Free Web NovelChapter 127: Chapter 127: Help Me Take Good Care of Mengyi
The early morning streets.
Police cars sped past one after another.
Members of the public security teams and the Martial Arts Police Station.
All of them patrolled the main streets in squads.
The residents of Xinghai City couldn’t remember the last time they had seen such a suffocatingly tense scene.
The incessant wail of sirens.
It had been echoing throughout Xinghai City since before dawn.
Lin Yi was only startled out of his Star River state when his alarm clock went off.
He hurried to the window and glanced down.
Red and blue police lights illuminated the entire complex.
Public security team members wearing red armbands patrolled the grounds.
The complex’s own security guards were also making their rounds, fully equipped with batons and riot shields.
"What’s going on?"
Looking down at the scene of heavy security,
Lin Yi was baffled.
’How has the entire city gotten so tense overnight?’
The moment he finished using the bathroom and stepped out of his bedroom,
he noticed that Tang Qinru still hadn’t come back.
He immediately picked up his phone and called Tang Qinru.
"I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later..."
Hearing the cold, emotionless automated voice,
Lin Yi’s expression grew increasingly grave.
A single night had passed, and it felt as if the city had become unrecognizable to Lin Yi, utterly alien.
...
...
Xinghai City.
Martial Arts Police Station Operations Command Center.
Inside the conference room, aside from the old man representing the Martial Arts Alliance,
several captains from the Demon Hunting Bureau were also present.
This included some of Xinghai City’s leaders, as well as the newly arrived captains of the Tiger Guard and Golden Robe Guard.
They were all in attendance.
Every one of them wore a serious, solemn expression.
Chu Zhengxiong had just finished recounting the previous night’s discovery: an aberrant beast from the Restricted Area Battlefield known as the ’Devourer’.
The news that an aberrant beast had secretly infiltrated Xinghai City
made the situation all the more severe.
The expressions on their faces were uniformly grim.
Moreover, the Old District was gradually slipping out of their control.
After a brief silence, Chu Zhengxiong said with a dark expression, "We discuss this day in and day out! What’s left to discuss? Those lunatics from Blood Drop are practically shitting on our necks!"
"In the last few days, there have been over a dozen familicides. Isn’t that a direct provocation?"
"Elder, let’s just do it! The Tiger Guard and Golden Robe Guard are all here now. Let’s just wipe out those sons of bitches..."
Chu Zhengxiong had an explosive temper.
The appearance of the aberrant beast the previous night had completely trampled his last nerve.
Furthermore, the reason the aberrant beast had appeared in the Old District
was, in all likelihood, connected to the people from Blood Drop.
This showed that their ambitions went beyond just a blood sacrifice of the Old District.
They wanted to bring about the birth of their so-called Demon King.
They had even set their sights on the Restricted Area.
They were preparing to wage an all-out war against humanity.
If they were allowed to continue running amok, it wouldn’t just be the Old District; even the New District would get dragged into it.
All eyes fell upon the old man.
The old man sat there in his military uniform, exuding an air of authority without a hint of anger.
As he felt their gazes, he fell silent.
For a moment, it was as if time in the conference room had frozen solid.
The atmosphere grew incredibly tense and oppressive.
Suddenly, a phone began to ring urgently.
The old man picked up his phone and glanced at the screen.
He then answered the call.
"Mm... Good. Have you all reached an agreement? Mm... Fine. Then let’s begin. The operational plan is... ’Purge’!"
...
As usual, Lin Yi took the bus to the Martial Arts Hall.
After getting off, he noticed several police cars parked nearby.
Officers from the Martial Arts Police Station were also patrolling the area.
Public security team members in red armbands were all observing their surroundings, their expressions stern and their gazes firm...
Or rather, the entirety of Xinghai City had now entered a state of lockdown.
Everywhere you looked, there were police cars and officers from the Martial Arts Police Station and public security teams.
This change undoubtedly stirred a sense of nameless dread in the hearts of many.
Everyone felt as if something major was about to happen.
Lin Yi walked into the Martial Arts Hall.
He rode the elevator up to the dojo.
The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Sun Tao came trotting over eagerly, carrying something for him.
"Haven’t eaten breakfast yet, have you? Here, I bought a savory breakfast crepe and some soy milk. Eat this to tide you over!" Sun Tao said, incredibly attentive.
As he spoke, he handed the breakfast crepe and soy milk to Lin Yi.
Lin Yi took them, a little surprised. "Hey, did you go out of your way to buy this for me, or did you just grab an extra one while you were out?"
"Just eat it. You didn’t really think I was going to pledge my life to you, did you?"
"I just grabbed you one on the way. Zhou Qi and Old Hu got one too. What kind of crazy ideas are going through your head?" Sun Tao said with a laugh.
Hearing this,
Lin Yi feigned a sigh of relief.
He patted his chest and said, "That’s a relief. I was genuinely afraid you’d get attached and I wouldn’t be able to shake you off!"
"Oh, get lost..."
"I’m straight, why would I be into you?"
"Hahaha..."
Both of them burst out laughing.
Lin Yi, for his part, took the breakfast crepe and soy milk and headed for the locker room.
He really hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning.
When he woke up, Tang Qinru still wasn’t home.
He couldn’t be bothered to cook for himself, so he’d come straight to the Martial Arts Hall.
And as luck would have it, Sun Tao had brought him some.
Sitting in the locker room, Lin Yi polished off the breakfast crepe and soy milk.
He changed into his Martial Arts Uniform and walked out of the locker room.
Just as he reached the training grounds, the siblings Shen Mengyi and Shen Yuzhe walked toward him.
"Bro, you guys can talk. I’m going to go train!"
Shen Mengyi seemed to be in a good mood today.
She even gave Lin Yi a wink before she left.
This made Lin Yi furrow his brow slightly. "Senior Shen, you were... looking for me?"
Shen Yuzhe nodded lightly, his expression somewhat serious.
"Lin Yi, could I have a moment of your time? There’s something I need to talk to you about."
Seeing Shen Yuzhe’s solemn expression,
Lin Yi considered for a moment before nodding. "Let’s go to the lounge area."
"Alright."
The two of them went to the lounge area, one walking after the other.
As soon as they sat down, Shen Yuzhe began, "Mengyi’s and my parents passed away in an accident when we were very young."
"We’ve been living with our uncle ever since."
"Even though they were good to us, we could never shake off the oppressive feeling of being dependent on others."
"So, I swore to myself back then that I would get into a Martial Arts University, take Mengyi away from here, and go live in the New District..."
"My talent wasn’t good enough, so I just worked my ass off. Thankfully, the hard work paid off, and I got into a Martial Arts University. The moment I received my acceptance letter, Mengyi and I just held each other and wept."
"But in the end, Mengyi didn’t come with me to the New District. She said she wanted to earn her own way into a Martial Arts University and arrive in the New District with her head held high."
"Sigh... she’s always been stubborn like that. I couldn’t change her mind, so I had to let her have her way."
"Mengyi is more talented than me, and she works even harder."
"The reason I’m so controlling is that I worry about her getting hurt here. I’m too far away to protect her if something happens..."
Haltingly, Shen Yuzhe recounted his and Shen Mengyi’s story.
Lin Yi sat and listened intently.
In that moment, he was a rapt audience.
He was also like a ’Dear Abby’, listening to Shen Yuzhe pour his heart out.
After a long while, Shen Yuzhe’s eyes had grown red.
"Yesterday, after you all went out... on the way home, Mengyi was excitedly telling me about how you went to the mall and ate street food together."
"I swear, I have never seen her so happy."
"It was then that I realized... what Mengyi wants is very simple. Just simple companionship and a simple life."
"So... Lin Yi, I want to ask you to please help me take care of Mengyi."
"I’m not asking you to be responsible for her, and I’m not forcing you to get into a relationship with her."
"Just... just treat her like your own sister, and help me look after her!"
Shen Yuzhe’s eyes were bloodshot, his gaze fixed firmly on Lin Yi.
He waited for Lin Yi’s answer...
’This is getting stranger and stranger,’ Lin Yi thought.
’Shen Yuzhe is acting strange today. Everything he’s saying... it’s like he’s giving a final testament.’
