Qi Yuan rode a shared bicycle on the street and noticed there were few pedestrians on the street with a scent of flowers lingering in the air.
As he went deeper, there were more pedestrians on the street, but they were all moving in the same direction as him.
The screens and broadcasts on the street issued an emergency notice, asking citizens to refrain from going out, lock their doors and windows and draw the curtains. Citizens with conditions were advised to wear masks at home.
It looks like I have to get there quickly...
Qi Yuan thought to himself as he pedalled faster on the shared bicycle, speeding towards his destination.
Things seemed worse than he had imagined.
Qi Yuan looked up at the giant flower bud that towered over even the tallest buildings and muttered to himself.
Would such a monster really have a conversation with him?
Compared to this flower that's thousands of meters tall, he's just an ant.
It's so far away.
The police force should know there are no luxury cars, so why did they ask him to help but not send someone to pick him up?
He had set off so confidently but now Qi Yuan felt wretched.
He panted heavily as he pedalled the shared bicycle with all his might, finally arriving at the location of Beauty Phase.
The scene was a mess, the range affected by the battle between espers and Beauty Phase had expanded dozens of times. They no longer had the capacity to care about the evacuation of ordinary people.
It took a long time for the other B-rank espers of Qipan City to slowly arrive.
However, they were always reluctant when it came to providing support. Their abilities paled in comparison to the battle-hardened members of the police force and they soon joined the heavily injured.
These heavily injured members did not retreat from the scene. Supporting each other, they provided support from afar to the people on the scene.
The police forces across the city were busy rescuing people attacked by the roots emerging from the ground.
Suddenly, the roots that were still attacking people retracted back into the ground and stopped.
The police forces across the entire city saw Beauty Phase, which towered over a thousand meters, start to shrink. The giant flower bud gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.
Their faces, covered in dust and blood stains, broke into smiles, an infinite hope igniting in their hearts.
The commanding officer directed people to enter Qipan No. 2 Elementary School. A young officer pointed at Beauty Phase and exclaimed excitedly, "Master, look! Hasn't Beauty Phase been dealt with by the A-rank esper?!"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
The senior officer knocked him on the head, "So many citizens listening, be responsible with your words."
The young officer covered his aching head, "You didn't have to hit me."
"Ignorant brat, open your eyes and watch properly. They are preparing to fight."
"Then why did it shrink back?"
"Are you silly? With such a huge body, it can't escape if it loses. The A-rank esper isn't to be trifled with."
"Oh."
At the center of attention in Qipan City, morale on site surged.
The B-rank espers who had been defending there felt the light of dawn arriving.
Unlike citizens who may not know which espers were in the city, these B-rank espers all had channels specially collecting such information. Golden Eyes' name was known to every one of them.
Previously uncertain of his ability, they were now very certain that Golden Eyes' powers were above A-rank.
Having just parked his shared bicycle and confirmed on the app that billing had stopped, Qi Yuan was met with expectant gazes.
Why are you looking at me?
The A-rank esper is over there.
If he had known the A-rank esper could arrive so early, he wouldn't have rushed here.
Qi Yuan turned his gaze towards the haggard-looking man in his twenties that he met along the way. He had pale skin and walked and expressed himself in a dejected manner.
As the center of attention, Qi Yuan's every move could influence the crowd's reactions. They too looked in the direction Qi Yuan was looking.
Nothing there?
What is Golden Eyes looking at?
Enjoying the rare attention, Xue Shizong unexpectedly returned Qi Yuan's gaze.
Someone was actually able to detect his presence. This person was definitely not weak.
Golden eyes, seemingly 17, 18 years old with extraordinary looks.
I see...
It's the young master Qi Yuan from the hidden family that my sister mentioned.
Beauty Phase also turned to look in Xue Shizong's direction. In a soft, seductive voice, she gently said, "So there's another one? You really think highly of me to directly send out two A-rank espers."
Even from such a close distance I didn't notice them. These two are quite skilled. Looks like this will be a fierce battle.
The crowd was shocked. They couldn't see anyone but Beauty Phase and Golden Eyes wouldn't conspire to trick them.
They held their breath and stared intently in that direction.
Indeed, they saw Xue Shizong at that spot.
Two humans, one monster. With three beings of A-rank power, although no one had made a move yet, these B-rank espers didn't dare breathe loudly, fully focused on the confrontation.
Cheng Yizhou noticed sounds coming from his earpiece. It was Bureau Chief Guo's voice.
"Have the A-rank espers arrived?"
Cheng Yizhou was quite far from the scene. He replied in a deep voice, "Two have arrived."
"Two?"
Bureau Chief Guo was puzzled. He had only requested the dispatch of one A-rank esper.
After all, it wasn't confirmed that this was really Beauty Phase. Their deductions were based solely on Hibiscus Noodles.
"That's right. Qi Yuan from our city has also arrived."
This shocked Bureau Chief Guo even more: "We have an A-rank esper in our city?"
Why hadn't anyone submitted this information to him? He would dock his assistant's pay when he got back!
"I just found out about it too."
"Old Cheng, Qipan City Television Station just requested permission to approach the scene to film and report. I rejected them but now I will let them in. Remember, the television station bears responsibility for their own life and death. You don't need to care about them."
"Understood."
Cheng Yizhou understood Bureau Chief Guo's intentions. People were feeling anxious now. Letting the television station broadcast live with two A-rank espers would reassure citizens and prevent riots.
With only one A-rank, Bureau Chief Guo wouldn't do this. But with two now, dealing with Beauty Phase would be easy.
After contacting Bureau Chief Guo, Cheng Yizhou looked towards the confrontation again. Still a standoff between the three.
Why isn't Golden Eyes making a move yet?
Why aren't the two humans moving?
I would also like to know why you aren't making a move?
Ever since developing abilities, Qi Yuan had quickly learned a lot about fighting. He was no longer full of openings.
Since they didn't plan on attacking, it was his turn. When would he establish his prestige if not now?
"Do you want to go first? If I join in..."
He spoke unhurriedly, pausing midway through the pivotal second half of the sentence, tone rising as if talking about something interesting.
"Things will become very boring."
Qi Yuan's words broke the deadlock.
Hearing this, Beauty Phase laughed gently. With the cameras present her beauty was in full display.
"I know your ability but it seems you are mistaken about something. I'm not some small fry like Lizard Man."
By saying this, it implied confidence in its own ability. I still don't know what Lizard Man guessed correctly? Something about the eyes it seems?
Having blended into human society, it would naturally pay attention to which espers could threaten its life. Although Qi Yuan made it wary, it wouldn't turn tail and flee immediately.
Beauty Phase twirled a finger around her long hair, smiled charmingly at Qi Yuan, secretly batting her eyelashes at him.
"If you wish, we could become companions for life. How about you become my husband?"
Trading barbs was not part of Xue Shizong's job scope. He watched the one human and one monster interaction with dead fish eyes. Though billed as a three person film, he lived up to his name and disappeared from this conversation.
"That's not impossible."
Qi Yuan promptly agreed.
The people on site and citizens watching the livestream grew tense. Had this esper been bewitched by Beauty Phase?
If even an A-rank esper could be charmed, their Qipan City was done for!
Just as anxiety peaked, Qi Yuan's next sentence shattered their assumptions.
"But human-monster marriages cannot be registered, and I'm not of marriageable age yet either. So you only have one choice left - become my 2D waifu. What do you think?"
Qi Yuan stayed up all night reading dozens of novels and comics, trying to glean conversational skills from them.
Although the results weren't remarkable, he had a secret weapon:
"One Hundred Ways to Communicate with People," which he had lifted from his mother.
Through seemingly unintentional dialogue, he would leak information like a sieve, letting the reader's imagination fill in the gaps.
That was his battle plan.