Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Taking a Helicopter to Appease My Wife

Lin Jianyuan never imagined that his first time in a helicopter would be to chase after his wife and calm him down.

What surprised him even more was that he’d be boarding from his rundown apartment complex.

“All set! He’s secure!”

A rope ladder dangled from the helicopter, with armed field agents clinging to it. They struggled to haul the awkward, uncoordinated Lin Jianyuan up and fasten him in place.

Over the radio, someone shouted, “Ready! Go!”

The helicopter thundered to life, blades chopping the air.

It sounded like a swarm of a hundred thousand mosquitoes holding a convention inside his ears.

Cool night breeze, bright moon, and Lin Jianyuan strapped tight with safety ropes.

The rope ladder slowly reeled in.

They hauled Lin Jianyuan, his face numb from the wind, into the cabin.

So this is what flying in a helicopter feels like.

But did getting on have to be so—

Wild! Raging! Wind!

The wind was insane!

And so loud!

Loud outside, even louder inside!

A hundred thousand mosquitoes had taken up residence in his ears.

Lin Jianyuan felt completely numb.

He could only imagine how frantic the Director must be right now.

Otherwise, why send a helicopter to pick him up from this dump?

With this much commotion, the PR department would be working overtime again to control the rumors.

The Director was known to be losing his mind over this.

Which meant his roommate must have thrown a monumental tantrum at the Bureau.

Outside the window, the city lights sprawled beneath them, glowing like a miniature Lego city.

Lin Jianyuan’s head throbbed from the noise, but his frown wasn’t because of that.

“Squish!” Lin Jianyuan suddenly shouted.

The squish toy wriggled out of his pocket. “What?”

“Can you make this thing go faster?” Lin Jianyuan yelled over the roar. “Not just make it feel faster—actually speed up the whole helicopter!”

The squish toy fell silent.

A beat later, “I’ll try!”

The squish toy hopped from Lin Jianyuan’s palm.

It bounced with a cartoonish spring, and even though you couldn’t hear it, you could almost imagine the squishy sound.

The snail-shaped squish toy took a deep breath—

Its translucent, jelly-like body began to swell and swell.

Its antennae puffed up like little clubs, and its beady black eyes looked like magic eight balls.

The squish toy mustered all its strength and shouted—

“Let’s go!”

A sudden jolt pressed everyone back into their seats.

Everyone on board felt it at once—a powerful force shoving them backward.

The agent across from Lin Jianyuan lurched forward.

Thank god for seat belts, or he would’ve faceplanted.

The noise vanished.

Or rather, the helicopter was moving so fast, sound couldn’t keep up.

The abrupt acceleration hit everyone hard.

But Lin Jianyuan suffered the most.

He’d only been with the Bureau three days. He hadn’t even started physical training.

Before this, he was just another office drone with a bad back and stiff neck.

His cardio was a joke.

That burst of acceleration nearly knocked the wind out of him.

His chest felt like it had taken a punch, and he still hadn’t recovered.

His face flushed red, then drained to white.

He clung to the armrests, knuckles white, veins bulging.

“Lin Jianyuan!” A field agent’s worried voice crackled in his earpiece. “Are you okay? Get some oxygen!”

Someone slapped an oxygen mask over his face.

Lin Jianyuan grabbed it like a drowning man, pressing it hard against his mouth and nose.

His fingers cramped from the effort.

He sucked in air, heart pounding, gulping oxygen for several minutes before he could breathe easy again.

“I’m fine now,” Lin Jianyuan exhaled, voice shaky. “Thanks.”

The two field agents exchanged a look, faces a mix of awe and disbelief.

They were field agents, so they could see Aberrants.

God, when they saw that squish toy crawl out of his pocket, it was almost funny.

Who brings a squish toy to a late-night emergency op?

But when that thing jumped down, took a deep breath, and started swallowing time—

They realized.

That wasn’t a toy.

That was the Time Thief!

The legendary A-class Aberrant—the Time Thief.

The laughter vanished, replaced by pure shock.

Both agents stared at the pale man across from them.

Just an ordinary guy, no muscle, no stamina, nothing special.

But he radiated reliability.

Like… like a mentor.

The kind of senior your company assigns to guide you when you’re new.

Looks unremarkable, but somehow always has a solution.

That kind of dependable presence.

It was rare.

Field agents hadn’t seen a rookie like this in ages.

……

Bureau of Management, Containment Division.

Outside the jagged, upside-down spire.

A massive, dark red shadow crashed against the walls like a deranged phantom, waves pounding relentlessly.

The air vibrated with a metallic hum, trembling with every blow.

“Xie Yu, calm down… It’s not that we won’t let you go home…” The Director was drenched in sweat, trying desperately to placate the Aberrant before him.

The waves surged.

Tentacle-like limbs slammed into the wall.

The entire spire shuddered.

Dust rained down.

From the roiling, blood-red waves, the S-class Aberrant, now at the edge of frenzy, spat out a single word:

“Leave.”

The pressure in the air nearly forced everyone to their knees.

The Director nearly collapsed, but gritted his teeth and forced a smile. “It’s not that we won’t let you go home, it’s just—this is urgent. ‘Regret’ is S-class, and you’re the only one who can fight another S-class right now. So we have to ask you…”

“Ask?”

Xie Yu’s lips curled in a mocking smile.

A terrifying aura swept over the armed personnel.

Xie Yu sneered. “You call this ‘asking’?”

The Director’s face changed. “No, no, don’t misunderstand! Their weapons aren’t for you! It’s in case the containment zone goes out of control. Maybe—maybe we can talk somewhere else? The lounge, perhaps?”

—God help us!

Why did Xie Yu have to throw a tantrum here, of all places?

He was terrified Xie Yu would lose it and bring the whole spire down.

Theoretically, the central containment zone shouldn’t be that fragile…

But theory never accounted for an S-class combat Aberrant like Xie Yu unleashing his full power in the heart of the facility.

He was one of only two known S-class combat Aberrants.

His power was terrifying.

And yet, he couldn’t let Xie Yu go home.

S-class Aberrant “Regret” had caused countless mass incidents, but this was the first time humans had tracked it down.

Time was running out. Miss this chance, and who knew when the next would come?

But Shi Shaoning wasn’t here…

No, even if he were, it wouldn’t help.

Shi Shaoning was an A-class fighter, but even if he could handle several A-class Aberrants at once, it didn’t matter.

The gap between A-class and S-class Aberrants was wider than that between a paramecium and a human.

The last siege had proved that beyond a doubt.

The Director was torn.

He couldn’t let Regret slip away, but forcing Xie Yu to stay might trigger a disaster.

All he could do was pray.

Pray the helicopter wouldn’t get stuck like last time.

Pray Lin Jianyuan would hurry.

Hurry up and calm your wife, Lin Jianyuan!

The helicopter still hadn’t arrived.

But Xie Yu’s patience was at its limit.

“Don’t. Push. Me.”

The surging waves deepened to blood red. At the center, the S-class Aberrant’s mouth was a tight line, voice sharp and chilling.

“I won’t let you use him to—”

He didn’t finish.

The blood-red tide suddenly froze.

Everyone tensed, gripping their weapons.

But at the heart of the storm, the unbeatable S-class Aberrant lifted its “head.”

Its lips parted, as if whispering something unheard.

Above the Bureau.

The helicopter hovered five hundred meters above the landing zone.

Night blanketed the wilderness.

Even from five hundred meters up, you could see threads of blood-red energy seeping from the earth.

A brooding, violent aura became tangible, buffeting the helicopter and making landing impossible.

“Looking for a better landing spot!” the pilot shouted over the comms. “Hold on!”

Lin Jianyuan yanked off his seatbelt.

“Lin Jianyuan!” The two agents beside him reached out in alarm.

But under the Time Thief’s influence, Lin Jianyuan moved with impossible speed.

The door burst open. A violent gust slammed into the cabin.

The door flew open, a powerful cyclone blasting inside.

The agents squinted against the wind, but what they saw next made their blood run cold.

The unremarkable man stood at the open door, pale but calm.

He looked down from hundreds of meters up, serene as a god.

The wind whipped his white shirt.

He glanced quickly at something in his left palm.

Then he jumped.

“Lin Jianyuan!”

“What are you doing? Lin Jianyuan!”

The agents had no time to stop him.

Hundreds of meters up, the wind howled.

It was late summer, but the air up here was icy.

The pressure made it nearly impossible to open his eyes.

Breathing was a struggle.

Lin Jianyuan felt like his face would be torn off, but inside, he felt a wild exhilaration.

A smile tugged at his lips.

“Xie Yu.”

He mouthed the name, silent.

No one heard.

But his lover did.

A rush of wind.

Like a swift seabird skimming the waves.

Like a gentle breeze lifting a cloud.

Lin Jianyuan landed in a warm, gentle embrace.

Slowly, his feet touched solid ground.

The earth caught them both.

His palm tingled with heat.

A familiar rumble of hunger echoed between them.

“Xie Yu.”

Lin Jianyuan smiled and gave his roommate’s side a playful squeeze.

“What’s wrong, baby? Who made you so upset?”

“Why’s your gallbladder all puffed up too?”