"Mu... Long?" Blue Arc murmured.
In an instant, Mu Long leaped down from the top of the high-altitude work platform, his gray cloak billowing in mid-air like a gigantic black eagle descending from the sky, finally crashing onto the stage’s upper part. Simultaneously, the screen behind him suddenly dimmed.
The mayor furrowed his brow; the script he received made no mention of other Mutants appearing, moreover, Mu Long seemed to have an ominous demeanor.
"Mayor... you should go rest for a bit." Suddenly recalling Black Cocoon’s reminder from a few days ago, Blue Arc grew wary and approached the mayor to whisper in his ear.
The mayor nodded, took a few steps back, and willingly stepped off the stage, leaving only Blue Arc and Mu Long standing on the stage, their cyan blue and iron gray silhouettes standing opposite each other.
Mu Long raised his head, gazing at Blue Arc expressionlessly. His gray cloak dragged on the ground like a crow’s tail feathers, and the medieval helmet’s tip resembled a bird’s beak, making him look highly aggressive at this moment.
This scene was indeed tense, the cobweb-like deep pit atop the venue reminded the audience below that some unforeseen incident seemed to have occurred at the award ceremony.
For a moment, the crowd murmured continuously.
"Is this a program by the Mutants Association?"
"Didn’t the officials say that only those selected as ’Mutant of the Year’ would appear at the celebration?"
"Maybe it was added last minute, to stir up interest."
"I thought this was Blue Arc’s event; I didn’t expect to see other Mutants!"
"The mayor came down quietly like that, don’t you find it a bit odd?"
"It is kind of strange..."
Under the spotlight, Blue Arc paused for a moment, then proactively moved forward while saying:
"Brother Mu Long’s entrance is even more imaginative than mine. I should have suggested to the Association that I could have run down the wall from the top of the building, but... it might cost some glass."
This light-hearted comment immediately elicited a burst of laughter from the audience. Yet, Mu Long remained silent and motionless, standing like a statue. But in the next moment, the massive screen on the stage suddenly lit up, and a blurry, flickering surveillance footage began playing.
"It took me a very long time to find this..." Mu Long finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. Newest update provided by novelꞁire.net
Blue Arc frowned slightly, raising his eyes to look at the surveillance footage on the display screen.
The screen showed a corridor of a residential building, with the ceiling collapsing and pinning a boy’s feet underneath. His father screamed while desperately trying to pull him free.
It was a massive earthquake, as if the whole world was trembling. Shortly, the two seemed to hear something; they turned their heads to the silhouette outside the window, seeking help:
"Blue Arc—! Save us!"
Blue Arc was suddenly stunned. The father and son’s cries for help on the surveillance footage were unmistakably calling his name. The floor was still vibrating, tiles were falling from the ceiling, and the exhaust pipes were cracking layer by layer as they cried out hysterically for help.
But the next instant, the screen suddenly went dark; only a beam of deep blue lightning pierced through the wall and blasted in like the wind of death, tearing through the father pulling his son.
Then, the tall figure in the corridor instantly transformed into a bloody storm and rain, splashing towards the corner of the hallway entrance. The child pinned under the rubble was stunned and then let out an instinctive scream.
The hysterical scream shattered the deathly silence for a moment, causing the crowd in the plaza to become agitated as well.
Blue Arc’s pupils contracted, he stood utterly frozen, his lips beneath the helmet moved slightly:
"...How could it be?"
Mu Long still hung his head low, standing motionless in front of the screen, staring at Blue Arc like an upright black crow. After a long pause, he finally spoke:
"Alien Blue Arc, this is... the crime you committed several years ago."