Chương 144: When the aloof inspector meets the pitiful "Apostle from the Void Realm"

Chapter 144 When the aloof inspector meets the pitiful "Apostle of the Void Realm" (Part 2) Even in a deep coma, Ji Ying's consciousness was not a complete void.

She could vaguely sense that she wasn't lying on the cold, hard ground as she had expected, but rather on a warm, exceptionally soft and elastic object, far more comfortable than any bed she could remember.

Occasionally, she could feel a gentle, reassuring touch, like a feather brushing against her forehead and hair, dispelling the lingering fatigue and pain deep within her consciousness.

These intermittent, comfortable sensations, like feeling through a thin veil, allowed her to unconsciously relax her tense nerves completely, as if she were immersed in a tranquil ocean.

After an unknown amount of time, when the weakness emanating from within her body that had almost devoured her finally subsided somewhat, Ji Ying's consciousness struggled somewhat to emerge from the quagmire called slumber.

She let out a soft hum with a hint of languor, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her dark red eyes.

The first thing that catches the eye is a rounded outline that is very close, wrapped in a soft, light purple fabric—the color of a combat uniform.

She subconsciously raised her head slightly, and then met a pair of silver-gray eyes that were very close to hers, looking down at her.

Those eyes, which were originally as clear as a deep pool, now carried a variety of complex emotions: surprise, confusion, and—a trace of barely perceptible panic.

One of her hands, which had just been resting in her hair, was now hanging awkwardly in mid-air.

Ji Ying's pupils suddenly contracted as a jumble of memories flooded his mind—the fierce battle with that powerful inspector, his final gamble, and—before losing consciousness, he seemed to fall into an unexpectedly soft embrace with a faint fragrance.

After a few seconds of mental blankness, Ji Ying finally realized that she was currently resting her head on the lap of Xing Xuan, the patrolman who had just been fighting to the death with her, in an extremely intimate posture!

The vague, intermittent feeling of comfort that I had felt before was now confirmed in the most direct and shocking way. It was not my imagination after all.

This seemingly cold and aloof inspector actually gave her a lap pillow?! And even touched her head?!

A tremendous shock and an indescribable sense of absurdity instantly swept over his mind, causing Ji Ying to instinctively straighten his waist and abdomen almost the instant he regained consciousness.

She wanted to prop herself up and immediately break free from this awkward position that made her toes curl up, and create distance between herself and the other person.

However-

"Hmm!"

The restraints on his wrists and ankles, along with a sudden counterforce in his lower abdomen, prevented Ji Ying from getting up as he had anticipated.

Instead of sitting up smoothly, her body was uncontrollably thrown back towards Xingxian.

"ah!"

Xingxian also let out a short, startled cry, tinged with panic and embarrassment, and instinctively leaned back slightly.

Her usually aloof and refined face was instantly covered with a suspicious blush, even her ears turned a little pink.

After experiencing this incredibly embarrassing "intimate contact," Ji Ying's cheeks instantly turned bright red, as if they were about to bleed.

Her mind went blank, with only one thought swirling wildly in her head: Where did I just bump into?!

Xingxian was completely stunned. The warm breath and the fragrance emanating from the girl's hair made her fair cheeks burn instantly. Even the usually calm and composed patrol officer Xingxian was at a loss for what to do.

"That—you—" Her voice trembled noticeably with panic. She instinctively tried to push Ji Ying away, but was at a loss because the other person seemed to be in a daze.

Only then did Jiying belatedly realize that she felt a clear, tight feeling of being bound in her wrists and ankles—she had actually been tied up by this inspector!

She tried to steady herself somewhat awkwardly, attempting to move as far as possible, but her wrists and ankles were bound, making it difficult for her to do so.

She could only raise her head and look helplessly at Xingxian, whose face was also flushed, with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and intense embarrassment and shame caused by the accidental contact just now.

That look, combined with her slightly flushed cheeks, somewhat disheveled sideburns, and still bound posture, made her appear pitiful in Xingxian's eyes.

The girl's current appearance was completely different from the cold and powerful demeanor she had displayed during the previous battle. She looked exceptionally lost and helpless, causing her heart to skip a beat.

The slight displeasure I felt from being offended vanished instantly, replaced by a stronger, subtle sense of pity, akin to being accidentally bumped into by a startled animal.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and said, "Um—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—that restraint—it was just—I was just worried that you wouldn't be calm when you woke up and might do something aggressive—I'll untie you now!"

As Xingxian rambled on, she tried to retract the magical threads binding Jiying, her movements clearly hurried.

In the brief moment as she awkwardly loosened her restraints, certain scenes from the previous night uncontrollably flashed through Ji Ying's mind.

This scene, this posture, this familiar feeling of being suppressed and "bound" by a girl — Here we go again?! Why is it that familiar feeling of being pinned down by a girl again?!

Last night it was the two of them, but today it's this seemingly serious patrolman—isn't something wrong?

But after a brief internal rage, she forced herself to calm down quickly and began to analyze the situation: Although Xingxian's reaction was flustered, there was no obvious malice in her eyes. Instead, she appeared embarrassed and at a loss. Moreover, she was actively removing her restraints.

Combined with the fact that I vaguely sensed being held before I lost consciousness, and the fact that I seemed to have suffered no harm after I fell unconscious, and that someone even gave me a lap pillow while I was unconscious—

"It seems that her restraint of me is indeed out of duty as an inspector and vigilance against the unknown, which is a perfectly reasonable and dutiful act."

"But isn't this way of being dutiful a little... a bit too unusual?"

Just as Jiying was lost in thought, the magical threads binding her wrists and ankles quietly disappeared.

She immediately felt a sense of relief and let out a long sigh of relief.

Under Xingxian's gaze, which was filled with apology and a little unease, she awkwardly and quickly sat up from his lap and immediately moved to the side, creating what she considered a relatively safe distance.

Looking around, Ji Ying realized that he was still near the factory where he had fought before, except that he had just been lying on a relatively clean bench.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart caused by the "accident," before turning to look at Xingxian, who also seemed somewhat flustered, and attempted to break the slightly eerie silence: "Um—Miss Xingxian, you—are you willing to believe me?"

Xingxian paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded gently.

She looked at Jiying and said softly, "The Void Realm Apostles and Magical Girls are absolute mortal enemies."

"I have never seen, nor have I ever heard of, any Void Apostle who would choose to stop when he could completely kill a magical girl."

Upon hearing this, Ji Ying understood.

It seems that his final act of showing mercy did indeed play a crucial role.

She sat side by side with Xingxian, shook her head slightly, and further clarified in a tone as calm and sincere as possible: "Although the way I gained power may be somewhat similar to what you know about the Void Realm Apostles, I can tell you clearly that I am fundamentally different from them."

"I am not one of them."

Upon hearing this, Xingxian's gaze towards Jiying became even more scrutinizing. She remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Compared to your method of 'showing mercy' to convince me you're not my enemy, your previous statement is hardly convincing."

"The pure and powerful ethereal energy fluctuations emanating from you far exceed the limits that ordinary people with an affinity for ethereal energy can possess; only a true Void Realm Apostle could possibly have them."

Ji Ying knew that the other party's doubts were reasonable, and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.

It seems that simply showing leniency and offering a weak "I'm not one of them" is far from enough to completely dispel the inspector's doubts.

She pondered for a moment, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind: although this method might lead to new misunderstandings, it seemed that there was no more direct and effective way at the moment.

Jiying raised her head, her dark red eyes calmly gazing at Xingxian, and said softly, "What if—I say it like this?"

"I am Jiying—"

"I swear to the one and only 'existence' to which I have allegiance in this life, the one that gives meaning to my existence."

"One day, I will personally—completely destroy it."

Xingxian froze on the spot after hearing Jiying's vow, which was full of determination and rebellion.

Her usually cool, silver-gray eyes widened in shock as she stared incredulously at the adorable black-haired, red-eyed girl before her, her expression a complex mix of emotions.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment.

It wasn't until Ji Ying felt uneasy under her overly intense and focused gaze that he couldn't help but cough softly, trying to break the eerie silence— Xingxian finally let out a long, slow sigh of relief. The shock and astonishment on her face gradually faded, replaced by a relieved smile.

"Heh heh—if you had said that from the beginning, I probably—wouldn't have fought with you."

"After all, for any true apostle of the Void Realm, their loyalty to the great being they serve is an ironclad rule etched deep within their soul, one that can never be violated."

"The oaths they made to them had unparalleled binding force; if broken, they would pay the heavy price of annihilation of their souls."

"I've never even heard of someone like you, who directly swears to destroy the object of their loyalty."

"So—" Xingxian looked at Jiying, all hostility and vigilance had disappeared from his silver-gray eyes, replaced by a purer curiosity and exploration.

"You and those guys are fundamentally different."

Listening to Xingxian's clear and logical analysis, Jiying couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She had just had a flash of inspiration, thinking that this reverse vow might have a miraculous effect, but she didn't expect the effect to be so immediate.

Although the process was a bit tortuous, at least—he had established a preliminary level of trust with the surrounding patrol officers.

She shook her head helplessly: "I didn't think of this solution at the time, otherwise we wouldn't have—well, things would have turned out like this."

At this point, Jiying finally realized that she was wearing a white women's cardigan that was clearly not hers, made of soft material and with a faint fragrance. She immediately realized that Xingxian had covered her with it while she was unconscious.

A warm feeling welled up from the bottom of his heart. Ji Ying looked at Xing Xian with sincere gratitude in his eyes: "Thank you for the clothes, Miss Xing Xian. I'm now—" She subconsciously tugged at the neckline of her cardigan, trying to cover the strapless top underneath, which looked rather thin now that her jacket was gone. Her cheeks flushed slightly again, uncontrollably.

"Hmm—we really need it."

Xingxian looked at Jiying's adorable blushing and shy expression as she tried to cover herself with her cardigan, a mischievous smile flashing in her eyes. She asked, somewhat amused, "Since you seem so concerned about your current 'revealing' appearance, and even feel ashamed about it, why do you choose to maintain this look?"

"Reconstructing a combat suit that can cover the body using virtual energy shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

This question struck at the most hidden sore spot in Ji Ying's heart with absolute precision, causing her expression to freeze instantly, her lips to purse. She remained silent for a long while before finally speaking in a dejected tone, "Because—" The current form, where the fabric appears minimal, consumes the least amount of my virtual energy.

"I simply don't have the extra energy to do something as luxurious as changing my appearance."

I recalled the long black trench coat I had created before Xingxian appeared, thanks to my relatively abundant ethereal energy. It looked cool for less than three seconds before vanishing without a trace due to the depletion of my ethereal energy.

Ji Ying felt a heartache so intense she could hardly breathe, and tears seemed to glisten in the corners of her eyes—a genuine sorrow belonging to the poor.

Xingxian listened to Jiying's heartbreaking explanation and looked at her adorable, tearful expression. She nodded slightly in understanding.

She didn't press the matter further, giving the other person some space to preserve their last shred of dignity.

On a park bench, two rivals who had just been fighting to the death sat side by side in a somewhat peculiar manner, enjoying the moment of tranquility after their battle.

After a while, Xingxian spoke again softly, breaking the silence.

Her gaze fell upon Jiying, and her expression turned serious again. She steered the conversation toward something she cared deeply about: "Jiying, that battle just now—from the very beginning, you had a plan in mind to defeat me, didn't you?"

"Including your initial clumsy dodges, and your deliberate feigning loss of balance, as well as the spatial-jumping ability you suddenly revealed at the very end."

Ji Ying nodded slightly and frankly admitted, "At the time, I didn't know what your specific abilities were, and when you were hovering in mid-air, my abilities couldn't effectively close the distance between us. Instead, I might have lost the effect of the surprise attack because I exposed myself too early."

"Therefore, I can only try to create a large enough opening to lure you down from the air and into my attack range."

"If you had chosen to stay in mid-air and keep wearing me down with your magic beams at that point, I probably would have had no choice but to run away."

As Xingxian listened to Jiying's candid explanation, a complex light flashed in her silver-gray eyes: "So that's how it is—I understand."

Then, with a hint of self-deprecation in her voice, she admitted with complete candor, "However, this is ultimately just a hypothesis. I misjudged this battle, and in the end—I lost completely."

Looking at her composed acceptance of defeat, Ji Ying felt a surge of goodwill towards this somewhat obsessive yet exceptionally earnest inspector.

She shook her head and comforted me, "Actually, it wasn't a complete defeat. At that time, my internal energy was almost exhausted, and I simply didn't have the ability to launch another effective attack."

"And you—I can sense that the magic power within you is still very abundant. If the battle continues, the outcome is hard to predict."

Unexpectedly, Xingxian shook her head stubbornly again, interrupting Jiying's comforting words, and said firmly, "A loss is a loss, there are no 'what ifs'."

"Even if I still had unused trump cards at the time, even if I still had a lot of magic power left, as long as your attack hit my vital point directly, then all of that was meaningless, wasn't it?"

Seeing Xingxian's suddenly unusually serious attitude, Jiying felt that she had figured out a little more about the personality of this somewhat "stubborn" patrol officer.

—This is a girl who is extremely demanding of herself and possesses the pride of a pure strong person.

She stopped trying to comfort him with those assumptions and nodded gently, then solemnly: "Yes, I did win."

After hearing Ji Ying's crisp and decisive admission, Xing Xian's expression finally softened slightly, and a very faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

She nodded, then, as if remembering something, continued with a hint of anticipation, "I hope—I'll have the chance to have another good fight with you someday."

"Of course, in the form of friendly competition."

Looking at the pure desire for battle and becoming stronger in her eyes, Ji Ying nodded without much hesitation: "Okay, I'm looking forward to it too."

Xingxian's strength is beyond doubt. Being able to spar with such a powerful opponent will definitely be of great help in improving her own combat experience and skills.

When Xingxian saw that Jiying agreed to his request so readily, the smile on his face instantly became even brighter and more sincere, and his silver-gray eyes narrowed slightly.

"Thank you—" she said softly, her voice filled with barely concealed joy.

Seeing the rare smile on her face, Ji Ying felt a sense of relief.

It seems that the "initial establishment of diplomatic relations" with this inspector lady has been a complete success?

She cleared her throat, deciding to strike while the iron was hot and steer the conversation toward the more important matter: "So, Miss Xingxian, now that our misunderstanding has been cleared up, shouldn't we now have a proper exchange of information?"

"You're an inspector who came here to investigate the disappearances of other magical girls in this city, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xingxian's smile gradually faded, and his expression became serious and solemn again.

She nodded slightly and replied in a deep voice:' O