Long Time No See

Even with a guaranteed first-strike kill, after dying so many times, a fool would instinctively learn to dodge, right?

Nowadays, Huai Shi could only rely on his rich experience with death to contend with the other party, besides his luck.

If it were to be rated in the Book of Destiny, Red Glove's specialized dagger combat would undoubtedly be at LV8 or above. At this level, for a weakling like himself, it was practically an instant kill, a terrifying gap.

If he wanted to win...

In front of Red Glove, he released his left hand. The heavy weapon formed by origin essence instantly dissipated, returning to Huai Shi's soul.

He had so abruptly abandoned his most advantageous weapon.

The next moment, as he awkwardly twisted to dodge Red Glove's dagger, his feet suddenly planted firmly on the ground. He bent over, assumed a horse stance, and then...

Military Boxing, First Set, First Form.

—Forward Stance Punch!

Bang!

His fist struck Red Glove's chest. Through the bandages, the cracked wound bloomed with a layer of scarlet.

After discarding the heavy axe, his movements were more than twice as fast. However, his strength was too weak. Compared to a boxing champion's heavy punch capable of knocking out an opponent in one blow, his was still in the realm of being entirely ineffective.

But the instant he was hit, Red Glove's movements suddenly faltered. His eyes widened in disbelief, his flushed face almost bleeding, and he instantly burst into tears in the downpour, coughing uncontrollably.

"How do you like the tear gas?"

Huai Shi grinned, clenching his left fist again.

As his fingers tightened, dark grit continuously leaked from the gaps between his fingers, atomizing in the abundant moisture and flowing downwards.

Calamity Ash.

The essence of the Hand of Confinement lay in the conversion between origin essence and matter—meaning, Huai Shi could convert his origin essence, which originally constituted his soul, into matter, with the scope limited to the dominion of iron.

And as a byproduct of Huai Shi's abilities, carrying the intense pain and sorrow within the Calamity Ash were these iron sands, so fine they were almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Once they entered the blood within a wound, they would immediately erupt, returning to origin essence—forcibly infusing Huai Shi's pain into his enemy!

When combined with Military Boxing, this move could tentatively be called Military Path Killing Fist: Tear Gas, couldn't it? If he were a person full of positive energy, this move might have become the Happy Fat Otaku Fist.

It was just a pity that this had nothing to do with him, this cold and ruthless negative energy manufacturing machine.

Thus, he stepped forward, dodging the wildly swinging dagger, clenched his left fist, and aimed for Red Glove's face, one punch!

"This punch is for Old Yang!"

Then another punch!

"This punch is for Old Liu!"

Ignoring the dagger that grazed his cheek, he grappled with Red Glove, like a fighting beast, mindlessly landing his clumsy Military Boxing on that disintegrating face, and then, sharing his pain with Red Glove without reservation!

Finally, clenching his fist, he poured all his rage and pain into it.

"This punch is for myself!"

Bang!

Red Glove's dagger flew out of his hand, embedding itself in Huai Shi's neck and shoulder, while his head, under Huai Shi's fist, was almost knocked off his neck like a broken basketball.

He mustered all his strength, raised his leg, and kicked the teenager riding on him away. Stumbling to his feet, he clutched his skull, which felt like it was about to explode from the impact of the pain, and roared hoarsely:

"...What the hell are you?!"

"Why are you asking so many details? Do they also recruit male escorts where you're from?"

In the downpour, Huai Shi slowly got up from the ground, grinning at him. Then, his blood-stained face broke into a smile: "Huai Shi, male, seventeen years old, a righteous high school student... probably."

This was his self-introduction upon their first meeting.

Immediately after, Huai Shi opened his hands again. Pale flames ignited from his palms, pouring out his last bit of origin essence as he clenched his invisible weapon.

Thus, dragging the heavy axe, he stepped forward step by step: "Come on, the intermission and self-introduction are over, friend.

Let us—"

A sharp sound suddenly erupted. The invisible axe drew deep scratches on the ground, and fleeting sparks burst forth from the torrential downpour.

Anger like fire ignited the invisible axe blade, illuminating the young man's pale face and the sinister curve of his lips:

"—Begin again!"

Across the dark sky, scorching electric light streaked, violent light piercing through the suffocating heavy rain, the thunder arriving late.

This was the end of the battle.

Behind Red Glove, the burning rock music from the sports car finally reached its crescendo. The elegy sang hoarsely, echoing in the rain that seemed capable of drowning the entire world.

Red Glove slowly stood up, his expressionless face.

Facing Huai Shi, he clenched his fists, his cracked knuckles rubbing against each other with a crackling sound.

Standard Roman unarmed combat techniques.

This time, he had no hesitation or fear.

Even if it meant mutual destruction.

He only needed one blow.

In that instant, the roars of the two men echoed from the steaming mist. Through the heavy curtain of rain, the clash of metal erupted between the thunderclaps.

While sprinting, Huai Shi roared, putting all his strength into throwing the cleaver in his hand. The rain curtain was torn, emitting a mournful wail.

Before the axe blade dissipated, it embedded itself into the Red Glove's shoulder.

The sound of shattered collarbones was like the crackling of firewood burning in a fire.

In that moment, the Red Glove had no time to dodge. He felt the young man crash into him, the cold iron piercing his body.

—It was the dagger that had originally been nailed to Huai Shi's shoulder.

An immense force pushed him backward, step by step, until he was pinned against a wrecked sports car. The dagger that had pierced his body was deeply wedged into the car's frame, like a nail.

"Goodbye, Red Glove."

This was Huai Shi's final whisper.

In his daze and confusion, the Red Glove seemed to hear Huai Shi say something, but when he lowered his head, he couldn't make out anything. The rain was too loud.

Only the song from the broken CD player lingered in his ears, the singer's hoarse murmur.

"You're face to face..."

"With the Man who Sold the World..."

—Facing you is the man who betrayed the world.

The moment he saw Huai Shi light the match, he laughed at himself, wearily lowering his eyes. "Ah, so the high school students from Dongxia... are also monsters..."

In the endless downpour, the match slowly fell from Huai Shi's hand.

It landed in the ruptured fuel tank.

Soon, as the song cut off, a massive explosion erupted.

Blazing fire surged from the crimson sports car, rising towards the sky and engulfing everything within reach.

Burning everything to ashes.

Soon, it extinguished, and amidst the pungent smoke, only a charred red glove lay quietly in the wreckage, nothing else remaining.

"It's finally over," Crow landed on his shoulder and sighed softly. "It was as beautiful as a miracle. You did really well, Huai Shi."

Huai Shi didn't speak, merely leaning wearily against a shipping container, sitting in the rain.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered himself seven years ago, the first time he held a weapon.

If it were the Huai Shi of that time, he would have probably cried weakly upon seeing the scene before him?

But that past Huai Shi had been killed by his own hands, along with that nightmare...

This must be what they call growth?

"I gazed a gazely stare at all the millions here..."

He closed his eyes and softly sang the un-sung ending of the song: "We must have died along, a long long time ago..."

We will surely die one after another, a long, long time ago...

And also a long, long time later.

Before long, the sound of brakes echoed from afar.

A row of huge headlights shone directly at Huai Shi.

With heavy footsteps, the entire scene was surrounded by the familiar Ascendant suppression troops.

After all, it was the Special Affairs Department. Once mobilized, all of Xinhai was under surveillance, and no origin essence fluctuation could escape their eyes.

With so many troops mobilized, they arrived at the scene in ten minutes. Their speed couldn't be considered slow.

Unfortunately, it ended here faster than everyone expected.

Soon, a middle-aged man in a raincoat emerged from the crowd. He looked a bit aged, with streaks of white in his hair. Beneath the heavy raincoat, the outline of a tactical vest protruded, hinting at the presence of heavy firearms.

He surveyed the surroundings, finally looking at Huai Shi.

"Where is the Red Glove?" he asked. "Where?"

Huai Shi raised his hand and pointed at the wreckage of the car.

"Dead?" The middle-aged man stared in astonishment at the completely charred corpse and the remaining burnt glove, disbelief etched on his face. "It was you?"

"Actually, it was a passing bald hero."

Huai Shi chuckled softly. "Just as I was about to be killed, he suddenly descended from the heavens to save me. After striking down the Red Glove with a palm, he simply left. If you absolutely must ask for a name, you might as well call him Peiqi the Hero of Huaihai Road."

It was obvious that this fabricated story held no credibility whatsoever.

Because there was still surveillance footage of the scene.

The dock security guards weren't idiots. They had called the police the moment they heard the explosion and gunshots.

"So it was an Ascendant?"

The middle-aged man quickly scanned the surveillance footage and looked at Huai Shi with a complex expression. While it was true that Huai Shi had killed a Green Day terrorist, there were too many suspicious points in his actions leading up to this. If they were to just let everyone go home as if nothing had happened, it would be too disrespectful to the Special Affairs Department.

"Well then…" he sighed, "Kid, before you cooperate with our investigation, is there anything else you want to say?"

Huai Shi lowered his head and thought for a long time, then scratched his wet hair. "If I really have to say something about my experience, it's that you shouldn't listen to rock music on your phone, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'll have to save up to buy a CD player."

"……"

The middle-aged man had nothing more to say about Huai Shi's bluntness. He waved his hand, and a subordinate stepped forward, handcuffed Huai Shi's left hand, then helped him up and walked towards the armored vehicle behind them.

Looking at the car door slowly opening in front of him, and the confinement cell partitioned inside, Huai Shi finally couldn't help but sigh: As expected, I shouldn't have acted on impulse for this kind of thing, right? Now it's great, I don't have to worry about how to eat anymore, maybe I'll have food provided for the rest of my life.

So, before doing this kind of thing next time, I really should buy a hood first, right?

The Peiqi mask alone was completely useless.

"…So, Director Fu, where are you taking the employee of the Astronomical Society?"

At that moment, he heard a clear, cold voice from behind him: "If I remember correctly, although the Special Affairs Department has the power to supervise members of the Astronomical Society, the power to detain, handle, and try them specifically belongs to the central management committee of the country where they are located.

Moreover, tonight he just represented the Astronomical Society in eradicating a tumor that Green Day had planted in the real world. No matter how you think about it, it doesn't make sense for him to receive this kind of treatment."

Huai Shi turned his head in astonishment and saw the girl sitting in the wheelchair.

It was Ai Qing.

Her expression was calm, her hands folded serenely on a blanket in front of her knees. Perhaps due to the late-night chill, her fingers were transparently white, and the faint blue veins were clearly visible.

Behind her, the dutiful female driver held a large umbrella, not letting a single drop of rain fall on her.

The middle-aged man, who was called Director Fu for the first time by her, was stunned for a long time. He looked at Ai Qing, then couldn't help but glance back at Huai Shi several times: "A member of the Astronomical Society? Him? When?"

"Five days ago, when Huai Shi voluntarily acted as bait, he signed the Astronomical Society's civilian voluntary assistance agreement, which is valid for one month. That is to say, he is still a temporary employee of the Astronomical Society."

As she spoke, Ai Qing took out an agreement from her folder and showed it to Director Fu: "Therefore, the Astronomical Society is responsible for his personal safety and actions.

If you have any doubts about this conflict, I will take him to the Special Affairs Department for a detailed explanation tomorrow or the day after. But for now, could you please unlock his handcuffs?"

Director Fu looked expressionlessly at the agreement in Ai Qing's hand, but did not take it. After a long time, he chuckled softly: "This is the first time I've heard you use the word 'you' so politely. It's truly flattering."

He waved his hand, signaling his subordinate to let go and unlock Huai Shi's handcuffs.

Before leaving, he patted Huai Shi's shoulder: "Remember not to get too arrogant, kid. I really hope I don't see you in a Special Affairs Department prison in the future…"

After speaking, he got into the car and led his team away.

In the silence, only the stunned Huai Shi and the girl under the umbrella remained.

"When did I sign that contract with you?" Huai Shi looked at the stack of agreements Ai Qing casually tossed into the puddle and asked blankly, "How come I didn't know?"

"I signed that for you. It was printed out less than ten minutes ago, still warm, the ink isn't even dry. It seems that guy saw through it too, huh? He gave me some face."

"…By the way, didn't you go to Jinling?"

"Ah, that was a lie."

Ai Qing calmly held a small hand warmer. "If I told you: I felt like you were hiding something from me, so I put a tracker in your pocket, and I saw everything from start to finish here, would you be angry?"

Huai Shi was stunned for a long time, then nodded: "…A little bit?"

"Oh, then be angry. You're not the only one."

Ai Qing nodded indifferently and casually took something from her pocket and threw it into Huai Shi's arms.

He fumbled to catch it and found it seemed to be a magnetic card, but the material felt like some kind of alloy. It was heavy in his hand, with a raised Earth symbol on the front, thorny and laurel leaf emblems on the sides, and a clasp on the back that could be hung on the chest.

"What is this?"

"Your life-saving charm."

She said coldly, "From today onwards, you are the confidential secretary to the Xinhai Prosecutor under the East Asia Branch of the Astronomical Society. To be honest, I don't care what you're hiding, but if you don't want to be imprisoned for murder, then you'd better work hard for me."

Huai Shi was astonished: "I… have I been recruited?"

As the legends of Water Margin said, if you want to be an official, commit murder and arson and then be recruited. I just killed someone and set a fire, and now I've become a member of the Astronomical Society?

And a secretary, hey, a male secretary, how novel…

"It's not recruitment, it's 'serving your sentence'."

Ai Qing glanced at his foolishly grinning, smug expression and cruelly dashed his faint hope: "Simply put, you do the work, you write the reports, you take the blame, you go to your death… Your job is that simple.

I hope you're prepared, there's still a lot of work waiting for you before your summer vacation ends—"

Thinking of Liu Dongli, who was still in the intensive care unit, Huai Shi's heart suddenly turned cold: I don't think I'll live much longer, what should I do? Waiting online, it's urgent.

"Also…"

Before leaving, Ai Qing turned back and gave him one last look.

At that moment, in the gradually thinning rain, Huai Shi saw the corner of the girl's lips curl up under the umbrella.

She said, "Long time no see, Huai Shi."

Ah, I was originally going to split this chapter into two to drag it out for two more days, but I thought, why bother? I can't fragment the plot just because I'm lazy, so I'll just post it all together.

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