Chapter 38-I'm Covering This Old Enemy
Kang Yan was speechless. His complexion flushed immediately.
"After a while, I can go to the Special Service Office to have a sit down and see how I failed."
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Gu Ting also had no intention of staying any longer. He gathered Lu Huaiye in his arms, shielding the person against his chest. He took off the Pingan Kou that never left his body and carefully placed it around Lu Huaiye's neck.
He actually wanted to strike out now but it was not the right time yet. There were too many innocent passengers here, and Lu Huaiye's physical condition wasn't very good. After all, he was still a subordinate of the Special Service Office, at least in name. It wasn't appropriate for conflicts to occur out in the public.
When he finds the altar and fills up his strength, he will personally go visiting to discuss this statement.
Putting Lu Huaiye into his arms, Gu Ting slightly lowered his jaw and his strength intangibly scattered away. Turning around, he was about to leave, when suddenly there came the sound of the gun bolt being pulled.
The light in Lu Deng's eyes deepened. He was going to struggle free to protect him but Gu Ting held him firmly in his arms. Boundless power whizzed out, lifting Kang Yan off the ground in a swirl and flinging him, making him hang over the edge of the ship.
The powerful force belonging to the dark night surged like water boiling over, displaying a much stronger menace than before.
The members of the Special Service Office team immediately raised their guns, on high alert. The situation that had been easing slightly, instantly fell into a tense stalemate that could go off at the barest touch.
"Mr. Gu."
Fang Yi had already quickly snatched away the gun that Kang Yan had pointed at the two. Seeing the situation in front of him, he stepped forward to block his own team's guns and reminded Gu Ting in a low voice.
It doesn't matter if he was tossed about a bit but if Kang Yan really encounters an accident here, no matter the reason, Gu Ting will become a top rank dangerous target in the eyes of the Special Service Office.
Gu Ting narrowed his. His pupils turned dark brown and he suddenly released his power.
We're sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we're going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Kang Yan screamed and fell quickly. Fang Yi, shard-eyed and deft-handed, quickly intercepted him and brought him back onto the boat. His sight had gone black from his sudden fall and he couldn't get up for a long while.
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His abdomen was hit hard, Kang Yan's complexion instantly turned deathly pale. He couldn't help coughing repeatedly. Fang Yi patted him thoughtfully on his back to make sure that he remained unable to speak. Satisfied, he carried the person back towards the airship.
A power-type stigmatic was a rare combatant even within the Special Service Office. No one wanted to run afoul of such a strong one. Kang Yan's men looked at each other in dismay and all tacitly agreed to pretend to see nothing. They lowered their heads and dragged their feet as they headed towards the airship.
Lu Deng was held by Gu Ting. He looked up at his expression half-hidden in shadow. He felt faintly uneasy, raised his hand and gently pulled his sleeve.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable? It's okay, we'll be back soon."
Gu Ting immediately stopped and checked his complexion carefully. He then lowered his head and snuggled against his cheek. The skin he came into contact with was still cold and he couldn't help but frown. "Are you cold? It'll be fine once you get a bath. You won't be cold soon—"
Before he hardly finished speaking, Lu Huaiye suddenly propped up his body and hugged him tightly.
His chest suddenly seized. Gu Ting tightened his arms to protect him in return. He slowly caressed him with one hand on his back. He deliberately lowered his voice, "How else did that Kang Yan bully you? I'll immediately go back and deal with him. I'll return it him a hundredfold, okay?"
Lu Huaiye shook his head, still buried against his neck. With his right hand hanging down, his left hand held onto his clothes tightly. He gripped so tightly that he was almost shaking faintly.
Silent choked sobs erupted from out his chest. Only intermittent gasps could be heard.
The heartbeat against his chest was fast and rapid. Gu Ting became even more worried. With his arms wrapped around him, he was about to speak when Lu Deng said in a low voice, "I'm sorry…"
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Ting covered his lips with a kiss.
It had nothing to do with lust. The cold and gentle kiss blocked those two words back. He gently rubbing the side of his lips. The palm covering his back used the softest touch, stroking his back comfortingly from top to bottom. He patiently dispelled the trembling fear that seemed to ooze from his bones.
Gu Ting kissed him. Voice soft, he said, "There's nothing to be sorry about."
Lu Deng's breaths came so rapidly, he was almost choking. Je shook his head blindly, holding onto his clothes and refused to let go; tears falling down mixing with the cold sweat.
It didn't matter if it hurts. It didn't matter if it was cold. He has long been used to enduring pain and tiredness. He was accustomed to meticulously completing tasks. These were nothing.
But this time he hadn't been able to do anything to help. He had searched all night and yielded nothing. Gu Ting even forcibly woke up from his hypnotic sleep to come rescue him from trouble.
He hadn't done well.
And now, he was even still being embraced so well.
He hasn't gotten used to this yet.
Gu Ting's chest ached. His movements thought were slow and careful. Holding him, he sat in the shadows. He lowered his head and pasted it against his cheek. "It was them who bullied you and it was me who didn't protect you well. Huaiye, the only thing you have to change is that in the future, you must remember to take me with you—nothing else. There's nothing you have to be sorry about."
Lu Deng raised his head from his chest.
Facing the still absent-minded light in his black eyes, Gu Ting curled his lips into a smile and kissed the tears off his face. His fingertips combed through his hair and settled at the back of his head. "Only this matter; if you forget next time, you will be punished."
He spoke of punishment, but his tone was still warm. Lu Deng pursed the corners of his lips. He instinctively tried to lean into his arms but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. There was a bite on his earlobe.
Gu Ting hadn't taken out his fangs. He just bit him lightly, with hardly any strength behind it. Lu Deng instinctively quivered. A deep red blush appeared on his face. The arms behind his back suddenly tightened and fastening him firmly against his chest. "Will you make sure to remember?"
After finally realizing that this was the content of the "punishment", Lu Deng's cheeks burned even hotter. He pressed his lips tight for a while and finally nodded ever so lightly against his chest.
"Don't worry, when I get my power back, I will destroy the Special Service Office's communication terminal. I have studied their system. As long we get rid of the device, you will be able to regain your freedom immediately…"
Gu Ting lifted Lu Huaiye's cheeks and guaranteed with a smile. As he finished speaking, a sharp on-alert light suddenly flashed across those black eyes.
It couldn't be the Special Service Office. Gu Ting didn't believe that they would return. Gu Ting frowned and was about to investigate, but Lu Huaiye had already grabbed his shoulders and pounced on him to lay on the ground. Vines sprung out, turning into a thick, impenetrable green wall.
Without the restriction of the seal, Gu Ting's reactions weren't any slower than Lu Huaiye's. His power burst forth, protecting the two of them together. Regardless, a shock strong enough to make him feel suffocated rocked his chest.
The stars disappeared from his vision. Lu Huaiye had pounced against his chest without warning. As before, Lu Huaiye still remained unreservedly shielding him; eyes closed tightly and face extremely pale.
The alarm blared sharply in his ears but Gu Ting was too preoccupied to pay any attention to it. He forced down the apprehensiveness in his chest and carefully wiped away the tears that were still on Lu Deng's face. He called out to him softly a few times.
Lu Huaiye didn't make Gu Ting worry for too long. Lying between Gu Ting's arms, it didn't take long before he woke up from his brief coma. His slightly disoriented vision focused on his face after a moment. Recognizing that he was safe, the corners of his lips rose up into a soft smile.
"Something went wrong. I'll send you back first and then see if I can help."
Gu Ting finally breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed his head and kissed him on the forehead, warmly assuring him. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Although he didn't like the Special Service Office, he didn't dislike ordinary humans. Through his lens, almost every face was smiling. He can see his silhouette in those friendly eyes. This was the only way for him to preserve his image.
Saying so, he had already stood up. He wanted to send Lu Huaiye back to their cabin for now but a hand held tightly onto his wrist.
Gu Ting lowered his head and met the other's gaze. He remembered the request he had made of him just now. He fell silent for a moment and took back his words. "Okay."
He swept Lu Huaiye into his arms, so that he could lean on his shoulders more easily. He lifted himself up with the help from the vines and leaped towards the direction of the explosion.
People were awakened from their sleep, frightened by the sudden explosion. The boat was in chaos and the passengers were everywhere.
The Special Service Office's departure was also delayed by the explosion and they were busy trying to maintain order. The passengers gradually settle down upon seeing the Special Service Office. Fang Yi saw the two people returning and raised his hand in friendly greeting.
Gu Ting didn't feel any ill feelings towards this leader of the group that made no move. He nodded his greeting in return. Just as he was about to release his power to search the entire ship, Lu Huaiye grabbed his sleeves and pulled down slightly.
Gu Ting was startled, only to realize that he probably didn't have the energy to speak too loudly. He leaned down and got closer.
Lu Huaiye leaned on his shoulder. His voice was quiet but still clearly distinguishable. "Control cabin."
It shouldn't have happened at this time, while the sky was still dark. The timeline has changed, indicating that the plot line also been automatically adjusted as the protagonist's itinerary changed.
He had carefully searched through everywhere else to ensure that there was no problem. And yet, now there was still an incident. The change can only be in the control cabin where the crew was resting.
Looks like his search hadn't been done in vain, after all.
Meeting the renewed light in those black eyes, Gu Ting smiled at him but his heart felt faintly choked up. He gathered the person in his arms and kissed his forehead, "Okay."
Judging by the power fluctuations just now, this place was already very dangerous. Gu Ting had no guarantee that he could completely protect Lu Huaiye. If so, then he simply wouldn't get close. He had his power materialize and solidify beside him and shot it towards the control cabin.
"You're crazy!"
Kang Yan sternly berated but he had already been tossed from side to side by his previous bursts so that now, he didn't dare to rashly strike out. He could only grit his teeth and say hurriedly, "That's the cockpit! Are you going to kill everyone on the boat? If we don't open the protective cover soon— "
He trusted Lu Huaiye's judgment more than anyone else's. Gu Ting didn't stay his hand and before the protective cover was opened, the blood beams hit the control cabin one after the other.
At almost the same moment, a fierce explosion sounded from inside.
A figure was lifted into the air by the explosion. He staggered before finding his feet; the stigmata occupied half of his face. The bloody light all over his body flickered. His greedy eyes shrank back suddenly when he caught sight of the conspicuous insignia of the Special Service Office. He turned, trying to escape.
There was no set spot where the stigmata appears and the impact on people's consciousness when exerting power also differed from person to person. The other party was undoubtedly being controlled by the awakened stigmata, only knowing to kill blindly. If Gu Ting didn't take the initiative to destroy the control cabin and the awakened stigmatic hid in it to find a chance, everyone on the ship would face life threatening danger.
Fang Yi didn't give him a chance to escape, immediately charging at him and fighting with him on the spot.
The fighting style of a power type stigmatic was direct and efficient, displaying undoubtedly fierce oppression. He was instantly able to gain the upper hand.
We're sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we're going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The passengers who had received protection finally relaxed. They repeatedly thanked the Special Service Office for responding so quickly. Kang Yan held his head high. He reassured and placated everyone, feeling very pleased. Most of the dejectedness in his heart finally disappeared.
Although he had suffered a big loss, he had also gained a lot of unearned credit. Not only did he subdue an out-of-control superpowered being but he also rescued an entire boatload of passengers. When he returns to the office, he would get first class achievement at the very least.
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Since the protagonist had come to fight the superpowered being, under the presence of his protagonist's halo, no matter how he fights, there was sure to be no unexpected incidences.
Lu Deng nodded slightly but an inexplicably uneasiness still remained in his heart. His eyes turned towards the silent cockpit and he squeezed Gu Ting's arm tightly.
It was too quiet.
Such a stigmatic lost control in such a narrow cockpit and two explosions caused by his power overflowing occurred in succession. And yet there was no reaction at all from the cockpit. There was only one possibility.
Noticing his tension, Gu Ting tensed his arms. He lowered his head and was about to speak but a green vine wrapped tightly around his body.
The next moment, the ship shook violently.
Because of the suddenness, many people found themselves unsteady on their feet. Those with fast brains already had a vague hunch. Kang Yan's once smug face changed drastically. He staggered a few times before being hurriedly supported by his subordinate: "Section head–"
Kang Yan didn't respond. His original smug smile disappeared. The expression on his face grew frighteningly dark. He looked at the backs of Fang Yi and the superpowered being, still in the middle of their fight.
The cockpit had exploded, but no one came out. There was only one possibility.
The people inside were all dead.
Sightseeing ships were designed like retro-style boats. Seeing a ship captain driving it was also a sightseeing event. It was difficult for ordinary people to master. If the main computer used for auto-piloting was still intact, it wouldn't matter. But the violent shaking just now undoubtedly meant that not only was the main computer damaged, but also that there were problems with the energy supply and cockpit equipment.
Before long, this sightseeing ship will be in imminent danger of a crash.
"Can anyone drive a sightseeing ship? Quickly step up!"
Kang Yan said in a deep voice only to be met with silence.
His subordinates were mainly responsible for monitoring and investigations. There were few opportunities for them to actually be dispatched to perform tasks. He even needed Fang Yi to come accompany him for protection. They were even less capable of piloting a retro-style sightseeing ship.
The sightseeing ship was still shaking and it was about to fall down. The crowd was unsteady on their feet. The sky was dark and for a while, there was no time for them attend to anything else. The cries instantly spread everywhere.
This sightseeing ship weighed ten tons and was at a high altitude. If it crashed like this, it would be impossible even for a stigmatic to survive.
If he pilots the patrol boat to leave now, he could still avoid being caught in the current from the crash of the sightseeing ship. It would be easy to get his subordinates to seal their lips about this. As long as Fang Yi dies here, no one would know that he had escaped by abandoning his duty.
Looking around vigilantly, Kang Yan's heart beat fiercely and he slowly retreated backwards.
"Don't panic! The Special Service Office will protect everyone, please trust us!"
Having already killed the out-of-control being with a single blow, Fang Yi gripped the ship's side to stabilize his footing. He said loudly, "We have a patrol boat and can take everyone away——"
Although the patrol boat couldn't hold that many people, each person they manage to get off the ship was that many people saved. As long as Kang Yan and others from the office stay on the sightseeing ship, they could at least get the children off the ship.
At this time, even the feeblest hope was necessary. Fang Yi propped up his body and was about to search for Kang Yan, who was lost in the crowd, when he saw the patrol boat with blinking red lights already soaring into the air, desperately fleeing into the distance.
Someone immediately discovered the whereabouts of the patrol boat. Strong fear and anger instantly ignited the crowd, wave after wave of cursing came rising up.
Kang Yan stood by the window, looking at the desperate crowd below, his face turning even paler.
It would be too late if he didn't run now.
The sightseeing ship was falling fast and soon, it will crash. The closer you were to the ground, the harder it was to avoid the turbulence and staying on it was certain death.
Once his desertion was verified, he will be dismissed by the Special Service Office and his ability will be extinguished. He has made too many enemies. If he was truly punished, there would be people who will take the opportunity hit him while he's down, making his life worse than death.
But if he didn't escape, it was likely that he would die here.
With such a large-scale explosion, even a vampire wouldn't survive. As long as the report stated that there had been no time for a rescue, no one would know that he had made his escape from here.
Even if there were people who survive by some fluke, they would definitely only be a few. As long as they made allegations by themselves, with no direct evidence, there would sure to be room for maneuver…
After consoling himself repeatedly, Kang Yan took a deep breath. His eyes revealed calmness instead.
"Section head!"
Suddenly there was an exclamation from his subordinates beside him. Kang Yan's heart jumped, he immediately looked over, and his eyes suddenly narrowed and froze.
The communicator, which had been broken for some reason, was automatically repaired who knows when. It recorded everything he did and was uploading it to headquarters.
Kang Yan's face turned suddenly turned deathly pale. He grabbed the gun from his subordinates and desperately pulled the trigger. The screen burst into blue smoke and turned back to pitch black.
"Section head!"
His subordinates were frightened by him and hurriedly tried to stop him. But Kang Yan's arms suddenly lost control. He struggled to move but he his arms were still forcibly placed behind him bit by bit. The wrist communicator clicked and the handcuffs made of special alloy had already handcuffed him firmly.
A fierce pain went up along his arm and the electric current hit his power core, ruthlessly shaking it. His spiritual sea immediately and irreversibly dissipated.
Kang Yan eyes turned empty and he tumbled to a sit.
*
The sightseeing ship has begun to shake violently.
"Host, if the plot line is allowed to develop, only the protagonist can escape by some fluke with the protagonist's halo. He will then go back and help us clean up that bastard!"
The system had just transmitted evidence of Kang Yan's of wrongdoing as Lu Deng instructed. It was not the least bit reconciled to leaving now. The mechanical sound continued during a break in the whistling wind. It seemed particularly anxious.
"The main line of "Killing the Out of Control Super-powered Being" has been completed. Will we take back the "Rescue the Passengers on the Boat" coolness point? It's only worth two thousand experience points! I still have enough! "
"I'll do it."
One hour of pain shielding has passed. Lu Deng cherished words like gold. He puts his cold palm on Gu Ting's wrist, holding it firmly, "I need strength… Is there a way?"
Translator's note:
I've been using the word stigmata for this entire story and I didn't explain clearly. Stigmata in Chinese literally means sacred scar. Based on the first chapter of this arc, in this story, more than being the actual stigmata which are crucifixion scars that should appear on hands, wrists and feet, this 'scared scar' is a scar in the shape of a cross that appears anywhere on a person's body.