Chapter 261: line with translation of title

NO. 23: But are you a criminal or a victim?

「The misunderstanding is huge, my brother doesn't look like Jia Gu La at all! 」Bi Ze argued for his brother, then muttered lowly, «You say he's like a Spartan, that's about right. »

「I guess he's talking about the situation on site. 」Aomo once again had the opportunity to scrutinize the black-haired man before him more closely.

He had an East Asian face, yet possessed astonishing monstrous strength and extreme speed; he bore the evident bearing of a warrior, but lacked the military bearing ingrained in soldiers.

A lone warrior, his power cannot be matched within any known energy system; instead, there is a warmth that feels familiar yet is subconsciously rejected.

Like… light?

Aomo frowned slightly, raised his hand into his pocket, and pressed down on the more agitated card, especially the Ace Assassin card in the middle layer of the card case.

An absurd speculation rose in his mind.

And following closely behind that speculation came a hint of excitement.

Although he loved monsters quite a bit, that didn't mean he would dislike the Ultraman who served as the protagonist.

People's longing for heroes is longstanding, and can be traced back to an even more ancient past.

Who as a child has not yearned for the light that could save themselves? Even as they grow up and gradually recognize reality, realizing that only they themselves can change their own circumstances, most of them still do not lose their longing for 'light'.

Whether one embodies it oneself or another becomes it, altruism that willingly sacrifices possesses an inherent charm that draws people together.

But speculation is just speculation; Aomo would not lose his composure simply because an existence he once admired appeared before him.

The one who should lose composure ought to be the other party.

「Yes, that's right, am I…… interrupting something? 」the man asked, then turned his head to look at the three silhouettes still lying on the ground behind him.

Aomo looked as well.

Seeing that two of them were gradually dissipating because their card users had lost consciousness, he stepped forward, holding the briefcase he had just picked up.

From it he pulled out the mercenaries' standard portable plastic rope.

「You really did interfere with my attempt to pump him for information. 」He tore off the inconspicuous black cloak that didn't show much wear when still, and under the man's subtle gaze Aomo began to bind the mage's hands, then further trussed him up.

It wasn't a professional binding technique, but there was a practiced skill akin to tying up cured meat.

「But continuing now is just the same. »

While tightening the bonds, he also slipped out the cards hidden on the person and a traditional staff that differed greatly in style from the previous No. 2 staff.

Then he turned back and picked up the katana again.

The man couldn't tell what switch the youth had triggered, but the katana deformed in the metal's agitation along the blade, turning into a plain black cane.

The youth suddenly turned his head and asked the two young ladies: «Ladies, would you like to step aside for a moment? »

As he spoke, the opening at the top of the cane suddenly shot out a faint light, punching a tiny hole in the ceiling.

「What comes next might be somewhat improper to watch. »

A cane capable of emitting laser beams.

Aomo had also familiarized himself with several bizarre weapon components in Morrison's iron coffin during his spare time.

After all, given the choice, he naturally felt that using the Beta Demon Blade as a weapon carried too much risk.

Admittedly, the technology of the Meifeilasi Star is trustworthy, but the opponents he has recently encountered are all of comparable interstellar caliber.

Aomo well knew he wasn't one of those Ultramen with backing who could get a replacement even if they lost; if the Beta Demon Blade broke in his hands, he couldn't count on the Frontier Lighthouse Group for warranty.

Thus this iron coffin constantly resides in his briefcase, ready to be deployed in times like these.

Meanwhile, Yuan Ban Lin gazed at the cane, also remaining calm.

「Will there be a lot of blood? 」

Her acceptance of this weapon is maxed out, after all she herself possesses a gem sword that can only release waves, and she's seen even more bizarre weapons in the Clock Tower.

「No, with its high temperature it won't give blood a chance to flow. 」Aomo raised his hand and brushed a finger along the straight mechanical shaft.

Although its appearance changed dramatically, its weight didn't improve much; the three young ladies would probably struggle to lift it, but the man standing nearby is another matter.

「A rather special weapon. »The man, who was apparently formulating his words, noticed his gaze and complimented the weapon.

「You're the same. »Aomo glanced at the steel pipe with a notch.

That instantly left the other person choking.

「My real weapon is more dangerous. »

「Really? »

Glancing at Bi Ze's nodding beside him, and reconsidering the speculation about light, Aomo thought to himself, «Does this guy still have some undisclosed tokusatsu resources he hasn't shared with me? »

But for now, we still shouldn't consider these.

"Casual chat and self‑introductions can wait until later," he shook his head, turned back to the three over there, and said, "The focus now is whether you're all mentally prepared—especially you, Miss Dong Shang Variable."

The called‑upon little witch straightened her back reflexively, just like when she was called on to speak in class: "Yes!"

As a trainer, I don't advise students to watch what comes next, even though you may have seen something similar under your family's influence.

A little girl who idealizes being a witch, raised from childhood by an experienced witch grandmother, could be a pure, flawless hothouse flower… Aomo hardly considers that possibility.

It's just like a locally born Triple Crown, a mercenary with no illegal record, or a still‑virgin Bichi—something only manga novels would consider as a setting.

Dong Shang Variable obviously doesn't have such a dreamy setup, but when facing Aomo's words she still hesitates a bit; it's hard to say whether she's reluctant about this matter or simply nervous in front of Aomo.

Back when Aomo was still in his demonized state, this girl's gaze at him was already off; when Bi Ze typed out to inform Aomo of his identity, her eyes seemed to glow, as if nonexistent witch memories had already been formulated.

Even the future magic academic lecture to be presented has been confirmed to bear both of their names.

In this state she naturally cannot face Aomo rationally, but she does have companions.

Although their time together was brief, the bond of 'having been kidnapped together' is no less than 'having fought on the battlefield together,' and it can naturally generate a 'sense of companionship forged in crisis.' Aiselvfre readily took up the cue: "But we also have the right to know, don't we, Mr. Lindon?"

"…Of course."

I didn't expect Tianhuo to speak for Dong Shang Variable, and afterward I also saw her glance at Tianhuo, then look at me with a nod that wanted to say something, whereupon Aomo sighed and simply turned away.

"You're not going to stop me?" he glanced at the man beside him who was still looking at Dong Shang Variable.

The man bathed in light probably has a bit of excessive kindness… Aomo judged from his experience in most tokusatsu works, which is why he asked that just now.

"Indeed, compared to your laser, I think joint-lock type interrogation would be more suitable." Kai nodded.

This made Aomo fall silent for a moment: "... You'd better stay quiet, then I won't pursue the matter of you interrupting my plan."

Joint locks are indeed a good choice; if controlled well, the injury won't reach the level of minor harm, and no fingerprints will be detected on clothing.

But close-contact techniques like twisting scissors make it easy to overlook the whole picture due to the proximity of the viewpoint.

This is a major taboo when facing spellcasters.

So he looked toward Bi Ze again.

This ill-fated friend dragged into the situation had been a student who had encountered no danger half a month ago; now, seeing Aomo looking at him, he even put on a look of great resolve, but then Aomo overlooked him.

"Hmm? You damn well not ask me?!" The ill-fated one was very dissatisfied.

"What's there to ask? You could make it to this mid-to-high level exhibition, so you must have made up your mind."

Aomo asked, his hand motion smoothly shifting to the side—amid the tranquil sound of wind, the laser fired again from the metal tip of his staff struck the side of the man's arm bound behind his back, almost instantly causing the previously unconscious man to cry out in pain and wake up.

"What's going on? Where's Number Four!" The number three contestant, who had fainted earlier, upon waking discovered his upper body was bound, and even worried about Number Four's safety.

He really, does anyone cry themselves to death?

"He..." Aomo glanced at the man beside him, considered his earlier display of strength and his claim that his true weapon was more dangerous, then uttered two words: "Died."

"He sacrificed himself to save you; now see if you want to waste the life that was saved for you."

Having confirmed the idle chatter foundation, he then extended the trap based on lies along that foundation.

Aomo's way of speaking was utterly smooth, without a hitch or unnaturalness, naturally drawing the gaze of five subtle glances.

"Died…? How could… ah, it's you!"

It seemed hard to believe that Duìyou would trust so easily; Number Two was still dazed, but upon looking up again he saw the man who had struck him with a blunt object.

"Red Kai!" He instantly flared with anger.

"You're quite famous, huh?" Aomo, not particularly surprised, asked with a sideways glance.

The latter, although somewhat surprised, when asked, gave a light laugh: "Pretty much in this circle."

Not only those involved in interstellar events, but many transmigrators also casually know him; Kai has gradually grown accustomed to this.

Although the trouble remains trouble, hearing from lawbreakers that they know him still gives a subtle sense of accomplishment.

This also led Aomo to resolve that, besides gathering big data on horse girls, he would also obtain more web-scraping software from the mercenary circles and interstellar news to help him gather information.

He knew nothing about Kai, and was still thinking about later 'interrogation interrogation' of Bi Ze.

"Since you know him, it's even easier." Playing with his staff in a nonchalant manner, Aomo looked down at the number three who was struggling to prop up his upper body.

Noticing the unnatural movement at the shoulder of his cloak, another beam shot out, eliciting a pained cry from the other party.

"I ask, you answer; I won't kill you, nor let your injuries become too serious; we should have plenty of time——"

He hadn't finished speaking when he frowned, looking toward the bend at the end of the road, then turned his head to look at East Commerce Reform——in the hole left by the little witch's pointed hat for her ears, a pair of horse ears swayed and twisted, then settled to the left.

Upon meeting Aomo's gaze, he wanted to say something.

Actually there's no need to say it; Aomo looked back at her just to confirm he wasn't hallucinating—indeed, a group of people's orderly footsteps were intersecting.

Carrying a rather professional quality.

This made Aomo fall silent for a moment, then, under the bewildered gazes of the others, he cast an emergency healing spell on number three.

While casting, he also asked: "Mr. Red Kai, did you call the police?"

"No." Kai replied, denying Aomo's suspicion.

But before Aomo could continue questioning, he laughed heartily: "Besides, I called an ambulance, and this matter seems to have blown up big—surely someone must have reported it?"

But people like you reporting it would raise the alert level by a notch……

Although he didn't know the other's background or strength, Aomo knew the police bureau's system had a set of criteria for adjusting case levels based on the reporter's identity.

So then:

"East District Police Headquarters! Nobody move!"

"This is the Violent Terror Mobile Unit! Put down your weapons!!"

"The Divine Blessing Gospel Team has arrived at the scene, immediately assessing the proportion of pacification and rescue here."

"This is Luode Island! The whereabouts of the Heavenly Fire operatives have been confirmed."

……

Oh, damn……

Faced with such a massive show of force, Aomo could only loosen his grip on the staff.

Letting it fall to the ground alongside the briefcase, it also cracked the mixed-material floorboards a bit.

All he did was raise his empty hands.

By the way, he reminded the people behind him:

"I advise you to do the same first."

After all, although they aren't criminals, law enforcement agencies like the Violent Terror Mobile Unit, which are relatively irritable, often botch things in ways that draw complaints.

Whether perpetrator or victim, first showing no hostility can avoid trouble.