By the riverside in Kyoto.
Su Ze walked along the riverbank while glancing at his phone.
Two days ago, Su Ze had made contact with the other two participants. They had agreed in a group chat to meet by the riverside in Kyoto.
What annoyed Su Ze was that, although he had managed to get in touch with them, neither of the two had revealed their identities.
"I'm here. Where are you guys?" Su Ze asked in the group chat.
"This humble monk has been waiting here for some time," replied a user with a Q-version, smart Ikkyu avatar.
"Abah abah," said another user whose name was 'Owes Him Three Hundred Bucks.'
Su Ze facepalmed. Every time he saw that username, he couldn't help but feel like he actually owed the person three hundred bucks and hadn't paid it back.
"We're all here, but where are you? Where should we meet?"
Su Ze typed rapidly, sending the message. He had a strong feeling that 'Owes Him Three Hundred Bucks' was definitely here!
"If fate wills it, we shall meet," said Smart Ikkyu.
"Abah abah abah," 'Owes Him Three Hundred Bucks' replied, followed by a picture of a drooling, dumbfounded panda.
Su Ze: "..."
Are these two Ghost Officers or something?
No wonder I can't become a Ghost Officer—my vibe is completely out of sync with these two!
Looking around at the crisp autumn afternoon by the riverside, Su Ze noticed the steady flow of passersby.
"Well, I guess we'll meet if fate allows," Su Ze muttered, too tired to bother with them anymore. He sat down on a bench and started playing Snake on his phone.
Suddenly, a dark figure flashed past, moving so swiftly it felt like a sharp blade slicing through the corner of his vision!
Su Ze looked up and saw a pale young man in a black trench coat performing an extravagant dance right in front of him!
The young man's face was eerily calm, devoid of the usual unsettling smile. He moved like a robot, spinning and dancing with mechanical precision.
But his dance was breathtakingly beautiful! His movements were grand and sweeping, sometimes like a raging flood, other times like a serene star.
The area wasn't far from the square, and many people were strolling by the riverside or passing through. In no time, a crowd had gathered around him!
The young man, named Mo Ziang, showed no sign of stage fright. His dance grew more elegant and dazzling, though his expression remained icy cold.
It wasn't the kind of expression one would expect from someone performing such a mesmerizing dance. He should have been smiling! That would have matched his performance perfectly.
The crowd, tightly packed around him, failed to bring even a hint of warmth or joy to his face.
He looked like a peerlessly handsome dancer performing a stunning solo under a stark spotlight, with an empty audience below.
The arcs traced by his black trench coat were as sharp as blades.
Girls covered their mouths to stifle their screams, children in their arms stopped sucking on their lollipops in awe, and many people started recording on their phones.
They were certain that even if they paid for the best seats in a theater, they wouldn't be able to witness such a magnificent and unique performance!
The young man spun around, brought his feet together, and bowed in a perfect curtain call.
In an instant, thunderous applause erupted! The deafening wave of cheers and claps spread in all directions.
Girls screamed, and young men whistled in admiration.
"Brother! Can I get your contact info?"
"God, I'm in love! You're my idol, brother!"
Dozens of girls swarmed toward him, but just as they were about to reach Mo Ziang, the young man vanished into thin air!
"A... a superhuman!" someone exclaimed, finally realizing what had happened.
The public knew about superhumans, but they rarely encountered them in daily life.
Most superhumans, those who had unlocked their genetic potential, were recruited into the military to guard the dimensional gates.
Moreover, superhumans rarely displayed their abilities in broad daylight unless under special circumstances.
After the crowd dispersed, they tried to check the videos they had just recorded, only to find, to their shock, that the footage was nowhere to be found in their galleries!
......
"You just casually showed off your powers in front of all those people. Aren't you afraid of causing a panic?" Su Ze asked Mo Ziang, who had led him to a quiet corner of the city.
The pale yet strikingly handsome young man opened his mouth slightly, his pupils shifting upward as he blinked, seemingly deep in thought.
He crouched on the ground, leaning against the wall, his fingers tangled in his messy hair. After a moment, he finally spoke, "Abah abah..."
Su Ze: "..."
Honestly, Su Ze felt like hitting him with a hammer. It wouldn't kill him, and maybe it would even knock some sense into his clearly messed-up head.
"I've met the guy who owes you three hundred bucks. Are you coming?" Su Ze sent a message in the group chat.
Standing by the riverside, Xuanyuan Jin, who had been gazing at the river alone, felt his phone vibrate. He reached into his wide sleeve to fish it out.
But it was buried too deep, so he bent over and dug around some more. Finally, he pulled out his phone—only for it to slip from his hand and plop into the river with a splash.
"Damn it!" Xuanyuan Jin exclaimed in horror.
The phone slowly sank into the water.
With a loud splash, Xuanyuan Jin dove in after it!
"Help! Someone! A man just jumped into the river!" someone on the shore screamed in panic.
......
Su Ze tagged Smart Ikkyu in the group chat, but there was no response.
Su Ze sighed. This team of his was... a little too eccentric.
"Is he coming? If not, you can treat me to dinner. If he comes, you can give me the money, and I'll treat you both," Mo Ziang said as he stood up.
"Can you stay away from me? Your little schemes are so loud, they're going to make me deaf."
"...You want to use my money to make friends?" Su Ze was dumbfounded.
"My money!" Mo Ziang corrected him seriously.
"What the... Do I really owe you three hundred bucks?" Su Ze suddenly remembered his username.
"Of course! You didn't pay for the show!" Mo Ziang said.
Su Ze was speechless.
"Just kidding," Mo Ziang said, though his expression remained stiff.
He used his middle fingers to hook the corners of his mouth, pulling them into a creepy smile. Tilting his head, he said, "I'll treat you to dinner."
Su Ze was taken aback for a moment but then nodded and followed the young man.
......
Night fell.
Su Ze guessed that the mark would be fully illuminated by the faint light tomorrow.
"Woo-hoo! A soft bed!" Mo Ziang threw himself onto the double bed in the hotel room.
Su Ze went into the bathroom to take a shower.
The reason they booked a double room was, of course, because there were two of them.
As for Smart Ikkyu, he hadn't responded to their messages for hours. No matter how many times Mo Ziang tagged him in the group chat or spammed "abah abah," Smart Ikkyu remained silent.
......
Xuanyuan Jin frantically pressed the power button on his phone, but the screen flickered like the string lights hanging from the trees on the bustling Kyoto streets.
Soaked and disoriented, Xuanyuan Jin wandered aimlessly through the crowded streets, feeling both frustrated and lost.
He had considered borrowing a phone to contact Su Ze and the others, but he quickly gave up on the idea.
He... couldn't remember his account passwords, nor did he have anyone's phone number memorized.
He had only started using a phone after leaving the temple. His WeChat and QQ accounts had been set up by someone else.
In a way, before leaving the temple, he had been living in ancient times.