C28 Selfdefense

George stood suspended in midair, his expression one of sheer astonishment. The battered police mecha emitted a buzzing sound, reminiscent of labored breathing.

Below, in the basement, the onlookers were equally petrified. The looming shadow of death seemed to recoil as if seared, retreating with a swift whoosh.

Gu Xian grasped the third "Mount Buzhou" laser gun, taking aim at the next Angel Mecha.

The pristine white Angel Mecha finally responded. With a swift gesture, one of the mechas unleashed a cascade of light that plummeted towards Gu Xian.

George's heart surged with wild joy. He was panting, adrenaline pumping through him as he bellowed, "Full power to the energy barrier! Hold it off, hold it off!"

Tom, the leader of the second squad, echoed the command. Due to his proximity, he piloted his mecha to meet the onslaught head-on.

The police mecha's energy barrier shattered in an instant. As Tom landed in a mecha now smoking and reduced to half its frame, a third beam of white light streaked out.

The Angel Mecha that had initiated the attack detonated with a thunderous explosion. The light beam grazed another Angel Mecha, instantly boring a one-meter-wide hole through it.

With a composed demeanor, Gu Xian reached for the fourth "Mount Buzhou."

He had been aware since the battle's onset, but his keen instincts told him there was nothing to be gained by charging in now.

Initially, he suspected the Security Department had come for him, but upon sighting the Angel Mechas, he grasped the gravity of the situation.

The Security Department's intentions for him were irrelevant; the Angel Mechas were the immediate threat.

Gu Xian's sole reliance was on Mount Buzhou. Pre-modification, it could inflict damage on the Angel Mechas, but its current destructive power was unparalleled.

He had devoted all his valuable time to upgrading Mount Buzhou. Each could only fire once in a brief window, so he had meticulously modified each remaining Mount Buzhou to prepare for any contingency. It was this preparation that had fortuitously saved George's life.

The fourth Mount Buzhou roared to life once more. The surviving Angel Mechas in the sky executed frantic evasive maneuvers. Without radar guidance, Gu Xian relied solely on his eyesight to down another Angel Mecha.

Clutching the fifth Mount Buzhou, Gu Xian left the Angel Mechas in the sky leaderless, and at that moment, they finally crumbled.

They had no idea how many more Mount Buzhous Gu Xian had up his sleeve, and nobody was willing to bet their lives on it.

"Retreat, retreat!" came the command. "The mission has failed. We're pulling out for now!"

The remaining fourteen Angel Mechas unleashed one last barrage of laser beams, fending off the encroaching police mechas as they made their own retreat.

The police mechas in the sky were already spent. After putting on a show of resistance, each one plummeted, battered and missing limbs.

Down in the basement, Ceng Nian asked, bewildered, "Is he done with the modifications already? That was fast!"

"Damn freak!" they all swore in chorus.

"At least we're free now," Broomhead said, mopping the sweat from her brow.

Yeh Ranyi, not too familiar with Gu Xian, questioned with deep skepticism, "Are we really here to rescue him?"

She put a heavy emphasis on "rescue."

The Bloodsaw Mercenaries, tears streaming down their faces, quickly set her straight. "No, you're here to rescue us. Just look at how twisted this guy is!"

Cheers of relief echoed through the police communicators.

Tom, the captain of the second squad, stepped out of his mech and shook Gu Xian's hand with fervor. "Now I see why George was so adamant about saving you! You're the future of B-183, my friend!"

George, already on his way, stopped dead in his tracks, feeling a twinge of awkwardness. Though his words were earnest, they somehow rang with unintended irony.

"Save me? Weren't you here to arrest me?" Gu Xian's tension eased a bit.

"How could that be?" George clarified. "Weren't you just defending yourself when the Bloodsaw Mercenaries took you hostage?"

Hostage?

The approaching Bloodsaw Mercenaries were overcome with emotion.

You're the captain of the Security Department and you don't know what a hostage is?

Was he really a hostage? Oh, heavens, take a good look! Has there ever been a hostage so brazen? Someone needs to rein him in!

"So, self-defense, you say? Does that mean I'm innocent?" Gu Xian raised his hand. "I'd like to report that the Bloodsaw Mercenaries have been conspiring against me."

"Report us? He actually went and reported us!" The Bloodsaw Mercenaries were in an uproar.

"He accuses us of plotting against him! It's utter nonsense, twisting the truth, turning black into white!"

"Keep it down. Technically, we did have plans against him, but we never pulled them off."

"It's the same thing! It's outrageous, absolutely outrageous!"

"Let me at him, I'm going to end him!"

"Everybody, shut it!" In the heat of the moment, the burly man bellowed, quelling the chaos.

He strode up to Gu Xian, pointed at George with an air of arrogance, puffed out his chest, and declared with a booming voice, "We've turned ourselves in to the Security Department!"

Gu Xian was taken aback.

"Ha, bet you didn't see that coming, did you? We've surrendered, so you've got nothing on us now!"

The group was overjoyed, suddenly remembering their perceived major triumph over Gu Xian.

Was this really something to celebrate? Had they lost their minds? To be this jubilant over surrendering?

Gu Xian was bewildered. He still hadn't grasped the extent of psychological damage his stringent demands and aggressive crackdowns had inflicted on these people.

"Yes, the Bloodsaw Mercenaries are now collaborating with the Security Department," George confirmed. "This battle has cost us dearly. The Angel Mecha is approaching with alarming force, and its intentions are still a mystery. We're short-staffed and need their support as external reinforcements. Gu, any objections?"

The burly man swelled with pride, taking George's support as a cue to tacitly endorse the arrangement on behalf of the group.

"No objections here," Gu Xian said, eyeing them skeptically. "But are you sure they're up to the task?"

The crowd was incensed. The pride of being Bloodsaw Mercenaries made it hard for them to swallow such skepticism.

"See, they're not too thrilled with that," Gu Xian remarked as he casually lifted "Mount Buzhou" from the ground, aiming its muzzle at them.

The commotion was instantly replaced by silence.

"Ahem, the weather's quite nice today, isn't it?"

"Sure is."

"To be fair, he's earned the right to say that."

"I've always respected Boss Gu's word. If he had a mercenary group, I would've signed up with him a long time ago."

"Boss Gu, why don't you set aside that adorable little gadget of yours? We're all one big happy family here, full of love and harmony."

"We have no objections whatsoever. Whatever you say goes, Boss Gu."

George and his colleagues from the Security Department fell into a hushed silence.

They were plagued by doubt: could this truly be the notorious Bloodsaw Mercenary Group, or had they stumbled upon impostors?

"How much longer do you plan to stand around?" Chen Zhuya adjusted her glasses, cutting through the quiet.

"Exactly. To prevent any counterattack from the Angel Mecha, we need to get moving. Let's report back, beef up Aelley's security, and figure out where those mechas came from."

"Let's get going." The group made a beeline for the exit.

Luckily, their flying car was parked a safe distance away; the recent skirmish had only caused minor damage. Despite one car being destroyed, they managed to cram into the remaining space, along with the operational police mecha.

Gu Xian lingered, his mind on the Mount Buzhou he hadn't had the chance to fire upon, contemplating how to retrieve it from 33 Bay Road.

Suddenly, Yeh Ranyi approached him.

"Is something wrong?" Gu Xian's demeanor was as serene as a still pond.

"It's me. We've met before at the Encounter Café." Yeh Ranyi suspected he hadn't recognized her.

"I remember. What do you need?"

Gu Xian's aloofness was a bit much for Yeh Ranyi to take. She was a major celebrity, unaccustomed to such indifference for many years.

But she had been running around with the Security Department, even coming to Gu Xian's aid. Clearly, her intentions extended beyond a mere meet-up. In a hushed tone, she asked, "Are you close with Old Chen?"

Gu Xian quirked an eyebrow. "We're on decent terms."

"Could you then relay a message to Old Chen for me? I know he doesn't want to see me, that's why I'm asking you, but..."

Her words were cut short as Chen Zhuya suddenly appeared, grabbing Gu Xian and whisking him away.

Without sparing Yeh Ranyi a glance, Chen Zhuya admonished Gu Xian like an older sister to a younger brother, "When you're out and about, don't engage with just anyone, got it?"

Scattered among the crowd...

Yeh Ranyi, once again overlooked, felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth. Abruptly, a thought struck her, and she let out a deep sigh.

Regardless, Chen hadn't shown up at the Encounter Coffee Shop. His unwillingness to meet with her was something Yeh Ranyi couldn't shake off for a long while.

She wasn't sure if Chen's absence was due to his frail health. Believing it might be the case, she felt an even greater sense of trepidation, too apprehensive to visit him.

She was aware that Chen Zhuya wouldn't pass along any messages to Chen on her behalf, so she pinned her hopes on Gu Xian. Clearly trusted by Chen, Gu Xian could have been the intermediary, but Chen Zhuya had thwarted that possibility.

Upon her return to the Security Department, her team would be arriving, and with them, the paparazzi. Her final opportunity to speak with Chen had slipped away.

With a heavy heart, Yeh Ranyi looked up to see Gu Xian still glancing back at her, his gaze lingering.

A surge of hope filled her, thinking there might still be a chance, until she heard Gu Xian's loud exclamation.

"I need to get my Mount Buzhou back!"

"Relax, someone will come to sort this out. They'll recover the fragments of the Angel Mecha and your Mount Buzhou," Chen Zhuya reassured him.

So his looks weren't for her after all.

Yeh Ranyi's smile turned bitter, then quickly morphed into a practiced one. She beamed with an enchanting and youthful radiance, slipping back into her celebrity persona as she followed them.

The emergence of the Angel Mecha in Aelley coincided with Yeh Ranyi's arrival, drawing significant attention from the Security Department.

By contrast, the Bloodsaw Mercenary's intent to target Yeh Ranyi faded into the background.

Moreover, they had been co-opted, and to this day, no one inside the Security Department was aware they had initially come for Yeh Ranyi.

That evening, Gu Xian, back at 33 Bay Road, was greeted with heartfelt warmth by all. It dawned on him that he had been gone for merely a couple of days.

Before long, George sent over a file with names of suspected Ancient God Cult members, cautioning Gu Xian to stay vigilant.

Gu Xian glanced over it twice, committing the details to memory.

That evening, Chen, who usually busied himself with his clay sculptures, was uncharacteristically seated before the 3D television. He was engrossed in the flood of news reports about Yeh Ranyi's arrival at B-183 for an interview.

Gu Xian tapped Chen on the shoulder and gestured towards Yeh Ranyi on the screen. "What's the story with her?"