Hey! Control Yourself! - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: You’re Finished.

“When did he…” The Fifth Level members widened their eyes, staring at the man on the opposite rooftop.

They had no idea when Sheng Lu had moved. Under such circumstances, how could anyone’s speed be that fast?

“Could it be… is he truly a demon?” The newcomer, Joe, stumbled back two steps.

“Those ear fins… a Mermaid? Sheng Lu is actually a Mermaid…” someone muttered in shock.

Even the Captain was seeing Sheng Lu in this form for the first time. He cast a look of disappointed frustration at the young newcomer behind him.

“Joe, you’re finished,” he warned.

As a Beast-man, the Captain knew better than anyone that there were only a few conditions under which a Mermaid would uncontrollably reveal biological traits: first, during moments of pleasure with a lover; second, when facing death; and third, when emotions are so volatile that power surges, representing madness, bloodshed, and killing intent.

Sheng Lu’s eyes were currently red as blood, and the celestial bodies behind him were veiled in cloud-light. His boiling killing intent made his white hair stand out like the vigorous, gnarled roots of a giant tree.

The young man named Joe was already pale. “…I’m sorry.”

How could someone whose hands were mangled into a bloody mess act as if they felt no pain, even holding another person steadily? Joe was certain now—this was a demon. He was on the verge of tears.

He was truly wrong. He shouldn’t have assumed that the sleeping fellow was defenseless or the weakest. How could he have known someone could build such a sophisticated mental energy defense while asleep? He had never seen such a thing, even among top experts. Furthermore, he had underestimated Sheng Lu’s power and insanity, miscalculating how much he cared for this “Shaxing member.”

In short, everything was ruined.

The Captain whispered to him, “We can hold him off for a moment. Find a chance to get on the Whale Ship, otherwise you’ll die here.”

“I told you, it’s very impolite to disturb someone’s rest. T, it seems you don’t know how to discipline your subordinates,” Sheng Lu’s voice carried a hint of a smile, but it was an unpleasant sound, like it was being squeezed out of his chest.

T was the Captain’s shorthand name. He said coldly, “While this action was inappropriate, the Fifth Level and Shaxing are irreconcilable. Our member was simply performing his duty.”

Seeing this, the Captain felt slightly relieved that Sheng Lu hadn’t reached a point of irrational rage yet.

By now, Sheng Lu had returned to his normal state; his ear fins and scales had vanished, and his eyes regained their luster. He bent down and placed Shen Ji on the ground.

“Well said, that is indeed the case…” he said, appearing to agree.

The crowd noticed that the moment his hands left Shen Ji, the wounds that had been dripping blood a second ago healed instantly. No matter how many times they saw it, it felt miraculous.

Seeing Sheng Lu set Shen Ji down, Lei Yi and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. They took the building’s elevator to the rooftop, emerging only after confirming Sheng Lu was no longer there.

Shen Ji was leaning against a railing, looking as if he wouldn’t wake up even if the sky fell.

“I say, Master Shen Ji, still not awake?” Lei Yi joked exaggeratedly. “Two major factions are having a showdown over you!”

On the opposite building, several Fifth Level members who had been standing scattered were now lying on the ground. The other Shaxing members remained in place, unmoving. The eight-man Fifth Level squad formed a circle, their mental energy pulling up a brilliant defense wall, trapping Sheng Lu inside an airtight barrier.

Meanwhile, the young man named Joe, under the Captain’s cover, was desperately moving toward the octagonal ring beneath the Whale Ship. The ring was already reflecting a transmission halo, and Joe ran toward the array like mad.

Lei Yi expected the Shaxing members to strike, but they remained still. Just as Joe was about to step into the transmission array, two hell hands appeared out of thin air. With a gentle snap against his skull—a crisp sound, Joe didn’t even have time to react. After a brief convulsion, his body slumped to the ground.

It happened in a single instant. By the time the Fifth Level members realized what had happened, Joe had stopped breathing before their eyes.

“Joe!” The despair of losing a comrade turned everyone’s eyes red.

“Sheng Lu! You go too far!” someone shouted in rage, unleashing a powerful move.

The group hiding behind Shen Ji couldn’t help but critique the scene.

Royce: “What is with that cliché dialogue?”

Lei Yi: “Hey, hey, didn’t you say you were irreconcilable? How does it suddenly become ‘going too far’?”

Sha Mo: “Exactly.”

Akashus: “…”

Since Sheng Lu and Shen Ji seemed to have a good relationship, the group sided with Sheng Lu and Shaxing.

Lei Yi and the others didn’t stick around for the rest; to avoid being caught in the crossfire, they moved Shen Ji away as quickly as possible. On the way back, they bid farewell to Akashus. After all, they didn’t belong to Gaya. They couldn’t be completely honest with him, and since the day they would leave was approaching, they wouldn’t know how to explain it. It was better to end things here.

“Goodbye, Akashus!” Lei Yi waved. “Goodbye.”

Though Akashus looked reluctant, he expressed understanding. He stood there watching their figures vanish down the quiet, late-night street. Once they turned a corner, Lei Yi couldn’t hold it in anymore and started playfully punching Royce. “Waaah, he really looks like a puppy! Can I take him back to Baibao?”

Royce looked at him. “Please, Baibao already has one ‘puppy’.”

Lei Yi was confused. “What?” Sha Mo burst out laughing.

The next day, when Shen Ji woke up, Lei Yi asked him how he slept.

“Very well.” He noticed the complex expressions on their faces. “What’s wrong?”

Lei Yi eagerly and vividly recounted the earth-shattering events of the previous night. Shen Ji frowned.

“Tell the truth, Shen Ji. What exactly is the deal between you and Sheng Lu?” Lei Yi turned detective, rubbing his chin. “He must know you have the ‘cocoon,’ so why would he risk his life to save you like that?”

Shen Ji felt that everything was becoming strange. When Sheng Lu possessed him, it was in the New Human era after the apocalypse. The Sheng Lu of the Gaya era shouldn’t know him, yet his attitude was incredibly ambiguous and meaningful. Aside from their life-and-death struggle over a single body, were there other intersections between them?

The group stayed in Gaya for another week, visiting libraries and technology centers to absorb the wisdom and scientific formulas of the Gaya people. Gaya people loved to break down the word “destiny” into precise formulas and algorithms to explain mysterious natural phenomena. Remarkably, these formulas were incredibly accurate when applied.

“Hey, look at this!” Lei Yi called out.

By the roadside, a machine resembling a public phone booth caught their attention. It bore a string of Gaya text. Though Royce’s Gaya literacy had improved, he couldn’t quite translate the essence of this machine.

Shen Ji stepped forward. “The ‘Pointless Disbelief’ Machine.”

“That’s a long name.”

Shen Ji continued to decipher the instructions: “If you urgently need to know a future occurrence, please fill in the formula. ‘Pointless Disbelief’ will predict it for you.”

“Let’s try it. See when we can go back.”

They entered the information as required. Several circles on the machine expanded and contracted with the data, finally converging.

“Regarding your question about when you can return to your hometown, the conclusion is…”

The machine whirred, and a ball rolled out. Royce opened it to find a time written inside: “In 17 hours.”

Lei Yi peeked inside the machine. “There’s definitely a fortune teller sitting inside throwing balls at us.”

Suddenly, Royce’s light-brain rang. He answered to hear their mentor’s voice: “Thank goodness, we’ve connected again. Royce, tell me your situation.” The signal was much better this time.

“We’re fine, basically… no problems,” Royce said.

“That’s good. Some good news: the Bureau has captured a cosmic string. We predict we can bring you back soon. During this time, keep your light-brains on. I must remind you, when the time machine activates, you must have physical contact.”

“Wait, what do you mean by physical contact?” Lei Yi asked.

“Everyone together, touching. Larger target objects have a higher success rate. Better if you hold each other tight. Thanks.”

The quartet fell silent. Several Alphas hugging each other felt a bit awkward. “Understood, we’ll be ready.”

Shen Ji, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke: “How long until we leave?”

“Estimated 15 to 20 hours.”

The call ended. Lei Yi took a photo of the machine, planning to study it later.

After half a month here, it was finally time to return. That night, the Baibao team was too excited to sleep except for Shen Ji. After ten hours of deep sleep, he decided to attempt one last assassination of Sheng Lu.

If he failed this time, he would likely have to go back and wait for death.

He took out the mental energy pistol hidden under the bar sofa. The bar’s lights were dim and aged. Shen Ji sat at the table, condensing several highly destructive mental energy bullets.

Behind his focused profile, a giant screen outside the window broadcasted the events of the Left and Right Cities from a week ago. It was said that the dead included not only Country D nobles but also government officials from other major nations. Prince Bruton’s death was also officially blamed on Shaxing.

Many countries had now issued massive bounties for the heads of Shaxing members. Street advertisements updated the bounty amounts; some had doubled. Lei Yi had placed one of the posters on the table earlier. Shen Ji’s pistol sat right on top of it.

On the poster, Sheng Lu’s bounty had reached a staggering amount—equivalent to the annual income of a Gaya city with a population of several hundred thousand.

“Shen Ji, are you going to kill Sheng Lu?” Royce asked from behind.

“How did you know?”

Royce: “…”

Lei Yi: “…”

Sha Mo: “…”

Because it’s too obvious! You’re making bullets right in front of us without even trying to hide it!

Lei Yi frowned. “Why? Sheng Lu saved you last time!”

Logically, Shen Ji and Sheng Lu were from two different worlds with no connection or grievances. Besides, they were about to leave. It made no sense for Shen Ji to kill Sheng Lu just for a Gaya bounty.

“Because I must kill him,” Shen Ji said, carefully checking the dimensions of the bullets.

Lei Yi was baffled. “What do you mean? You’re acting like a real ingrate.”

Shen Ji thought seriously. “His attitude toward me is somewhat special, but that isn’t the reason I won’t kill him. At least, not right now.”

Lei Yi was shocked. “My god…”

Shen Ji’s brain worked in a completely different way than normal people.