Esper X Family – Chapter 393 – Is She Actually Strong?

Fu Qi was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

As the Countermeasures Bureau’s Director, his pride told him that he couldn’t let himself be toyed with by a girl who essentially had only recently come into being.

Even if Ye Tong’s strength was unfathomably deep, to the point where she could actively fuse with Ye Yao and transform into the world-destroying Tong Yao.

Fu Qi still had his pride.

What kind of grown man was he to be toyed with by a little girl?

Besides, he was her elder!

No matter what, he had to maintain his image as a powerhouse.

Even after being instantly defeated by Tong Yao, his sense of responsibility hadn’t shattered.

Even if that incarnation of world destruction appeared again, he wouldn’t hesitate to transform into a cold-blooded savior, launching a final charge at the cost of his own life.

How could Lou Wei alone be enough?

He, the Strongest in History, certainly couldn’t be overlooked.

But now, Fu Qi was facing something even more agonizing than the rampage incident a week ago.

Is the person before him Ye Tong or Ye Yao?

Should he be on guard or let his guard down?

If he chose to stay on guard, he would have to control his thoughts to prevent Ye Tong from gleaning any useful information through mind reading.

But then, his attitude and tone would inevitably become distant and cold.

That was fine when dealing with Ye Tong. After all, their relationship wasn’t as close as hers with Xiao Jing. At worst, he would just feel a little pressure, something he could ultimately endure.

But what if the person before him was actually Ye Yao?

She would sense the cold attitude and tone, become anxious, feel wronged, or even deeply saddened.

If that happened, it would be ten thousand times more terrifying than being hissed at by Ye Tong!

Such a mistake made wouldn’t be so easily remedied.

Psychological trauma was far harder to heal than physical injury.

This was merely a game of wits between him and Ye Tong. Ye Yao shouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.

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Even if it was just an uncertain possibility…

Fu Qi… didn’t dare to take that gamble.

“Haha, I was just lost in thought. I got a bit distracted. Of course, Little Yao didn’t do anything wrong.”

Fu Qi’s expression became lively again, morphing into the amiable uncle persona.

Ye Yao blinked, the corners of her mouth curving into a triumphant smile.

“Uncle, you’re quite gentle.”

She murmured.

【Fu Qi genuinely acknowledges you as his ‘niece’, and his instincts as an elder prevented him from causing you distress. Thus, he has abandoned the game of wits and surrendered. Familial Love value increased. Reward: 5 attribute points.】

【Unallocated Attribute Points: 80】

Even if her uncle lost face, wasn’t he still better at being an elder than Lou Wei?

He even dropped attribute points. This visit was already a net gain!

Fu Qi’s expression stiffened upon hearing that tone. He looked at the little girl’s triumphant expression.

It was clear that this was still Ye Tong.

The game was over.

He had utterly lost.

Fu Qi’s dignity as the Countermeasures Bureau’s Director was thoroughly shattered.

“Since you’re barely passable as an uncle, I’ll let you off the hook for now.”

Fu Qi could only nod numbly.

He was trying to convince himself.

He hadn’t actually lost that much face.

After all, Ye Tong had shown him kindness.

During the rampage a week ago, she had shown mercy and refrained from killing him.

Not only did she spare his life, but she had also raised his upper limit. That was a great debt of gratitude.

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So, this time, he was just doing her a favor, repaying a bit of that debt. It wasn’t a complete failure, nor was it truly shameful.

Yes, exactly that.

He, Fu Qi, was still the face of the Countermeasures Bureau. He hadn’t been outmaneuvered nor manipulated.

He was just repaying a small favor to let Lady Ye Tong have her fun.

Fu Qi looked back at the petite girl and saw her settled on the sofa, looking as if she had achieved her goal.

Was he really being let off the hook?

Was that even possible?

Could he just bolt away now?

Staying here, he felt like ants were crawling all over him.

Anyway, since it wasn’t Ye Yao, Ye Tong probably didn’t need him.

Just as this thought crossed Fu Qi’s mind, Ye Yao’s voice reached his ears.

“Uncle, the promise. You have to keep the promise. I’ve been looking forward to gaming with you for a long time. Let me see your skill. You’ll give me a satisfying match, right?”

Fu Qi’s expression froze again.

There was no doubt that Ye Tong had seen through his desire to escape.

She didn’t bother hiding her mind reading ability at all.

What the hell? How?

That mental power value of three hundred didn’t seem fake.

Yet, with such low mental power, how did she break through his over ten thousand mental power and read his mind directly?

Did this mean that Ye Tong didn’t need massive mental power to read minds at all?

What about Ye Yao, who possessed the same amount of mental power?

The pressure surged back like a tide.

Fu Qi could only pray that the mental power Ye Tong displayed now was just a facade.

He hoped that the three hundred mental power was merely an illusion.

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And that she couldn’t effortlessly read the thoughts of S-rank Espers with just three hundred points of mental power.

Fu Qi glanced helplessly toward Tu Sheng in the corner of the sofa. Her face still held a faint smile, as if she wasn’t surprised at all.

Tu Sheng had probably known all along.

As expected of the Prophet!

It would’ve been nice if she had warned him in advance.

Unfortunately, she probably couldn’t.

Fu Qi took a deep breath, forcing an awkward smile despite his embarrassment.

He just had to go for it.

It was better than facing the ultimate humiliation.

He walked over and sat on the sofa, taking the controller handed to him by the silver-haired girl.

“What are we playing?”

“Yeah, what are we playing?”

Ye Yao echoed back.

Fu Qi’s brain nearly short-circuited. It felt like a system program had crashed.

They knew the types of games Ye Yao liked, but they didn’t know if Ye Tong liked the same.

Although Ye Tong had copied Ye Yao’s personality and appearance, and their preferences should be similar in theory…

Their displayed personalities, however, were worlds apart.

Who knew if their preferred game genres would be vastly different?

Should they play the types of games the Ye Yao Circle used to test Ye Tong’s identity yesterday?

The problem was, Ye Tong was unbelievably bad at those games.

Even the authoritative voices on the Ye Yao Circle thought that her skill wasn’t an act.

Fu Qi naturally felt that he should avoid such landmines.

Perhaps Ye Tong was also bad at gaming, the kind that not even an Esper’s physique could compensate for.

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【Fu Qi considers you a noob.】

The system’s information compiling was as concise as ever.

So concise that Fu Qi would vehemently protest if he knew.

Ye Yao: “…”

Uncle, don’t push me when I’m in a relatively good mood.

You’re really asking for pressure!

Ye Yao’s gaze turned exceedingly “benevolent” ¹ 核善heshan, basically 核 (nuclear) + 善 (kind), which is nonsense but sounds like 和善heshan (kind and gentle). Long story short, it’s used to describe super scary smiles. .

Sensing the hostile stare, Fu Qi felt even more pressured.

Wh-What did I do?

How did I upset this little ancestor now?

Who set me up!?

“ Hoo …” Ye Yao took a deep breath.

“Let’s go with a fighting game then. You know them, right?”

Fu Qi’s eyes flickered.

How could he not know?

This was also one of Ye Yao’s favorite genres. Lou Wei had even beaten her badly with the manual controller at home.

She displayed a fierce competitive spirit.

Could it be that Ye Tong and Ye Yao were opposites?

Was she actually strong at fighting games?

Author Note

Still starting up, still starting up. I say this author is incredibly powerful once fully started up, do you understand?

Text: Gaia ² Ultraman Gaia. It just unlocked childhood memories I didn’t know I had… !!!