Esper X Family – Chapter 700 – Just a Bit of Frost and Wind

As everyone knows.

Lou Wei’s early positioning was that of a combat weapon brimming with martial prowess.

By sending out a key figure like Lou Wei, the Countermeasures Bureau had certainly shown Ye Yao considerable face.

The Strongest Esper of the Current Era was the biggest trump card the Bureau could play. With the addition of Xiao Jing, a support unit who could sacrifice herself in a crisis, they could probably even cosplay as a mini world destroyer. Dealing with an early-stage holder of world-ending abilities wouldn’t have been a problem at all.

In the Bureau’s plan, even if Ye Yao accidentally strayed from the right path, causing the power sleeping within her to fully rampage, Lou Wei was the most suitable candidate to face her.

After all, anyone else would likely be instantly defeated. Only Lou Wei’s strength could serve as the ultimate insurance and final line of defense.

To prevent the world from being destroyed, the Bureau had to tread carefully. This was the equivalent of dropping a pair of jokers right at the start of a game of Fight the Landlord ¹ Popular poker game in China. .

As it turned out, the results were remarkably effective. With Lou Wei personally overseeing Sequence 001, the Countermeasures Bureau could continue to operate without having to funnel all its forces into a single point and paralyze the entire national organization.

Having their strongest combatant bearing the pressure on the front lines was enough to let the Bureau’s higher-ups breathe a slight sigh of relief.

But they had completely overlooked one thing.

“Heh, at first I thought this kid was naturally obedient and well-behaved. After being adopted, she didn’t cry or make a fuss, as worry-free as a little angel who’d descended to the mortal world. Who’d have guessed that she was just scared into submission by Lou Wei?”

Fu Qiqi’s lips curled upward involuntarily, her teasing tone practically spilling over. With a single sentence, she had managed to offend two people in the room.

“This is patience! I was not scared into submission. It’s perfectly reasonable to be cautious when facing a Dayun Truck who’s always ready to crash into you!”

Ye Yao hissed, refusing to admit that she had been so embarrassing back then.

Lou Weiwei could only cover her face and sigh.

“Let’s not speak of the past.”

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At the time, the Countermeasures Bureau had completely failed to factor Lou Wei’s personality into their discussions. With sufficient combat power, having Xiao Jing around to balance the family atmosphere was pretty much enough.

Later, with Luo Jianhua joining the small family, Lou Wei’s role as a “father” became even more dispensable.

In the eyes of the Bureau’s think tank at the time, Ye Yao, who hadn’t yet shown any signs of being a threat, didn’t warrant any greater attention.

After all, their level of vigilance had already reached its peak.

Not only had they deployed a large number of high-rank Espers in the neighborhood, but the Strongest Esper of the Current Era was also personally overseeing the situation. That was roughly the equivalent of half the Bureau’s entire force being mobilized for containment.

If they had taken it any more seriously, they would’ve been staking the entire Bureau, or even the future of all humanity.

Simply put, they were going all-in, just like now.

Unfortunately, the Ye Yao back then was just that. Aside from the title of “Future World Destroyer”, her short-term performance was no different from a harmless mascot.

Lou Wei pulling twenty-four-hour duty as the mysterious windy man was already considered extreme vigilance.

And that was precisely why Lou Wei’s character flaw was overlooked by the Bureau.

It was also the biggest trigger that led to the mysterious Found Family System devolving into spaghetti code.

Fu Qiqi reminisced and suddenly felt a wave of emotion.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. A father who doesn’t understand the human heart sees his daughter as his greatest threat, running violent suppression tactics through his mind around the clock. And his mind-reading daughter has to witness her father’s truest thoughts every single day, enduring the pressure nonstop, forced to hide her true self away.”

Fu Qiqi counted herself lucky that she wasn’t the one involved. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to comment so casually now.

This was practically a textbook dark history.

Especially for Lou Weiwei, the past was attacking her.

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“Ahem, enough. Let the past stay in the past.”

It had to be said that with Lou Weiwei’s current modeling, her flustered expression was utterly adorable, having lost the last shred of adult dignity.

Even Xiao Jing, recalling that blood-pressure-spiking little drama, found herself less aggressive toward Lou Weiwei.

One could only say that Lou Weiwei’s image was a perfect double-edged sword.

Likewise, past memories were also attacking Ye Yao.

She recalled the first time she had been instakilled.

Even though it was only a fission body that had been crushed into a cat pancake, it was still an unforgettable scene.

Sure, there was a bit of suicidal recklessness involved, but didn’t the Dayun Truck bear some responsibility…

Ah, forget it. Just a bit of frost and wind.

Ye Yao didn’t bring it up herself, but Fu Qiqi had no such reservations. It was as if she were getting back at Lou Weiwei for scheming against her.

“Come to think of it, Little Yao, on the very night you were adopted, you got a profound lesson in Lou Wei’s strength.”

“After witnessing Lou Wei’s utterly brutal true nature, it’s no surprise that you stayed on guard.”

“Thinking about it now, the Countermeasures Bureau walking on thin ice for so long… it turns out that this was where the groundwork was laid.”

“And yet, Little Yao, you still managed to coexist with Lou Wei so calmly the very next day. I have to say, I admire you a little.”

The next instant.

An orange-red flash lunged at Fu Qiqi. Lou Weiwei unceremoniously clamped her hand around the other’s cheek, achieving physical muting.

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“Fu Qi, change the subject.”

Oh! Getting flustered now?

You didn’t show much emotion during the livestream, but now you’re worked up?

Little Sister Lou, look at you now!

Fu Qiqi blinked to the other side in an instant, not the least bit annoyed at being manually silenced, only reveling in the sweet satisfaction of payback.

“Lou Wei, as a mature man, you should face the past head-on. Look, Little Yao doesn’t mind.”

Ye Yao blinked, settling into spectator mode with snacks in hand, and casually accepted a slice of watermelon from Mama Xiao Jing.

Oh~

What a show! This is wild!

To witness a civil war between Magical Girl Crimson Wheel and Magical Girl Void Heaven, even dying here would be worth the price of admission!

And these two adults seemed to have forgotten to revert to their original forms after getting into character, their bickering in little-girl forms especially delightful to watch.

As the saying goes, a man is always a boy at heart.

With no pressure weighing them down, the former Strongest in History and the former Strongest of the Current Era could still squabble over childish things.

“Lou Wei, look, this isn’t entirely without its positives. For instance, Little Yao got broken by your attacks and left a crucial clue on her phone. Otherwise, we might’ve discovered the truth much later.”

“If you want to spar, just say so. I’m ready anytime.”

Lou Weiwei tried to catch Fu Qiqi, but was perfectly countered by the spatial Esper.

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Fu Qiqi sighed again.

“Sigh, if someone had told me back then that you’d grow into a qualified father, I would’ve probably laughed in their face.”

“But now, it seems like a family really can evolve a robotic human into a real one. Little Yao deserves the credit.”

While watching the drama, Ye Yao couldn’t help but puff out her chest with a vague sense of pride.

What can I say? It’s complicated. That’s the power of numbers. When you’re strong enough, you can make the Dayun Truck doubt his own abilities and enter a state of self-reflection.

Otherwise, Lou Wei’s old “throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one” mindset would never have set aside force to consider other solutions.

And he certainly wouldn’t have turned into this Little Sister Lou, bickering passionately with Fu Qiqi.

It had to be said.

Fu Qiqi and Lou Weiwei were truly a pair of star-crossed lovers.

PS: Cleaned my keyboard, update’s a little late today.

Author Note

700 chapters! Finally, we’ve reached a round number, but why do I feel like it’s not over yet?

Text: I’ll top you to death!