When Lan Xia returned to Shuji City, the sky was still foggy and not yet bright.

Fallen leaves were floating on the empty streets, and the cool breeze was blowing.

His vision was a little blurry, and he struggled to move forward by holding on to the wall on the side of the street. His steps were very weak, his breathing was rapid and his breath was hot.

The optical computer on my wrist was still popping up messages, each one shorter than the last, and there were still many missed calls.

【Alger requests communication.】

[Unreachable message: Teacher, where are you now? We have returned to Xiguang. Are you in any trouble?]

【Jin Daixi requests communication.】

[Unreachable message: Teacher? Please reply to a message. We are very worried about you. My brother said that many forces are looking for your whereabouts. Their purposes are complicated. Teacher, please be careful.]

【Shoubing requests communication.】

[Unanswered message: Sir, Alger has sent someone out to look for you. I am also in the team. Where are you?]

【……】

Lan Xia seemed to have heard nothing.

He could no longer see the words that popped up on the computer, nor could he feel the slight vibration of the computer. He could only hear the uncontrollable breathing in his chest.

The slender fingers pressed against the abdomen, causing wrinkles on the shirt.

Lan Xia was sweating profusely.

The kick was so hard that I don’t know how badly it hurt.

He was belatedly aware of the slow but sharp pain that surged up from his stomach, and a chill that felt like a block of ice had fallen on him. He could even clearly feel that his stomach was twitching and convulsing under his palms, and all his internal organs were squeezed into a ball.

Unlike the pain you feel when you're injured, this feeling is like it drains all your strength.

After enduring this period, Lan Xia's vision became clearer and he recognized the direction of the dawn light. He calmed himself and continued walking forward.

"... Beat you to death, you little bastard!"

"How dare you bite me? You're looking for death!"

"Beat him to death! Go ahead. It's normal for someone to die here. Beat him!"

There are also the childish cries of children.

There was a noisy sound coming faintly from the alley ahead. Lan Xia couldn't hear it clearly, so she paused and tilted her ear slightly.

After a moment, he frowned slightly and quickened his pace.

…

In the alley.

A little boy about five or six years old was curled up in the innermost corner.

Seven or eight burly thugs were punching and kicking him, swearing at him. The harder they beat him, the louder the little boy cried for help.

But if you look closely, these punches and kicks didn't really land anywhere. The strong men surrounding and beating him all had empty eyes, and their movements were undetectable and stiff.

The little boy cried miserably, but his eyes were bright and his dark pupils hid some expectation.

Lian Yao was controlling these strong mechanical puppets while pretending to cry.

After he left the chaotic magnetic area, he took off his gray robe. Gray River's information network was very complete. It didn't take long for him to find out most of the information about the two little ghosts related to the mysterious S-level evolver. They were in Rat Ridge City.

He is also an important member of a small organization called Xiguang.

They called the mysterious S-class evolver "Mr." and "Teacher," which showed that they had a close relationship with him. There was a 90% chance that he was also in the Xiguang organization.

According to the information collected, after Xiguang took over this area, he often sent people out for morning and evening patrols, helping many bullied elderly, weak, women and children...

If he is lucky, he can try to scam people today. If he is unlucky, he will try to scam people for a few more days. Sooner or later, he will meet Xi Guang’s people.

Lian Yao collected her thoughts and concentrated on crying even harder. She wore an inconspicuous ring on the middle finger of her right hand. The faster she shook her middle finger, the heavier the blows from these strong men would be.

Maybe he was lucky, because not long after he was "beaten", he heard a low and gentle voice -

"…let him go."

As soon as the strong men stopped beating people, Lian Yao quickly raised his head to look at the people who came, and was stunned on the spot, and then he was ecstatic.

At the entrance of the alley stood a figure with his back to the morning light.

Isn't this the S-rank boss?!

What luck he has!

Lian Yao immediately pretended to be frightened and huddled into a corner, wrapped in gray clothes, looking a tiny ball and very pitiful.

As soon as he moved his fingertips, those scoundrels immediately pushed forward, cursing: "Who are you, meddling in my business? Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Yes, yes, do you understand the rules..."

"I said where are you from?!"

"Speak..."

No one replied.

Lan Xia walked forward step by step.

He kept looking at the small curled-up shadow in the corner, not paying any attention to anything else.

The strong men looked at each other, at a loss for words, but still hesitated to take action, and even made way for him to pass.

Lian Yao was worried. This scene was not what he had imagined. Normally, the big guy would come down from the sky and beat the villain who bullied the weak. Then he would pretend to be unconscious and be taken away by the big guy. He would successfully enter Xiguang and try his best to make a fool of himself and stay? !

The problem is that he doesn't dare to let these mechanical puppets really attack the boss.

Could it be that he was discovered?

While he was daydreaming, he suddenly felt a warmth on his back.

Lian Yao was stunned.

The young man leaned down very gently and held him in his arms. The embrace was so warm that it was a little scalding, and there was an almost imperceptible fragrance on his shirt.

The wide windbreaker almost completely wrapped him up, with one hand protecting his head and the other around his chest. He was firmly and safely protected, and even his vision was plunged into a gentle darkness.

…

An indescribable sense of peace.

It seemed as if everything around me suddenly became quiet.

This kind of warmth is really irresistible.

Those strong men were out of control for a moment and stood there in a daze, with their eyes moving around in a weird way.

“…Don’t be afraid.”

Lian Yao heard him say, "Brother is back."

It is low and gentle like a breeze, yet it is like the most eternal oath.

"...Brother...will always protect you."

The voice was so gentle that it was seductive. Lian Yao finally came back to his senses and frowned. Even a dumb person could tell that there was something wrong with Lan Xia's current condition.

He wondered what was going on with Xiguang's group. Even if they were S-level evolvers, they couldn't let him wander around alone... Or maybe he kidnapped him? Taking him to Huihe seemed like a good idea.

Before he could put his idea into practice, his ears were covered and the young man carefully pressed his head to his chest.

The sound of heartbeat passes through the chest and ear canal, ringing again and again, bringing peace and calm to the heart.

"It will be fine in a moment."

He whispered.

A layer of light purple halo suddenly appeared on the ground and spread rapidly around like ripples!

The surrounding walls could not bear this powerful energy and made a sound as if they were overwhelmed.

Crack--

Click!

The wall exploded!

In almost an instant, the ripples turned into a purple hurricane, containing extremely terrifying energy. It rushed forward aimlessly, roaring and raging, and strangled the mechanical puppets into powder.

The surroundings were in a mess, with cracks in the walls spreading like spider webs. Except for the small area where they were, the rest of the ground had sunk a foot deep.

When the wind blows, the dust disappears and the ground becomes clean.

…

All was silent.

Lian Yao's pupils shrank slightly, his body stiffened, he forgot to breathe, but his heartbeat was faster than ever. The ring on his middle finger that he used to control the mechanical puppet also silently turned into powder.

Admiring the strong seems to be human instinct.

No one can remain calm in the face of absolutely powerful force.

Tick.

Tick-tock.

Suddenly, a blood flower appeared on the ground, and then another one fell down, and the enchanting red quickly spread on the gray and white tiles.

Lian Yao panicked: "Hello... Mr., er, sir? This gentleman?"

He struggled hurriedly, "Are you injured? Why are you bleeding so much?! Let me go, let me go and let me show you..."

Although these arms looked thin, no one knew where the strength came from, but they protected him so well that he couldn't get away no matter what.

The little boy's struggling and anxious voice vaguely awakened Lan Xia's ability to think.

He lowered his head slightly, and in a trance, he seemed to see what happened sixteen years ago.

[“Please don’t hit my brother, Arnold, please!”

The little boy's eyes were red from crying, and he was protected by his taller brother. A group of teenage kids around him were punching and kicking them.

"I was wrong, brother. I will never steal their bread again. If Arnold doesn't act like a bad boy, I will give it back to you. Please don't hit my brother..."

A priest was humming a hymn, the white pigeons in the church could not fly to this place where the sun did not shine, and the wind brought a piece of purple incomplete petals.

Everyone passed by silently, watching indifferently, except for a thin little boy who was crying heartbreakingly.

"You hit me, my brother just had his blood drawn, Arnold kowtows to you!"

……]

That was the only time Arnold did something bad. He stole the bread to fill his stomach, but it was eventually stained with blood, trampled into crumbs, and pecked by the captive white pigeons.

Arnold was struggling just like he is now. Lan Xia tried to recall for a moment and finally remembered what he had said at that time.

He gathered his strength and smiled.

"Don't make trouble...Brother...it hurts a little."

The child in her arms calmed down, his back stiff and straight, not daring to move at all.

Even Yao Da didn't dare to breathe. He felt that since the energy burst just now, Lan Xia's body temperature had been dropping at a frightening rate, and her heartbeat had become weaker and slower.

The sound of blood dripping in my ears was dull and boring, but it was infinitely amplified in my ears. It turns out that this is what it feels like to feel the passing of life bit by bit at close range.

For the first time, his brain was a mess.

Lan Xia closed her eyes and said, "It was my brother who lost you and couldn't find you..."

The voice was extremely light, and it seemed to have traveled through many years, revealing a despair so thick that it could not be dissolved, making people feel sad for no reason.

Somehow, Lian Yao's heart seemed to be pinched by someone, and his voice became a little hoarse: "Can you please stop talking? Let me go, I'll find someone to save you."

"I'm not your brother, you got the wrong person!"

This child's body was too easily affected by emotions. Tears were already welling up in his eyes. Lian Yao, with his soft and cute face, looked cold and fierce. His eyes were red and he was gradually becoming irritable.

"You'll die if you don't let go, do you know that?!"

"Blood! You're spitting blood, can't you see it?"

"Please let me go, you will really die! Hey!"

"Come here, is there anyone?!"

Despite such a big commotion, there is no one here. People living outside Rat Ridge City are the most cautious and self-protective people, and they are probably all hiding now.

The temperature behind him was getting colder and colder. Just when Lian Yao was about to scream in despair, Lan Xia's computer suddenly lit up -

【Shou Bing: Communication application.】

Lian Yao's eyes lit up, and at the last second before the call was hung up, he exerted all his strength, pulled Lan Xia's finger and tapped it.

The moment the call was connected, the tear glands in the child's body collapsed first. Lian Yao let the tears flow down his face with an expressionless face. His voice became hoarse and he could hardly shout.

"Come quickly! Help him! He is dying..."

——

Ardejin Daiqi, Shoubing and their men arrived almost one after the other.

After arriving, everyone fell silent.

There was a destroyed surface in front of me, and the only intact place was two figures.

A child of about five or six years old, with tears all over his face, stuck his head out from the young man's arm and said in a hoarse voice, "Hurry up and save him!"

A small patch of dark grey ground was soaked with blood, but the young man's arms were clean, hiding a little warmth as he protected a child.

Alger's pupils shrank: "Teacher!"

Jin Daixi: "Brother! Brother Bing! Come on!"

Shoubing's limbs felt a little numb. When he reached out to separate Lan Xia's arms, he found that his hands were shaking.

"No, it's too tight!" Jin Daiqiao tried, sweating profusely, "If you force it open, it will hurt the teacher! Do you have any solution?"

The muscles under the palms were extremely tight, and the result of forceful pulling was definitely not what they wanted.

Arge took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down: "If it really doesn't work, let's just move out together!"

"Wait a minute, let me try," Lian Yao said softly, tentatively in Lan Xia's ear, "...Brother, we are safe, please let me go."

Jin Daixi: "Little friend, please don't add..."

Before she finished her words, she saw Lan Xia really relax a little bit, and then fell backwards, as if she was finally relieved, with a slight smile on the corner of her mouth.

"teacher!"

Jin Daiqiao didn't care about being surprised, and quickly caught the person. Together with Shou Bing, they helped him into the car, and without wasting a moment, they returned to Xiguang at full speed.

Alger is left to deal with the aftermath.

Lian Yao sat on the cold ground, not understanding why things had turned out like this.

He originally just wanted to... make a fortune, so he relied on Xiguang first.

Alger walked in with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, squatted in front of Lian Yao, and tried to make his voice sound gentle: "Hello, don't be afraid, little boy, can you tell me what happened?"

Lian Yao lowered his head and stammered, "I... I have no parents, I came here as a wanderer, and was surrounded and beaten by a few thugs. Then he suddenly appeared and protected me. I don't know how this happened."

"No matter how I called him, he wouldn't let go, as if he thought I was his brother... Someone just happened to call him, so I..."

As a younger brother...

Alger's eyebrows tightened: "Anything else?"

Even the demon shook his head.

"Where are those thugs?"

Although this place is on the periphery and extremely remote, the bricks on the ground are extremely hard. However, to break them into their current state, with the surrounding ground even sinking one foot into the ground, a lot of energy must be required.

What kind of thug could make the teacher do this?

The child in front of him didn't say anything for a long time. He just looked at the dust around him. After a while, he murmured, "...All of them."

Alger was shocked and stood up and looked around.

The morning light was just rising, the mist was slightly chilly, and the streets in the distance were deserted and filled with shades of gray.

There was fine dust, blown up by the wind.

Everything is silent.