“Huh? I’m fine—no storm in me, why ask like that?”
Li Muyan turned his head, gaze cutting over like a thin blade of light, and asked Tang Coco.
“No… it’s nothing, the wind’s passed.”
“Heh, not used to me being like this, like a sudden change in weather?”
Li Muyan smiled, warmth like late sun on water, moved back to her side, bent down, and hooked her chin with a light touch.
“Little girl, don’t overthink—your body’s a wilting reed right now, I pity you. When you’re well, I’ll settle the score.”
He finished, left her no time to answer, and turned away, his back a retreating sail slipping through a doorway of quiet.
Tang Coco watched his departing silhouette, anger a banked ember, thoughts swirling like leaves caught in a slow eddy.
Her gut clenched like a coiled spring; she knew he was hiding something. And there was one thing she couldn’t shake—at the hospital, when Li Muyan held her, a faint scent rose off him like smoke after rain. It was tiny, but to a former mercenary, that smell rang clear as a gunshot—gunpowder, dry and bitter as dust.
“Ugh… such a knot of reeds, all because this body’s too weak to stand against the current.”
With a helpless sigh like mist thinning at dawn, Tang Coco closed her eyes to rest, but soon a sports car growled outside like a prowling cat—sounded like they were back.
Not long after, Ye Yiyi stepped into Tang Coco’s room, her footsteps soft as ripples crossing a still pond.
“Mm? Where’s Xiaoxiao?”
Seeing only Ye Yiyi, Tang Coco asked, curiosity pricking like a thorn.
“She got a call at the hospital. From her face, waves were crashing—so I let her handle it first.”
Ye Yiyi spoke while hanging Coco’s clothes, fabric falling like quiet rain along the wardrobe’s edge.
“Oh.”
Tang Coco understood, thoughts aligning like stacked tiles—probably Meng Xiaoxiao’s older sister had returned.
“Okay, let me turn on the TV, then I’ll tidy downstairs—clear the dust like sweeping leaves.”
“Mm, thanks.”
Ye Yiyi walked to the TV, a click like a spark, and the screen bloomed like dawn over glass.
“Right, your phone’s here too, but you can’t play all day—like a kite you gotta reel in.”
Saying so, Ye Yiyi placed the remote and phone by Tang Coco’s bed, neat as stones on a path.
“Okay, I’m not a kid…”
Tang Coco pouted, lips a cherry curve, voice a small wave against the shore.
Ye Yiyi smiled, turned, and left, leaving the door ajar like a half-closed fan—easy for Coco to call. After Ye Yiyi went, Tang Coco flicked through channels, boredom drifting like fog; several shows felt flat as stale bread. She didn’t like dramas, and she wasn’t an animation fan like Ye Yiyi. Then a program snagged her gaze like a hooked fish.
It was a documentary, but its content struck with the clean edge of steel.
“The world-renowned Bill Tech Corporation released a humanoid skeletal Armor last week. The tech’s been recognized by many countries, and some have proposed military use. We’re lucky to have Bill’s Technical Director here to walk us through this Armor.”
Hearing the reporter, Tang Coco’s thoughts surged like tides. The diagram on screen—she knew that Mech shape like a familiar constellation. Back then, after discovering her Anomaly Power could grant teammates Armor, she’d dug deeper into her gift, then proposed a plan for tech-built Armor. A science doctor at Bill had been on good terms with her; he’d even supported the Shadow Division. So Tang Coco had once bestowed Armor on that doctor, letting him return to study and peel back its layers like bark. After dying once, she learned her Anomaly Power had failed; she thought the plan would wither without samples. She hadn’t expected their tree to bloom anyway.
“Maybe this world’s about to change,” she thought, the idea glinting like a shard of moon on water. Still, that level of Armor was a paper kite next to hers—no real threat, just a breeze.
“Yo—I heard you were hospitalized. Thought thunder had split the sky, but you look fine.”
A voice floated from the doorway like a playful bell. Tang Coco turned; the face startled her like a bird lifting from grass.
“Ningxin? Why are you here?”
“Ehehe! Hey, little brat, how are you talking to me? Shouldn’t it be Sister Ning?”
Ningxin pulled a mock frown, theatrics as light as stage smoke.
“Quit dodging—why’d you come? I thought you’d forgotten me.”
“How could I? How could I forget my little beauty? It’s just that storms rolled through my side lately.”
Ningxin shut the door with a soft click, then walked toward the bed, steps steady as a metronome.
“Keep it to business.”
“Ahh… still no sense of romance—like winter branches, all bone.”
Ningxin looked a bit disappointed, but under Coco’s stare—sharp as a hawk’s—she tucked it away like folding a fan.
“Okay, okay. First, it’s been a while—I missed you like rain misses thirsty soil. Second, I’ve got news for you.”
“Mm. Say it.”
Tang Coco’s tone was clean as a blade on whetstone.
“I’ve got outsiders at my place—Headquarters folks. From the look of their boots, they’re marching for you.”
“Huh?”
Shock flashed in Tang Coco like lightning, followed by a weary sigh, troubles piling like wet clothes—why was everyone coming for her?
“Your Anomaly Power went berserk last time—the energy spike was huge, like a flare in a night sky. By now, every capable Abnormal organization in the world probably knows. Some just haven’t moved yet.”
“…”
Tang Coco fell silent, quiet as snow. Ningxin paused, then pressed on, voice smoothing like oil on hinges.
“But you can breathe for now. As far as we know, no Abnormals from other countries have come to Ninghai. As for Headquarters, I’ve stalled them—held them like a leash. Use this window to tighten control over your Anomaly Power and shield yourself.”
“You think I don’t want that? Otherwise how would I end up like this—like a reed bruised by wind?”
Tang Coco spoke, frustration pooling like dark water.
“Haha, I figured. So—I hired you two bodyguards!”
Ningxin ruffled Coco’s hair, touch light as a breeze through bamboo.
“Hah? Bodyguards? You think I don’t have enough trouble—adding wolves to a crowded pen?”
The words burst out of Tang Coco like sparks.
“Don’t rush. This helps you. Those two are strong—stronger than me, like twin mountains. With them at your side, you can study in peace and learn to steer your Anomaly Power.”
“…”
“Tempted?”
Ningxin leaned in, smile curling like a cat’s tail, her tone teasing and strange.
“Who are they? Names.”
Ignoring her theatrics, Tang Coco pressed, voice steady as a taut string.
“Names? You’ve only just stepped into the world of Anomaly Power—tell you now and it’s just wind. Meet first, then trade names.”
“…”
You’re the brat—when I was killing, you were still playing with dolls, she grumbled inside, the thought a sly ember glowing behind her eyes.
