Pythius had transformed into a handgun with a sleek silver-metal body, adorned with blue glowing patterns and an elongated barrel. One side of the gun had Jun Ye’s name elegantly inscribed with glowing strokes.
Jun Ye stayed silent for a moment, then stuffed the flashy handgun into his belt holster. The gun barrel was a little long, so it stuck out a bit—making it look even flashier.
He grabbed his coat from the rack, slipped it on, changed shoes, and headed out.
Half-stuffed in Jun Ye’s belt holster, Pythius thought, “…”
Why does a holster have to be such an evil contraption?!
But wow, his officer’s waist was so warm and strong. He gave a subtle nuzzle.
Jun Ye froze mid-motion with the car keys in his hand, feeling the gun at his waist… nuzzling him. It was an odd sensation.
Seriously, could he trust this mischievous “gun” not to give them away?
“Once we’re in the teleportation portal, will the spatial users sense you?” Jun Ye asked.
Pythius’s voice replied directly in his mind, “I can block all power detection!” Don’t underestimate your top—I might not be as strong as you physically, but in other ways, I’m unmatched.
“You’re impressive, Pythius.” Jun Ye recalled a few of the missions he had experienced before. His partners were always exceptional among ordinary people, but in this world, it felt like he was gifted with cheats.
And the system… It was more impatient than usual.
“You… you’re pretty impressive yourself…” Pythius stammered, feeling flustered, and the entire gun began to warm up as he shyly nuzzled Jun Ye’s side.
Jun Ye, now in the car, felt the gun heating up against his waist and gave it a puzzled tap.
The gun was heating up before he’d even used it. This “cheat weapon” didn’t seem all that reliable.
When they arrived at the C City law enforcement building, lights blazed on the first and second floors.
Jun Ye headed to the second floor, where many people had gathered in the main hall. Most were clustered near an empty sofa, all looking bright-eyed and wide awake despite the 1 AM call.
“Captain!” A tall, sturdy guy with a buzz cut stopped in his tracks, calling out loudly.
Everyone in the room looked over in unison. “Good evening, Captain.”
Bai Mao, who was fighting a battle against an iced cola, turned and was instantly drawn to the gun at Jun Ye’s waist. “Captain, did you get a new gun? It looks awesome.”
A female officer in high heels added, “The gun’s cool, but the Captain is cooler.”
The younger ability users seemed completely unaffected by the lack of sleep. Jun Ye, the resident senior among the not-yet-hundred-year-old youngsters, gave them all a nod, not particularly eager to discuss the showy gun his partner had turned into.
As he walked further into the hall, he suddenly felt a shift in the air.
It was fast.
An assailant, coming from the right. Jun Ye smoothly sidestepped, twisting his wrist to grab the hand reaching toward his waist.
Huh? Empty?
Jun Ye frowned slightly at the “air” he’d just grabbed. It definitely felt like a human hand, and he could clearly sense the presence of an attacker right in front of him. No killing intent or fear, though.
Was it an invisibility power?
Visually disappeared, but physically present—meaning he could still land a punch.
“Hahaha!” Bai Mao dropped his now ice-sculpted cola and doubled over in laughter. “Number One, you got caught with one move this time! Hilarious! Weren’t you aiming for Level 4? How’d you end up with such a pathetic record? Hahaha…”
Huh? A familiar face?
Seeing Bai Mao laughing like he’d run out of air and noting the relaxed atmosphere among the other ability-users, Jun Ye decided not to test his initial thought of delivering a punch to the “air.”
Number One? Who is “Number One”?!
Pythius, who had been nestled against his officer’s waist, enjoying the rush of energy, suddenly froze and stealthily extended his mental awareness.
To his horror, he saw his boyfriend holding the hand of a naked guy, the two of them exchanging glances from a distance that seemed… rather intimate.
—Ahhh! Your “Number One” is right here on your waist! I’m still gathering my reserves for you! You can’t be cheating on me!
—And that exhibitionist streaker! How dare you stare at my boyfriend’s waist! If my boyfriend weren’t here, I’d beat you up, you little punk, you know that?!
—And you’re still looking! I’ll use my barrel to teach you, you short-sighted little punk!
“Ahem… Captain, could you let go of my hand?” a man’s voice sounded in front of him.
Jun Ye, with an impassive face, released his grip and then fixed his gaze on the man, who was now buttoning up his coat one button at a time.
Did he think that going invisible would prevent Jun Ye from sensing his intent? Just moments ago, the guy’s attention had been entirely locked onto the “object” at his waist.
Pythius: “!!!”
Why are you buttoning up your coat? What sneaky business are you planning to do behind my back?
Pythius sent a message telepathically to Jun Ye: “Just so you know, even if you cover me up with your coat, I can still sense everything outside.” So don’t think you can sneak around on me!
Jun Ye raised an eyebrow. Did his partner mean that he shouldn’t worry about his safety?
Even in gun form, even when covered by clothing, Pythius could sense any external attack and react defensively, making sure he wouldn’t be harmed.
“You’re amazing, Captain,” Number One said sincerely, though he paused mid-sentence when he saw Jun Ye button up his coat completely.
Fully buttoned up? How was he supposed to draw his gun quickly in a fight? This couldn’t be Captain underestimating his abilities—it had to mean he really valued that gun.
Number One quickly explained, “I just wanted to borrow your gun to play with for a bit. No other intentions, I swear.”
Pythius: “?!!”
No way! Not a chance! My boyfriend’s gun is for me alone, you six-centimeter shorty1yeah… he’s talking about his…y’know have no right to touch it!
Wait, no—this short guy doesn’t want the gun, he wants my boyfriend!
Pythius shuddered, his voice echoing telepathically to Jun Ye. “I’m only for you to use. Don’t lend me to anyone else…”
Jun Ye pressed his hand to the gun, which was heating up again at his waist. “Private use only. No lending.”
Satisfied, Pythius nestled softly against Jun Ye’s side.
He wanted to nuzzle again, but with so many people around—most of them ability users—they would definitely notice if he moved.
Bai Mao, slouched on a sofa, had laughed himself silly and now invited the still-invisible Number One to accompany him to buy some snacks.
Jun Ye found an empty armchair and sat down, though before long, people started to crowd around him.
Some asked if his swift takedown of Number One meant he was on the verge of reaching Level Four. Others inquired about the mysterious oceanic realm near H City. Still others were gossiping enthusiastically about the Mage Guild and the rumors surrounding the Association of Ability Users.
Most of the time, Jun Ye didn’t need to respond, as they filled in the conversation themselves. He was subjected to half an hour of gossip, but he could sense their nervousness beneath the chatter. Clearly, they weren’t used to working with foreign ability users.
If they went to H City, they’d likely face foreign ability users in combat, so they were all here trying to make a strong impression on the most powerful member of the team.
Everyone was eager to impress. The Captain’s skills were top-notch, and his marksmanship was even better. And hadn’t he recently switched to a high-quality, sleek-looking new gun?
They might end up clashing with the Mage Guild and the Association of Ability Users, and if they ended up in a tough spot, a well-timed long-range shot from the Captain could turn the tide of the battle.
Suddenly, Jun Ye’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and everyone in the room fell silent, holding their breath as if they had received an invisible command.
Jun Ye took out his phone, glancing at the brief message, which didn’t even require unlocking to read:
Captain Zhang (H City): Requesting spatial connection.
Jun Ye looked up at the two female officers in the room. Which of you is the spatial ability user?
Bai Mao had only told him “Sister Chu” would open a spatial jump connection to H City’s spatial user, but he didn’t recall meeting this “Sister Chu.”
The woman in the police uniform, confident she had received a cue, stood up from the sofa in her high heels.
Pythius was awoken by the sting of a salty sea breeze. He had just been resting snugly against his boyfriend’s warm waist, still half-asleep, but the sudden ocean wind jolted him awake.
The sea breeze had reached him… Did the officer unbutton his coat?
Why did he unbutton it? Was he about to jump into the sea or do something unspeakable with some random guy?
As a gun, Pythius had no eyes. If he wanted to know what was happening around him, he had to rely on his abilities.
Upon extending his mental perception, he quickly confirmed that, besides his officer, there was indeed someone else nearby—a person lying on the ground!
Pythius sent a telepathic message in a panic: “What are you doing? Why did you take off your coat?!”
Jun Ye paused. “I just unbuttoned it so you could get some fresh air.”
Pythius: “I don’t need fresh air. It’s warm in here. Button it back up, now!”
Jun Ye: “…”
Alright, then.
With a sigh, Jun Ye began buttoning his coat back up, one button at a time.
Feeling the fabric enclosing him once more, Pythius relaxed, a sense of security settling over him. His boyfriend wasn’t going to cheat on him—at least, not on his watch.
He extended his mental perception in thin, sweeping waves, observing the beach, the rocks—they were definitely by the ocean. He directed his attention to the person lying on the ground. At first, he intended to find out just what was so captivating about this stranger that made his officer unbutton his coat. But to his surprise, the guy was actually unconscious.
And… his energy felt familiar.
Seemed like someone from the Mage Guild—one of those guys who only knew how to play with sand.
Pythius hesitated, then asked, “Why… why is he unconscious? Did he say anything inappropriate? Did he ruin your image or something?”
“Illegal entry and resisting arrest.” Jun Ye stood on a rock, the sea breeze lifting strands of his hair.
The sky before dawn was always darkest, with intermittent lights flickering over the water. A lighthouse in the distance cast a warm glow, and Jun Ye could sense the city enforcers, ability users, patrolling through the islands and sea. He also felt a deep call from the ocean…
But his partner was afraid of water.
Through the coat, Jun Ye placed his hand on Pythius.
Pythius quickly nuzzled against him, eager to prove his innocence. “I have a visa! I’m not here illegally.”
“Mhm, I won’t arrest you,” Jun Ye chuckled softly.
Pythius continued to snuggle close, then asked, “Officer, are you cold? I could change into a thicker coat for you.”
He really preferred the coat form. Not only could he stay wrapped around Jun Ye all the time, but if some random guy managed to catch Jun Ye’s eye, he could always just button up to stop them.
Jun Ye sensed some movement nearby and pressed his thumb lightly on the gun, signaling his partner to stay quiet.
He turned back to see the man he’d knocked out on the ground stirring, his body beginning to turn to sand. This guy had sand manipulation abilities, and Jun Ye had to expend an extra point from his credits to buy a mining robot to pull him up from underground, knocking him out through several meters of sand.
Now, watching him try to slip away by sand-forming over the rocks, Jun Ye nudged the mining robot at his feet, which looked like a stone when inactive, over to the sand manipulator.
The robot immediately came to life as it touched the guy’s body.
“Beep—registered mineral detected in database. Beginning extraction and collection.”
The mining robot paid no mind to the human part of the ability user, instead zeroing in on his sand-formed body and promptly sucking all the sand particles into its mineral storage unit.
The dude is literally called number 1 in the raws. The pinyin can be read as Yi Hao (which is also slang for top lmao) but I just left it as is, just keep that in mind!
Also… is that guy losing his limbs at the end???? lmao that’s brutal????
Thanks for reading!
