Chapter 37: You Are Li You?! Part 2

Li Ye: “Mm, don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”

Li You released his arms from around Li Ye, unslung the rifle from his back, and hurled it viciously toward the abyss maw below.

He followed by tossing in the laser pistol from his waist.

Like the suicidal mutant hordes, the guns vanished instantly.

Li You stared tensely at the bottom, clung to Li Ye, and peered over.

Suddenly, the giant maw emitted another massive “gurgle-gurgle” like a rumbling stomach.

At Anjiel’s garrisoned Imperial Military, outside the interrogation room, everyone watched Garna smashing the walls frantically inside.

The walls shuddered violently; cracks had already formed on the interior surfaces.

Peisengke went on alert. “Enter level-one alert status! Escort Your Highness Li Ze to safety! Tell Dr. Yulian to stay at the teleportation space station for now—don’t come!”

He positioned himself in front of Qi Yu. “I’ve got this with my men. You handle the aftermath!”

Qi Yu paused, then smiled. “You look down on me?”

“Get lost! With your current build, I’m worried that kid’ll snap you in half with one squeeze!” Peisengke tsked. “Go, quick!”

“Dispersing personnel doesn’t need just me.” Qi Yu patted Peisengke’s shoulder. “Plus, I should remind you—our ranks are equal, but my record beats yours every time.”

Peisengke bristled on the spot. “That’s enough out of you!”

At that moment, a massive “boom” rang out. The Imperial Military interrogation room exploded. As the dust settled, everyone saw a huge hole blasted through to the outside, and the little rascal Garna was gone.

“Damn it!” Peisengke called everyone to chase after them and arrived at the open sandy area, only to see Garna kneeling on the ground, dry heaving.

He spat out a puddle of saliva, then suddenly looked up, freezing for several seconds. Just as the crowd was about to surround him, he abruptly vomited a large mouthful of blood.

Everyone halted abruptly and stared fixedly at the child in the center.

Garna continued to vomit blood, staining the sand red as the crimson pool spread, growing larger and sending chills through everyone’s hearts.

But gradually, the blood-soaked area began to turn white. Garna knelt in the center of a large white circle, lowered his head, reached out, passed through the glowing white mass, and pulled out an assault rifle from inside. He then retrieved a small laser gun.

Qi Yu recognized the two guns at a glance. “Those are guns from the Kailenoa lab warehouse!”

Peisengke reacted. “Control this little brat for me!”

The officers surrounded him and dragged Garna away from the white area, but the boy, not even half as tall as an adult, easily broke free. He stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and fixed his eyes—now shifted from purple to red—on them, like the abyss staring back.

They were eyes identical to Li Ye’s.

Everyone realized this might be a creation of the Abyss, just like Your Highness Li Ye.

“Peisengke!” Li Ze’s voice came from the distant Imperial Military fortress, nearly cracking. “Damn it! I’ve deciphered it!! Look at this!! I succeeded!!”

Peisengke had no time for him right now. He roared, “We’ll talk later!!”

“No!! You have to listen first!!” Li Ze dragged the arriving Yulian downstairs toward them, but Qi Yu barked at them.

“You two, stay back!!” Qi Yu blocked their path directly. “This isn’t a place for you to linger.”

Li Ze stared straight at Qi Yu. Yulian beside him wiped the sweat from his face. “It’s just a few words, no need to fight, no need to fight.”

He pulled out the secret text he had just deciphered with Li Ze. “This is the latest transmitted message we captured. Luckily, these characters lined up.”

He opened the light screen displaying the deciphered text and looked up. “Three sentences.”

-Someone there?

-This is Li Ye, current position: western Deep Pit of Kailenoa.

-Did you receive the two guns?

Peisengke frowned. “What?”

That tone—how could it be Li Ye? Was he joking?

But the two guns had indeed been received.

Peisengke glanced at Garna, who was being pinned down by the crowd, his gaze falling on the white light circle. He made a startling decision. “Bring iron chains.”

Qi Yu frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Chain me up and put me in. I want to see what’s really inside.”

Meanwhile, in Kailenoa.

After sending the message, Li You asked, “Can it really be sent out?”

“Not sure, but it might succeed.” Li Ye said, “Send one every ten minutes. This task is yours.”

“Okay.” Li You hugged the transmitter and glanced at the deep pit. “The guns thrown down have no trace. This guy really isn’t picky.”

No sooner had he said this than a massive monster resembling a giant dragon’s head emerged from the white light circle at the bottom of the deep pit. The monster opened its mouth and sucked in the continuously falling mutant species, its powerful suction like a meat grinder. Sand from the upper pit walls poured in relentlessly with the airflow.

Li Ye scooped Li You from his back and carried him bridal-style. Black wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, and he took to the air, flying away from the ground.

Li You looked at his brother’s wings in surprise. “So cool.”

He turned to watch the monster below devouring the mutant species and swallowed hard, gripping his brother’s shoulders tightly. “Bro, there’s something I don’t know if I should say.”

“Say it.”

Li You turned back to observe Li Ye’s eyes. “That monster’s eyes look a bit like yours.”

He then added seriously, “But yours are better looking.”

Li Ye raised a brow and voiced his thought. “That should be a monster of the same type as me.”

Li You paused, looked down, then at his brother’s profile. “You’re not a monster. You’re my bro, the super cool Li Ye.”

Li Ye smiled faintly. “I’m comforted.”

“I mean it.”

“Yeah, I believe you.” Li Ye reminded him, “Send a message every ten minutes.”

“Okay.”

From above, the monster continued devouring mutant species, with more coming endlessly from all directions. Li You watched, heart pounding. “Won’t it get too full?”

Suddenly, a white area unfolded in the void not far to their left. An identical head emerged without warning and charged at them with its bloody maw.

Li You froze in terror. The next moment, the monster’s head was shredded by the sharp tentacles extending from behind his brother.

Li Ye didn’t even glance that way. He stared downward, watching the fallen chunks of flesh get divided and eaten by the mutant species.

“Bro.” Li You calmed himself and eyed the black-red tentacles coiling behind Li Ye. “Do you remember that time in the Illusion Realm, when a double-headed snake monster drilled out of the void?”

“Yeah.” Li Ye said, “It’s an invader, just like the one below. If nothing changes, its target is me.”

Li You’s face stiffened. “Why? How do you know?”

“By devouring mutant species, it grows stronger. Devouring one of its own kind is more effective than eating tens of thousands of them.” Li Ye sneered. “From the start, its target was me. You got dragged in by mistake.”

“I’ve said it.” Li Ye’s calm face showed his red pupils narrowing vertically as he fixed on his prey. “Let’s see if I can kill you.”

Li You stared at his brother in a daze, then suddenly tightened his hug. He pressed against Li Ye and whispered in his ear, “Hold me tight. If you’re scared, close your eyes.”

His ear tingled from the breath.

Li You felt Li Ye’s heart beating strongly against his chest. He hugged Li Ye’s neck, placed a hand on his back, dutifully sent the message, then gripped the transmitter tightly. “I’m not scared. Go ahead.”

Li Ye’s crimson horns appeared. Totem patterns crawled from his back up his neck and across his cheek, turning his left eye black.

Li You saw the ground below tremble violently. Countless cracks split the sand around the deep pit. Sharp tentacles slowly emerged from underground, twisting and spiraling toward the central monster, shredding and devouring all mutant species in their path.

Li Ye said nothing, but Li You already guessed.

His brother was going to devour that monster.

Countless mutant species suddenly swarmed from the distant sky, their eyes red, targeting them.

Li You frowned, drew a laser gun from his lower back, clamped his legs around Li Ye’s waist, braced his body with his hips, gripped the laser gun with both hands, narrowed his eyes, and took aim—one shot, headshot.

He turned to meet Li Ye’s eyes and grinned proudly. “Your back is mine.”

Li Ye raised a brow. “Stole the gun? Not too heavy?”

“Heh heh.”

Li You’s combat skills weren’t top-notch, but his shooting scores back then were the best among the brothers.

Even Li Ye couldn’t match him.

He picked off the monsters one by one, each a clean kill. After feeling his brother’s hand support the back of his head, he obediently buried his face in Li Ye’s shoulder and let him dive downward.

He couldn’t see below, just the sky, with his face pressed against Li Ye’s shoulder.

Kailenoa’s black night gradually turned white. The long night vanished, the eerie celestial bodies dispersed. It was no longer blood-red day but true daylight.

What lay at the bottom of the deep pit, Li You didn’t know. He closed his eyes, held Li Ye tight, trusted his brother unconditionally, though his body trembled uncontrollably. Buried memories kept reminding him—he feared leaping into the deep pit again.

That was endless terror of the furnace.

Anjiel.

Everyone stared in shock at Garna convulsing on the ground.

By now, Garna was unrecognizable. His eyes were blood-red, thick black blood oozing from them. A grotesque monster tail grew from his back, and his abdomen swelled hugely, as if about to burst.

Peisengke stood at the front, approaching cautiously step by step. The newly arrived Li Ming disapproved and was about to stop him when the fading white light circle suddenly trembled.

Everyone looked over.

Suddenly, a black shadow burst from the light circle. Everyone drew their weapons in readiness.

The shadow rose into the air, circled, and landed steadily. Li Ye’s wings remained extended, folded behind him. His monstrous eyes lowered as he gently patted the trembling boy in his arms, who had his eyes squeezed shut. “You can open your eyes now.”

Li You cautiously opened one eye, saw the sand and daylight, and looked up in delight at the long-missed sun. “We’re back?”

“Yeah.” Li Ye gazed at Li You, whose hair scattered and fluttered lightly in the wind. “We’re back.”

Around them, dead silence. All eyes focused on the golden-haired youth in Li Ye’s arms.

Peisengke’s face filled with disbelief. Li Ming and Li Ze stood stunned, forgetting to blink. Yulian looked at that familiar face in shock and confusion.

Qi Yu, after a moment of surprise, composed himself and stepped forward. “Welcome back, Your Highness Li Ye.”

He turned to the youth, his voice much gentler. “Welcome home, Your Highness Li You. Or should I keep calling you little cutie?”

Li You, who had been gazing at the sky, paused at the words, turned to follow the voice, and saw countless familiar faces.

Li You stiffened instantly. His hand on Li Ye’s shoulder tightened, instinctively blocking his brother’s still-untransformed face.

Suddenly, a quavering voice came from afar.

“Li You!!”

Yulian stared at him with red-rimmed eyes. “You’re Li You?!”

Li You pursed his lips and patted Li Ye’s shoulder.

Li Ye understood and set him down.

Once his feet touched the ground steadily, Li You realized everyone around him was taller and grumbled inwardly.

【This is great. Your Highness Youyou has become the shortest.】

He forced a flawless smile and met Yulian’s reddened eyes. “Long time no see, Yulian.”