HLLY Chapter 3

The door to the office was ajar, unlatched, and the tea on the desk was clearly freshly poured, giving off wisps of white steam. However, there was no one inside the room, and the whereabouts of its owner were unknown. Relying on his skills and boldness, Shen Shanwu glanced around to make sure no one was around and swiftly slipped inside.

The filing cabinets along the wall of the office were neatly arranged in rows, each folder carefully labeled with its contents, which made things very convenient for an intruder like Shen Shanwu.

He quickly found what he was looking for and, based on the enrollment dates and the initials, was able to identify the person. Fortunately, the president’s son had a very complex name, so there was no chance of a namesake.

He heard some faint sounds coming from outside the door. Upon listening carefully, Shen Shanwu realized it was the sound of a group of people climbing the stairs, nearly twenty meters away. He had more than enough time to make his escape.

He returned the documents to their proper place, wiped away any traces of his presence, and quietly exited the room, closing the door calmly behind him.

The restroom was located right behind the director’s office, so if questioned or caught on the corridor’s surveillance cameras, he would have a plausible reason for being there.

Shen Shanwu returned to the corridor and looked up just in time to see the group of people he had heard approaching. It consisted of three men and one woman. One of the men, middle-aged with a bit of a paunch and a receding hairline, wore no mask and was dressed in a plaid shirt and casual pants, giving off the vibe of a pre-apocalyptic math or physics teacher.

The other three were tall and good-looking, clad in military-green combat uniforms with a striking presence. The leader wore a white cloak, but unfortunately, their faces were obscured by masks, making it impossible to see their features.

The high-grade new metallic protective masks… Shen Shanwu’s heart skipped a beat, and he had an uneasy premonition. Ordinary people typically use helmets and masks for protection, which are manageable in everyday activities but can be cumbersome in combat. Hence, mercenary groups and combat teams are equipped with masks that are both lightweight and protective.

As for the high-grade new metallic masks these three were wearing, they were essentially worth their weight in gold. The masks themselves were expensive, and the costly filters inside needed to be replaced daily. Most teams couldn’t afford such luxury; even if they had them, they were mostly for show and not for daily use.

However, it was worth the price. It was said that this type of mask offered unparalleled breathability, protection, and lightweight comfort, making it hard to take off once worn.

In almost an instant, Shen Shanwu realized that these three people were likely members of a highly skilled team from a coastal base, as mentioned by the students who had skipped class earlier.

From the bald teacher’s discussion about the school’s faculty and his almost obsequious tone, Shen Shanwu was indeed correct in his assumption.

Shen Shanwu walked forward with confidence, not at all bothered by the fact that the four people opposite him noticed him. When they were about three meters apart, Shen Shanwu gave a sweet smile and, like the most well-behaved student, called out loudly and clearly, “Hello, teachers!”

Such a polite and endearing pretty student! The bald teacher’s face lit up with a broad smile, almost disappearing as he responded warmly, “Oh, hello there, student!”

After Shen Shanwu finished his bow and was about to leave, he was unexpectedly blocked by a long, muscular leg as he straightened up. He paused for a moment, looked up, and came face-to-face with a platinum-colored mask.

It was the person in the cloak.

“Ah?” Shen Shanwu pretended to be startled and took a half step back, quickly turning to the bald teacher for help, saying timidly, “…Teacher.” Meanwhile, he wondered if the man had noticed some mistake.

The man blocking the way slowly crouched down, and to his annoyance, he found that after crouching, he was almost at the same height as Shen Shanwu.

“What’s your name?” the man asked.

“…” Shen Shanwu didn’t answer but continued to look up at the teacher with puppy-like eyes. The teacher, though puzzled, maintained a smile and encouraged the student to answer, “Hello, student. This is the captain of the Coastal Base’s Shanhai Unit. Please tell the leader your name clearly, okay?”

Yes, thank you for your help. I haven’t prepared my own pseudonym before.

Shen Shanwu remained silent, trying to act like a frightened child. Meanwhile, his mind raced… Names that are too simple or too complex might attract attention and could lead to mistakes later. Um… Shanwu, Shan Jian, Wu Tong, Feng Huang, Long Feng, Cheng Xiang?

“Don’t be afraid.” The voice of the Shanhai Unit captain softened even further, and just from the calm and steady tone, Shen Shanwu could imagine the gentle expression behind the mask.

The man reached out and lightly touched Shen Shanwu’s hair. The thin, black gloves felt warm to the touch, hinting at their high cost. The man asked again, “What’s your name?”

At this point, Shen Shanwu had already thought of his stage name. He pretended to be comforted and blinked, saying, “My name is Wu Long. Wu is the Wu from Eastern Wu, and Long is the dragon in dragon, snake, horse, and sheep.”

Another man in military uniform standing a short distance away suddenly laughed. His voice sounded youthful, probably around seventeen or eighteen, and he said, “This little guy even knows about Eastern Wu?”

Shen Shanwu chose not to respond. He just wanted to get this over with and quickly deliver the gift to the president’s son’s dorm. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. The man in the cloak, after learning his name, still wouldn’t let him go and continued to ask, “How old are you? What grade and class are you in? Where do you live? What are your parents’ names?”

Is this guy conducting a household registration check or something? What’s wrong with him?

Shen Shanwu was startled, and so were the bald teacher and the other two members of the Shanhai Unit. The man who had joked about Eastern Wu looked puzzled and asked, “Captain? Is there something wrong with this boy?”

The man in the cloak didn’t respond to him, instead quietly watching Shen Shanwu and waiting for his answer.

Should he just lie down on the ground and cry or play tricks to escape this catastrophe? Shen Shanwu’s first instinct was to consider this option, but his thirty-year-old soul wouldn’t allow him to do that. Steeling himself, he stubbornly made up an answer, “I’m eleven years old, a sixth grader in Class 9. I live in the east, and my father’s name is Wu—”

“Sixth grade…” The bald teacher suddenly interrupted in surprise, “There is no Class 9!”

“…” Shen Shanwu cursed his oversight in his mind! He had only considered that the earlier classes were likely to be full of top students, so the teacher might remember their faces and names well, but he hadn’t realized that there was no Class 9 in the school. He quickly recalled which class the president’s son was in and corrected himself, “Ah, sorry, I misspoke. I’m actually in sixth grade, Class 5.”

“Is the pronunciation of 9 and 5 far different?” The only woman present said coldly, she seemed to have doubted Shen Shanwu’s identity, and asked in an interrogative tone.

The crouching captain still showed no reaction, but the bald teacher became even more flustered. “I-I’m the survival course teacher for sixth grade, Class 5. We don’t have anyone named Wu Long in our class!”

Shen Shanwu: “…”

Shen Shanwu turned around, tiptoed a little, and jumped out of the half-open window directly.

It’s really bad luck. Everything had been going smoothly until suddenly a team captain appeared out of nowhere, fixated on questioning him about everything.

The exterior wall of the administrative building had many suitable handholds for climbing. As Shen Shanwu just managed to scramble out of the window, he saw someone reaching out to grab him. He quickly dodged to the side and then leaped downwards without looking back.

A child’s body was indeed very inconvenient, but Shen Shanwu could not afford to revert to an adult in public. He was confident he hadn’t exposed his identity; he simply couldn’t understand what the team captain had discovered.

A high, sharp whistle cut through the sky from above Shen Shanwu, and in an instant, the entire campus’s attention shifted to him.

He looked up in surprise to see the two team members, a man and a woman, leaping out of the window and descending with even greater speed to apprehend him. It was clear they were intent on capturing him. Meanwhile, by the window, the team captain stood ominously, the cold platinum mask directly facing him.

Shen Shanwu was unsure how fast a normal ten-year-old boy could run. He only regretted his impatience, fleeing in a panic without knowing if his identity as a mutant had been exposed.

Before he could run more than a few steps after hitting the ground, two more men in military-green protective suits suddenly appeared from nowhere. With team-specific armbands on their collars and arms, they swiftly drew their guns, aiming at Shen Shanwu and shouting, “Stop! Don’t move! Raise your hands above your head, or I’ll shoot!”

Shen Shanwu: “…” On the surface, he’s just a weak little boy! Do they have to be so vicious?

Their masks had communication devices, and with Shen Shanwu’s keen hearing as a mutant, he faintly caught some orders. The two men immediately holstered their guns and prepared to apprehend him unarmed.

Hmm? It seemed that the order was likely to avoid harming him. If they had truly discovered he was a mutant, they would know that mutants are immune to bullets…

Shen Shanwu turned his head slightly and saw a man and a woman slowly approaching behind him, while the two men in front of him were also approaching. He decisively stepped short and escaped from the right at a very tricky angle.

“Fuck! Is this kid a loach?” The young man yelled, and hurriedly chased after him again.

Seeing the large auditorium ahead, Shen Shanwu felt a surge of hope. The auditorium was packed with students, and slipping into the crowd would make it easy for him to escape.

However, just as he felt his chance of escape was within reach, the auditorium doors suddenly swung open from the inside. Two more people emerged, both wearing Shanhai Unit armbands. One of them had a microphone clipped to his collar, suggesting he had likely been called down from the podium by the whistle.

Wasn’t it just dealing with a single kid? Why did they have to send the whole nest?!

“Lieutenant! That’s the kid!” The young man pointed at Shen Shanwu and yelled. Before his voice fell, the door of the auditorium was closed again, and the two big men in front of him had already moved. The lieutenant who appeared late was the most ruthless. He grabbed Shen Shanwu by the back of the neck and almost pressed him to the ground. The young man quickly yelled again, “The captain ordered not to hurt him. Lieutenant, take it easy!”

The lieutenant’s arms stiffened, and he changed his posture halfway, from pressing to the ground to lifting to the sky, as if he was holding a bomb, looking heroic and righteous. Shen Shanwu gave up the struggle speechlessly. He wanted to see what medicine was being sold in the team’s pot.

Afraid of him running away, the lieutenant tightly grasped Shen Shanwu’s wrists with one hand. As soon as he was surrounded, the next second, the captain of the Shanhai team walked over in strides. The length of his legs was an advantage, and the bald instructor behind him couldn’t keep up with the trot all the way.

“Why are you running?” The captain asked after standing still, and the cloak that fluttered all the way with his steps also returned to its original position lightly.

Shen Shanwu didn’t bother to pretend to be good anymore. He said angrily, “Look at you chasing me so scarily, who wouldn’t run?”

“I’m scary?” The captain was startled for a moment. He thought for a while, raised his hand, and gently pressed the cheekbones on both sides of the mask. Suddenly, the lock on the back of the mask fixed to the head opened in response. He lowered his head slightly and took off the mask on his face with one hand.

Underneath was a strikingly handsome face. First revealed were a pair of gentle, affectionate peach blossom eyes, followed by a high, well-defined nose and naturally upturned lips, all framed by finely chiseled facial contours. It was a face full of emotional charm.

However, this soft exterior was overshadowed by a cold, rigid demeanor. Even though Shen Shanwu could tell that the captain removed his mask to appear more approachable, the perpetually somber expression on his face—one that seemed as if he had just lost both his parents and his dearest loved one—was enough to scare a child from crying at night.

 

 

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The author has something to say: 

Captain: To some extent, your description is quite accurate; I have indeed lost my dearest love.

Shen Shanwu: I’m not interested in knowing that right now.