Love, Gun, Cupid

Lin Jiade nodded.

"When?"

"Just last September, I was like you, thinking that myths were just myths and legends were just legends."

"Yes, you started acting strange, and that's when I started paying attention to you... I even had some stupid and ridiculous thoughts, but now I finally understand."

Teacher Yang stared intently at Lin Jiade: "How much longer do I have to live?"

"You'll live a long time. Once I kill that black cat, it will all be over."

"If you can't kill him, then won't it be my turn to end things?"

"...That's impossible. I'll do everything I can to kill it. I want it to be more than just me who dies." Lin Jiade placed his hand on the woman's shoulder. "Don't have any strange thoughts. Just live and rest here. I've already convinced your family that you have no worries."

Lin Jiade's hand gripped Ms. Yang's shoulder so tightly it hurt. As a classic lazybones in modern society, Ms. Yang was easily subdued by Lin Jiade's domineering nature. Before Lin Jiade could do anything to her, she felt half of her body go limp.

"Ah, um, I'll listen to everything you say, but you also need to live your own life well. Don't let me affect your relationship with your girlfriend. Of course, I'll also keep the secret about your superpowers."

The student I follow is a superhero, a hero. He's currently saving me in a dashing way—it's going to be a romantic memory.

Teacher Yang's eyes were full of hope; perhaps she saw herself as the heroine of a romance novel. But Lin Jiade felt he had let her down.

Because in the end, memory erasure will eventually make Teacher Yang forget, just like she forgot her experiences in the Mirror World. No matter how many extraordinary things she experienced, she will eventually return to an ordinary life and leave his world.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Gate

Lin Jiade asked Hehuan to take care of Teacher Yang, and at the same time, he hoped that Teacher Yang could talk to Hehuan and relieve her depression.

His idea was good, but Hehuan and Teacher Yang's identities, social status, and state of mind destined this pair of roommates who were forced together to have only awkward conversations. The instigator was unaware of this and was even smugly thinking that he had killed two birds with one stone.

He was very busy that morning. First, he called Jasmine, Kapok, and Sword Orchid one by one to communicate the situation. Then, Sword Orchid called him to the police station to record a statement explaining what happened in the early morning.

Fortunately, the team battle they fought at Teacher Yang's house and the unfinished overpass, though intense, did not cause serious damage to the surrounding environment, and there were no innocent deaths. It just exhausted the group of guys and girls responsible for memory erasure.

They are like programmers in ordinary society. They earn a lot, but they are relatively tired in the high-paying industry. Their fate is also similar: after a serious decline in their abilities, they are quickly wiped from their memories to prevent information from being leaked. After that, they use the money they earned to live the life of an ordinary person.

However, there is one difference: the members of the memory erasure group all have very strong hairlines and look very energetic.

After recording the materials, it was already noon. Jianlan took the opportunity to invite Lin Jiade to have a meal. The benefits of the Fuxing City Police Department were not up to par in the 18th District. Although they had their own canteen, everyone preferred to eat at restaurants outside.

After taking office, Jianlan did not engage in corruption or bribery. Instead, she maintained the status quo—no, she changed one thing: she had the cafeteria ladies, who cooked carelessly, prepare careless meals for the detained suspects.

"Everyone is a bit confused right now, but you, me, and Mian are the backbone of this circle. The three of us must not lose our composure and must stay united."

Jianlan said, "Your personal relationship with Kapok is a bit awkward, but take my advice, let's grit our teeth and get through this first, and then you can do whatever you want."

Lin Jiade was somewhat speechless: "Do I look like someone who can't distinguish between what's important and what's urgent? I've grown up after experiencing so much."

Jianlan smiled and patted his head: "In my eyes, you will always be my child."

Lin Jiade whispered, "And then you do that kind of thing with your child, you really are... oh dear."

"But you still snuggle in my arms like a child and keep sucking."

"Okay, you're right. I'll treat Kapok well."

"Don't always have a cold face towards her, be nicer to her."

Lin Jiade recalled the rough kiss in the hospital and wondered if this could be considered "kinder" to Mu Mian.

“Ragnar Sigurdsson, what do you know about him?” he asked.

"Korobochka and he are not from the same circle and have not had much interaction in the past... Perhaps there is one, this pervert proposed to her, but she refused. All my knowledge of him comes from last night. He is a very formidable opponent, and his fighting style is the same as Korobochka's: using the advantage of attack range to carefully probe the opponent's ability, accumulate advantages, and exert force when the opponent shows a weakness."

Fighting against such an opponent is a very agonizing process; you have to both find their weaknesses and prevent your own from being exploited.

"What do you think the odds are for any of us, excluding you, to face him in any combination of scenarios?"

Jianlan shook her head: "I don't want to discourage you. If you are all newly promoted to the Special Grade Extraordinary, and you all cooperate well, you can still struggle for more than ten minutes. Because many of you here are just slackers who got promoted not because of your strength but because of other things."

However, Ragnar Sigurdsson's strength is also considered that of a senior among the special-grade professionals. His title is not exaggerated; on the contrary, it is somewhat... an underestimation of his talent.

If he were human, with his talent, he would have already undergone the transformation at the Brilliant City Armory and become one of the Empire's master-level superhumans. However, the alien races within the Empire can only reach the special-level superhuman.

"Then report him. Anyway, the empire has always been wary of foreign races."

“If your little girlfriend Jasmine were human, I’d be happy to do it,” Jianlan said. “How I write the report is one thing, how many people pass it through is another, and how my report will be interpreted is yet another.”

I'm now taking advantage of the lack of response from above, the time I have to act expediently, and using public resources to put pressure on Ragnar. So we have to get rid of him as soon as possible and put an undeniable label on the dead man.

Lin Jiade suddenly lost his appetite: "We also need to kill those monsters on Teacher Yang's side quickly... I really don't understand why Ragnar is risking being labeled a terrorist to fight us on our turf?"

"There are many interpretations, but I have to admit, it was a brilliant moment, wasn't it? Just when our alliance had lost its common goal, there was a subtle rift between us, and we were all facing some personal troubles, he appeared."

Lin Jiade sighed, "The most important thing is that Hehuan's family's troubles have turned what was originally a trouble into a trouble, but unfortunately, we can't help with this matter."

Before leaving, Jianlan instructed Lin Jiade to take good care of the Holy Land Guardian who had been stripped of his power but not his membership. He suggested that they might be able to find a way to cooperate with the Holy Land Guardian by using the ice cave as a springboard.

Lin Jiade didn't think much of it, but he did it anyway. When he got home, he saw Wei Ying talking to Kapok calmly, which was quite unexpected.

The young man quickly learned what they were talking about—the warbler was wielding her sword, connecting the spaces of the houses rented by the kapok tree, the houses rented by the ice cave, and the hospital wards of Hehuan and Teacher Yang. In addition, the 17th floor Jasmine's house, which was already connected by magic, made Lin Jiade's house look like a vacation space station launched by a civilian airline.

Lin Jiade asked in surprise, "What benefits did Kapok promise you that made you work so hard?"

"This is our secret."

"This level of violation of celestial laws shouldn't be considered a violation of celestial laws, right?"

"It's alright, as long as no Celestial Observer reports it. As everyone knows, there's only one Celestial Observer in Fuxing City, my sister; the rest are all in Linhai City."

"With your outlaw-like appearance, it's a shame you're not a terrorist," Lin Jiade thought to himself.

Wei Ying put her hands on her hips and said, "Although this is done to facilitate your communication and mutual support, you are not allowed to shorten your time with me because of other women, understand?"

Her gaze was aggressive, and her possessiveness was written all over her face. Lin Jiade wished that it was Du Juan who showed him that expression, but Du Juan would not do something that would not benefit her much. Only Wei Ying, this innocent and willful little girl, would do such a thing.

Resentment towards the cuckoo and guilt towards the reed warbler led Lin Jiade to impulsively press down on the reed warbler's shoulder, kiss her lips, and then say to the stunned reed warbler, "No, because I like you too."

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Gate to a New World 2

Lin Jiade regretted it the moment he kissed Wei Ying, because Wei Ying had just eaten durian. He always avoided foods like durian, stinky tofu, and snail rice noodles, and had no particular dietary restrictions, but he felt uncomfortable psychologically.

Then, another kind of regret arose in his heart. The reed warbler had become a victim of his infatuation with the cuckoo, and now, the reed warbler was stunned. She was so surprised that she could not maintain her human form and collapsed like melting ice cream, turning into a slime-like thing.

"You cricket-humans, you cricket-humans, how dare you mock me like this!"

The warbler transformed into a lioness, pounced on Lin Jiade and knocked him to the ground, repeatedly slapping him with her thick paws as if she were kneading dough. Later, she simply lay on the young man and remained motionless.

"A reed warbler?" Lin Jiade asked cautiously. "Was I wrong?"

"What went wrong?"

"I shouldn't have done something so frivolous."

"Idiot, you'd better just keep letting me pin you down!"

Lin Jiade stroked the lioness's muscles, neck, and head in a flattering manner, and the reed warbler purred contentedly, like a tamed big cat—except for getting her up.

It wasn't until the cuckoo, who was trying to suppress her laughter, came to his rescue that she finally let the young man go. The young man regretted provoking the reed warbler. This naive celestial resident didn't know what love was, so when she was aroused, her reaction was violent and turbulent, and he, a human, was completely unable to resist.

Thanks to the renovations by Wei Ying, Lin Jiade now spends significantly less time commuting. He can simply open the door to visit anyone he wants, and the door also makes it easier for everyone to support each other.

Lin Jiade first went to Bingdong's house to check on her situation and found that she had only bought basic living necessities, and her clothes were still the same ones she was wearing. So when he arrived, she subtly hoped that Lin Jiade could lend her some money to buy clothes and toiletries, and it would be best if he could accompany her.

"I'm always a little uneasy when I'm alone. This is the first time I've ever acted in this state during the day."

She said shyly, "In the past, when I became a girl, I would secretly get up in the middle of the night, change into the clothes I had secretly hidden, and then put on makeup. It was the same when I came back."

"Ah, this is even harder than secretly hiding money from others," Lin Jiade exclaimed.

"Yes, but I enjoy it. When I use the power of the Holy Land to transform myself into a woman, wearing a flowing dress and applying beautiful makeup, the thought that the old Mu everyone knows has this side to him makes me happy. It's a secret pleasure, a perverse pleasure."

When I was the old Mu, I was very gloomy and low-key, keeping many things to myself. But after becoming the Guardian of the Holy Land, I became cheerful and happy. The old Mu occupied most of my life, but I feel more alive as the Guardian of the Holy Land.

Lin Jiade, do you think I'm a pervert?

Lin Jiade nodded.

Ice Cave couldn't hide his disappointment: "Yes, it's kind of disgusting for a man to become a woman and live like a girl."

“I didn’t mean that. You may be a pervert, but my life is full of perverts, and I am one myself, so you have nothing to say to me.”

Ice Cave smiled wryly, "Is this supposed to be a consolation?"

“Of course,” Lin Jiade said. “I’m also worried about you going out alone. It wouldn’t be good if you got caught by your accomplices.”

"I don't want to fight them."

“Me too, but if they try to harm you, I will beat them up.”

Ice Cave blinked at Lin Jiade, its expression softening: "When we played football together, you always stood up for me. You're so kind, Lin Jiade, I feel safe and secure by your side."

Lin Jiade clutched his chest and took two steps back. He had actually found the ice cave... quite adorable just now, so he desperately tried to recall Old Mu's appearance to calm himself down.

Ice Cave's Lolita dress was so eye-catching that after Lin Jiade took her out, their first stop was the supermarket to buy clothes. Ice Cave had her own ideas; when the two came out, she was already wearing black thermal pants, a white turtleneck sweater, a light camel coat, and high boots.

Lin Jiade naturally became the bag carrier, carrying all sorts of things Ice Cave needed. If political commentary is a man's aphrodisiac, then shopping is a woman's. Ice Cave looked uneasy and hesitated as she left, as if she were engaging in exhibitionism.

After leaving the supermarket, a smile appeared on his face. She forgot about maintaining social distance with Lin Jiade, took his arm and said something. While having lunch outside, her mind finally calmed down.

"Sorry, I'm a little tipsy," she said awkwardly while sipping her milk tea. "I will pay this money back, really, in whatever form."

Lin Jiade's gaze fell on the ice cave's chest: "Anything?"

After changing into new clothes and a new supportive bra, her beautiful silhouette was clearly visible through her sweater when she sat up straight. She realized her attractiveness to men, so she crossed her arms and repeated uncertainly, "Any? How should I put it? I wasn't prepared, although I've said similar things before..."

“What are you thinking? I’m talking about the power you were given by the Holy Land. Since it hasn’t disappeared, it means you can still move around in the Holy Land. Through you, we have the possibility of entering and leaving the Holy Land,” Lin Jiade said.

"You want me to be a collaborator? No, no way. Although the Holy Land has punished me, it has also blessed me. I cannot..."

"Is this not acceptable? We have no ill intentions towards the Holy Land."

"If I had to choose between the two, I'd rather sleep with you and pay off my debts with my body," Ice Cave said self-deprecatingly. "However, I think that if you look at me, you'll definitely be thinking about Old Mu, and that will make you feel uncomfortable."

Lin Jiade didn't press the matter further, so he changed the subject and said, "Let's visit Teacher Yang together this afternoon."

"Oh, okay, I was busy with my own things and forgot to ask, how is Teacher Yang?"

"She is being continuously drained of energy by the monster. Although she can currently prolong her life by inputting energy, she is not a superhuman. The extraction and input of energy will cause her organs to slowly fail."

This monster is what the guardians of the Holy Land are fighting against. I think you and your colleagues must have a solution, which is why I'm so eager to find the Holy Land.

There's another way: killing the monster that's made a contract with Teacher Yang. But we don't know where that monster is hiding, and you're all most sensitive to it, so in the end, I'll still have to ask for your help.

"I..." Ice Cave's face showed great hesitation. "I'm not going to visit Teacher Yang anymore. No, don't glare at me, it's not that I'm refusing to help, it's just that my knowledge doesn't include anything related to breaking monster contracts, and my teammates, including the veteran captain, have never saved anyone before."

I'll go with you to search for that monster, starting this afternoon. Since you value her life so much, we must save her!