Chapter 43: Thief

“Big brother, I really only know this much. No matter how much you threaten me, it won’t work.”
The man gave a bitter smile as Mu Yu dangled him in front of the copper pillar with one hand. The bound vengeful spirits shifted back and forth as he drew near, raising and lowering their hands repeatedly.
His face, which could silence a crying baby, was somehow played by Mu Yu into looking adorably dumbfounded.
“So you’re saying you were basically tricked into coming here to die?”
Mu Yu was skeptical, his expression full of disbelief, as if to say, “Don’t fool me, I haven’t read enough books.”
“It’s true! If I’d known a Guardian like you was in Fengzhou, I would never have agreed to rebel!”
The man secretly flattered Mu Yu, feeling especially miserable.
He had lied, but not about this—it was about the matter of being sent to die.
According to the plan, he was supposed to withdraw half an hour before the combat team arrived, leaving Feng Tun as bait.
Who could have guessed Mu Yu would arrive so early, landing him in Mu Yu’s hands as well.
Apart from his superb acting skills, he was just an ordinary man—he had no courage to join a battle between Controllers.
“You all say I’m a Guardian. How did you figure that out?”
Mu Yu had been curious about this for a long time. In his view, he was just physically strong, and in some ways, even less dangerous than Feng Tun.
Look at the high-rise, dozens of floors swallowed in an instant—though it was the result of Feng Tun losing control, it couldn’t be denied how terrifying it was.
Yet even ordinary people believed he was a Guardian, which made Mu Yu more cautious.
“You’re joking, sir. I didn’t recognize you, please let me go. I promise never to appear before you again! I have an elderly parent and young children—I was truly coerced!”
The man couldn’t guess Mu Yu’s intentions and assumed he was speaking in irony, begging for mercy.
“Speak quickly, don’t force me to lose my temper!”
Mu Yu’s face darkened as he moved to press the man against the copper pillar.
“Wait, wait, wait!”
“It’s the duration you can use your powers!”
The man hurried to explain, genuinely afraid Mu Yu might kill him in a fit of rage.
Guardians were a bunch of madmen—nothing they did was surprising.
“Duration?”
“You’ve been using your powers for almost an hour now, haven’t you? Isn’t that proof enough?”
The man was pulled away from the copper pillar, trembling with fear.
“An E-class Controller can only last ten minutes before losing control—you’ve lasted almost six times that.”
He glanced at the burn marks on Mu Yu, already healed, and was amazed.
He could have waited for medical support, but instead wasted his powers to heal himself.
Was he really not afraid of losing control at all?
“So I can’t be a Capable?”
Mu Yu frowned. Capables didn’t have issues with losing control—they could theoretically use their abilities indefinitely.
“Capables expend stamina. Someone like you would’ve died from exhaustion long ago.”
The man noticed Mu Yu seemed to lack basic knowledge of these things and felt a glimmer of hope.
“You must have only recently been recruited by the combat team, right? Honestly, whatever the government gives you, we can give more! If you let me go, I can be your introducer to our organization!”
“With your strength, your position in the organization would be far higher than in the government!”
Of course, the man was just making things up. If their organization really offered the same benefits as the government, Controllers wouldn’t be risking their lives to rebel.
But to save himself, he spoke as extravagantly as possible, sparing no detail.
Mu Yu wasn’t foolish, though. He listened for amusement.
Yet, for Controllers, stability was everything.
Having powerful abilities didn’t mean you could use them for long.
Take Feng Tun: if he stopped suppressing his power, he could incinerate everything within several kilometers in an instant.
But doing so would likely make him lose control immediately.

Though Mu Yu’s advantage seemed merely physical strength, his ability to use powers for extended periods allowed him to pin Feng Tun to the ground.
The man hadn’t realized Mu Yu’s power usage wasn’t just an hour—in fact, besides the time Xiao Bai appeared, Mu Yu had been in a continuous state of using his powers, which was astonishing if revealed.
Mu Yu sensed something was off, though his face betrayed nothing.
He understood that the tallest tree in the forest draws the wind.
He’d have to be careful in the future; if others noticed his anomaly, he’d end up on the lab table again.
“Tell me, who organized your troublemaking? The investigation team will be here in five minutes. If your answers satisfy me, I’ll let you walk away.”
The man hesitated, but eventually shook his head.
If he was caught by the investigation team, he might at least survive. If he exposed the organization behind them, his death would likely extend to his family.
Mu Yu saw the determination in the man’s eyes and sighed, realizing he wouldn’t get any answers.
“How long have you worked with Feng Tun?”
The man glanced at Mu Yu, confused by the question, but answered honestly.
“Not long—half a month, maybe. Any longer and I’d be exposed.”
“All right, then I’ll send you on your way.”
“Huh?”
The man’s eyes widened, and in that instant, Mu Yu threw him into the embrace of a demon.
“Wait…!”
The man struggled, trying to speak, but in the next moment, his face was covered by a hand like charcoal.
Mu Yu paid no heed, his gaze cold and indifferent.
If the man hadn’t noticed anything, Mu Yu wouldn’t have minded sparing him.
But he knew too much now.
The struggle lasted only a moment before the man sank lifelessly into the copper pillar.
Clothes, watch, everything that could prove his existence was burned to ashes.
Mu Yu’s eyes flicked upward, noticing a demon appearing nearby.
Its face was identical to the man’s.
Mu Yu stared into those eyes filled with resentment, not looking away for a long while.
“Let’s go.”
Mo Yan appeared behind him at some point, gently patting Mu Yu’s uninjured shoulder.
Mu Yu withdrew his gaze and nodded, lying on the stretcher with help from the medics.
‘Sorry.’
The attending doctor saw Mu Yu’s lips move, but heard no sound.
In the end, he slammed the car door shut and sped away with Mu Yu.
It felt hollow, powerless.
In this era, everyone has someone they want to protect. Mu Yu didn’t care about being a saint, or a Guardian.
He just wanted to survive with his family.
For that, he could do things against his own principles, let his hands be stained with blood.
That’s just how it is.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“How does this arm feel? Need any adjustments?”
The doctor tapped Mu Yu’s right hand with a small hammer, asking.
Mu Yu curiously flexed it. This arm felt just as natural as his original.
This was already the third arm Mu Yu had replaced.
After being treated by the artifact, all his scars had fallen away, but regrowing a severed limb wasn’t so easy.
According to Mo Yan, it would take about half a month to apply for an artifact; for now, he had to make do with an artificial one.

Make do, then—Mu Yu had no objections.
He was heading home tomorrow; if his mother saw him missing an arm, she’d probably faint.
“But… Don’t you have a normal arm anywhere?”
Mu Yu held the futuristic steel arm in front of the doctor’s eyes.
“Tell me, how am I supposed to take this home?”
“And the last two arms I tolerated—one was a pirate hook, one an alien appendage—I figured you considered them weapons.”
“But what the hell is this thing!”
Mu Yu pointed at the black tentacle writhing in the tray, shouting loudly.
As his emotions shifted, a faint blue glow appeared in the golden palm of his hand.
Whoosh.
A sharp, powerful laser sound, and the tentacle was pierced with a hole, which quickly healed.
All good things, really—the pirate hook could pierce through physical defenses, the alien limb could easily cut through Mu Yu’s own defenses.
As for the steel arm, it was said to be crafted by a researcher obsessed with cosplay, stronger than anything from the movies.
According to the instructions, if Mu Yu could bring himself to cut off his other arm, he could get a matching pair.
The researcher swore this was true—until Mu Yu kicked him out of the room.
As for the tentacle…
Supposedly, it was this year’s hot product from the institute; many injured combat team members had reserved one, but production was limited.
“That’s not your problem.”
The doctor scoffed.
“My problem????”
Mu Yu was stunned, then furious.
“Do I look like someone who wants tentacles?! Wait, put it down, let me think.”
“One S-class mission record, one A-class mission record.”
The doctor’s gaze was odd; honestly, the first time he saw Mu Yu’s file, he was shocked.
Was that even possible for a human?
“The level of mission you complete determines what grade of artifact you can exchange for. The lowest you can get is A-grade for a replacement arm.”
Mu Yu realized the doctor wasn’t seeing through some odd personal preferences, and awkwardly released the tentacle.
“Is there anything that looks like a normal human arm? Something close in appearance?”
Mu Yu didn’t want to scare his parents, so he reluctantly put the tentacle back in the tray.
“There is, actually—I’ve already asked someone to fetch it. It’ll take a bit of time.”
The doctor checked his watch and spoke.
“It should be here soon.”
“Hello, your delivery.”
Just as the doctor finished speaking, a muffled voice sounded behind Mu Yu.
“Damn!”
Mu Yu spun around, nearly slapping out.
A pair of slightly translucent arms abruptly appeared behind him, holding a yellow package.
“Portal Delivery—mission accomplished!”