Chapter 14: Black Cocoon
“So, why didn’t I just give myself a codename right there in Lijing Square? Something like ‘Binding Restraint Maniac’? Eh, forget it… what’s done is done. Let’s just hope they don’t give me some lame nickname.”
Ji Minghuan muttered, his eyelids already so heavy they were about to shut.
He had been woken up mid-sleep, and his foul mood from getting up was intense. With no one around to vent to, he ended up tagging along with his brother for some troublemaking outside, and somehow took down five criminals in the process. Naturally, that only made him even more tired once he got home.
Ji Minghuan yawned and tapped the Attributes Panel.
More details popped up behind the three attributes.
【Strength (Adding to this attribute will improve your overall physical fitness and the power of your “Binding Restraint”)】
【Speed (Adding to this attribute will improve your neural reaction speed and the speed of your “Binding Restraint”)】
【Spirit (Adding to this attribute will improve your mental strength and the resilience of your “Binding Restraint”)】
【You currently hold 1 Attribute Point. You may choose to add this point to any of the three attributes.】
At this moment, an 【Add】 option appeared next to each attribute. With his eyelids drooping, Ji Minghuan gave them a quick glance and, without a second thought, placed his Attribute Point into “Speed.”
【The “Speed” attribute of Game Character “Gu Wenyu” has changed: C → C+】
In those martial arts novels, there’s always that line: “Among all martial arts, speed is unbeatable.” Ji Minghuan thought the same. Adding to this attribute would not only boost his reaction time but also the speed of the Binding Restraint—making it easier to strike first in battle and avoid being insta-killed during surprise attacks.
After allocating the Attribute Point, he opened the “Character Skill Tree System.”
【Branch One (Stealth): Binding Restraint Sensory (Learned) → Binding Restraint Verity (To be learned) → Unknown → Unknown...】
【Branch Two (Frenzy): Binding Restraint Extension (To be learned) → Unknown (Details will unlock after learning the previous skill in this branch) → Unknown → Unknown...】
【Branch Three (Wrath): Binding Restraint Detection (To be learned) → Unknown (Details will unlock after learning the previous skill in this branch) → Unknown → Unknown...】
“Binding Restraint Verity” could force people to tell the truth, basically a lie detector.
“Binding Restraint Detection” allowed him to obtain information about someone’s abilities by touching them with the Binding Restraint.
As for “Binding Restraint Extension,” he wasn’t considering it for now. It was obvious: the “Frenzy” branch was a skill path meant to increase combat strength.
And Ji Minghuan wasn’t currently lacking in combat power—what he needed were survival skills and methods to track clues.
He thought for a moment: “Let’s go with ‘Binding Restraint Detection’ first. That skill can help me figure out what’s going on with people in the house, especially Gu Wenyu’s old man and sister. Once I complete their related Main Quests and get more Skill Points, I can learn the other skills whenever.”
So he long-pressed “Binding Restraint Detection,” and the text on the panel brightened from dim to fully lit, glowing in red and black.
【Consumed 1 Skill Point. Successfully learned the Wrath branch skill—“Binding Restraint Detection”: When you touch a target (must be a human or humanoid creature) with the Binding Restraint, a series of data (attributes, abilities) will appear in your mind.】
【Next skill in the Wrath branch is now unlocked.】
Ji Minghuan glanced at the newly unlocked skill in the branch.
【Binding Restraint Suppression: After using the Binding Restraint to bind a non-human entity, you can temporarily suppress their supernatural powers.】
“Sounds pretty useful,” he thought. “But I’m not really sure what level of ‘binding’ it’s talking about—do I need to tie them up completely, or would a knot on their calf be enough… too many variables. Guess I’ll have to find some poor sucker and test out the full rules once I’ve learned the skill.”
Ji Minghuan then switched back to the System Panel, flipped to the last page, and found a prominent option—【Create New Game Character】. The text was in a striking blood-red, different from the other options.
He lifted a finger and tapped it. A series of messages popped up.
【Split progress not yet completed. Unable to create a new Game Character.】
【Tip: To create a new Game Character, you need 3 Split Points (you currently have 1 Split Point. Once you collect a total of 3, you can create the next “Game Character” in the real world).】
He thought, “So, I just need two more Split Points and I can create a new Game Character. Once I have two characters, I can start moving on the Orphanage...”
The rain softened. Drowsiness thickened. His eyelids felt like they were weighted with lead. The panels faded out of view, and all his tangled thoughts drifted away. Ji Minghuan soon shut his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.
Not long after he fell asleep, Gu Qiye, now in casual clothes, came home.
He didn’t turn on the lights in the entryway. Quietly, he tiptoed past the living room and went upstairs, stopping outside Gu Wenyu’s room. After a moment of silence, he gently turned the doorknob, pulling the door open a crack.
Through that sliver, Gu Qiye peeked inside at Gu Wenyu.
Gu Wenyu was sleeping soundly on the bed, completely still—not at all like someone pretending.
“Was I just overthinking…”
Gu Qiye murmured with a conflicted look. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the Cocoon Man he’d encountered earlier bore some resemblance to his younger brother, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on how.
He inhaled deeply, the damp, chilly air slicing into his chest like a blade, clearing his mind. Making sure not to wake his brother, he slowly shut the door and returned to his own room to rest.
Outside, the rain continued to fall in gentle patters, drawing graceful arcs beneath the eaves.
It was a quiet rainy night.
........
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“Restricted-level Esper, Code 1002—‘Ji Minghuan’, your Instructor is here. Prepare yourself for interrogation.”
That all-too-familiar announcement echoed in his ears again, followed by a wash of cold lighting that fell across the bed, waking Ji Minghuan from his side-sleep.
He opened his eyes, rolled over, and rubbed the temple on his left. His other hand reached toward his neck, fingers brushing against the cold, icy collar.
His Instructor had once told him: the moment his Esper ability was detected, the collar would immediately inject him with a massive dose of sedatives and Esper inhibitors.
But during all that time he was using his ability to control another body, this collar hadn’t reacted at all. Otherwise, he should’ve been jolted awake long ago—no way he could’ve “dreamed” for that long. It was truly baffling.
“So… is my Esper really that high-level? It even comes with a built-in stealth mode?” Ji Minghuan thought, releasing the collar and stretching his stiff neck.
He sat up and looked forward—the Instructor had already entered through the corridor, the metal isolation door sealing shut behind him.
“Good evening, Instructor.” Ji Minghuan greeted him with his usual enthusiasm.
“Good evening,” the Instructor replied with a smile.
Ji Minghuan raised a brow, surprised his pleasantries were accepted so easily this time. He asked, “So… is it really nighttime outside right now?”
“Who knows?”
The Instructor chuckled mysteriously and pulled two photos from his sleeve, placing them on the table.
“Interested in hearing about some Espers that recently surfaced outside?”
“Like who?”
Ji Minghuan sat across from him.
“For example, this Esper who was discovered last night in China’s capital. His ability seems to be creating highly durable Binding Restraints that look like bandages. When he shows up, he likes to hide in places no one can see him, cocoon himself with Binding Restraints, and hang in mid-air like a bug. Creepy, right?”
No way… that news spread this fast?
Ji Minghuan’s heart skipped a beat. While listening to the Instructor, he eyed the photos on the table.
In the photo, a bizarre, massive cocoon was suspended by black strips under an advertising board in some plaza.
On closer inspection, one could see that the “cocoon” was wrapped in those same black band-like materials. The coiled patterns on its surface were eerie and unsettling, like a bottomless abyss drawing in the observer’s gaze.
He thought, so it really was happening in the real world. I’d wondered if that “dream” might’ve been some parallel universe. Guess I was overthinking it.
While his thoughts churned, Ji Minghuan still played dumb: “What is this… Instructor, are you sure that’s an Esper and not some kind of alien creature?”
“No, look at the second photo.” The Instructor shook his head.
Hearing that, Ji Minghuan looked at the second photo underneath.
In it, the black cocoon had opened, revealing a man wearing a mask and a tailcoat, hanging upside down under the advertising board, casually flipping through a book.
Staring at this strange humanoid figure for a while, Ji Minghuan looked up at the Instructor and asked curiously:
“Instructor, what’s this Esper’s name?”
The Instructor clasped his hands together, fingers interlaced, and replied unhurriedly: “After discussions from outside parties, they’ve decided to temporarily call this Esper—‘Black Cocoon’.”