"I'm not the president, I'm the acting president," Jian Liu said.
The youth's deep eyes were as calm as a stagnant well.
He was speaking to A-Ning beside him, yet his gaze remained fixed on a spot not far away.
Members of the Eye Association were gathered at the entrance of the security booth, all appearing at a loss. A blue-haired girl stood before them all, her face set with firm determination.
"Miss, we are members of the Eye Association. Do you see this uniform? Obstructing the association's official business is a violation of regulations," an Eye Association member explained patiently.
Tang Xin was the focus of everyone's attention. She couldn't afford to worry about her composure. Recalling the golden-haired girl's previous state, her mind raced.
"Where... where is your investigation warrant?"
She had never done anything out of line in her life, let alone imagined that one day she would stand in opposition to a group of security personnel.
Her face felt hot. Due to nervousness, her voice trembled slightly.
"Even as members of the Eye Association, you must abide by Article 61 of the Starry Movement Public Security Act in the Star of Art. Forcing entry into someone else's residence without an investigation warrant is a violation!"
"I have the right to refuse your entry for investigation. If you insist on forcing your way in, I—I will resist!"
"Ah, well."
The association members were quite helpless. They had rushed over immediately after the incident occurred and naturally hadn't had the spare time to consider such matters, although they usually never carried investigation warrants anyway.
"Why are we still wasting words with her?"
One association member frowned and stepped forward, intending to pull the girl away by force. Unexpectedly, a water barrier formed around Tang Xin. Gentle yet vibrant water elements rapidly condensed in the air, light and mysterious, erupting with powerful force. A vortex-like current sent the association member flying, leaving him reeling after slamming into a wall.
"I—I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!" Tang Xin's voice grew smaller and smaller. "I didn't mean to..."
The companion beside that association member was dumbfounded. Before he could speak, another water vortex sent him flying as well.
"Wait, sister, calm down!"
Seeing the surging water ripples in Tang Xin's palms aimed at them, the remaining association members hurriedly waved their hands in surrender.
The scene was a mix of chaos and absurdity. A-Ning, watching from the side, couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"This is quite interesting."
Jian Liu stroked his chin. "Don't you think this scene looks like a mother duck protecting the ducklings behind her? Straining to spread her full wings to make herself look big, hoping to scare others away."
"But she looks quite young," A-Ning remarked, stunned.
Jian Liu sighed helplessly. "It's just a metaphor, I'm not saying she's actually a mother."
"I see." A-Ning's mouth hung open in an 'O' shape. "Then could the 'child' she's protecting be that urban eldritch creature? This is the only room in the entire building that hasn't been searched."
"And looking at the data from the device, that urban eldritch creature is right nearby," A-Ning added.
He held up the metallic, ring-like monitoring device. The contamination index on its electronic screen was several times higher than normal.
"Protecting an urban eldritch creature... in my experience, only those out-of-control ones whose minds are severely distorted and contaminated—whose appearances have even undergone mutation—would do such a thing. Their minds have long since collapsed, leaving them unable to think normally. Who knows what the world looks like in their eyes? Maybe they really do see urban eldritch creatures as their own children."
"Do the people here call those who have completely lost control 'the depleted'?"
"She doesn't look like one of the depleted, at least not on the outside," A-Ning said.
Jian Liu's gaze was calm. "Just watch."
"That's enough of this farce."
Just as everyone was at a standoff, a sharp, heroic shout came from the corridor, followed by a heavy, intimidating aura.
Tang Xin turned her head. A black-haired investigator in white clothes approached. Upon seeing the three-winged badge on the woman's shoulder, her heart skipped a beat.
Was the other party a three-winged investigator?
What should she do now?
Openly opposing a three-winged investigator would get her thrown in prison, wouldn't it?
Should she hand over Yuzu? No, no, no, absolutely not!
If she gave it her all, could she last two moves against her? Tang Xin didn't even notice her thoughts were veering into dangerous territory.
Was she going to live the life of a fugitive from now on?
Amidst her thoughts, Bai Nian'an had already walked up to her, her tone cold.
"Step aside now, and I can act as if what happened before never occurred."
'What do I do, what do I do? Little Blue Bird, think of something!'
At that moment, a familiar but weak voice came from behind her.
"It's okay, Tang Xin."
"Yuzu?"
She turned around and was slightly dazed upon seeing Xu Xiaoyou's current state. The golden-haired girl looked no different from normal, aside from being a bit pale and sounding weak. It was as if the out-of-control appearance from just a moment ago had been a mere hallucination.
"It's fine," Xu Xiaoyou said.
Tang Xin stood there in a daze as the association members and Bai Nian'an entered the room.
The moment she saw Bai Nian'an, Xu Xiaoyou admitted she felt an impulse to turn and run.
But after observing the other woman carefully, she was certain that this wasn't the black-haired girl from her memories.
Though their appearances were very similar—their build and face shape seemed to come from the same mold—Bai Youyou's eyes were like clear, bright red gems, while this investigator's eyes were closer to steady, reserved red agate. There were also subtle differences in their temperaments.
"Hmm?"
Upon seeing Xu Xiaoyou clearly, Bai Nian'an felt a surge of doubt.
Although the aura of an urban eldritch creature still lingered on the girl, the feeling wasn't strong. Moreover, she seemed to be maintaining her sanity. She had never heard of an urban eldritch creature being capable of rational thought.
No matter how much an urban eldritch creature resembled a normal person—whether they were born from human mental fantasies or were ordinary people whose memes had been contaminated—they were, in the end, lifeforms governed by primal desires and distorted traits.
Everyone's gaze was now fixed on Xu Xiaoyou as she walked out.
One had to remember that they had just detected the psychic waves of a disaster-level urban eldritch creature.
This seemingly ordinary golden-haired girl was an unstable bomb. If she went on a rampage, the vast majority of people in this building, and even the entire street, would perish here.
Many association members even directly summoned their mimicry weapons—guns, swords, bows, knives, and so on—all standing ready. The smell of gunpowder in the air was so thick it was almost tangible, as if a single spark would ignite the oppressive atmosphere!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xu Xiaoyou did something that caught them all by surprise. She expressionlessly raised both hands.
"Yes, I was just attacked."
Rate on N.U.
