Li Li intended to save Yi Ming in his time of need to gain favour with him and bum off his protagonist spotlight as a part of the main cast. Yet as a victim…
Her plan would probably work even better.
She could already foresee the days she could frantically bum off Yi Ming’s spotlight.
“Don’t let them escape!”
Searchlights around the compound lead the remaining enemies outside right to them.
The black robed people at the gates spread out into a line and pointed guns at them. They were surrounded.
“Where can you possibly go?” Li Li scanned the blocked off exit.
Her emotionless tone sounded almost accusatory under current circumstances, which actually made sense.
After all, according to the script Yi Ming handed her, she was planning on fleeing from Tarnished Bronze on her own when Yi Ming dragged her out of her hiding spot. Now that their cover was blown, she had a right to question his inability to mind his own business.
But what about the smile playing on her lips then? If Yi Ming turned around right now, he might mistake her leisurely attitude to mean she was in cahoots with Tarnished Bronze.
But he didn’t.
“I don’t know,” Yi Ming was honest. His voice still brimmed with confidence, “but at least I’m an ability user. Guns won’t be able to stop me.”
Of course Li Li knew he was an ability user. She even knew what his ability was and what it did.
The manhua switched between the protagonist’s first person PoV and an omniscient third person PoV. She knew even more than Yi Ming himself.
It was her breadth of knowledge that gave her the confidence to intervene in the main plotline.
“An ability user…hmph.” She murmured vaguely.
Li Li had no particular enmity with ability users. Yi Ming’s ability had just come to mind. Li Li glanced at the hand Yi Ming was holding before slowly raising her eyes.
The incandescent lights pouring down from above illuminated every strand of Yi Ming’s brown hair.
Seconds later, countless small, individual hairs detached from his head and started floating around him.
Then the short, supple filaments stretched, forming blades that glinted coldly in the night.
Yi Ming’s ability was called Heart of Metal.
He could freely change any part of his body into metal, including his limbs and hair.
As Yi Ming continued walking, his hair-blades spun around him in a circle the size of a train wheel. The sound of the blades cutting through the air was reminiscent of a train’s whistle.
They tore the guns to shreds, ending everything in an instant!
“An ability user!” The enemies cried out in horror.
The blades revolving around Yi Ming divided into three, as if preparing to tear through the enemy ranks again as they had seconds ago.
Li Li had seen this attack many times in the manhua, but that paled in comparison to seeing it live.
There were no special effects or the constraints of the manhua medium. Sharp blades glistened under the searchlights, leaving afterimages in their wake.
The warning lights flashing in the night and the chaotic sounds of footsteps and screams drew her back to her surreal surroundings.
“Nice work,” she chuckled, “but you kind of look like a shedding corgi.”
Li Li joked.
The readers referred to this skill of the protagonist as ‘The Shedding Corgi’. Corgis had two coats of fur, meaning they’re almost always shedding. Yi Ming, who was already nicknamed Little Corgi, would pluck his own hair for this attack. It really looked like he was shedding when his brown hairs fell out.
The resemblance was so uncanny that someone was bound to make a post every time he used this move, betting on when Little Corgi would experience male pattern baldness like his canine brethren.
Yi Ming almost lost his footing. It was his first time being teased like this.
He finally turned around instead of single-mindedly running ahead. His blue eyes were wide as he complained petulantly, “So what if my fur is falling out? How in the world do I look like a corgi??”
The rotating blades continued to cut a path through the subordinates around them as they spoke.
The exit was just around the corner.
“I prefer huskies if you must know!”
Yi Ming said as he continued running. He wanted to take the child in his arms and Li Li, who he just met, to safety.
Having been previously disarmed, the sharp blades struck fear through the enemy formation. Footsteps continued to sound from behind them, but no one dared to step into the protective ring Yi Ming created with his blades.
Well, with one exception. The man whose robe was embroidered with golden thread stepped forward, raising his hands. Vines sprouted from the ground beneath his feet, but they could only grow a little more than his arm span around him.
Rank E’s were ability users, yes, but they could do nothing against a Rank D like Yi Ming.
Victory was almost within sight.
Until the walkie-talkie buzzed.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a husky, a corgi, or anything else. I prefer German Shepherds, if you must know. Anyways…”
The voice continued unhurriedly.
“From this point forward, stop whatever you’re doing.”
A invisible wave spread in all directions in an instant. A shrill voice reverberated in the night sky.
The black-robed people stopped because this was an order from their leader.
Yi Ming stopped because of an ability.
The ability of the Tarnished Bronze’s leader.
That Rank B ability user was finally making his move.
…
Li Li recalled what happened before Yi Ming broke into the Tarnished Bronze headquarters. He didn’t seek out an information broker just to find out where Tang was being kept. He also wanted to learn about the leader of the Tarnished Bronze.
The boss seemed to take a shine to Yi Ming in the manhua. He smoothly slipped in some tidbits about the leader into their conversation, free of charge.
“That man has a very troublesome ability.” The boss drawled as he leaned back in his lounge chair with closed eyes, “Rank B, conceptual-type.”
There were four types of abilities: mimic-type, spell-type, domain-type, and concept-type.
The most common were mimic-type and spell-type abilities.
Mimic-type abilities were able to change organic matter in some way, such as strengthening their body or mutating plants and animals. Yi Ming’s Heart of Metal was of this type.
Spell-type abilities could manipulate/create inorganic matter or energy. The [Shock Spell] Li Li bought before was, as its name suggested, a spell-type ability.
These two types accounted for over 90% of abilities. Of the remaining 10%, 9% were spatial abilities classified under domain-type, like the boss’ ability.
The final 1% were concept-type abilities. These were the most mysterious and difficult to defend against.
The top information broker in Desolate Dragon said: “I don’t know what his ability is either, but I did find out a former moniker of his.”
His voice drawled off into a sigh as he seemed to reminisce.
“The Manipulator, Qing Yuchen.”
A boogeyman for ability users everywhere. Someone who was able to crush local gangs right after reaching Rank C, reducing his enemies into mindless beasts.
He was a renowned ability user ten years ago.
…
Li Li made up her mind back when Yi Ming mistook her for a victim.
Whether Yi Ming managed to escape or not, she was tagging along for the ride. No matter what, some of his protagonist’s spotlight would rub off on her for the next update.
However, the current situation was outside her expectations.
It was as if someone had pressed pause on the world.
The people in black robes stopped and stood around quietly.
A stunned Yi Ming took a step back and stood with his legs together.
Not to mention the silent child in his arms.
Many thoughts ran through Li Li’s mind at that moment.
She knew that the Tarnished Bronze leader might have an ability related to control. She also knew there was a high probability Yi Ming would fail. Being the protagonist of ‘Beyond Black and White’ didn’t mean he would never lose. On the contrary, he often found himself in troublesome situations.
After all, Li Li knew working to overcome failure was a quintessential trope in shounen manhua. She even believed the author meant for Yi Ming to fail tonight.
The only thing she didn’t expect was that, unlike the protagonist, she was unaffected by the manipulation.
She didn’t even buy an item, ah!
“Hm?” The leader’s voice pitched up slightly as he noticed the individual not under his control. “There were signs of an intruder in two places. You’ve visited the main control room before.”
“So you should also be an ability user.” His voice gradually pitched down.
Li Li’s mind raced as she stood in place.
Regardless of the reason, the truth was she wasn’t under his control right now. However, she couldn’t break through the subordinates around them with the controlled Yi Ming in tow.
If she ran off on her own, her entire trip would be moot.
Li Li finished thinking in the blink of an eye. She knew there was only one choice.
She tugged her wrist free from Yi Ming’s grasp and turned around, dusting off her trenchcoat.
“Looks like the jig is up.” She pulled out the walkie-talkie and spoke directly to the person all the way back in the main control room.
She forced her trembling hand to still as she pretended to be at ease.
Li Li mulled over what little she knew about the leader of the Tarnished Bronze, Qing Yuchen, from the boss’ brief remarks. She had no idea what kind of person he was.
From the way he only acted just before Yi Ming broke through his subordinates, he seemed to be very confident in his ability. He seemed to enjoy toying with others like a cat would its prey.
Although Tarnished Bronze was his organization, he called his subordinates ‘trash’ without hesitation when bringing them up.
Arrogant. He was very arrogant, potentially due to his ability.
In that case, Li Li, who his ability couldn’t affect, had another chance to be a paper tiger like she did with the boss!
Li Li gripped the walkie-talkie and put on the mask once more.
But before she could even open her mouth, she heard the Tarnished Bronze leader say, “If you would like, sir. I can act as if I don’t know a thing.”
Li Li detected a hint of fear.
Fear?
She choked on the lines she was about to sprout.
She didn’t even start acting yet?
…
He was undoubtedly an ability user.
Qing Yuchen, the leader of the Tarnished Bronze organization, slowly stood up from the swivel chair and stretched.
His overly long black hair was gathered into a loose braid that draped down the back of his spring green robe. His square, frameless glasses had a gold chain attached at the arm that glistened even in the dimly lit surroundings.
Yet now, a solemness completely absent before filled those pale purple eyes.
The unconscious bodies of his subordinates were strewn about the main control room. He just placed the low-rank ability user slumped near the center seat under his control to review his memories.
There was definitely an ability involved, Qing Yuchen thought.
Qing Yuchen’s ability was classified as the concept-type ability ‘Mental Control’. He could mark the minds of anyone within 300m of him and control them even when thousands of miles apart afterwards.
Low-rank abilities had significant drawbacks in terms of range, potency or activation conditions. The same concept applied to a lesser degree for mid-rank abilities.
Qing Yuchen’s condition was that he could not control ability users of ranks higher than him or ordinary people without abilities at all. This was why he was known as ‘The Ability User Manipulator’.
Since he had already confirmed the second intruder did have an ability, only one possibility remained.
That intruder was at least Rank A!
He was someone stronger than Qing Yuchen that he could not afford to offend.
