"Chapter Twenty-Five: Big Shots"

On a tree-shaped stand, a snowy white owl with a few black spots drooped its eyes, partially open but not fully, as it perched high and peered down at Wayne through narrowed eyes.

Wayne saw contempt in the slits of the owl's eyes!

According to hearsay, owls were symbols of wisdom.

Wayne didn't believe it. He used the white owl in front of him as an example. If the owl truly possessed wisdom, it would know how to leverage its appearance to charm others. Its eyes wouldn't be so disdainful.

Its dangling posture seemed provocative, as if challenging Wayne to a fight. Today, only one of them would walk away.

"Oh, are you interested in this one? I remember it's quite old and has been here without being chosen..."

Seeing Wayne and the white owl staring at each other, Vivi knew he had chosen the perfect familiar for himself. She retrieved an encyclopedia from the nearby shelf and flipped through a few pages before reading aloud, "Snowy Owl, also known as the White Owl, is known to be active during the daytime, with a body length ranging from fifty to seventy centimeters. It has a round and small head, and unlike other owls, its facial disc is not prominent."

"According to records, this snowy owl is male. Normally, male snowy owls can reach about sixty centimeters, but this one is slightly smaller, perhaps it didn't eat well when it was young. Also, its pure white color indicates it's an older bird."

"Get to the point!" Wayne interrupted without looking away.

Driven by some strange sense of competition, he was still locked in a stare-down with the owl, each trying to outdo the other, not blinking, seeing whose eyes would dry out first.

"It's too old, rarely active at night. Maybe you should pick another one."

Finishing her explanation, Vivi shrugged. Sometimes, it's just about the chemistry. Once you're drawn to someone or something at first sight, it's hard to change.

Moreover, Wayne and the owl matched each other quite well. Their gazes were identical. It would be difficult to find another familiar with such a high level of compatibility.

"This one it is."

After staring for a while longer, Wayne's eyes dried out. He couldn't hold on anymore. He made up his mind to take it home and groom it properly.

"Give it a try; you two should get along well."

Encouraged by Vivi, Wayne reached out to pet the snowy owl.

An owl is still an owl; petting a snowy owl is no different from petting a regular one. He believed his excellent skills could make the owl unable to resist, becoming a puppet of desire, crying and begging him to pet it, no longer daring to narrow its eyes at people.

But he missed!

The little rascal dodged!

Wayne looked bewildered, and Vivi, not understanding either, handed him a mouse strip to try again.

Even worse, the snowy owl ignored the mouse strip, its eyes even more contemptuous, as if mocking Wayne for being a fool.

Unbelievable!

Wayne rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach the other a lesson. Seeing this, Vivi quickly grabbed his arm, advising him to calm down and not to stoop to the level of a familiar.

They were family now; they could talk things out without resorting to physical communication.

The friction was too strong. Wayne struggled twice, couldn't break free, struggled a few more times, still couldn't break free.

He gave Vivi face and let the other go for now.

"That's it; I'm taking it home today for sure."

"Um, why not try using magic to entice it? Your compatibility should be quite high..."

What do you mean entice? This is showcasing skills!

Wayne gave it a try. He had confidence in his pure magic power. He waved his hand in front of the snowy owl, and a white light emanated, drawing the attention of the other owls in the aviary.

The snowy owl slowly opened its half-closed eyes, its golden eyes widened as if they were as round as bells, and its black pupils contracted suddenly.

It was clearly shocked.

This time, when faced with Wayne's request to take it home, the snowy owl didn't refuse. It jumped onto Wayne's arm of its own accord.

The snowy owl looked large in size, but it was actually very light, weighing only two or three pounds. Its weight relied on its fluffy feathers. Owls were all like this. Without feathers, they were all skinny poles.

The snowy owl couldn't crawl into a hat. Some magic could conceal large owls within the wearer's clothing or accessories, but these magics obviously weren't something a beginner could master. Vivi found a birdcage, one with a curtain, and reluctantly put the snowy owl inside.

This snowy white owl was exceptionally quiet. Unlike its curious companions, it stayed dignified the whole time, convincing Wayne that it was indeed an old bird.

An old bird was an old bird. Wayne didn't expect it to guard the house. It didn't matter if it wasn't active at night. He had Abin; the latter would take care of everything.

Speaking of which, Abin had been wandering outside for several nights. It was time for him to take on the responsibility of guarding the house.

...

Wayne filled out the form, carrying the birdcage with Vivi out of the crescent-shaped iron gate. She was ready to take him to the room to teach him basic magic related to familiars.

Quiet, undisturbed.

As expected, the enthusiastic coaches crowded around. Their pulsating muscles made it impossible for Wayne to refuse. He proactively asked for an office with a glass door.

Vivi brought a magic book, explaining in plain language the basic magic to be used with familiars word by word.

Outside the glass door, the muscular coaches' heads bobbed. Once they spotted Wayne trying to touch Vivi's hand during the lesson, they would rush in to show off their admired strength aesthetic to Wayne.

Wayne: Heh, just touched her chest!

Wayne once again proved himself a genius, not only with a strong memory but also quick to accept and master new knowledge.

Vivi advised Wayne not to try the new magic he learned. Beginners were prone to mistakes, and mistakes meant a familiar lost its life. Wayne's current task was to familiarize himself with the familiar, which meant feeding it more to make it happy and joyful.

Once Chris finished her tasks, she would coach Wayne one-on-one, and then they could try out magic. There was no rush.

Wonderful, there were even one-on-one tutoring sessions with a beautiful girl!

Someone once said that if a man and a beautiful woman sat together for an hour, it would feel like only a minute had passed, but if he sat on a gay man's lap for a minute, it would feel like more than an hour had passed.

Time passed imperceptibly. Before night fell, Vivi gave Wayne the basic magic textbook to study carefully to deepen his memory.

Wayne took the textbook and the birdcage and left the fitness center.

Behind him, a group of muscular coaches stood at the door, watching him leave. Coach Dick raised an eyebrow and looked at a black car at the end of the street.

In the car, two secretive men in black were smoking. Seeing Wayne leave the fitness center, they threw away their cigarettes and slowly followed him in the car.

"Is this kid being tracked?"

Dick pondered for a moment and said to his companion, "Follow him, but keep a low profile. Don't do anything unnecessary. Just make sure he doesn't get hurt."

The coach nodded, put on a coat, and followed the black car tracking Wayne.

The two men in black were not magicians. In Dick's eyes, their life force was weak and scattered, just ordinary people all over the street, probably some gangsters or the like.

Dick didn't care about minor matters like this, nor did he care why Wayne had offended the underworld. He happily leaned in next to Vivi, rubbing his hands like a doting father.

"Vivi, when did you meet Wayne?"

"I know, but you didn't explain it in detail last time... No, I don't mean anything else, just curious."

"Just him as a genius? Hilarious... No, I didn't doubt your judgment. What I mean is, even if he's a genius, his age dictates that he doesn't have much potential."

"What? He used magic to take away a white owl?!"

Dick widened his eyes, his facial muscles twitching with horror, making his centipede scar twist.

"Nothing, it's just an old bird. Wayne was just unlucky. Yeah, really unfortunate."

His expression changed quickly, and Dick casually brushed over the topic, not letting Vivi notice anything unusual. As he walked out of the gym, Wayne carrying the birdcage was already gone.

"That shouldn't be. It's not a familiar; there's no reason for it to leave with Wayne..."

"Could he really be a genius?!"

————

Wayne didn't take a taxi directly home. With the birdcage in his left hand and a handbag containing textbooks and feed in his right hand, he strolled along the increasingly lit streets.

First, he tested his luck to see if he could encounter a kidnapping of a maiden on the night road. If he could save the beauty, and if she happened to be as well-off as Veronica, he wouldn't mind accepting her gratitude, easing the urgency of having pockets cleaner than his face.

As for offering oneself, he was more conservative in matters of love. He couldn't juggle four boats.

Second, familiarize himself with the road conditions in the North District, which wall corner was suitable for surveillance, which sewer could be used to get in, and how to quickly reach the nearby subway station.

Taking a walk with Abin, it was dark, foggy, and it was time for him to emerge.

After about ten minutes, Wayne found that he was being followed. Glancing at a street corner, he observed a black car, moving so slowly it was suspicious, as if waiting for darkness to fall.

It's dark, making it easier to strike!

"Darn, now they're not kidnapping maidens, but handsome young men?" Wayne muttered. Passing by an alley, he suddenly accelerated, heading straight for the depths of the alley.

The black car stopped by the roadside, and the two men in black hurriedly got out, rushing into the alley.

At the end of the street, the coach who followed saw Wayne heading into the alley. He didn't enter directly but listened with his eyes closed for a while.

After a moment, he shook his head and left.

The boss was overthinking it. This kid could really fight, and he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He was anything but honest on the surface!

Later, if this kid wasn't honest, wouldn't Vivi be deceived?

The coach spat heavily and walked quickly toward the gym. He had gathered important information and had to keep everyone on high alert. He couldn't let the bad guys succeed.

...

In the alley, Wayne hid behind a garbage bin, waiting for the two men in black to pass by. When they did, he shot out and kicked one of the black-clad men, knocking him over.

As he landed, he swung a punch, using the momentum to smash into the other man's nose.

With great force, he directly caused dizziness. The second black-clad man hadn't recovered yet. With a kick, Wayne hit him in the back, and the man fell flat on the ground.

The first black-clad man fell to the ground, and the gun in his arms fell out as well. He crawled to grab the gun hurriedly.

Thinking he had gotten hold of the gun, the black-clad man's nervous expression eased.

He rejoiced too soon!

He received a kick on his buttocks, and with his hands and feet, he pounced forward, turning around. By the time he turned around, the gun had already been taken by Wayne.

The muscles of the original body remembered a large number of combat techniques. He couldn't possibly be a lazy third-rate detective.

"Lie down on the ground, hands on your head!"

Wayne shook the gun and approached. With the sky darkening, his eyes were shaded by the black brim of his hat, and his cold words had a gang leader's murderous aura.

The black-clad man was stunned, obediently lying on the ground, hands holding his head.

The other black-clad man had already fainted. Wayne flipped him over and found a gun on him, frowning and asking coldly, "Who are you people, and why are you tracking me?"

"No, no, it's just a coincidence, we just happened to pass by."

"Heh, just a coincidence?"

"Yes, just a coincidence!"

Bang!

Wayne stepped forward slowly, pressing his knee against the back of the man's neck, holding the gun against the back of his head. "Kid, what's a few hundred bucks a month to you? I'll give you one more chance, or else I'll blow you away. Your companion will tell me the answer with a bloody example. I'll let him off when he cooperates. Otherwise, I'll end his life."

"No, no, don't shoot, I'll talk."

The black-clad man confessed truthfully, "We're from the Black Snake Society in the East District. We followed you to the North District because someone big is eyeing you. Our boss wants to please that big shot and was planning to kidnap you and take you over there."

Wayne: "..."

Who's the big shot, and did he offend any big shots?