Hello there!! I have a good news. Bonus chapter's are back!!! Finally had sometime to write extra.
So here is the next milestone:-
700PS
If you want it you gotta earn it.
Happy reading
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Jian walked towards the room with an annoyed look on his face.
Just as everything was going perfectly, some random stuff came up. He thought, totally pissed.
Honoka walked behind him with a neutral expression, but inside, her stomach was doing somersaults.
It's Akira, isn't it? She thought, her mind racing. As much as I love him, it has to be him.
She glanced at Jian. He hadn't said a word since they left the ballroom.
"I still have no idea why you are coming with me," Jian said suddenly, not looking at her. "This is simple matter, fight between spoiled brats. You are a guest, Honoka. You should be enjoying the drinks, not dealing with paperwork."
Honoka stiffened. She needed a reason. A good one. She couldn't just say, 'I'm pretty sure my son just beat up a dignitary.'
She cleared her throat, smoothing the fabric of her dress.
"No-nothing," she lied smoothly. (That was not smooth, lol) "I'm just... making sure everyone is alright. As a fellow CEO, I know how damaging a security breach can be during a summit. It reflects poorly on the host."
It was a weak excuse. Jian raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.
Honoka's mind scrambled.
Think, Honoka. Use your resume.
"OH YEAH!" she exclaimed, a little too loudly. "I'M A DOCTOR TOO!"
Jian stopped walking. He turned to look at her, blinking. "I... am aware?"
"Right," Honoka said, regaining her composure. "As you know, I used to be a Field Doctor. I have a healing quirk. If someone is injured, I can help. Your security team likely has basic first aid, but I can stabilize critical trauma instantly. It's professional courtesy."
She smiled. It was her best 'Trust Me, I'm a Professional' smile.
Jian stared at her for a moment. He looked at her hands, then at her eyes.
He nodded slowly. "Oh. That does make sense. Having the 'Emberheart' on site would certainly mitigate any potential lawsuits regarding negligence."
He turned back to the corridor. "Very well. I will leave the medical assessment to you. But if it gets political, let me handle the shouting."
"Deal," Honoka breathed.
Phew, she thought, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. Good job, Honoka. You still got it.
They reached the end of the hall. Two steel doors stood guarded by four members of Mei's elite unit. They snapped to attention as Jian approached.
"Open it," Jian ordered.
The guards swiped a keycard. The heavy magnetic locks disengaged.
Jian pushed the doors open.
Just as they walked in, they were hit by a shout.
"THE FUCK YOU MEAN SOMEONE TRIED TO KILL MY KID, AND NO ONE DID ANYTHING?!!!!"
Inside the security room, surrounded by a dozen monitors and scared technicians, a grown-ass man was throwing a tantrum.
He was short, rotund, and dressed in a suit. His face was purple with rage, sweat beading on his receding hairline.
He was Mayor Peng De. The Mayor of Shanghai. The man who controlled the zoning laws, the police budget, and apparently, the volume in the room.
He was pointing a trembling, sausage-like finger at a group of bowing guards. Behind him, sitting on a chair with an ice pack held to his nose, was 'Young Master Peng'. The boy was shivering.
"Sir," the head of security stammered, his head bowed low. "We are looking into it! The camera feed was jammed! We have no visual of the assailant! And the other heirs... no one is willing to talk about it! They all claim they saw nothing!"
"SAW NOTHING?!" Mayor Peng screamed, spit flying from his mouth. "MY SON CLAIMS HE WAS TORTURED! HE SAYS HIS BONES WERE BROKEN AND HEALED REPEATEDLY! AND YET HE HAS NO MARKS! AND YOU TELL ME NO ONE SAW ANYTHING?!"
"Give us some tim -"
"I DON'T HAVE TIME!"
Mayor Peng's hand shifted. The skin rippled, turning into green scales. His fingernails elongated into jagged claws. It was the same Crocodile Mutant quirk his son possessed, but fully matured and far more dangerous.
He grabbed the security guard by the collar, lifting the man off the ground with surprising strength. He raised his other, clawed hand, ready to strike.
"Listen here, you incompetent fool! I do-"
"Get your hands off my guard."
The voice was cold.
It cut through the Mayor's rage like a laser.
Mayor Peng froze. His claw hovered inches from the guard's face. He turned his head slowly toward the door.
Jian Li stood there, his hands in his pockets, staring at the Mayor with eyes that promised financial ruin and exposed secrets.
"This is my tower, Peng," Jian said softly. "Those are my men. If you touch him again, I will consider it an act of aggression against Celestial Axis. And you know how I respond to aggression."
The threat hung in the air. Everyone in the room knew Jian Li wasn't bluffing. He wouldn't just sue; he would buy the Mayor's house and evict him.
Mayor Peng gulped. The purple rage in his face faded to a pale, sweaty fear. He dropped the guard, who scrambled back, gasping for air.
The Mayor smoothed his suit, forcing a smile that looked like a grimace.
"Oh... Mister Li," Peng laughed nervously, wiping his hands on his pants. "I... I didn't see you there. I didn't mean to do that, hahaha. Emotions got the better of me. A father's love, you understand?"
He gestured to his son, who flinched at the movement.
"Please don't take this the wrong way," the Mayor wheedled. "I am just... upset. Look at my boy! Look at him!"
He pointed at Young Master Peng, who whimpered.
"It's just... some red-haired bastard dared to try to kill my sweet boy over here! Can you believe it? In your own tower!"
The room went still.
Red-haired bastard.
Both Honoka and Jian froze.
Honoka felt her heart stop.
Red hair.
She closed her eyes for a second.
Okay, she thought, her mind going into damage control mode. It's him. It's definitely him. There are no other red-haired fire users in the building. Why, Akira? I told you. I specifically told you.
She took a deep breath.
Akira isn't a bully, she reasoned. He's sarcastic. He's grumpy. He hates people. But he doesn't start fights.
She looked at the shivering, pathetic figure of Young Master Peng.
There are only two reasons Akira would do something like this after promising me to behave.
One: That fatty challenged him to a duel or did some 'ARE YOU COURTING DEATH' bullshit that Akira couldn't ignore.
Two: He messed with Nia. Or he said something bad about me.
Her eyes narrowed. If it was the second one... well, maybe she wouldn't heal the boy's... well, he was already healed. Which meant Akira wanted him to remember the pain without the proof.
That's terrifyingly smart, she thought. And also just terrifying.
But Jian... Jian was thinking something completely different.
In his mind, the results of his quirk resurfaced.
Black.
Dark thoughts clouded his mind.
Maybe he is right, Jian thought, a cold dread settling in his stomach. Maybe the boy really is a monster. Malice. Sadism. He tortured the boy and healed him to hide the evidence? That isn't self-defense. That's a professional interrogation technique.
He looked at Honoka. She looked worried, but not surprised. Did she know? Was she protecting a psychopath?
But then he stopped.
He looked at the Mayor, a man known for corruption and cruelty. He looked at the son, who had a reputation for bullying staff.
Jian took a deep breath.
There are no black and whites, he reminded himself. Mei has Red(Anger) as her core color. She has killed people. But she is still loving. She is still good.
Akira had Blue (Heroism), orange (Care), and (Love).
Just because he has Black doesn't mean the Black is in charge.
Jian sighed. He made his choice. He would trust the three other sides over the Black. For now.
"I understand what you mean, Mayor Peng," Jian said, his voice diplomatic. "Whatever happened to your son is... regrettable."
"Regrettable?!" the Mayor sputtered. "It's criminal! I want that kid found! I want him arrested! I want him thrown in a hole!"
"I cannot just take your son's testament and have a guest arrested," Jian countered calmly. "Especially without evidence. The cameras were down. The witnesses are silent. And your son... has no physical injuries."
"He was healed by that villain!"
"A villain who heals his victims?" Jian raised an eyebrow. "That sounds unlikely to a jury."
"My son is the witness!"
"Your son," Jian said coldly, "has a history of... messing around. And if the assailant was in the Heir's Lounge, that means he has a powerful background. We cannot go arresting the scion of a major corporation or a hero family based on hearsay. It could cause an international incident."
"So you're going to do nothing?!"
"I am going to investigate," Jian said. "Take it easy, Mayor. Or you will give yourself a heart attack."
The Mayor huffed, crossing his arms. "Fine. Fine! But when you find him..."
Knock. Knock.
A knock came from the door.
Everyone turned.
"Enter," Jian called out.
The door opened slowly.
A guard stepped in. "Sir? We have a witness. Someone who says they saw everything."
"Send them in," Jian ordered.
The guard stepped aside.
A girl walked in.
She was a small girl. Her blue hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She looked nervous, clutching her hands together, but her eyes were determined.
Jian walked over to her, putting on his charming smile to put her at ease.
"Hi there," Jian said gently. "Don't be scared. You know why you are here?"
The girl nodded. She looked at him, then at Honoka, and finally at Mayor Peng and his son.
When she looked at Peng Jr., her nervousness vanished. Her eyes hardened with a look of pure disgust.
She looked back at Jian.
"Yes," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I was in the Heir's Lounge. I was playing the racing game near the entrance."
She took a breath and pointed a shaking finger at Peng Jr.
"I am here to tell you that the red-haired boy is not at fault. He was trying to save the waiter."
"Saved the waiter?" Mayor Peng roared. "He attacked my son!"
"Your son," the girl countered, finding her courage, "was humiliating a waiter. He was screaming. His lackeys were attacking the red-haired guy's cat. The red-haired boy... he stepped in, and stopped them."
Honoka let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Knew it, she thought, pride swelling in her chest. My sweety would never hurt someone without a reason.
Jian looked at the girl. He activated Heart Roulette. The wheel spun.
Blue. (Heroism).
He smiled.
"Sure, sweety," Jian said, gesturing to a chair. " Have a seat, you have our ears. Tell us everything."
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Mayor Peng here!! Did you like his overly kind design😙?
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