No Hero

Translator: Tentacles (proofread by Faren & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia)

Dark Sun! You have finally arrived…

“No, no!” “Dark Sun” shouted, “I’m DSII!”

DSII? Why is it you again? Is Ah Ye really that busy?

“Ah Ye?” Tilting his head, DSII said, “He’s home, but he said he doesn’t want to come.”

Doesn’t want to come? What does that mean? A hero doesn’t have that kind of choice! What’s been going on with Ah Ye recently?

“Ah Ye is a bit weird. Daddy said that he will be okay after a while, but Daddy’s words can’t be trusted. All those who trust him are dummies!”

…Can’t you use a mature tone to talk?

DSII shook his head vigorously and said, “Daddy programmed me to be a ten-year-old child! Unless it’s time to pretend to be ‘Dark Sun.’ Ah Ye commanded that pretending to be Dark Sun needs maturity and calmness, but maturity and calmness are so boring!”

Then, you can continue to pretend to be Dark Sun now.

“Don’t want to! Chu-gēge knows I’m not Dark Sun! So why do I need to pretend to be Dark Sun?”

Chu-gēge… Don’t use Ah Ye’s face to call me that. My fallen goose bumps have already covered the floor.

“Then, Chu-shūshu?”

Definitely no!

“Beloved little Chu Chu?”

What kind of ten-year-old kid are you pretending to be!

“No this, no that. Chu-gēge, you really are an annoying little thing!”

…

The young master really did become a singer. Although his singing skill was not fully competent yet, he was originally already exceedingly famous. Furthermore, his clear and bright timbre also made up for his lack of skill. Overall, the young master’s new album still received more praise than criticism. Even professional singers thought he was very promising.

The new album was also quite interesting. After consulting me for consent, the young master titled his album “Endelis.” The album was comprised completely of songs about a vampire. However, it was from the perspective of an angel. The angel, because of his curiosity toward the vampire, constantly glimpsed into the vampire’s life and sang song after song of what he had secretly seen.

The songs were filled with questions for the vampire. Is fresh blood really delicious? Have you ever yearned for the sun? If you have another choice, would you choose to become the race of darkness or would you choose death?

This songwriter Lin Ding seemed to be a very interesting person.

Recording the album, joining a show to promote the album, filming commercials, giving endorsements… Because the young master was so busy, he had been unable to become Dark Sun for quite a while already. However, Dark Sun was still active in Sunset City. This was all DSII’s credit, although he frequently complained that he wanted to be a motorcycle, disliking using a humanoid body.

At first glance, the days seemed peaceful, but there were also some differences compared to before. Since the day the young master quarreled with his two fiancées, Briar and Poseidynne had not visited the apartment again. The young master of course did not look for them either.

For a few times, the young master kept returning to the “Girl’s Shop.” Currently, his room was covered with posters of babies, puppies, and little girls. He also had a great number of dolls. Lastly, he even kept a goldfish.

Mr. Bramble still had not said anything. The number of times he spoke seemed to have grown fewer as well.

On the other hand, May and Dell frequently accompanied the young master to the nightclub “Seaside” to play. Because Aren was so terribly busy, there was simply no way he could accompany the young master. It appeared to be because both First Wind and Solitary Butterfly had requested him to look after their own districts a bit more.

Melody was not very surprised about the change in the young master. She said this was called a rebellious stage. Everything would be fine after it passed; although, she also admitted that having his rebellious stage at twenty-three years old was a little late.

Throughout the month, the days were just like the young master—a bit strange, yet there were no major changes. Compared to before, everyone just seemed quieter, but the situation was not too serious. However, it left people without any idea of how to deal with it, continuing to live with the current situation…

“Melody, what are we going to do today?”

The young master asked Melody after he finished his breakfast. Because the latter needed to be with the young master at each event, her “nights and days” were reversed daily, with her awake during the day and asleep during the night. Therefore, she always had a not-fully-awake, lazy attitude.

Melody lazily flipped through a small booklet and said, “At two in the afternoon, we need to go pre-record a broadcast. At five o’clock, we need to shoot an advertisement for mineral water. At nine in the evening, there’s a charity gala.”

The young master gave an “oh” and said nothing else. He did not appear to be unhappy, but he was not especially happy either. He seemed… very bored.

“Young Master, how about letting Charles accompany you to the events today?” Melody proposed coquettishly.

The young master turned his head to look at her. Anger actually flashed across his face. He said, “Even you don’t want to accompany me?”

Frozen for a moment, Melody said while blinking her beautiful eyes, “Young Master, what are you saying? I’m just really tired and want to sleep.”

Only then did the young master school away his anger. Apologetically, he said, “All right, go sleep then.”

Stroking the young master’s head, Melody smiled and gently said, “Young Master, what is going on with you recently? You seem very unhappy.”

With a little reluctance, the young master said, “Nothing’s wrong. When I wanted to sing, I sang. When I wanted to buy toys, I went to buy toys. There aren’t any unhappy things.”

“But you’re still unhappy!” With a little heartache, Melody pinched the young master’s face and said, “This charity ball allows you to bring a partner. Do you want to bring a female companion with you?”

The young master tilted his head and asked, “Are you going with me tonight?”

“That’s a secret!” Melody smiled mysteriously.

For the first time this month, the young master’s eyes brightened. He did not continue to ask who his female companion would be. He seemed to really look forward to this secret.

“The secret went straight to the gala!”

Hearing Melody’s answer, the young master enthusiastically departed to the location of the charity gala. Nonetheless, I was a little worried. How are we going to recognize this “secret?” With the fame the young master has now, a group of girls gathering around him at his arrival would not be surprising, right?

However, Melody must have already realized that. Since she had arranged it as such, she must have her own plan. Therefore, I did not ask much but directly followed the young master to the charity gala. We even rode DSII there.

I did not know the reason the young master insisted on not driving a car. He just wanted to ride the motorcycle… But this was not that strange. During this past month, the young master was sometimes arbitrary in insisting on certain things.

Just a little willful. Melody described it as such, which I also thought was very appropriate.

We finally reached the location. This charity gala was crowded with people. There was even a red carpet laid on the floor, and cameras filled both sides.

I did not know if it was because the young master was the only one to ride a motorcycle over or if it was because the young master’s fame was already enormous, but the moment we arrived and the young master took off his helmet, he immediately caused a huge commotion. The flashes went mad.

The young master’s originally tidy hair had gotten disheveled by the helmet. Quickly, I took out a comb to neaten his hair. The flashes became even more powerful to the point that specks of shadows began appearing in my eyes. The young master also frowned. He seemed a little unhappy.

“I have finished.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the young master suddenly turned and glared at the crowd, which I did not expect. I was worried that he would start yelling at them. However, someone suddenly called out, “Ah Ye…”

The young master froze and looked puzzlingly toward the source of the voice… A woman walked slowly toward him. On her gentle, beautiful face, she had applied a little makeup. She wore a white, fishtail gown embellished with aqua-blue. Her gown was strapless with long sleeves. The ends of her sleeves and skirt were modeled after waves. More than half of her blue hair was rolled up, only a few locks resting against her chest. Sections of her hair were dotted with pearls. Her necklace was a warm, orange-colored coral. She looked just like a legendary mermaid… She was indeed a merperson though.

Although the woman in front of me was truly gorgeous, the mood was ruined as I thought, how can her body look like both a female’s and a male’s so suddenly? Going by just body shape, men and women were greatly different, but Poseidynne appeared completely like a lady while wearing a tight gown. Merpeople were really an inconceivable race.

Lightly frowning, Poseidynne walked slower and slower. It was almost like she was afraid of coming over.

“Poseidynne.” The young master said in admiration, “You’re so beautiful!”

Poseidynne froze a little, relaxed her brow, and gave a stunning smile.

Taking the initiative, the young master went over and held Poseidynne’s hand. This caused the surroundings to flash as bright as day. Quickly, I slightly bowed my head and narrowed my eyes to prevent the flashes from diminishing my sight.

Poseidynne whispered, “Melody already told me all about it. You and Lin Ding really aren’t in a relationship. After finishing writing the song, you guys rarely met in private.”

“I told you so!” The young master muttered.

“I was really worried!” Poseidynne said in grievance, “You accepted me so easily before. I’m not saying accepting me is bad, b-but if you also accept others easily… That also isn’t good!”

The young master frowned a bit. He seemed to not understand these words.

“Anyway, you’re not angry anymore?”

Poseidynne said “yeah” lightly. The young master immediately smiled. For the first time this month, he was smiling so heartily.

Melody certainly understood the young master. This “secret” was planned out well.

Arm in arm, the two walked toward the entrance hall with flashes going off all the way. Perhaps tomorrow’s entertainment section headline would be of the young master and his secret. Although it might cause controversies, wouldn’t the young master become more famous because of this?

At the ball, many people wanted to approach us, but the people who did approach were few. The ladies’ gazes were mostly on the young master, but once they turned toward Poseidynne, they revealed unconfident expressions. Similarly, once the men saw Poseidynne, they gave amazed looks one after another. But once they saw her hand tightly clinging to the young master’s arm, they showed doubting expressions again and again.

“If I remember correctly… You are Charles, am I right? Only you came with the angel today?”

Turning my head to look, I saw a middle-aged man with white hair. I recalled how Melody addressed him…

“Producer Xiao, it has been a long time since I have seen you.”

“It is better not to see you, lest my heart ache whenever I do.” Producer Xiao shook his head and said, “Say, why is there no way to have a camera capture a vampire’s image? We’ve simply wasted so many handsome men and beautiful ladies!”

Beautiful ladies? I pondered slightly and understood that he was referring to Melody.

Producer Xiao turned his head. His eyes were scanning Poseidynne. With great interest, he asked, “Angel, how is it that you have brought such a great beauty here?”

The young master rolled his eyes and said, “Xiao-shū, I told you many times already. My name is An Xiang Ye. You can also call me Ah Ye, not Angel!”

Producer Xiao gave a big laugh, saying, “Aiya! Who told you to look just like an angel? Everyone is like angel this, angel that. If I say Ah Ye, people actually need to think for a moment to figure out who Ah Ye is. It’s so annoying!”

The young master pouted and said nothing.

Examining Poseidynne, Producer Xiao asked enthusiastically, “This great beauty can’t also be a vampire, right?”

Saying nothing, Poseidynne took two steps back, hid behind the young master, and lowered her head.

Protecting her, the young master said, “Xiao-shū, don’t bully Poseidynne. She has other jobs. She doesn’t want to be a star.”

“Angel, what the hell. Every person around you is either handsome or beautiful, yet I can’t borrow any of them to shoot an MV? It’s not like they have to become a star.”

The young master shook his head firmly.

Shaking his head and sighing, Producer Xiao did not argue further. It was said that during the past year, the young master had made his affable, but stubborn personality known to the entertainment world. Even threats and inducement could not change his mind.

“Come on!” Aside from complaining, Producer Xiao did not forget to make a request, “Then, you have to help me shoot an MV. A female singer insisted on using you.”

The young master nodded. Producer Xiao was now satisfied. Patting the young master’s shoulder, he said, “Today’s charity gala depends on you. A huge group of people want to bid on your first dance. There are many women, not to mention a ton of men too.”

“Okay!” The young master nodded. He seemed to also be looking forward to the bidding.

After Producer Xiao left, Poseidynne whispered, “Today’s charity gala is to bid on a participant’s first dance? Ah Ye, I will win the auction for your first dance!”

“If you want to dance, couldn’t we just dance at home? If not, dancing at Seaside is fine, too! You don’t need to waste money bidding on me, right?” The young master did not understand. Now, it seemed like it was Poseidynne’s turn to be a little willful. She looked down slightly and did not seem to be planning to give up on bidding on the young master.

The young master frowned, turned around, and asked, “Charles, what is the total amount of money I’ve earned as a model?”

I was a little surprised by the young master’s sudden question about his salary, but I still diligently informed him, “The exact amount still needs to be ascertained. The payment for the album has not been transferred yet either. Nonetheless, the account now contains at least thirteen million.”

“Then, let’s use that money to win my first dance! Charles, you’ve said before, gifts should be bought with one’s own hard-earned money, right?”

I smiled while nodding my head. Stunned for a moment, Poseidynne became overjoyed. She was gleeful to the point of nearly floating away. Seeing her so happy, the young master seemed to become happy also.

The bidding that followed went smoothly. Although the young master’s first dance was expensive, the young master did not care about this small amount of money. Furthermore, it was for charity. A price higher than this would not have been a problem either.

“… Going twice! Sold for five hundred fifty thousand yuan!”

After winning the bid for the dance, I turned around, wanting to report to the young master, but what I saw was the young master on his phone. I did not know who had called, causing his delight to disappear without a trace, even turning it into seriousness.

Waiting until the young master hung up, Poseidynne could not resist and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

“First Wind said that Dark Sun injured Solitary Butterfly.”

Dark Sun… Ah! Is it DSII? I murmured, “DSII disobeyed?”

“No, DSII didn’t disobey. He is unable to disobey.” The young master whispered, “Because Solitary Butterfly protected the criminal, DSII concluded that she might be under his control. Essentially, he wanted to take the criminal away, but Solitary Butterfly didn’t allow it. The two then started to fight.”

I asked with concern, “Was Solitary Butterfly really under control?”

“Luo Chu-gē said he isn’t 100% sure, but he thinks Solitary Butterfly hasn’t been controlled.”

Since it was Ji Luo Chu’s analysis, the accuracy must be very high. If it were the young master who had been there, he might have believed in Ji Luo Chu’s words. It was just that DSII had chosen not to believe Ji Luo Chu, even though he always called Ji Luo Chu “Little Chu Chu” or “Chu-gēge.”

I whispered, “Young Master, are you going there now?”

“I haven’t danced with Poseidynne yet!” Frowning, the young master pondered and then said, “I don’t want to go! Charles, you go in my stead and take a look. Use this phone to stay in contact with Luo Chu-gē.

…Uh?

“Ah Ye, you’re not going?” Poseidynne seemed alarmed. She anxiously said, “It’s not a problem if we don’t dance. Really! We can just go to ‘Seaside’ to dance.”

With a little displeasure, the young master said, “Charles, are you going or not?”

“Yes, I will depart right away.”

Mr. An Te Qi, your words are really not to be trusted. Why is the young master’s condition getting worse? Nonetheless, let’s not quarrel with the young master right now. I will go check out the situation first and contact Mr. An Te Qi tomorrow.

After deliberating, I went to the top floor of the gala’s venue. To track someone down, the highest floor would be much more convenient.

But, unexpectedly, this venue’s top floor was actually a playground. Children were running around and going on rides. Stalls everywhere were shouting, “popcorn” and “hot dogs”… There was even a colossal Ferris wheel there.

Standing there, all dressed up, I was really eye-catching. Many mothers used suspicious eyes to examine me and then held their children’s hands tightly… I hastily moved to the railing at the edge and hid in the darkness.

Just as I was about to dial First Wind, the phone rang. As soon as I answered, First Wind roared, “Dark Sun! The criminal went toward the north district. He has just passed Evening Sun Plaza. Tell your subordinates to turn on the monitors. It won’t be hard to find him. I will go there from the west. You outflank him from the east! Don’t forget to wear earplugs and put your phone on vibrate, or you’ll get controlled by his voice.”

“I am not…”

Click!

…Dark Sun. Also, I am in the north district. After saying only half of what I intended, the call had already ended. Even when calling him back, no one answered. First Wind was likely too busy to have the time to answer his phone.

Sighing, I dialed another number, “Mr. Bramble, would you please help me search for a criminal? First Wind is currently pursuing him. Apparently, he just passed Evening Sun Plaza…”

Coming from the other end was Dell’s laughter. “We were just watching a prime-time drama earlier—a super huge dogfight! Solitary Butterfly fought Dark Sun just now. The two of them were both wearing earplugs and gesturing wildly with their hands until it devolved into brawling. First Wind wanted to close in and pull them apart. As a result, he was labeled as an enemy by both of them. Luckily, Dragon Peace promptly took him away from the battle, or else he would have been sandwiched and beaten up.”

Ji Luo Chu has really worked hard. I sighed.

“Before we knew it, the NC squad came to save the day! However, they didn’t know the situation, so they didn’t wear earplugs. They got controlled by the criminal and actually attacked the three heroes… hahaha! Oh man, it was just killing me!”

“Dell, you are overly enjoying this dilemma.” I felt a little helpless. I hope the heroes and the NC squad were not harmed too much. 𝙛𝘳𝘦e𝓌e𝗯n𝗼ѵ𝙚l.𝒄𝚘𝑚

“The criminal doesn’t seem to have any malicious intent.” May said, “He only gave the NC squad a command to obstruct all the heroes besides Solitary Butterfly. According to our observations, he seems a bit na?ve.”

I froze for a second. “The young master wishes for me to check out the situation, and First Wind mistook me for Dark Sun and wanted me to outflank the criminal. Could I trouble you to help me locate the criminal?”

“The young master wants you to go?” May wondered, “Doesn’t the young master usually not let you get involved in combat?”

I fell silent and then said helplessly, “In the past, yes. But the young master now… Nonetheless, I will have to trouble all of you.”

May did not question me much and just said, “Got it. We’ll start the search now. The criminal is still being tracked. First Wind’s position is currently on the border between the north and the west districts, and he is moving toward the north district, not far from you. If we use the young master’s speed to estimate the distance, it will be around fifteen minutes. Okay… If First Wind does not change his path, he might pass by the venue where the gala is held!”

Eh? If that is the case, should I stay and wait for First Wind to arrive, or should I go and intercept him?

During my pondering, there was suddenly an outburst of screams from afar. It sounded like many people were screaming. This was really unbelievable because it was the top floor!

Looking toward the source of the sound, I saw a hole in the city… Actually, the light over there had disappeared. Among the vast city lights, one part was suddenly darkened. It looked as if the city really had a hole opened in it.

The holes were continually growing—one here, another there. Finally, even I had fallen into a hole. Darkness surrounded us, and children were screaming from every direction… Only in the distance was there still a sea of lights, like an unreachable hope. It was a dreadful feeling.

Dell’s shout came from the cell phone, “Butler! What is your situation there?”

“Darkness. Except that, there’s nothing abnormal.”

“Phew! Luckily, everything else is all right. The monitors where you guys are suddenly blacked out. Nothing can be seen. It’s strange. Even if it’s a blackout, there should be an emergency power supply system.”

May coldly said, “It’s not one bit lucky. The emergency power system didn’t kick in. I’m afraid that it’s sabotage.”

Both ends of the phone call became silent for a moment and then simultaneously exclaimed, “That criminal!”