·118｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·118
His special ability is to fight animals.
Hagiwara Yomi trembled as she withdrew her finger and quietly retreated. She was terrified that any sudden movement or noise would cause the silver-haired beast, whose eyes were already bloodshot, to rush up and tear her apart.
Gin stared with his narrow, upturned eyes, a cruel smile spreading across his face. He pointed his gun at Yomi, but his feet began to move to the left.
Huang Quan wasn't good at deduction, but she was smart enough. In an instant, she guessed what Gin was trying to do—he wanted to create some distance between himself and Vodka, so that even if she raised her arm, she wouldn't be able to block the gun ports of both guns at the same time.
When the administrator forcibly assigned this skill to Huang Quan, there was no skill description provided, and she had no idea what would happen under these circumstances.
After putting four meters between himself and Vodka, Gin smiled cruelly: "Vodka, obey my commands."
Since the woman would block the gun barrel with her finger the instant they fired, he kept a five-meter distance from Vodka.
He refused to believe it. Could this woman really stretch her arms like a rubber man?
At a command, Gin and Vodka simultaneously fired at Hagiwara Yomi, who had already retreated some distance.
The gunpowder exploded, and the bullet was about to leave the barrel.
The moment the gun fired, Huang Quan's face showed a look of terror.
He might die.
However, only two muffled, dud-like thuds echoed from the empty ballast tank. Gin and Vodka remained silent, their guns still pointed at Yomi Hagiwara.
He tried to pull his fingers back but only found nothing; the cold, deadly weapon that should have been in his hand had vanished without a trace.
And the Yellow Springs...
She raised both arms, her index fingers firmly blocking the gun barrels of both hands.
She attracted Gin and Vodka's guns.
Gin: "..."
Vodka: "..."
Hagiwara Yomi: "..."
How could they even do this?!
This passive skill is way too overpowered! It either pulls me over, or it pulls the enemy's gun over! Do you think I'm Magneto?!
Without hesitation, Hagiwara Yomi turned his gun on Gin before he could charge at him and pulled the trigger without a second thought.
The firing pin clicked, but no bullet left the chamber. Only then did Gin, whose face had been grim all along, finally reveal a cruel smile. Hagiwara Yomi, hidden behind her mask, also wore a tearful expression—damn it, the gun was empty.
Just how much does Gin hate her that he played until the box was empty?
On the other side, Vodka also showed a relieved expression. He stepped forward and kicked the man who was lying on the ground trying to escape hard, then pulled out a folding knife from inside his coat.
Vodka remained unfazed; his gun had already been emptied to the last bullet during a previous mission. He hadn't reloaded; he'd used up his last bullet shooting the strange woman in front of him, so even if she got the gun, it wouldn't be of any use.
Gin pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and looked at the woman in front of him through a wisp of smoke. He could vaguely see her impending death.
“Vodka,” he chuckled coldly, “kill her.”
"Yes, brother."
Vodka, knife in hand, charged at Hagiwara Yomi like a raging rhinoceros. Despite his imposing physique, he was incredibly skilled at running and wrestling. A frail girl like Yomi, without the Bureau's physical enhancements, was no match for him.
The gleaming dagger was about to slice through Hagiwara Yomi's throat when she froze, seemingly stunned. The next second, she abruptly dodged the dagger. Simultaneously, she gripped her pistol with both hands and slammed the sturdy magazine into Vodka's forehead from left to right, producing a dull thud as bone struck metal.
She did lose her enhanced body, but the fighting instincts honed through countless life-and-death experiences would not be forgotten simply because she changed bodies.
After smashing the person, Hagiwara Yomi didn't give them a chance to react. She bent down, picked up the vodka pistol she had just thrown on the ground, and ran away. Both pistols had her fingerprints on them; she had to take them with her.
For a fleeting moment, Huang Quan considered the possibility of launching a direct attack on Gin and his group, but Amuro Tooru had said that Gin's close-combat abilities were extremely strong. Having lost his powerful regenerative abilities, Huang Quan dared not be overconfident.
But Hagiwara Yomi never expected that besides Gin and Vodka, there were other members of the Black Organization on board.
As she ran frantically with the gun in her hand, a gunshot rang out behind her. Perhaps the shooter was too far away to be within the effective range of the "Finger Blocking the Gun" skill, for the bullet sliced through the air, spinning and grazing past Huang Quan's calf.
Hagiwara Yomi stumbled and nearly lost her balance.
She gave a pained look and glanced behind her. Gin, hands in his pockets, approached steadily, a cruel smile always playing on his lips.
Seeing Gin getting closer and closer, Yomi no longer hesitated, flipped over and jumped directly into the sea.
The sound of a heavy object falling into the water was drowned out by the noise and revelry of the crowd, but some people still saw a dark shadow formed as Huang Quan fell.
"Someone has fallen into the water!"
Someone shouted it first, and soon a crowd of onlookers gathered on the deck. The captain, who rushed over after hearing the noise, directed his crew to turn on the searchlights and search the dark sea. The man-eating ocean was deathly silent; there was no sign of anyone.
Amuro Tooru concealed himself in the crowd, his phone repeatedly dialing Hagiwara Yomi's number, but no one answered. His expression darkened, and he took a few steps back, disappearing into the crowd of onlookers.
Rushing down the escalator to the ballast tank, he found a body lying in the cabin, its throat slit, illuminated only by two lights. Gin was nowhere to be seen. Amuro Tooru gritted his teeth and dialed Kenji Hagiwara's number.
Just moments before, in the instant the splash rang out, he caught a glimpse of Gin's fleeting figure on the lower deck as he rushed to the deck. With Amuro Tooru's talent, he didn't even need to deduce the conclusion—it was Gin and his group who forced Yomi into the sea.
The phone was answered after only two rings, and Kenji Hagiwara's deep voice came through: "Hey, Amuro, you better not have bad news to tell me."
Amuro Tooru clenched his fists at his sides, remained silent for a moment, then swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Yomi fell into the sea."
*
Upon receiving the message, Kazami organized members of the Public Security Department who were not on duty to search the sea in small boats.
Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda also led a team to begin the salvage operation at sea—the mobile unit's scope of work includes water rescue.
Although flood rescue is not under the jurisdiction of the Mobile Team 1 where Hagi and Matsu are located, these two aces are so anxious that they wish they could jump into the water themselves to rescue people, so how could they sit at home and wait for news?
The lights shone on the dark, cold sea surface, and diesel fuel hummed as it was poured into the engine. The makeshift maritime salvage team, composed of police and mobile units, was the only source of sound in this area.
All was silent except for the gentle lapping of the waves. The white noise of the crashing waves, usually so soothing to sleep, now sounded to Kenji Hagiwara like a countdown to death. He slumped into the lifeboat, his hand supporting his forehead, feeling nauseous. His stomach churned, and he wanted to vomit but couldn't. He wouldn't blame Rei Furuya; it wasn't Rei's fault. Rei Furuya wouldn't have wanted this to happen either; he must be feeling incredibly ashamed and guilty right now.
Moreover, Huang Quan volunteered to become a police assistant; it was her own choice, a decision she made after careful consideration.
"Hagi."
Matsuda Jinpei uttered only one word and then fell silent. He understood Hagiwara Kenji's feelings but didn't know how to comfort him. Nearly an hour had passed since receiving Furuya Rei's call, and with each passing minute, the chances of survival decreased.
Kenji Hagiwara glanced at his childhood friend in front of him and forced a smile: "It's okay, let's look again. Soft Bread will definitely be alright."
Unacceptable.
Soft Bread had endured so much hardship to keep them alive, and they had finally found happiness. How could he... how could he just leave him like this? This feeling of collapse, even though he was wearing a thick coat and sitting in the lifeboat, made Kenji Hagiwara feel like he was falling into the deep sea. A chill ran through him from his fingers to his entire body; he felt dizzy and disoriented.
"Look!!"
Someone shouted, and immediately all the rescue vessels turned their searchlights to focus on a single point on the sea surface.
Upon seeing the scene before them, everyone gasped in shock, frozen in place as if witnessing a divine miracle, unable to believe what they were seeing.
On the shimmering surface of the sea, a pink dolphin swam swiftly, its pink fins occasionally surfacing. It popped its head out from underwater, chirping at the officers, before continuing its journey.
On the back of the pink dolphin, the woman, who had been searching for an hour by the mobile team and the Ministry of Public Security, listlessly clung to its fins, riding on its back like a dragon.
Kenji Hagiwara jumped to his feet in surprise: "Soft bread!?"
Pink dolphins are said to be as rare as unicorns, and seeing one brings good luck. When Huang Quan first fell into the sea, she was still conscious and struggled to swim upwards. But when she saw the searchlight circling the horizon through the icy water, she hesitated. Gin hadn't seen her face; at this moment, she should have played dead, not reached out to the sea to call for help from the crew.
Huang Quan held her breath and remained submerged in the icy seawater, feeling her body heat slowly evaporate. When the cruise ship sailed far away and she resurfaced, all that remained was a terrifying, deathly silence and a sky full of stars.
Resigned to her fate, Huang Quan gazed at the distant starry sky, somewhat reminiscing about her second year of graduate school. It was at this moment that the pink dolphin that had saved her appeared. It chirped, circled Huang Quan a few times, and then used its back to push the sinking Huang Quan back to the surface.
Clutching the dolphin's pink fin, Hagiwara Yomi slowly recalled for a while before finally remembering where she had seen it before—the annoying little creature that had sprayed her with water and fought with her at the aquarium seven years ago. Right, the aquarium that had gone bankrupt on the news earlier seemed to be the one it used to live at; it looks like it was released.
A pink dolphin carried Yomi to the small boat Hagiwara was on. Yomi, who was freezing and almost unconscious, was pulled onto the boat. Hagiwara Kenji used a thick towel he had prepared beforehand to wipe her body, while Matsuda Jinpei unscrewed a thermos and poured her a cup of hot soup that the rescue team had specially prepared to replenish her energy.
"Thanks."
Hagiwara Yomi shivered, wrapped in a towel and clutching a cup, taking small sips of the steaming broth. It wasn't until the second cup of hot soup entered her stomach that Yomi finally felt a touch of warmth. She pulled the blanket tighter around her and turned to look at the pink dolphins circling on the surface of the sea not far away.
With Kenji Hagiwara's help, Huang Quan leaned against the edge of the boat. She raised a hand and waved to her little savior who had rescued her from the sea: "Thanks~"
The pink dolphin seemed to receive her thanks, tilting its head back and chirping at her a few times before diving back into the sea.
Huang Quan gazed at the now calm sea, a slow smile playing on her lips. She made up her mind: she would never fight with the dolphins again, and she would bring them dried fish to feed them more often.
However, the next second, the pink dolphin returned and surfaced again.
Huang Quan: ?
Huang Quan: "How come you're back again?"
Huang Quan had only managed to utter two words when the pink dolphin splashed all the seawater it was holding onto her face. Her face and neck, which she had just managed to dry, were now soaking again in the cool, salty seawater.
Huang Quan: ...
Just as she was about to get angry, a live, half-meter-long salmon was caught by the tail by a dolphin and violently flung out of the water, leaving a trail of afterimages in the air before slamming into Hagiwara Yomi's face. The sound of the impact was amplified several times over the silent sea, and Hagiwara Yomi was thrown backward, landing straight on the lifeboat.
She clutched her nose, which was bleeding from the impact, tears welling in her eyes from the pain. Beside her, the salmon, used as a weapon by the dolphin, thrashed about desperately, making splashing sounds as it struggled. Her savior in the sea chirped, its cheerful calls tinged with mockery.
It was just like a scene from the aquarium seven years ago, repeating itself.
Everyone else, including Hagi and Matsu, was stunned by what they saw. They stood there, eyes wide, their minds blank. Only Yomi, holding her nose, swayed as she sat up and grabbed the struggling salmon, slamming it back at the pink dolphin.
The gloating pink dolphin's nose was hit three more times, and it stared blankly with its beady eyes, no longer making its cheerful chirping. After a moment of silence, the dolphin bit the salmon and threw it back at Raikawa Yomi.
After a muffled thud, Huang Quan covered his face and crouched down, trembling: "Damn it...it hurts so much..."
A few seconds later, she erupted in fury: "How dare you!!"
Having been hit in the face again, Hagiwara Yomi's face turned ashen with rage. She grabbed the gills of the salmon that had been thrown back with her fingers and hurled it at the pink dolphin in the water.
So, after seven years, the SWAT team and the Ministry of Public Security finally had the opportunity to witness the little witch's special magic again—this was a terrifying woman who could not only be saved by dolphins, but also fight with them.
The battle between the human and the fish lasted a full five minutes, but Huang Quan was ultimately defeated—she had been suffering from hypothermia and had expended a great deal of energy, making her no match for the pink dolphin.
The pink dolphin kept leaping out of the water, letting out smug calls. Huang Quan's little face was red from being hit, and she glared angrily at the dolphin's retreating figure before turning around and throwing herself into the arms of the second-year graduate student to complain: "Look at it, second-year graduate student!"
Kenji Hagiwara suppressed a laugh, rubbed Yomi's forehead, which was red from being hit, and cleared his throat: "Be good, don't be angry, I'll be fierce to you next time."
He gently rubbed his wife's aggrieved face against his chest, finally unable to hold back: "But Softie, can you tell me how you got into a fight with a dolphin? I thought you were only capable of conflicts with humans."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person in his arms tensed up as if petrified, and guiltily looked away.
Kenji Hagiwara chuckled a few times, not delving into the matter. He pulled Yomi into his arms, his hands tightening around her slender waist and back, so tightly he wanted to meld her into his body: "You must be cold, give me your hands, I'll warm them up for you."
After saying that, he pulled Huang Quan's hand and slipped it under his coat, pressing her icy little hand firmly against his chest. Afraid of chilling Hagiwara Kenji, Huang Quan tried to pull her hand away, struggling a few times but unable to break free. She pouted, then, with Kenji's concerned and gentle smile, obediently nestled back into his arms, letting him warm her hands.
The strong heartbeat of Kenji Hagiwara was right next to her ear, and the salty smell of the sea and Kenji's faint scent filled her nostrils. Through the thin fabric of her shirt, Huang Quan could feel Kenji's warm, burning chest beneath her palm.
Huang Quan nestled against Hagiwara Kenji's body, nuzzling her head affectionately: "I love you so much."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled, his gaze towards Yomi so tender it seemed capable of shattering the moonlight: "Yes, I love you the most too."
"But I'm still very curious, how exactly did you get together with a dolphin—"
"Stop nagging! Don't ask!"
[Author's Note]
Dolphin: Holding a grudge.jpg
How many people still remember the time when Huang Quan was pulled away seven years ago and fought with dolphins at the aquarium?
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