The tunnel wasn’t very long, and loud voices echoed from both sides. Some cursed, others argued, traded or laughed merrily. Ning Gu stood at the entrance to the room, now devoid of the red light, and stared at the motionless Lian Chuan on the floor.
He was not disloyal. Despite his rather tragic dynamic with Lian Chuan, which was basically one between a killer and a helpless victim, the tragic dreams and visions he was having confirmed that he could gain some valuable information from this guy. That being the case, he should demonstrate his loyalty by helping each other and returning for Lian Chuan.
At that moment, there were three things that needed to be done: firstly, to find out if Lian Chuan was dead—if he was dead, then of course there was nothing to care about. Second, to make sure if it was safe there, and third, to figure out how to help him. Should he drag Lian Chuan out, or should he just go in and administer him a few slaps on the face? This method in particular was a basic rescue procedure in the Ghost City.
“Lian Chuan!” He called out again from outside.
Lian Chuan lay motionless on the ground, showing no sign of reaction. It seemed that even if he wasn’t dead yet, his current state would soon bring about his imminent death.
Ning Gu remained rooted to the spot for a few seconds before angrily kicking the cave wall beside him, “Damn it!”
He rushed into the room and grabbed Lian Chuan by the collar. As he tried to drag him outside, an excruciating pain shot through his fingers.
The agonising sensation, similar to the one he felt when Lian Chuan shot him twice, momentarily engulfed half of his body.
It hurt so much that Ning Gu almost fell on his face.
This was probably caused by some device in the Hyenas’ uniform.
He gritted his teeth for a few seconds, about to burst into flames of rage, then jumped to his feet and delivered a kick to Lian Chuan, “Just die, you hyena!”
You won’t even let me touch your clothes, but you’re so quick to steal them from others!
Suddenly, someone seemed to emerge from the farthest, darkest corner of the room, carrying a gentle breeze. Then, a sigh echoed right by his ear.
Ning Gu didn’t know how he did it, but he grabbed Lian Chuan’s wrist and almost flung him outside the room. He could even see Lian Chuan’s head hit the door. As he rushed out of the room, Ning Gu felt a pang of guilt.
…If Lian Chuan were to die, it might be as a result of his own actions.
However, he didn’t dwell on the remorse; the goosebumps caused by that sigh had yet to subside. He quickly turned his head and looked back into the pitch-black darkness of the room, but there was no movement there. Fuelled by anger and displeasure, Ning Gu walked back to the door.
“Aren’t you finished yet?” He asked the empty, dark void, “How ‘bout I let you give it a try?”
There was no response from the darkness.
“You don’t even dare to try, huh,” Ning Gu nodded. “Then I’ll leave it at that. You better not change your mind. Otherwise, if you ever piss me off, even if I get smashed to pieces, I won’t let this underground market of yours have a single day of peace for eternity.”
.o0o.
It was a vast emptiness.
When Lian Chuan regained consciousness, he remained still. Aware that all his functions were normal and that he was safe, he needed to maintain his current state before he could understand the current situation.
He was in a small room, similar in size to the one they had been in before. However, this room wasn’t empty; there were things around it. He could tell by the movement of the person to his left. From certain characteristics in the rustling of his clothes, Lian Chuan deduced that this was Ning Gu. His movements sounded relaxed, indicating that it shouldn’t be dangerous here.
But just as Lian Chuan was about to open his eyes, he heard the footsteps of another person, a woman entering the room.
“He’s still not awake?” A woman’s voice asked; she must be around Chun San’s age.
“If you’re in such a hurry, you can come over and touch him now.” Ning Gu replied.
Touch what?
“That’s boring,” Said the woman, “I don’t like to take advantage of a sleeping person.”
“And it won’t be taking advantage of him if you touch him when he’s awake?”
“That’s right.” The woman replied with a strong conviction in her voice.
What kind of mess was that?
Although he felt that his life wasn’t in danger, Ning Gu’s conversation with this woman made Lian Chuan very uncomfortable, so he opened his eyes.
It was a trading room. Lian Chuan was lying at the very back of it, and outside and around the door, there were piles of strange items scattered about, emitting a strange smell. An old, ancient stench.
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.
Rlcu Xe kjr rlaalcu bc j mtjlg cfza ab tlw, klat bcf ifu yfca bc atf mtjlg jcv atf batfg ragfamtfv bea bc atf oibbg, lvis kluuilcu tlr abfr ogbw rlvf ab rlvf. Lf ibbxfv ja Oljc Jtejc jcv gjlrfv tlr fsfygbkr, “Obbxr ilxf kf’gf jkjxf cbk.”
Lf vlvc’a rjs atlr ab Oljc Jtejc; klatbea kjlalcu obg jc jcrkfg, j qfgrbc kgjqqfv rb alutais lc atf mibatfr atja tf mbeivc’a fnfc rff atflg ojmf revvfcis jqqfjgfv yftlcv Rlcu Xe, “Ofwwf rff.”
It was the woman.
Lian Chuan didn’t speak. As he tried to sit up, he realised that his limbs were chained. The other end of the chain was securely fastened to the solid floor.
This had no chance of keeping him trapped, but using more strength might cause unnecessary chaos.
“Let her touch you a little.” Ning Gu was still happily swinging his feet.
“What?” Lian Chuan was taken aback.
“She let us hide here,” Ning Gu said, putting his elbow on the armrest and tilting his head to rest it on his fingers. His tone was very relaxed as he spoke, “Just let her touch your face a little, and we’ll call it even.”
Lian Chuan didn’t say anything.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk, he just didn’t know what to say.
In his twenty-odd-years-long life, he had experienced all kinds of dangerous, difficult, dilemma and trilemma-filled situations, dealt with all kinds of dangerous targets, but this was the first time he had found himself in a situation like this.
A situation that, although he was in no danger, he somehow had absolutely no idea how to react to.
“You really are handsome.” The woman walked up to him and reached out her hand. Just as she was about to touch his face, Lian Chuan tilted his head away, so that her hand didn’t touch anything.
“So handsome.” The woman attempted to touch him again.
Lian Chuan dodged her touch again.
“What the hell is this!” The woman was very displeased, and she turned her head to look at Ning Gu, “We had a deal! If he doesn’t let me touch him, I will go and bring Prosperity here along with his bunch!”
“I told you that he won’t let you.” Ning Gu started laughing.
“What now!” The woman barked.
“Touch him.” Lian Chuan told her.
“She wants to touch a Hyena. She sees Travellers around every day; we’re nothing new here.” Ning Gu’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he still looked as pleased as punch.
Lian Chuan’s expression immediately turned cold.
Ning Gu stood up and stretched out his arms and back. Then he walked over to his side and bent down to his eye level to whisper, “The Bats are looking for a Hyena; you’ve already been exposed.”
“She wouldn’t even reach the door.” Lian Chuan’s voice was cold.
“Do you really know nothing else but killing people?” Ning Gu asked.
“No,” Lian Chuan replied.
Ning Gu was taken aback; this answer was so absolutely honest that he couldn’t compose himself for a moment.
After a while, he finally clicked his tongue, then turned his head to look at the woman, “I’ll touch him for you.”
“Why would I like that?” The woman wasn’t pleased with his suggestion.
“I’ll throw in a Hyena’s hair,” Ning Gu said, “I don’t think there’s anyone in the Lost Valley who could get their hands on one?”
“Fetch it for me.” The woman immediately held out her hand, revealing metallic finger joints under the broken skin, inlaid with tiny pieces of shiny glass.
“Will that do?” Ning Gu turned to look at Lian Chuan.
Lian Chuan didn’t want to argue with Ning Gu right now. He still needed to figure out how Ning Gu’s ability was triggered, whether it was passive or if he could activate it, and what exactly this guy saw in his memories—how much of it he felt.
He decided to put up with it.
“Don’t hide,” Ning Gu reached with his hand and whispered, “I know you’re fast.”
Lian Chuan didn’t move.
Ning Gu gently ruffled his hair twice, plucking a single strand of it before moving his hand to touch his face. The moment he touched Lian Chuan’s skin, the iron chains that bound his hands and feet suddenly snapped with a clang!
“Don’t come here! I’ll scream if you touch me!” The woman on the side retreated several steps in fear, “And if I scream, everyone in the entire Lost Valley will instantly know that you’re here!”
“You wouldn’t live long enough to scream,” Ning Gu tilted his head to glance at her, “Come here.”
The woman hesitated for a moment before walking back.
Ning Gu lowered his raised hand, touching Lian Chuan’s face, then turned to extend it in front of her. The woman slapped his hand, then pinched the hair he was holding between her fingers and carefully placed it in a bottle. “I’ll find some clothes for him to change into; his uniform is way too suspicious.”
“Alright.” Ning Gu replied.
Lian Chuan sat up as the woman rummaged through the jumbled items on the side.
Ning Gu returned to his chair and looked at him, “Was that your doing just now?”
Lian Chuan looked at him without saying anything.
“Fine, I’ll take it as a no,” Ning Gu pointed at himself, “It was me.”
Lian Chuan remained silent.
“I’m so badass, huh.” Ning Gu poked his own face with a finger. Nothing happened.
He tried poking himself a few more times.
The woman threw some clothes over, “That should do.”
“Is there any food?” Ning Gu asked, continuing to poke his own face.
Absolutely nothing happened.
What a pity.
Lian Chuan picked up the clothes to examine them. They were very much in the Bats style, with lots of unnecessary pieces of metal sewn all over.
It probably wasn’t very possible to ask for a private changing room in a place like this. Lian Chuan also didn’t want to waste time on such matters either, so he stood up and took off his uniform.
Underneath, he had a set of tight-fitting underwear. The woman watching him seemed visibly disappointed, but she quickly held out her hand again, “Give me the uniform. Consider it a payment.”
Lian Chuan tossed the uniform to her with a casual swing.
Before the woman even had time to make a squeak, she collapsed to the ground.
“Don’t be too greedy.” Ning Gu sighed as he watched her.
As Lian Chuan changed into the Bat clothes, Ning Gu noticed two long, black wounds on his exposed arm. From the angle, they seemed to extend from the shoulder blade to the elbow.
“Did you get hurt just now?” Ning Gu couldn’t help but furrow his brow, “That can’t be.”
“Old injury.” Lian Chuan replied briefly, putting on the coat.
“Old injury? How old is it?” Ning Gu asked.
Even the Travellers wouldn’t have old wounds. The ones that didn’t heal overnight were already considered serious, yet the strongest Hyena of the Main City’s formidable cleanup team was actually parading around with untreated wounds on his body?
Lian Chuan turned to look at him and took a long time before speaking, “Some of my wounds won’t heal.”
With these words, Ning Gu suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. The rapidly flashing images before his eyes left him breathless, and when the last of the shadows rushed towards him, he couldn’t tell if it was an illusion or reality. All he could feel was something sharp cutting through his gut, the excruciating pain causing him to lean against the nearby wall and clutch his stomach. By the time he gradually regained his composure, Lian Chuan had already changed into his new clothes and packed his uniform neatly into a bag.
“What did you see?” Lian Chuan asked.
Ning Gu stared at him, but remained silent.
“Was it there?” Lian Chuan glanced at his stomach.
“Wanna know?” Ning Gu slowly stood up and crossed his arms, “What I saw, what I felt—wanna know about it?”
There was no expression on Lian Chuan’s face.
“You came here to catch me; that should be your mission objective,” Ning Gu rubbed his chin, then looked at the woman still lying motionless on the ground and said in a low voice, “But you didn’t catch me; you just followed me.”
Lian Chuan remained motionless, his face devoid of any expression. Ning Gu had to admit that he had no solid ground to stay on in the face of a freak like Lian Chuan, who seemed unfazed with anything he could throw at him. None of his speculations could be adjusted based on Lian Chuan’s reactions, so he had to keep talking on his own.
“Now you’re asking me those questions again,” Ning Gu chuckled, then leaned close to Lian Chuan’s ear, “You have a secret that needs to be kept hidden, and you’re not sure what I know, right?”
Lian Chuan didn’t avoid him; he simply tilted his head and whispered, “What I’m sure of now is, one, you can not only see but also feel it, and two, the problem will be solved when you’re dead.”
“You won’t dare to kill me. Your mission objective is definitely to bring me back alive.” Ning Gu’s voice carried a smug tone.
“The wounds I suffered would be enough to kill you a dozen times over.” Lian Chuan replied.
Ning Gu was silent for a moment, then slowly retreated to the wall. After looking at Lian Chuan for a while, he finally said, “I have something important to do. I’ll tell you as soon as you help me.”
Lian Chuan continued to watch him.
“Deal?” Ning Gu asked.
“Deal.”
From the moment they left the room, Ning Gu felt that he could still blend into the environment of the Lost Valley relatively well. Therefore, he needed to quickly find a Bat who could help him process the ID card data and then leave. After all, there were many Travellers in the Lost Valley now, but when the train left, the scenery here would probably change drastically. It would be very difficult for him to continue avoiding the Bats, who for some reason were keeping a close eye on him.
Especially… he looked back at Lian Chuan. Even the Bat clothes couldn’t hide the Main City aura around him. Even if a hundred Bats passed by them right now, he would still be able to find him.
“That woman just now…” Lian Chuan began to speak behind him.
“Why did I let her touch you, right? Because when I told her she could touch me, she refused,” Ning Gu interrupted him impatiently, “And as for why I didn’t kill her to silence her and instead complied with that request, it’s because this is not our territory. I’ve got things to do, so I’d rather not cause any trouble. More importantly, I’ve realised that I can’t count on you completely. Back there, you keeled over at a speed faster than when you hit me.”
“Keep walking,” Lian Chuan said.
“Originally, I wanted to ask her where I could find some Bat to overwrite the data,” Ning Gu continued moving forward, “but in the end, it didn’t work out.”
“What data?” Lian Chuan asked.
“For the Main City ID,” Ning Gu patted the pouch on his leg, “I want to go there.”
“You won’t be able to use it.” Lian Chuan stated.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ning Gu looked back at him.
“You either die here or in a lab,” Lian Chuan said, “There is no third option.”
Ning Gu glared at him, “Lian Chuan, lemme ask you something.”
Lian Chuan looked at him calmly.
“Are you a robot?” Ning Gu frowned and looked him up and down. “Don’t you feel bad saying such things? For all it’s worth, I did save you there. Don’t you feel bad when you decide how I should die?”
Lian Chuan still didn’t answer, as if in a trance.
“But I refuse to die.”
Thanks a lot for the translation! ❤
LC so robot like, I love himmm
Thanks for the chap ❤️❤️❤️