Love, Gun, Cupid

The gang was alerted, and apart from the two who were still fighting, everyone else came out and captured him within minutes. "He" or "she" shed the disguise of a gang member and transformed into a petite girl with pink fur, fox ears and a tail. She sat on a bench with tears in her eyes, her flat stomach clearly visible under the semi-transparent fabric.

She clasped her hands together on her thighs, which were covered in white stockings. She glanced timidly at those around her every now and then, her eyes drooping with a diamond-shaped pattern that almost looked like a heart. Her fox ears drooped, and her cute appearance lessened people's anger towards the intruder; if it weren't for the occasion, some creepy uncles or aunties would probably have already gone to hug her.

During the capture, Kapok had passed the Reed Warbler's test. Although the specific process was not seen, seeing Kapok so weak that she needed the support of Albizia to walk, and the Reed Warbler's absent-minded appearance, one could imagine the Reed Warbler's absolute advantage in battle.

When the warbler saw the prisoner, her eyes lit up. She parted the crowd and ran over, pinching her fox ears and saying, "Ah, isn't this the one who was defeated by the kapok the other day... what was his name again?"

As expected of a shapeshifter, it used one form when fighting the kapok tree, another when spying here, and then switched to a harmless human form after being captured. Plus, it feels quite realistic to the touch.

Rafaam dared not speak her anger, letting Wei Ying rub her head. Instinct told her that the blonde twin-tailed spiral curler in front of her was someone she absolutely could not mess with.

"Reed Warbler, stop playing around, we need to get down to business," the Cuckoo said with a smile. "First of all, why are you here?"

“I…I’m curious!” Rafaam said.

Du Juan looked at Mu Mian: "It seems she needs a little help to recover her memory. Are you good at interrogation?"

Kapok shook her head: "Not good at it."

“I can be of some help,” Jianlan said, raising her hand. “However, the scene might be a bit brutal, so please excuse us.”

The bound shapeshifter looked like she was about to cry, but this time no one sympathized with her. So she confessed.

"I'm here to gather information on the other contestants. I'm particularly concerned because Kapok eliminated me, so I came to find out about her situation, and then..."

Lin Jiade asked curiously, "You've already been eliminated, so there's no point in spying on the contestants anymore... No, wait, who are you working for?"

Rafaam shamelessly betrayed his comrades: "Listen to the wind all the way."

Du Juan opened the folder, rummaged through it, and took out a document, handing it to Lin Jiade. Lin Jiade glanced at it and then handed it to Mu Mian. Mu Mian read aloud: "One of the 26 contestants who directly advanced to the main competition, Yi Lu Ting Feng. Race: Living Doll. Height: 84cm. Age: 23."

“What is a living doll?” Lin Jiade asked.

Kapok replied, "Living dolls are a new race that emerged in the last century. Because a large number of energy-containing minerals from the imperial colonies were transported back to the mainland and utilized, the energy concentration in the air in some areas surged, which led to the activation of some human creations."

"Activation" refers to a human-made being awakening intelligence similar to that of humans, and the age of an activated being is calculated from the date it acquired intelligence.

However, even if they awaken intelligence, their achievements are generally not very high, and those qualified to compete in elimination rounds to advance to higher ranks are extremely rare, making them worth paying attention to.

“No, I just realized that spying on competitors like this is illegal, isn’t it?” Lin Jiade said. “If we report it, could we eliminate a competitor beforehand?”

“I have studied the knockout stage rules, and unfortunately, the organizers have not explicitly prohibited such behavior. I can try to appeal, but it may not be possible to directly disqualify the other party from participating.”

Kapok looked at Rafaam: "Since you chose to come here, you must have been mentally prepared for failure."

"Hey, don't come any closer! Wait, what are you taking out?!"

Kapok took out a white pill, opened Rafaam's mouth and forced it in. Soon after, a look of intoxication appeared on Rafaam's face.

"Senior, you wouldn't go so far as to drug her to get information out of her," Lin Jiade said.

Kapok tossed the bottle over, which Lin Jiade caught. Looking closely, he discovered it contained Vitamin C chewable tablets. Looking at Rafaam, who seemed to have drunk a date rape drug, what could he say but marvel at the wonders of nature?

The update was delayed for a while due to the power outage.

Chapter Twenty: An Attempt at Analysis

After Rafaam revealed all the information she knew, she was taken away by Jianlan, whose team happened to be in charge of handling these kinds of incidents. Although there was a high probability that Rafaam would be locked up for 24 hours to experience the meager prison food of cabbage, radish, and porridge, before being released and expelled from the city of Fuxing.

The clumsy intruders served as a wake-up call for the Kapok team: in their quest for those three spots, the contestants were not only engaging in fair competition, but were also recklessly testing the limits of imperial law.

"Aren't you afraid that some stubborn idiots will create a big scandal just to win a spot?" Lin Jiade complained.

“There’s no need to worry about that,” Du Juan pointed out the window. “The organizing committee of the competition has sent professionals to monitor the actions of Kapok and its team. If they go too far, they will step in to stop the damage and revoke Kapok’s eligibility for the competition.”

"What if it affects ordinary citizens?"

Lin Jiade's question amused everyone. Although imperial laws restricted interference by those with supernatural powers with ordinary people, Lin Jiade couldn't even play in official soccer matches at school.

But these protective measures are not equal; rather, they are 50% condescending pity, 40% utilitarian calculation, and 10% morality. It's like people protecting sparrows, but no one feels that sparrows should be on the same level as humans.

"Junior, you may have a one-sided understanding of the legal provisions here. Indeed, we should do our best to avoid civilian casualties."

But actually, a few casualties don't really matter. After all, it won't affect the region's population, break the family line, impact the economy, or lower our quality of life. There's no need to worry about it too much, and certainly no need to let it restrict our actions.

The senior was kindly reminding him of the universal rules of the world: amidst the arrogance bred by various factors, power is the most primal, direct, and savage element. When Lin Jiade realized this, he tried to brush it off with a forced smile, but he couldn't manage it.

"We're not enough to take on others; the key is to defend our own territory and secure victory. With you all here, I can't afford to lose," said Kapok.

“I’ll leave the 'Listening to the Wind' aside for now. I need information on my next opponent, Ms. Azalea,” said Kapok.

Du Juan pulled another document from the folder and handed it to Mu Mian. Everyone present was amazed by her intelligence-gathering ability, and at the same time, they became more convinced of Mu Mian's chances of winning.

Most people who come to help the Kapok are not related to her, and their mentality is similar to betting on sports or horses—hoping to gamble and turn a bicycle into a motorcycle. However, a few, such as Hehuan and Lin Jiade, who have poured all their resources into the project, are more sophisticated gamblers. They are financial backers, sponsors, partners... there are many neutral terms that can describe their relationship.

In fact, these are all public materials provided by the Empire to the Celestial Observers. Although not every participant receives a copy, it is likely that more than half of the 38 current participants have something similar.

The second round of the playoffs will be held at 11 PM on November 24th at the Orchid Tower Hotel in Fuxing City. The opponent is a hat maker, 28 years old. Judging from the photos, she is a tomboyish woman who is quite good-looking, but she takes a gangster route, with short hair, wearing men's clothing, smoking, drinking, tattoos, and perming her hair, which ruins her image.

The Empire has requirements for the public image of magic researchers. Regardless of their private lives, they must at least present a respectable public persona. Therefore, the other party could not possibly be a magic researcher within the system.

Du Juan, with her extraordinary abilities, managed to obtain a recording of the opponent's first match. Lin Jiade turned off the lights and watched the Hatter's fight with the others—an undeniably crushing defeat. The Hatter immediately closed in on his opponent and defeated him with his formidable hand-to-hand combat skills.

As Lin Jiade was watching, a hand quietly reached out and grabbed his. He looked at Jasmine beside him, thinking that showing off their affection at this time would get him beaten up, but this was in the dark... it seemed like they could do it secretly.

"In terms of physical fitness alone, I am inferior to the hat maker," said Kapok. "If we were to fight, we would have to use a sword and a submachine gun to control the distance."

“This is our home turf,” someone said eagerly. “Send people to guard the two hubs, the train station and the bus station. The hat maker and her team have to pass through one of these hubs to get to Fuxing City. Close observation of them, and even further actions, will allow you, Kapok, to win the battle easily.”

The reed warbler lowered her head and scoffed at the floor. Leaving aside the fact that celestial observers cannot directly participate in such activities, even if they could, she wouldn't do something so despicable and shameless. It would only weaken the warrior's strength. When someone harbors wishful thinking, hoping to defeat their opponent through trickery and probability, their sword will also become confused.

"Just focus on gathering information. Going too far and giving the other side a clue will only mess things up. Miss Weiying, do you have any advice on this?"

"Yes, if you capture and zoom in on this segment between the 36th and 37th seconds of the match, you will see that the opponent's attack created tiny marks on the Hatter's arm. At the 38th second, the marks began to disappear, and by the 40th second, they were completely healed without a trace."

Kapok turned the cloth upside down and examined it repeatedly for a long time before finally spotting the scar that Reed Warbler had pointed out on the hatter's arm. A member of the guild sighed, "Equipment, skill, or innate self-healing ability? It's a pity the wound is too small to measure its strength."

"No, it can be measured. Notice this area, zoom in, zoom in. Compare the difference between 37 seconds and 40 seconds."

The group squinted and cast various spells on it for a while. After the members of the guild measured it using various methods, they found that it was slightly drier at 40 seconds than at 37 seconds.

"In other words, the hatter's healing abilities come from something stored in his fat layer."

After reaching this conclusion, when people look at the hatter's photos again, they find that what lowers her image is not only her gangster-like attire, but also certain convex or concave features in her body that defy common sense.

If someone were to superimpose the body shape of a normal woman onto the hatter's body, it would be easy to see which parts of the hatter are irregular. The concave areas could be interpreted as areas where she once stored healing substances, but which were then consumed; while the convex areas are areas where she is still storing them.

In addition, based on the depressions caused by wound repair in previous images, the Kapok team derived an initial relationship, which was not very rigorous, but represented the right direction, which immediately aroused people's enthusiasm for discussion.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Story of the Kapok Tree (34→33)

The discussion in the main conference room gradually became more lively. Lin Jiade led Jasmine to another unused small conference room, sat quietly to the side watching her, and occasionally pointed out the problems she didn't understand.

“I don’t have anything here,” Jasmine said. “Why don’t you go and join the discussion? The kapok issue is more important right now.”

"When I brought the team's cornerstone together with Senior Kapok, my mission was accomplished."

Lin Jiade said, "For magic and witchcraft, there's Lady Jianlan; for divination, there's Miss Dujuan; for combat guidance, there's Weiying; and for funding and connections, there's always been Senior Hehuan's strength. You can simulate some alien combat projects, and for other miscellaneous areas—even the atmosphere group—there's no shortage of people."

I am clearly aware that I am not as professional as the other members of the team in any of the above areas. In fact, if I weren't afraid of you leaving, I would have wanted to leave as soon as the team was formed.

Jasmine patted Lin Jiade's head: "Are you lonely?"

"I'm so lonely, I need Sister Jasmine to hug me to feel better."

"That's disgusting. Don't talk to me like that again."

Even so, Jasmine still hugged Lin Jiade, cuddling him for a few minutes before returning to her studies. Gazing at her slender back, at her smooth, jade-like face, smelling her scent, and feeling her warmth, Lin Jiade felt a surge of desire.

He hurriedly looked around, reminding himself that he still had six months before he could make a move on Jasmine, and that... he needed to improve himself to a level that would break Jasmine's defenses within those six months.

At 10 p.m., the first team meeting of Kapok ended. Everyone who had bet on Kapok was still discussing something as they left, their voices hoarse from talking.

Caught up in the atmosphere, even Wei Ying's gaze became friendly when she met Lin Jiade. Her cheeks were flushed, and a cheerful aura emanated from her. It was clear that she was going to be the star of the night and receive a lot of compliments and praise.

Du Juan looked at Lin Jiade, who shook his head. Du Juan then disappeared with her sister. While waiting for Jasmine to pack her things, Mu Mian came to Lin Jiade's side and watched as the moonlight sprinkled a layer of white frost on the ground, and the shadows of the trees bent over the frost.

“Senior, aren’t you going to see off those who helped you?” Lin Jiade said.

“Hehuan helped me entertain them; she’s very good at it. Besides, Hehuan also needs to secure more resources for her musical career,” Kapok replied.

"..."

"What, are you surprised? You think Hehuan is only helping me out of friendship? I've always been clear that she likes to be friends with me, but that doesn't stop her from examining me as an investor, just like she examines you."

Lin Jiade smiled and said, "Then it proves that her stock-buying judgment is like Schrödinger's cat. She has excellent judgment, so she buys the senior's stock; she has poor judgment, so she buys my stock."

Ultimately, this is nothing; I also have some hopes for my seniors.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself, I’ve also placed my bets on you,” Kapok said.

"So, why did you bet on me, senior... Never mind, I won't ask. We'll talk about it after you finish these matches."

His response was Kapok's disordered breathing, much like the prelude to her undressing in front of the young man that time. When she raised her hand, Lin Jiade flinched, then said awkwardly, "The moonlight is lovely tonight."

“I won’t make the same mistake again. I know you can’t accept my body,” Kapok said.

I'm sorry.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me, and then we could talk." Kapok gestured, "Would you mind taking a walk?"

"I need to tell Jasmine."

Lin Jiade went to find Jasmine and found her visiting other club facilities. When Jasmine saw him, her expression turned serious. Lin Jiade thought she was angry with him, but the feeling of her being close behind him told him that Jasmine was looking at the person behind him.

"I'll borrow Lin Jiade's things for now, I'll return them to you soon," Mu Mian said.

Jasmine looked at Lin Jiade: "Are you coming back?"

"Come back, I was just having a chat with Senior Kapok."

"Okay, be careful on your way back."

Jasmine nodded, and Lin Jiade and Mu Mian walked outside. They came to the green field, and a cool breeze blew by, seeping into their bodies through the seams of their clothes, making him shiver.

“It’s my treat. Let’s go to a nearby fast food restaurant and get something to eat,” Lin Jiade said. “At this time of year, it’s dry and cold outside. No matter what we say, it won’t create any atmosphere, and it’ll just be a pain.”

"Alright."

Lin Jiade and Mu Mian walked out side by side. At this time, couples were leaving or returning to school, while the single people were already huddled in their dorm rooms. The university dorms without heating were really unbearable in winter.

I wonder what a kapok tree with a confusion spell looks like to ordinary people? Would they be mistaken for lovers or friends?

They went to a fast food restaurant and ordered some food. At 10 p.m., the place had become unusually quiet. The neatly dressed young homeless people pushed open the door, picked up the leftover fast food from the customers to eat, charged their phones, and then fell asleep on the table. The fast food restaurant staff ignored them and accepted their presence.

"I really don't understand why they don't go out to work, but instead freeload at fast food restaurants," Lin Jiade said softly.

“I’ve had similar experiences before,” Kapok said.