"Big sis is here too, huh? But how come she's so much later than Bai Zini? It's not like Somersault Cloud can't beat an umbrella..."
Ke Mingye thought puzzledly, his eyes shifting to the figure that had just appeared in the live broadcast.
He suddenly remembered that Bai Qiuwu had left with their father, so he speculated that the two might not know each other's identities because they had left the building together, hindering each other until they were out of each other's sight before they could truly start moving.
With that in mind, it was no surprise that Bai Qiuwu was slower than Bai Zini by a beat.
"And where did Dad go?"
Before he could dwell on his confusion, Ke Mingye's attention was drawn to Bai Qiuwu's appearance.
At that moment, in the background of the live stream,
a uninvited guest was standing in mid-air, stepping on a mass of fog as deep as the night. The object under his feet shimmered like rising tide water and also resembled a pitch-black cloud.
He wore a black hood and his face was covered with a monkey mask. Clad in a metallic long coat reminiscent of a trench coat, it gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the neon lights. His right hand, protected by a steel wrist guard, held a pitch-black staff upright behind his shoulder, its body occasionally visible and then disappearing under the LED lights.
"Somersault Cloud."
With just one glance, Ke Mingye recognized the origin of the foggy mass that Bai Qiuwu was floating on—Divine Communicator's power came from their corresponding mythological figure, and when talking about the symbols of Sun Wukong in Chinese mythology, besides "Jingu Bang," it naturally was "Somersault Cloud".
"The thing in her hand, that must be Jingu Bang," Ke Mingye thought again.
The camera zoomed in, showing a chain descending from the sleeve of her trench coat. This chain was connected at one end to the folds of the right sleeve and wrapped around the surface of the Jingu Bang at the other.
From afar, the black chain seemed to fuse her right arm and the Jingu Bang tightly together, inseparable.
The eye sockets of the monkey mask were hollow, so through the holes, one could see a pair of crimson, sinister eyes that seemed to burn with fire.
Divine Communicator: Sun Wukong.
This was her original codename, like all Divine Communicators, they were referred to by the name of their deity. But because of her dark attire, the fervent followers on the internet had given her a distinctive nickname:
— "Black Wukong."
Such a tightly packed outfit made it impossible to tell whether the person inside was male or female. The vast majority believed that "Black Wukong" was a male.
So far, it was very possible that no one in the world knew the true identity of this Divine Communicator, "Black Wukong," who had appeared out of nowhere two years ago.
Except for one person.
Ke Mingye stared at the sinister figure on his phone. If the system's information was correct, then undoubtedly, this person was his sister, Bai Qiuwu.
The Ghost Tree, which had been making a big show in the city center, was trying to draw out Black Wukong for a battle. Being one of the catalysts of this event, it was natural for her to appear in the city center as expected by all.
At this very moment, Black Wukong was standing with her arms crossed, tilting her head slightly, looking down at the Ghost Tree without saying a word.
The chain bound to her hand fluttered in the wind, with electronic billboards arrayed behind her.
The LED screens mounted on the surfaces of skyscrapers were displaying a red exclamation mark set above two long swords, the warning sign for a "Superhuman Crime Event."
Loudspeakers placed throughout the city were uniformly broadcasting "Evacuation Warnings," with a monotonous, cold female voice reminding every citizen to follow police orders and leave the city center as soon as possible.
In the midst of the nearly world-drowning siren sounds, vehicles on the streets inevitably jammed together, many drivers angrily beating their steering wheels, taking their families to abandon their cars and flee following the crowd, led by the police.
From above, it looked like a colony of ants moving along tree roots, orderly escaping the scene.
— "Fuck, Black Wukong is here."
— "His fans must be going crazy right now; he's really come out to battle!"
——"What kind of grudge does Ghost Tree have against him anyway?"
——"They fought in the United States six months ago and almost destroyed half of the Empire State Building. After that, Black Wukong didn't appear in the United States anymore, but went back to China, and Ghost Tree followed him there."
——"Can you focus the camera on my Miss Ash, stop filming this monkey all the time, or I'll switch to another channel!"
On PigeonNet, one barrage after another quickly swept across the top of the live streaming interface.
In another corner of the street, Ghost Tree seemed to sense someone's presence and suddenly looked up, staring at the figure hovering on a cloud.
In that moment, his expression twisted violently, and lines of blood slowly spread in his green eyes.
"You… have come."
He first muttered to himself, then his tone gradually became heavier, almost pausing between each word, filled with a grinding, blood-sucking fury.
"You finally… came!"
As his voice fell, his arms transformed into thousands of thorns wrapping towards the ground, instantly lifting his body a hundred meters into the air, stopping just above the LED screen on the façade of a tall building.
Next, he turned one of his arms into roots and smashed them into the display, igniting sparks. The massive screen immediately lost a chunk, exposing the tangled, intertwined wires inside.
Ghost Tree forcefully clutched the indented corner of the display, keeping his body flush against the surface of the high-rise a hundred meters in the air, his green eyes staring fixedly at Black Wukong.
"Do you know how long I've been looking for you? Since that fight we had in New York."
Ghost Tree said with a demented laugh, while gripping the entangled wires inside the screen. The neon lights reflected on his fierce face and yellowing teeth.
The relentless wind blew down from the night sky, slightly lifting the hood of 'Black Wukong,' but she remained silent, just calmly looking at Ghost Tree through her monkey mask.
"When did they fight in New York?"
Ke Mingye was puzzled but soon remembered: About six months ago, his mother had taken his older sister on a trip to New York, and that's probably when his sister and Ghost Tree started their feud.
He chuckled softly, thinking how deep this villain's obsession was, following his sister all the way from the United States to China. He also felt his sister's sense of justice was truly overwhelming. Going to New York as a tourist was one thing, but there was no need to bother with the criminals there, especially since the Superhero Association's New York branch had plenty of formidable heroes.
Like: Divine Communicator Zeus, Mutant: Red Wolf Warrior, Superpower User: Two-Dimensional Swordsman—there were plenty of renowned figures who could have stepped in.
Yet, during just those two days of vacation, Bai Qiuwu still managed to stir up such a mess, which was totally not worth it.
In the video, Black Wukong slowly raised her right arm, with the Jingu Bang, connected by a chain to her hand, also lifting, aiming at Ghost Tree's head.
Initially, Ke Mingye did not understand the purpose of her using the chain to bind her arm and the Jingu Bang together.
But taking his sister's personality into account, he thought it likely that she used the chain to remind herself to always conserve strength, lest she accidentally kill the criminal with a single strike.
"Can't you follow some rules, I was here first."
Just as they were about to begin fighting, a clear and cold voice suddenly came from above, causing Black Wukong and Ghost Tree to both look up at that person.
The newcomer held a gray umbrella, floating mid-air, her snow-white chin lifted as she looked down upon the two from above.
Waves of magic rippled from "Cinderella's" umbrella, supporting her steady flight through the air.
Relying on that umbrella, she descended gracefully, hanging slightly above the other two in a position slightly higher than theirs.
Magic Girl Ash gently pulled at her black glove, the hem of her dress fluttering in the wind.
With her left hand resting on the elbow of her right, which held the umbrella handle, she stepped through the air, slowly approaching Black Wukong. With a haughty and cold tone, she spoke:
"Last time was really careless of me, allowing you to escape. We still have a score to settle…"