A Squawking, First Take My Angelic Flying Kick

The two of them kept their figures hidden in the shadows, continuing to press against the wall as they moved forward. Before long, they reached the final corner of this winding, snake-like alleyway.

"..."

Xiao Hongchen slowly poked half his face out. In the center of this dead end, two young men with their hands and feet bound by iron chains were kneeling on the ground in terror.

Not far from them, three men in gray robes turned their heads from time to time to glance at these two unlucky souls, seemingly discussing their fate.

"What exactly are you trying to do?!" the young man on the left shrieked, his voice trembling with fear.

The hoarse voice of the gray-robed man who had fled in a panic after bumping into Xiao Hongchen earlier rang out: "This... I cannot tell you. But do not be afraid; I will try my best to ensure you suffer as little as possible later."

"No! Please, let us go!" The young man on the right struggled violently to crawl up from the ground. He wailed as he tried to stand, only to be kicked back down by a gray-robed man with a grim, scarred face.

"Stay still," the scarred man roared.

Oi! What are they doing? Kidnapping?

Withdrawing his gaze, Xiao Hongchen turned his head to communicate with Qian Yuhan using lip-reading. Qian Yuhan, however, played dumb and used lip-reading to hoodwink Xiao Hongchen:

"I think so. I originally just wanted to follow that guy with a guilty conscience to see what he was up to, but I never expected to stumble upon an actual kidnapping! If that's the case, then everything that happened before makes sense."

"The guy you bumped into earlier was indeed a kidnapper in a hurry to meet his accomplices, which is why he fled in a panic after you knocked him over."

"That makes sense, brother! It seems we must perform a righteous deed today! By the way, do you have a rescue plan? Let's discuss it—hey! Brother, where are you going?"

Imagining the scene of himself kicking kidnappers, punching villains, rescuing the poor hostages from danger, and being revered and praised by the entire academy, the fourteen-year-old Xiao Hongchen felt the chuunibyou soul hidden deep within his pounding young heart begin to burn fiercely!

Just as he was trying to discuss a reliable rescue plan with Qian Yuhan, Qian Yuhan's figure had already vanished silently from his side.

Xiao Hongchen was struck dumb with shock.

Xiao Hongchen was completely bewildered.

Xiao Hongchen looked around.

Xiao Hongchen realized his little brother had already 'charged in.'

No, brother, how could you just rush in like that?

This isn't how the normal script is supposed to go!

According to the standard procedure, the two of us should have whispered to discuss a rescue plan, secretly contacted the patrolling Soul Engineers of the Bright Capital before taking action, and finally stepped out to stall these three heinous criminals.

Then, you, a freshman who hasn't even enrolled yet, should have fallen into a predicament under the siege of the villains!

And I!

An upperclassman, a once-in-a-millennium genius Soul Engineer, and the holder of a Level 4 Soul Engineer badge, Xiao Hongchen, would descend like a god to save you from danger.

With that, I, Young Master Xiao Hongchen, would complete four perfect achievements in a single day: protecting a junior, beating up criminals, rescuing hostages, and maintaining the order of the Bright Capital! My merit would be complete, and I would return home in glory.

That is the proper script!

"Hmm! Who's there?"

As the backbone of the three gray-robed men, the scarred man noticed something was wrong immediately.

But facts proved that in the face of Qian Yuhan's stylish flying kick, his reaction—which was half a beat faster than the other two—was of no use.

By the time the last syllable left his mouth, Qian Yuhan's boot had already slammed into his face, 'sending' him flying over thirty meters away.

Crack—BOOM!

From far away, Xiao Hongchen could hear the crisp sound of bones breaking in the scarred man's body, followed by the dull thud of him crashing into an old wall after being sent flying.

"(⊙_☉)"

Xiao Hongchen's eye twitched a few times, and he secretly pondered in his heart:

Is this junior... a bit too violent? He's so violent he doesn't look like a Soul Engineer at all, but rather a purebred, top-tier Soul Master from the original three empires...

"Three breaths!" Qian Yuhan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the two flustered men in black with an imposing aura as he spoke in a low voice:

"If you do not kneel within three breaths, you die!"

"One!"

Without giving the gray-robed men any time to prepare themselves mentally, Qian Yuhan began the countdown directly.

"Expert, hero, let's talk this over! Don't attack! I surrender!"

The gray-robed man with triangular eyes, who had been largely ignored until now, suddenly raised his hands high and knelt on the ground with a thud. His speed of surrender was so fast that it shocked both Qian Yuhan and Xiao Hongchen.

"I... I... I surrender too."

A moment later, the last gray-robed man—the one who had bumped into Xiao Hongchen and fled—sighed, slowly raised his hands, and very 'sensibly' knelt down.

"What are you still looking at? Come help!" Qian Yuhan frowned as he looked toward the corner behind him. A belated Xiao Hongchen scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he walked out from the corner. He gave two dry laughs and explained:

"Heh! I was just watching you handle these small-time thugs so easily, brother, and I didn't want to steal your spotlight!"

After saying this, Xiao Hongchen finally had the chance to bend down and take a close look at the guy who had bumped into him and tried to run.

Xiao Hongchen pondered for a long time, seemingly racking his brain to find the origin of this person. Finally, as if struck by a sudden realization, he clapped his hands and called out the man's name:

"Aren't you... Wang Chong, from my same year?! I knew you looked familiar! So you're actually in the same grade as this young master!"

"Tell me, what were you thinking, running off to be a kidnapper? You've completely disgraced the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy!"

"I... it's not like that, I... I..."

Under the weight of Xiao Hongchen's righteous and stern words, the face hidden beneath Wang Chong's hood turned increasingly deathly pale, and his already frail frame began to tremble violently.

Seeing this, Xiao Hongchen first nodded in approval of his own eloquence, then reached out to pat Wang Chong's shivering shoulder, speaking slowly:

"Looking at you now, I think what I just said has successfully touched your soul!"

"Given that we are fellow students at the academy, I can put in a good word for you with my grandfather and have him grant you a disciplinary probation instead! I can also offer you a chance to turn over a new leaf and atone for your mistakes."

"But first! You must confess your criminal acts and reveal the mastermind behind it all, point by point. Only then can I convince the academy to speak on your behalf, help you transition from a criminal to a state's witness, and ultimately ensure you receive a lenient sentence. Do you understand?"