Hey! Control Yourself! - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Candy on the Tip of the Tongue

“No, no, that’s not right. We’re in Gaya—where would a live stream come from? Let me see the bullet comments.” Rey refused to give up.

“Yes, you really started a live stream.” ×3,588

A critical hit right at the start.

“The Federation is as shameless as ever.” ×330,000

“Sending soldiers to the Gaya world to assassinate Baocheng students? Was that their goal from the very beginning?”

“Specifically waiting for Shen Ji to be gone before making a move… they wanted to pick them off one by one!”

“I think they want to monopolize the qualification to study Gaya.”

“Gaya is a treasure trove!”

“Exactly. As long as they kill all the students at S-rank or above from Baocheng, no one from the Empire will be able to enter the transmigration experiments. The Federation’s goal would be achieved.”

“They truly never stop trying to destroy us.”

“Where did Shen Ji’s gun come from?”

“Who would’ve thought several top experts from the Federation would go offline just like that? Totally self-inflicted.”

“Hahahahaha” ×10,000,000

“We are in Gaya, how can a live stream connect to the modern Star Net?”

Rey’s hands trembled as he cut off the stream, clutching his head in disbelief.

Just then, a call request rang on his light-brain. It was their mentor.

As soon as the video connected, the mentor spoke solemnly: “We already know your situation over here. Baocheng is finding a way to bring you back early. I’ll keep this brief.”

“The Federation is getting desperate and might send assassins again. If the cosmic strings haven’t closed, they can send people into Gaya at any time. They’ll be in the shadows while you’re in the light.”

“Your number one principle over there is to ensure everyone returns safely. Other tasks can be put aside for now. I’ve finished. Any questions?”

Rey asked in agony: “Were there a lot of ‘death stares’ from bad angles of me in the stream?”

“…Yes. It often got stuck on your double chin.”

Shen Ji saw Rey trembling. After a brief moment of asphyxiation, Rey nearly fainted. It seemed those words had more impact than a mental energy bullet.

At that moment, the mentor’s virtual projection blurred and then disconnected. Llyrs immediately tried to connect to the Star Net on his own light-brain, but it showed no signal. It appeared the connection wasn’t consistently available.

Rey, currently only wishing to prove something, looked up at Sha Mo and Shen Ji. He opened his mouth, then decided against it; those two would only offer “sincere” verbal stabs. Perhaps only Llyrs understood human sentiment. He turned and asked Llyrs: “Is there… is there really a double chin?”

His eyes were almost pleading.

Llyrs looked down at him: “What’s wrong with an occasional double chin? Does it affect your stupidity?”

Rey was hit again. If he weren’t injured, he would have definitely gotten up to fight Llyrs.

Sensing a slight abnormality, Shen Ji looked up and saw a celestial body in the starry sky shift its position. Soon, light slowly illuminated the earth and city. Shen Ji squinted. He suddenly realized the starry sky and “moon” of this city were artificial; the so-called night was a virtual projection.

Golden light illuminated the entire main road. Two city police vessels spiraled gracefully at the intersection. Several officers armed with weapons exited the flight vessels and walked into the alley, seeing the mangled bodies lying scattered about.

“Calling headquarters. Behind Gate One, East Side, Left Road No. 2, there are four bodies…”

An officer chose an angle and snapped a photo of the scene. The next second, the photo spread across Gaya’s major media platforms and networks.

“In the early morning hours, four deceased individuals were found at the East Gate entrance. Currently presumed hit by mental energy pistols, all killed in one shot. Identities cannot be confirmed. Officials remind the public that Shaxing members have appeared in the city recently. Last night, conflicts between Shaxing believers and Colossus Sect followers were frequent; the deceased are likely Colossus members. Residents nearby should ensure their safety…”

Cough! A mouthful of water nearly choked Rey.

Beneath a giant screen on a cruise ship, the “true culprit” group who had just left the crime scene was sitting boldly at an outdoor dining table.

Sha Mo realized belatedly: “Oi, did we just make Saint Lu the scapegoat?”

Llyrs looked at Shen Ji, deliberating for a moment: “Since this concerns all of us, I have to ask—is that mental energy pistol yours, or someone else’s?”

Llyrs had a guess, when they transmigrated, except for the light-brains implanted under their skin, no equipment could be carried over.

Shen Ji recalled the scene of being cornered the previous night: “It was a man in a black robe with a gravelly voice.”

“…So it belongs to someone else,” Llyrs mused.

Their hearts skipped a beat. If the gun could be traced, the Gaya police would soon be after them. They might be executed by the Gaya people before they even made it back to Baocheng.

Shen Ji gave a magnanimous smile: “It’s fine. I snatched it from a Shaxing member. If they investigate, the Gaya police will just count it against Shaxing.”

Hearing this, Rey and the others breathed a sigh of relief. If it was Shaxing, they could be the perfect scapegoat.

“…” To hell with their sense of morality; let it go.

Later, they tried again and found that the light-brains could no longer connect to the Star Net, limited only to basic positioning and AI Q&A functions.

“It seems last night’s stream might have been caused by some kind of magnetic field effect,” Llyrs theorized.

Because Rey was significantly injured, the group decided to find a safe place to rest. Before coming, they had studied Gaya’s currency. Since they couldn’t forge Gaya’s actual coins, they could only use “hard currency” like crystals and gemstones. Llyrs had looted the belongings of those Federation soldiers; it was basically enough to last them several months.

As they left the plaza, Shen Ji heard a news anchor’s voice from behind: “Tonight, Saint Lu will attend a negotiation meeting with the high-ranking officials of the Colossus Sect. The meeting will take place at the Administrative Building… Police remind…”

Taking a flying train to a nearby town, they had no identification, so they chose a remote tavern and rented a private room for a temporary rest. At the front desk, Shen Ji felt like he couldn’t hold on much longer. As soon as he sat on the sofa, he fell into an unshakeable sleep.

In his dream, Saint Lu’s eyes appeared across the misty river, the color of pomegranates. He trembled with his lips, looking at Shen Ji with that long-awaited, deep, soul-snatching, and aggressive gaze. In that moment, Shen Ji’s heart was affected. He turned over and, for the first time, woke up from his sleep so quickly.

At this time, Rey and Sha Mo were lying on the spherical sofas next door. Llyrs was leaning against another sofa with his eyes closed. Shen Ji felt he had to go kill Saint Lu while they were still in Gaya.

Shen Ji was a calm, emotionally stable man of action. Once he decided on something, he never hesitated, reaching a state of singular focus.

“Llyrs, I’m going out for a bit.” He knew Llyrs wasn’t sleeping.

Llyrs frowned, reminding him: “If you aren’t back by tonight, we will go looking for you.”

Shen Ji thought for a moment: “That’s enough.” Success or failure would be decided in an instant anyway.

Shen Ji left the town, took the flying train again, and soon arrived at the perimeter of the Administrative Building in the city center. The building was already surrounded by police and military vessels; the highly tense atmosphere made even the night wind feel scorched.

Shen Ji stood under the virtual starry sky. This area was full of experts; basically, every high point for sniping had been heavily cordoned off. Long-range sniping was out; he could only go for a close-range attack. The meeting hadn’t started yet, and most people’s attention was on the main entrance and the top floor.

Shen Ji walked into an aerial parking lot in the back; the defense here was weakest. When the police were changing shifts, Shen Ji saw them reporting to a superior. That superior, like him, had black hair and black eyes. He choked the superior unconscious at a corner, changed into his uniform, and donned the cap to hide his short hair.

The nameplate read “Kaidian” in Gaya script. Shen Ji tried to put on the nameplate, but it identified his identity as incorrect, creating a repulsive force and sounding an alarm. Shen Ji crushed the alarm with his mental energy just in time.

“Mr. Kaidian, there you are. The guests are almost here. The Chief asks you to wait in the front hall,” a voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Shen Ji turned to look at him. The officer froze for a moment: “Any orders, Mr. Kaidian?”

Most Gaya humans suffered from a form of “face blindness” regarding their own kind; their recognition of appearances was superficial, relying on hair color, eye color, and clothing. That Officer Kaidian had black hair and eyes just like him, which was rare among Gaya humans. Consequently, the issue with the nameplate was overlooked.

Shen Ji stuffed the nameplate into his pocket: “I’m going now.”

His father had taught him Gaya script since childhood, so his accent was flawless.

He walked into the reception hall of the Administrative Building and saw several old men sitting behind a long black table, wearing white and gold robes, their faces filled with authority. These were likely the high-ranking officials of the Colossus Sect. The Police Chief standing beside them glanced at Shen Ji’s chest with a sharp gaze. Shen Ji took the nameplate from his pocket, pretending to put it on. The old man felt relieved, nodded, and turned away.

Shen Ji smiled inwardly. Gaya people are truly adorably foolish.

Just then, he heard a commotion in the crowd. Whenever this happened, Shen Ji knew it was Saint Lu’s entrance. That guy always entered as if he had a mysterious and grand BGM.

Standing behind the Chief, Shen Ji saw the black silhouettes of Shaxing members enter the hall. Then they parted to the sides, and everyone’s gaze moved to the doorway. Saint Lu’s white hair was exceptionally striking amidst the black cluster.

As per protocol, the police were to check the group again for prohibited weapons like mental energy pistols.

“All participants must wear a mental energy controller. Please understand.”

Saint Lu raised his left hand, allowing the police to fasten the controller on his wrist, his gaze lifting to look directly at the old men from the Colossus Sect. His face was cold and numb, his handsome features made eerie by his demonic eyes. That piercing intensity was nothing like an Omega. That cold, forbidden, and mysterious aura was something not even seen in an Enigma. Perhaps that was why he was called a demon.

The old men were tormented by his gaze until they broke into a cold sweat, averting their eyes.

Once everything was ready, Saint Lu put both hands into the pockets of his suit coat, walked around the long table, and sat in the opposite seat. Shen Ji stood behind the Chief, observing Saint Lu’s walking angle and speed with meticulous, full-hearted concentration.

As Saint Lu passed the Chief, he stopped without warning. Shen Ji was almost facing Saint Lu’s profile across the brim of the Chief’s hat.

Crap, he seems to have recognized me.

Saint Lu’s cold face turned to look at Shen Ji. He gave a mysterious smile and opened his mouth, sticking out the tip of his tongue. Shen Ji saw a star-shaped red candy on his tongue, staining the originally pink tip a deep, vivid crimson.

Shen Ji: “…”