Chapter 88
The hilltop was not far away, and the quiet, dark woods had the damp chill of an autumn or winter evening. This rain had come at an even worse time, and the dampness made it difficult to lift one's feet from the mud.
An hour was enough time for them to be soaked and unable to tell the way forward. Xiang Mingqi wiped the rain from his face with his sleeve, unzipped his shirt, and glanced down at Zhuangzhuang, who was huddled in his clothes to avoid the rain. Half of the cat's body was exposed, its wet fur sticking up everywhere, and it looked at them pitifully.
"Enough, you big fat guy. Look at you, you have so much flesh that even under my clothes you can't hide your big butt. Is your fur wet?" Xiang Mingqi gave it a Mohawk hairstyle. "It's no use pretending to be pitiful with me. It's your fault for not paying attention to body management. You are the fattest among us now."
"The signal's gone." Pei Huai pressed down the headset and switched channels back and forth. His tone sounded very calm.
"Maybe it's because of the rain? There's no signal up high. Maybe we can just wait until we get over there."
"wrong."
"It's on Baidu Encyclopedia. If you don't believe me, just look it up."
Suddenly, he felt the chest against his back tense up, and the other person's right arm moved towards his calf: "...keep your body down."
Pei Huai's instructions were concise and to the point. He followed them nervously, tensing his calf muscles from the inside out, slowing down his squat until his senior's feet touched the ground.
Just as he was steadying himself, a short burst of gunfire erupted from the branches to the northwest. Pei Huai seized the opportunity, elbowing Xiang Mingqi to the side. As the bullet dodged, he drew his gun with one hand, aimed at the source, and fired without missing a beat. But surprisingly, given his exceptional reaction speed and the unwavering control of his arm muscles, the shot still missed.
"Awesome." He heard a cold sneer from the nine o'clock direction.
A well-timed headshot was dodged. Pei Huai pulled the trigger, lowering his right arm to avoid wasting bullets. He raised his eyelashes and looked over there warily.
"In the absence of visible light and night vision equipment, you shot ten bullets in a row relying only on hearing. You have improved a lot compared to before." Under the long windbreaker, a slender figure carried a rifle on one shoulder, pushed aside the branches, and walked out of the dark woods in a dashing and elegant manner.
His appearance hadn't changed much. The only difference was that ten years had left a mature charm on his face, which had obvious mixed-race features.
It was like a father who had found his son, his eyes full of doting.
——Isaac.
"Ahuai, don't you want to say something to Dad?"
Pei Huai had nothing to say to him. He leaned down, closing the gap and firing rapidly. Isaac took interest in his resistance, unafraid of the ballistic threat, using the forested terrain to his advantage to scurry and close. Pei Huai shifted his hand and raised his gun, his eyes flicking only to his left, as if anticipating the moment he raised his arm, the muzzle of the gun instantly pointed at his head.
But with a flick of the knife, the pistol was knocked away by the heavy handle. Isaac approached before him, and the two were only an elbow apart.
"After all these years, you're still reluctant to call me?"
Pei Huai hastily wiped the water from the top of his nose and did not answer.
"Look at you, your clothes are all soaked. Just put down your weapon and I'll wipe your hair with a dry towel like we used to. It would be a shame if you get sick."
Knowing that he couldn't get close to the two men, Xiang Mingqi picked up the pistol on the ground without anyone noticing, exchanged a glance with his senior, and waited for an opportunity to aim.
But he didn't have that chance, because the back of his head suddenly felt the piercing texture of a gun barrel.
A voice came from behind with disgust.
"Don't be impatient, brother. I still have a score to settle between you and me."
-
Pei Huai looked at him, his eyes piercing through his wet eyelashes. The man didn't move, the smile at the corners of his eyes and mouth even a little complicated.
Suddenly, Pei Huai realized that everything between them was clear and vivid, imprinted on every sunny day. It was the smell of the sun and hay that he would recall when he was close.
It is the memory of father and son.
On a summer day he had almost forgotten, Isaac lifted his arm and told him to raise it high, saying, "You need to be steady when dealing with your target, and calm your mind. And your legs are like lambs. I turned around and kicked them and they fell down."
He thrust his knee into the child's tense knee. Pei Huai lost his balance and fell forward, about to fall flat on his face. Fortunately, Isaac's arm blocked the attack in time, and he lifted him up by the waist, hugging his swollen ribs and coaxing him: "Okay, okay, it was my hard kick that almost made you fall. It's my fault, it's just a joke. Ah Huai, remember, no one will spoil you like I do in real combat."
He touched the child's hand, unfolded it, and examined it carefully. "Also, don't grip the knife so hard next time. Look, your palm is red. Calluses aren't a good thing."
"Why."
"When you deal with people in the future, you can't rely on strength. It's too damaging to your arm bones. You have to get used to the claw knife techniques I taught you. Although it's difficult, it will suit you." He pulled the helpless Pei Huai to a chair and sat down side by side. He took out a tube of pink and yellow packaging from his coat pocket and unscrewed the cap. "Seto gave it to me, the girl from Japan before. Here, she said it's hand cream. Try applying it."
He squeezed nearly half of the tube into Pei Huai's palm, drawing the child's surprised gaze. Isaac raised his chin towards him, oblivious. "What's wrong? Why are you still stretching your hand out? Are you going to do this for me too?"
After wiping his wrist two or three times, Pei Huai looked at his palm, which was still frighteningly white, and looked up at him. His eyes were full of distrust.
Isaac had no choice but to pull his hands towards him and help rub them together: "It's because your hands are small. I don't think I'm squeezing too much." That afternoon, Isaac spent a long time washing his four waxy white hands in the basin with water, complaining bitterly.
After finally finishing the training, he was afraid of being resentful by Pei Huai, so he waved his hand and canceled the afternoon training. He even generously let the child sit on his lap and eat ice cream.
"How does it taste?" He bit the straps and used his hands alternately to comb Pei Huai's tail into a layered ponytail.
"That's so sweet. But thank you."
Several drops dripped onto Isaac's pants.
"You think this is sweet? Look at you. You had a neutral reaction to the vanilla flavor last time, but the milk flavor was better. Why do you find the strawberry flavor too sweet? You're really nothing like other kids your age. You're so hard to please." Isaac sighed and wiped a small piece of smoothie off his nose with his sleeve. "Where are you going this afternoon if you don't have training?"
Pei Huai ignored him. Judging from his expression, he must be lost in thought.
"Let me calculate what kids your age like to do. Eating at street vendors? That's unhygienic. It will make your hair fall out. Your long hair will just go to waste."
Ignore him.
"Then buy toys? But you don't have a childlike heart and you don't like spending money, so what can you like?"
I still don't want to bother with him.
"...or maybe a date?"
"I won't tell you." Pei Huai jumped off the chair and ran away.
He hadn't really expected that Isaac wouldn't mention Moan to him, treating him as usual, yet he knew everything that happened at the docks and in the dorms. That's right, with his connections, there was nothing that happened in the Bay Area that wouldn't reach his ears.
Should have discovered it earlier.
He should have discovered it the day Isaac was drunk and insisted on dragging him to training.
"Ah Huai." He squatted on the training ground, swallowed the last sip of wine with a gulp, and asked directly, "Will you grow up?"
Pei Huai stood there, not knowing how to answer this question.
"It's okay, it's okay. It's okay if you don't answer. I know that children have to grow up and leave." His fingers stroked from the corner of Pei Huai's eyes to his cheek. He looked at him, his eyes heavier than ever before, "I'm not your father, what can I do?"
He said that and smiled.
But that smile wasn't pretty.
That evening was Pei Huai's last lesson with Isaac. Isaac told him to point the knife at himself, at his heart, or anywhere else that was vital. "Once you find the vital spot, keep a close eye on it. Don't let your guard down, even though you're not very skilled at it right now."
"Like this, after hearing the sound of weapons clashing, go right down."
In the heavy rain, the claw knife and the saber collided in the lower right corner, shaking out sweat.
The battle line stretched from the forest to the riverbank, with no shelter but only the rising water level, which was extremely advantageous for Pei Huai. But against an opponent like Isaac, it was obviously not so easy to gain an advantage. They were familiar with each other's tactics, especially after abandoning their guns, and Isaac was facing the child he had personally raised.
He knew better than anyone how to deal with the claw knife.
The man grasped Pei Huai's right hand holding the knife, relaxed his shoulders and arms, and used his strength to push it against the tree trunk, with their foreheads almost touching.
"You're still the same, trying to kill me for some sea-smelling Indian nobody remembers."
Pei Huai gritted his teeth and did not answer.
He smiled and approached, "But it's time to change your taste in men. Liking you is one thing, that's the premise, but ability, and whether you're compatible are another matter."
Her front teeth bit into the pale flesh of her lips, and her arm muscles struggled against the man's shackles.
"Maybe you don't know it yourself, Ah Huai, but when you hesitate or waver, you always bite your lip. From the day you decided to leave me until now, you always make this expression whenever you see me." Isaac narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Are you sad when someone who loves you kills someone who loves you?"
Pei Huai suddenly broke free and punched him in the face.
Just this, Isaac's fighting spirit was completely aroused. He wiped the blood off his face and mercilessly twisted Pei Huai's wrist. He was confident he could dislocate or even break it. A vein jumped on his forehead. He leaned closer to Pei Huai's face and saw no sign of retreat in those moist eyes.
"Why, Ah Huai." He laughed out loud, but his smile was so dry that nothing was in it. "I'm sincere to you. I treat you better than anyone else. How could you turn against me and threaten to kill me for someone you've only known for a short time?"
"You took away my future. I could convince myself to leave you and live a normal life." Pei Huai stared at the face that belonged to his father, teacher, or enemy, his breathing sounding like sobs. "But now, you're here to take it away for the second time."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com