Siblings and Gagi's Destiny (2/2)

Hibiki Gousuke's brow twitched in rhythm with the increasingly terrifying and absurd barbell; the size of the weights was nearly as large as he was.

The floor beneath that brawny physique was already soaked in sweat. He did not know what exactly had stimulated his vice-captain to keep increasing the intensity of his training over this past period.

However, he understood that no one could force themselves to train this desperately without eventually damaging their own body.

Rashly interrupting the workout would only make it more likely for Zhou Hong to get injured, so Hibiki Gousuke waited quietly on the side until Zhou Hong finished his entire set and let out a few light coughs.

"Is something the matter, Captain?"

Zhou Hong slowly lowered the barbell to the ground. Even with the buffer mats underneath, the sound of the weights hitting the floor was still enough to make one's heart ache for the tiles.

Hibiki Gousuke placed his hands on his hips. "Ah-Hong, why don't you take a break today?"

"Last time you were called back to work during your leave, Headquarters specially approved an extra day off for you. My leave also happens to have one day remaining, so why don't we go out and look around?"

Since Hibiki Gousuke had already put it that way, Zhou Hong naturally wouldn't refuse; besides, he had nothing else to do other than train.

He changed into casual clothes and squeezed himself into Hibiki Gousuke's personal car, letting the captain drive toward their destination for the day.

Looking at the place before him, the corner of Zhou Hong's eye began to twitch uncontrollably.

His mouth pulled into a bizarre expression. "Captain, are you suffering from some sort of illness? Why are two grown men coming here?"

A massive Ferris wheel was slowly rotating, the pirate ship was swaying, and the roller coaster was speeding along—everything was filled with fairy-tale colors, while the muscle-bound Zhou Hong looked completely out of place.

It was as if a JoJo character had been dropped into the world of Snow White; the art styles were entirely incompatible!

"Ahem." Hibiki Gousuke coughed twice. "I rarely come to places like this, just consider it keeping me company."

Zhou Hong nodded stiffly, following Hibiki Gousuke like a man without a soul.

"I am so sorry, sir. Given your physique, our equipment simply wasn't designed for someone of your build. We are truly sorry; we will provide a full refund and include a gift."

The staff member by the roller coaster kept wiping away cold sweat, bowing again and again to the muscular man who looked like he was about to start a fight, holding out a red envelope with both hands.

The scene looked exactly like a gang boss coming to collect protection money.

Seeing the staff member looking as if he would kneel if Zhou Hong didn't take the money, Zhou Hong numbly accepted the envelope.

This finally allowed the staff member to breathe a sigh of relief, and only after bowing in thanks did he back away and leave.

Zhou Hong turned his head to look at the equally dazed Hibiki Gousuke; judging by his vacant eyes, he clearly hadn't expected such a thing to happen either.

"How about we go look somewhere else?" Hibiki Gousuke offered with an awkward laugh.

Zhou Hong let out a long sigh. "Forget it. With my build, if I tried to ride the carousel, I'd probably crush it into the ground."

It was incredibly awkward; he had just wanted to go out and have fun, and the spur-of-the-moment plan hadn't accounted for any of this.

Zhou Hong felt like today was the day he had sighed the most in his life. "Forget it, let's find a place that actually suits us."

Having played nothing and only receiving an apology envelope, the two of them slunk toward the exit.

Yet, no matter where he went, Zhou Hong's physique made him the most eye-catching guy in the crowd. Sitting on a bench, a certain ace pilot rubbed his eyes in disbelief before suddenly shouting, "Hey, Ah-Hong!"

Having beaten Shinjoh enough times and heard his screams enough, Zhou Hong naturally recognized his voice.

"Shinjoh? You're at the amusement park too?"

Because they had been wrestling and training together more often, Shinjoh had gained more muscle and become addicted to fitness as well. By all rights, he should have been obsessed with some gym at this hour.

Or perhaps chatting with the ladies in the medical department?

Dressed in a suit that was being stretched to its limits, Shinjoh scratched his head helplessly. "No choice, Mayumi wanted to come."

Understood. Little sister comes first.

Noticing the young boy standing next to Shinjoh, Zhou Hong's expression turned somewhat strange. "Shinjoh, listen to me. I feel like every time we take a break, something happens."

The incident at Shishinohana Forest was something Mayumi had stumbled into herself, and this time she had dragged Shinjoh along to run into Gagi. One could only say the siblings had an extraordinary fate with Gagi.

A smile curled on Shinjoh's lips. "Are you kidding? You're probably the only one that unlucky. How could I—"

Shinjoh's mouth hung open as he stared at the golden pillar of light shooting straight into the sky.

What the hell is this?!

"Headquarters! An abnormal phenomenon is occurring at my location! Ah-Hong is also by my side!" Shinjoh pulled out his communicator and reported to the GUTS command room.

Zhou Hong, the "Monster Magnet," was famous within GUTS. As long as he was mentioned, the gears of GUTS would begin to turn at high speed.

Meanwhile, a young man walking nearby bumped into something, emitting a sound like a solid thud.

Shinjoh rushed over, asking the young man if he was alright, only to bump into an invisible wall himself.

The familiar transparency and the familiar sense of solidity made Shinjoh's eyes widen instantly. "Is this the same monster we encountered at Shishinohana Forest?"

The voice over the communicator was heard by Horii in the command room, who immediately stood up. "After the Shishinohana Forest incident, I equipped us with weapons to deal with that barrier. Now is the perfect time to use them!"

After the frustration of last time, I, Horii, will get my revenge on this same species!

"Shinjoh, organize the civilians to the edge of the barrier and have the park's broadcast explain the situation. The monster's location is likely at the center of this barrier. I'll leave the Captain to you," Zhou Hong said, his body already sprinting away.

Hibiki Gousuke could only complain, "Who is the captain here?" before he and Shinjoh began the work they had been assigned.

A crimson pillar of light flashed abruptly, and a thick, muscular arm suddenly reached out from within the light. Jostar's powerful physique floated in mid-air.

Jostar had no intention of observing the etiquette of waiting for a monster to emerge from the ground before attacking; energy gathered rapidly around his feet.

After scanning the area around Gagi's horn to ensure no personnel were present, Jostar's robust body plummeted downward like a meteor.

The surging power made the earth tremble, and the moment of impact shattered Gagi's sturdy horn into fragments, the explosive energy instantly turning the monster's brains into mush.

Buried beneath the soil, Gagi lost its brain and was confirmed dead, never having managed to crawl out of the ground before it perished.

Horii arrived late, piloting the GUTS Wing 1, only to see Jostar soaring straight upward, his powerful muscles tearing through the barrier as he departed.

He felt a slight sense of existential doubt.

Begging for votes! The draft is finished, but no matter how I look at it, I'm not satisfied; the gap between three-digit and four-digit quality is real indeed...