Jiang Yuanmu felt that the man had said a bit too much.
He had only wanted to know who that person was. He had no interest in hearing that they wanted to date the fellow standing before him. He hadn’t gotten the information he was after from any of that.
“Can I take a look at what this cat looks like?” Chu Xuzhou asked.
“Sorry, no can do. He’s asleep in my arms right now,” Jiang Yuanmu replied. “Even in a totally unfamiliar place, even somewhere super noisy—as long as he’s tucked right here with me, he can drift off peacefully anytime.”
Chu Xuzhou figured there was no need for the young man to add that last bit.
Still, he had a point. The little cat really was fast asleep, and that familiar pulse of energy had faded considerably now.
“Then I won’t keep you,” Chu Xuzhou said.
“We were just heading home ourselves,” Jiang Yuanmu replied.
Jiang Yuanmu wasn’t quite as on edge anymore. He thought back to the first time he’d met A Nuan, to how wretched and pitiful the kitten had looked. Even if A Nuan had a previous owner, that one must have been utterly irresponsible—someone who’d nearly let him starve to death.
A Nuan was happy living with him now. He’d take good care of the little guy. There was no way he’d hand him back over to that neglectful former owner.
He bundled the little cat up completely in his padded coat and set off toward home.
Chu Xuzhou didn’t watch him go. Instead, he turned and headed back down the narrow path he’d come from. A few dozen meters farther along it brought him to that same little courtyard—the one where Bai Chen had dragged him that night.
Standing at the courtyard gate, Chu Xuzhou peered back through the gaps in the walls. By now, the young man had made it home. The two places were separated by only nine households.
Chu Xuzhou gave the rundown little courtyard—one slated for demolition soon—one final glance. He gathered up every belonging Bai Chen had left behind there, then returned to the film set. Bai Chen was still sleeping.
“…”
He fell silent, staring at Bai Chen’s peaceful sleeping face.
Bai Chen awoke in Qiao Qingshuang’s arms.
Qiao Qingshuang had already reached the city where Shisheng Primary School was located.
On this trip out, besides investigating the Vascular Strangeness anomaly, he planned to check out all the places Yin Bujie had recently visited. He’d chosen to start here because, after poring over the details together with Su Xuan, they’d both agreed Shisheng Primary was the best option among all the local elementary schools. It might even work as Xiao Li’s school.
The moment Bai Chen opened his eyes, he flung his arms around Qiao Qingshuang. Before long, Qiao Qingshuang felt a damp spot blooming on his chest—his little brother’s tears.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Qingshuang gently pulled him back, only to see the tears still pattering down Xiao Li’s cheeks. Frowning slightly, he wiped them away.
“Brother, no school. Xiao Li wants to stay with brother forever,” Xiao Li said. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, his voice hoarse.
“If you’re going to school here, of course your brother would come along to keep an eye on things,” Qiao Qingshuang assured him. “I’ll buy a place right near the school. I’ll drop you off every morning and pick you up every afternoon. Sound good?”
But the tears just kept coming, fat round drops rolling down without end. Xiao Li trembled as he cried, a hint of fear in his voice. “No… They’ll laugh at Xiao Li. They’ll bully me.”
Qiao Qingshuang nearly said, Who would dare bully you? But then he thought better of it. Xiao Li was tall for his age, after all. Sharing a class with much smaller kids was bound to draw stares.
A child who’d spent so much time wandering the streets might have faced plenty of sneers and ridicule already. He’d naturally be extra sensitive about it.
Seeing his little brother’s tears tumbling down like perfect pearls, Qiao Qingshuang relented. “Brother didn’t think this through. If Xiao Li doesn’t want to go, then we won’t. I’ll hire you a private tutor instead. You can study up on Frost Mountain. How’s that?”
Frost Mountain didn’t have an elementary school yet. Next time someone came to him begging a favor, he’d mention it—get a decent school built. That way, if Xiao Li ever changed his mind, he could attend there. No one on Frost Mountain would ever mock him.
Bai Chen’s tears turned to a beaming smile in an instant. He threw his arms around Qiao Qingshuang again and said sweetly, “Brother’s the best! Xiao Li doesn’t want to be away from brother even for a day.”
He’d just had his cover blown once over at Chu Xuzhou’s end. He couldn’t afford another slip-up so soon—not in front of Qiao Qingshuang or Yin Bujie. He’d already promised Yin Bujie he’d check out Shisheng Primary. He couldn’t show up there as Xiao Li now, too.
Daily drop-offs and pickups? The odds of those two bitter rivals running into each other were way too high.
Qiao Qingshuang tamped down the upward tug at the corners of his mouth. “Brother still needs to head out and scout the area for any evil anomalies. Let Su Xuan take you to the hotel to rest.”
Bai Chen agreed without hesitation.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Yin Bujie sat in his car, gazing at Shisheng Primary School up ahead. He listened as the Humanoid Anomaly in the passenger seat reported on Qiao Qingshuang’s recent movements—then suddenly arched a brow and broke into a wicked grin.
“You’re saying Qiao Qingshuang’s picked up some idiot little brother… and that he dotes on the fool like crazy?”
The Humanoid Anomaly went over the details again, describing how Qiao Qingshuang had brought his “brother” to the film set. It even showed Yin Bujie the photos it had snapped.
Yin Bujie’s grin grew broader by the second, more vicious with every passing moment. “Who would’ve thought, haha! Qiao Qingshuang’s gone and handed me a massive weak spot like this. What do you figure he’d do if I just offed his precious little idiot?”
“Nah, no, no.” Yin Bujie shook his head. “Killing him’s too quick. Better to snag the kid alive. With his beloved little brother in my clutches, just watch—will Qiao Qingshuang pick wiping out us anomalies… or saving his baby bro?”
The more he pictured it, the more excited he got. Malice roiled in his reddening eyes.
The Humanoid Anomaly buzzed with excitement too, eagerly playing along and imagining the fun they’d have once they had Qiao Qingshuang’s brother in their grasp.
Then, all at once, Yin Bujie stopped laughing. He scowled at something up ahead and shoved open the car door.
The Humanoid Anomaly’s grin froze on its face. It craned its neck to peer out, ears perked.
Shisheng Primary had let out a while ago. Most of the younger students had already been picked up by their parents, leaving the school gate feeling a touch deserted. There, a father had raised his hand to strike his child—but before the blow could land, Yin Bujie stepped in and blocked it.
The Humanoid Anomaly first heard their Strangeness King coldly tell the father not to hit the kid.
Then it heard the man pour out his woes to Yin Bujie, who nodded along sympathetically, commiserating about the trials of fatherhood.
It watched the two of them sigh in unison, saw Yin Bujie accept a cigarette from the man, and then stood there at the school gate with him, trading parenting tips for a bit.
“…”
It had been undercover topside for so long, barely any trips back to the Underground World. What the hell had happened in the meantime? Was this average-dad-looking guy really their Strangeness King? He’d seemed perfectly normal just a minute ago!
Yin Bujie climbed back into the car, that vicious, sinister smile creeping back onto his face. “Qiao Qingshuang’s bound to show up here. Lure him off somewhere. I’ll go snatch his darling little brother—no matter the cost.”
The Humanoid Anomaly: “…”
It was struggling to keep up.
Unable to match his lightning-quick mood swings, the Humanoid Anomaly could only follow his lead. It hadn’t been on the assignment long before it reported back: Qiao Qingshuang was indeed here, and it had pinned down his exact location.
To anomalies like them, sensing Qiao Qingshuang was child’s play. The Yang Evil Qi radiating off him was agonizing from miles away. Likewise, Qiao Qingshuang could detect the presence of evil anomalies in a single breath.
Yin Bujie had stayed hunkered down in the Underground World the whole time. The moment Qiao Qingshuang took off after some evil anomalies, he sauntered out and appeared at the entrance to the city’s finest hotel. He ran his tongue over his scarlet lips, his eyes gleaming with bloodshot excitement.
The madness Qiao Qingshuang had once driven into him was now matched beat for beat by sheer thrill.
He pictured it all: Qiao Qingshuang’s little brother in his hands. Qiao Qingshuang, helpless before him, forced to swallow his pride and yield step by step. The visions flashed through Yin Bujie’s mind, filling him with delight as he slipped inside the hotel lobby.
He wouldn’t push it too far, though. Just bring his evil anomalies back to the surface now and then. Drag out Qiao Qingshuang’s idiot brother every so often, parade him right in front of the man, and savor the fury and desperation on his face. That would be plenty.
Right then, in one of the hotel rooms, Su Xuan had just brought over a bowl of chicken head rice soup. “Uncle Master said you haven’t eaten all day, Xiao Li. He had the hotel restaurant whip this up special for you.”
Bai Chen stared wistfully at the bowl of chicken head rice soup, his nose twitching. Abruptly, he looked toward the door.
It took Su Xuan a dozen seconds to follow his gaze. He frowned deeply, rose to his feet, and positioned himself protectively in front of Bai Chen. “Xiao Li—”
He didn’t finish the sentence before crumpling to the floor in a faint.
Bai Chen caught him and eased him onto the sofa. Then he peered out toward the hall.
The footsteps grew louder, drawing nearer.
Yin Bujie’s crimson lips curved in a smile of pure delight. He paused at the door to Room 2101, his pleasure reaching its peak. Politely, almost cheerfully, he called out to whoever was inside. “Hey there.”
His eyes locked onto the figure looking back at him.
Yin Bujie froze for a beat, then took a step back and slumped against the wall, a flicker of bewilderment crossing his face.
A few seconds later, he blinked, leaned forward again—and once more came face-to-face with that same visage.
Yin Bujie: “…”
“Son, what are you doing here?” he asked, genuinely baffled. He glanced at Su Xuan, sprawled unconscious on the sofa, and ventured a guess. “You’ve gotten that clever already? Beat me to the punch and snagged Qiao Qingshuang’s weak spot—that idiot little brother of his?”
The boy’s face was pale and thunderous. He said nothing. In a blink, he was behind Yin Bujie, delivering a sharp chop to the back of his neck.
Yin Bujie’s tall frame hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Liu Mo—who’d been tailing them invisibly the whole time: “?”
“???”
Knocked out cold?
Just like that?
One hit had taken down Yin Bujie—a world-ending apocalypse boss?
He lay there, out cold? Yin Bujie?
Then Liu Mo watched as the boy deftly fished an enormous sack from his tiny pocket and stuffed the unconscious Yin Bujie inside with practiced ease.
The six-year-old boy transformed into a thirteen-year-old in an instant—still slender, his hair faintly shimmering with silver light. He hefted the sack one-handed and strode out.
Oblivious to the stares, he dragged the sack into the hotel’s rear garden, found a spot behind a tree, and stomped down with one small foot. The ground erupted into a massive pit. He dumped the sack’s contents inside, then pulled a shovel from his pocket and shoveled the earth back over Yin Bujie by moonlight.
Liu Mo: “…”
Once finished, the delicate youth gathered some stones and grass to scatter over the spot, restoring it perfectly.
With his tools carefully stowed away once more, he patted off his hands and walked off.
The moment he reentered the hotel, Liu Mo dropped his invisibility and hurried over. He scraped away the grass and stones easily enough—but the soil beneath might as well have been mountains. No matter how hard he clawed at it, not a single grain budged.
Team Four Captain Liu Mo: 【Someone get here quick! Help! We have to save Yin Bujie!】
Team One, Team Two, Team Three: 【…？】
