he

Having not consumed water for a long time, Shi Youchen's throat felt dry and itchy, as if ants were gnawing at his blood vessels. He swallowed and said, "I can guarantee the safety of myself and everyone present that there is no falsehood in what happened to Mr. Lu."

Jiang Da glanced at him twice, then walked towards the deepest part. He dragged Wuyan and Lan out of the half-covered dark cave and casually threw them next to Lusha. He said firmly, "I have known him for decades. No one knows him better than me. It is impossible for him to have any emotional entanglement with other women."

Shi Youchen grasped the key message in Jiang Da's words and asked, "Maybe, you can take a look at this?" He opened the previously preserved photo of the black-robed woman and the district-wide notice regarding the resolution of the mental invasion incident in District 10. Although there were no frontal photos of the two people, Shi Youchen's number and name were of course recorded in the content.

Jiang Da knew the association's announcement couldn't be faked; it was sufficient proof that Shi Youchen had indeed participated in the District 10 mission, corroborating his previous testimony. When he saw the photo, his eyes betrayed his astonishment. "Who is she?" Jiang Da asked excitedly.

Shi Youchen explained, "She's the fugitive from the 'psychic invasion' that's been causing unrest in District 10 in recent years. I've observed her closely, and you've seen that her face has undergone plastic surgery. She bears an 80% resemblance to Lu Shen. Combined with her confession before her death, I reasonably suspect she and Lu Shen were emotionally involved."

Jiang Da began to slump around Wuyan's feet, muttering, "Impossible! He can do that for his wife and children, so how could he still be hooking up with other women in District 10?" Shi Youchen then asked, "How is he treating his wife and children?"

Jiang Da took a deep breath. "He protected them very well. Even I haven't seen him, but I know his son was born in 150. He has been working hard to take on difficult missions in order to exchange points for universal currency."

"It's not easy to hide the traces of two living people, not to mention he has to deal with the pressure from his family."

It seems that Lu Shen was really short of money at that time, and Shi Youchen secretly complained.

Jiang Da continued: "That year in the cliff cave..." He fell into a brief memory.

A strange aura in the cliff cave suppressed everyone's energy generation. The ground shook and rubble collapsed. Before Jiang Da lost consciousness, he heard Lu Shen, who was also buried beside him, whispering: "Please protect them...safe and sound..."

"I later tried to find his wife and children, but there was still no news. Perhaps they are already living a stable life somewhere." Jiang Da clenched his fists. "So, I won't believe anything about this woman and him."

Shi Youchen wanted to ask something else, but he was worried about angering Jiang Da. After all, he could even forsake his family now, so it wasn't surprising what he would do. So he could only continue with the topic: "Then at least we can confirm that his wife and children are ordinary people and not psychics." Jiang Da muttered sullenly, "Otherwise, he won't be able to escape the Association's scrutiny."

"In that case, perhaps this woman is just driven by some one-sided obsession. After all, she can commit crimes so frequently without any scruples." Shi Youchen said this, but he didn't really think so in his heart. He only did so to appease Jiang Da, who was emotionally unstable.

As expected, Jiang Da decisively agreed with this view and said, "I failed to restore their reputation because I underestimated those hypocritical guys, but in my heart, A Shen will always be that kind and upright person." He seemed to have some reservations and said, "I can let you go today, but only if you go and clear his name for me."

No one knew what had happened between them that had led Jiang Da to be so obsessed with Lu Shen's reputation. But given the current situation, Shi Youchen had no right to refuse, so he could only say, "Thank you for letting me go. I'll do my best to take care of Lu Shen's matter." After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke, "Uncle Song entrusted me with finding your whereabouts and gave me something. Since you don't plan on returning to see them, at least accept it."

Jiang Da's expression changed, but he didn't refuse. So Shi Youchen reached into the inner bag and said, "The old lady is doing well and in good health now," as he walked towards Jiang Da.

When Jiang Da heard about his mother's condition, a trace of emotion finally flashed in his eyes.

At that moment, Shi Youchen aimed at his neck and fired the pre-installed anesthetic needle. The drug spread rapidly, and Jiang Da, realizing he had been tricked, suddenly knelt down and fell heavily to the ground, losing consciousness before he could even finish Shi Youchen's words.

"I'm sorry, but I can't just watch them being killed or taken away by you." Shi Youchen apologized.

He stood there pondering for a long moment. Judging from the conversation between Jiang Da and the woman, as well as the footage he'd seen on the road, it was likely that the others had taken He Xian and left first. The Area 9 base had been destroyed, with heavy casualties and so many people lying here, it was impossible for him to escape.

The only way now is to move the others to a safer place before Jiang Da and Wu Yan wake up, and then wait for support from headquarters or other divisions.

Because the base was destroyed, all supernatural communications in the entire area were cut off. He could not receive any new information and could not contact anyone else. He could only rely on himself.

Without further ado, Shi Youchen turned around and left the cliff cave after making a rough conclusion in his mind.

...

As dusk fell, in the southwest corner of the southernmost village of District 9, a white, modified, extended mission vehicle was parked in the shadows behind a dilapidated, earth-gray, two-story, self-built house with patches of paint peeling off. Neither the driver nor the passenger seat was occupied, but a closer look through the front window revealed that the back seats had been stowed, as if a heavy load had been placed inside.

From the outside, the house looked only slightly worn, but the doors and windows were still intact. Shi Youchen sat leaning against the concrete wall, munching on some biscuits and water he'd scavenged from the car, and once again surveyed the empty interior.

A few hours ago, while it was still light, he'd rushed back to where Lan had parked the car, pulled the controls from behind a tree, and driven as quickly and smoothly as possible to the cliff cave. With the help of an adrenaline shot, he loaded the thirteen members of the task force and Lan into the back seat of the car. Stubbornly enduring the dizziness and tinnitus, he descended the mountain, detoured to the most secluded corner of the village, and luckily found an uninhabited house.

He was climbing up to the second floor, holding onto the wall, when the adverse effects of the overdose set in. The intense pain in his head instantly cost him his strength, and his knee slammed against the stairwell, leaving a hot, swollen area.

He stumbled to a window with a wide view and leaned down. After the dizziness and nausea subsided a little, he tried to treat his injured knee. However, while the redness had subsided, the swelling remained. He felt excruciating pain every time he stood up and moved. "Guess I'll just have to let them rest in the car," Shi Youchen thought as he carefully turned on the car's ventilation system before entering the house.

Everyone inside and outside the house had their eyes closed, each for different reasons. After an unknown amount of time, Shi Youchen inside the house opened his eyes and found it was completely dark.

He left Wuyan and Jiangda in the cave and ran here with the others. However, the distance was not too far and they could still be discovered if someone tried to catch up. Moreover, so much time had passed and the anesthesia and hypnosis were probably about to wear off.

"I can't just sit there and wait like this any longer." After Shi Youchen failed to connect the call again, he looked at the screen with a bad feeling. "But what can I do? Should I rush back to the association base with a car full of unconscious people whose condition is unknown?"

The groggy feeling returned, and he closed his eyes to catch his breath when he suddenly heard the subtle creak of a door opening. He paused mid-inhale, glancing intently out the window. There were no signs of vehicles or people, just a deserted space.

Then it can only be coming from the back!

The clatter of his heels echoed throughout the empty house. Shi Youchen knelt on his right leg and half-crouched with his left, gripping his only weapon tightly and aiming the muzzle at the only stairwell.

"Is anyone upstairs?" It was Lan's voice. "Are you upstairs?"

Shi Youchen exhaled the breath that had been stagnant for a long time and was about to answer when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Lan was clearly wearing flat shoes today, how could she make such a noise when she walked?

The air froze once again. His limbs felt heavy as if they were filled with lead, yet he dared not move an inch. "Haha, I know you're here," the person downstairs continued, clattering toward the stairs. The moonlight filtering in from the window cast a shadow on the concrete wall—short hair, indeed, not Lan.

The shadow inched upwards, seemingly moving deliberately slowly. The "da" and "da" sounds didn't seem to hit the ground, but rather hit Shi Youchen's chest. When half of its body was visible on the wall, it stopped.

"?" Shi Youchen stared at that place and didn't dare to relax. Half a minute, one minute, three minutes...it really didn't move anymore.

Shi Youchen endured the pain in his knee, knelt down on his left leg, and took a step forward on his knees, adjusting to a position with a more tricky angle. There was a glass window on his side, and the mission vehicle was right below him.

"Shua—" The sound of something breaking through the air, the sound of a window breaking, and the hissing sound of mist erupting rang out one after another. He realized that something was wrong and tried to prop himself up and jump out the window. In an instant, the stabbing pain in his legs and the subsequent numbness dragged him back to the ground.

The shadow was completely reflected on the wall on the second floor, and the moonlight poured down on Wuyan. He looked dimly at Shi Youchen who was kneeling on the ground, typed something on the screen, and then a voice exactly the same as Lan's came from the platinum bracelet on his wrist: "I'm returning this needle to you. Since you didn't take my life, I'll spare you this time. Just sleep here and then go back." He then put on the mask, turned around and went downstairs.

Shi Youchen lay on his side on the ground with his legs curled up. Under the dual effects of inhalation and injection anesthesia, his already exhausted body could no longer withstand it and he fell into a deep sleep.

...

"There is dust..."

who?

"There is dust..."

Who is it? Who is calling me?

"Shi Youchen!! Wake up!"

The person being called had his feather-like long eyelashes trembling slightly, and with a frown on his face, he opened his eyes briefly like a shot in an old movie.

Ying Yungui's mouth opened and closed as he spoke non-stop. Sometimes he felt dazzled by the dust, so he raised his right hand and covered it with his cold fingertips.

"!" There was surprise, worry, slight anger, and... embarrassment and shyness in the purple eyes. All of these fell into Shi Youchen's eyes. He had never seen Ying Yungui like this, and he hadn't seen such a lively Ying Yungui for a long time.

The lips that had just been chattering, unaware that the other person hadn't heard a word, pursed their lips slightly, their beads brushing against the covered fingertips. A moment later, a warm, broad hand carefully grasped Shi Youchen's right hand, as if it were a treasure, and pulled it away from his lips, placing it on his lap.

"I'm glad you're awake." He had just woken up, and the low voice lingered in his ears.