Love, Gun, Cupid

Lin Jiade hesitated for a moment: "But we also have our own investigation tasks, and you cannot participate because of the principle of neutrality and your informal status."

Reed Warbler was a little disappointed: "Then I'll go find Kapok. I heard she's investigating something interesting outside... Oh right, even though she's busy, she still has to give me her playtime every night."

After speaking, she took out her weapon and casually slashed, tearing the air apart. The reed warbler darted into the crevice. Ice Cave rubbed his eyes and said in surprise, "Are all superhumans this powerful now?"

"Just take her for granted."

Because of the large number of people, Lin Jiade and his group entered through a side door. Xuanling walked at the front, holding the latest concept weapon from Ou Yezi Workshop, the Anti-Demon Ninja Face Hole. Lin Jiade didn't ask about its fancy functions because he already had a Celestial Weapon.

He was walking in the middle, with Di Tao crawling on his side, a sturdy rope connecting Lin Jiade's palm to the collar around her neck.

Finally, Ice Cave was brought in. Holding her wand, she scanned the area like a metal detector, and soon she drew a path—the path the black cat had taken when it stayed at Teacher Yang's house.

The part of the path that extended outside the community was no longer traceable. The group followed the path to the first two houses of Teacher Yang's villa...

These detached houses have very little interaction, especially the further you go into the area. This is understandable, as most people who can afford to buy houses here have considerable financial means. They spend their leisure time here, while their daily lives are in the most bustling parts of the city.

Ice Cave frowned: "The residual energy is a bit strange, like a monster, but it's also different from them."

"Let's go in and take a look."

Lin Jiade stopped at the door and activated his Soul Flame Vision. His gaze passed over the fence and over the gate, and he saw that the villa was empty.

“There’s no one alive inside, at least that’s what I see.” Lin Jiade looked down at Di Tao, who was tugging at his trouser leg. “She seems to have discovered something too?”

Xuanling leaped into the courtyard, duty-bound to "open the door," her mission being to protect Lin Jiade. She held her breath, her anti-demon ninja face hole unfolding, transforming from a slender sword into a hook blade, which she extended through the crack in the door. Xuanling turned and pulled, the lock fell to the ground, and the door swung open.

She put on night vision goggles and slipped into the darkness like an eel. Lin Jiade climbed into the courtyard and found that Di Tao hadn't come over. He had no choice but to climb back and pick Di Tao up and roll her over.

Di Tao lay obediently on him, her front paws pawing at his shoulders, her hind legs dangling in the air. For a moment, Lin Jiade felt Di Tao's breath brush against his neck, and indistinct syllables came from her mouth, but when he put Di Tao down, she just circled around him, showing no signs of regaining her senses.

Lin Jiade didn't have time to think much. His gaze was filled with the dark clouds overhead. The ice cave rode the magic wand against the wind, and the flow lifted her skirt up to her waist, revealing her over-the-knee socks with cartoon patterns and pink underwear to his eyes.

She landed in the ice cave, covered her skirt, glanced back at Lin Jiade, and hurried forward. Lin Jiade caught up from behind and saw that her ears and cheeks were red.

The ice cave looked up at him again, and seeing his calm expression, it seemed a little annoyed. It asked, "Why are you so calm?"

Lin Jiade replied softly, "Probably... because I'm the one who washes the clothes at home? I've already touched and washed dozens of sets of underwear, and I'm not a fetishist, I'm used to this level of indecisiveness."

"Oh."

With a sound from the ice cave that was hard to decipher—whether it was understanding or resentment—the two entered the villa.

The voting ended, and the final result, based on the combined votes from both sides, was SN.

Chapter Thirty-One Appearance

The villa was dark, all the windows were closed, all the curtains were drawn, and there was a musty smell in the air.

The swivel-shaped flashlight pointed at a dark mass on the ground. Lin Jiade reflexively drew his sword, and Di Tao grinned, letting out a wary howl.

"Don't come near, these are traces left by the monster's slaughter... but the energy is a bit off," the ice cave said.

She waved her wand, and golden light enveloped her companions, while simultaneously purifying the corpse—a dead golden retriever. The dog's body was covered in wounds, large and small, each one still fresh and tender, as if it had been frozen in time at the moment of its death.

"To protect its master, it bravely fought the monster to the very last moment," Ice Cave said with some sadness. "This is what happens when you're killed by a monster; the corpse is so lifelike. The captain once said that this is because the deceased was influenced by the city of Fuxing in 'non-existent time'."

Lin Jiade put on disposable gloves and tried to touch the golden retriever. He found that its body was indeed warm and still elastic.

"Where did the monsters come from?" Lin Jiade asked.

The ice cave looked up: "Above us."

Just then, a thud came from the floor above them. Xuanling covered Ditao's mouth, and Lin Jiade gestured to the ice cave to be quiet.

"Turning gold into stone, really. It was just a task to capture a few ordinary people, and you actually managed to leave your magical items at the scene. Luckily, everyone was distracted by the mess that black cat caused, otherwise your things would have fallen into the hands of those imperial lackeys, and they could have traced you back to where you are."

"How dare you say that? You're just thinking about fighting, and you've been so careless with your guard duties that you've made me so nervous that I forgot my things at the scene."

Two men came down the stairs, both wearing the same hoodies and trousers. The taller, stronger one wore iron gloves, while the thinner one was unarmed, but his body was indistinct, surrounded by a dark, smoky aura.

The thinner man stopped his companion: "Something's not right. The 'Midas Touch' device... why do I sense an unfamiliar energy?"

"You're overthinking it. A miniature snowman? Could it be that an imperial lackey followed us here by smell, with his dog? The last time we were out there was..."

The sound of turning gold into stone came to an abrupt halt, because the ice cave had sensed the same energy emanating from the two men as it had from the golden-haired creature wrapped on the ground.

Whether she is still the guardian of the Holy Land or not, she must confront her ancient nemesis and do everything in her power to eliminate it.

The wand in the ice cave then charged, and a golden torrent spread out from her. Her primary target was Alchemist—the taller and stronger of the two enemies. She figured Alchemist was stronger and it would be best to take him down first.

Turning Gold into Stone was hit head-on by Ice Cave's ultimate move, crashing into the wall with a scream. Lin Jiade released the reins, and Di Tao pounced on Turning Gold into Stone, while he and Xuan Ling ran towards the miniature snowman.

Xuanling moved faster than Lin Jiade, so she attacked first. Her anti-demon ninja face hole transformed into two curved blades, slashing at the face of the miniature snowman, but was blocked by the dark/airflow surrounding his body.

Lin Jiade grabbed Xuanling's arm and pulled her away. The miniature snowman's fist, covered in ink/airflow, grazed Xuanling's shield slightly, and golden flames exploded at the point of contact.

Xuanling looked at her shield with suspicion and uncertainty. She knew very well that her shield had not worked at all. What was really protecting her was the protective spell she had cast before entering the ice cave.

The miniature snowman clicked his tongue, clutching his smoking fist, and in the blink of an eye, the outline of a celestial weapon appeared above his head. Ice Cave brandished his staff, and Lin Jiade's weapon was imbued with a layer of golden light.

The celestial weapon slashed down, tearing apart the airflow surrounding the miniature snowman, but Lin Jiade felt no piercing of flesh. He looked down at the ground, where an orange cat appeared beside his sword and nimbly darted upstairs.

Where did this orange cat come from?

Lin Jiade was momentarily confused, then drew his pistol and fired at the orange cat, which nimbly dodged the shot. Xuanling then transformed her weapon into a grappling hook, leaping up and climbing the wall.

At this moment, Dianjinchengshi, who had been bitten by Ditao and had several wounds, roared and transformed into a cheetah. He frightened Ditao into retreating repeatedly. Then he pounced on Xuanling, pulled her off the wall, and stopped her from chasing his companions.

Lin Jiade was speechless. Mu Mian turned Di Tao into a dog, satisfying her perverted desire to punish Di Tao. But Di Tao was now completely powerless, and the Ice Cave had to go to great lengths to protect her and prevent her from being killed by the enemy.

"Get back to the car," Lin Jiade yelled at Di Tao, "Listen to me!"

Di Tao obediently left the battlefield, Xuan Ling stood up, and she was unharmed. Meanwhile, Dian Jin Cheng Shi, who had transformed into a cheetah, blocked the stairwell, preventing Lin Jiade and the other two from causing trouble for their companions.

Lin Jiade and Xuanling exchanged a glance. The former attacked first, pouncing on the cheetah with the momentum of a lion. Dianjin Chengshi did not dare to be careless. It leaped away to dodge Lin Jiade's slash, while its sharp claws aimed at the top of his head.

Lin Jiade tilted his head, and the weapon thrown by Xuanling transformed into a cross-shaped scythe, rushing towards Dianjinchengshi. Dianjinchengshi's massive body could not dodge, and he was forced to deactivate his leopard form and revert to human form.

Lin Jiade launched a preemptive attack, thrusting his sword at Dianjin Chengshi. Dianjin Chengshi dodged and pressed forward, throwing a hook punch at Lin Jiade's left cheek. Lin Jiade blocked with his arm, but Dianjin Chengshi's movement faltered, and a sharp blade popped out from his gauntlet.

The "Golden Stone" weapon hurtled towards Lin Jiade's arm, expecting it to pierce through. He looked up and saw that the hidden weapon in his gauntlet had struck the back of Lin Jiade's hand. At the point of impact, brass covered the weapon, holding its own against the weapon.

Lin Jiade withdrew his strength, his fingers were also covered in brass, allowing him to grip the spiked gauntlets without changing his expression. With his other hand, he reversed the weapon and struck the ribs of the man who had turned gold into stone with the hilt of the sword.

The ice cave cast a holy spell, turning gold into stone, and the person collapsed to the ground in pain. Just as Lin Jiade was about to chase after the person upstairs, a loud thud came from upstairs first.

The next second, the ceiling shattered, and fragments of concrete and wood fell. A new figure arrived, accompanied by dust and noise. The moment the person landed, flames materialized in the dust, and there was flammable material in the dust.

Without a second thought, Lin Jiade turned and smashed open the window to escape. He tumbled to the ground, and just as he was about to stop, the explosion behind him pushed him out again, making him roll all the way to the gate before finally stopping.

The ground peach crawled over and circled around him with concern. Lin Jiade told her to stay by the car, while he stood up and turned around, holding onto the railing. He saw the ice cave and the hanging bell struggling to get up. They looked disheveled, but they were not injured.

Unfortunately, the enemy is the same.

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Pursuit 1

The number of enemies on the scene increased to three. The miniature snowman summoned an ally, who first created dust and then ignited it, causing a dust explosion.

The destructive power of the dust explosion was secondary—after all, everyone has an energy shield—but the explosion would draw the attention of ordinary people in this direction, and Lin Jiade didn't have the magic to disperse the crowd.

Lin Jiade sized up the new enemy and noticed that his attire was completely different from the other two: a black suit and trousers, white gloves, and a mask with a one-way glass-like texture on his head. Flames swirled in his palms but did not burn the gloves.

Before the onlookers arrived, Lin Jiade slung his sword over his shoulder, charged up his left leg, and unleashed a burst of power, allowing him to leap across the entire courtyard and charge right up to the three enemy soldiers.

The miniature snowman was immobilized by the holy land magic of the ice cave, and turned into a cheetah by turning gold into stone to fight with the hanging bell. Lin Jiade naturally aimed at the reinforcements that the miniature snowman shook out. Among the three enemies, he felt that the opponent in front of him was the most threatening.

He landed firmly, shifting his weight forward, and slashed at the enemy's center with the sword on his shoulder. He was met with a burst of fire, which then transformed into a short spear, blocking Lin Jiade's sword.

The two were evenly matched, but Lin Jiade was using a celestial weapon. So his weapon cut through the short spear and advanced with overwhelming force. The tip of the sword sliced ​​through the mask on the other's face, splitting it in two.

The enemy breathed out a burst of fire. Lin Jiade had a shield to block it, but his vision was blurred, forcing him to retreat. He moved out of the range of the flames and looked up at the enemy. He saw a young face revealed beneath the shattered mask, seemingly not yet an adult, and the eyebrows and eyes... somewhat resembled Ragnar's.

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered, and both sides retreated simultaneously in unison. The miniature snowman stole a car, dragged the people out, and drove off to pick up his companions. Lin Jiade fired a few shots, partly to try to blow out the tires and partly to scare the onlookers.

He achieved his second objective. After hearing the gunshot, even the most daring and curious people dared not come directly to the scene. Taking this opportunity, Xuanling drove the group to safety and stepped on the gas to chase after them.

Ice Cave asked in surprise, "Your face is injured?"

Lin Jiade touched his right cheek, seeing sticky blood on his fingers and the pain of the wound being squeezed. His shield hadn't broken, so where did his wound come from?

He was busy thinking about these things, pointed to his cheek to help treat it, and used his left hand to unlock his phone and dial Jianlan's number.

Ice Cave pulled out a medical kit from under the seat, used tweezers to soak cotton balls in water, and approached Lin Jiade's body to clean the dirt off his face.

Lin Jiade's arm was in the way, so she grabbed his arm and put it behind her shoulder, then placed it against his ribs. She used a cotton ball to clean the bloodstains near the wound and saw that Lin Jiade's wound was not deep, as if it had been cut by a sharp shard.

Afterwards, she treated it with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. The alcohol stung, and Lin Jiade paused while speaking. His muscles tensed, and a hard feeling came through the magical girl's thin fabric.

Her movements slowed down and became gentler, feeling Lin Jiade's body gradually relax. Finally, she took out a band-aid from her handbag and put it on Lin Jiade's face, smiling as she looked at the cartoon pattern on it.

"What will happen over at Gladiolus's place..."

Lin Jiade turned his head to report the results to the ice cave, but when he saw the ice cave's face so close, he was so frightened that he tilted his head back. The ice cave also moved back, but Lin Jiade's arm was still on her shoulder. Where could she go?

"Can you let me go?" the ice cave asked softly.

"Oh, thank you for treating my wound."

Lin Jiade took a deep breath to suppress his racing heartbeat and said, "Jianlan will help us clean up the mess. Although she can't give us direct access, she can use her access to share intelligence with us."

Lin Jiade clicked on the link sent by Jianlan, and more accurate traffic information and nearby police resources appeared on Lin Jiade's phone. Therefore, he was able to cooperate with the police's movements to chase and intercept criminals.

Of course, the police will not apprehend criminals on the spot in the city, especially in busy commercial areas, to avoid criminals with superhuman strength resisting on the spot and causing a large number of casualties and economic losses.

When Fuxing City was being built, a lot of "blank space" was left on the edge of the city. This served two purposes: first, to allow for the direction of urban expansion, and second, to serve as sites for incidents involving superhumans, thus reducing economic losses.

It can take hunters several hours to coax panicked prey into a suitable hunting area. Therefore, Lin Jiade called Jasmine again to tell her that he might not be home until very late that night.

"understood."

Jasmine's reply was indifferent. Lin Jiade sighed. He had slept with her for so long, so he could naturally hear her dissatisfaction. But right now, important matters were at hand, and Jasmine would have to stay alone in her room for a while longer.

He recalled that one of his adversaries bore a striking resemblance to Ragnar, and casually asked, "Oh right, does Ragnar have many children?"

“I had never heard of these things. When my uncle and aunt were still alive, they taught me to remember the name of every enemy. Ragnar only had one daughter among his immediate family.”

"Really? During the battle today, I saw a boy who looked about four-tenths like Ragnar."

"..."

"It's not just his appearance; his ability to shape flames is also like a younger version of Ragnar."

“Perhaps he has illegitimate children or something. He’s a white dragon, so reproducing is much easier for him than for us red dragons,” Jasmine said.

"I understand. Be careful too, don't get separated and give Ragnar an opportunity. Go home as soon as you leave the school, and stay in crowded places."

“You’ve said these words many times…” Jasmine hesitated for a moment before adding, “but I still want to hear you say them again, every day, because I love you.”