"...A Mythical-tier Anomaly?" Ji Minghuan muttered, unable to stop his brows from rising.
The Tutor spoke slowly, "Exactly. A Mythical-tier Anomaly is the rarest category of Wonder in the world... This also means he can directly share in the power of deities."
He paused. "Next time I come over, I will chat with you about this child. You two will meet sooner or later anyway. Just like Filio, he also needs a friend."
"You can't tell me now?" Ji Minghuan frowned. "You do this every time. You leave people in suspense and just run off."
The Tutor smiled. "Aren't you about to rest? You should go to sleep now... Goodnight."
With that, the Tutor headed toward the exit without looking back. The lights went out, and the entire confinement room slowly plunged into darkness.
Ji Minghuan curled his lips, sitting in the dark and deep in thought as he watched the Tutor's retreating back.
He still remembered what the Tutor had told him before: 'Mythical-tier' was the absolute highest rank among Anecdote Fragments, and its birth was directly linked to the myths and legends of various regions.
For example: the Monkey King Sun Wukong, Zeus, King of the Gods, Hades, King of the Underworld, Orochi, Izanagi...
If back then, upon hearing the Tutor mention these unfamiliar concepts, Ji Minghuan's brain could not quite comprehend how powerful these things were, he now had a suitable point of reference.
That was Li Qingping, his best friend, who also doubled as the renowned vice-captain of the Royal Court Squad within the Whalegarden.
On the character panel Ji Minghuan had scanned using Restraining Band Detection, it showed that Li Qingping's 'Red Dragon Wales' was a Generational-tier Anecdote Fragment.
Meanwhile, the child locked up in the Salvation Society possessed a Mythical-tier Anomaly Fragment, which was a full rank above the Generational-tier.
Since Li Qingping's various attributes were on par with Ghost Bell, he possessed at least Near-Calamity Tier strength. If that was the case... a wielder of a Mythical-tier Anomaly would possess, at the very, very least, Calamity-Tier strength.
Perhaps even far beyond that...
After all, the Tutor had said that if Ji Minghuan had never been born into this world, the strongest human alive would be an Anecdote Envoy possessing a Mythical-tier Anomaly.
Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan could not help but sigh. He felt that the difficulty of breaching the Salvation Society's defenses had just skyrocketed.
'If this Mythical-tier Anomaly wielder has already been successfully brainwashed like Filio, then when I bring people from the outside to attack, wouldn't crossing their defensive line be as difficult as clearing Dark Souls with only one life?'
He felt like he was being completely fooled by the Tutor. His understanding of this organization known as the Salvation Society was entirely shrouded in fog. No matter what he did, he could not grasp or touch its true nature...
First, the Tutor told him that his parents used to be members of the Salvation Society, and then he casually dropped the bombshell that a wielder of a Mythical-tier Anomaly was locked away in their base?
If this was true, just how powerful was this Salvation Society?
Perhaps... no organization in the world could compare to them. If one day this group from the Salvation Society suddenly changed their minds and no longer wanted to save the world, but instead wished to destroy it, it would merely be a matter of time.
Who could possibly stop these monsters cultivated within their laboratories?
'If my parents really were members of the Salvation Society, did they realize something was wrong with this organization, and that is why they vanished without a trace for so many years?'
Ji Minghuan pondered for a long time, his thoughts drifting back to that stormy night. He remembered being locked inside the bedroom wardrobe, trembling as he listened to the thunder outside, waiting in the darkness for his parents to return.
As a four-year-old, he had curled up in that wardrobe, lying there for an entire day and night. Finally, when the hunger became absolutely unbearable, he pushed the doors open, stumbled out of the house, and staggered onto the streets.
A neighbor had found him and given him some food. Shortly after that, he was sent to the orphanage.
For some unknown reason, the police never tried to search for his parents from start to finish. Only later did he realize it was highly likely that even his admission to the orphanage had been secretly arranged by his parents.
"What a messed-up world..." Ji Minghuan laughed self-deprecatingly. He pushed himself up from the chair and slowly made his way over to the bed.
Tilting his body, he collapsed onto the soft mattress and closed his eyes. Synchronizing his consciousness with Gu Wenyu, he glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was only three in the morning over here in Tokyo.
So, he used his mobile phone to set an alarm clock for five o'clock in the morning, Japan time, before going back to sleep for another two hours.
"Ring-ring-ring—" When the alarm chimed, Ji Minghuan opened his bloodshot eyes, let out a yawn, and uttered his first auspicious words of the morning:
"Just let me die..."
Then, he closed his eyes again and sat up from the bed, moving as stiffly and slowly as a robot.
A fifty-foot-long restraining band shot out from his sleeve, fetching his cup and toothbrush from the bathroom. It zipped back to the large hotel bed and began brushing the teeth of the drooping Ji Minghuan.
Another restraining band brought over a wet wool towel and wiped his face for him.
Finally, the restraining bands returned the toiletries to the bathroom before pressing against the front and rear walls of the room. They helped Ji Minghuan check on the movements of Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuo'an: the father and son's hotel rooms were still empty, without a single soul in sight.
It seemed the two of them had not returned to the hotel last night.
Even with his personal guards helping him wash up, Ji Minghuan's eyelids still drooped heavily, and his figure swayed as if he might topple over at any moment.
He stifled a yawn, mapping out his schedule in his mind. 'I need to tail my little sister today... Ke Qirui will be taking the members of the Ghost Train Gang to meet Blue Arc today. If I follow them, I can find the meeting point for the auction's security team, which will get me some inside intel.'
With that thought, he silently reached out his right hand and fished his mobile phone out from the bed.
He forced his heavy eyelids open, wrapping his restraining bands around every inch of his body. A single band slid out from his right sleeve and slid the room's floor-to-ceiling window open.
Using gravity distribution, he slightly curled the fingers of his right hand, tightly gripping the restraining band, and yanked downward. His weightless body shot out like a coiled spring, and mid-flight, his black restraining bands gradually faded until they were completely transparent.
By the time he slipped through the window, his figure had already melted soundlessly into the air.
Ten minutes later in Tokyo, at the Qingbenhua Hotel.
Out in front of the hotel, Black Cocoon hung upside down beneath a ginkgo tree next to the road. He raised a finger wrapped in a restraining band, massaged his temples to rest his eyes, and quietly used his restraining band senses to monitor the hotel's main entrance. It was only five o'clock. The sky over Tokyo was still dark, and the entire hotel seemed fast asleep.
As a result, Black Cocoon ended up dozing off along with it. Because he was still hanging upside down, his posture was incredibly bizarre, his head tilted backward and pointing straight down without moving an inch.
If his head had not been entirely wrapped in restraining bands, drool would likely have dripped right onto the head of some lucky passerby out for a morning jog.
Just as the sky began to turn a hazy gray, the first ray of morning light pierced through, illuminating the iron-gray exterior of the hotel.
Black Cocoon jolted awake with it. He rubbed his temples through his restraining bands, thinking to himself that this was his first time doing a stakeout, and he had not expected it to be such pure torture.
Before long, two figures walked out of the hotel lobby. One was a woman wearing a brown trench coat and a beret. The other was a young woman with a high ponytail, dressed sharply in a black suit and black gloves; she looked more dashing and heroic than most men.
The former was undeniably Ke Qirui. He did not even need to see her face—her signature outfit gave her away instantly.
The latter was a bit harder to place, as her face did not look anything like Su Zimai's.
Black Cocoon scratched his chin, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized the suited girl with the high ponytail walking beside Ke Qirui. Aside from her facial features, her height and aura were identical to Su Zimai's.
'Is my little sister... wearing a skin mask?' he quickly surmised. 'Ke Qirui really is meticulous. Is she afraid that my little sister will face retaliation from the Brigade?'
Ke Qirui and Su Zimai waited in front of the hotel for a moment before hailing a taxi.
Black Cocoon shifted his gravity distribution to his restraining bands, weaving seamlessly between the towering skyscrapers as he tailed closely behind the cab.
It was not long before the taxi pulled over on an empty coastal highway. Looking off into the distance, a sprawling, massive private seaside villa came into view.
Black Cocoon touched down on a public bench along the coastal road. He took a seat, draped his right arm over the backrest, and turned his head slightly to observe the bodyguards stationed at the villa's entrance.
There was no cover here, making it a bad spot to mess around on a mobile phone. Instead, he switched his consciousness over to Xia Pingzhou's body and used his phone to search up the address. Rumors said that this villa was a gathering place for the elders of the Eight Great Yakuza Families, typically reserved for discussing highly important matters.
Soon, Ke Qirui and Su Zimai stepped out of the car, pausing on the coastal highway.
Su Zimai turned her head, gazing out at the distant ocean. Ke Qirui stepped close to her, helping her adjust her earrings and the collar of her suit. She said something with a smile, then turned and led her toward the heavily guarded private seaside villa.
The guards glared at them with icy expressions, raising their hands in a gesture forbidding entry.
Ke Qirui reached into her trench coat pocket and wordlessly presented official identification from the Exorcist Association. Instantly, the dozen or so suited guards respectfully parted into two rows, clearing a path for them.
'Whoa... Teacher Ke has that much clout within the Exorcist Association?' Black Cocoon raised an eyebrow. 'As expected of an SS-tier Celestial Drive wielder.'
Right at that moment, a deafening roar thundered from a short distance away.
Sitting on the wooden bench, Black Cocoon slowly turned his head to look. He saw a streak of deep blue lightning tearing across the empty coastal highway, screeching to a halt right at the entrance of the seaside villa.
Immediately after, the fine arcs of electricity dancing in the air slowly dissipated, revealing a figure clad in a cyan-blue metallic combat suit and a metal helmet to everyone present.
The sunglasses bodyguards sucked in sharp breaths, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads. How could they not have heard the name Blue Arc? This was China's most famous Transgressor. Seeing him in person, they could not help but be overwhelmed by his sheer presence.
Su Zimai and Ke Qirui both stopped in their tracks, their expressions varying drastically. The one on the left narrowed her eyes, while the one on the right raised her brows, flashing an intrigued smile from beneath the brim of her hat.
'Ah, if only my little sister hadn't worn a skin mask, how great would that be? I really wanted to see my big brother drag her home and spank her.'
Blue Arc straightened his posture and took slow, deliberate steps toward the entrance. From behind the electronic lenses embedded in his helmet, he cast a glance at Ke Qirui, then shifted his gaze to Su Zimai.
At this moment, his eyes lingered on Su Zimai for two extra seconds.
For some inexplicable reason... even though he had never seen her face before, he felt a bizarre sense of familiarity from this girl in the black suit.
Ke Qirui strode over gracefully, extending her right hand with its well-defined joints, and smiled.
"Hello, I am Ke Qirui. I am also a member of the core bodyguard team this time. I have heard Mr. Blue Arc's name for a long time, but today is our first time meeting."
"Hello, Miss Ke Qirui," Blue Arc replied as he reached out a metal glove to shake her hand.
He paused in thought. "Wait... I think I've heard your name. Don't prompt me, let me guess... Uh, the wielder of the Train Demon, right?"
"Indeed... In our Exorcist circles, the Train Demon's reputation usually overshadows my own. It makes me wonder who the real demon is and who the Exorcist is."
Ke Qirui mocked herself with a calm, easygoing demeanor.
"Then... who might this lady be?"
Blue Arc asked, turning his head to look at Su Zimai in her black suit and high ponytail.
A gust of sea breeze blew past as their eyes met. Both Blue Arc and Su Zimai maintained their silence.
Gu Qiye carefully scrutinized Su Zimai's face. He just could not explain... exactly where this strange feeling in his heart was coming from.