Esper X Family – Chapter 644 – Two Captive Canaries

【Successfully resolved the inner conflict within Black Haze. Reward: 20 Attribute Points.】

Black Haze had been successfully captured.

Her emotions had swung so violently that she had no choice but to rest her head on Ye Yao’s lap. Even now, her body was still feverish.

“Actually… I’m a pretty terrible person. To repay the Deputy Commander’s kindness, I did a lot of bad things for him. In the end, I still couldn’t repay him, and now I can only be someone who forgets gratitude and breaks faith.”

“That’s easy. When the time comes, I’ll have someone prepare to kill that Deputy Commander. Then you can step in and plead for his life to repay his favor. After that, we’ll double back and elbow him into the dirt.”

Ye Yao’s voice was light and cheerful, as if none of this mattered at all.

It was just a minor episode, not even a boss fight.

Black Haze’s lips parted slightly. She suddenly realized that this might actually settle things cleanly.

“But… if the Deputy Commander dies, I’ll die too…”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll handle it.”

Ye Yao’s tone was full of confidence.

She lacked neither stats nor mechanics.

No matter how tightly bound, Ye Yao could have An Qi make a precise incision, like a scalpel aimed at fate itself.

For Gray Marsh to play such tricks right under her nose was nothing but trying to show off before an expert.

“You’re amazing.”

Black Haze found herself at a loss for words.

Just as the Evolutionary Divine Machine had deduced, Ye Yao truly seemed capable of destroying the Watcher Civilization.

“And those Observers under Gray Marsh, they’re dangerous. They might go after people you care about.”

Black Haze began to place herself in Ye Yao’s corner.

After all, she was now technically a “captive”.

Reαd oո ΚаtRеаⅾіոɡСafe

Since she had been captured, there was no helping it.

Ye Yao replied casually: “Don’t worry. Ye Ge has already taken care of them.”

Scared to tears!

The expeditionary fleet of the Watcher Civilization had gravely underestimated Ye Yao’s capabilities.

They had never imagined that Ye Yao had intended to treat this entire affair as a game from the very beginning.

Whether infiltration or conspiracy, nothing could escape her sight.

The day Black Haze first arrived at the Countermeasures Bureau headquarters, she had come for Ye Yao.

And Ye Yao had come to the training ground for Black Haze.

Wasn’t this, in its own way, a mutual pursuit?

As for whether Ye Yao’s perfect image had crumbled in Black Haze’s heart…

It hadn’t. In fact, it had only become more flawless.

Even after knowing that Black Haze had ulterior motives, Ye Yao had still taken the initiative to get close. She had never pressured her or set traps to expose her identity. She simply played with her, introducing her to several kind and warm-hearted friends.

And her reason for approaching seemed genuine, just to make her smile.

In Ye Yao’s own words: “Such a cute girl, it’d be a pity not to see her smile.”

Every step was for Black Haze’s sake. How could Black Haze ever compare the cold, ruthless Gray Marsh to Ye Yao?

If anything, Black Haze felt that she now owed Ye Yao a debt of gratitude she could never repay.

“What about Silver Frost? Was she dealt with too?”

Black Haze finally confirmed that Silver Frost’s disappearance was connected to Ye Ge.

It seemed that she really had been caught, not because she was an idiot.

Black Haze had figured that if she herself could survive, there was no reason Silver Frost couldn’t.

Rеаd on KαtRеаdіոɡCаfе

The expeditionary fleet had serious misconceptions about Ye Yao, Ye Tong, and Ye Ge.

Silver Frost was probably scared out of her wits.

Ye Yao chuckled.

“Silver Frost is fine. Ye Tong is looking after her. Right now, she seems to be pretending to sleep because she doesn’t want to face any of this.”

“She really is an idiot.” Black Haze muttered under her breath.

After being captured, Black Haze could no longer view Silver Frost as someone from an opposing camp.

Here with Ye Yao, distinctions like “White Comet’s confidant” or “Gray Marsh’s subordinate” no longer meant anything.

Neither White Comet’s will nor Gray Marsh’s will could ever outweigh Ye Yao’s.

Not that they could have any real impact anyway.

Both their observation and interference missions had ended in complete failure.

The word that best described their situation was probably “canaries in a cage”.

In another painting world.

Ye Tong was having a wonderful time poking Silver Frost’s cheek while she pretended to sleep, as if playing with cotton candy.

“Still pretending? If you keep that up, I’ll take a picture of you looking pathetic and show it to Black Haze.”

“D-Don’t show her!”

Silver Frost shot up from her feigned slumber like a corpse rising from the dead, grabbing Ye Tong’s arm with both hands and wearing a pitiful, begging expression ¹ .

Ye Tong was speechless. “Are you that afraid of losing face in front of her?”

Silver Frost lowered her head and spoke softly.

Rеаd оn KatRеαⅾinɡCаfе

“I don’t want to be laughed at by my rival… otherwise I’ll never be able to recover.”

“Rival? She’s your friend, isn’t she?” Ye Tong shook her head helplessly. “You’re mine now, and Black Haze is mine too. Combine those, and we’re family.”

Silver Frost immediately spotted the blind spot.

“So Black Haze was exposed too?”

“Exposed? She was more proactive than you. Ye Ge didn’t even show up; she confessed everything to my main body herself.

Deep down, she never really wanted to work for Gray Marsh or hurt me. She just felt obligated to repay a debt and had to do things she didn’t want to.”

Silver Frost felt dazed and dejected.

Not because Ye Tong had bluntly stated Black Haze’s hidden nature.

But because Black Haze had actually confessed without any external pressure whatsoever.

Compared to that, she herself had been forced into surrender when Ye Ge confronted her head-on, a complete and utter loss!

“I… lost.”

“Lost where? You’re always comparing yourself to Black Haze in the strangest ways. Commander White Comet never told you to compete with her behind the scenes, did she?”

Ye Tong’s form shifted before Silver Frost’s eyes, from a young girl into a smaller, more childlike figure.

“You should be more used to this form.”

Silver Frost was dumbfounded.

She recalled what had happened during the day, the young girl revealing the truth about the “Trinity” and “shared memories”.

Only now did Silver Frost truly feel the reality of it.

In that case… on the day they first met, had Ye Tong suddenly hugged her and cuddled up to her because of Ye Yao’s original intention?

Silver Frost’s ears flushed crimson again.

What had she done to deserve such attention from Ye Yao?

Rеαԁ οn КаtRеαԁіngСаfе

“Because we’re destined to be family~”

Ye Yao unceremoniously pulled Silver Frost into her arms and nuzzled her.

So what if she was an alien loli?

If necessary, the entire universe could be her home, and any being could have the potential to become family.

Not to mention Silver Frost, even White Comet would eventually fall into her net.

Speaking of which, her modeling was quite advanced, comparable to weakling Xia Lian’s.

She also had that battle-commander aura that reminded Ye Yao of some anime… something called “86, The Anime That Doesn’t Exist ² It’s been removed from all official channels like netflix and crunchyroll so it only exists in pirate si— cough cough limbo. (The streaming license they had expired with no new contract being put in place – Proofreader Enncie, back from month long break) ”? Anyway, the silver-haired heroine had a particularly striking presence!

Of course, Ye Yao wasn’t ready to close the net just yet. She would play with them a little longer!

Silver Frost had obviously thought of this too.

“Ye Yao… is the entire fleet in space really done for?”

“No, your Commander White Comet is still alive and well. They’re currently debating whether to launch an all-out assault or negotiate.”

Silver Frost let out a sigh of relief.

At least she wouldn’t have to burn paper offerings for Commander White Comet.

It was also a pity that she couldn’t burn trash for Deputy Commander Gray Marsh.

And Silver Frost had a feeling—

That the dignified Commander White Comet was about to be thoroughly toyed with by Ye Yao!

Author Note

The main story can’t be too long, but it seems like I can easily write some side stories.

Text: I’m a cat, dogs are not allowed to use the internet here, and any passing dog will get a punch.