“Main City’s cleanup squad,” Lian Chuan watched the taller Traveller on the left through his scope, “You are already locked in. Any movement is a reason for me to open fire.”
The two Travellers didn’t budge.
“The scene shows no use of abilities,” Li Liang’s voice came through the communicator, “But the scan detected gravitational traces in the nearby building, however this is a common trait for Travellers. It’s uncertain whether it was them.”
“Copy that,” Lian Chuan said, “Target locked in.”
The standard procedure of handling the Travellers was straightforward—confirm their identity, then destroy or retrieve. Most of the Travellers intercepted by their squad ended up being destroyed. Even those with abilities could be destroyed without retrieval, without the need for prior approval—after all, the Main City had suffered way too many losses due to the Travellers’ abilities, especially the cleanup squad who always had to deal with them head-on.
However, Lian Chuan didn’t immediately make a move on the two before him.
When he was still two streets away, he had already discovered that one of those two Travellers was the one who hid behind the wall before—he still had that activated Main City gun with him. And right now, the scan results were now showing on his visor.
“A Traveller with a Main City gun?” Lu Qian’s voice sounded startled, “And it’s activated?”
“Second generation weapon,” Li Liang said, “There’s no one using it now, but it still requires the user’s biodata to activate. Retrieve him?”
“Retrieve.” Lian Chuan said.
Ning Gu glanced at Hammer, whose face revealed sheer despair.
Unlike Ning Gu, Hammer had come to the Main City many times before, giving him a better understanding of it—especially the Hyenas. For those like them, seasoned Main City visitors and survivors, Lian Chuan was a Hyena among Hyenas, a damned dog amidst dogs. Encountering him meant that there was hardly any chance of them escaping alive.
“What should we do?” Ning Gu asked quietly.
Hammer remained silent.
The black vehicle descended and Lian Chuan disembarked, his weapon steady in his hand. Ning Gu could see the red dot aimed on his chest, the way it didn’t move a single bit.
“You,” Lian Chuan said again, “Throw your bag over.”
“Why would I?” Ning Gu scrutinised him.
Lian Chuan didn’t speak; instead, he abruptly lowered the muzzle, and Ning Gu instantly felt an excruciating pain shoot through his right thigh. The pain surpassed anything he experienced throughout his twenty years-worth of brawls in the Ghost City. It radiated from his bones, momentarily coursing through his nerves to engulf his entire body.
It came way too suddenly. Ning Gu couldn’t restrain himself and let out a yell, Agh—!”
He reached for his leg to rub it vigorously.
He was actually still able to stand and move. Lian Chuan raised his head slightly, thoroughly taken aback by this Traveller’s resilience. This shot wasn’t fatal, but the pain it inflicted was excruciating, beyond what any normal person could endure. It could practically incapacitate them, and when capturing a target, one shot was usually sufficient to take them alive.
“Name.” Lian Chuan demanded, keeping his gaze fixed on this Traveller.
“Why the hell would I tell you?” This man grimaced in pain, yet still maintained the very Traveller-like attitude of cursing people even in the face of death, sparing no breath, “You know how to count, don’t you? Then count for yourself and see if I give a single fuck!”
Very well.
“Bag.” He pressed the button again while aiming at the man’s left leg.
“Aghhh—!” This guy finally couldn’t stand anymore and fell to one knee.
The person on his side wanted to help him but hesitated when he saw the weapon in Lian Chuan’s hand. However, he was still a born Traveller—after this brief hesitation, he still quickly grabbed his companion’s arm, looking up at Lian Chuan, “What the hell do you want from us!”
Lian Chuan didn’t bother with him, focusing on the man kneeling on the ground.
Was it you?
The weapon is with you, but that feeling didn’t appear.
That fear of being watched.
The man supported himself with a hand on the ground, gasping. “Ning Gu.”
Ning Gu. Lian Chuan made a note of that name. It didn’t appear in any records related to the Travellers.
However, Ning Gu was so stubborn just a moment ago, challenging everything, having people count his fucks and so on, so for him to suddenly be so compliant when revealing his name… Lian Chuan’s gaze moved away from the scope, slowly sweeping over Ning Gu.
“Whatever you want, look for it yourself! Don’t touch my other stuff!” Ning Gu raised his hand and tossed the leather pouch on his leg towards Lian Chuan.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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At the same time, the Traveller beside him had already seized the opportunity to bend over and place his hand on the ground—as he tossed the bag, Ning Gu bemoaned how even with Nail his teamwork wasn’t this seamless.
Lian Chuan didn’t specify what he was looking for, but the only peculiar thing on Ning Gu right now was that metal cube suddenly emitting light, which he had taken into his hand while rubbing his leg.
He tossed the bag.
Hammer activated his ability.
He pushed that button.
Regardless of what that cube was, him and Hammer probably had no chance of getting out of it alive. So even if it meant being to pieces, they would at least bring down a Hyena with them.
Travellers might fear pain, but in critical moments, they would never care about death.
There were many legends about Lian Chuan, and while not everyone believed them, his portrayal in these legends had always consistently painted him as ruthless, cruel, and possessing unmatched combat skills. However, perhaps due to how few people survived encounters with him, there was one aspect that had never been mentioned before.
He was actually so fast.
Before Ning Gu could even press the button with his fingers, Lian Chuan was already in front of him. Ning Gu didn’t even have a chance to see how Lian Chuan had moved so swiftly.
And what was that about all the citizens of the Main City being ordinary people? Could this level of speed be achieved solely with the assistance of an exoskeleton?
The small cube got knocked out of Ning Gu’s hand by a knee.
It landed in Lian Chuan’s hand.
Then, Ning Gu was sent flying by Lian Chuan’s kick, and Hammer got swept into the nearby sewer by the caracal.
All of this unfolded the moment the bag got tossed into the air.
As it fell to the ground, Ning Gu was already sure that he wouldn’t be able to take a Hyena down with him before passing, nor would he ever get to embellish the legends surrounding Lian Chuan.
He wouldn’t go back.
Nail would definitely cry.
Even Captain would cry—he might seem intimidating, but Ning Gu had seen him crying before.
Crazy Uncle’s prophecy really came true…
No wonder Captain and Li Xiang had forbidden him from coming to the Main City. If he had known it would end up like this, he would have handed that feather to Land King on that day, asking him to look after Nail in his absence…
But in the end, he saw nothing at all. He didn’t learn anything.
What did outside look like? What was there? Where did all the disappeared people go?
Where did I come from?
Why don’t I have parents?
I still don’t know anything.
Even in my last moments, I still won’t know a single thing…
Lian Chuan’s scope once again locked onto the fallen Traveller. He could sense this person had no particular ability. What enabled him to endure the agony of getting shot twice, nobody would ever know.
Just as nobody would ever know how Lian Chuan managed to grow up, surviving the hellish training.
Lian Chuan’s fingertips touched the trigger mechanism.
Suddenly, Ning Gu lifted his head, and their gazes met directly through the scope.
“No.” Ning Gu said.
With this simple word came a wave of a thick fog of fear. That unbelievable sensation returned, assaulting Lian Chuan’s entire body. Ning Gu’s gaze didn’t waver—it pierced through the visor like a sword, plunging straight into his brain.
It was this guy!
Lian Chuan’s judgement about 009 being a mere medium wasn’t incorrect; however, he overlooked the possibility that this person might not need any medium.
Perhaps a medium could even restrict his ability. Limiting the part of it that went beyond prying into his mind.
And towards this kind of ability, Lian Chuan felt a faint feeling of déjà vu.
There were Travellers that could read thoughts or disrupt the flow of time—Lian Chuan didn’t know if it was his illusion or if he was actually experiencing it. He didn’t know if the time had frozen, slowed down to a crawl, or flew by in an instant.
He also didn’t know if, during that moment, the person before his eyes was still in the same space as them. Or perhaps it was some other force, like gravity magnified a thousand times, sweeping through in an imperceptibly brief moment.
He had never felt something like this, and had no words to describe it.
The last sound Lian Chuan heard was Ning Gu’s voice.
“Let’s go!” He exclaimed.
There was no pause to anything, no speeding up or slowing down—all he did was just as usual, without any apparent difference.
But Boss fell to the ground, having to try getting up two times before managing to stand on his paws.
From start to finish, Lian Chuan’s fingertip on the trigger didn’t manage to pull it.
Ning Gu and the other Traveller had already disappeared from their field of view.
“Lian Chuan?” Li Liang’s voice came through the communicator.
“I hear you,” Lian Chuan replied, glancing at Boss. The caracal huffed through his nose, signalling that he was okay.
“What just happened?” Lu Qian’s vehicle appeared from behind the nearby rooftop and stopped next to Lian Chuan.
Lian Chuan remained silent. He didn’t know what to say at a time like this. He also didn’t know what had just occurred. All he knew was that this Ning Gu could pose a huge threat to him.
“Another Flash,” Li Liang arrived as well, jumping down from his vehicle with a furrowed brow. He walked nervously to Lian Chuan’s side, checking the equipment records on his arm as he whispered, “Did the equipment malfunction just now? All the weapons went offline.”
“Yes,” Lian Chuan replied in a low voice.
“Is it related to the Travellers’ abilities?” Li Liang looked surprised.
“I don’t know.” Lian Chuan replied, glancing in the direction of the Lost Valley.
In the past, equipment malfunctions had only occurred during Flashes. This time, although he didn’t know the reason and hadn’t even noticed its malfunction earlier, it at least meant that the system hadn’t recorded the unusual ability of that Traveller.
Was it Ning Gu? Or did the other one have it too?
“To all units, report your status.” Lei Yu’s voice came through the communicator.
“Unit Six, the targets escaped to the Lost Valley,” Lian Chuan said, “They acquired the Main City second-generation weapon.”
“What kind of abilities?” Lei Yu inquired.
“Gravitational bursts,” Li Lian replied, “There were no signs of it before.”
“Understood,” Lei Yu said, “Retreat.”
“Retreat?” Lu Qian was shocked. He pointed towards the Lost Alley, “We’re not chasing after them?”
Lian Chuan looked at him without uttering a word.
“I know, you told me to run when I encounter a Traveller,” Lu Qian said, “But what about you?”
“I’d run too.” Lian Chuan said.
Lu Qian was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Li Liang.
“They’re probably about to enter the Lost Valley.” Li Liang explained.
“And what about that?” Lu Qian asked again.
Li Liang sighed. He just couldn’t answer such an implicit question.
.o0o.
“What was that just now?” Hammer asked while running.
“I don’t know,” Ning Gu’s legs still hurt, causing him so much pain that he could barely stand. But right now, he not only didn’t dare to stop for rest and reorganisation, but he also had to grit his teeth and run as fast as he could.
Other Travellers’ journeys to the Main City were filled with all kinds of wonders and thrills, but his own Main City journey had been nothing but the inexplicable running and him almost losing his life.
“Did you just tell me to run?” Hammer continued asking.
“Seems like it,” Ning Gu thought for a long while but still couldn’t figure out what had just happened. “Anyway, I was already running when I snapped out of it.”
“No need to run anymore.” Hammer gradually slowed down.
“Hm?” Ning Gu didn’t pay attention and continued to sprint ahead.
“Don’t run!” Hammer shouted anxiously, “Stop! The Lost Valley is ahead!”
Ning Gu stopped. “Aren’t we heading there?”
“We are, but,” Hammer rummaged through one of his pockets and finally took out a half-empty tube of paint, applying a few strokes on his wrist, “Is there something you need to remember when you go in? Like trading something or looking for stuff.”
“No,” Ning Gu looked at him, “I just want to go in and have a look.”
“Then make a mark anyway, something will remind you of its meaning when you see it. After that, you can just follow me.” Hammer gave him the paint and scanned the surroundings with a serious expression, “Stay close to me, the Lost Valley is a… very strange place. Let’s go.”
“Be more specific.” Ning Gu remained in place.
“It’s just…” Hammer started, “Some of those who didn’t return weren’t eliminated by the city guards or Hyenas. They went inside and for some unknown reason, they just never came out. It’s like they lost their minds and refused to leave, thinking it’s a place of extreme bliss and forgetting why they came there… So, just as a precaution, you have to paint some marks on your hand. When you see it, it will serve as a reminder.”
“Why is everyone still going in it if it’s so terrifying?” Ning Gu frowned.
“It’s not like everyone goes crazy. As long as there’s a mark for them to remember, most people can snap out of it just fine,” Hammer said, “Besides, it’s safe inside. The city guards and hyenas never enter it.”
“Oh… Is it really that amazing inside?” Ning Gu lowered his head to make three small dots on his wrist. He couldn’t write, so it was meant to represent a drawing; perhaps he would be able to find an actual picture in this underground market.
“What amazing! Don’t scare me!” Hammer suddenly looked up at him, “We’ve just escaped from Lian Chuan and still have to go back safe and sound to brag about escaping the claws of death! If you go and don’t come out, there would be no use for me going back—Captain would definitely hang me out to dry in the Tongue Bay!”
Ning Gu laughed and waved his hand, “Let’s go!”
.o0o.
“Have you still not seen him recently?” A man sat in the shadowy corner of the room, the smoke from the cigarette between his fingers slowly scattering in the air.
“No. The kid is all grown up now, so it’s normal for him to not want to come home,” Chun San leaned against the table, “It’s not like we were the ones who raised him from childhood.”
“And Captain Lei didn’t notice anything unusual either?” The man asked.
“No.” Chun San sighed.
“Was there anything unusual about Captain Lei?” The man flicked the cigarette ash.
Chun San didn’t respond immediately, gazing at the cigarette butt in the man’s hand, and only after a while did she speak, “Don’t ask me such questions again. It’s not like my relationship with Lei Yu was a marriage assigned by the system.”
“Even if the weapons malfunctioned, it was only for a moment, and the Travellers escaped just like that—it’s too unusual.” The man said.
“It wasn’t just him from the squad at the scene.” Chun San reminded him.
“Yes, there were four of them, including the cat. All of them said it was a sudden gravitational burst,” The man said, “And the system did indeed detect only this ability, but… I can’t believe that anyone could escape Lian Chuan in that state, even if Lian Chuan wasn’t equipped!”
“Even if Li Liang spent a lot of time with him and would cooperate, Lu Qian is still one of your people—would he also help him?” Chun San chuckled, “If that’s the case, then you should really reflect on yourselves.”
“Do you understand what that activated gun signifies?” The man paused, “The one who escaped… If we can’t get to the bottom of it, we won’t be able to bear the consequences.”
“I can only do my best, and you know that. The human heart is the most unpredictable,” Chun San replied, “You have the most advanced technology and equipment in the entire universe, and you’ve been working on it for so many years, yet aren’t you only able to monitor what a single person is seeing with no access to their thoughts? How are we supposed to understand human nature?”
“If you truly care about Lian Chuan and don’t want him to disappear,” The man snubbed out the cigarette butt and stood up, his head almost hitting the ceiling as he spoke from above, “You’d better make an effort to understand it. You must realise that even the best of weapons are still only that. If necessary, he might as well become nothing in our eyes.”
Спасибо за перевод!❤❤❤
Thank you for the translation!❤❤❤