My Avatar Is Becoming the Final Boss-Chapter 25: Secret Talk

After dinner, the sun was no longer visible in the sky, but the trains on the elevated tracks still roared by.
The Guyimai Neighborhood was far from downtown. When night fell, there were no colorful neon lights—only the dim glow from bulbs inside the small shops along the street.
Ji Minghuan had one hand in his pocket, walking forward while playing on his phone.
The street was filled with gentle voices. Children laughed and chased each other, brushing past him; outside the convenience store, an old man sat in a rocking chair, fanning his face, and from the deep alleys, the occasional barking of dogs could be heard.
In this kind of environment, even maintaining Binding Restraint Sensory didn’t put much strain on his hearing.
When he heard Su Zimai’s footsteps stop inside the park, Ji Minghuan withdrew the Binding Restraint back into his sleeve.
He had his head lowered, focused on playing Snake on his phone.
Just then, a text notification popped up on the screen. He tapped it, opened a small window, and continued his game, occasionally glancing at the message window.
[Gu Qiye: Aren’t you worried I’ll trace your message’s origin?]
“Is that necessary? You’ll only trace it back to your own home anyway,” Ji Minghuan mocked in his head, typing a reply in the chat window.
[Black Cocoon: Can you not kill the vibe in the first sentence? Where’s that clever tongue from when you were flirting with Green Wing in the plaza? Anyone listening might’ve really believed you two had something spicy going on.]
[Gu Qiye: You know I was stalling for time.]
[Black Cocoon: Back to the point—I suggest you don’t try tracing me.]
[Gu Qiye: Why not?]
[Black Cocoon: Because I still hold your secrets. I know your purpose, your every little thought. Maybe I’m the one who knows you best in this world… Of course, that might make you wary. I do know your identity, and if I exposed it, your family could be affected. You’ve got plenty of enemies, right? Who knows what they’d do to your family.]
[Black Cocoon: And besides… if the Association found out you’re in contact with me, the consequences wouldn’t be so pretty, would they?]
[Gu Qiye: Disgusting.]
[Black Cocoon: Wasn’t planning to make this so hostile, honestly.]
[Gu Qiye: Then let me give you some advice too—don’t let me find out who you are.]
[Black Cocoon: That’s a great suggestion. I agree—you probably don’t want to know who I am.]
After sending the message, Ji Minghuan looked up from his phone. He was already near the park where Su Zimai had stopped. A couple on an electric scooter passed by.
[Gu Qiye: But you’re right. My old man’s definitely acting strange.]
[Black Cocoon: I never lie to my partners.]
[Gu Qiye: How much do you actually know about him?]
[Black Cocoon: Probably more than you think. But just to be clear and avoid misunderstandings: I know a lot of people just as well as I know you. You’re not special.]
[Gu Qiye: What’s he hiding from me?]
[Black Cocoon: Maybe I’ll tell you when our cooperation deepens. Reveal too much too early and the script loses its suspense.]
[Gu Qiye: Last question.]
[Black Cocoon: Go ahead.]
[Gu Qiye: Are you… my old man?]
Ji Minghuan looked away from the Snake game, eyes falling on Gu Qiye’s message in the small chat window.
He seemed to forget he was gaming—the little green snake hit a wall and the “Game Over” popup appeared.
Ji Minghuan went silent, thinking: “I thought of you as my good bro, and you thought I was your dad?”
He stayed quiet for a while before calming down. Then he tapped out a few symbolic dots and hit send.
[Black Cocoon: ……Not entirely impossible.]
[Gu Qiye: So I guessed right?]
[Black Cocoon: Uh, not sure if there’s been a misunderstanding, but sure—let’s hear why you think that.]
[Gu Qiye: You showed up the exact same time he returned to Lijing. The day after you appeared, he came back home. Plus, he just walked away, and then you messaged me.]
[Black Cocoon: Please. Can you imagine your father strutting around dressed like a butterfly?]
[Gu Qiye: Alright, I was joking.]
[Black Cocoon: Clearly, you have no sense of humor.]
[Gu Qiye: My siblings say that all the time. But once I put on my combat suit, I’ve been voted the most talkative Esper. I honestly wonder which version is accurate.]
[Black Cocoon: Mr. Blue Arc, ever consider that being talkative and having no sense of humor might not be mutually exclusive?]
[Gu Qiye: So what do you want from me?]
[Black Cocoon: Classified. I just want you to know—if I wanted to be your enemy, I would’ve done it already. If I exposed your identity, your siblings would become your greatest weakness. But I haven’t done that.]
[Gu Qiye: That’s true. I still don’t trust you, but from a mutual-interest perspective, I’m willing to cooperate for now.]
[Black Cocoon: Wise decision. I won’t disappoint you.]
At the same time, in another corner of the Guyimai Neighborhood, inside a residential building—
[That’s it for now. I’m in a foul mood. Don’t text me again for a while.]
Gu Qiye had just finished typing this message and hit send, only for a “Message Failed – You’ve been blocked by the recipient” warning to pop up.
He raised an eyebrow, only then realizing he hadn’t even gotten the message out before Black Cocoon had already blocked him.
As if… the guy had predicted exactly what he was going to say.
“Heh…” Gu Qiye shook his head and laughed.
Who knew if it was out of helplessness or rage—he took a deep breath, put his phone away, tied on an apron, and began clearing the table and leftovers.
Meanwhile, near the Guyimai Park—
After blocking Gu Qiye, Ji Minghuan was entirely focused on playing Snake again.
If it weren’t for that ridiculous message earlier, he would’ve already beaten the game. Now he’d died midway and had to vent by blocking Gu Qiye.
Suddenly, he stopped walking.
He yawned, eyes welling with tired tears, as he stared at a red-and-black panel floating mid-air.
[Main Quest 1 (Phase Two) Completed: Establish cooperation with the Esper “Blue Arc,” and begin building connections within the Reality-altering Esper Association.]
[Reward Received: 1 Split Point, 1 Skill Point, 1 Attribute Point.]
[Main Quest 1 Updated: Complete the first cooperation with “Blue Arc” and deepen his trust.]
Ji Minghuan stared at the panel’s reward, closed the Snake game, and put his phone back in the pocket of his school jacket.
He murmured to himself, “So that means… I’ve got three Split Points now.”
With that thought, he pulled up his personal panel.
[Available Attribute Points: 2]
[Available Skill Points: 2]
[Available Split Points: 3]
[Notice: You now have 3 Split Points. Open the “Create Game Character” option to begin character creation. You can create your second game character in the real world.]