Chapter 45: An Accident Home-Delivered

“This reunion must be a pure accident,” Dan Heng analyzed calmly, his voice a low, steady anchor in the quiet hotel room.

“We absolutely cannot be the ones to initiate contact.”

He paced slowly, his gaze distant.

“Ideally, the encounter should happen in a public place where he might plausibly appear, but it cannot look like we were deliberately waiting for him.

Then, we need to create a flaw—some small detail for him to notice, something to spark his suspicion and prompt him to approach or investigate on his own…”

March 7th frowned, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Isn’t that way too difficult?

We have to let him see us, but not make him think we did it on purpose.” He threw his hands up in exasperation.

“And he has to be the one to take the initiative?

What kind of divine luck would that even take?”

Chen, currently inhabiting the form of Bronya, rubbed his chin in thought, the gesture feeling foreign on the delicate face he wore.

“Yeah, it really does require a bit of…”

He never finished his sentence.

A sudden, jarring commotion erupted from the floors below, shattering the room’s tranquility.

“Seal all exits!

No one is allowed in or out!”

“Silvermane Guards on official business!

Everyone stay where you are!”

“Search floor by floor!

Move it!”

The shouts, sharp and authoritative, grew closer, punctuated by the chaotic yet orderly stampede of heavy boots echoing up the stairwell.

“What’s going on?” March 7th hissed, instinctively lowering his voice.

“Why did they suddenly show up?

And with such a huge force?”

Dan Heng’s eyes sharpened.

In a flash, he was at the door, peering through the thin crack between the frame and the wood.

He saw several fully-armed Silvermane Guards roughly pounding on the door of the room directly opposite theirs, demanding entry for an inspection.

His frown deepened.

He quickly and silently pulled the door shut.

“They’re moving fast and have a clear objective,” he whispered, his voice tight.

“This doesn’t look like a routine patrol or a random check.

It’s more like they have a specific target.”

“A specific target?” March 7th looked bewildered, his eyes wide.

“Could it be us?

No way, right?

Didn’t we disguise ourselves well enough?” His mind raced, tumbling over the possibilities.

“And why would they come to arrest us?…Was there something wrong with the information we registered when we entered the city yesterday?

Or did that Sampo woman get caught and start running her mouth?”

Dan Heng was just as puzzled.

If the guards were here for them, what could possibly be the charge?

Chen, still in Bronya’s form, was equally stunned.

‘Holy hell!’he thought, a cold dread washing over him.’Is the Plot Correction Force of this world really this aggressive?

I just unlocked the icon!

I haven’t even started any flashy maneuvers, and the guards are already here to kick down the door?

Are they trying to kneecap me before I even get started?’But in the next second, another thought—a much stronger, more audacious one—bulldozed its way to the forefront of his mind.’Wait a second…

isn’t this exactly…’

Chen’s eyes, set in Bronya’s elegant face, suddenly lit up.

The corners of his mouth twitched, then curled uncontrollably into a wide grin that was utterly at odds with the stoic features he wore—a smile that was brilliant, daring, and dripping with mischief.

“An accident…” he couldn’t help but mutter, his voice filled with an irrepressible, bubbling excitement.

“Isn’t it right here?

And it’s even home-delivered, buy one get one free!”

Dan Heng’s gaze snapped to him, instantly understanding.

His eyes fell on Chen’s current form, and the pieces clicked into place.

“You mean…”

March 7th hadn’t quite caught on yet, but he recognized that look on Chen’s face.

It was the familiar, terrifying expression he wore right before he was about to cause a world of trouble.

Combined with the pounding footsteps growing ever closer outside, he vaguely guessed at the unfolding insanity, and his heart began to hammer against his ribs.

“There’s no time for a detailed plan!” Chen spoke rapidly, his voice taking on a commanding edge that fit his borrowed appearance perfectly.

“Dan Heng, March, take Caelus and get out of here through the window!

Now!”

His gaze instinctively fell upon the pristine white-and-black uniform he was wearing.

“Wait!” he called out, stopping Dan Heng and March just as they were about to move.

A flash of annoyance, quickly replaced by cleverness, sparked in his eyes.

“There’s a huge problem with these clothes!

The style of this uniform, these decorations…

they’re too eye-catching!”

As he spoke, his hands became a blur of motion, deftly feeling around his outfit and dismantling several key components.

The distinctive features that screamed ‘Bronya’s Military Uniform’ were swiftly and neatly removed—an epaulet here, a decorative pin there, a small silver insignia from his collar.

“These things that clearly symbolize my identity can’t stay!” Chen stuffed the small, metallic items into the hands of Caelus, who had been watching him with quiet curiosity.

“Caelus, take these!

Keep them safe!

I absolutely cannot have these on me right now!”

Caelus looked down at the several exquisite ornaments resting in his palm, still warm from Chen’s body heat.

He didn’t ask any questions.

He simply gave a firm nod, closed his hand around them, and carefully tucked them into the inner pocket of his coat.

After removing the most conspicuous decorations, the uniform on Chen’s borrowed body looked much simpler.

It was still striking, tailored and of high quality, but it now left far more room for plausible deniability.

“This is the best I can do for now!” Chen quickly straightened his collar and tugged at his cuffs, making the overall look a touch more casual.

“Go!

They’ll be at our door any second!”

Dan Heng gave Chen’s modified appearance a quick, appraising glance.

Without another word of hesitation, he spun around and yanked the window open.

However…

“Whoa, crap!”

He was met with a face.

A disheveled, grime-streaked female face framed by messy blue hair, sporting a grin that was equal parts sheepish and shameless.

The face was plastered right against the other side of the window frame, so close that when Dan Heng threw the window open, their noses nearly collided.

It was, of course, none other than the “Big Sister” Sampo who had been hauled off by the guards just yesterday—the very same one Chen had so thoroughly duped.

She had clearly just scrambled up from somewhere below and was clinging to the windowsill, poised to climb inside.

Seeing the window suddenly fly open from within, revealing Dan Heng’s instantly frozen and murderous expression…

and behind him, the equally stunned faces of March 7th and Caelus…

and in the middle of the room, the grey-haired girl in the strange, modified uniform…

Sampo was completely dumbfounded.

Both sides stared at each other.

The atmosphere, already thick with tension, instantly curdled into something bizarre and surreal.

Sampo was the first to break the strange silence, her awkward smile stretching wider.

“Hey!

Sisters…

uh, I mean…

I’m just passing by.

You believe me, right?”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely: