84: Chapter 84 Black Paper Cranes

Linhai No. 3 High School, Junior High Department. Equipment Room.

Su Qing sat on a vaulting box, her cap pulled down very low.

Ye Qingqiu leaned against the doorframe, holding a bottle of iced coffee in her hand.

She looked at the bump on Su Qing's head.

Then, she looked at the bruises on her arm that hadn't completely faded.

"Your look is quite unique."

Su Qing's mouth twitched.

"Sister Ye, I'm here to thank you."

Ye Qingqiu took a sip of coffee.

"Thanking me for helping you solve the trouble with your dad?"

Su Qing nodded.

Yesterday, Su Jianguo had almost really gone to the school to investigate the "bullying."

If it hadn't been for Ye Qingqiu using internal channels of The Watchers to temporarily notify the school and cover up the records of Su Qing's actions that night...

She wouldn't be sitting in the equipment room today.

She would be sitting in the Homeroom Teacher's office.

Facing a four-way interrogation from her own father, the teacher, the grade level director, and the school counselor.

Just thinking about it was suffocating.

"Sister Ye, I won't say thanks for such a great favor."

Su Qing said seriously, "In the future, whoever you want me to slash, I'll give you a 20% discount."

Ye Qingqiu looked at her.

"I am a person in charge at The Watchers, not a leader of a criminal organization."

Su Qing changed her tune quickly.

"Then in the future, whoever you want me to protect, I'll give you a 20% discount."

"You should protect yourself first."

Ye Qingqiu placed the coffee on the windowsill.

"Tell me, why did you have to make your brother go high-altitude bungee jumping for no reason?"

Su Qing's face darkened.

"That wasn't bungee jumping."

"It was a tactical deterrent."

Ye Qingqiu scoffed.

"A tactical deterrent that ended with ringing the Divine Bell at the Sanctuary."

"A deterrent that had eight Elders chasing you."

"A deterrent that got Night Owl put on the wanted list."

"A deterrent that has you begging the victim for forgiveness right now."

She looked at Su Qing.

"Your tactic is quite costly to the organization."

Su Qing lowered her head.

For once, she didn't argue back.

Mostly because she couldn't.

Who knew she just wanted to scare her brother, but ended up triggering a global rescue operation?

Her brother was also weird.

When other people freefall from ten thousand meters, they scream for their mom.

Her brother's expression was like someone complaining that a roller coaster ride was too short.

Ye Qingqiu handed her a tablet.

"Look."

Su Qing took it.

On the screen was the latest safety assessment for Linhai City.

Red. Deep red. Red like the X-marks on a final math exam paper.

"It's this serious?"

"Six unknown S-Rank individuals have infiltrated Linhai," Ye Qingqiu said. "Suspected to be remnants from Neon."

Su Qing's pupils constricted.

"Neon?"

She knew the situation over there.

Neon was no longer a country. It was a disaster zone.

After the seventy-two Abyss Gates in Tokyo opened, the remnants of the Shadow Ministry and the local Strange Tales sequences mixed together, turning it into one of the most unstable sources of pollution in the world.

"What are they here for?"

"Unknown."

Ye Qingqiu said, "Most likely aiming for that taboo monster at the reservoir."

Su Qing's fingers paused.

She remembered Su Yao's face at the dinner table last night, pale with exhaustion.

Her eldest sister definitely knew something. But she wouldn't say.

Su Qing didn't ask either. Everyone in the family had secrets.

She herself was one of the biggest sources of dishonesty.

Ye Qingqiu continued, "The Watchers headquarters has decided to transfer an S-Rank here to oversee things."

Su Qing looked up. "S-Rank? Who?"

Ye Qingqiu didn't answer directly. She looked at Su Qing. "You'd better hope it's not the one you know."

A name flashed through Su Qing's mind. Her expression changed. "No way, right?"

Ye Qingqiu nodded. "It's her."

Su Qing stood up from the vaulting box. "If she comes to Linhai, how am I supposed to survive?"

"You know to be afraid now?" Ye Qingqiu sneered. "Why weren't you afraid when you kidnapped a regular student?"

Su Qing got anxious. "That's my brother!"

"Not in the files." Ye Qingqiu retorted with one sentence.

Su Qing opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Ye Qingqiu put away the tablet. "Dark Blade, listen well."

"From now on, you are responsible for only one thing." Su Qing asked, "What?"

"Keep a close eye on Gu Lang at Linhai No. 2 High School."

Su Qing was stunned. "Gu Lang? That transfer student?"

Ye Qingqiu nodded. "He is a bait for the Investigation Bureau."

"The Watchers suspect that the group from Neon has already set their sights on him."

Su Qing frowned. "But Gu Lang is in my brother's class."

"That's why it's even more troublesome." Ye Qingqiu looked at her. "Your brother has the Saintess Token on him."

"He is also considered a key protection target by the Sanctuary."

"The Queen of Great Britain is also coming."

"If the Neon remnants do anything, Gu Lang, this Psionic User of unknown identity, should also take action."

Su Qing frowned. "What's the point of watching someone?"

She was the dignified Dark Blade of The Watchers, an A-Rank assassin-type Awakened; usually, she was either slaying Strange Tales or chasing wanted criminals. Now, they were asking her to watch a transfer student? How was this any different from asking a wolf to guard a sheep pen?

Ye Qingqiu, as if having guessed she would say this, took a slow sip of iced coffee. "The organization will help you ask for leave."

Su Qing's eyes lit up slightly. Ye Qingqiu continued, "The school will also help cover for you. Basically, you don't have to go to school for the next two days."

Su Qing sat up straight instantly. "Not go to school?"

Her voice sounded energized. What was the point of school? Listening to lectures, doing homework, taking math tests. Especially math. That thing was more like a Strange Tale than a Strange Tale itself. She would rather fight an A-level Anomaly all night than sit in a classroom listening to functions.

Su Qing forced herself to keep a straight face, but she couldn't suppress the gleam in her eyes. "Sister Ye, this kind of mission is actually not impossible to accept."

Ye Qingqiu looked at her expression, which was practically floating with joy, and sneered. "Don't be happy too soon. You aren't going out to goof off; you are executing a mission."

"Got it, got it, got it." Su Qing nodded like a pounding mortar. "Executing a mission, right."

She paused, her eyes lighting up again. "Then can I slash those Neon bastards?"

Ye Qingqiu almost choked on her coffee. She put down the cup and stared at Su Qing. "You, an A-Rank, want to go and slash an S-Rank?"

Su Qing said righteously, "It's a sneak attack."

Ye Qingqiu was expressionless. "Do you think S-Rank powerhouses just stand there waiting for you to backstab them?"

Su Qing muttered, "It's not like there's no chance..."

"There is no chance." Ye Qingqiu cut her off directly. "If something really happens, your mission isn't to rush in and play the hero, but to protect the students as they evacuate."

She emphasized her tone. "Especially the students at Linhai No. 2 High School."

Su Qing was stunned. Ye Qingqiu looked at her. "Of course, your brother is also within your scope of protection."

Su Qing's expression instantly became excited. "There's such a good thing?"

Su Qing's eyes were so bright they could almost glow. Protect Su Yun? This mission sounded like the heavens had finally opened their eyes.

Last time, she, the dignified Dark Blade, an A-Rank Watcher, a top predator in the night of Linhai, had suffered such a huge loss at Su Yun's hands?

First, she was forced to sign some damn apology letter. Then, a 500,000 compensation fee. Then, taking over the housework. Most ridiculously, she even had to call him "good brother."

Thinking back to the scene where she was gritting her teeth and lowering her head in humiliation, Su Qing wished she could cut that agreement into 3,600 pieces with her Shadow Blade right then and there.

But now it was different. The tables had turned. Su Yun was finally going to fall into her hands again!

Of course, it was protection in name. But with protection, the boundaries were very subtle.

For example, when encountering danger, if she picked Su Yun up and ran, and the posture was a bit rough, that would be reasonable, right?

For example, when evacuating, to prevent Su Yun from moving around, if she tied him up like a zongzi with her shadows, that would also be reasonable, right?

For example, if he didn't cooperate, she could use the safety of the protectee as an excuse to sternly warn him to shut up, or even make him call her "Lord Dark Blade" a couple of times; that would also fully comply with the mission procedure, right?

The more Su Qing thought about it, the more comfortable she felt. Hmph. Su Yun, oh Su Yun. You have a day like this too!

As for that group from the Sanctuary... Su Qing still felt a bit fearful. She still couldn't figure out why the Sanctuary protected Su Yun like their own father.

With that attitude, let alone Su Yun losing a hair, the entire Sanctuary would probably ring the bell and go to war.

But this time it was different. She, Dark Blade, was going to protect their "father." Surely they wouldn't beat her into the ground just because she protected him too diligently, right? Surely... not, right?

Su Qing touched the bump on her head that hadn't completely faded and her mouth twitched. To be safe, she'd better not let the people from the Sanctuary see her tying Su Yun up like a zongzi.

Ye Qingqiu watched the gradually twisted smile on her face, and her eyes became a little dangerous. "You'd better not do anything strange."

"What do you mean by that?" "I am a Watcher." "I have professional integrity."

Ye Qingqiu was expressionless. "You said the same thing last time." "Then you took the victim all the way from the Library to ten thousand meters in the sky."

Su Qing: "..."

Ye Qingqiu continued, "The situation in Linhai this time is different." "Six Neon S-Ranks have infiltrated." "The Queen of Great Britain is arriving soon." "The Investigation Bureau, the Sanctuary, The Watchers, everyone is watching Linhai."

"Dark Blade." She called her code name. Not Su Qing.

The playful smile on Su Qing's face gradually faded. Ye Qingqiu looked at her and said, word for word, "I don't care how you mess around with your brother at home."

"But when executing a mission, you must remember." "You are not protecting a brother who embarrasses you." "You are protecting a regular student listed as a key protection target in the official files." "And a group of children who truly have no ability to protect themselves."

Su Qing was silent for a few seconds. She raised her hand and adjusted her cap. "Got it." Her voice wasn't loud. But it was much more serious.

"If there is real danger, I will send the students away first."

Ye Qingqiu nodded then. "Also." Su Qing looked up. "The bait scent on Gu Lang is very special." "If you are too close to him, you might be affected."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "Affected how?"

Ye Qingqiu said, "According to my observations, his ability amplifies aggression, hunger, and sensitivity to the scent of death." "You are an assassin-type Awakened to begin with." "Once triggered, it's very easy to be impulsive."

After listening, Su Qing thought seriously for two seconds. "Then should I bring some snacks?"

Ye Qingqiu: "..."

Su Qing explained, "It's hunger, right." "Eat until full in advance, scientific prevention."

Ye Qingqiu rubbed her temples. "That you have survived until now is truly a miracle for the medical department."

Just at this moment. The tablet on the windowsill suddenly vibrated. The screen lit up automatically. A piece of red encrypted intelligence popped up.

Ye Qingqiu's expression changed slightly, and she immediately picked up the tablet. Su Qing also leaned over to look.

On the screen, the map of Linhai No. 2 High School was magnified. A red dot was moving slowly around the school. Next to the red dot, there was a line of small text.

[Unknown Strange Tales marker detected.] [Form: Black Paper Crane.]

The equipment room was instantly filled with a chill. Su Qing's eyes became sharp in an instant. The messy thoughts of "tying up Su Yun" and "making him call me Lord Dark Blade" were forcibly suppressed by her.

Ye Qingqiu looked up at her. "It seems your vacation has started early."

Su Qing leaped down from the vaulting box. Shadows spread out like water beneath her feet. She raised her hand to lower her cap, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

"Sister Ye." "Remember to help me write the leave request more formally."

Ye Qingqiu frowned. "What reason do you want to write?"

Su Qing thought for a moment and said seriously, "Because I am temporarily saving the world, I am unable to attend the math quiz."

Ye Qingqiu: "..."