"Smack—!"
The crisp, springy sound made Su Tang involuntarily blink.
Power froze, the smile born of a sneak attack collapsing in an instant into a mask of pain.
"Hahahaha! You filthy woman—you've never fought human-style, have you!" Denji-ko didn't stop. Himeno had told her what Power was: a fiend. How could a fiend be as fragile as an ordinary human?
So, laughing and "commentating," she raised the other leg and, like a thrown knife, hammered the exact same spot with force. "Against men, go for the balls! Against women, same deal! Hammer the perineum!"
She snapped another kick.
But this one whiffed.
Because, in the heart-stabbing pain, Power had snapped back to herself!
Though her body had gone weak, though she hurt to the core, though she was near convulsing—she had to strike back!
She would prove that the great Power was the strongest at fighting, ahhh!
Lift, gather, snap!
The thick-soled sneaker with red-gold stripes planted a heavy kiss on Denji-ko's frail crotch.
"Smack—!"
An even crisper sound rang down the alley.
"Hah! There's no way the great me could be beaten by a foolish human!"
Agony bent Denji-ko double; her mouth fell open, her whole body trembling, nearly voiceless.
Damn… that hurts!
But… that's also the perfect chance!
Having fought thugs and lowlifes in alleys for years, Denji-ko was rich in real experience. Seizing upon Power's smug laugh, she gritted through the pain and whipped another heavy kick.
"You filthy woman—tch—you stole my move!" "Smack!"
"Damn human! That was my secret technique from the start—you stole it from me!" "Smack!"
"Bastard! You dare keep kicking me! Let's make it a contest—see who gives out first!" "Smack!"
"Hahahaha, scrawny human—don't you go crying in a second!"
"Smack—!"
"Smack—!"
"Smack—!"
The fight had become turn-based.
Crack-smacks echoed through the alley.
From the moment Power kicked back, the nature of this "perineum war" changed—both had staked their pain and honor on it and were determined to win!
Can't watch—really can't watch.
Su Tang palmed his forehead and sighed.
Himeno, though, watched with relish, even cheering them on now and then. But Su Tang couldn't—doctor's compassion. Even knowing both had bodies beyond the human norm and would recover after a rest, he still couldn't watch.
So he turned and left.
He couldn't help it—Dr. Su's just softhearted; he can't stand to see pain.
Out past the corner and a few steps on, the light ahead grew brighter.
At the mouth of the lane, Su Tang stopped, leaned against the wall, and pulled the miniature talisman locator from his shirt collar.
This outing wasn't only to see how his future employees handled Public Safety work; it was also to pay the price for using his power at the factory.
After all, it was just waving the locator perfunctorily in the four directions—no big effort. If he didn't, he wouldn't be able to use his power next time.
Holding the bronze handle casually, he raised it to the left at random.
A wash of blood-red light flared!
—
Red?
Crap—it's red!
Su Tang's eyes flew wide and his spine shot straight.
He stared fixedly at the blood-red glow in the azure dragon head's eye. Not willing to accept it, he waved left and right, even flipped it upside down to see if the glow would go out. But no matter what he did, the beam pointing west kept flashing there.
Done for. Jackpot.
His shoulders sagged back to the wall. Looking up at the sky, his face was all helplessness.
To borrow Uncle Long's line—just unlucky, unlucky, unlucky!
How could it be now? It was only 1997!
"Boy."
The slightly hoarse voice rose again in his mind.
"You're awake, Holy Lord," Su Tang said.
This time he wasn't surprised. At the moment he saw the locator's red light, he knew the Holy Lord would appear. If he pretended to be asleep at a time like this, Su Tang would suspect he really was dead.
"Mm… in fact, I woke up half a day ago."
The Holy Lord's voice was still weak; he clearly wasn't in good shape now.
"The talismans are manifesting earlier than I sensed. That is not a good thing. Some new change is forcing the Positive to compromise."
"Unfortunately, I'm only a shred of remnant thought now. If the body were present, perhaps it could sniff something out."
New change?!
Su Tang's eyelids twitched. What was "not a good thing" for the Holy Lord would be a five-finger mountain he couldn't get out from under.
He wasn't immortal, nor did he have the Holy Lord's power.
"Then… do we just ignore this talisman?"
He tested the waters.
"No." The Holy Lord rejected it outright. "Boy, no matter how the world changes, as long as you are strong, you will not be swept away by change. Seeking the talismans is of paramount importance. There must be no misstep."
"Moreover, when I become stronger, you become stronger. Do not stray into sloth and negativity."
"Alright. I got it." Su Tang nodded.
Though there was a whiff of anxiety-peddling and pie-in-the-sky, it was also true.
In any case, the talismans' emergence depended on the struggle between Positive and Dark; business of those two big shots wasn't something Su Tang could join.
Worst case, he'd find them one by one in time.
"Also, boy—beware the red-haired woman."
The Holy Lord's voice sounded again in his mind. "She is not simple. Until you find the Sheep Talisman, avoid eye contact with her as much as possible. If you do meet her gaze by accident, immediately flush your eyes and brain with fire-qi."
Red hair? Makima?
Su Tang frowned. He could imagine Makima being powerful, but he hadn't imagined she'd be classed as "not simple" even by the Holy Lord.
Avoid eye contact until he found the Sheep Talisman…
Sheep Talisman—linked to the soul…
Nodding thoughtfully, Su Tang said, "Alright. I'll be careful."
Then he looked at the locator, its red glow still lit.
He couldn't help asking, "Holy Lord, do you know which talisman this is?"
This time the Holy Lord replied quickly.
"I woke early for this. Through the vague perception of this remnant soul, it is likely…"
"The Tiger Talisman."
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