Secret Meeting

After Chrysalis Man left, it felt as though the oppressive atmosphere hanging over all of Li Jing Square had lifted considerably.

Blue Arc spoke to Green Wing. "I suggest you surrender. The five accomplices you hid on the rooftop have already been subdued by my teammates, and the Detonation Devices in their hands are useless now. The area is surrounded by people from the Esper Association. You have nowhere left to run."

"But the hostages... the hostages are still with me." Green Wing backed away several steps, moving closer to the hostages.

"Take another careful look," Blue Arc said calmly.

At that, Green Wing shuddered and abruptly turned his head, only to find that the five hostages had vanished without a trace. The onlookers in the square had also been evacuated without anyone noticing, replaced by a group of strangely dressed individuals approaching them.

"Damn it..."

Green Wing was about to say something when he realized Blue Arc was not paying attention to him at all. From beneath his helmet, Blue Arc's eyes had remained fixed on the direction Chrysalis Man had gone.

The next instant, Blue Arc turned into a streak of Deep Blue Electric Light and vanished.

The LED screens went dark for a second, only resuming operation after the arcs lingering in the air dissipated.

One minute later, on a secluded path near Li Jing Square.

"I knew you'd follow me, Mr. Blue Arc."

A black chrysalis hung upside down beneath a streetlamp. Under the hazy yellow light, its shell slowly opened, revealing a tall, slender figure. Ji Minghuan, his face hidden behind a mask, was looking down as he flipped through an old newspaper.

He looked focused, a ballpoint pen still pinched in his right hand and occasionally spun between his fingers, making him seem like a meticulous scholar.

"Who exactly are you?" Blue Arc asked.

"I have no codename for now, nor do I have a name. But I believe I soon will... that is the charm of being a public figure. If people like you, or fear you, they will always come up with all sorts of pet names for you."

Chrysalis Man continued talking to himself as he turned to the next page of the newspaper.

The newspaper was already several years old. It recorded a tragic accident from five years ago: a mother named "Su Ying" had been mistakenly killed by the Esper Association. Her pitiful husband had repeatedly sued the government to no avail. He could not even learn who had mistakenly killed his wife, merely because that Esper belonged to "Rainbow Wing," whose identity was kept absolutely confidential from the public.

Only then did Blue Arc notice the news photograph in the paper. Beneath his mask, his face twitched slightly.

"Mr. Gu Qiye, you were only thirteen when it happened, weren't you? Right before your eyes, your mother went boom—" Chrysalis Man deliberately drew out the sound effect, then spread his hands and continued, "and was blown into a pile of flesh. What a pity. A childhood without a mother's love is incomplete. I sympathize with your misfortune more than anyone."

"Of course... my own childhood lacked a mother's love too." Ji Minghuan mocked himself inwardly beneath the mask.

Blue Arc remained silent throughout, not even questioning why this strange man knew these things.

Seeing that he said nothing, Chrysalis Man continued, "So from that day onward, you came to resent those 'Espers' who bore the name of justice while abusing their power."

He paused. "And that was precisely why you became an 'Esper.' You wanted to build enough prestige within the Esper Association, earn a recommendation from the higher-ups through unparalleled performance, and enter the United Nations organization, 'Rainbow Wing.' Then you could find the Esper who had casually crushed your mother to death like an ant."

"Utter nonsense."

Blue Arc took a deep breath, the fury in his eyes on the verge of erupting.

"Is what I said truly utter nonsense? You know the answer better than anyone," Chrysalis Man sneered.

"And then?"

"And then? Then I appeared."

As he spoke, Chrysalis Man closed the newspaper and casually tossed it into a trash can at the street corner. Behind his mask, he raised his gaze and looked upside down at Blue Arc. "I came to help you, Mr. Blue Arc. Let's work together. I'll help you join Rainbow Wing and assist you in finding the Esper who mistakenly killed your mother. Then we can carry out a magnificent revenge against him."

As he said this, he raised one finger wrapped in black leather. "And you only need to help me with one thing... one insignificant little thing."

"What thing?"

Chrysalis Man thought for a moment, then shook his head. "For now, it's better to keep it from you. Otherwise, it may very well bring you a fatal disaster..." He sighed. "In any case, I will also be active throughout this city in the days to come. That means we may run into each other often. I look forward to working with you."

"Why do you know my identity?"

Beneath his mask, Gu Qiye finally asked the crucial question.

"The reason is simple..." Chrysalis Man said lightly. "I can see what everyone looks like beneath their masks."

"Absurd."

"Aren't you curious? What exactly has your father been doing outside these past two years? Did he really just argue with you and decide he never wanted to see you again? Or perhaps... your father has other plans. To avoid dragging you and your younger siblings into them, he had no choice but to leave on his own."

Blue Arc froze. "My father?"

"That's right. Gu Zhuoan. Could he, like you, be hiding some unknown secret..." Chrysalis Man said faintly. "Think carefully. Is your father really such a cowardly man? How could he possibly be so pathetic as to hide from his own children and live elsewhere for two years? Could there be some reason forcing him to do so, just as you joined the Esper Association for the truth behind your mother's death?"

He paused. "If you want to know these things, work with me. I never mistreat my collaborators."

Blue Arc's voice was hoarse. "What exactly are you..."

Chrysalis Man cut him off. "Oh... although you're wearing a helmet and I can't see your expression, I can imagine it. You must already love me to death..." He looked away. "Mm, our graves can be built closer together in the future. It'll make it easier for me to sneak over and eat your offerings."

"Shut up. What exactly are you..."

"No, no, no. Stop obsessing over who I am, and stop obsessing over why I know your background. None of that matters," Chrysalis Man said teasingly. "You should be more worried about your current situation, shouldn't you?"

As he spoke, his body was gradually pulled upward by Restraint Bands, until he was seated above the streetlamp. "Farewell, Blue Arc. Your waist and neck injuries are serious, so don't chase after me anymore... If this drags on, I'm afraid your life may be in danger. Otherwise, you would have attacked me already. Sometimes, asking others for help is not all that shameful. I hope you'll be smarter."

As his words fell, Restraint Bands extended from behind him and swayed gently beneath the dim light, as though bidding farewell.

Before Blue Arc could speak, Chrysalis Man's figure tilted backward and fell from above the streetlamp toward the ground, disappearing into the boundless darkness.