[Real World, Station 13]
Watching the vice-captain, Yuchen, defect and turn traitor on the screen, the dimensional viewers weren't surprised. However, despite his betrayal, his solemn way of spouting nonsense was making the viewers lose their minds.
'Hold on! A vice-captain of a squad can "miss" his shot? It's a shame his talent for telling outrageous lies isn't being used as a storyteller!'
'Yuchen: My apologies, Captain, I'm just a little selfish and my sense of justice is at zero~ (￣▽￣)~*'
'Ink: There's a traitor in the team.'
'Captain Ink's facial expression is a perfect ten, haha. No emotional fluctuations at all?'
Looking at Yuchen on the screen, who was smiling at "Ink," the dimensional viewers all knew the truth. This guy didn't "accidentally" miss; he "accidentally" did it on purpose! Because with a big guy like Liu Ma standing there, a normal person would have to aim specifically at the sky to miss him. And shooting "Ink" next to him? Impossible. This guy was 100% doing it on purpose!
Standing at the entrance of the Bridge of Gears and Brass, Tendo had clearly seen through this as well. Looking at Yuchen, who had already drawn his two guns, he said calmly, "Vice-Captain Yu, it seems you've made your decision."
In response, Yuchen held his guns carelessly and shrugged, a cynical smile on his face. "Yeah, pretty much."
Meanwhile, the members of the Fifth Division were collectively stunned for half a second when they saw their vice-captain suddenly turn traitor. They then drew their weapons and aimed them all at Yuchen.
Tendo waved his hand and said, "Leave him to me, you go after the fugitives."
The members hesitated for a moment, then replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"
As the ordinary members chased after Chenkong and Vivian, the little girl, Danika, hesitated. Clenching her short knife at her waist and with a serious expression that screamed "I am also a member of the Fifth Division," she prepared to follow the main group with her short legs. It was her duty to capture the fugitives!
However...
"Stop. You don't need to go."
Tendo hooked the back of her collar with his sword sheath, lifting her up like a kitten and putting her to the side. Danika blinked, then obediently ran behind a distant stone pillar, peeking out with her big, round eyes.
Before long, only Tendo and Yuchen were left at the entrance of the Bridge of Gears and Brass, with Liu Ma nearby, unsure whether to help Yuchen or Chenkong.
Tendo seemed to ignore Liu Ma and spoke to Yuchen. "Colluding with outsiders to replace guards, and attacking a colleague at a critical moment."
"Yuchen, you're betting your whole life on this. Is it worth it?"
Facing Tendo's question, Yuchen's response was quite cavalier. "What's there to be worth it or not? Vivian's old man saved my life back in the day, so how can I just stand by and watch her foolishly go to her death?"
"A person should be grateful, shouldn't they?"
With that, Yuchen's tone suddenly changed, and his eyes sharpened. "Don't pretend, Captain. Don't tell me you don't know what Vivian is trying to do. You're just too lazy to stop her, aren't you?"
Tendo said coldly, "Other people's business has nothing to do with me. I only do what's expected of me."
Yuchen chuckled as if he had heard a joke. Although he hadn't been able to find any key evidence of the Church's self-directed scheme during this time, he had found some evidence of "Ink's" suspicious origins. Just a simple calligraphy enthusiast from Deep Blue Metropolis? This captain of the Fifth Division was far from as "ordinary" as he claimed. After all, how many people with connections to the "Hidden Star Society" were ordinary?
Although he didn't have solid evidence and couldn't guess Tendo's true motives, he was certain of one thing: the ambitions of this Fifth Division captain were definitely not small. But none of that mattered. What he cared about more was whether he could repay the debt he owed from all those years ago.
In order to buy more time for Vivian and the others, Yuchen decided to engage in a little "verbal jutsu."
"Captain, I'm guessing you're well aware of all the dirty deeds the Steam Church has done over the years, right?"
Upon hearing this, Tendo neither nodded nor shook his head. He simply raised his left hand calmly. Yuchen, who was already prepared, raised his right hand, holding a pistol with a silver-white feather pattern and a bird relief carved on the barrel—The Silver Falcon.
"Pierce it, Silver Falcon."
Bang!
A unique silver-white flash of fire erupted from the barrel. The silver falcon relief on the gun seemed to come to life, and the wing pattern trembled slightly. In the next second, a special silver-white bullet carved with a feather pattern tore through the air, turning into a stream of light and heading straight for Tendo's raised left hand.
Having personally witnessed the power of Tendo's "Star-Energy Technique: Ink Coffin," Yuchen couldn't just let him successfully use it. Because if he did, his so-called "delaying tactics" would become a complete joke. Besides, his fighting style was centered around suppression, never giving his opponent a chance to strike calmly.
Facing Yuchen's rapidly approaching silver-white bullet, Tendo swung his Star Shatterer with his right hand, attempting to slice it. But just as the sword was about to hit the bullet, the silver-white stream of light suddenly sprouted a pair of silver wings, making a sharp turn and shooting toward Tendo's shoulder at a very tricky angle!
In the nick of time, the moonlight-white captain's cloak on Tendo's shoulder was suddenly soaked in black ink, turning into an invisible "armor" that forcibly blocked the surprise attack.
Clang!
With a crisp and piercing collision, Yuchen's special silver-white bullet was deflected by the black star energy on Tendo's shoulder and fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Yuchen's pupils constricted. He had expected that his Silver Falcon would have a hard time hurting "Ink," a monster with a suspected "Rank S Star-Energy Value." But he never expected that he couldn't even break through his most basic "Star-Energy protection."
This basic Star-Energy application was something even an apprentice Star-Emissary without a Star-Source could do. But a person like "Ink," who could rely on his own powerful Star-Energy value to completely ignore attacks from other Star-Emissaries of the same rank, was extremely rare.
"Vice-Captain Yu, if this is all you've got, then I might have to end this boring rebellious game."
Upon hearing Tendo's words, Yuchen took a deep breath, then smiled. "Is that so? Then it looks like I really have to bring out my true skills."
With that, Yuchen's Silver Falcon in his right hand began to fire in rapid succession. In response, Tendo walked toward Yuchen as if taking a stroll, all the while swinging his sword and deflecting bullet after bullet. For a moment, the sound of metal clashing was incessant.
But just as Tendo got within ten meters of Yuchen, a change occurred.
"Consume it, Cyan Owl!"
Yuchen raised the silver-grey hand cannon on his left hand, named The Cyan Owl, and fired a "disc-shaped" electromagnetic projectile. The projectile sliced through the air and a current of air, and slammed into Tendo. In a flash of lightning, Tendo held up his Star Shatterer and took the attack head-on.
Bang!
In the violent clash between the Star Shatterer and the Cyan Owl, Tendo, who hadn't taken a step back until now, was sent sliding back over ten meters before finally stopping. Looking at Tendo's now-stable figure, Yuchen, from a distance, said with a light laugh, "Careful, Captain."
In the next second, all the scattered silver-white bullets around Tendo suddenly began to tremble simultaneously. They were then pulled by an invisible force, instantly turning into a shower of meteors and swarming toward Tendo. Or rather, they flew toward the "magnetic" Cyan Owl bullet beneath Tendo's feet.
In an instant, countless streams of silver-white light surged in from all directions, forming an airtight curtain of silver-white rain that completely engulfed Tendo in a dazzling light and a cloud of dust.
[Name: Yuchen]
[Rank: Mid-Rank 2]
[Star-Source: Ethereal Silver Wings (Specialization)]
[Effect: Can apply the 'acceleration' trait to any object.]