As soon as his fingertips touched Han Li's cheek, Chen Kong instantly realized that something was wrong.

The skin of the tentacles was scorching hot, and the breath under the palms was as hot as magma, ironing his palms.

He frowned, looked at Han Li who was pressed against the wall in the dark, and asked in a very low voice: "Do you have a fever?"

Han Li shook his head slightly, his delicate and hot cheek rubbing against Chen Kong's palm, but he still said vaguely in a stubborn tone:

"…I'm fine."

Considering Han Li's performance just now, Shen Kong couldn't help but worry - maybe he was a little crazy due to fever?

At this moment, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps outside the door, knocking on the hard and smooth ground, coming from not far away and coming through the crack in the door.

Shen Kong's attention was drawn to it.

He subconsciously pressed his palm down a little harder, and habitually twisted and pushed his knees, nailing the restless body under his palm to the wall.

Han Li's whole body stiffened.

Chen Kong was unaware of anything and just stared intently at the crack in the door through which the faint light came. His deliberately low voice revealed an unquestionable tone:

"Don't move."

Han Li didn't move.

The enclosed space was dark and quiet, with only a little light coming in through a narrow crack in the door, casting a hazy glow.

His eyes were burned exceptionally bright by his body temperature, shining like stars in the darkness, with a compelling light burning in the bottom of his eyes. He stared at the blurry profile of the young man on his body, not knowing what he was thinking.

Han Li blinked slowly and asked in a low voice:

"Who's that outside?"

Chen Kong laughed hoarsely, and the vibration of his chest was transmitted along the two bodies pressed tightly together, causing Han Li's heart to tremble slightly:

"My dad."

Han Li was stunned for a moment, and a trace of clarity flashed in his chaotic eyes. He remembered that he once sent someone to investigate Cheng Chen's father. A clue that was ignored at that time shone clearly in the depths of his memory.

Suddenly, without warning, the tormenting hallucinations came back along with the headache.

He suddenly closed his eyes and clenched his teeth tightly, trying to resist the images surging in his subconscious mind.

The lightless night, the reflective muzzle of a gun, the falling, shattered leg bones.

All the images were suddenly distorted by the high fever and pain. All the things that had happened and had not happened seemed to be mixed into a blur, rushing through Han Li's sometimes blurry and sometimes clear brain, torturing his fragile and tense nerves, and quickly eating away at his already limited remaining lucidity, causing him to fall into a semi-conscious state again almost instantly.

Chen Kong suddenly felt the body next to him tremble violently, as if all the muscles in the body suddenly tensed up, and then a pair of hot hands slowly climbed up his waist and then clasped them tightly.

Only then did he suddenly realize that the distance between them had shrunk to almost zero, with their shoulders against each other and their chests against each other.

The high body temperature almost burned through the clothes, spreading between the fabrics.

The footsteps outside the door were no longer hurried and dense. Although faint echoes could still be heard, it was obvious that they had basically gone far away.

Chen Kong carefully released the hand that was covering Han Li's mouth and nose, then slowly stepped back, trying to increase the distance between the two of them without leaving a trace, but was stopped by the hand tightly clasped around his waist.

Han Li closed his eyes tightly, his drooping eyelashes trembling slightly, and he squeezed out broken words from between his teeth, mumbling vaguely:

“…Don’t, don’t go.”

Chen Kong couldn't help but pause for a moment, and his mind couldn't help but recall the scene at the last moment when little Han Li, who was unconscious due to fever after the operation, grabbed his clothes tightly and refused to let go.

——Sure enough, no matter how old you get, this hasn’t changed.

But Chen Kong couldn't help but feel troubled at the same time. You know, he could tear off the corner of his clothes last time, but he couldn't cut off Han Li's arm this time.

It’s not impossible... but the footsteps outside the door are still lingering, and it’s not good to make too much noise.

You know, this time the opponent is no longer the inexperienced gangster from last time. His current physical condition is not very suitable for fighting. In addition, he has to bring the unconscious Han Li with him as a burden, and a bunch of classmates who know his original self are waiting next door. No matter what he does, he is restricted and has very little room to maneuver.

Han Li, who had already fallen into a state of chaos, had no idea of ​​Shen Kong's complicated mental journey, let alone that he had almost lost both of his arms.

In the darkness, countless broken images were spinning before his eyes, grinning and approaching, and he seemed to have once again become that desperate and helpless ten-year-old child.

Han Li tightened his arms, hugging the cold and flexible body tightly in his arms, as if he was grabbing the only life-saving straw. He pressed his hot forehead against Shen Kong's neck and breathed heavily.

Under the faint pungent smell of tobacco, he smelled a familiar scent in his drowsiness -

It's like pinching the roots of green grass hard, and the clear bitter taste from the green juice seeps into your fingertips.

Han Li's wildly beating heart subconsciously slowed down its rhythm.

——He seemed to be able to hear the steady heartbeat beating rhythmically in the darkness, and his nerves gradually relaxed.

The severe hallucinations and pain just now finally showed signs of disappearing.

Chen Kong keenly felt that the body leaning on him showed signs of relaxation, and he quickly and skillfully broke free from Han Li's arms.

At this moment, the footsteps in the corridor once again wandered from far away to the door, but this time the sound was obviously alone.

Only one person.

That's much easier.

Chen Kong slowly grasped the door handle, opened the door slightly, and watched the shadow gradually approaching on the ground.

His back was slightly arched, showing a state between tension and relaxation, like a leopard ready to pounce, slowly mobilizing all available muscles in his body.

Finally, when the shadow finally reached the estimated position, Shen Kong suddenly opened the door and rushed out, skillfully covering the man's shocked mouth with one hand, and before he could make a sound, he hit his carotid artery skillfully and fiercely with the other hand, causing his brain to be deprived of oxygen instantly and he fell into a coma.

Chen Kong grabbed his falling body and dragged him into the dark room.

The whole process lasted less than a few seconds. He was as fast as a shadow and as quiet as a cat. In the blink of an eye, the corridor was empty.

Han Li leaned against the wall and looked up at him. His red face was illuminated by the light, and his dark eyes were covered with a layer of bright mist. He did not speak, and seemed to be between distracted and awake. Even Chen Kong was not sure whether he was conscious now.

He half-helped and half-dragged Han Li out of the box.

——It’s only a matter of time before the group starts looking for people door to room. It’s no longer safe to stay in this box.

Han Li put one arm around Shen Kong's neck and tried to stand up. His voice was hoarse and weak: "Go to the corridor ahead, turn left and go straight ahead. It's the bodyguard room."

“—I saw it on the way up.”

I don’t know what the reason is, Han Li added.

It was his own idea to have a bodyguard room on each floor, where four to five staff members are usually stationed to prevent unexpected events from occurring.

Chen Kong helped Han Li up and walked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, he found the bodyguard room he mentioned at the end of the left corridor.

But there was no one inside.

Han Li had regained a bit of consciousness at this moment. He let go of Chen Kong and limped forward a few steps. He stared at the empty room and frowned slightly - he had once instructed that there must always be someone in the emergency room, so the situation before him would not be possible, and... he had not seen a single waiter along the way just now.

In addition, PUZZEL's access control is very strict and it is impossible to enter without an appointment.

The conclusion seems to be obvious -

There is a traitor.

While Han Li was thinking, Chen Kong had already taken out the diagram of this floor from the table. He lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then turned to Han Li and said, "Wait for me here and lock the door."

Han Li was startled and subconsciously wanted to stop him, but before he could open his mouth, Shen Kong had already slipped away from the door.

The fingers he half-raised in the air tightened, and there seemed to be some deeply suppressed emotions slowly churning in his dark eyes.

It's always like this.

Staying behind like a burden.

Or being left behind without any regrets.

Whether it was by the family, by blood relatives, or by the then...

Han Li lowered his eyes, limped to the table, grabbed the phone on the table, and dialed a number skillfully.

He now remembered why he had felt that Cheng Chen's father was somewhat familiar.

Before becoming a professional gambler, Cheng Zekang was a well-known broker. After he became addicted to gambling, he began working for casinos to fill his growing financial deficit. The casino he went to most often happened to be in the East District, which was the area that Lin Ziyu had warned him that there might be new players.

It is very likely that when Cheng Chen rescued him from the gangsters in the East District in the rain that day, he attracted the attention of the group of people who were staring at him.

Han Li was not supposed to be here tonight, but he fell asleep on the top floor due to a fever, which delayed him, and he happened to witness what happened on the fourth floor.

Since they were able to penetrate so deeply into PUZZEL's interior and even grasp the timetable and mobilize the connections, it must have taken them a long time to infiltrate carefully and slowly. But why did they suddenly abandon their previous low-key strategy and instead blatantly send people to the fourth floor to look for someone in a high-profile manner? They knew clearly that once they took action, all their previous efforts would most likely be wasted, so why were they so nervous and anxious... ?

The call was connected quickly.

"Who is in charge of the fourth floor tonight?" Han Li asked coldly.

He tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and then ordered: "Control all the relevant people, seal off the floor, and send people up immediately."

The light from above shone down, casting a thin layer of cold light on Han Li's eyes.

Han Li peeled out two aspirin pills that he had brought with him, put them in his mouth and chewed them slowly. The bitter taste spread between his lips and teeth.

——The difference from eight years ago is that he is finally no longer the child who can only wait helplessly in the basement.

He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and subconsciously rubbed his left palm.

I could still feel the cool touch of the skin in my palms, with the lingering tension and trembling of youth.

Han Li felt a strange feeling rising from the bottom of his heart, stirring up a strange and fresh emotion in his mind that was confused by the high fever. He pursed his lips and told himself:

Cheng Chen is too dangerous and unpredictable, with too many unknown mysteries...

You need more contact with him to make sure he poses no threat to you.

The author has something to say: How could I possibly write about such a dangerous plot as taking medicine! Your thoughts are too impure! (Deeply saddened