No Hero Volume 8: The End, the Beginning, Part Two
Original novel in Chinese by: 御我(Yu Wo)
The Beginning NO.5:Red Bowties—translated by TaffyGirl13 (proofread by Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia)
“An Te Qi reported that he found something critical.”
That damn Bai Lian Yue just kept staring at me with a dubious expression on his face, not caring at all about what I was saying. It was as if he was still wondering if I really was the Sun Emperor or not.
“If you keep staring at me with that suspecting look, I’ll—”
Bai Lian Yue raised his chin. “You’ll what? Have Dark Sun kill me?”
Dark Sun… I roared in anger, “What are you blabbing about? Even if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t make Ah Ye do it. I’ll call the adjudication squad in here right now and have them completely dismember you!”
“So merciless yet so doting to Ah Ye. You really are Ah Yan.” Bai Lian Yue let out a sigh of relief.
“…” I pushed the telecommunications button on my desk, but another hand immediately covered it.
“All right! I won’t fool around anymore. Ah Ye’s matters are most important. Go ahead and tell me, what exactly is this critical finding that would even make you want Ah Ye to clash with the Church? Such a thing is beyond inconceivable!”
I pushed Bai Lian Yue’s hand away and calmly elaborated, “Dark Sun’s microchip has an eternal command that forces him to always protect me. Even if it requires him to sacrifice his own life, he will do so without hesitation.”
Bai Lian Yue stared at me blankly. “Isn’t that something we were aware of since a long time ago?”
“But I will eventually have to die.”
“What nonsense are you saying?” Bai Lian Yue’s eyebrows furrowed as he said, “You are only in your thirties. Why are you talking about death? Everyone’s expected life span is past 120 nowadays, and Ah Ye is only ten years younger than you. You two brothers are—”
“Ah Ye can live up to thousands of years,” I coldly said.
Bai Lian Yue was shocked as he asked in disbelief, “Really?”
“I don’t have time to waste telling you lies!”
Kyle would never ask such pointless questions! But he would spout more nonsense to try and stop me. Really, neither of these secretaries is perfect!
I pulled the topic back. “If I, his target to protect, dies, what do you think would happen to Ah Ye?”
“What would happen?”
“I don’t know. An Te Qi conducted various tests, and each result was different. The only similarity they shared was that—”
When I recalled Ah Ye’s “results,” I had to take a few deep breaths before I could continue. “None ended well.”
Bai Lian Yue understood. “So, you need Ah Ye to protect you without using his life? Is that possible?”
“It wasn’t, up until a few days ago.”
Bai Lian Yue happily exclaimed, “That’s great then! From now on, you no longer have to worry about Ah Ye getting injured for the sake of protecting you.”
Do you really care? You’re probably just acting happy. I looked at him with a smile that did not reach my eyes as I said, “The fix is very simple. The difficult part is that there is no way of truly confirming if it really was fixed. No matter what happens, Ah Ye will always act if I am in danger, regardless of whether or not that damned microchip is in his brain.”
“Having a young brother like Ah Ye really must make you feel both proud and worried.”
Both proud and worried. These few words really do describe everything. Ah Ye, what are you doing right now? I hope you’re working on your modeling job rather than being a hero.
Ah Ye, oh Ah Ye. I’m proud of you for being a hero, yet I also hate that you are a hero. Do you understand?
I stood on the street and watched the car turn to leave immediately. This time, there was no opportunity to secretly jump into the car. Since the young master was in a great rush, he had personally decided to drive, and Ezart naturally had no way to help me open the trunk from the front seat.
What should I do now? Should I race up to the rooftops and charge forward… No, the distance is too great. Even if my speed passing through the rooftops was as fast as the cars on the streets below, I was afraid I would not be able to maintain it for as long as cars could. Moreover, if I did manage to successfully endure until the end, I would likely not have any more strength to do much else afterwards.
As a result, I called Curtis to request his fastest car. While I felt that pompously using the main leader of the Elysees family as a butler was a behavior that truly could not be more inappropriate, I was still grateful that Curtis was in Daystar City to help me resolve so many issues.
“Understood, Family Head. The car will arrive immediately.”
“I apologize for the trouble.”
“It is no trouble at all.”
Soon afterwards, a car came to a sharp stop before me. The car was entirely black on the outside, and there were also black screens stuck onto the windows to block the sun. The car was slightly longer than a typical car. Overall, it did not have the appearance of a domestic vehicle; however, it was not overly eye-catching either, especially seeing as I had noticed a large number of luxury vehicles speeding on the roads here during my past few days at Daystar City. A slightly longer black car would not be sufficient to draw attention.
While Sunset City did not have so many valuable cars, I believed that it was because Sunset City had too many brawls that would result in the cars getting scraped or hit by stray bullets. Maintaining a car’s glossy exterior would be much too difficult. A luxury car in particular would be the first thing to get attacked in Sunset City.
The other party walked out of the car, seemingly in attempt to open the door for me. However, since time was pressed, I had long since entered the car. He paused for a moment before sitting back in the driver’s seat and turning to inquire, “May I ask where you would like to go, Family Head?”
“Dong Fang Lei?” I stared at the other person in slight astonishment.
“Yes. What is your command?” His eyebrows and gaze were collected and displayed a great amount of respect. The obvious enmity from before had vanished without a trace—or at the very least, had been concealed very well.
“Go to the hotel the young master is residing at—”
Mid-sentence, I began to wonder if this person knew which hotel it was. However, Dong Fang Lei instantly responded, “Understood.”
Seeing as he expressed no confusion and immediately started the engine, I decided that there was no need to explain further. He pressed down on the accelerator and charged straight out, forcing my body against the back of the seat.
Fortunately, having experienced the driving skills of DSII, the young master, and Melody, I no longer minded the driving style comprised of astonishing speed and thrilling evasive maneuvers.
I was slightly anxious about the young master’s situation; however, I could only sit here in the car and wait. The atmosphere was heavy for unknown reasons as well. I am afraid that Dong Fang Lei still disapproves of me. Yet he can drive without a word, while I have nothing to do. After thinking over this for a moment, I decided to make a call.
“Curtis, why did you send over your personal butler?” The moment I spoke, I realized that the frequency of calls I made seemed to have increased daily, just as much as the calls I received.
Curtis answered in a matter-of-fact tone, “It is because you requested the ‘fastest.’ This specially modified car in addition to Dong Fang Lei as the driver is the only way to conform to your request. Is the speed to your satisfaction, Family Head?”
I was at a loss for words. It seems like I must only say “very fast,” rather than “fastest” in the future. Otherwise, I may one day accidentally request for the “fastest plane” and something unimaginable could appear.
“I have truly inconvenienced you.”
“It is not a problem. I hope that you are not frightened by Dong Fang Lei’s driving style. With Daystar City’s traffic situation, using such a method is the fastest method.”
I did not mind the driving style. On the other hand, Curtis sounded quite delighted. It was as Sadina had said; he truly possessed the enthusiasm to serve. Perhaps I did not need to worry about troubling him after all and should give Curtis more orders instead. This would allow him to feel more like a butler.
“Family Head?”
“He drives very well.” I spoke honestly. He undoubtedly drove quickly enough. Moreover, his speed and evasive technique were extremely stable. While there was still a disparity compared to Nitewalker, I believed that comparing Dong Fang Lei to a non-human species that could control water on the pavement while driving was much too unfair.
“In that case, I will leave Dong Fang Lei by your side for the time being.”
“Hm?”
“You will likely often require a car in this time. Considering your personality, Family Head, I do not believe you would drive quickly.”
“…I understand.” I had absolutely no way to refute this point.
“Dong Fang can help you handle many matters. Please do not hesitate to give him your orders, especially when it comes to combat—”
Suddenly, a loud sound came from nowhere as the car violently swerved. Just as I was feeling astonishment that Dong Fang Lei drove even more wildly than Melody did, one side of the car left the ground—Something is wrong!
I twisted my body and crossed the space between the front seat and the driver’s seat. My left hand caught hold of Dong Fang Lei while my blood ability burst out from my right hand to block the shattered fragments of the windshield. Then, I passed through it to exit the car. At that moment, the vehicle was already flipping through the air.
With x-speed, everything slowed down, just as it did in films. I had faintly felt this in the past, but as I grew more used to x-speed, the time around me seemed to flow even more slowly.
After leaping out of the car window, I heard the firing of a gun before I had even descended. The instant my feet came into contact with the ground, an ear-splitting explosion blasted out from behind, a wave of scorching heat subsequently sweeping toward us. However, with x-speed, I just barely escaped the radius of the explosion in a split second.
With Dong Fang Lei still in tow, I did not stop moving, and continued to use x-speed to step onto the wall of a building, charging straight up to the rooftop. Regardless of what had taken place, staying there to play the role of a target would be unwise.
“Family Head! Family Head—”
I used my arm to place Dong Fang Lei down properly onto the ground so that I could finally respond to the disembodied cries coming from the cell phone. I was somewhat puzzled, as I had not turned on the speaker function of the phone. Could Curtis truly shout at such a great volume?
“I am here.”
“What happened?” Curtis anxiously asked. However, his tone was calmer than before after hearing my response.
“Our car flipped over, and subsequently exploded. It seems to have been detonated as a result of a gunshot,” I accurately described.
“…Family Head, may I request you not to speak of such a critical matter with a calm tone?”
“Mm…Our car flipped over! And then it exploded!” I wonder if this tone sufficiently suits the criticality?
“…” The other person evidently did not intend to grant me a score. Instead, he changed the topic and pressed, “What about Dong Fang? Is he unconscious?”
I turned my head to inspect Dong Fang Lei’s condition. It seemed that his mind had cleared already. He glanced around without any trace of panic on his face, professionally surveying the surroundings instead. However, anger flashed through his face several times before it finally returned to its stoic state.
“No need for concern, he is not injured.”
At that moment, I suddenly noticed that Dong Fang Lei had a red bowtie connected to his collar. If I recall correctly, that bowtie indicates—
“Dong Fang!” The voice coming from the cell phone suddenly increased in volume. Curtis’s voice carried a matchless coldness as he declared, “You should know what will happen if the family head sustains any injuries!”
This was undoubtedly the speaker function. Curtis can remotely control my cell phone? A wave of helplessness washed through me. While Curtis was not as powerful as Sadina, he had quite a few more secret tricks up his sleeve in comparison.
“Yessir!” Dong Fang Lei’s expression turned even colder. He turned to face me and stiffly said, “My greatest gratitude for Family Head’s rescue just now.” While his words were those of thanks, his face did not express any appreciation. Instead, he appeared to be humiliated, as if I had not rescued him but rather ruthlessly shamed him.
With Dong Fang Lei’s “status,” my act of rescuing him was likely indeed a dishonor. I raised the phone to ask, “Dong Fang Lei is a member of the red bowtie squad?”
“Indeed, Dong Fang Lei is the first captain of the red bowtie troops.”
“Troops?” I was puzzled as I said, “I recall that when I was strengthening the red bowtie squad in the past, it was merely a unit of bodyguards used to protect the important members of the family.”
“It is currently still a unit of bodyguards. It has simply been expanded slightly.”
Off to the side, Dong Fang Lei pressed the earpiece on his left ear as he shouted furiously, “Team 2, check all hands and raise the guards. If any person approaches a 100-meter radius of the family head, shoot them dead without exception, regardless of who it is! Teams 3 and 4, all of you search the surroundings for the enemy. If you have the ability to keep some alive, do so; if not, kill them all! Team 5, what is the status of the surveillance cameras? And where did that damned Team 1 leading the way go? They didn’t notice the obstacles set up on the road! You had best prepare yourselves for what you’ll face once this mission ends!”
…Expanded slightly, was it?
I purposely lowered my voice as I inquired, “Curtis, exactly how many people did you dispatch to my side for protection?”
“I do not know. Dong Fang Lei alone is responsible for the task of your protection. There are as many people as he believes are necessary.” Curtis diverted the responsibility completely onto Dong Fang Lei. However, Dong Fang Lei was ultimately a bodyguard himself. Even if he was the captain of the troops, he did not have the main authority. The number of people he wanted to dispatch was undeniably according to Curtis’s intention.
“I want to secretly follow the young master. If you send so many people to follow me, how can I carry out any task ‘in the dark’?”
I was starting to feel regret. Just now, I should have simply taken a taxi back to the young master’s hotel rather than ask Curtis for aid… Although perhaps that would not have been better. That may have resulted in an innocent taxi being overturned instead.
“Family Head, you are evidently no longer ‘in the dark’.” Curtis calmly stated, “Please return. If you have already been discovered by the Church, I’m afraid you will not be able to help, and may instead bring your young master more trouble.”
Curtis’s words were indeed true. However, the young master was…
“Team 1?” Dong Fang Lei shouted several times without receiving any response. With an unsightly expression, he reported to me, “Family Head, we should leave this place now.”
The door to the rooftop was abruptly slammed open, and I nearly grabbed Dong Fang Lei to leap off the building. However, the people entering all wore suits, sunglasses, and red bowties under their collars. They were also carrying briefcases with them. The sole difference between their appearance and the typical office worker was the fact that their builds were on the taller and sturdier side. In addition, they were dressed identically, to the point where they seemed like duplicates of the same person when standing together.
One of the people walked out to say, “Captain! Team 3 is here to report.”
“Where is Team 1?” Dong Fang Lei’s face was rigid as he asked, “Eliminated?”
“We discovered from the surveillance cameras that Team 1 is currently making an all-out effort to rush back. It seems that their communications earlier were disrupted. They have not encountered the enemy.”
Dong Fang Lei nodded, his expression relaxing slightly upon hearing the report. He then turned his head to look in my direction.
“Family Head, since the enemy is unknown, I do not recommend proceeding with the initial plans to the hotel.” After straightforwardly stating this, he did not speak further, and Curtis did not say anything on the other end of the line either.
I silently nodded.
I was extremely concerned about the young master’s situation. However, since I was currently being targeted by an unknown enemy, rashly going over could possibly bring more danger to the young master.
“Let us leave then.”
Dong Fang Lei nodded, and with the bodyguards surrounding us, we began to head toward the doorway.
The door closed shut without a noise. Unlike the rooftops in Sunset City which always had rusty iron doors, this was an automatic glass door that could not be blown shut by a gust of wind.
A person from the team stepped forward and attempted to open the door, placing a small black box on top of the card-reading opening device on the side. Approximately a dozen seconds after the operation, he turned to report, “Captain, it won’t open.”
“Blast it off!” Dong Fang Lei commanded without hesitation.
The person withdrew a gun and fired several shots at the lock, destroying the entire device. However, the door still did not open. He opened his briefcase to pull out an even larger firearm and fired at each of the door’s four corners.
The gunshots were loud, yet amid the music of the gunshots, I heard a different, unusually fragmented noise. Moreover, it sounded familiar to me, similar to—The sound the young master makes when he returns home every night by climbing up from the balcony!
I turned my head to glance toward the source of the noise, spotting a shadow climb up from the edge of the building. I instantly let out a low shout, “Dong Fang—”
Dong Fang Lei had also noticed my actions. As he spun around to face the same direction, he yelled, “Enemy attack!”
He pulled out a gun and mercilessly opened fire at the figure. However, the enemy leapt into the air, twisting its body oddly to evade the bullet. In that moment, it was no longer alone—multiple shadows jumped up from all directions. This location was clearly the top of a roof, yet they had climbed up from the smooth, glass windows of the skyscraper!
Several people arrived in succession, more than a dozen. They all wore black military uniforms, with gold plates embedded in the crucial areas. The most important characteristic was the golden mask worn over their faces. The middle of the mask bore the emblem of a sun. It was common knowledge that this was—the Sun Emperor’s adjudication squad.
Dong Fang Lei’s calm vanished entirely without a trace. He roared out furiously, “Damn it all! Equip yourselves and get into formation to protect the family head.”
How could this be? I thought it would be the Church attacking us—how could it be the Sun Emperor?!
Everyone opened their briefcases—or to be more precise, the briefcases automatically opened. Stored within were two firearms rather than documents. They appeared to be small-scale machine guns equipped with additional magazines below the gunstock. Dong Fang Lei pressed the small ear piece in his left ear and murmured to himself, “Master, the enemy is the Sun Emperor. I require your further instructions.”
After saying this, he walked up to me and opened his palm to reveal a small ear piece. He respectfully stated, “Family Head, please wear this ear piece.”
With a nod, I allowed him to help me wear it.
“What is the current situation?” Curtis’s voice rang out from the ear piece.
Dong Fang Lei reported back, “There are approximately fifteen members of the adjudication squad. They have not yet made a move—”
I knelt down onto the ground, a sharp pain flashing through my right knee.
“Family Head?”
Dong Fang Lei attempted to support me up in shock, but his head was instead pressed down by me as I stated, “There is a sniper!”
“Form a human barrier to protect the family head! All other teams are to immediately locate the sniper!” Dong Fang Lei rapidly barked out a string of commands as he simultaneously inspected my injury.
The other teams formed a human wall surrounding the two of us, going as far as to holding their briefcases up to block their bodies. Just as I was about to remind them that the other party was using armor-piercing bullets that would likely render the briefcases useless, a layer of faint white light materialized in front of the briefcases, an extremely familiar sight. The rectangular briefcases subsequently proceeded to “expand,” changing from a box-like shape to a slightly curved, smooth surface that had the appearance of a shield.
A torrent of strikes sounded out in succession, the majority of the armor-piercing bullets vaporized by the white energy, while the ones that bypassed the energy shield did not leave a single mark on the briefcase shield upon contact.
It appears that the family’s military force has developed quite well. This put me much more at ease. After personally witnessing the Sun Emperor’s armor-piercing bullets and the Church’s energy weapons, I had been greatly concerned about the family’s growth, yet remained unwilling to inquire too much, afraid of the others’ misgivings on my perceived interference.
Curtis’s anxious voice came from the ear piece. “Dong Fang, what happened?”
“The enemy used a sniper to attack the family head,” Dong Fang Lei reported through gritted teeth. He immediately followed this with an order, “Open fire! Do not give the adjudication squad any opportunity to come closer!”
The sound of gunfire erupted as Dong Fang Lei lowered his head to inspect my injured knee with shame displayed on his face.
I suddenly felt extremely apologetic toward the situation. The moment we had been attacked, I had instinctively jumped up to the rooftop, a non-human’s territory. Yet I had forgotten that this place was Daystar City, not Sunset City. It was a place known for holding no non-humans, so the rooftops were naturally not within the scope of a non-human’s power. Rather, since there were no obstructions in the way, it was a location that was an easy target for snipers.
“Dong. Fang. Lei!” Curtis ground out each syllable of the name, his tone beyond furious. It was to the point where I thought back to his tone from the time when he had questioned whether or not I truly loved Sadina. However, Sadina was no longer alive, so what was the reason for the sudden rage?
“You have protected me for so many years without error, yet something goes wrong less than half an hour after I send you out to protect the family head—I am warning you! Seriously warning you! If the family head gets injured again by even a single hair, I will grind your bones into ash!”
“Yessir!”
I was about to speak up to inform Curtis that there was no need but was interrupted by the sound of gunfire persisting in the background. At the moment, it was not a good time to approach a discussion. Snipers from both sides had already begun to exchange fire.
The team member who was breaking the door shouted back, “Captain, the door has already been broken through!”
“Roger.” Dong Fang Lei grasped my arm and said, “Family Head, let me help you inside.”
I wanted to stand up and say, “I am able to walk by myself,” but the words died at my lips, leaving behind a pained hum instead. The ache from my knee burned like fire. I raised my hand to glance at the blood that covered it to see dots of silver mixed within. It was powdered silver. Evidently, the Sun Emperor had a comprehensive knowledge regarding vampires—or perhaps it was I who had allowed him to discover a vampire’s weakness?
Dong Fang Lei’s left hand suddenly shifted position onto my lower back. I had a fleeting sense of unease before he lifted my entire body up onto his shoulder in a single sweep. Your words just now were to “help” me up, were they not?
Does this have any relation to my carrying him under my arm while fleeing the car earlier?
“Retreat! Teams 6, 8, and 9 go forward and open a path!”
As soon as Dong Fang Lei shouted this, everyone sprang into motion. Three people raised their briefcase shield and firearm each in one hand, giving them the appearance of the special military forces in films. The posture they used when raising their guns was flawlessly professional as they glanced around to probe out any dangers in front.
“Safe!”
Dong Fang Lei charged forward while still holding me propped on his shoulders. Behind him, the red bowtie troop members were shooting fire as they retreated. The number of bullets and the firepower coming from the gun was astonishing, preventing even the adjudication squad from gaining the opportunity to break through.
Surveying the situation, I promptly suggested, “May I request you to let me down? I can walk on my own.” This time, I refuse to let even a hum escape regardless of the pain!
The other person appeared to be too busy to hear my words. His rushed footsteps raced down the stairwell as he simultaneously continued to communicate with the other teams through the ear piece.
“Have you broken into the building’s surveillance system yet? Can you confirm that the elevator controls are in our possession?”
“That cannot be confirmed!” A person in the rear group responded.
“Forget it! We’ll take the fire escape.” Dong Fang Lei resolutely decided.
I once again proposed, “The staircase is long, carrying me the entire way would be a great burden. Please let me down to walk.”
Dong Fang Lei glanced at me, then lowered his head like a confessing young maiden as he asked in a grieved voice, “Does Family Head believe I am inadequate? You may report this to the steward and have him grind my bones into ash.”
His tone made it seem as if he was saying “Steward, please note down my minor offenses” as opposed to a punishment as severe as grinding bones into ash. Moreover, while sounding like a young maiden confessing, he was still carrying a person on his shoulders while his footsteps flew down the stairs as swift as the wind… Most importantly, Curtis could hear the words Dong Fang Lei had just voiced.
“You are performing very well.”
I did not truly believe Curtis would actually grind Dong Fang Lei’s bone into ash. However, I was not familiar with the methods Curtis used to handle matters; I could not ascertain that such an action was not a possibility. As a result, I decided to voice a compliment first.
“Enemy attack!” The three paving the way in front cried out alarm as gunfire erupted.
“Dong Fang!” I shouted in worry, “Let me down!”
Dong Fang Lei pretended not to have heard me—or perhaps he truly could not hear me this time. He simply held me up on his shoulders with his left arm while his right hand frenziedly fired the machine gun. The surrounding red bowtie troop members were also opening fire, the gunshots deafening, and I could barely hear the sound of my own voice.
Do these machine guns never run out of bullets?
I was greatly puzzled. Upon observing the red bowtie troops, I discovered that they would periodically press down against both sides of the gun stock and subsequently fiercely open fire once more. Another point worth mentioning was that aside from Dong Fang Lei, who was forced to use his left hand to carry me, the others were all carrying either one firearm in each hand, or one firearm and one energy blade. I could also faintly spot several people in the back holding weapons that were large enough to be rocket launchers.
When Dong Fang Lei pushed the stock of his machine gun downwards, I paid special attention to his actions and noticed that his suit was filled with magazines. It was practically a magazine-holding bulletproof vest. It was no wonder that their figures had appeared to be exceptionally well-built; it was due to the additional layers of magazines!
Amidst this intense fire, two figures still broke a path though and approached. Their movements shared some similarities with the young master’s. Of course, there was still a great disparity between them and the young master. However, perhaps their weaknesses were also very similar?
“Attack their joints!” I immediately shouted at the crowds. Upon discovering that my voice was drowned out by the gunfire, I activated the vampire’s Hollow Roar and repeated my words.
Dong Fang Lei froze for a brief moment before shouting, “Didn’t you hear the family head? Hurry up and attack the joints!” The moment he finished giving the order, he pressed his ear piece, his voice extremely clear as he said, “Family Head, if you would like to voice a command, please lightly press down on the ear piece. Regardless of how noisy the surroundings are, the others will be able to hear your orders.”
I had no intention of giving orders, nor was I an expert at commanding battles. I had merely recalled a possible weakness the enemy might possess.
“Dong Fang Lei.” Curtis’s voice suddenly came from the ear piece. Despite being in the middle of a battle, the sound could not be any more distinct, even though it did not block out the external noise either. The power of technology was truly impressive.
As I was still being carried, I could clearly sense Dong Fang Lei stiffen before responding, “Yes, Steward.”
“Bring the family head over here.”
Dong Fang Lei was evidently taken aback by this. He hurriedly inquired, “Bring him to your location? But—”
Curtis spoke with an extremely frigid tone. “This is an order. Do you still have further questions?”
“None!” Dong Fang Lei used the ear piece to roar to his subordinates, “Use the rocket launcher to clear the way. No need to worry about the disturbance being too great, just open up a route immediately!”
If they really do use the rocket launcher, would blasting our way out not cause the staircase to collapse?
While carrying me on his shoulders, Dong Fang Lei retreated to the central, back section of the troops while the two red bowtie members carrying the rocket launchers just happened to pass by. The people in the back were still raking with machine gunfire as if their lives depended on it, in order to prevent the pursuit of the adjudication squad on the rooftop.
Perhaps I am overthinking it. There is no need to consider the possibility of the staircase collapsing, as this rain of bullets cannot be much weaker than the firepower of a rocket launcher.
“Dong Fang, is something the matter?” I sensed that his reaction to Curtis’s orders had been somewhat strange.
Dong Fang Lei hesitated for a moment, before unexpectedly removing his ear piece and leaning into my other ear that did not wear the ear piece to say, “The steward only addresses me by my full name when he is truly infuriated. He typically calls me ‘Dong Fang.’ Moreover…moreover…”
He debated whether or not to continue speaking. I also removed my ear piece and declared, “The current situation involves Curtis and seems to be unusual, yet you continue to keep things from me?”
Dong Fang Lei ground out through clenched teeth, “The steward is staying at the hotel your young master is currently residing in. He did not want to inform you of this—he said that if you found out, you would order him to leave no matter how unwilling you were to utilize your authority as the family head. That is why his sudden order for me to bring you to him just now was extremely unusual!”
Why did Curtis place himself in such a dangerous location?
He was Sadina’s sole grandson, as well as the main manager of the Elysees family. That hotel was not only where the young master was wrestling again the Church, but also where the Sun Emperor’s target, Luo Ye, was located. Now, even the adjudication squad had made its appearance. Although I did not know the reason the Sun Emperor was attacking me, it was evidently not a display of amicability!
I blurted, “Dong Fang, we are to immediately head over to where Curtis is!”
Dong Fang Lei quickly replied, “But it may be a trap—No! It is unmistakably a trap.”
I angrily refuted, “That is Curtis Christopher, the head of the Elysees family. Whether it is a trap, or even hell, you must go!”
Dong Fang Lei continued to stare at me in a daze. Does he not realize we are pressed against time?
“Dong Fang Lei!” I let out a low roar of fury, “Hurry up and go to where Curtis is right this instant!”
“Understood!” Dong Fang Lei put his ear piece back on. Perhaps I was mistaken, but the corners of his mouth seemed to be tilted upwards slightly as he ordered, “Open fire! Clear a way for the family head!”
The rumble of the rocket launcher’s fire was at such a close proximity that a buzzing instantly filled my ears, momentarily rendering me unable to hear or see anything clearly. However, Dong Fang Lei was still able to quickly descend down the stairs once the red bowtie troops caught up. Moreover, his actions were not as simple as merely walking down the steps—which no longer retained their original semblance—but rather, jumped and dodged left and right to advance quickly through the rubble.
For a moment, I felt that my basic physical status was truly too poor. A vampire that was known for its inability to die possessed a body that could not even compare to a human’s. It was difficult to discern exactly who the non-human was.
I could not continue acting as a burden needing to be carried. I focused my attention to first examine the wound and attempted to touch it with my hand. The slightest touch caused intense pain. However, the bone did not seem to be broken, a blessing amidst the misfortune. If it had broken, I would have been forced to wait until it slowly healed. The issue was that the bullet seemed to be embedded inside. If it could be removed, perhaps I would regain the ability to move without obstruction.
Perhaps due to the rocket launchers, there were no other obstacles along the way. The journey to the street was smooth, and we quickly boarded a car that had arrived to receive us.
Dong Fang Lei did not immediately drive away after getting into the car. Instead, he turned to look at me as he asked hesitantly, “Do you truly not need to visit the hospital?”
“No need!” I immediately rejected. “I am a vampire, what would visiting a hospital do? I can treat it myself. Start driving!”
Dong Fang Lei answered with a blank stare before nodding and subsequently starting the engine.
However, my response had been a lie. Even though I was a vampire, wounds still required dressing. If the injury resulted in excessive bleeding, the bleeding would have to be stopped immediately. Vampires could control their own blood; however, they could not continue expending their energy on preventing the blood from flowing out of the wound forever.
I pulled my tablet computer out. This tablet computer seemed to be used for the communication with only a single person nowadays. After all, no amount of medical research could be compared to directly sending him the information and receiving back images, documents, and a detailed response. There were occasionally clips containing real operations that could be viewed as well.
“Ah Shuu.”
“Hi!” The screen turned on to display Ah Shuu holding a bowl of instant noodles, his hair wrapped up in four or five curlers. If it were not for the fact that I was extremely familiar with this person, I would have likely mistaken him to be a “her” at first glance.
There was no much time remaining, so I cut directly to the point and stated, “Please teach me how to remove bullets.”
“Someone got shot again?” Ah Shuu slurped up some noodles and swallowed as he sighed in admiration, “Isn’t your family’s life a bit too flamboyant? Is getting shot a form of entertainment? Plus, didn’t I already teach you last time? Did you forget already? I guess that makes sense, only a hard-blooded doctor like my old man would expect someone to know it with just a single lesson.”
“The situation this time is more complicated. The position of the bullet is the knee joint. Moreover, I wish for the joint to be used freely after the bullet has been extracted.”
“The knee was shot, and you want the joint to move about normally immediately after the bullet is removed?” Ah Shuu’s expression was… How to describe it? Perhaps with the emoji he uses often: 囧.
I was not well versed in the popular slang that Ah Shuu used. However, I could not deny the fact that there was currently no word more appropriate than this emoji that could describe Ah Shuu’s face.
I hurriedly added, “The knee bone is not broken. Moreover, the patient is not human.”
“Oh? Let me first see the patient.” Ah Shuu displayed evident interest upon hearing that the subject was not human.
“You have already seen him.” I honestly confessed, “I am the injured subject.”
Consequently, Ah Shuu’s expression looked even more like…囧.
Ori
囧
Thanks for the chapter!! Such a thrilling fight!
Broken Hero
“What happened?” Curtis anxiously asked.
“Our car flipped over, and subsequently exploded. It seems to have been detonated as a result of a gunshot,” I accurately described.
“…Family Head, may I request you not to speak of such a critical matter with a calm tone?”
Why does this particular scene remind me of a certain detective android named Connor? 😂😂
Citarra
Ahahaha don’t know if this was better or the April 1 version. Thanks for the post
Kiki
Hahaha what an exciting chapter O.O bro I gotta re-read, so much happened!
dollyfishe
You have already seen him. Im the injured subject 😂😂😂 at least i have a different reaction than a shuu 😂😂😂
Jasae Bushae
GEEZ! Things certainly took a turn that I didn’t see coming!
So Charles has his own elite bodyguard army…
Crystal
Thank you so much for the update~ (づ ̄3 ̄)づ╭❤~ Please stay safe~
Kamui
I feel like the whole point of these books is to introduce individuals that cannot react appropriately, or at least normally, in extreme situations and then have them encounter even more individuals that do not react normally in extreme situations, and then finally cutting the tension with someone reacting in a way that is understandable for the audience. This chapter being a very fine example of that.
Thanks PR!
Mizuhino
Every single person is at that hotel. Next we’re going to hear that Sun Emperor is really there too!
Moony
It’s so interesting~ With that beginning that the Sun Emperor has a “plan” and then the fight that is happening, it links so well together!
I really love everything that’s happening, and the last part with Ah Shuu is way too good :D
And yes, what Mizuhino says xD