Chapter 81
In the office of City C’s Central Tower, the mayor, his face beaming with forced cheerfulness, hung up the phone.
He swept the items on his desk onto the floor, hitting his assistant in the face, and stood up, his teeth gritted in anger.
“Usually, every monster out there boasts about being a core elite of City C. And now, they can’t even catch a child!”
The monster assistant, fish scales appearing on his face, long whiskers sprouting from his mouth, quickly said:
“Mayor, the child was already gone when the citizens arrived. We tracked them to the sewers, but we were too late.”
The mayor paced back and forth, angrily smacking the assistant’s head.
“What’s the point of you?!”
He sat down heavily on the sofa, his eyes vacant.
“If Shen Yan finds out his little brother went missing in our city, we’re doomed!”
When Xing Nuo appeared in Shepherd’s Town, a monster working for Shen Yan had immediately reported it to his superiors.
The report went up the chain of command, and after tracing Xing Nuo’s bus route, Shen Yan had called the mayor of City C.
The monster mayor wasn’t particularly powerful, but he was cunning and had managed to develop this small, insignificant city to its current level.
Seeing Shen Yan’s name on his phone, the mayor almost slid out of his chair, his forehead covered in sweat.
Shen Yan, that monster, loved acquiring dungeons and merging them into his Shen Group.
The Shen Group headquarters was already SSS+ level, and their smaller factories and supermarkets made up almost half of all the dungeons!
And he wasn’t satisfied yet. He had recently been negotiating with a school, and it was only a matter of time before that school also bore the Shen name.
And then there was Shen Baizhou, that terrifying monster, whose power level was so high, his true form could destroy half of City C.
After receiving Shen Yan’s call, the mayor had issued a city-wide order:
Bring the curly-haired human child to him!
The monster who succeeded would be rewarded with a high-level energy crystal.
Monsters had limited ways of increasing their power. Besides devouring humans in dungeons, they could only rely on energy crystals.
And every monster’s dream was to become powerful enough to be a dungeon boss.
The promise of such a generous reward had sent the city’s monsters into a frenzy.
But despite their efforts, the two children had escaped.
As the mayor fretted, his assistant, after browsing the online forum, swallowed nervously.
“Mayor, that child…he’s at the new amusement park.”
The mayor smacked his forehead, his worry increasing.
“We’re doomed.”
Xing Nuo and Lu Qi, having no money, decided to sneak into the amusement park.
They crawled through a hole in the perimeter wall, Lu Qi pulling Xing Nuo’s arm, helping him out.
Xing Nuo’s bath at the inn had been a waste of time. He was covered in dirt again, his curls drooping, looking like a dusty little puppy.
“Finally inside.”
Xing Nuo wiped his sweat and sat down with Lu Qi, panting.
His legs ached from all the running, and he rubbed them, then sighed.
“Next time…I listen to Teacher…no go to sunflower patch.”
The wooden fence around the sunflower patch had splinters, and the teachers had repeatedly warned them not to go near it.
But he, Qingqing, and Yiyi had been tempted by the promise of sunflower seeds and had disobeyed.
And they had paid the price.
The sun shone brightly, making Xing Nuo’s skin look even paler.
Lu Qi, his head resting on his knees, looked at Xing Nuo and suddenly asked:
“Xing Nuo, tell me about…kindygarten.”
He realized he knew very little about Xing Nuo’s life.
Even though they were supposed to be best friends.
Xing Nuo, too tired to move, leaned against the wall, rubbing his legs, and started talking about kindergarten.
“We sing songs…play games…I was the eagle…”
Xing Nuo’s world was colorful and vibrant, even the clouds in the sky seemed soft and fluffy.
Unlike Lu Qi’s world, which only contained Xing Nuo.
The rest of the time, Lu Qi was alone in a corner of a dungeon, waiting for his damaged body to repair itself.
He would occasionally go to school to learn about humans.
That way, he could understand Xing Nuo better.
Lu Qi listened quietly, watching Xing Nuo, as if back in the doll display case, Xing Nuo chattering endlessly, and he, the silent listener.
The two little ones sat by the wall, looking at the colorful amusement park rides in the distance.
The Ferris wheel reached its highest point, and a clear, childish voice sounded:
“Top of the Ferris wheel! Hee hee! Answer the question!”
Xing Nuo’s eyes widened, recognizing the voice.
“That Yiyi’s voice!”
Yiyi, whose full name was Zhuo Yinyi, was a little girl with apple cheeks and a sweet smile!
Her voice always had a slight nasal quality, slow and gentle.
Hearing his friend’s voice so soon after entering the amusement park, Xing Nuo jumped up, ignoring his aching legs, and ran towards the Ferris wheel.
Lu Qi followed, holding his hand.
They reached the Ferris wheel, and the ticket seller, a plump, middle-aged woman, looked at them, her eyes narrowed.
“Where did you two come from? Why are you so dirty? And not wearing your uniforms?!”
She walked over, her hands on her hips, and picked them up.
Xing Nuo struggled, but the woman’s grip was too strong.
Even Lu Qi’s hard headbutt had no effect this time.
The woman, her stomach aching from the impact, glared at the black-haired boy and shook him.
“Stop fidgeting! Get back to work! I’ve already called the manager!”
Xing Nuo looked up at the Ferris wheel, watching as a small cabin slowly descended, a little girl with long, flowing hair, wearing a red dress, inside.
His eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Yiyi! It’s me! I came to find you!”
Yiyi, her back to him, slowly turned around.
From several meters away, her face expressionless, her eyes wide and unblinking, she looked at Xing Nuo.
Her gaze was cold and distant.
Xing Nuo, dangling in the woman’s grasp, swung his little legs, then froze, seeing Yiyi’s expression.
Yiyi jumped out of the cabin, landing lightly on the ground, a drop of over a meter.
Xing Nuo was even more confused, his face blank.
“Yiyi?”
Yiyi was always afraid of heights, even hesitant to go down the slide at kindergarten, always making Qingqing go first.
And now, she had jumped from such a height without hesitation.
Yiyi, wearing little red shoes, walked over and, seeing Xing Nuo struggling in the woman’s grasp, tilted her head.
“Xing Nuo.”
The woman, seeing that Yiyi knew the little one, put him down and rubbed her arm.
“These two were running around. Keep an eye on them, Yiyi. I’m going to find the manager and have them taken away. And they’re skipping dinner tonight!”
She clearly thought Xing Nuo and Lu Qi were employees, like Yiyi.
And it was understandable that she was angry. They weren’t at their posts, running around the park during working hours.
Yiyi nodded, watched the woman walk away, and continued to stare at Xing Nuo.
Xing Nuo, not understanding why Yiyi was acting so strangely, scratched his head and asked:
“Yiyi, where Little Fatty and Qingqing? Let’s go…back to kindygarten.”
Yiyi, her usually cheerful face now cold and expressionless, shook her head.
“I not going. Xing Nuo, you no go either.”
Xing Nuo’s unease intensified.
“Why no go? Yiyi, we have to go back to kindygarten…sing songs…Daddy waiting for Zaizai…”
Although Xing Nuo didn’t like kindergarten, being separated from his dad,
there were many children to play with, yummy cakes, fun games, and high swings…
And they had snuck out to the sunflower patch. They had to go back and apologize to Teacher Xiao Song.
Yiyi just shook her head, her voice flat and monotonous, almost like Lu Qi’s.
“I not going back. I stay in amusement park. This my home now.”
Xing Nuo gasped, his little head filled with questions.
“But your home…near kindygarten…Huimei Complex?”
He had seen Yiyi’s mom pick her up from kindergarten many times.
How could the amusement park be her home now?
