Following the Heart's Desire

After a fierce internal struggle, Fang Ran finally reluctantly accepted the fact that he had drawn a useless card. He once again recalled his noble status as a Great Onmyoji and the fact that he had drawn 'Ibaraki Doji' countless times.

"Sigh~"

Fang Ran sighed and turned on the only entertainment appliance in his rented room – the old television.

Central TV Station was still broadcasting current affairs news. The female anchor on the screen was speaking in a formal tone, delivering the last few brief reports.

"There is still no news regarding the individual who previously stole the cultural relics. The authorities are still investigating."

Fang Ran: "."

After a moment of silence, Fang Ran resolutely turned around and made a decision. Indeed, as a proper citizen, a good citizen, I believe that as long as I confess leniently, the country will definitely give me a...

"Xiao Mi!! Lord Xiao Mi!!! Help!!! I don't want to be caught!! I'm still young!! I don't want to go to jail!!!"

Fang Ran slid forward and directly prostrated himself on the floor in front of Ling, performing a standard Dogeza.

"What the hell! What are you doing!!"

Ling was also startled by Fang Ran's sudden action. This guy suddenly came grabbing at her, snot and tears flowing, and she quickly flew up to dodge.

"Xiao Mi! Mi!! You can't just watch your master die a miserable death without helping!"

Fang Ran still reached out with both hands towards Ling, wearing an expression that made Ling feel utterly disgusted.

"Get lost! Don't call me Xiao Mi! Also, this old lady is not your Summoned Beast!!"

Ling roared in disgust, controlling a slipper with her telekinesis and slapping it hard on Fang Ran's face.

However, at this moment, Fang Ran couldn't care less about slippers or face. Any dignity of a master had long been thrown to the back of his mind. He looked at Ling with teary eyes, looking at his power bank (Summoned Beast) who seemed to know everything, as if grasping at the last straw.

"Can't you have some ambition! Look at how cowardly you are! A single news report scares you like this!"

Ling looked at Fang Ran contemptuously. Of course, Fang Ran couldn't see her expression, only inferring from her voice.

"Please! That's an official wanted notice! If I get caught, I'll go to jail! And it's not just a matter of three years or not, this is a minimum of ten years!!"

Fang Ran covered his face and said in disbelief.

Ling looked at Fang Ran with a twitching eye, as if unable to comprehend, genuinely wondering in her heart.

Are there really Night Battles participants this cowardly?

Any Night Battles participant, no matter what they're like in reality, at least has a strong mindset, right!?

Ling knew that many people even lived their entire lives in the gray world.

For a Night Battles participant, just a wanted notice, and the official forces don't even have your photo, it's probably just a warning or a tap on the wrist, after all, they are all Night Battles participants.

But, just this?

You're panicking to this cowardly extent?

Ling's sense of disbelief was like someone from the upper class she was used to suddenly encountering someone who was afraid they couldn't afford the bill after drinking a cup of black tea.

Although it wasn't a perfect analogy, Ling felt this way at this moment.

Looking at Fang Ran's panicked expression, Ling's heart suddenly stirred. The corners of her mouth curved into the little devil's smile she often displayed in her juvenile form.

"Don't panic yet. Go, bring me that artifact so I can take a look, and then tell me everything from the beginning~"

Ling's tone suddenly softened, her loli voice becoming full of conviction, instantly calming Fang Ran down.

"Okay!"

As soon as he heard that Ling was willing to help him, Fang Ran quickly pulled the bronze beast head statue - Si Snake - out from under his bed.

Ling looked at him speechlessly.

So the historical artifact that was lost was hidden under your bed?

"Listen to me, the story starts from the day I came back from the anime convention in the city center..."

Fang Ran gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, finally making up his mind to tell the history he didn't want to remember.

"Wait? Anime convention? You still go to places like that, huh, as expected of a shut-in." Ling sneered.

"Uh, there's a very complicated reason for that."

Unexpectedly, Fang Ran didn't argue, but instead scratched his head, his eyes darting around as he said with an awkward smile.

"And then? How did you snatch this special reward from the official state authorities?"

The power bank (Ling) slowly floated down onto the sofa, while Fang Ran knelt on the floor in front of her, a very strange scene.

"I don't know either," Fang Ran said with a bitter face, and then he carefully told Ling everything from the moment he entered that station.

Ling listened, occasionally saying 'mm-hmm', and by the time Fang Ran finished, Ling had a rough understanding of the situation this noob was in at the time.

It was clear that the D-27 was a special target with a mist disguise, but its true form was unlucky enough to be bumped into by Fang Ran. Feeling Fang Ran's weak strength, it immediately chased Fang Ran for ten blocks. Finally, by chance, after its disguised power was eliminated by a group of big shots fighting, it was unluckily taken down by Fang Ran's sheer luck.

One had to say, this coward's luck wasn't bad.

Ling, in her data soul form, flickered slightly. She narrowed her eyes slightly. From Fang Ran's description, she could roughly guess who the official state personnel were.

It should be the Night Fairy - Ye Sheng - from the official state authorities that another pervert had fantasized about before. Mysterious side, cultivation ability, A-level strength.

"Hehe~" A smile curved Ling's lips. She was basically certain that the official state authorities hadn't captured any information about Fang Ran. Otherwise, in the nearly two days since that scene ended, this guy would have been arrested long ago.

So... the news was indeed a warning?

Ling smiled indifferently. The so-called warning was nothing more than a statement of the official attitude, but it was useless to a special existence like her who didn't belong to any national force and lived alone in the Arctic Circle.

Sigh, but...

Ling glanced at Fang Ran's appearance, looking anxious, afraid that she would say something like 'give up', 'don't struggle, just wait to go to jail', and so on.

So spineless.

Please, you're a participant in Night Battles now, okay?

In other words, you have superpowers, you're not an ordinary person anymore.

Forget it, even if I tell this guy, he won't understand. Ling knew clearly that even if he understood, it would take a long time to change his mindset.

However, this is just right~

Ling curved her lips into a mischievous little devil's smile, cleared her throat, and spoke with a heavy tone:

"To be honest, your current situation is quite bad."

"As expected, is that how it is?" Fang Ran instantly deflated like a leaky balloon.

"But..." Ling started, and Fang Ran immediately perked up like revived chives, raising his head and asking, practically wanting to hug Ling's thigh, "But there's a way!?"

"Of course," Ling's voice was incredibly confident, giving Fang Ran infinite reassurance and reliability. "Understand your identity. You are now a participant in Night Battles, possessing the extraordinary abilities granted to you by Night Battles."

"Although it's Magical Girl Power," Fang Ran couldn't help but complain with a bitter face.

"Get lost, don't interrupt!"

Ling snapped at the guy who interrupted her, making her almost forget her prepared speech, cough, the one she was about to use to trick him.

"In a movie, you'd be one of those superpowered individuals. In other words, you have the capital to establish yourself," Ling said persuasively. "As long as you become stronger, reach B-rank in Night Battles, find a suitable scenario, and return this Si Snake, which was lost in the Great Water Method throughout history."

"Oh, oh, oh, and then?" Fang Ran asked, nodding and chasing the question, looking like he was engraving it in his heart.

"Then, the official people will believe you have shown goodwill towards the officials. Given your B-rank strength, they won't pursue the matter. Instead, they will befriend you, this strong individual, and this matter will naturally pass. That so-called fixed-term imprisonment will naturally be a joke," Ling revealed the final goal.

"Oh, oh," Fang Ran looked enlightened and thoughtful.

"But!" Ling's tone suddenly shifted, and Fang Ran suddenly felt his power bank's eyes become sharp.

"If your strength is too poor, and you get discovered, hehe~"

"What will happen?" Fang Ran swallowed nervously.

"Life imprisonment is the starting point, with the maximum being the death penalty."

"Pfft!"

Fang Ran instantly spat out a mouthful of old blood and roared in disbelief:

"No way! It's that serious! According to the law, it shouldn't be this bad!!! And it was clearly a ten-year minimum, how did it suddenly become life imprisonment!"

"Hehe, the Night Battles world is a place where strength speaks. If you don't have power, the other party naturally won't be polite," Ling said slowly.

Then Ling secretly praised herself in her heart. Now that this coward was scared, he would work hard to improve his strength. As long as he had B-rank strength, she would have hope of escaping this damned power bank!

Compared to over ten years and life imprisonment or the death penalty, he should know how to choose.

But Fang Ran's next sentence directly shattered her fantasy, and while Ling slightly regretted scaring him too much, she was filled with curses. How could there be such a cowardly person!

"I say, Xiao Mi,"

Fang Ran weighed his own strength against the strength of the only B-rank person he knew, the Lightning Girl, and said with a mournful face.

"How about we turn ourselves in!"