Chapter 382: Hostage |
The restaurant doors burst open. The sound of the rain, which had seemed muffled behind the sturdy doors, instantly roared into the dining room, accompanied by the howling wind.
Two burly men in formal suits had pushed their way inside.
Judging by their fierce features, one would expect them to be wearing sunglasses. Perhaps the only reason they weren't was because it was nighttime, and dark lenses would make it impossible to see...
In short, they looked like bad news. The moment they stepped in, they swept their expressionless gazes across the establishment, scrutinizing every patron in the room.
A waiter gathered his courage and approached with a professional smile to greet them. Only one of the men stayed to deal with him, while the other marched straight into the dining area. He did a full sweep, his sharp eyes scouring every corner of the restaurant. Finding nothing, he finally returned to the entrance to regroup with his partner.
The two exchanged a few hushed words and quickly departed.
The well-insulated doors shut once more, cutting off the wind and rain. With his meal mostly demolished, a well-fed and satisfied Ye Xingyuan dropped his chopsticks onto the table. Perhaps it was true that a full stomach invited drowsiness, for even he could not help but let out a yawn.
He glanced around. Given the late hour and the atrocious weather, it was no surprise that an ordinary restaurant would have sparse business. The few occupied tables consisted of diners minding their own business, eating and chatting with their respective companions.
Ye Xingyuan dug into his pocket, pulled out enough banknotes to cover his bill, and tossed them onto the table. Moving as if he were completely alone, he rose and left the restaurant, stepping out into a noisy world enveloped by a curtain of rain.
......
Approaching midnight, the rain had lightened slightly, but the howling gales blew with even greater ferocity.
Sitting on the edge of a skyscraper rooftop, Ye Xingyuan dangled his legs over the abyss. The fierce wind and rain battered against him, yet it had no effect on him whatsoever. Not a single strand of his hair was damp.
——
This exact scene was reflected on a computer monitor.
Carole pointed at the main screen, then at the adjacent split-screen showing footage of Ye Xingyuan appearing out of thin air in a street alley. She turned her head toward Shirayanagi Ayaha and declared, "Found him."
Shirayanagi Ayaha's eyes widened. "But his appearance is completely different!"
Carole threw her hands up. "Why else do you think so many people conducting massive searches out there couldn't find him?"
"I checked the timestamps. The gap between your childhood friend disappearing into thin air and this guy appearing out of thin air is less than three seconds."
"Besides, the ability to change appearance isn't exactly unimaginable for a transcendent. In my professional opinion, there is over a sixty percent chance that this person is the childhood friend you are looking for. Anyway, he is the only lead I found, so tell me, do you want to pursue him or not?"
Shirayanagi Ayaha fell speechless for a moment. "Don't phrase it like some shady merchant pushing their goods!"
With that said, she began to carefully scrutinize the somewhat blurry footage on the computer monitor.
The pale, black-haired boy sat in isolation on the edge of the skyscraper rooftop, quietly overlooking the city shrouded in extreme weather. The overwhelming sense of loneliness and emptiness radiating from him was palpable...
Shirayanagi Ayaha widened her eyes slightly. "It looks like... it really is him?"
......
'Why do people live?'
Ye Xingyuan found himself pondering a rare philosophical question. He stared at the city's neon lights, which showed no signs of flickering despite the relentless wind and rain, his gaze drifting out of focus.
In truth, his mind was still a chaotic mess. Although his memories felt authentic, they were terribly fragmented, so much so that he had not even found the time to figure out why he was suddenly in Japan, separated from America by the entire Pacific Ocean.
He carefully thought back, sorting through his past as if watching a series of distorted, black-and-white classic films.
The story wasn't particularly spectacular, but it was undeniably real, enough to plunge Ye Xingyuan into deep contemplation...
No matter how many times he dragged the metaphorical progress bar of his memories, the starting point of everything still seemed to be that orphanage situated in a remote region.
However, Ye Xingyuan did not press the play button on those memories just yet, because at that very moment, he sensed someone approaching from behind.
He turned his head and saw the silhouettes of two young women.
The one that caught his attention the most was a European girl with long, blue-and-pink highlighted hair. From her, Hoshino Gen sensed a strong, distinct aura of a kindred spirit.
"Xiao Gen? Is that you?"
Those words were called out by the other girl. Looking at her expression, she seemed rather eager and excited, which left Ye Xingyuan completely puzzled.
Furthermore, the Japanese pronunciation of "Gen" and the Chinese pronunciation of "Yuan" were vastly different. Ye Xingyuan's gaze merely skimmed over the face of the clean and beautiful girl before locking back onto the European girl, who felt far more threatening. "You have the wrong person."
These two girls were, of course, Carole and Shirayanagi Ayaha, who had tracked and pinpointed this location using a satellite.
In stark contrast to Shirayanagi Ayaha's current bewilderment, Carole remained far more composed. She looked at the boy before them with a smile and said nonchalantly, "Is that so? I do not think so."
[Player ID: ???/???]
[HP: 10700/10700 (???/???)]
[MP: 16970/17000 (???/???)]
[Inherent Ability: ??? (Inactive), Immortal Path: Hundred Talismans of Fleeting Life, Immortal Arts: Thunder Method, Divine Path: Divine Incantation, Immortal Arts: Qimen Dunjia, Immortal Arts: Object Control... / (???)]
[Special State: ???, ??? Evil Soul: Ghostification (???) / ???]
[Equipment: ???]
[Comprehensive Rank Assessment: SS / ???]
Such an impressive character panel was not something Carole would forget in less than a day. Although there were some differences compared to the afternoon, with a few more question marks appearing, she was still absolutely certain she had not found the wrong person.
"How truly..." Having been struck by an Appraisal Skill, Ye Xingyuan naturally couldn't remain unaware. He let out a low sigh. The very next instant, his figure suddenly disappeared into thin air, and when he reappeared, he was already right in front of Carole. "...impolite."
Carole raised her hand, and a grid-like shield instantly sprang up in front of her, successfully blocking the palm wreathed in blazing white electric arcs.
Carole took a step back, surprisingly paying no mind to Shirayanagi Ayaha, who was now completely exposed to Ye Xingyuan. Perhaps she felt that, no matter what happened, there was no way he would attack his own childhood friend.
However, Ye Xingyuan grabbed Shirayanagi Ayaha's wrist and pulled her right against him. Forming a sword finger, he pressed it firmly against the girl's slender neck. "Picking a fight, yet you bring along a burden."
Ye Xingyuan looked at Carole, whose expression had slightly shifted, and stated flatly, "Not only impolite, but brainless."
Carole abruptly narrowed her eyes. Seeing the stiffness on Shirayanagi Ayaha's face and the slight trembling of her body as she was held hostage by Ye Xingyuan, the temperature in Carole's voice plummeted. "Are you... serious?"