The Sect of Thousand graces was only a cult, a terrorist group. They would not dare to get into a direct confrontation with dark-energy groups even if they had a special skill like that of the shades. Instead, they hide in the dark corner of the city like cowards.
As the cab drove forward, it soon left the White District and crossed over into the Golden Dragon District, the part of the city nearest to the countryside, the boundary of the ecological park.
Lin Sheng asked the cab to stop one hundred meters away from the destination. His target location was a cat café inside the building.
“A cat cafe?” Lin Sheng did a double-take to make sure it was the correct address, the same as the one in his memories. He then walked into the building and entered the elevator.
The lift stopped on the seventh floor. Lin Sheng stepped out of the elevator. Following him were two persons who seemed to live on this floor. Walking along the corridor, he passed by a few shops before coming before Blue Coast Cat Cafe. With no intention of disguising himself, Lin Sheng pushed the door open and entered the café.
The tables, chairs, and counter were brown. The ceiling had a huge, hand-drawn picture of a blue cat. Bloody writings that sang the praise of cats filled the walls. Decorative bloody handprints were all over the glasses. They looked so realistic as if actual people had smeared the glasses with their bloody hands. It was a unique-themed coffeehouse.
The business in the cafe was good. Only three of a dozen tables were empty. The waiters and waitresses were shuffling between tables, serving their customers with a genuine smile on their faces. Behind the counter, the pretty car-eared girls had a broad smile on their faces. It was apparent that they enjoyed working here.
Lin Sheng could not believe this was the base of the Sect of Thousand Graces. But then, he saw someone he knew.
Mylissa was sitting in the corner, talking in a low voice with a thin little girl with long flaxen hair. Both had not noticed Lin Sheng. They were too engrossed with their chatter and food.
Lin Sheng cast his eyes around but did not see any soul device. He had lost interest in the shades. He wanted a soul device. If he could get his hand on one, he could use it to hunt the shades and it would last him a long, long while. His last catch had given him the taste of the good stuff, and he was craving for more. But his aim was the soul device this time.
He did not find any. So he might as well sit down and order a black coffee, no sugar. Stirring the coffee gently without drinking it, he had been sitting there for a good half an hour. Lin Sheng was always patient. As always, his patience paid off.
When there were fewer patrons in the coffee house, a man with a green short haircut, wearing a green-stone necklace approached Mylissa and the young girl. A group of redheads had entered the café at the same time. These guys wore leather jackets and wielded various stuff in their hands. Nobody dared to f*ck with these guys.
“Still thinking of running away?” The green-haired man looked at Mylissa and the young girl.
Mylissa rose to her feet, her hand glowed in green. But before she could do anything, a big hand had grabbed hold of her neck and lifted her up in the air. In desperation, she thrust her hand forward to hit the man. But the green light on her hand disappeared the minute it touched the man as if an invisible force had quashed it.
“Two who could see the shades.” The green-haired man lifted Mylissa with one hand and reached out to catch Selena, the thin young girl. Selena tried to take out her prop to ward off the man, but before she could use it, the man slapped her with his big hand and she became too scared to even raise her hand.
“I’m taking you two away!” Just as the man turned around and wanted to leave with his catch, he saw a black-haired big guy standing in his way.
Lin Sheng wore a smile on his face, glancing at Mylissa, whom the man dragged across the floor. “It’s very much appreciated if you could let her go. I don’t like to stick my nose in your business, but she is my junior.”
The green-haired man looked up at Lin Sheng, who was much taller than him. “Who do you think you are? Step aside if you want to live!” Glaring at Lin Sheng, his voice dark.
Mylissa looked at Lin Sheng, hope and worries filling her eyes at once. Never did she expect to see the genius fellow students here. She did get it why Lin Sheng came alone instead of informing the professor first.
Realizing the situation, her hope dwindled, replaced by a sense of helpless anger. Arrogant! Stupid! Do you think you’re Professor Auldmandiller? Coming unguarded and alone? There are at least twenty Transcendents in the vicinity! Do you want to fight all of them by yourself? Mylissa knew Lin Sheng knew how to fight, but as strong as he was, he was only a recruit. Just the green-haired man alone could beat him hands down. Once the fighting started…
A big hand suddenly reached to grab the throat of the green-haired man. Shocked, the man summoned layers of green crystal walls before him, one layer on top the other. But the all-penetrating hand was unstoppable. He leaped back, trying to pull away from the grabbing hand. Crystal wall had shattered into ash, yet the hand was unscathed and still aiming for his throat.
“Kill him!” the green-haired man roared.
A small part of the patrons in the café lunged to their feet, firing bullet-like green spikes at Lin Sheng at once. The spiked bullets went from slow to a quick motion as if time slowed down. They hit Lin Sheng in just the blink of an eye. But the green lights dissipated upon impact, and the high-heat smoke from the explosions dispersed.
Lin Sheng still stood in place, unharmed and smiling, his hand firmly snatching the throat of the green-haired man. As soon as he closed his fingers more, the neck of their leader would snap like a brittle twig.
“You think you can threaten us?” The green-haired man broke into a creepy smile. A chain of green runes appeared in his hand. The chain transformed into a black sphere the size of a fist which then shot at Lin Sheng’s stomach. It happened so quick and he was so determined that Lin Sheng did not see it coming. This guy was ruthless. He still chanced his arm even though Lin Sheng could break his neck at any time.
When Lin Sheng realized what was happening, it was too late. The black sphere hit him hard on his body with a loud explosion. A black fireball rose, shattering every single one of the café’s glass windows.
Mylissa grabbed Selena. Using her dark energy as a shield, they rolled aside and looked at the spot where Lin Sheng was. A burned, bloody arm dropped from above beside her, scaring the daylights out of her.
When the thick smoke and fire finally dissipated, Lin Sheng was still standing in place, smiling. He then walked toward the green-haired man, who kneeled on one knee not far away.
He was unhurt!
A strand of black filament shot through the window, transformed into a black spike and shot at Lin Sheng. It stopped a few centimeters from Lin Sheng, blocked by a layer of green crystals. Sharp and solid, but it only made a muffled sound upon impact.
“Child’s play!”
Putting up with the spike, Lin Sheng continued stroking toward the green-haired man.
Frightened, the green-haired man lunged toward the window. And just as he was mid-air, green crystals pierced through the air, hitting all the targets and piercing through the bodies of the hostile men in the café.
The green-haired man dropped to the floor, pressing his hand on a penetration hole in his chest and unable to say a word. There was no blood and horrid smell, just a refreshing scent pervading the air.
With the twist of his hand, Lin Sheng retrieved all the crystals, which flew back to him and disappeared into his hand.
Mylissa lay on the floor, bruises covering her body. She was shocked and in awe. She was speechless. All she knew was staring at Lin Sheng, whose back was facing her.
Selena pinched her a little and whispered, “Don’t be silly. Let’s go!”
Lin Sheng came up to the green-haired man and was about to find out the secrets of the man. A sudden gut feeling told him he needed to look out the window. And so he did.
Downstairs, a high-power motorcycle screeched to a halt. The rider was a woman. Tall, white hair, dark skin with the tattoo of a strange character on her face. As soon as she alighted from her bike, she looked up at the window upstairs with the same gut feeling. Two pairs of murderous eyes met, determined to stare down each other.
“Watch where you go, you little rascal!” The woman’s mouth arched as she strutted into the building.
“Mylissa, bring the girl and go, now!” said Lin Sheng without looking at them, his voice grave.
Mylissa came to her senses and ran out of the café with Selena at once. She knew she had to call the professor right then and not become a burden to Lin Sheng.
