My Avatar is Becoming the Ultimate BOSS-Chapter 82 - 071 Silence

Shiba Park, with towering ginkgo trees lining the secluded path on both sides, their branches and leaves forming a dense green shade.

Not far away, the bright lights of Tokyo Tower slant through the gaps in the ginkgo leaves, casting dappled patterns on the stone path. A gust of evening wind blows, causing thousands of leaves to rustle.

However... in such a pleasant and delightful environment, a huge, pitch-black cocoon suddenly appears, hanging upside down beneath the branches of a ginkgo tree.

Moonlight streams through the gaps in the leaves, flowing over the surface of the cocoon like mercury, reflecting a cold, enigmatic sheen.

It stands out so starkly, like an Alien egg breaking into the set of some twee art film, snapping everyone out of their dreams with a jarring sense of invasion.

Anyone who saw this scene would surely feel a shiver run through their heart.

"What’s wrong?"

Seeing the leader suddenly stop, Su Zimai also halted. She looked up from her phone screen and froze in place immediately.

"This is..." The pupils in her eyes shrank as she muttered, seeing the black object reflected there.

Ke Qirui raised his head, staring at the large cocoon hanging upside down from the tree branch, and slowly uttered its name:

"Black Cocoon."

"Oh... I seem to hear someone calling my name." A ghostly voice came from inside the cocoon, and then the restraint belt rapidly contracted inward, closely wrapping around a human figure, swirling around him like flowing water.

The Black Cocoon hung upside down under the tree, motionless. After a moment, he raised his right hand, wrapped in the restraint belt, holding an original Japanese copy of "I Am a Cat."

Ginkgo leaves fluttered down, brushing against the sunglasses on his face.

"It’s not quite the same as on TV, is it?" Su Zimai squinted slightly as she looked at him.

"Indeed, it’s a bit different. His mask and trench coat seem to be gone." Ke Qirui touched his chin, observing the other from under the brim of his hat with interest:

If the Black Cocoon they had seen on TV could barely be considered a bizarrely dressed eccentric marginally within the realm of humanity, the one hanging upside down before them now was completely a black mummy—his entire body wrapped in black restraint belts, not even exposing his eyes, yet wearing sunglasses, as if reminding others where his eyes should be.

"Miss, this is called when in Rome." Black Cocoon adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, opening the book as he spoke: "I’m cosplaying a native Japanese ninja, so I’ve temporarily thrown away the trench coat and mask. Now, please call me—’Ninja Version Black Cocoon.’

"That’s so lame." Su Zimai was chilled by the joke.

"For all you said... it’s the same voice changer." Ke Qirui teased.

Under the mask, Ji Minghuan pursed his lips, thinking:

"Because I removed the voice changer from the mask separately and brought it on the plane in a backpack. Only this thing can pass through security; the other items would give me away during the security check."

He couldn’t possibly meet his sister in disguise and still speak with his original voice. Given Su Zimai’s familiarity with his voice, even altering it slightly would give him away.

Ke Qirui continued: "You always have the leisure to bring a book every time you appear in front of the camera."

"If I remember correctly... I probably mentioned I wanted my image to appear in the textbooks of elementary students."

Black Cocoon idly said while reading, "Reading a lot clearly benefits my public image. Future imitators of mine will all seek a book to read, even if just for show. When those literary workers include me in textbooks, if they run out of praises, at least they can say I encouraged young people to develop a good habit of reading."

"I see." Ke Qirui smiled slightly and took out a cigarette holder from the pocket of her trench coat.

She raised her head, asking in a leisurely tone: "So... Mr. Black Cocoon, who is making waves lately, what do you want with us?"

Black Cocoon raised a finger wrapped in a restraint belt, speaking slowly: "My friend says... it seems someone among you wants to cooperate with me?"

Hearing this, Ke Qirui held the pipe between her lips, recalling the conversation at the theater last night, and immediately uttered a name:

"Xia Pingzhou?"

"Correct..." Black Cocoon said teasingly, "However, we generally call him ’Chess Player.’ Calling him by name isn’t exactly romantic, don’t you think, Miss Ke Qirui?"

"The ’we’ you’re referring to... who are they?" Ke Qirui caught onto this word and pursued the question.

Black Cocoon adjusted the sunglasses that kept slipping down and spoke in a ghostly tone: "Who knows? ’We’ could be a million people, or maybe just a lonely little boy. Of course... it’s most likely that we never existed at all, but are merely the hallucinations of a mentally disturbed person, his delusions under extreme oppression and madness." freewēbnoveℓ.com

"So verbose," Su Zimai frowned, asking coldly: "You, what exactly do you want to do?"

Listening to Black Cocoon’s mysterious tone inevitably annoyed her.

She didn’t know why, but she seemed to particularly dislike talkative people, especially Blue Arc and Black Cocoon—one was a well-known figure, the other an unknown entity, both accurately stepping on her pet peeves.

"Ask her." Black Cocoon tilted his head, "Of course... I wouldn’t mind cooperating with you either, Miss Su Zimai."

After speaking, he lifted his sunglasses a bit, avoiding the lenses to glance at Su Zimai standing beneath the tree—though he didn’t show his eyes, relying instead on restraint sensing as a substitute.

"How do you know my name?" Su Zimai’s voice suddenly sank, her tone almost identical to when Blue Arc’s real name was revealed.

Black Cocoon shrugged: "Because I see through the visage under everyone’s mask."

He shook his head, closing the book, "Picked up the wrong book. Should have chosen a bilingual Chinese-Japanese one; seems I overestimated my Japanese level."

Ke Qirui remained silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to Su Zimai and said, "Maimai, I’ve changed my mind now."

"What idea?" Su Zimai met the leader’s gaze.

"Your brother isn’t Blue Arc, but rather... Black Cocoon."

Su Zimai was first taken aback, then squinted, drawing out her voice: "Huh—? You’re saying this big fluttering moth is..."

Before she could voice her question, Ke Qirui raised her head and asked Black Cocoon: "Are you... Gu Wenyu?"

Beneath the mask, Ji Minghuan raised his eyebrows, thinking to himself: This woman’s intuition is almost terrifyingly accurate. I shouldn’t have tested her with the restraint belt last time. She must have sensed something then, fortunately... I still have a backup plan.

Black Cocoon was silent for two seconds, then turned his head while whistling: "I’m sorry, I don’t understand who you’re referring to... but I think the little girl beside you might know who he is."

"Really?" Ke Qirui chuckled, "Then why do I feel you both give me the same vibe? My intuition is usually right, hardly wrong."

She paused, her tone growing more serious: "Playing dumb is not what a smart person would do. Gu Wenyu, take off your mask, and let’s talk cooperation, shall we?"

Su Zimai was baffled from listening, her mouth open but no sound coming out, her brain seemingly short-circuited. After a moment, she snapped back and raised her right hand, pointing her index finger at the Black Cocoon hanging from the tree, turning to Ke Qirui to ask:

"Him?"

Ke Qirui nodded.

"My brother?"

Ke Qirui nodded again.

Silence is tonight’s Bridge of Sighs.