Chapter 425: Chapter 253: The Photograph and the Mental Seal
On the deep night of August 5th, Gu Yima District was silent, with the lights of the buildings gradually going out as far as the eye could see.
It was getting late, and of Ji Minghuan’s three bodies, two were already soundly asleep.
However, they either slept on the loft floor or in a bathtub filled with hot water, only the sleeping place of the first body was somewhat decent.
Originally intending to also let the first body lie down, after much consideration, he decided to use the restraint belt to pull out his phone and started typing in the dark, sending a message to Gu Qiye.
[Black Cocoon: Mr. Blue Arc, it’s been a while since we last got in touch.]
In reality, he didn’t expect Gu Qiye to reply, given his current state, but he decided to give it a try.
Just in case the other side really replied, he would have some idea in his mind.
During these few hours, Ji Minghuan constantly used the restraint sensing to spy on the scenes in the living room, guarding against the possibility of Gu Qiye committing suicide, or irrationally challenging Rainbow Wings single-handedly, just like in the Gu Zhuo Case. Like father, like son, this wasn’t something beyond the realm of possibility.
But strangely, since Gu Qiye came out of the bathroom, instead of being hysterical, he was unusually calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
At this moment, he was sitting on the sofa, expressionless. The rain-cleared moonlight shone brightly through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Gu Qiye was quietly flipping through a photo album.
This family album was usually kept in front of the TV. It contained many photos from when his mother was still alive. But since his mother’s passing, Gu Qiye had put the album in a drawer under the TV, and it was seldom taken out or opened.
His gaze was fixed on one of the photos.
It was a sunny afternoon, and Su Zimai was only eleven years old and in elementary school.
The sun set obliquely, and blood-red maple leaves spun and fell.
When the school bell rang, she ran with her backpack, briskly passing through the streets and alleys. There were people on the street selling herbal jelly and tofu pudding, and the aroma of cooking wafted through the corridors.
Su Zimai sniffed, pushed open the door, and shouted, "I’m back!"
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the giant sun wheel was slowly sinking to the horizon.
The afterglow slanted into the living room, the wind moved the curtains, Gu Zhuo was reading a newspaper, Su Ying was cooking in the kitchen, and Gu Wenyu was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, with his head drooping, fiddling incessantly with his father’s newly bought camera;
At that time, Gu Qiye was sitting upright on a chair in the kitchen, quietly doing his middle school homework at the dining table.
When encountering a problem he couldn’t solve, he would occasionally look up, rest the pen cap against his chin, and silently watch his mother cooking from behind.
After taking off her sandals, Su Zimai ran across the foyer, breathlessly shouting.
Looking around and seeing no one responded to her, she puffed out her cheeks, raised her voice, and shouted again:
"I’m back——!"
With a "click," Gu Wenyu peered close to the camera and pressed the shutter at that moment.
That photo captured the family scene, remaining clear even after five years, as if it had never gone far.
At that moment, Su Ying put down the spoon in her hand and turned towards Su Zimai; Gu Zhuo also lifted his eyes from the newspaper, looking at this willful daughter with some annoyance; the middle-school-aged Gu Qiye paused, turning his head from the workbook to look at Su Zimai.
Su Zimai, in a huff, lowered her little face, glaring at them with dissatisfaction.
Staring at the photo of his sister, who looked like a little angry calf, a slight curve appeared at the corner of Gu Qiye’s mouth.
After a moment, he slowly lifted his eyes from the photo and glanced at the dark living room. The scenes in the photos remained, but those people seemed to have gone far away.
Looking into the empty space, he suddenly wanted to go a bit crazy, to mimic his sister in the picture, shouting "I’m back" into the living room. His lips moved, but in the end, he closed his mouth, knowing that even if he said it ten thousand times, no one would respond, and five years ago was already so far.
But just as he closed the album, he suddenly heard the vibration of his phone.
Gu Qiye was slightly startled, flipped out his phone from the sofa, and took a glance. The screen displayed a text message from Black Cocoon.
[Gu Qiye: What are you doing?]
[Black Cocoon: I heard Rainbow Wings offered you an olive branch?]
[Gu Qiye: You.]
[Black Cocoon: Me?]
[Gu Qiye: You’ve always known that Ghost Bell is my father, right?]
[Black Cocoon: Correct.]
[Gu Qiye: Was it you who called my dad to save me at the auction that time?]
[Black Cocoon: Seems like you’re not as slow as I imagined.]
[Gu Qiye: Why did you never tell me?]
[Black Cocoon: Because it was your father’s wish, he wanted to tell you himself.]
[Gu Qiye: Does he often ask about me?]
[Black Cocoon: Frequently.]
[Black Cocoon: Let’s talk business. Did you accept Rainbow Wings’ invitation?]
[Gu Qiye: I accepted. If all goes well, I’ll be leaving for New York with them tomorrow.]
"Did my brother really accept it? Then the question is, why hasn’t my mission been completed?"
Ji Minghuan raised an eyebrow, pulled up Black Cocoon’s task panel, and took a look.
[Main Task 1 (Phase Five): Help Gu Qiye join the United Nations Organization "Rainbow Wings."]
The panel shows that the mission is still incomplete. Yet, somehow, the "Mutant Blue Arc" mentioned in the mission content has now transformed into my brother’s real name, "Gu Qiye."
Perhaps the system also anticipates that Gu Qiye will no longer use the "Blue Arc" identity. After joining Rainbow Wings, the United Nations higher-ups will assign him a new code name.
"Must I wait for my brother to be officially listed in Rainbow Wings before my mission can be completed?" Ji Minghuan wondered, "But we’ve come this far, unless the people at Rainbow Wings suddenly discover that Ghost Bell is the Gu Zhuo Case, there shouldn’t be any more issues."
Thinking of this, he tapped the screen with the restraint belt, sending a message.
[Black Cocoon: I’m proud of you, Mr. Gu Qiye. Congratulations on getting one step closer to your mother’s truth.]
[Black Cocoon: But America isn’t a good place. Remember to wear earplugs before sleeping to prevent gunshots from affecting your sleep quality.]
[Gu Qiye: Who killed my father?]
[Gu Qiye: Fan Dongqing or You Ruirui?]
[Black Cocoon: I’ll keep it a secret for now. I’m worried you might do something impulsive.]
[Black Cocoon: I suggest you get a good night’s sleep, don’t exhaust yourself. Tomorrow will be better.]
[Black Cocoon: Revenge also requires conserving energy.]
[Black Cocoon: See you in New York.]
After sending the last message, Ji Minghuan casually tossed the phone to the corner of the bed and turned to gaze out the window, lost in thought. The night sky after the rain was clearer than usual, and stars could be seen overhead.
Putting aside the last sliver of worry, drowsiness finally overcame him, considering he’d been busy all day.
He slowly closed his eyelids, soon falling asleep.
He dreamt of a penguin monster destroying the city while shouting "goo goo ga ga," until justice in the form of Sun Wukong flew over on his Somersault Cloud, knocking the penguin monster on the head with his stick.
Eventually, the penguin monster fell to the ground, removed its head, and a white-haired girl jumped out raising her arms in triumph, shouting "It’s a wrap!"
....
....
"Restricted superpower user, number 1002—Ji Minghuan, mentor visiting, quickly prepare yourself." Unlike before, a cold female voice came from the broadcast equipment.
Ji Minghuan’s eyelids trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes, seeing not the ceiling but a wrinkled white pillow. Last night he had slept face-down.
With his chin resting on the pillow, he turned his head to see the figure of the mentor.
"How did you rest?" The mentor smiled.
"Not bad." Ji Minghuan raised his head only to lower it again burying his face into the pillow, speaking muffledly, "But seeing you makes me unhappy, what bad luck... I’ll have nightmares again tonight."
"They’re waiting for you in Paradise, go meet them."
Ji Minghuan’s spirit suddenly lifted a bit. He got out of bed, walked into the bathroom to wash his face, and while brushing his teeth uttered confusedly:
"You previously described Shang Xiaoqi as reclusive, but she’s just a middle-school syndrome case."
"Most kids at this age are like this, they pursue uniqueness." The mentor’s voice came from the confinement room, "That’s why we find it strange."
"What’s strange?"
"Normally, a kid hearing they have the power to destroy the world should feel excited and happy, who would, like you, be eager to exonerate themselves, emphasizing being a Muggle?"
"The reason is simple, only someone sick would enjoy being locked here by you guys, my middle-school syndrome got cured by you." Ji Minghuan spat out mouthwash, speaking blandly.
Thinking for a while, he asked again, "By the way, how’s Zeus, can we meet that last problematic child?"
"No, he’s still not stable."
"Did you find my brother?"
"Not yet." The mentor said, "But soon, probably in another half month we’ll find him."
"How can you be sure? Is there a progress bar or something?"
"Instead of that, let’s talk about the Prophet. Since he said he wants to see you, have you experienced anything strange, like dreaming of odd things?"
"No." Ji Minghuan muttered, "Does dreaming of a giant penguin monster punching and kicking me count?"
"Speaking of this, we plan to send Kong Youling out once recently, do you have any opinions?" The mentor suddenly asked.
Ji Minghuan paused.
He put down the rinsing cup, walked out of the bathroom, sat at the desk, and looked up at the mentor.
"What’s the situation? What are you going to do with a penguin? This is not only animal abuse but also child labor."
"It’s simple, Rainbow Wings is still within our control, but Lake Hunting is different, they’re dangerous to us. If it were before we could temporarily let them be, but now the situation in the world is not right, we must take preventative measures."
"So?" Ji Minghuan asked calmly.
The mentor slowly said, "So, we came up with using Kong Youling’s superpower to plant a thought stamp in the minds of the Lake Hunting ’Lin Xingshi’, ’Zhou Jiuya’, ’Zhuge Hui’, and ’Zhong Wujiu’ to ensure they don’t step out of line."
As he spoke, he looked up at Ji Minghuan, his glasses reflecting a cold light.
"What do you think, Ji Minghuan?"