Chapter 59: Captain Liu

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Captain Liu

Gu Qing could tell who it was just from their feet.

His gaze traveled up from the delicate feet.

First, a pair of slender, straight calves.

Then, a blue floral dress that hugged her full thighs and ample chest.

Finally, he saw her face: mature and sophisticated, framed by gold-rimmed glasses and long, wine-red hair tied back, her lips a vibrant red.

The newcomer was none other than...

...the very person Gu Qing had guessed: Liu Zhiyi.

Soon, Gu Qing’s gaze shifted from Liu Zhiyi’s face to the crow perched on her shoulder.

The flames that had previously enveloped the crow were now gone, making it look completely ordinary.

’What kind of Divine Beast is this?’

’It could actually breathe fire just now?’

’Could it be the legendary Golden Crow?’

Gu Qing wondered.

Just then, Liu Zhiyi, who had almost reached him, was the first to speak, her voice calm.

"That strange, humanoid black shadow from before was a special entity condensed from Spiritual Power. It has no physical body. Ordinary physical attacks can only disperse it, not destroy it completely."

"There are only two ways to eliminate it."

"One is to use stronger Spiritual Power to forcibly sever its connection to its main body, causing it to lose mobility and dissipate on its own."

"The other is to use extremely high energy to destroy the core it’s condensed around, completely obliterating it on the spot."

"For example, the flames my Fire Crow just spat out, or the Qi Blood Power currently surging through your body."

As she said this, Liu Zhiyi came to a stop in front of Gu Qing. She stared at him quietly, her eyes filled with a probing curiosity, and asked in an intelligent tone:

"So... are you an Extraordinary Contactor, or an Extraordinary Awakened?"

Regarding Liu Zhiyi’s question...

Gu Qing didn’t know the answer himself.

Lin Tianyang believed he was an Extraordinary Contactor.

But he himself was more inclined to believe he was an Extraordinary Awakened.

"I don’t know."

Gu Qing finally gave his answer: "I’ve only just recently been exposed to this other side of the world. I don’t really know much about the Extraordinary Contactors and Extraordinary Awakened you mentioned."

As he spoke, with a mere thought, he exited the Muscle Knots state, and his previously bulked-up form instantly returned to normal.

He then looked at Liu Zhiyi before him, his voice holding a hint of the awkwardness of a first meeting, and asked:

"Sister Zhiyi, are you with the Night Court?"

"Yes."

"I never would have guessed. So the Night Court colleague Brother Yang said was on the way was actually you, Sister Zhiyi."

"That’s not it."

"Huh?"

Gu Qing was taken aback for a moment.

Seeing his reaction, Liu Zhiyi’s lips curved into a faint smile. With the calm composure of a superior, she said softly:

"I’m his superior."

Her words held a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of pride.

It just goes to show that even people approaching thirty still feel the need to flex a little.

The only difference is what they like to flex about.

Hearing Liu Zhiyi say this, Gu Qing’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

’Sister Zhiyi is actually Lin Tianyang’s boss?’

’But she looks like a total newbie, while he seems much more experienced.’

’Does that mean...’

’Sister Zhiyi is an Extraordinary Awakened?’

’Is that why her rank in the Night Court is higher?’

Just as Gu Qing was thinking this...

...a man and a woman dressed in black hurried over, stopping in front of Liu Zhiyi. They respectfully called out in unison:

"Captain Liu!"

The two were low-level Night Court Members from this jurisdiction.

Just like Lin Tianyang, they were both under Liu Zhiyi’s command.

Liu Zhiyi looked up at the two of them, her expression blank.

"You two are too slow."

"It won’t happen again!" the two replied, almost in perfect unison.

In truth, they hadn’t been slow at all.

As soon as they received the message from Lin Tianyang, they had immediately set out for the scene to deal with the strange black shadow.

However, the black shadow was constantly moving, and they had to keep adjusting their location while tracking it, which was why they had only just arrived.

But this was the kind of thing you couldn’t explain to your boss.

Because a boss only wants to hear you admit you were wrong; they don’t want to hear your excuses.

This man and woman in black were both seasoned veterans of the workplace and knew this principle well.

"I’ve already taken care of that black shadow. Go back to the residential complex and handle the clean-up."

Liu Zhiyi tossed out the sentence in a cool, detached voice.

The next second...

The crow on her shoulder flapped its wings, landed, and suddenly swelled to the size of an ostrich, docilely lowering its body.

Once she had mounted it, the giant crow immediately flapped its wings and took to the sky, carrying her into the night.

In a flash, it blended into the darkness, gradually fading from their sight.

’The crow can grow bigger and be used as a mount?’

Gazing at Liu Zhiyi’s receding figure in the sky, Gu Qing was stunned.

Then, a faint thrill of excitement rose in his heart.

The [Beast Taming King] tag floating above Liu Zhiyi’s head was even more Extraordinary than he had imagined.

Now, he was really looking forward to the day he could get his hands on Essence Blood Enslavement.

’Once I have the Essence Blood Enslavement Attribute, maybe I can also have a mount that can carry me through the air, just like Liu Zhiyi.’

’For example... standing proudly against the wind on the back of a multicolored phoenix, with my hands clasped behind me?’

’TSK TSK, just imagining that scene is so badass and stylish.’

’Well, that’s assuming phoenixes actually exist in this world. Otherwise, I’ll just have to ride a chicken.’

’I’ll just have to hope the chicken can fly up a branch and turn into a phoenix. It’ll be all about raising one from scratch.’

"Excuse me, are you Gu Qing?"

The man in black with the crew cut walked up and asked.

Gu Qing nodded. "Yes, that’s me."

The man in black said, "Let’s go, then. I’ll give you a ride back to the complex."

Gu Qing: "Okay."

After speaking, the two of them walked toward a motorcycle parked on the side of the road.

Gu Qing was just about to get on.

The female agent in black, who had her hair in a bun, rode a pink motorcycle over from who-knows-where, executed a silky-smooth drift to stop in front of Gu Qing, and said with a grin:

"Hey handsome, wanna ride my big machine? A woman’s bike is way more comfortable than a man’s."

"Uh... no, I’m good. Thanks."

Gu Qing glanced at her ridiculously flashy scooter—it was entirely pink, covered in little trinkets, and blinking with multicolored lights. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he decisively turned her down.

...

Half a minute later, Gu Qing was back at Liu Zhiyi’s pet shop, having ridden on the male agent’s motorcycle.

Inside, several Security Officers were processing the scene, while a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside.

The two agents in black parked their bikes and went straight into the shop, taking over the handling of the case from the Security Officers.

Liu Zhiyi walked over to the pair and instructed them quietly:

"The emotions of those three women on the floor have been severely corrupted. It’s basically impossible to reverse. Take them all back and have them processed."

"Understood."

The male agent in black nodded.

Then, he and his female partner directed the Security Officers at the scene to carry away the three crazed women who had fainted on the floor.

’Take them back and have them processed?’

’How will they be processed?’

’Could it be... humane euthanasia?’

Gu Qing’s heart tightened. He quickly walked over to Liu Zhiyi’s side.

He was just about to speak.

But Liu Zhiyi spoke first:

"Don’t worry, your sister is fine. The duration her emotions were being controlled was very short, so there won’t be any lasting side effects. She’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep."

"That’s good to hear."

Gu Qing instantly let out a sigh of relief.

He then walked over to the sofa, sat down, and poked his sister’s pretty face.

"Silly Yao, stop sleeping. Wake up."

After just a few pokes, his school-goddess sister was awake.

"Strange..."

Gu Yao furrowed her lovely brow and sat up groggily from the sofa, her face full of confusion. "How did I fall asleep on the sofa?"

Gu Qing casually fobbed her off, "You must have been too tired."

"Brother, how did your clothes get so torn up?"

Seeing that her brother’s clothes were practically shredded to the point of resembling a mop, Gu Yao’s eyes filled with bewilderment.

Gu Qing said, "It was a round-headed orange cat in the shop that likes to hiss."

"A cat can shred clothes like that?"

Gu Yao looked at him, speechless. "Are you sure it wasn’t a tiger that scratched you?"

...