HAGLTP Chapter 12

As night was about to fall, a problem arose on the road ahead.

It was unclear who or what force had fought here, but a large section of the highway was blocked by fallen rocks, making it impossible to see what lay ahead.

Xiao Lu: “I remember seeing an old road when we came, marked for Yun City. Is that road still in use?”

Huang Sansheng pondered: “It should be. A few months ago, I heard some people say that they would take that route when they wanted to avoid inspections.”

Thus, the three had no choice but to take a detour.

The old road was in disrepair, the conditions were poor, and it wound around, taking quite a bit of time to navigate.

By the time darkness fell, the three decided to find an empty house by the roadside to rest for the night and continue their journey in the morning.

For safety’s sake, the three of them slept in the same room. With the magical little butler Huang Sansheng around, they had no worries about their living conditions—each had a bed, complete bedding, and it was quite comfortable.

The three beds were arranged in a triangular formation, allowing each person to see the movements of the others, with no blind spots.

Before sleeping, Huang Sansheng looked at his palm.

Inside was a small printed photo, a reduced version of the last picture he took with his mother. He had brought it with him when he left, afraid it would get damaged, so he only took it out to glance at before bed.

Rest assured, Mom, your son is doing well now.

With two reliable companions looking after him, he was also becoming stronger, no longer the little useless person that worried his mother.

Ye Qi remained as quiet as ever, lying on his side under the blanket, his body slightly curled, habitually facing Xiao Lu’s direction.

Xiao Lu, on the other hand, was thinking about something else—Mr. A.

This old fox had mentioned providing him with further assistance, but so much time had passed, and Xiao Lu had not seen Mr. A again.

Had Mr. A issued a worthless promise, or would this assistance only appear at critical moments, or perhaps… it had already appeared?

Xiao Lu’s gaze fell on the two capable companions. Their personalities and performances were completely different from the almost supernatural Mr. A, but after witnessing Mr. A’s ability to change his expression in an instant, he couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

“Ivan.” He called out in his mind.

“Ivan, at your service!” The white ball of fluff quietly appeared beside Xiao Lu.

Under Xiao Lu’s direction, Ivan hopped onto Huang Sansheng’s head and began to bounce continuously.

Huang Sansheng remained oblivious.

Ivan’s next target was Ye Qi, and it continued its joyful bouncing on Ye Qi’s head, jumping from his head to his shoulder, then down to his waist, all the while cheering itself on with “huff huff.”

Ye Qi maintained his previous posture, his eyes slowly closing, about to fall asleep.

Neither of them seemed to notice Ivan.

Was it real? Or was it an act?

Forget it, there was no need to figure it out tonight. Xiao Lu recalled Ivan and decided to sleep first.

·

As the night deepened.

Xiao Lu, in a deep sleep, suddenly heard Ivan’s voice: “Master, wake up, danger!”

Xiao Lu abruptly opened his eyes; the room was dim, and all the objects were shrouded in a hazy darkness, making it hard to see clearly. He tried to get up but found his body unusually heavy, his mind foggy, as if filled with lead.

If he listened closely, he could catch a faint “hiss” sound, as if some gas was being quietly released.

Someone had released sleeping gas in the room while they were asleep!

A few minutes later.

Two dark figures stealthily entered the room, well-equipped and wearing gas masks.

Upon entering, the two paid no attention to the items in the room and walked straight toward the three who were sound asleep.

“This one isn’t it.” One person assessed the sleeping Ye Qi.

The other glanced at the side: “This one is the fat one.”

Their gazes fell on another bed in the room, where a figure lay with its back turned. One of them made a gesture, and they cautiously approached.

One gently lifted the blanket, while the other seized the moment to strike with a weapon in hand.

But there was no one under the blanket, only a pile of bulging pillows.

“Not good—” Before the words were out, a hand struck down, and the speaker collapsed to the ground.

Xiao Lu, who had been hiding by the bed, revealed himself and immediately attacked the other person. That person reacted quickly, dodging to the side just as his companion fell, narrowly avoiding Xiao Lu’s attack.

Why had the sleeping gas failed? The attacker was puzzled.

A gust of night wind blew in, stirring the curtains, and he suddenly realized that the window had been opened at some point.

In the pitch-black room, the two began to fight.

Due to his abilities being weaker at night, Xiao Lu primarily relied on close combat, and his opponent was no slouch, even having an advantage in stamina.

But strangely, this person was deliberately avoiding contact with Xiao Lu’s hands, even though Xiao Lu was only fighting barehanded in a hurry.

If this person wasn’t suffering from a severe aversion to being touched, then it was likely he was wary of something—perhaps Xiao Lu’s abilities.

But since Xiao Lu had only encountered him once and his abilities had not worked, how did this person know?

A precognitive ability? Or had he already learned something about Xiao Lu?

These two must have come prepared, unlike the random robbers they had encountered before. Perhaps they should capture one for questioning.

Determined, Xiao Lu intensified his attacks.

The wary attacker quickly fell into a disadvantage, nearly cornered.

A faint glow appeared on Xiao Lu’s fist as he prepared to deliver a decisive blow.

Just as his fist was about to strike the opponent, the seemingly sturdy yet agile person suddenly twisted his body to the side, bending at the waist almost at a right angle, evading Xiao Lu’s attack.

Then, his hand moved beyond the range of normal human motion, slithering through the air like a snake, aiming for Xiao Lu’s head.

He was an ability user!

A body enhancement type, a beast mimic.

Xiao Lu barely dodged but still felt the opponent’s fingertips graze his cheek, the touch cold and rough, with a scaly texture.

A bright red line of blood blossomed on his cheek.

After revealing his abilities, the attacker’s speed suddenly increased, launching strikes at Xiao Lu from various unimaginable angles.

The pace of the battle quickened dramatically.

Attacks continuously grazed vital points, and the attacker’s form flickered like a ghost, making it hard to aim.

In the night, every glimmer of light was particularly dazzling, as if a traitor was exposing Xiao Lu’s intentions to attack.

In an instant, Xiao Lu found himself cornered.

This time, it was Xiao Lu who was pushed against the wall, the serpent-like hand coming from below, about to choke his neck.

In a moment of crisis, a beam of light suddenly appeared from the corner, shooting straight toward the attacker’s face. The speed of light was too fast; by the time he saw it, it was too late to dodge, and it pierced through the gas mask, exploding in a spray of blood at his left eye.

“Ugh—” a scream erupted.

How could this be! He had clearly noticed that the opponent’s hand had not glowed.

And how could the light appear from behind?

Of course, it was because there was a mirror in the corner! By hiding his hand behind his back and controlling the force slightly, it was possible to reflect a little light without shattering the mirror.

However, Xiao Lu had no interest in explaining the mystery to him; he planned to subdue him first.

But the attacker was no fool; realizing that tonight’s plan was no longer feasible, he immediately threw a dark object at Xiao Lu, which exploded in the air, releasing a cloud of highly irritating gas.

It was tear gas.

“Cough cough cough…” Xiao Lu couldn’t help but choke, his eyes burning with pain.

In that brief moment, the two attackers had already vanished without a trace.

·

Huang Sansheng sat on the edge of the bed, wiping his face with a wet wipe: “So, they were after you, Brother Lu? Do you have any suspects?”

Xiao Lu blinked, feeling the irritation had subsided: “The first thing that came to mind was the Public Security Bureau.”

Aside from the Public Security Bureau that had previously issued a warrant for him, he had also dealt with several forces in the slums of Yao City, but those were all rough and lacked such well-equipped and organized operations.

Huang Sansheng: “From what I know about the Public Security Bureau in Yao City, they aren’t that dedicated.”

A group of people whose main business is extortion and whose side business is coercion, and who have connections with many gray forces—would they really be so invested in pursuing a fugitive? Keep in mind that the Star State government is already paralyzed, and they won’t even be getting paid anymore.

What could have driven them all the way from Yao City to Yun City?

Xiao Lu felt the same: “It seems we need to be careful from now on.”

Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder; a coat still warm from body heat fell onto him. Turning around, he met Ye Qi’s expressionless face.

Some people seem to have been specially enhanced when created by God; even in the dead of night, with strong backlighting and an upward angle, Ye Qi’s features remained perfectly flawless, truly a face that could withstand the scrutiny of the big screen.

“It’s fine, I’m not cold,” Xiao Lu intended to return the coat to him.

But Ye Qi was very insistent; he didn’t speak, but his hand remained pressed against his coat, preventing Xiao Lu from taking it off.

Xiao Lu helplessly said, “Alright, thank you.”

Only then did Ye Qi let go and sit beside Xiao Lu.

Huang Sansheng, seeing this, sighed: “Brother Lu, did you know? A gossip news outlet has been following Ye Qi since his debut for ten years, and they went bankrupt without uncovering anything worth writing about.”

“If their reporters saw this scene, they would definitely put you on the front page, letting you experience the treatment of a gossip protagonist.”

Xiao Lu was completely unaware of the power of gossip media: “It’s just a coat, what could they write about?”

Huang Sansheng: “A lot! For example, ‘Best Actor Ye Qi’s Passionate Night with a Young Musician,’ ‘After a Passionate Night, the Best Actor Wraps His Lover in a Coat,’ ‘Ye Qi’s Passionate Night, He Actually Did That,’ and so on.”

Xiao Lu: “…”

He was almost losing his understanding of the word ‘passionate.’

Ye Qi raised his gaze to look at Huang Sansheng, his handsome face maintaining its usual expressionless demeanor. Under the moonlight, his gaze seemed three points cooler than the night itself.

For some reason, Huang Sansheng felt a chill run down his back.

【Author’s Note】

Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes or provided nourishment from 2021-11-25 18:31:50 to 2021-11-26 17:48:03!

Thanks to the little angel who threw a landmine: Qiuqiu is so cute (●°u°● 1 piece);

Thanks to the little angels who provided nourishment: Cola with Ice~ 97 bottles; Drifting with the Wind 30 bottles; Peach, Forgetting Myself 10 bottles; Dawn’s Fiery Flame 1 bottle;

Thank you all for your support; I will continue to work hard!