“Who are you looking at?” Pythius hissed indignantly into Jun Ye’s mind. “You just kissed me, and now you’re looking at some other wild man?! Am I not your one and only treasure?”
“…”
Jun Ye silently tucked his gun back into his holster and lowered his voice. “The ten-minute interval kisses are canceled until I get out of the water.”
Pythius: “!!!”
Thunderstruck.
Pythius felt that his gentle, indulgent boyfriend had been seduced away by some wild man.
Hmph, he wanted to see just what was so great about this so-called wild man.
Pythius extended his psychic senses and swept through the mental field of the white-haired figure.
Hmph, a mere third-grade ice-element ability user, too weak to even notice when his mental domain was being invaded. Someone this pathetic—what could he possibly have to lure away his officer?
Wait a second!
What was this treasure he just found?
A video of his officer kissing him! High-definition, unfiltered footage!
Pythius excitedly spun circles within the white-haired man’s mental domain.
Secretly, he clipped the mental waves surrounding the video, snatched them, and zipped back to his own psychic field.
The white-haired man looked around in confusion, scratching his head.
What just happened? Did something happen? Oh! The team leader’s domineering demeanor—better memorize that for future reference!
Jun Ye sensed something was wrong the moment Bai Mao1If you forgot, Bai Mao is the pinyin for white hair, Jun Ye literally calls him white-hair, but Pythius has even less consideration for him lmao shifted his gaze. At the same time, he felt his gun at his waist start to heat up.
His intuition connected the dots between the two reactions. Jun Ye paused and asked in a low voice, “What did you do?”
Pythius rolled around in his mental field, purring, “The way my officer lowers his head to kiss me is so charming!” Shy.
“Mm?” Jun Ye raised an eyebrow.
Pythius kept replaying the stolen video, his gun barrel radiating heat as he shyly confessed, “I…I just clipped a little video…”
“Erased part of his memory?” Jun Ye recalled Bai Mao’s strange reactions before and after.
“Are you mad at me?” Pythius sounded unsure but quickly added, “I’ll imprint the memory and return it, I just need some time… I don’t know how to do it yet, but don’t be mad at me…”
“I’m not mad,” Jun Ye replied, recalling the terrified look in Bai Mao’s eyes when he looked up. He paused and added, “It’s actually quite good.”
At least now Bai Mao wouldn’t get distracted during patrols.
Thinking this, Jun Ye noticed a group of uniformed officers approaching.
Maybe they weren’t coming for him, but since he was standing within the coastal patrol line, anyone wanting to enter the secret realm had to pass by him.
It was a large group, about a dozen people. The patrolling enforcement team noticed them, but perhaps because the leaders carried an air of authority, no one stepped up to question them.
Jun Ye felt a few unfriendly gazes from among them but dismissed it as they quickly disappeared.
As the group drew closer, Jun Ye turned his gaze elsewhere.
—It has nothing to do with me, no need to pay attention.
The thought popped into Jun Ye’s mind, surprising him. This kind of thinking, along with his instinctive action of averting his eyes, felt strange.
Pythius’ voice exploded in his mind, “Your favorite person is me! No thinking about anyone else!”
“Mm?” Jun Ye was startled. He hadn’t been thinking about anyone else.
Subconsciously, Jun Ye’s hand rested on Pythius’ gun body, and he sensed the weapon relax, hearing it mutter, “Which damned ability user dared to suggest psychological cues to my boyfriend…”
The voice trailed off, and Jun Ye felt a faint “layer” covering him, invisible but palpable.
Since the gun itself was still at his waist, this “layer” must have been Pythius’ spirit. Jun Ye found the intangible “Pythius” intriguing.
Pythius enveloped Jun Ye protectively before extending his psychic senses outward.
Hmph, that ability user must have been trying to suggest that the officer fall for him. Let me find him and turn him into a fish, leaving him stuck in the water forever.
As Pythius spread his mental net, Jun Ye turned back toward the uniformed group, now quite close to him.
The leader of the group seemed surprised by Jun Ye’s sudden attention and paused momentarily.
One of them leaned over to whisper something to another before stepping forward alone toward Jun Ye. “Captain Jun, your performance today has been exceptionally bold.”
An acquaintance from the past?
Jun Ye raised an eyebrow, but his hand reached for the gun at his waist—not the one that was his partner, but the specialized gun he had retrieved from the Enforcement Division’s armory, designed to counter ability-enhanced combatants.
Pythius’ psychic senses surged toward the man the moment he spoke.
—Bold? How do you know my officer is bold? Are you harboring indecent thoughts about my boyfriend?!
Pythius wanted to scrub this man’s brain clean of all improper thoughts about his officer.
The man’s gaze fell on Jun Ye’s hand as he drew the gun, and he froze mid-step. Stopping in his tracks, he coldly demanded, “Captain Jun, what’s the meaning of this?”
“What do you think it means?” Jun Ye replied, gripping the gun casually, as though playing with it.
Not far away, Bai Mao marched over with a small group of Enforcement officers.
“Not my concern, no need to pay attention.” The phrase flitted through Bai Mao’s mind again.
Though reluctant to intervene, he knew the look on his captain’s face too well—it was the unmistakable prelude to throwing punches.
The group approaching Jun Ye was from another city’s enforcement team. If a fight broke out, there was no way the C City team could afford to lose face.
Determined, Bai Mao led his squad over, brimming with aggression.
The man standing off against Jun Ye visibly flinched. Without sparing a glance at the approaching group or Jun Ye, he bolted toward the inner sea just a few meters away.
Water! He needed water!
Pythius swiftly withdrew his psychic presence.
Hmph, turns out you’re the one trying to plant psychological suggestions on my officer. Go be a fish in the water!
Jun Ye, who had been anticipating the man’s escape, reacted immediately when the man made a break for the secret realm entrance.
The gun at his waist suddenly grew hot, and Jun Ye hesitated for just an instant. In that brief pause, the man plunged into the water.
Nearby, the commotion drew the attention of all the surrounding Enforcement officers. However, the shoreline was lined with officers from the other city’s unit. Before anyone could grasp what was happening, a mix of powers erupted from the group as they attacked each other and surged toward the secret realm entrance.
“Enemy attack!”
Someone’s shout set off chaos like a trigger had been pulled. The coast erupted into pandemonium, with abilities flying everywhere.
The battle spread beyond their section of the coastline. Before long, the entire inner sea shoreline had turned into a battleground of powers.
“Captain, move aside! I’ll turn them all into ice sculptures!” Bai Mao shouted as he slammed his hand to the ground, creating a path of ice that spread outward.
Jun Ye noticed a host of eager ranged ability users and stepped beyond the perimeter line, dodging out of range.
Abilities crashed into one another in a chaotic visual spectacle. The attackers, moving in a tight group, became easy targets for the surrounding Enforcement officers once they withdrew.
Since most of the enforcers were trained to subdue rather than kill, they primarily used restraining or isolating techniques.
The sound of splashing water echoed repeatedly. After a wave of abilities, only two or three of the attackers were left behind.
“Er…” Bai Mao scratched his head awkwardly. “None of them turned into ice sculptures. My ability lowers temperatures, but it got canceled out by a few heat-manipulating abilities from the other city. Otherwise, I could’ve stopped them all.”
“Don’t just stand there. Swimmers, get in the water and pursue!” Jun Ye commanded.
Immediately, a series of splashes followed as officers jumped into the water.
Bai Mao hesitated until everyone else had gone in. He intended to stick with Jun Ye, knowing his captain’s underwater combat skills were unmatched. He could just tag along and assist.
When it seemed no one else was jumping in, Jun Ye remained standing outside the perimeter, exuding his usual commanding aura.
“Captain, aren’t you going after them?” Bai Mao was puzzled. Since joining the force, he had always seen his captain take the lead in every mission. Especially in water combat—this was his specialty. Why wasn’t he pursuing?
“I’ll guard the secret realm entrance,” Jun Ye said with a calm expression.
Bai Mao hesitated. His captain always handled the most dangerous tasks. If he was staying outside, did that mean… the real battle was about to start here?
Convinced he’d uncovered the truth, Bai Mao firmly stationed himself beside Jun Ye. “I’ll guard with you. Not a single fish or shrimp will escape this secret realm under my watch!”
Jun Ye: “…” Whatever makes you happy.
Pythius, meanwhile, was unhappy. Why did this white-haired guy get to stand so openly beside his officer, while he was stuck being just a holstered companion?
Not that he’d switch places if given the chance.
But Pythius still disliked the man being close to his officer, so he repeatedly whispered to Jun Ye, “Officer, don’t mind me. You should go into the water. There’s something in the secret realm calling to you—maybe it’s a legacy meant for you.”
“Really, don’t worry about me. As long as you give me a kiss every ten minutes, I can keep the seawater barrier up without reverting to my original form.”
Jun Ye replied under his breath, “No kisses. Forget it.”
“Huh?” Bai Mao blinked. “Captain, what did you say?”
“You misheard,” Jun Ye said casually.
“Did I?” Bai Mao looked around suspiciously. He didn’t think Jun Ye was lying but suspected he’d been affected by some ability user’s trick.
He kept looking, his gaze finally settling on the water. He blinked hard and asked in surprise, “Is the water… moving?”
“Look! The water’s moving!”
“There’s something underwater!”
“The secret realm is coming alive!”
The Enforcement officers began shouting various observations. Jun Ye stepped to the shore, where whirlpools had formed on the water’s surface.
Peering into the sea, Jun Ye saw only his own reflection in the lamplight of the dark ocean.
“Bai Mao, try contacting the underwater officers!” Jun Ye ordered, placing his hand on the gun at his waist.
Sensing his intention, Pythius clung tightly to Jun Ye’s side and transmitted, “You can’t leave me behind. If you’re going in, I’m coming too!”
Bang, bang, bang—
Before Pythius could finish, the whirlpools on the water erupted into towering jets of water. The columns reached a certain height before bending sharply, hurtling toward the shore.
“Everyone, fall back!” Jun Ye shouted as he dodged the incoming water jets.
Several Enforcement officers were caught directly, but contrary to expectations, no horrifying aftermath ensued. The water dissipated, leaving those struck standing or sitting dazed, thoroughly chilled to the bone.
Jun Ye dodged multiple water jets relentlessly pursuing him. He could sense the power within them calling out to him but wasn’t about to stand still and take a freezing hit.
The jets grew in number, narrowing Jun Ye’s ability to evade.
“Ha… ha…”
This wasn’t sustainable.
Panting, Jun Ye drew the gun from his waist, intending to toss Pythius to safety first.
The water jets were clearly targeting him, and Pythius with his delicate constitution wouldn’t survive such an ordeal.
Realizing Jun Ye’s intent, Pythius was initially thrilled, thinking he was being called on to assist. But then he sensed Jun Ye preparing to throw him and panicked.
No way! Even if the jets felt non-lethal, he wouldn’t leave his officer alone.
Resolute, Pythius activated his ability, creating a water-repelling shield.
The shield expanded rapidly, enveloping Jun Ye and continuing outward until it collided with a water jet.
The jet burst apart on impact, cascading down like a waterfall.
The alluring pull Jun Ye felt disappeared along with the dissipating jets.
【!!!】
Jun Ye landed steadily on the ground, gazing calmly at the system interface that had popped up before him.
Such a reaction from the system only occurred when something incredibly unexpected and upsetting had happened.
For example, the time Pythius used his abilities to “lubricate” himself. Or now—was it because Jun Ye had failed to get hit by the water jets and thus missed the legacy they contained?
If being struck by the jets would have granted him the legacy, then where had it gone now that the pull had vanished?
Jun Ye looked down at the gun in his hand.
I am completely lost lmao Is it the system causing trouble?
Thanks for reading!
![The Way of the Empress [Interstellar]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-04-at-8.01.00-PM.png "The Way of the Empress [Interstellar]")
