CR CH55

Chapter 55: Probing

“Bro…”

A drunken voice sounded right against his ear. Jiang Tianji quietly shifted to the side, only to be pulled into a tight hold by someone else on the other side.

“Buddy, let me tell you…”

A pair of brown ears sat atop that person’s head. Jiang Tianji pushed his hand away, and just as the guy was about to lean over again, he swiftly shoved a skewer of meat into his hands.

“Officer Zhao, here you go.”

Zhao Hengyi mumbled as he stuffed the meat skewer into his mouth. Taking advantage of the distraction, Jiang Tianji stood up and walked toward the edge of the grounds.

Feng Huo’s copying sheets were scattered all over the ground. Jiang Tianji bent down to pick them up, weighing them down with an overturned stool.

Near the center of the training grounds was a small sparring ring, surrounded by a crowd cheering and shouting. With no strict restrictions today, members from the Special Division and the General Division mingled together in surprising harmony.

“Do you think I’ll see you up there one day?”

Li Cheng leaned over. He had a decent tolerance for alcohol and only looked slightly tipsy.

“That move earlier was seriously cool. I’ve been annoyed by that Jia Yun kid for a long time.”

He handed over a can of beer. Jiang Tianji took it, popped it open, and threw his head back for a gulp.

“Actually, I’m a bit curious,” he asked softly. “Why did you guys…”

He paused mid-sentence, seemingly at a loss for how to phrase it properly, and silently raised the beer can back to his lips.

“If you want to ask why we accepted the fact that you’re S-rank so easily…”

A figure leaned over from his right. Qi Xiuyi had one hand tucked in his pocket, looking elegant as if he were holding a wine goblet rather than a beer can.

“The news was a bit sudden, but as your friends, no one cares why you changed. As long as these changes are good for you, we’re happy.”

Before Jiang Tianji could say a word, Li Cheng voiced his exact thoughts.

“What the hell? Since when did you learn to talk like a human being?”

Qi Xiuyi: “Are you kidding? Isn’t the only one who can’t speak human language you?”

“Get lost! It’s just that most people can’t handle the truth.”

Li Cheng shoved a fist into his stomach, then sat down on the ground after laughing it off.

“We won’t be teammates after today. A regular guy like me probably won’t cross paths with another S-rank ability user in my lifetime.”

“But I’m not happy because you’re S-rank—it’s because my friend… well, someone I’ve spent time with and know pretty well? Is that the right way to put it? I just feel pretty honored.”

He leaned back comfortably, lying on the ground to gaze at the stars.

“I don’t have much skill, and my grades aren’t great either. In the future, I just want to open a small diner, make a little money, and listen to some local gossip.”

“If you ever hit rock bottom, come find me. I’ll invest a bit in your shop,” Qi Xiuyi casually dragged over a pack of beer sitting nearby and tossed a can to each of them.

“I have to go home and inherit the family business. Ever since I was little, my dad kept indoctrinating me with selfless devotion, but I can’t help it—I just love money. I plan to follow my mom.”

“I hate rich kids.”

Qi Xiuyi pushed away Li Cheng’s leaning face and looked at Jiang Tianji.

“You’re more interesting than I thought.” He proactively leaned over, their beer cans clinking with a soft sound. “Even though we won’t be teammates anymore, if there’s ever a match with you in the ring, we’ll be there to cheer you on.”

“Yeah! If you lose, we won’t laugh at you, nor will we feel embarrassed, so don’t feel pressured.”

“…Li Cheng, when you get rich in the future, hire yourself a bodyguard. The outside world isn’t as forgiving,” Qi Xiuyi offered a serious piece of advice. “Or forget the diner—come be my assistant instead. That way, whenever I run into someone I hate, I’ll bring you along. You won’t have to do a thing except run your mouth.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I can tell you’re insulting me.”

“It’s pretty hard not to tell. Though I wouldn’t call it an insult—it’s just that very few people in this world can handle the truth.”

Choked up by the response, Li Cheng looked ready to snap when someone lightly tapped his can with theirs.

Jiang Tianji sat between them, reaching out to clink glasses with both of them.

“Thanks. When the diner opens in the future, send us a message so we can share in the celebration.”

Li Cheng suddenly went quiet, shaking his can: “Will we still be able to contact you guys back then?”

“As long as we’re alive, yes,” Jiang Tianji said.

“My diner might be really small, located in some remote, quiet town. Would you young masters even care to visit?”

“Would the alcohol be worse than today’s?” Qi Xiuyi glanced at the beer in his hand and let out a sigh. “Guess I’ll just bring a few good bottles myself.”

Jiang Tianji: “If there aren’t enough seats, crouching outside works too.”

The corners of Li Cheng’s mouth curled up silently. He laid back down on the ground and raised his can.

“How nice… No matter what kind of adults we become in the future, looking back at this exact moment will probably make us feel deeply nostalgic.”

He was answered by two beer cans leaning toward his.

Jiang Tianji hadn’t drunk in a long time, and being preoccupied with his thoughts, he hadn’t paid attention—by the time he snapped back to reality, his head felt a bit dizzy.

Groping his way toward the restroom, his gaze casually swept across the surroundings. He couldn’t find Ling Kongmiao anywhere; perhaps he had just dropped by for a quick appearance before heading back to rest.

The dimly lit restroom only had a few people inside. As Jiang Tianji walked in, someone bumped straight into him, causing him to stagger back two steps before being steadied by a pair of hands.

“Ah, sorry… Officer.”

The person apologized hurriedly, his voice dropping halfway through before he quickly left.

His head felt heavy and woozy as a familiar scent floated toward the tip of his nose. Jiang Tianji turned his head a beat late, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Why are you still here?”

Seeming not to expect that response, the person opposite him paused.

“What? Do I need to report to you?”

Ling Kongmiao lowered his gaze to inspect the disoriented person in front of him. Just as he was about to push him away, Jiang Tianji leaned in closer, his warm breath fanning against Ling Kongmiao’s neck, tickling slightly.

“Your scent is very strong… Are you feeling unwell?” Jiang Tianji’s voice sounded somewhat slurred.

“How much did you drink?”

Ling Kongmiao pushed his face away, his brows knitting slightly.

“Although I thought it was strange earlier—what exactly did you smell… Forget it.”

Realizing it was impossible to communicate with a drunkard, he swallowed his words back down.

Ling Kongmiao was absolutely certain he wasn’t releasing any pheromones. That afternoon, he had used his beast form to release a massive amount of energy, and once his levels stabilized, he had slipped past Irene to inject a suppressant.

“Perfume…”

Ling Kongmiao: “You smelled wrong. Move.”

“I didn’t smell it wrong. My mom said my nose is sharper than a dog’s.”

Jiang Tianji blurted out. Smelling that scent brought him a strange sense of peace, and his drunkenness seemed to deepen.

The moment those words left his mouth, dead silence fell over the surroundings.

Ling Kongmiao’s expression turned extremely complex for a moment, his gaze staring blankly at him.

Only after a long silence did he let out a gentle sigh.

“What did you come in here for?”

The question sounded far gentler than usual—though unfortunately, no one would remember it after today.

Jiang Tianji thought for a moment, his eyes misty: “To use the bathroom.”

“Go do what you came here to do.”

Ling Kongmiao bypassed him and walked straight into the restroom.

Unimpeded, he walked up to an empty stall and turned his head back with his hand resting on his belt.

“…Why are you following me?”

The person behind him swayed unsteadily, burying his head straight into Ling Kongmiao’s shoulder before falling silent.

“…”

The warm body pressed entirely against his back, showing a complete lack of personal boundaries.

Ling Kongmiao froze for a second, then reached his limit of tolerance and shoved him temporarily into a stall.

Flush—

After flushing, he pushed open the stall door.

Jiang Tianji was crouching inside with his head hanging down. Being quite tall, shrinking himself inside made him look rather pitiable.

“Get out.” Ling Kongmiao bent down and extended a hand.

Jiang Tianji looked at him for a moment. Instead of taking his hand, he lightly grasped a strand of his hanging silver hair instead.

Ling Kongmiao stared at him, his brow slowly furrowing.

“Who won that match just now?”

“Seems like it was that guy from the Special Division…”

Faint, noisy voices echoed from outside. Jiang Tianji pulled his hand back and muttered in a low voice:

“Officer, do we know each other?”

The voices grew closer. Ling Kongmiao gave no answer, taking two steps back to pull the door shut for him.

“Stay here. Your captain will come pick you up.”

With a soft click, the door was closed, and the voices of squad members faintly sounded from outside.

“Good evening, Officer.”

“Captain Ling…”

A moment later, the stall door was pushed open.

With the party drawing to a close, quite a few people surged in, making plenty of noise.

Jiang Tianji let out a soft yawn, walked over to the mirror, and splashed water onto his face. His dark green eyes stared at the sink, somewhat lost in thought.

When someone squeezed past him, he smoothly dodged out of the way and walked outside.

…

On the high platform of the training grounds:

Ling Kongmiao looked down absentmindedly. Below, a crowd of squad members gathered around an instructor, listening to stories.

“Captain, what are you thinking about?”

Even after so many years, Dr. Gordon’s professional instincts remained sharp—no matter where he hid, she could always pop up out of nowhere.

“Under what circumstances do you think a person would pretend to be drunk?” Ling Kongmiao asked her without turning his head.

Irene looked surprised at his question. After pondering with a smile, she snapped her fingers.

“If it’s not acting needy, then it’s probably probing. What, someone probing you?”

“Who knows.”

Ling Kongmiao didn’t answer immediately, letting out a soft laugh.

“It feels like…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, lighting a cigarette for himself instead.

The rising smoke blurred his features, and his thoughts gradually drifted into the distance.

Some people, just when you thought they shared not a single similarity with their past self, would always pop up with little surprises.

His speed in locking onto a target was remarkably fast, never hesitating to get close.

And… he was exceptionally good at probing other people’s bottom lines—give him a sliver of implicit permission or indulgence, and he would push his luck for a mile.

When he was little, it was an unconscious intrusion; now, his methods were far more mature.

He really should have called him out.

Ling Kongmiao put out the cigarette and let out a gentle sigh.

Yet… he really wanted to see what he was actually trying to pull off.