Deviant: No Longer Human

Normally, Xueying would take the subway, swiftly arriving within thirty minutes. But today, the hum of the city\'s traffic and the occasional blare of car horns reminded her that driving would take longer. She glanced at her brother, whose arms were crossed, staring out the window, his thoughts clearly drifting far from the road.

As they weaved through the congested streets of Puxi, Xueying\'s keen eyes suddenly narrowed, locking onto something unusual.

"This road... it\'s blocked?" she muttered, her voice carrying a note of disbelief.

Indeed, the road ahead was closed off completely, barricaded by military vans and soldiers standing at attention. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel as her brow furrowed in confusion. What could warrant such heavy security?

Wang Xiao leaned forward, his sharp gaze scanning the scene with interest. "Hmph, some foreign leader must be visiting. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is just up ahead."

Xueying\'s heart skipped a beat.

The entire area was on lockdown, a rare occurrence in Puxi. Cars behind them were already beginning to turn around, drivers muttering under their breath as they altered their routes.

A sense of unease crept into her thoughts.

"It\'s rare to see the whole area shut down like this..." she murmured, half to herself. "It must be someone incredibly important."

Her gaze swept over the scene once more, catching sight of soldiers—stoic and unmoving—stationed at various points, their eyes scanning the crowd.

Military vehicles lined the street like silent watchers, and the presence of so many guards unsettled her. \'Who could be so important visiting?\'

"What are you doing?" Wang Xiao\'s voice broke through her thoughts as she shifted the car into reverse, preparing to turn around like everyone else.

"Reversing?" she responded, blinking in confusion. What else was she supposed to do? They couldn\'t pass through, after all.

Wang Xiao shook his head with a slight smirk. "No, not yet. Let\'s take a closer look."

Xueying stared at him in disbelief, her mouth falling slightly open.

"Are you alright? Don\'t create trouble," she cautioned, her voice lowering to a whisper.

She glanced nervously at the soldiers ahead, already turning away countless onlookers with a firm gesture or a curt nod.

Even from here, she could sense the subtle powerful aura in their discipline, the way they scanned each passerby as if each might pose a threat.

\'If they see us snooping around, who knows what they might do...\'

But Wang Xiao, in typical fashion, waved off her concerns. "Just a quick look. If they don\'t allow it, we\'ll turn back. What\'s the harm?"

Xueying\'s pulse quickened, panic flashing across her face as she saw him already stepping out of the car.

"Brother — Wait for me!" she called, scrambling to engage the handbrake before hurrying after him.

\'Ugh!Can\'t he see the dozens of soldiers right in front of us, sending everyone away?\'

She rushed to his side, grabbing his arm. "Bother, seriously, this isn\'t some kind of game. If we make a scene, we\'re done for! Mom won\'t help us here."

Wang Xiao chuckled softly, a glint of mischief dancing in his eyes. "Relax... I\'m not going to cause a scene. I just want to see who it is. Besides..." He paused, casting a sly sideways glance at her before laughing in a teasing tone. "Who says I\'m afraid of some foreign dignitary?

I, Wang Xiao, am the emperor of this world..."

"You..." Wang Xueying sighed, resisting the urge to bang her head against the dashboard.

\'If he wants to roleplay as the emperor, fine, but at least do it in private.... not here!\' Her cheeks flushed slightly at the thought.

Before she could voice another protest, he grabbed her hand, pulling her forward with that unshakable confidence of his.

Despite herself, she blushed at his touch, her resolve to stop him slipping away.

\'Let him make a fool of himself. Once the soldiers scold him, maybe he\'ll finally learn his lesson,\' she thought, giving in to his reckless curiosity.

As they neared the military barricade, her eyes were drawn to a single imposing figure standing by a tank—a soldier dressed in a green military uniform with no visible stars of rank.

His presence exuded a quiet, dangerous aura, suggesting he wasn\'t just any soldier.

Special forces?

The soldier\'s stern gaze met theirs as they approached, his expression hardening into a frown. "The road ahead is blocked. Turn around and leave instantly!"

Bam!

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind surged toward them, forcing Wang Xiao and Xueying to stagger back. Wang Xiao blinked in surprise, his sharp instincts flaring. "A mage...?"

The realization struck him like lightning.

\'Mages are rarely deployed like this...\'

Normally, they were either hunting the wild beasts that plagued the world or working directly for the government in secret missions. Mages earned fortunes with ease, but a single mistake on a dangerous mission could spell their death.

Wang Xiao\'s eyes narrowed, focusing on the ethereal energy in the air. The wind had been no ordinary gust. His sharp perception caught the faint glimmer of star-like patterns forming in the aether around them, swirling as the spell took shape.

Unlike warriors, who channeled their raw qi through their bodies, mages crafted intricate spells, each one a carefully constructed assault on reality itself.

\'That pattern... it\'s like a woven constellation,\' he thought, his curiosity deepening. \'So, this is the power of a spellcaster...\'

Wang Xueying, recovering from the shock of the wind, clutched his arm whispering in unease, "Brother, you don\'t want to provoke them... This isn\'t some street fight!"

But Wang Xiao\'s eyes gleamed with excitement. \'A mage guarding the Ministry? What are they hiding?\' He couldn\'t resist pushing just a little further. He straightened himself, dusting off his jacket as though brushing off the invisible weight of the wind\'s assault.

"Impressive," he muttered to himself, then turned to the soldier with a grin. "My apologies for the curiosity," he said, hands raised in mock surrender, "but such a grand display of power makes me wonder... who exactly are you protecting with all this?"

The soldier\'s expression darkened. "This is your final warning. Turn around now, or you will face consequences beyond your understanding." His tone left no room for further disobedience.

But Wang Xiao, ever the self-proclaimed emperor of his world, felt his blood boiling with anticipation.

His eyes glinted with amusement as he tilted his head mockingly. "What consequences? You mean that car parked right in front of the building—AS1S00001? Seriously, what could that mean? Who even uses such an obvious number plate for high-level security?"

He nearly burst out laughing at the absurdity of it. The entire situation felt too staged, as though the officials wanted to flaunt their importance.

"..."

The soldier\'s frown deepened, his brow furrowing in confusion.

\'How could this guy see the license plate from here?\' Even he couldn\'t make it out from such a distance.

Yet, the fact that Wang Xiao had not only spotted it but recited it so casually set alarm bells ringing in the soldier\'s mind.

Caution.

The word screamed in the soldier\'s mind.

This wasn\'t just some ordinary civilian.

Before Xueying could protest, Wang Xiao nudged her lightly and reached for the ID card she kept hidden beneath her sweater.

With a swift movement, he pulled it out, presenting it with a sly smile. "She is the researcher personally requested by Sir Renji himself. You really want to be the one who obstructs her path, do you?"

"!"

The shift in the air was immediate, an invisible pressure radiating from Wang Xiao that made the soldier\'s face pale for just a fraction of a second.

\'What!\'

The soldier\'s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, his hands instinctively moving toward the hilt of his weapon, though he hesitated.

For that brief moment, Wang Xiao\'s presence felt like a storm about to descend—as if the whole city would be blown to dust in a blink of an eye.