”
A powerful transformation announcement blared from the car’s speakers! The sports car transformed before the two women into a red robot, standing tall at the apartment entrance!
“Ah, ah?” Kaldaisia murmured, dazed.
“...Ah?” Shi Yu Ling’s mind similarly crashed. Incidentally, the two female teammates monitoring Lian Yi were also struck dumb at this moment!
Now, in this instant, only two people maintained their composure—the one who had triggered the transformation, Lian Yi Shiyu, and Gongsun Ce, who had seen such scenes before!
Lian Yi’s call for help echoed through their shared connection, and the esper instantly grasped his friend’s scheme! He used telekinesis to accelerate his movement, leaping from the rooftop and landing heroically between the robot and the two women!
“Whoa! Isn’t this the Red Meteor? I never imagined I’d see it in real life—it’s so well-made!!”
As a robot enthusiast, he barged in naturally, exclaiming in awe!
“—Miss Alice?! Long time no see!”
His passion overwhelmed him, and habit made him scan the surroundings! Spotting an old acquaintance, he exclaimed again!
“Eh, eh, eh, eh, you?!”
Well done, Shi Yu Ling! Your habit of shrieking “eh, eh, eh” at unexpected situations hasn’t changed a bit, and that cry alone is enough for the nosy blonde to concoct a 300,000-word drama!
Now, the final step.
Using telekinesis to boost his speed, Gongsun Ce dashed like a sprinter toward the finish line, arms wide, as if greeting a long-lost friend!
The esper roared, “I’ve missed you, Miss Alice!!”
“Eek?! Shadow Orchid!”
As expected, Shi Yu Ling, disguised as Alice with blue hair, activated Shadow Orchid immediately—now was the time to test their teamwork! Gongsun Ce preemptively covered all potential shadows with white matter, and the shadow created by his own movement in sunlight—
Was illuminated by Lian Yi’s car headlights! All visible shadows vanished instantly, rendering Shadow Orchid unusable! The flustered Shi Yu Ling was swept up in a bear hug by the esper!
“Gongsun Ce, I’ll kill you—!”
“Let’s find a place to talk—!”
Both blushing and red-eyed, the two old acquaintances screamed like enemies reuniting, soaring off into the distance under telekinetic force!
At the apartment entrance, the hat-wearing lady and the suited gentleman gazed up at the clear sky.
Before the hat lady could react, Lian Yi asked in a suitably perplexed tone, “Kaldaisia, what just happened?”
“Ah? Ah, ah?” The blonde, hat-wearing woman pointed at him in astonishment.
“You’re asking me?!”
“I just wanted to show you the car’s transformation mode...” He glanced uncertainly at the spot where Shi Yu Ling had been, “That Miss Alice is the tenant you mentioned...? Why did Gongsun Ce suddenly appear?”
Kaldaisia pondered, then brightened with realization.
“I get it! Gongsun Ce loves robots! He must’ve been wandering nearby and got drawn in by this thing, so he came running like an idiot.”
She thumped her fist in excitement.
“From what he said, he and Alice must know each other! Something big must have happened between them—judging by their tone, he’s probably on the losing side! My intuition is never wrong!”
Your intuition is almost scarily accurate on that last part.
“Having a history with a suddenly-appearing beautiful woman does sound like something that would happen to Gongsun Ce,” Lian Yi said with a soft laugh. “So, what do you think of this mode?”
“It’s so tacky, only nerds would like that.” The blonde hat lady criticized mercilessly, “Lian Yi, don’t let your taste sink to Gongsun’s level—switch back to the sports car.”
“All right, all right.”
The Red Meteor reverted without ever fighting, turning back into a sports car. Kaldaisia settled into the passenger seat, eagerly gossiping about the two others—completely forgetting what she had planned to do moments ago.
Lian Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He murmured thanks, thinking, Gongsun’s car really saved the day...
These extra features are incredibly useful.
·
With a clang in the distance, Qin Qianbai’s binoculars hit the ground.
Qiluo hurried over, asking, “Qin Qianbai?”
“Qiluo, you’re in charge here for now. I’ll go check out the situation over there.”
Before she’d finished speaking, Miss Qin had already vanished from sight.
The twin-tailed girl was shocked. “All up to me? You’re all leaving?! How am I supposed to handle this?!”
At this moment, Lian Yi Shiyu had no idea.
For the time being, he would have to rely on Qiluo’s support alone.