Chapter 383 |
Gu Xi was the first to react!
She snapped out of her brief daze...
Moving with incredible speed!
She sprang backward like a bolt!
Her black combat boots clattered against the metal floor—“clang, clang, clang”—as she retreated several paces, quickly putting distance between herself and Fang Qi and Liguang!
The brief shock that had flashed across her sharp, handsome face had now hardened into taut vigilance!
“All units, on alert!”
She barked the order, her right hand already resting on the holster at her waist.
Behind her stood eight armed personnel in matching dark uniforms.
A series of metallic clicks rang out in unison!
Eight rifles were raised in perfect synchronization!
The dark muzzles were aimed squarely at Fang Qi and Liguang!
“Fang Qi! Mr. Fang!”
Gu Xi’s voice cut through the air, sharp and stern!
She stood at the front of the armed line, her hand gripping the pistol at her hip, her light brown eyes locked onto Fang Qi!
“You are suspected of illegally entering a national classified facility!”
Her tone was firm, professional, and businesslike!
“According to Article 37 of the National Security Law and Article 12 of the Special Regulations on Intelligent Machinery Management...”
“You must leave here immediately!”
Her right hand remained pressed against the holster, her fingers already curled around the grip!
“I repeat—”
“Leave. Now!”
Her voice echoed through the metal corridor on sublevel B2.
Behind her, the alloy door that had just been breached by thermal cutting still gave off a scorching smell.
But Fang Qi...
He had no intention of picking up on Gu Xi’s thread.
He was still a bit dazed.
He hadn’t even pulled himself out of the passion of that kiss with his wife just moments ago!
To him, Gu Xi suddenly getting all serious like this...
It felt a little out of place.
He was still holding his wife in his arms!
The next second, his arms were empty.
The silver-haired girl broke free from his embrace and stepped forward...
Standing in front of him!
Positioning herself directly before the nine rifle muzzles!
Her heterochromatic eyes stared straight at Gu Xi, her body leaning slightly forward, knees slightly bent...
A faint crimson glimmer flickered at her fingertips!
She didn’t say a word, but her stance spoke louder than any language!
Fang Qi took a deep breath, suppressing the inappropriate flutter in his heart at this moment.
He reached out and gently squeezed Liguang’s small hand hanging by her side.
That cool little hand immediately squeezed his in return!
He then raised his head and quickly scanned the faces of the eight people behind Gu Xi.
All of them were expressionless. Just like in the last timeline.
They were still the same ghosts Liguang had “cut open” in that past cycle.
Hollow eyes.
Wooden faces.
Like puppets stripped of their souls.
Among those wooden faces, one was familiar.
A young man, fair-skinned, with regular features and a slightly protruding brow bone. Monolid eyes, deep brown pupils, a small mole at the corner of his eye...
Exactly like the photo on the access card.
It was young Lin Zhouyuan.
He stood in the front row, rifle raised, muzzle also pointed at Fang Qi. His expression...
Just as hollow and wooden as the others.
Last time, he had been the one leading those “ghosts.”
But this time, with Gu Xi in charge, he had become nothing more than one of those puppets.
Fang Qi narrowed his eyes.
Lin Xiaoyou...
Your father really is here.
He looks just as young as you, as if he’s still alive too.
Too bad you ran away and refused to come along.
“Mr. Fang! Did you hear me?!”
Gu Xi’s voice rang out again.
Fang Qi pulled his gaze away and looked back at the policewoman in front of him.
Her chin was slightly raised, her fingers still curled around her pistol, staring him down!
Looking at her face, Fang Qi’s mind drifted to the delicate handwriting in his mother’s notebook.
— This Sister Gu Xi is now my right-hand deputy!
— She’s also the most formidable of all the “spies” I’ve planted across the school!
— She’s a girl who hates evil as much as I do, deeply righteous!
Well, well.
Matchmaker Sister, so we’ve known each other all along, huh?
Fang Qi tilted his head, a grin curling at the corner of his mouth.
“Long time no see...”
He began, winking at the tense-faced Gu Xi in front of him, his tone casual:
“...Senior Sister Gu Xi?”
In front of him, the silver-haired girl’s posture stiffened slightly.
Gu Xi’s expression also froze—
Then her pupils shrank sharply!
Her eyes widened instantly!
The light in her gaze trembled violently!
“You...!”
She blurted out, her voice cracking on the spot!
But in that very moment, she immediately realized she had lost her composure!
She bit down hard on her teeth!
The shocked expression vanished in an instant!
She could force her face back under control, but her body’s reactions couldn’t lie. Her fingers were still locked around the gun grip, trembling slightly.
The rise and fall of her chest quickened noticeably!
This reaction made Fang Qi hold his breath!
His heartbeat began to race!
That word—“senior”—had triggered such a massive response from her!
And beside him, the flicker of icy blue light accelerated noticeably.
The silver-haired girl tilted her head, staring at Gu Xi with a hint of melancholy.
“Master...”
She said softly:
“This Miss Gu... she really does know you, doesn’t she.”
Fang Qi squeezed her little hand.
Gu Xi finally pulled herself together!
“I...!”
A flush of shame and anger quickly bloomed across her cheeks.
“I. Don’t. Know. You!”
Her voice rose half a pitch, her tone even harder than before!
“I have never seen you before! Don’t try to get chummy with me!”
She glared at Fang Qi, her voice growing forceful again!
“You are now suspected of committing a crime!”
“Right now! Immediately! Come with us and leave this place!”
“Or else—!”
Fang Qi didn’t say anything. He just looked at her, squinting.
Watching her trembling gaze, her clenched fists...
...Listen, Policewoman Sister, Matchmaker Sister, Ghost Sister...
Your reaction here is way too obvious. Pure, textbook protesting too much!
What exactly are you...
“Leave this place. Now. Immediately!”
Gu Xi’s tone sharpened again, and she repeated herself more forcefully!
Yet she still didn’t order her people to move.
The eight rifle muzzles remained aimed at Fang Qi and Liguang, but no one fired.
Instead, under Fang Qi’s stare, Gu Xi’s gaze started to waver, her eyes instinctively shifting to the side, dodging his look.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, the corners of her mouth stiff and awkward!
Fang Qi couldn’t help but blink.
Watching this pretty policewoman act so awkward and twisted...
He suddenly understood!
Ha.
This was practically confirmed, wasn’t it?
They really were old acquaintances!
...No wonder.
No wonder!
No wonder Gu Xi had always given him this kind of...
How to put it... a strange sense of familiarity?
Back in the last timeline, in that little cabin, when Liguang had her pinned down for a search...
Instead of glaring at Liguang, she’d glared at him!
With that fierce look that practically said, “Try letting your AI partner do that, just try it!”
Thinking back now...
That look back then? It wasn’t the look of a stranger staring down a criminal!
It was clearly the look of an old acquaintance who deserved a punch!
And later, when he pretended he was going to “interrogate” her...
He remembered clearly—she’d stared at him with wide eyes, goosebumps rising on her arms!
And she’d said something like...
“If you really dare to do this, you will definitely regret it!”
“Hurry up, just think of it as being bitten by a dog for two minutes!”
At that moment, he felt something was off!
What normal woman, facing a thug about to assault her, would say something like that?
That was clearly...
the kind of thing you’d say to someone you knew!
...Damn it!
Fang Qi stared at her!
Exactly right!
He had been staring at Gu Xi without saying a word, and the atmosphere now was very tense.
It had reached a boiling point!
Nine rifle muzzles were still aimed at them!
On Gu Xi’s face, her expression was caught between stubbornness and hesitation!
Behind her, those armed personnel remained expressionless, waiting for orders.
Liguang tilted her head slightly, one side of her face bathed in a deep blue glow.
Phoenix eyes narrowed as she looked at Fang Qi.
Fang Qi immediately snapped back to attention, hastily pulling his gaze away from Gu Xi’s face!
Honey, you have to listen to me, it’s not what it looks like, I...
“Move!”
Gu Xi suddenly swung her hand down!
Her voice turned cold and ruthless again!
Behind her, the nine rifle muzzles lifted instantly at her command!
But the very next moment—
A flash before Fang Qi’s eyes!
Silver hair streaked through the air like a flowing light!
Too fast to believe! Too quick for his eyes to follow!
A pale purple blur, swift as lightning!
It darted through the eight people in an instant!
...Huh?
Fang Qi hadn’t even had time to blink...
“Tap.”
The soft sound of toes touching the ground.
That streak of silver and purple lightning...
had somehow already returned to his side!
The silver-haired girl stood there gracefully, the corners of her mouth still holding that gentle, obedient smile.
She raised her right hand, her slender fingers lightly brushing through her perfectly neat silver hair.
Her light purple hoodie was tidy.
Her white skirt didn’t even have a single wrinkle!
She even stuck out the tip of her tongue, gently licking her lower lip—the spot he had just kissed.
The only unusual thing...
was the boiling deep blue glow in her left amber pupil!
As bright and piercing as her former red pupil had been!
...Huh?
Fang Qi hadn’t even processed it yet.
Honey, what did you just do...
“Clatter.”
A soft sound came from behind Gu Xi.
Fang Qi’s head snapped around.
One of the armed personnel had fallen?
“Clatter, clatter...”
One by one, the other armed fighters slumped to the metal floor.
Including the young Lin Zhouyuan.
As he fell, his deep brown eyes were still staring in Fang Qi’s direction.
His gaze still utterly hollow.
Fang Qi: “?”
This...?
He looked down at the eight people lying in a tangled heap on the ground...
then up at the silver-haired girl beside him, still flipping her hair and smiling.
Fang Qi finally realized what had happened!
His eyes went wide!
This...!?
...Honey, how are you...
so incredibly strong!
The silver-haired girl caught the shock on Fang Qi’s face. The corner of her mouth curled a little higher, the arc more cheerful. She even winked at Fang Qi!
—How was that, Master? Liguang’s amazing, right?
Amazing. Absolutely terrifyingly amazing!
Compared to Fang Qi’s stunned expression—half “my wife is so powerful, maybe I should just bow down and worship her”—Gu Xi’s reaction was surprisingly calm.
Too calm!
Hearing the sounds of people collapsing behind her, she didn’t even turn around!
Instead, she kept her eyes locked on the silver-haired girl, who was still casually combing her own hair...
And then, she suddenly pulled out a pistol!
The black, empty gun muzzle aimed straight at Liguang’s head!
More precisely, at her right eye!
That crimson right pupil!
Fang Qi’s pupils contracted!
But just as Gu Xi was about to pull the trigger—
In the next instant—
Liguang’s form blurred into lightning again!
Her silver hair whipped through the air!
She crashed into Gu Xi’s chest like a silver-purple thunderbolt!
Gu Xi didn’t even have time to squeeze the trigger. Her wrist was caught in a terrifying vice grip before she could react!
Her fingers went limp involuntarily, and the pistol flew from her grasp!
“Clatter!”
It hit the metal floor!
The immense momentum sent Gu Xi stumbling backward, but Liguang’s other hand had already pressed down on her shoulder!
Forcing her entire body down with brutal force!
“Thud—!”
“Uh—!”
