As the goth-styled Magic Girl walked towards Diviner Black Wukong on the screen and left behind a line dripping with sarcastic undertones, Ke Mingye was left dumbstruck, his expression the epitome of astonishment.
"Ah? When did you two sisters start having issues with each other?"
It took him a full two seconds to come to his senses, thinking to himself, can't they resolve whatever the issue is at home, must they don a disguise and lose face in public like this?
Under the cloak of night, Magical Girl Ash and Black Wukong stood face to face. In the distance, a steel train rumbled across the elevated railway, its friction with the tracks scattering a shower of bright sparks.
The cascade of sparks flew over their heads, so bright that even the neon lights on the buildings seemed dimmed for a moment.
Seeing that the other party remained silent, she asked coldly, "Can't you speak? You were mute the last time we met too."
True to her words, this Divine Communicator "Black Wukong," whenever he appeared before people's eyes, indeed remained silent from beginning to end, not uttering a single word, perhaps not even half a word.
Bai Zini was different though. It was obvious that her voice had been magically altered—completely different in tone and timbre from her usual speech, like two different people.
If Ke Mingye hadn't been mentally prepared and absolutely sure that this character was his sister, he might not have recognized her at all.
The sister who only knew how to throw tantrums at home suddenly adopted a domineering attitude outside, just short of bossing people around by riding on their necks, the contrast was simply too stark.
"At home, would you dare to speak to your sister with such arrogance…"
Hearing Bai Zini mock Bai Qiuwu like that, Ke Mingye couldn't help but lose his composure.
He pictured it, if Bai Qiuwu actually responded to her, Magical Girl Ash would be scared out of her wits upon hearing the familiar voice. Her eyes might just pop out of her head.
Then, following her usual style, she might first cross her arms and maintain her composure for a while, and after everything had settled, find a secluded spot to begin whining:
"Sister, why is it you? There were too many people just now, I didn't mean to. Your servant knows she's wrong, wuwuwu."
The more Ke Mingye thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed. He had originally thought the main character of the night was that villain, but now all the attention had shifted to his own family.
"Please, if you're going to create an alias to strike at a criminal, could you not make a mockery of your own family? Do you think you're being funny..."
He thought to himself but also came to some conclusions.
It's another matter whether Bai Qiuwu knows that Bai Zini is "Magical Girl Ash";
However, it seemed certain that Bai Zini had no clue that Bai Qiuwu was "Diviner Black Wukong," otherwise she wouldn't be so aggressive, every line she spoke clearly itching for a fight.
At that moment, the ghost tree frowning at being left out was draped over a high-rise building's LED display, the electrical wire clutched in his hand producing a flickering light that illuminated his baffled, complex expression.
Wasn't he the damn villain?
Having thrown the whole district into chaos, with alarms blaring and smoke billowing, shouldn't the spotlight be on him?
Why was he suddenly sidelined?
Three succinct questions popped into his head, his brow furrowing deeper as he felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
Meanwhile, as this weird scene unfolded, the number of comments on Pigeon Net exploded yet again, reaching a new peak.
According to official information, both Magical Girl Ash and Divine Communicator Black Wukong were not part of the official camp and thus were considered superhumans but not quite superheroes— at most, they were vigilantes.
Since they could present themselves as vigilantes "not under official control" before the public, and their identities were not in the superhuman database, they must have been illegal superhumans who had escaped genetic testing, and they should have been captured by the Superhero Association for a thorough interrogation.
When such characters took action, they not only faced the pressure of criminals but were also under scrutiny by official forces—officials never supported "unregistered" wild superhumans donning tight suits and pretending to be law enforcers, which was undoubtedly contrary to the law, essentially defecating on the Superhero Association's doorstep.
But it was precisely because of their controversial status, as well as their unique outfits and abilities, that they kicked up a frenzy on the internet.
The global discussion about "Magical Girl Ash" and "Divine Communicator Black Wukong" even rivaled some of the official superheroes in popularity.
So now, a large group of people on Pigeon Net were asking if anyone could explain when this Magic Girl and Black Wukong became rivals.
But Ke Mingye, who sat on the bed, was arguably the most shocked of all; the scene before him didn't quite align with his expectations.
He had thought that if his father, older sister, and younger sister showed up together, even if they didn't know each other's identity, as righteous characters, they should logically join forces to take down the criminal who dared to cause trouble in Huanjing. Right?
But when he arrived at the scene, it turned out that it was his sister and his younger sister who started to quarrel first… Yes, two righteous characters started fighting in front of a villain. If this got out, the discussions would certainly not be lacking.
At this moment, looking at the panels above the heads of the three of them, Ke Mingye suddenly remembered that Bai Zini's combat rating was only B+ level, a full tier below Black Wukong and the Phantom Tree.
Yet among the three, it was she who behaved most arrogantly, striking an unyielding stance.
Thinking back to Bai Zini's reaction half an hour earlier, Ke Mingye suddenly understood why she rushed out in such a fury after hearing the news on television, insisting on joining the commotion.
Ke Mingye held his forehead and sighed, "So she was out for revenge against our older sister? No wonder she was so fierce…"
At that moment, the Phantom Tree was staring at the two from a distance, narrowed its eyes, and pulled up the corners of its mouth coldly as it said, word by word, "You two pieces of trash, are you here to play house?"
Dude, they're really not playing house—they are indeed family.
Ke Mingye covered his face, feeling slightly inebriated; watching his siblings tear each other apart on live TV was indeed a unique experience.
As soon as he spoke, the Phantom Tree suddenly roared, viciously aiming its left arm at Magical Girl Ash, not far ahead.
In an instant, that arm morphed into thousands of thorny vines that stretched out, aiming straight for Ash—with one swipe of this move, the Phantom Tree had effortlessly knocked down a helicopter before, and its danger was imaginable.
If Ash were to be hit, she might be shredded to pieces by the encircling thorns in the blink of an eye.
Catching a glimpse of this out of the corner of her eye, Ash didn't even turn her head; instead, she triggered a gust of air from the tip of "Cinderella"'s umbrella, using the reaction force to propel her body in the opposite direction and avoid the countless thorns.
The thorns, like a giant python, slithered past her body with a thunderous noise, the howling cold wind lifting her hair strands.
"She can even dodge that…"
Ke Mingye raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking that Bai Zini indeed had some skills. The Phantom Tree had attacked in less than a second, and Bai Zini had reacted immediately after speaking with Black Wukong.
As the wind died down, Ash's blown hair also fell back into place. She slowly lifted her gaze from her hair, her expression still calm, but the displeasure on her face was now more evident.
"Wait till I take down this 'Phantom' something, then I'll come after you, monkey," she said.
With that, she drew a lake-clear long knife from the base of Cinderella's umbrella handle, turned her head slowly, and shifted her gaze to the enraged Phantom Tree.
Too cocky, little sis, can't you restrain yourself a bit… Ke Mingye felt embarrassed for her while pouring himself a glass of water from the bedside.
Even in the face of such provocation, Black Wukong remained silent, just standing on the Somersault Cloud, tilting his head to watch her.
Then, he pulled out a cellphone from the pocket of his metallic coat, typed swiftly with one hand, and turned the screen towards the Magic Girl who had drawn the long knife from beneath the umbrella.
The cameraman secretly filming the scene lay atop the rooftop of a high-rise building, and he zoomed his lens in countless times.
Finally, everyone watching the live broadcast could clearly see the content on the cellphone screen.
On the phone was a blank memo with the message written on it:
—"I don't have time to play with kids, I suggest you step aside, he came looking for me."
Ke Mingye had just taken a sip of water and, upon seeing this text, sprayed it out, coughing while thinking to himself, "With the situation this heated, it seems unlikely that you two sisters won't have a fight tonight to settle things."
Just then, Ke Mingye suddenly remembered someone—that was Ke Youqing, who hadn't yet appeared on the scene.
So he couldn't help feeling puzzled: based on the usual pace, Ke Youqing should have put on his battle dress and arrived at the scene by now, appearing in front of the camera.
"Wait, where's dad?"
Ke Mingye sighed and thought to himself.
"Could you be a bit useful, hurry up and go over there, blast the criminal with a punch, and while you're at it, discipline your two daughters—don't let them create a scene in public anymore."