Appearance

The time was 10:20 p.m. on July 9, 2020. Downtown, Li Jing Square.

Looking out from the entrance to the square, all he could see was a steel jungle formed by clusters of towering buildings.

Every direction was submerged in an ocean of light formed by neon signs. Electronic billboards of every color stood packed tightly together, like a deck of cards casually spread across a poker table.

Yet at this moment, every billboard embedded in the buildings was broadcasting emergency evacuation notices. The neon lights had become dazzling, dangerous alarm lights, washing over the entire square like a tide.

The few LED screens that were running special broadcasts were focused on the same scene like cameras—the center of the square, where a green-skinned freak stood tall and roared at the watching crowd. Five hostages knelt behind him.

"Blue Arc, how much longer are you going to hide? In ten seconds, we'll execute the first hostage!" The green-skinned freak growled, then began a one-sided countdown. "Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three..." His eyes rolled as he scanned the surroundings. Each word became darker, clearer, and slower. "Two... one."

The instant the countdown reached "one," a smile suddenly appeared on the green-skinned freak's face. Blood vessels filled his wide eyes.

Gu Qiye—no, more precisely, he should have been called "Blue Arc" at this moment—arrived right on cue like a bolt of dark-blue lightning, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

He slowly came to a stop in the middle of the square. Dark-blue arcs of electricity crackled around him, spreading in all directions before scattering like embers.

Blue Arc straightened and looked through the electronic lenses embedded in his helmet at the man directly across from him, dressed in a tank top and black pants. The man had a savage appearance, with green exposed skin and a pair of massive Green Wings on his back. He looked like a hybrid of animal and human.

An identification panel popped up on the electronic lenses: "No. 509. A superpowered criminal frequently active in Li Jing—'Green Wing.'"

Blue Arc took a deep breath, then turned to look at the masked thugs behind Green Wing, as well as the hostages kneeling before them. Their hands and feet were bound with rope, and rags had been stuffed into their mouths.

The thugs had their gun barrels pressed to the backs of their heads, as though muzzle flashes could erupt at any moment.

He also noticed that every hostage had a timed bomb strapped to them. The blood-red countdowns on the devices beeped away. Each bomb had a ten-minute limit, and those precious ten minutes were ticking down second by second.

"Oh... look who's here. Isn't this our 'Blue Arc'?" Green Wing stared at Blue Arc and delivered his lines in a hoarse, theatrical voice. "The prince of Li Jing City, forever in the spotlight, forever beloved..."

Blue Arc met his gaze and casually joked, "Am I supposed to cooperate by saying, 'Let them go. Whatever grudge you have, take it out on me'?"

"An utterly clichéd line." Green Wing laughed.

"It really is cliché." Blue Arc smiled as well. "So, what do you want this time?"

Their eyes met.

"Surrender without a fight and come with me immediately. Then I'll release them. How about it?" Green Wing asked, enunciating every word.

"Honestly, isn't that line even more clichéd than mine?" Blue Arc sighed, then asked, "Instead of obediently going with you, why don't I save them first and then arrest you?"

Green Wing gave a cold snort. "Because they have timed bombs on them. Forget whether you can move before my men and save the hostages before they fire... even if you really pull it off, another group of my men is hiding among the crowd with the Detonation Devices. The moment they see you make a move, they'll detonate the bombs and blow you and the hostages to pieces."

Blue Arc raised an eyebrow. "Huh... that's quite the meticulous plan."

At that moment, a voice came through the helmet's built-in earpiece:

"He lied to us. Green Wing's accomplices aren't among the onlookers. The detonator signals are coming from elsewhere. Our people have begun searching the malls around the square for Green Wing's accomplices. Once all five thugs are found, we'll subdue them simultaneously and seize the Detonation Devices. Until then, keep Green Wing occupied."

"Understood," Blue Arc replied softly.

"So what are you going to do?" Green Wing tilted his head, spreading his green wings like a bat while flamboyantly opening his arms, as if he wanted to embrace his enemy. "Are you going to take me down? It's only a few hostages dying. That means nothing to you, does it? You've seen plenty of dead people already. A few more won't make a difference."

Blue Arc remained silent.

If he had not been injured, he was fully confident that he could take down those thugs in an instant, remove the hostages, and disarm the bombs on them before Green Wing's accomplices could detonate them.

But tonight was different. He had just gone through a bloody battle and was covered in wounds.

His injuries were severe. Unable to hold out until the Association's support staff arrived, he could only return home first to catch his breath.

But he had no time to spare, so he had only given his wounds a simple bandaging at home. If he used his full strength now, his wounds might split open in an instant or even worsen drastically. In that case, he could not guarantee he would survive.

"No." Blue Arc shook his head and slowly raised both hands. "As you wish... I'll go with you. Release the hostages."

"Deal." Green Wing lowered his face and made a demand. "Then put this on." As he spoke, he tossed a pair of metal handcuffs connected to an iron chain at Blue Arc's feet.

"What is this?" Blue Arc asked in confusion.

"A way to control you." Green Wing grabbed the other end of the chain. "The moment you try to break free, the handcuffs will explode."

Blue Arc tilted his head, hesitated for quite a while, then said, "Uh... I understand the logic, but did you really have to add a dog leash to this thing? It makes it look like I'm playing some kind of kinky game with you. Everyone's watching. This isn't very good for children's moral education."

As he spoke, he raised a hand and pointed at the LED screen on the right side of the square. Like a camera, the massive screen was enlarging their figures in real time, its lens focused on their faces.

"Cut the crap." Green Wing stared at him coldly, clearly in no mood to trade banter. "If you don't put it on, I'll have them open fire."

"Fine, fine... don't rush me. I'll put it on."

Blue Arc sighed and slowly bent down as he spoke, keeping both hands raised in surrender the entire time.

Still not done...? Can't they move any faster? He glanced from the corner of his eye toward a high-rise in the square.

At that moment, his companions were disguised as ordinary people and searching the nearby buildings for Green Wing's accomplices, intending to disarm the Detonation Devices in their hands.

Gu Qiye did not want to put on those handcuffs, but circumstances forced his hand. No matter how unwilling he was, he had to stall for as long as possible and ensure that Green Wing would not slaughter the hostages in the meantime.

At this moment, the crowd's attention was entirely on Blue Arc. The hostages and thugs behind Green Wing were no exception.

Everyone was wondering whether Blue Arc would really put on those handcuffs. Wouldn't that be the same as disarming himself and surrendering to the villain?

A child stepped out from the crowd and shouted in a trembling voice, "Don't... don't surrender to him, Blue Arc!"

"Shut up!" Green Wing turned and roared at him. The boy's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, trembling.

Yet in that brief, utterly silent second, the five thugs standing behind the hostages were suddenly bound by pitch-black Restraint Bands. Like black snakes, they wrapped around their throats with their tails.

Then the Restraint Bands dragged them upward. Some were hung from billboards, while others were suspended from traffic lights.

The thugs roared and struggled, their guns falling to the ground.

Hearing the commotion, Blue Arc and Green Wing both froze before turning to look.

Beneath a fashion billboard hung a huge, pitch-black "cocoon."

Under the moonlight, the eerie thing stood silently in midair. Up close, it resembled a cocoon; from afar, it looked more like a spider. A web of darkness spread from its center, ensnaring all five thugs.

Like prey caught in a trap, they were suspended in the air by the black Restraint Bands, unable to break free. At first, they still had the strength to curse, but the harder they struggled, the tighter the bands constricted.

Later, all that came from their mouths were low whimpers and shrill screams. The curses mixed within them had vanished entirely.

Watching this, Green Wing froze for a moment before belatedly raising his right hand and pointing furiously at the black "cocoon."

He turned to Blue Arc and roared, "Is that one of your people?! I told you that if you made any reckless moves, I'd have someone detonate the bombs on the hostages immediately!"

"No..." Blue Arc frowned and slowly shook his head. "He isn't one of ours."