Chapter 210: EXTRA. GATES 3.
"Bai Li I do not need another stuffed animal," Yan Cijin laughs as Bai Li happily hands her a giant plush bunny that she just won at a throwing game stall. She had litraly used her SSS rank precision just to knock over some milk bottles for a toy.
"Yes you do," Bai Li insists while wrapping an arm around Yan Cijin’s shoulders and pressing a kiss to her temple. "It matches your cute aesthetic. Plus I like winning things for you. It makes me feel incredibly cool and manly."
"You are a woman and you are currently wearing a hoodie that says ’I Love Naps’ on the front," Yan Cijin points out sensibly.
"Details do not matter," Bai Li waves her hand dismissively. "What matters is that you are smiling and you look breathtaking in the neon lighting. Seriously Cijin the way the pink lights are hitting your face right now makes you look like a literal angel. I want to kiss you right here in front of all these people."
"Do not you dare," Yan Cijin squeaks and quickly pulls her hat down lower to hide her rapidly burning cheeks. But she leans her weight against Bai Li’s side and tightly holds onto her hand. They visit small cozy cafés hidden down quiet alleyways and drink sweet lattes while watching the rain fall outside. They go to antique shops and buy old movies on physical discs because Bai Li insists they have a more romantic vibe than digital streaming. They take long peaceful walks beneath the glowing city lights just enjoying the cool evening breeze and the comforting silence between them.
Every single evening ends exactly the same way. They have a massive balcony attached to their penthouse apartment that overlooks the entire futuristic skyline. The view is absolutely stunning with millions of lights twinkling like stars on the ground and countless flying transports crossing the sky in glowing streams of traffic. After dinner Bai Li always walks out onto the balcony and sits down on their plush outdoor sofa. Then she gently pulls Yan Cijin right down into her lap. She wraps her arms securely around Yan Cijin’s waist and rests her chin on her shoulder. Sometimes they speak for hours about everything and nothing. Sometimes they simply enjoy each other’s company in comfortable warm silence. Even after years of marriage Bai Li still looks at Yan Cijin like she is seeing the most beutiful woman in the universe for the very first time.
"You know the media is probably having a total meltdown trying to figure out where we are," Yan Cijin murmurs one night while tracing idle patterns on the back of Bai Li’s hand. She is leaning back completely supported by Bai Li’s warmth.
"Let them melt," Bai Li replies casually pressing a soft kiss to the curve of Yan Cijin’s neck. "They can survive a month without their favorite super weapons. I gave them plenty of footage at that last Gate to talk about for weeks. Right now my only job is being your wife and I take my job very seriously."
"You are completely shameless," Yan Cijin pretends to complain every single time Bai Li says things like this. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head but secretly she absolutely treasures every word and every kiss. She knows how heavy the burden of being the strongest is for Bai Li. The world expects so much from her constantly. They expect her to be perfect and flawless and entirely completely invincible. But here on this balcony wrapped in a soft blanket with her arms around her wife Bai Li is just a normal person who loves deeply and openly.
Their peaceful vacation is unfortunately interrupted on the fourteenth day. It happens completely without warning. They are sitting on the couch watching one of those old movies they bought when the emergency sirens suddenly start blaring across the entire city. It is not the normal siren for a regular Gate. It is the deep echoing terrifying sound of a World Class emergency. The television screen immediately cuts to breaking news. The news anchors look absolutely pale and terrified. A massive unprecedented World Class Gate has suddenly appeared directly above the ocean just a few miles off the coast of the city. The footage shows a swirling vortex of pitch black and blood red energy that is so large it completely blots out the sun. The ocean below it is literally boiling from the sheer magical pressure rolling off the portal.
Scientists and analysts are talking rapidly on the screen estimating that if this Gate remains uncleared for even seven days instead of the usual month millions of people could die. The monsters inside a World Class Gate are not just dangerous they are apocalyptic. The news is basically begging for every S Class Awakener in the region to mobilize immediately. Every nation’s strongest hunters are already gathering at the coastal defense base. And of course absolutely everyone is expecting Bai Li to show up and take command of the entire operation.
Bai Li just stares at the television screen for a long moment. Her expression is completely blank and unreadable. The playful goofy energy she had just five minutes ago is completely gone replaced by the cold heavy aura of the SSS ranked legend. She slowly reaches for her communicator which is already flashing with a hundred missed calls from the government and the hunter association. She does not answer any of them. Instead she turns her head and looks directly at Yan Cijin. Yan Cijin is already looking back at her with a calm and steady expression. She knows exactly what has to happen. She is already mentally preparing to put on her armor and head to the front lines.
But instead of giving a dramatic speech or acting stressed out Bai Li just calmly asks Yan Cijin a incredibly simple question.
"Want to finish this together and go home for dinner?"
The sheer casualness of the question in the face of an apocalyptic threat is so intensely Bai Li that Yan Cijin can not help but let out a soft laugh. The tension in the room instantly shatters. She looks at her wife and sees not the world’s strongest weapon but the woman who just spent twenty minutes arguing with a vendor over the price of a decorative teapot.
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TO BE CONTINUED,
