Chapter 53: Theft
Blue Arc and Black Cocoon were clearly in the same alley, less than ten meters apart, yet Black Cocoon didn’t speak to him directly.
Instead, he quietly sent a text message.
[Black Cocoon: Mr. Blue Arc, no need to thank me. I’m always generous with my collaborators—just think of it as payback for the Saint Dilly Orphanage incident.]
[Black Cocoon: “Da Zhonghou” and “Flying Ant” may not rank very high on the official wanted list, but upper officials across many countries absolutely loathe them—if they could, they'd tear that criminal couple apart with their own hands.]
[Black Cocoon: So for you to catch them both at once right now, the UN’s opinion of you will surely rise. Congratulations—looks like you're getting closer to joining Rainbow Wing.]
Blue Arc took out his phone and glanced at the texts.
Just as Black Cocoon had said, the Reality-altering Esper Association was indeed paying close attention to “Da Zhonghou” and “Flying Ant.” That’s why Blue Arc had kept his comms open throughout the mission.
At this very moment, all the top brass at the Lijing branch were probably listening in on his and Silver Swallow’s conversation, waiting for a situation report.
If he were to speak to Black Cocoon aloud now, the higher-ups would definitely hear it;
If he shut off the communicator, it would come across as trying to cover something up. So texting became the best option.
[Blue Arc: Let’s move. Silver Swallow’s almost here.]
[Black Cocoon: Got it, but I suggest knocking her out first. My binding restraints suppress Esper abilities—once I let her go, she might just buzz off like a little bee.]
Blue Arc walked silently over to the wall where Flying Ant was tied up, raised his hand, and struck with a hand chop so fast it was nearly invisible, knocking her out cold.
“Clean and efficient.”
Black Cocoon whistled softly, complimenting as he released the restraints binding Flying Ant, letting her slump to the ground.
Just then, a black-and-white system panel popped up in Ji Minghuan’s eyes beneath the mask.
[Main Quest 1 (Phase 3) Complete: Cooperated with Reality-altering Esper “Blue Arc” for the first time. Increased his trust.]
[Reward received: 1 Split Point, 1 Skill Point, 1 Attribute Point.]
[Main Quest 1 Updated: Help Blue Arc survive the “Tokyo Auction Operation.”]
Staring at the new quest content, Black Cocoon couldn’t help but tilt his head.
“…Huh?”
Still hanging upside-down, he looked up from behind the mask to glance at Blue Arc, then at the panel text.
He raised a finger, scratched his chin, and thought: “No way… bro, you’re seriously going to get involved in that auction? What’s the point of me even starting a new alias if you’re blowing my cover already?”
Blue Arc picked up the unconscious Flying Ant and texted Black Cocoon.
[Blue Arc: Not leaving? If Silver Swallow shows up, I can’t let you walk in front of him.]
[Black Cocoon: Alright, alright, I’m going.]
As soon as the message was sent, the binding restraint suspending him from the AC unit above flexed slightly and hoisted him upward.
In midair, he flipped lightly into an upright position, landing on the railing with circus-like finesse, and in the next instant leapt up to the rooftop.
Still texting as he went:
[Black Cocoon: I’ve always been curious—if her ability is just shrinking her body, why does her clothing shrink too? This sounds more like a conceptual—]
He didn’t finish typing before the message was sent prematurely.
Because in that moment, A-rank Reality-altering Esper “Silver Swallow” had arrived.
“So it was you, you little s**t, mouthing off at me?!”
Silver Swallow charged in, jet thrusters on his back and legs flaring at full force.
With arms stretched forward and legs straight back like Astro Boy, he blasted toward Black Cocoon.
Still looking down at his phone, Black Cocoon said casually, “Mr. Silver Swallow… if I were you, I’d go back and retake ‘Basic Public Image Management for Espers’ instead of embarrassing myself like this.”
He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Clingy men have zero appeal, you know.”
Veins popped on Silver Swallow’s temple as he furiously crunched more metal shards in his palm. Clenching his hands together, he summoned a massive steel cage midair, instantly trapping Black Cocoon inside!
The grid spacing was small—only a palm-sized animal could squeeze through.
“You’re done for.” Silver Swallow snarled each word through gritted teeth.
From the alley, Blue Arc looked up and sighed quietly.
He deliberately looked away, lifting Flying Ant’s body and heading toward the exit.
Inside the cage, Black Cocoon asked, “Why didn’t I get the memo?”
[Stored Esper ability released from binding restraint—Shrink your body and all carried items, and sprout dragonfly wings. (Source: Esper “Flying Ant”)]
The next second, Black Cocoon’s body shrank more than tenfold, becoming a tiny black figure still wrapped in his signature tailcoat, with a pair of transparent wings now fluttering behind him.
Playing Minesweeper on his phone, he zipped right out through the cage bars.
“What?” Silver Swallow froze.
He looked from the tiny Black Cocoon to Flying Ant cradled in Blue Arc’s arms, momentarily wondering if they’d somehow swapped clothes to trick him.
Even Blue Arc was briefly stunned, pausing in his steps to glance back.
He had assumed Black Cocoon was cornered and had even been thinking about how to cut ties with the guy afterward—but this? A hidden move?
Was this… ability duplication? he wondered.
“Farewell, Mr. Silver Swallow. I’ll bring extra batteries for you next time.”
With that parting shot, Black Cocoon hummed “I’m a little bumblebee, flying through the flowers” as he zipped into the urban jungle, vanishing among the neon signs.
On the way home, he made a quick stop at Brolly Bookstore.
Hanging upside down from the ceiling inside, he used his binding restraints to return the copy of Misogyny he’d borrowed.
The shopkeeper took the book. “You’re pretty punctual.”
Black Cocoon didn’t even look up. “Always am.”
With that, his restraint-wrapped body turned invisible and disappeared.
........
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Five minutes later, Lijing, Guyimai Neighborhood.
On the eaves of a second-story roof, Ji Minghuan slouched as he slipped back into his room through the open floor-to-ceiling window.
Feet hitting the floor, his invisibility faded, and the binding restraints that had wrapped around him slithered down like a dead snake.
He took off his tailcoat, raised his hand to his ear, and long-pressed the latch button. The mask loosened and clattered to the floor by the wardrobe.
Just then—ding—a message came in.
Ji Minghuan sat on the bed, used his restraint to pull the phone from his coat pocket, and glanced at the message.
[Blue Arc: Do you know the White Crow Brigade?]
[Black Cocoon: Oh, of course I do.]
“After all, I’m a member,” he quipped to himself silently.