"Damn it! You didn't manage to gather even a shred of the virus."
Inside a laboratory, Li Xiaochou said, completely losing his composure. He had finally sensed signs of the virus mutating and sent Lengxue to check it out, only for Lengxue to arrive and find nothing but a few puddles of green slime and some severed limbs.
"Boss Li, this isn't my fault. When I got there, that good-for-nothing had already been blown to pieces," Lengxue stammered awkwardly. His small dark sunglasses were completely gone now, replaced by his naturally shifty, rat-like eyes.
"Forget it. There are plenty of infected people anyway. Go look for them immediately, and the moment the virus mutates, collect it at once. There's zero room for leniency." Knowing this wasn't something to rush, Li Xiaochou forced down his anger, waved a hand, and dismissed Lengxue.
"Right, I'm going right now. I'm going right now." Lengxue hurried off without a moment's rest. Suddenly, a wave of heart-pounding dread washed over him. It might have been the nano-chip in his brain acting up, but he still felt an instinctive terror.
Lengxue's previous profession had been that of an assassin, or rather, an arsonist. He called himself the Cold-Blooded Bomber, but the things he pulled were utterly heinous, monstrous deeds. Duanmu Yan's father had died at his hands.
***
"Duanmu, you don't need to take it to heart. After all, that fellow's crimes have now been completely brought to light, and besides, he's already dead." Seeing that Duanmu Yan was still somewhat dazed, Officer Shi patted him on the shoulder and said consolingly.
"I..." Duanmu Yan remained silent. Not only had he failed to find a job this time, but even though he had turned into an Armor Hero, he had indirectly caused a man's death. It left a heavy, painful weight in his chest.
"I'm fine, I'm just a little tired," Duanmu Yan insisted, putting up a stubborn front. But the exhaustion in his eyes was plain for anyone to see—the exhaustion of someone who had just had their worldview shattered.
After Officer Shi gave his shoulder one last reassuring pat, Duanmu Yan climbed onto his moped and took Ma Lingling to her home.
"Mom! Who is he?"
As soon as Ma Lingling stepped into the house, she spotted a man dripping in gold and silver, looking for all the world like a nouveau riche. Sister Feng was chatting and laughing with him, and the man was even sheepishly scratching the back of his head with a silly grin.
"Mom, could you possibly..." Ma Lingling's clever brain started whirring, but this time she had guessed completely wrong.
"What nonsense is running through that bratty head of yours? This is Uncle Xiao." Tan Fengqin was far too sharp; she instantly guessed what kind of filth was brewing in her silly girl's mind and flicked her forcefully on the forehead with a finger-flick technique. The man rubbed his head awkwardly. He really had liked Tan Fengqin back in the day, but ever since she got married, those thoughts had long since faded. Besides, he was married too! And...
"You must be Lingling. I even saw you when you were little," Xiao Guocheng said awkwardly. He really had seen her when Ma Lingling was a child, and for a period, Kuohai had even been under his care.
"You're that Uncle Xiao with the slicked-back hair?" Ma Lingling looked at Xiao Guocheng—who looked considerably older than the man in her memories—and asked somewhat awkwardly. Because she had been very mischievous as a child, often making trouble alongside Kuohai. One time when Xiao Guocheng came over, he had worn a slicked-back hairstyle; he had been very young back then, and quite handsome.
"It's me," Xiao Guocheng replied with a smile.
"And this is?" At that moment, Tan Fengqin noticed Duanmu Yan standing nearby with an awkward look on his face.
"Mom, this is Duanmu Yan. He's Uncle Duanmu Gushang's son," Ma Lingling introduced him warmly. When Tan Fengqin heard that, she suddenly remembered that Duanmu Gushang indeed had a son, though she had heard he was rather wayward and undisciplined. Right now, however, the young man looked quite decent.
"Oh, you're the Duanmu boy. You've grown up in the blink of an eye. I even held you when you were little," Tan Fengqin said with a smile. That statement was a bit of a stretch, because while she had indeed seen Duanmu Yan back then, the boy had been tiny and she hadn't actually held him; but under the circumstances, saying it was just the polite thing to do.
"Hello..." Duanmu said awkwardly. He remembered that when he was little, his father was often away, and this aunt would make ramen for him. As for her personality, well...
To put it bluntly, she had a fiery temper.
"So what brings you here today?" Xiao Guocheng asked, looking at Duanmu Yan in some surprise. To be honest, the young man had a decent build, but one look told you he spent way too much time at internet cafes—his dark circles were massive.
"Here's the thing, Mom. Isn't our Happy Diner about to open? You can't possibly manage everything all by yourself. Why don't you let Duanmu learn how to make ramen too? At least it keeps the business in the family instead of going to outsiders." After a brief brainstorming session, Ma Lingling arrived at this flawless conclusion. She figured that if things went this way, Duanmu definitely wouldn't starve, and she'd have a great excuse to spend time interacting with him since their families were already...
"Is that so... Alright then." Tan Fengqin rubbed her chin, glanced over at Duanmu Yan, and slowly nodded.
"Well, since today calls for a celebration, why don't we—" Xiao Guocheng's eyes lit up at that moment, but his bodyguard grabbed his arm in a flash.
"Brother Cheng, there's still a meeting tonight. If we start drinking here, we might be late," the bodyguard cautioned quietly. After all, back when this big boss was stepping down from the underworld, his hands hadn't exactly been clean, and these two bodyguards were the only ones left by his side.
"Nosy! Never mind. You guys keep chatting, I've got some business to take care of." Glaring back at the two men, Xiao Guocheng offered an awkward smile, stood up, and left.
"Tell me, uh, do you have a place to stay?" Sister Feng turned back to look at Duanmu Yan and asked rather awkwardly.
"Uh, yes," Duanmu Yan admitted, feeling a bit awkward since he wasn't quite sure how much longer Uncle Vasak would let him stay there.
"Well then, come here every day at 6:00 AM and get off at 8:00 PM. How does that sound? All three meals included," Tan Fengqin thought for a moment before speaking.
"That works. Thank you, ma'am." Duanmu Yan gave a polite bow and prepared to leave, knowing there was no way he could start learning today anyway.
"Tomorrow morning you'd better come a bit earlier. After all, I still need to show you the equipment and things," Sister Feng said, standing with her hands clasped behind her back in a grand master's posture.
"Got it. Then... thank you, Aunt Feng." Duanmu Yan rubbed the back of his head, gave a shy smile, and mounted his moped to leave. As he stepped out the front door, he originally intended to return the summoner to Ma Lingling, but she waved her hand and told him to keep it with him for now.
Duanmu Yan didn't refuse. He simply tucked it away, hopped on his bike, and rode off, his mood still somewhat heavy.
After Duanmu Yan left, a man in a high-end suit riding a luxury motorcycle took off his helmet. He watched Duanmu Yan's moped fade into the distance, glanced once more at the entrance of Happy Diner, smiled helplessly, and walked inside.
"Huh? Big Brother?"
Seeing the man walk in, Ma Lingling was just about to say "welcome," only to realize it was her eldest brother. She sprinted forward and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Lingling." Ma Qingshan sighed helplessly as he opened his arms to embrace his rushing sister.
They had completely spoiled this younger sister of theirs. Whenever this girl got into trouble, Kuohai was always the one to take the fall, while Ma Qingshan cleaned up the mess afterward. As for getting scolded, more often than not, the two brothers just stood side by side in front of their father to take the lecture together. This girl could be said to be the apple of the entire company's eye; over the years, any clueless young men who had set their sights on her either suddenly found their families facing unexpected trouble or saw their own companies go bankrupt overnight.
Although Ma Tian rarely inquired about Ma Lingling's daily life, whenever she caused a scene, the very first person he blamed was always the other party, never his own daughter. *My old man's little princess can never do anything wrong; the ones at fault are always you bunch of roughnecks.*
"Mom." Ma Qingshan offered a helpless smile as Tan Fengqin walked out. The friction between his mother and father had simply grown too severe over the years.
His father was constantly away from home on company business, and whenever his various aunts and uncles came over to make trouble, it was his mother who handled them. As for the task of raising the children, truth be told, his mother bore the lion's share of it. As for why Kuohai had gone abroad, it was simply because the boy was too old to manage anymore, leaving Ma Tian with no choice but to pack him off overseas to do as he pleased.
"Qingshan, did you come here today to help your mother out?" Tan Fengqin asked, placing her hands on her hips and glaring playfully at her eldest son. Of course, she was just venting; she knew very well that her eldest son was destined to inherit his father's empire. Already, 40 percent of the massive company's board had agreed to let Ma Qingshan take over as successor, while a portion of the remaining 60 percent was merely Ma Tian's way of putting him through a preliminary test.
"Soon, Mom. Once I wrap things up over at Dad's company, I'll come help you out," Ma Qingshan said awkwardly. He was well aware his mother was only teasing, but the situation at his father's company... the Chrisis Virus...
"Always the same. Let me tell you, you need to watch your step. There aren't many good people around your father—take that Lizi and that Li Xiaochou for example."
In truth, another reason Sister Feng had moved out was that she sensed there were always strange characters lingering around Ma Tian. Her woman's intuition told her these people were no good and definitely harbored ulterior motives toward Ma Tian. Yet Ma Tian always brushed it off, claiming he was fine, everything was fine, and that it was merely business matters that women had no business meddling in—she should just focus on running the household. It was this constant brush-off that had finally driven Sister Feng out in a rage.
"Yeah, I... I'll be careful," Qingshan replied, rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed flush, feeling genuinely sheepish.
"Right, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Mom will boil a bowl of noodles for you, they'll be ready in a minute." Seeing Ma Qingshan's awkward expression, Sister Feng suddenly remembered that her eldest son probably hadn't eaten at this hour, and hurried off to the kitchen to cook.
"Lingling, do you still have the summoner?" Once their mother had gone to cook, Qingshan and his sister quickly found a place to sit down. That was when Ma Qingshan brought up the matter of the summoner.
"About that..." Ma Lingling squirmed awkwardly, remembering how she had just completely entrusted the summoner to Duanmu Yan.
"You, oh you! The summoner is company property; you can't just casually hand it over to some random person! Who was that guy?" Ma Qingshan demanded, his tone exasperated. The issue of the summoner carried far too much weight.
"He's... he's a friend of mine," Ma Lingling stammered, her cheeks blushing slightly as she recalled Duanmu Yan mercilessly thrashing the Luxor.
To Ma Qingshan, that scene made the sky feel as though it were crashing down. There was no way his precious little cabbage, which he had guarded for all these years, was about to be stolen by some pig, right? No way. He had to launch a secret investigation. At the very least, he needed to find out what background that punk had. If he turned out to be some good-for-nothing from a rival company with hidden intentions, or some yellow-haired punk riding a loud motorcycle, once he found out, he'd make sure the kid learned that his years of boxing training weren't just for show.
"Fine, let's drop the summoner issue for now. How have you been lately?" Ma Qingshan collected himself, forcing down the turbulent emotions surging in his chest. He quickly changed the subject because he was afraid he'd completely snap and demand to know who the punk was, where he lived, and what his background was. *Forget it, I'll just have him brought over here so I can spar with him for a few rounds.*
"Nothing much, I feel great," Ma Lingling answered cluelessly. What she didn't know, however, was that the virus inside her eldest brother was already beginning to activate. Due to his inherent personality traits and slight physiological differences, he was being infected at a rapid pace.
"What are you two chatting about? Hurry up and come eat your noodles." Seeing her children conversing, Tan Fengqin urged them over to the kitchen to fetch the bowls.
"Coming!" Ma Lingling chirped cheerfully, springing to her feet to help carry the noodles.
"Coming," Ma Qingshan muttered with a solemn expression, standing up with a contemplative look on his face as he headed toward the kitchen.
***
"Chairman Ma, the collection of the virus has officially begun. Our grand enterprise will soon be a reality." Holding a folding fan to cover his mouth, Li Xiaochou watched Ma Tian admire one of his paintings, his eyes glinting with a sinister light.
"The virus? In the end, isn't it just a tool for me to make money? You biochemical guys are all far too narrow-minded," Ma Tian finished admiring his painting, spun around, and declared with an air of arrogance.
"Money and a commercial empire are the only things that are eternal! Only money can pave the widest boulevard and achieve the grandest hegemony!" Ma Tian said, clasping his hands behind his back. However, he failed to notice the subtle shift in Li Xiaochou's gaze behind him. This Ma Tian in front of him might actually be useful—he was miles better than that rigid, inflexible Duanmu Gushang.
"Chairman Ma, controlling an empire through commerce and money is naturally wonderful, but don't you think it would be even faster if we first controlled people with the virus and then transferred the money straight from their hands?" Li Xiaochou smiled again, though the words he spoke carried a bone-chilling coldness.
"Vaccines? Viruses? Just how much murky water is sloshing around inside that bald head of yours? You're actually capable of pulling off something like this? Oh well, go ahead and do it." Ma Tian chuckled, pointing a finger at him, yet he ultimately gave his consent. No sooner had he spoken than he was seized by a violent fit of coughing. Ever since Ke Guolong and Li Xiaochou had arrived all those years ago, these coughing spells had become a frequent occurrence, as if his body were growing weaker by the day.
"Medicine! My medicine!" Trembling, Ma Tian fished a bottle from his pocket and swallowed a pill. The green glow in his eyes gradually faded, and his coughing subsided.
Standing nearby, Li Xiaochou simply watched on, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Chairman Ma." At that moment, Lizi walked in, offered a slight bow, and observed Ma Tian's current state with an inscrutable, murky gaze.
"Where did Qingshan go?" Ma Tian asked, leaning back in his chair once the medication had made his body feel somewhat more comfortable.
"The young master went to visit the madam," Lizi promptly replied.
Hearing that, a brief flash of vitality sparked in Ma Tian's eyes, though it was quickly swallowed back down by the green glow.
"Got it." Ma Tian waved a hand. He was growing colder and more ruthless by the day, yet deep down, his attachment to family ties—including his wife—seemed to grow heavier. For some reason, Ma Tian always found himself deliberately dodging this issue. Back then, there hadn't been any real rift other than a quarrel—why had she walked out?
"Go do it! Make sure Lengxue and the others clean up properly. I don't want the people upstairs finding out we're behind this." At the mention of "the people upstairs," Ma Tian shivered involuntarily. He had once come into contact with a major figure from up there. Mere deliberate hints had made it painfully clear that those people upstairs knew his entire foundation inside and out. If they so chose, crushing his business was nothing more than a flick of the wrist; keeping him around now simply meant he hadn't crossed their bottom line yet.
"Understood." Lizi and Li Xiaochou exchanged a glance before respectfully backing out. What was going on inside his head, however, remained a mystery; after all, this fellow was a ruthless player who had stabbed Ma Tian in the back in the original story. But as for the sparks that would fly when Duanmu Yan evolved from the Duanmu Soldier into the Duanmu General—who could possibly say? (Foreshadowing)
***
Finally returning to the internet cafe, Duanmu Yan clutched the reward money he had collected from the police station and nervously sought out Uncle Vasak.
"Yo, you're back." At that moment, Vasak was holding his phone, watching classic footage of the Nawa Armor thrashing the Luxor.
"I..." Duanmu Yan pulled out the cash, wanting to pay off his internet fees and years of back rent while trying to express his gratitude. Vasak raised a hand to cut him off, looking at him with a smile.
"No need for thank-yous. After all, I've looked after you for all these years." Vasak put his phone down and observed the young man's hesitant, tongue-tied appearance.
"Tell me, what's the deal with summoning that armor? I certainly don't remember you having any special superpowers, otherwise you wouldn't have spent all these years in my little internet cafe only being able to pay your fees because I gave you a discount." Vasak asked a question to which he already knew the answer. He needed to push this kid to properly evolve; after all, the confusion on the boy's face was visible to the naked eye. Instead of wasting time being lost, he'd be much better off doing some extra training.
"I..." Looking around the spacious environment, Duanmu Yan felt rather sheepish.
"Come on then, I left a room ready for you." Glancing around the room, Vasak let out a helpless sigh. Even though he could use his own abilities to screen out these conversations, he had no desire to expose his identity this early in the game. After all, acting as the guide for the future Duanmu General was just way too cool.
As for that little ambition brewing inside Li Xiaochou or Ma Tian, let's not forget that he had someone standing behind him too. Even if he couldn't beat them himself, having the person behind him step in to press them into the dirt and beat them senseless wouldn't be a problem at all.
Upon reaching the room, they found the interior spotless, decorated in a simple, ordinary style, yet equipped with a high-end computer and complete living facilities.
"Uncle, I..." Looking at the room, even Duanmu Yan couldn't help feeling a surge of emotion.
"Don't read too much into it. I actually intended to give you a small room right from the start. This was a portion of money your old man left with me when he went out to handle his final case, telling me to help set up a place for you," Vasak said calmly. In truth, no such thing had happened; he had simply investigated and discovered that Duanmu Gushang had genuinely vanished off the face of the earth. That's right—vanished in the truest sense of the word. Under the coordinated efforts of the Cold-Blooded Bomber and his associates, Duanmu Gushang had been blown into nothingness, leaving not even a scrap behind. Vasak had even used secret arts to search for him, but the man truly no longer existed.
That left him with no alternative but to proactively communicate with this planet's energy crystal—namely, the Thunder Yatales.
The answer he received was that the Thunder Yatales could not hand over all its power to Vasak, but it could transfer a portion—in exchange for the condition that he help Duanmu Yan truly grow into a warrior capable of protecting the Earth.
"Is that really how it was?" Duanmu Yan thought with a twinge of sorrow, remembering how he used to think his father was always neglecting him, never realizing his old man had left him such a parting gift.
"Tell me, why so lacking in enthusiasm? The you I know usually rushes to fire up your favorite game the second you get some cash in your hands," Vasak said, pulling up a chair to sit across from Duanmu Yan and chat face-to-face.
"I... Uncle Wa, I—I killed someone!" Duanmu Yan buried his face in his hands, speaking in a voice full of anguish. Even after playing so many games, and even when he had personally taken down that Luxor, he hadn't felt much at the time. But once the adrenaline faded, he felt the infinite weight of sin crawling up his spine.
"Let me ask you: that fellow practically abandoned everything he was to the virus—can he still be considered human?" Vasak asked with a smile, confident that Duanmu Yan wasn't some soft-hearted saint who showed blind compassion toward monsters.
"This..." Duanmu Yan was momentarily tongue-tied. Was he still human? Probably not, right?
"If he surrendered everything to the virus and completely turned into a monster himself, wouldn't he just keep hurting other people if he wasn't eliminated?" Vasak asked with a smile.
"Remember that single-player game you loved playing the very first time you came here when you were little? The character you controlled constantly slaughtered monsters, until in the end, you turned into a monster yourself." At that moment, Vasak offered another patient example, even reaching out to tap a remote control. The computer screen lit up, displaying a shortcut shaped like a red heart.
"I... I understand." Lifting his head, Duanmu Yan's eyes were no longer clouded with confusion; instead, they burned with a steady, resolute determination.
"You don't need to carry any guilt either. After all, the news already reported it: if someone didn't already have criminal genes buried deep in their heart, it would be utterly impossible for them to turn into a Luxor." Standing up and dusting off his pants, Vasak told Duanmu Yan to get some proper rest.
"Only criminals turn into Luxors?" Lying back on the soft mattress, Duanmu Yan stared up at the ceiling. At that moment, only a single thought echoed in his mind: Luxors and Armor...
"Gurgle..." His stomach chose that exact moment to let out an uncooperative growl. Letting out a helpless smile, Duanmu Yan got up from the bed, intending to catch up with Uncle Wa and buy some snacks.
"Ah, there's instant noodles over there, go grab some yourself. I still have a business to run," Vasak said with a smile as he watched Duanmu Yan chase after him. After all, this kid was now truly on the path to becoming the Duanmu General.
After buying a bowl of instant noodles, Duanmu Yan returned to his room. Strictly speaking, this room was located right above the internet cafe; the space wasn't particularly small, and it was more than enough for him to live comfortably.
As he ate his noodles and scrolled through the news on his phone, he spotted classic footage of himself as the Armor Hero beating the monster to a pulp. However, the highway battle against the Luxor was entirely absent—presumably intercepted by higher authorities, and even in the few scattered clips that remained, his face was heavily pixelated.
"Hn, looks like I'll need to be more careful from now on. Also, this armor seems to draw heavily on my physical stamina; I only unleashed one or two finishing moves, and my body already feels exhausted," Duanmu Yan muttered to himself as he finished his noodles.
It was worth mentioning that these instant noodles were actually quite different from the ones we eat today. Because these noodles could only be replaced every five days, the noodles themselves were made from genuine dough rather than being deep-fried and compressed. After soaking in hot water, they turned as smooth and tender as freshly boiled noodles from a pot, and while the seasoning packets were simple, they were still exceptionally delicious.
"Mm, as expected, old man Li's pickled cabbage noodles are the best." After drinking down every last drop of the broth, Duanmu Yan began doing basic push-ups right there in the room. Even though he could only manage a few before breaking out into a heavy sweat, he felt a pleasant surprise. He could sense his body growing stronger; by all rights, based on the physical standards of an ordinary person who spent his life cooped up in internet cafes, his body should have been completely shot by now. Yet somehow, he was still able to knock out a few reps.
"Well, now that is a surprise." Walking back upstairs, Vasak smiled as he watched the young man working out.
"Huh? Uncle Wa?" Seeing Vasak standing before him, Duanmu Yan rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed grin and stood up.
"Move around more. Aside from these basics, I'll teach you a few moves, and you're going to practice them diligently starting tomorrow. Remember: when you're in a fight, aim straight for the enemy's fatal weak points."
"The enemy in front of you feels no pain. Their screams and cries for help are just meant to distract you, and their roars and shouts are just trash talk. Just remember that, and you'll do fine." With that, Vasak demonstrated a few modified moves from his military boxing routine. Duanmu Yan learned a great deal from this. It was safe to say that the Son of Blue Planet truly lived up to his name, with his talent maxed out right from the start.
"Phew! Uncle Wa, I'm curious—who's running things downstairs for you right now?" Under Vasak's watchful gaze, Duanmu Yan threw a few more punches, dripping with sweat, and then suddenly dropped the critical question.
"Oh, your big brother Satry came back and helped me look after the shop." Satry had once been an emperor, after all; the Netherworld Army had so many people forcibly drafted to work like beasts of burden. As for managing an internet café, it was simply because the kid was a total gaming addict in his old age.
"So Big Brother Satry is back." Duanmu Yan panted, intending to take a quick cold shower and then go straight to bed.
"Mm-hm." Vasak walked toward the doorway. He was certain that this kid Duanmu Yan was growing by leaps and bounds. As for that guy named Lengxue, he could only wish him luck.
...
In the stairwell of an alleyway, two drunkards were drinking and muttering endlessly to themselves.
"Once he loses his home, let's see what he does!"
"How dare he look down on the two of us."
"How about we go burn his house down?"
"Who asked him to look down on us?"
Meanwhile, Lengxue, wearing small sunglasses and a trench coat, caught sight of the two men and a corner of his mouth curved upward. The standard infected archetype—he really was having a lucky day.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Who do you think you are?"
The two men cursed and spat, but suddenly, strange magical arrays and black Qi began to emanate from Lengxue.
"Cruel good friends~" Lengxue teased. With that, he spirited the two away to god knows where.
Early the next morning, Duanmu Yan woke up early, did a quick warm-up session, and hopped onto his battered scooter, heading straight for the Happy House.
"To make delicious noodles, the first thing you need is heart. When boiling the noodles, pay attention to the heat, the timing, and make sure the ingredients are genuine—no cutting corners..."
Sister Feng rambled on endlessly about her understanding of ramen, while Duanmu Yan took notes with a small notepad.
"So how do you make truly delicious noodles?" Duanmu Yan felt like he was back in school as he curiously asked the question.
"Delicious ramen needs to have the flavor of happiness. That kind of flavor~ you can only imagine it, not describe it." Sister Feng took a bite of the noodles Duanmu Yan had just boiled, and a motherly smile appeared on her face as she looked at this "apprentice." He was patient, and the noodles he made on his very first try tasted pretty good either. It was simply the perfect template—and as for what kind of template, it was definitely that of a son-in-law.
"Oh~" Duanmu Yan jotted this down. He learned very quickly, and soon cooked up a patient batch of his own, serving it to a customer to taste. The customer praised it endlessly after trying, remarking that it had all the skill of the lady boss herself.
"Hehe~" Duanmu Yan scratched his head shyly. Anyone who saw him would say he was a good, shy, and modest kid.
When it was time to knock off for lunch, Ma Lingling invited Duanmu Yan to go see a movie with her.
"A movie..." Duanmu Yan wiped down the counter, somewhat reluctant to go since he had only just found a job today. But then he thought about it—this was the boss's daughter, so going along probably wouldn't hurt.
"Oh come on, let's go." Ma Lingling shoved Duanmu Yan onto his scooter, and the two sped off toward the nearby theater. Only, when they arrived, they stood somewhat numbly at the sight of the cinema, which had already been reduced to ruins.
"Lingling, are you possessed by Conan or something?" Looking at the ruined cinema, Duanmu let out a powerless grumble. Xiao Wei had been like that last time, and now the theater was the same way.
"Oh, Officer Shi?" Officer Shi was angrily finishing a call with his superior when he shot an irritated glare at Duanmu Yan and Ma Lingling.
"Why are you two here?" Officer Shi's assistant, Xiaomi—the very same person who had taken their statement yesterday—looked at them curiously. When he caught sight of the movie tickets in Ma Lingling's hand, he awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"The old fool is just losing his mind! He's got some relative connected to this place, so he's making us reinvestigate!" Officer Shi grumbled irritably. He had honestly wanted to beat the tar out of his superior just now; back when he first started out in the police force, he had been full of high spirits.
"There, there, Boss, calm down. Calm down," Xiaomi said helplessly. He had barely survived the hellish training of Instructor Wu, only to find that his own boss actually wanted to reopen the case, which pissed him off too. But the man in front of him had a notoriously fiery temper; if he wasn't properly placated, there was a very real chance he'd actually go through with beating up his boss.
"I've never seen such a person in my life!" Officer Shi pulled on his trench coat in exasperation.
"So what on earth happened?" Duanmu Yan asked curiously at this point.
"Actually, it's like this. There was an arson case just yesterday, and the suspect hasn't been caught yet. Then this case happened right after. Clearly, the victim of this case—the owner—is the prime suspect, but because we had some distant relative connection to him last time, they're forcing us to investigate it all over again," Xiaomi explained helplessly.
"Hmm..." Ma Lingling rubbed her chin, looking every bit like Detective Conan.
"An arsonist..." For some reason, Duanmu Yan had a growing hunch that this might be the work of a Luxor! And that feeling was getting stronger by the second. At that moment, his peripheral vision caught sight of a shady, sneaking figure nearby.
"Stop right there!" Spotting the guy's furtive behavior—which his father's journal noted was typical of someone up to no good—Duanmu knew it meant trouble. Either the guy did it, or he knew something he shouldn't.
"Don't move! Move again and I'll shoot!" Hearing that, Officer Shi instinctively raised his gun and pointed it in that direction. The other officers quickly drew their weapons as well. For some reason, they all felt their commander's sixth sense was running a bit too strong lately.
However, the sneaky figure slowly turned his head. His eyes were suffused with a green light, and black Qi began to pour from his body as he transformed into the appearance of a Luxor.
"A Luxor?" Looking at the crocodile-headed Luxor, whose body was covered in bizarre armor and skin, the other officers instantly raised their guns. (*A crocodile Luxor! Only one person transformed originally, but here there are two.*)
"Duanmu, looks like it's your turn, kid." Officer Shi looked gravely at the Luxor. He knew very well that bullets couldn't deal much damage to this kind of creature.
"So you really did know, Officer Shi. Keep it a secret for me." Duanmu Yan unzipped his jacket. His belt was already strapped on underneath, and the key was even half-inserted.
"Transform!" A fiery magic array rose from the soles of his feet, completing the transformation in an instant.
The other officers weren't too surprised when they saw it; after all, they were the ones who had spent ages censoring those viral videos with mosaics, even if most of the work was done by tech staff and "human calculators" up top.
"Looks like we've already found one of the masterminds behind the arson." Seeing the guy's intent to flee, Duanmu Yan narrowed his eyes beneath his mask. This fellow ought to have an accomplice.
"Don't even think about running." Duanmu Yan closed the distance rapidly. He could clearly feel the results of yesterday's training as he threw two punches straight into the Luxor's temples.
*Black Tiger Afo: Twin Gusts Strike!*
"It wasn't me..." The crocodile Luxor staggered from the blow, hastily retreating and clutching his head as he stared in disbelief at the Armor in front of him.
"Shut your trap! Do you choose to drop to your knees and beg for mercy now so I can blast away your virus and ship you to prison, or should I finish you right here and now?" Duanmu Yan's eyes beneath the mask were fierce. He had completely resolved to kill this bastard; Officer Shi hadn't mentioned it earlier, but he had also sensed some scorched clothing lingering inside that fire.
"It wasn't..." The crocodile Luxor—which was none other than Wang Tian from the fired duo—tried to stammer out a defense.
"Are you going to admit if you two did this or not?" Pointing toward the ruins, Duanmu Yan demanded angrily.
"So what if we did?! That fat bastard dared to fire the two of us, so he deserved to die! This boss was connected to him, so he deserved to die too! You guys looked down on us, so you deserve to die as well!" Inside the Luxor, Wang Tian had completely lost his sanity as he screamed in rage.
"As expected, your evil heart hasn't died! Do you have any idea how many people you hurt with this fire? You show not a shred of remorse, and you still refuse to drop your form and let me smash you? Then go straight to hell and repent!" By now, Duanmu Yan's fury was thoroughly ignited. He was normally a good-natured person, but encountering scum like this made his anger impossible to suppress.
"Molten Scale Blade!"
Duanmu Yan closed in swiftly, summoning his signature weapon mid-stride and drawing the blade. The weapon materialized in his hand without a moment's hesitation as he executed a swift, slashing stroke.
"I'll make you pay in blood! Triple Fierce Flame Slash!"
Flames erupted in his hand, enveloping the blade. The Molten Scale Blade was instantly enchanted, enabling him to unleash the devastating Fierce Flame Slash. Without a second thought, Duanmu Yan delivered three consecutive strikes directly to the crocodile Luxor's neck, abdomen, and chest.
In the crocodile Luxor's green eyes, disbelief flared. Why wasn't this guy showing any mercy at all? Could it be because he hadn't reverted to his human form? Whatever, let's try changing back.
"Wait, I know I was wrong! Spare my life, I don't want to die!" The crocodile Luxor reverted to Wang Tian's appearance, dropping to his knees with a repentant expression. However, Officer Shi behind them glanced around, switched off his body camera, drew his pistol, and shot him dead on the spot.
Xiaomi and the surrounding officers stared at their captain in utter bewilderment.
"If laying down the butcher's knife could make you a Buddha, what would we even need laws for?" Officer Shi said calmly. His own instructor used to tell him that exact phrase back during his training days.
"Right—if dropping the knife makes you a Buddha, that's way too slow. Better let me send you straight to the Western Paradise to meet Buddha right now." Seeing the prompt indicating that his weapon's finisher energy was fully charged, Duanmu Yan sneered.
Wang Tian stared blankly at the bullet fired by Officer Shi and then at the orange-red Armor in front of him. In sheer disbelief, he cast one last look between them.
"I won't give you a chance to let the virus mutate, don't worry. My blade is fast," Duanmu Yan said coldly, channeling his power completely into the edge of the blade.
"Molten Flame Demon Splitting Slash!" Duanmu Yan shouted the attack name, bringing his blade down for the strike. But right at that moment, a blue-and-gold armored figure abruptly appeared out of nowhere. The armor was intricately designed with a sci-fi aesthetic, and the head featured a helmet-like cranium adorned with feather-like decorations and piercing blue eyes. This strange figure blocked the blow.
"What?" Everyone present was stunned. They hadn't expected this fellow's accomplice to be able to take a finisher blow head-on.
Even more shocking was that the armored figure turned around and slashed twice at the crocodile Luxor instead, cursing as he did so:
"Useless trash, couldn't even mutate from that."
"Well, well, Curious Baby—are you hoping to share your old man's fate?" Looking at Duanmu Yan before him, the armored figure chuckled tauntingly. That's right—this very guy was Lengxue Biake, one of the masterminds who had murdered Duanmu Yan's father.
"So my old man's death really *is* connected to you bastards!" Duanmu Yan's fury flared even brighter, and his blade flashed as he hacked fiercely, blow after blow.
Lengxue still carried some weight in the early stages; he dodged swiftly while offering mocking remarks. Yet, beneath his calm exterior, his heart was in turmoil. How could this kid's combat strength grow so fast? Wasn't this only his second day summoning the Armor?
"Don't rush, Curious Baby! We've got plenty of time to play! You can take your sweet time beating up that Luxor." Finish his sentence, Lengxue prepared to counterattack, but to his surprise, Duanmu Yan's non-blade hand balled into a tight fist and punched him squarely in the stomach.
"Ugh! You little bastard fight dirty." Lengxue clutched his stomach, staggered back a few steps, and glared coldly at Duanmu Yan.
"Molten Scale Fang!" Shifting the blade to his left hand, Duanmu Yan's right hand was suddenly engulfed in flames as a qilin-headed gauntlet materialized over it. (*Refers to the gauntlet used by Red from Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger, though this one cannot separate and can only open up to unleash a powerful hand cannon.*)
"Everyone, fall back!" Duanmu Yan ordered the crowd to retreat; he was going to have a genuine, one-on-one showdown with this guy.
"Useless trash, get lost!" Lengxue kicked Wang Tian flying, then stared coldly at Duanmu Yan. He knew there was no escaping a fight today; this kid didn't seem so easy to deal with after all.