Free Web NovelChapter 130: The Same Ghost
Staring at the fireworks splashing across the sky, Xinyuan wondered what Sector one was celebrating. It was probably just some cheap distraction to lighten the suffocating atmosphere hanging over them.
Emphasis on them, because Xinyuan was perfectly fine. "Fine" was a massive understatement for how he felt, if he was being completely honest.
"Are you really just going to stand there and stare at the fireworks?" Wenzhi called out from a few feet ahead.
Xinyuan tore his eyes away from the colorful sky, looking down at his Guide. Wenzhi was bundled up in a heavy coat and a fur hat that covered his ears, his breath fogging in the cold air. His freckled face was pulled into a familiar, scolding expression.
"It’s been a while since I saw them," Xinyuan said, sliding his hands into his pockets. He strolled down the quiet street toward Wenzhi.
Most of the shopkeepers had already closed up, and the rest of the neighborhood had clearly headed down to wherever the main celebration was being hosted.
"It makes me uneasy," Wenzhi muttered as Xinyuan stopped in front of him. They both looked up at the flashing sky for a brief second. "Should we go check it out?"
Xinyuan looked at him. "No. I’m not that curious."
He didn’t want anything ruining their peace. It had been hard-fought, and they had managed to stretch it out for two whole weeks by strictly limiting their contact to Chenxi and Mo Heyun.
Mo Heyun had been feeding Wenzhi everything happening inside the faction, and so far, nothing was drastic or unsolvable, despite the quiet divide forming in the ranks.
Wenzhi gave him a knowing look and handed over the bag of packaged food they’d picked up for the night. "I’m hungry, Xinyuan."
"I know."
Xinyuan grabbed Wenzhi’s wrist, entirely ignoring the food bag. A sudden lash of dark mist burst from his skin, wrapping around them both in a tight cocoon. In a second, they dropped right back into their house.
But the air inside the entryway was instantly wrong. It was heavy with an unexpected presence that put Xinyuan on immediate alert.
Wenzhi snapped his head toward the sitting room, his hand blurring as he pulled a gun straight from his pocket.
As they cautiously stepped into the sitting room, Xinyuan instantly tightened his grip on Wenzhi’s wrist.
Instead of an ambush, they found Kaiwen lounging in an armchair while Duan Ze lay stretched out on the couch, his head resting comfortably in Kaiwen’s lap. Across from them sat Fu Muhan, staring coldly at a tied-up figure slumped in a chair, a rough sackcloth pulled over their head.
Xinyuan blinked, the tension draining out of him. "Oh."
Wenzhi didn’t drop his gun just yet, keeping it leveled at the group. "How the hell are you guys here?"
Duan Ze immediately pushed himself upright, while Kaiwen looked up with a thoroughly disappointed expression. "I can’t believe that’s the first thing out of your mouth, Boss. We haven’t seen each other in weeks."
"And you decided to make yourselves completely at home," Xinyuan countered. He stepped past Wenzhi, taking the bag of takeout with him as he walked over toward Kaiwen, while Wenzhi finally lowered his gun.
"You look fine," Wenzhi said to his friend. A heavy wave of relief washed over him, making him feel like a bit of an asshole.
"So do you," Duan Ze said, letting out a breath. He walked quickly over to Wenzhi, his eyes scanning him. "Kaiwen told us you were taken by the Old Blood. But when the world didn’t completely implode, we figured Xinyuan had rescued you."
Wenzhi gave him a small smile. "What happened to you guys? And where is Ru Yi?"
Wenzhi studied him closely. Frankly, after receiving those anonymous texts threatening their lives, he had half-expected Duan Ze to be... angry?
But Duan Ze just looked genuinely glad to see him, that familiar boyish smile back on his face. There was no lingering hostility or resentment. They all had their own separate lives to protect after all, and Duan Ze had an equally powerful Esper who clearly worshiped the ground he walked on.
"Well," Duan Ze started, glancing back at Kaiwen.
Kaiwen just smiled back at him, while Fu Muhan shifted his gaze down toward the captive. The tied-up figure remained completely unmoving, clearly knocked unconscious.
"After we hit the rift site, Hanmei and I were heading out to handle our tasks when we got hit," Fu Muhan explained, his expression hardening. "Dosed with sedatives. When we woke up, Duan Ze and Ru Yi were already locked in with us."
"Right after Kaiwen left, Ru Yi and I were just resting in the tent when they gassed the place," Duan Ze added. "We woke up right next to Fu Muhan and Hanmei. Truthfully, it’s a miracle we missed that blast..."
He cut himself off. That blast had killed Fu Muhan’s guide, Yifan. The Esper’s posture went completely rigid, his eyes turning cold and dead.
"So you all got snatched by the same ghost?" Wenzhi asked. He kept the text messages to himself for now; he wanted to know exactly who was sitting in that chair first.
"He wore a distortion mask and used a voice modulator, but he was definitely a guy. And a guide," Duan Ze said. Wenzhi raised an eyebrow, quietly impressed by his friend’s observation.
"Do you think he was working for Old Blood?" Xinyuan asked.
Kaiwen shook his head. "No clue. But this piece of shit," he nodded toward the tied-up figure, "isn’t the mastermind. Right, Ze’er?"
He looked at Duan Ze, who stepped closer to the unconscious prisoner. "No, he’s not even a guide. His build is completely wrong, and even with a modulator, the speech patterns don’t fit. Whoever that guide was, he must have known Kaiwen was right behind him and left this decoy to buy time."
"Where are Ru Yi and Hanmei now?" Wenzhi asked. "Yuzhen and Zhiyao went with you, right?"
"Yeah, Yuzhen took them to a high-end spa to decompress," Kaiwen said with a slight, amused smile. "But if you ask me, he just wanted a free pass to get a massage himself."
"Well, let’s see what you guys dragged in," Wenzhi said, turning to the chair.
