The killing intent in their eyes receded like a tide almost immediately. Their expressions returned to normal. Only then did both belatedly realize that their thoughts had been so chaotic they had actually fucking forgotten to let go of each other’s hands.
Lance, who had not made such a basic mistake during a mission in a long time, changed expression slightly. Fortunately, he had extensive experience with deception and excellent acting skills. To prevent Zhan Pingchuan from noticing anything suspicious, Lance first stole an awkward glance at him, then quickly looked away, smiling as though unable to suppress it—implying that he had deliberately kept holding on.
Zhan Pingchuan, who had always been quite confident in his own professional discipline, was equally unsettled. He had never imagined he could be this shallow. So their pheromone compatibility was unusually high—did that mean his hand absolutely had to keep holding Lance’s?
Fortunately, Zhan Pingchuan’s acting was no worse. Receiving Lance’s glance, he lazily smiled as if perfectly composed, gave Lance’s wrist a half-real, half-teasing squeeze, then released that slender, elegant wrist bone in what felt like half-speed slow motion.
Their acting was so masterful that—
Lance sighed inwardly for what had to be the millionth time since kindergarten: This guy is absolutely into me.
It could not be helped. Lance had looked like an exquisite doll since childhood. Only that bastard Outer God treated him like some roadside foxtail weed to torment.
Inside Zhan Pingchuan’s head, an imaginary version of himself propped up his chin and shook his head, wearing the same matter-of-fact expression he had worn a thousand times since his growth spurt: The little cutie really does like me.
After all, families trying to arrange childhood engagements had practically kicked down the threshold of the Zhan household since he was young. If too many outside visitors had not created openings for kidnappers to carry him off several times, he might not have preserved his chastity to this day.
Lance took the opportunity to cover his mouth and make a nauseated expression. With difficulty, he told Zhan Pingchuan, “Sorry. It’s my first time seeing a dead body. I think I need the bathroom.”
Zhan Pingchuan had been worrying about finding a chance to speak privately. Seeing Lance voluntarily leave, he relaxed, though nothing showed on his face. “I’ll go back to the dorm first. Be careful.”
Lance nodded, his neck stretching into a graceful line. Pinching his throat, pale-faced and apparently shaken, he squeezed past the student-union president and hurried out.
Behind him, the president called weakly, “Go back to your dormitories! Stop watching!”
The moment Lance reached the empty corridor, every trace of panic vanished. He had used more acting at school over these few days than in the rest of his life combined.
Still, if one was going to perform, one should perform completely. He continued striding toward the bathroom while connecting to the clown.
As usual, the clown was frantic and manic. “Fuck their immortal ancestors, you probably haven’t heard the latest—”
Lance cut him off immediately, racing against time. “I know. Tell me about the two Blue Hub inspectors first.”
The most troublesome aspect was that they knew virtually nothing about them.
Under normal procedure, every annual recruit to the Blue Hub Ability Inspection Bureau underwent strict examinations and public disclosure. Only after passing public review could they join. The Black Lantern Society therefore had records on those with unusual abilities and had long practiced tactics against them.
But the owl-form and chameleon-form Awakeners had appeared from nowhere. This meant the federal government was secretly cultivating a reserve of talents as hidden weapons.
If Ediv had not been connected to the secrets of the Pacification War, the government would never have exposed them.
The clown knew how serious this was and immediately relayed the information the Black Lantern Society had urgently gathered. “Owl-form Awakener: Bolas, male Alpha, rank unknown. Ability is sound-wave related. Stage unknown. Offensive power unknown. Chameleon-form Awakener: Clova, female Alpha, A-rank. First-stage ability [Absolute Concealment], second-stage ability [Scene Reconstruction].”
Lance kicked open the bathroom door, surveyed the room, and after confirming no one was inside, locked it behind him. His voice carried cold killing intent. “Where are they now?”
The clown replied, “Based on the Inspection Bureau’s recent ticket information, they should be in Gangtan City.”
Lance raised a brow. “They went to Gangtan? Convenient.”
Gangtan was the headquarters of High Tower Guild, where Lance had grown up, and where most members of the Black Lantern Society were concentrated.
“Duma found the information,” the clown said. “Their flight is at three this afternoon and arrives in Capital City at eight tonight. Earliest they can enter Xingzhou University is nine.”
Lance replied, “Looks like Blue Hub doesn’t have an Awakener capable of teleportation. How many of our people are there?”
“Only Duma and me,” the clown said darkly.
“What about everyone else?”
The clown’s teeth ground audibly, his voice full of grievance. “That old bastard who runs Nightwalker Guild is marrying another Omega again. He’s making a huge event out of it for the eighty-eighth time. Every High Tower employee received an invitation and is currently enjoying a seven-day Caribbean cruise. I’m the only poor bastard working overtime with you to kill Ediv.”
The seven executives of the Black Lantern Society also held important positions in High Tower Guild. They worked two jobs with different responsibilities, so everyone usually operated independently and Lance rarely interfered.
Lance smiled. “Then you and Duma prepare an airport interception. I’ll command.”
The clown snapped, “You might as well send me alone. What does Duma’s little machine brain know about killing?”
Lance comforted him considerately. “At least if the mission fails, he can tell me where to collect your corpse. After all, if you could get the takeoff schedule this easily, the federal government definitely has an ambush prepared. Good luck.”
Naturally, Lance expected an ambush. Given the federal government’s cunning, treacherous nature, the unusual case would be finding no trap at all. The Blue Hub Ability Inspection Bureau had spent years striking like thunder and arresting numerous “vicious” high-ranking Awakeners. They had not relied on raw strength alone.
“I know there’s an ambush, but you still— What if I can’t kill them?” the clown demanded.
Facing the sink, Lance slowly cleaned his glasses. Only then did he smile and leave one sentence behind. “Then come collect my corpse.”
Back in the classroom, Tang Li remained deeply preoccupied with the hand Lance and Zhan Pingchuan had kept clasped together. The moment Lance left, he squeezed closer to Zhan Pingchuan. “Student Zhan, you were so handsome just now. You look exactly like my future boyfriend. By the way, what type is your ability?”
A person’s ability attribute was private information. Normally, only extremely close people discussed it, because revealing it was equivalent to handing an opponent one’s trump card before a battle.
Zhan Pingchuan replied without mercy, “Classmate, my heart is already as cold as Mount Kilimanjaro.”
Tang Li finally snapped. “……”
So Mount Everest just melted, did it?
Zhan Pingchuan pushed open a window and jumped down from the teaching building. Before his feet even hit the ground, he connected to his guild supervisor.
“Short version: I might be exposed. Blue Hub sent Awakeners who can reconstruct voiceprints and scenes. Our conversation last night is a big problem.”
Officially, Ghost Eye Guild was a legitimate guild operating under federal authority and holding full business rights. When necessary, it was required to cooperate with all federal actions.
If senior council officials discovered they were secretly investigating the truth of the Pacification War, Ghost Eye would be reduced to the same status as the Black Lantern Society: an illegal organization facing pursuit from the entire world.
Zhan Pingchuan could not help adding, “Off topic, but if Dad wanted to investigate the Pacification War, why didn’t he establish a separate illegal organization as cover? Could’ve called it the White Ball Society or something.”
(Guild Master Lan: Huh?)
The supervisor cut him off calmly. “No off-topic comments. Information on these two ability users is limited. We currently know the owl-form Awakener, Bolas, is B-rank. First-stage ability [Low-Frequency Standing Wave], second-stage ability [Voiceprint Capture], third-stage ability [Night Hunt Search]. He is entirely support-oriented. Chameleon-form Awakener, female Alpha, unknown.”
“Unknown?” Zhan Pingchuan raised his voice. Hearing the word unknown from the great supervisor who supposedly needed no explanation was rarer than Mount Everest melting.
“Time is limited. We couldn’t investigate further.”
Zhan Pingchuan proposed wildly, “Any chance you could cooperate with some organization and split the research?”
“No.” The supervisor was merciless.
Zhan Pingchuan: “……I’m innocent in this mess. I have no intention of getting tied to the Black Lantern Society. Those two cannot be allowed to live.”
“We confirmed they’re on the three p.m. flight from Gangtan to Capital City. No one else is listed as traveling with them. There is probably an ambush.”
“Any chance we can shoot down the plane?”
“At most I can send two people. Everyone in Ghost Eye Guild is a familiar face, and the distance is long. Operations there are inconvenient.”
Zhan Pingchuan ground his back teeth. “If only we had founded a White Ball Society. Then all this filthy criminal work would be somebody else’s problem.”
(Guild Master Lan: Are you calling me out?)
“I’ll send you a high-definition satellite map of Gangtan International Airport. You command the operation this afternoon.”
Zhan Pingchuan checked the time on his watch. The shade of the parasol trees carved sharp, chiseled shadows across his face. His tone remained teasing and relaxed, but unprecedented seriousness had settled between his brows. With a ding, the three-dimensional satellite map arrived on his phone.