Xiao Zhenyun: “…”
Xiao Zhenyun: “Hiss—?”
He inexplicably felt the scene in front of him was somewhat familiar, a strange deja vu, which made his teeth ache terribly.
Xiao Zhenyun asked in the spiritual link to Si Di: Did Hedgehog just pass by nearby? Is that why you want us to pounce and avoid him?
Si Di: Did I do something wrong?
Xiao Zhenyun: You did the right thing.
Otherwise, they would have crashed into Hedgehog before the show started, with unimaginable consequences, definitely being forcibly dragged into being extras.
Moreover, Xiao Zhenyun had an intuition that Hedgehog’s act wasn’t over yet; otherwise, it would be a disgrace to the pretentious plan outlined in the eight-page document.
His speculation was spot on. Amidst intense gunfire and screams, cold mud, snow, and blood mixed and intertwined. In the chaotic scene, the injured Si Chu, lying on the ground, shouted passionately, “Brother Han Bang! Is that you, Brother Han Bang?”
At these words, the aloof and proud Hedgehog turned around, with the howling wind passing by, the dry branches of the trees behind him rustling. Amidst the pungent smell of gunpowder, only his gentle, steady, and somewhat scumbaggy voice could be heard, “Yes, it’s me, Xiao Chu, Xiao Fei. I’m sorry, I’m late.”
Xiao Zhenyun, Si Di, and Xiao Nian: “…”
At that moment, Xiao Zhenyun recalled the concluding statement of the eight-page plan: absolutely grand, deeply moving, and heart-wrenching!
Whether it was heart-wrenching or not, he didn’t know, but it was definitely heart-shaking, as Xiao Nian’s eyes widened in shock, “No!” He suddenly turned to Si Di and Xiao Zhenyun and growled softly, “Stop Hedgehog! The professor can’t be caught, nor can he die now. His ending must be to commit suicide in front of his wife and child’s graves!”
“You say it so easily…” Xiao Zhenyun whispered, reaching for his coat pocket to take out his mask. “How are Si Di and I supposed to stop him in this situation?”
Si Di also chimed in, “Yeah, wearing a hood might fool others a bit, but this disguise won’t fool Xiao Chu and Xiao Fei… or even others; Duan Fei could even recognize us with just one glance.”
“All right,” Xiao Zhenyun quickly came up with a rotten idea, “I’ll go over as your hot spring lover. I’ll say I deliberately used my resemblance to Xiao Zhenyun to get close to you, pretending to be his love substitute, but actually, I was instructed by the professor to infiltrate the union undercover… It’ll also echo the exaggerated affection I showed in front of the little dog before. Si Chu will definitely believe this.”
Xiao Nian: “…”
Xiao Nian: “The idea sounds okay, doesn’t it?”
Si Di: “What’s the image of my brother in your mind? Not much different from Xiao Bai, right?”
Xiao Zhenyun’s rotten idea was approved by the other two, but then a problem arose: he searched his pocket for a while and couldn’t find his mask. The right pocket of his coat, where the mask should have been, only contained a cold glass vial of reagent…
“…” Xiao Zhenyun paused, then turned to Si Di and Xiao Nian awkwardly, “Oops, looks like I lost my mask.”
Xiao Nian: “…”
Si Di couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “So are you still the lover with a similar appearance to Xiao Zhenyun, or is it directly Xiao Zhenyun himself undercover in the union?”
Xiao Nian: “Well, this idea doesn’t seem too bad either?”
Xiao Zhenyun, Si Di: “…”
“No, administrator, be rational!” Si Di quickly shook his hand in front of Xiao Nian, trying to bring Xiao Nian’s focus back, “Even if the situation is urgent, we can’t act recklessly like this…”
“Be rational, my ass! This messed-up world, I’m quitting when I get back.”
The three of them huddled behind a snowdrift, discussing in low voices what to do next. In the distance, Hedgehog stepped on the struggling professor’s back, ruthlessly sweeping a burst of bullets into the snowy white ground, landing just half a meter in front of where Xiao Zhenyun and the others were hiding, sending snow, water, and mud flying everywhere.
“Who’s there, come out!” Hedgehog shouted sternly.
Meanwhile, Si Di heard the rapid sliding sound of a snake on the snow, unmistakably Hedgehog’s viper approaching. He and Xiao Zhenyun exchanged a glance, the latter closed his eyes and pursed his lips, then slowly stood up from behind the small hill.
When Xiao Zhenyun revealed his face in front of the others, at that moment, his demeanor suddenly changed, reverting back to the character from the book who was detached from worldly affairs. Even though it was still the same body, his gaze, the curve of his lips, and his stance were all different from his real self. His cold gaze was indifferent and detached, looking straight ahead as if unaware of where it fell.
Xiao Zhenyun first stood still and brushed the snow off his cuffs and pants. The long and rigid antlers grew out from between his black short hair, resembling blossoming white plum blossoms. The nimble deer tail was covered by the oversized coat, shaking in the cold air.
Tian Lu appeared behind him, thick eyelashes instantly covered with fine snowflakes, elegant and proud deer hooves stepping on the snow, as if walking step by step out of mythology, coming to Xiao Zhenyun’s side. Xiao Zhenyun glanced at it, then reached out and placed his hand on the smooth and warm back of the deer, walking forward calmly.
Si Chu was completely fooled by him, dumbfoundedly propping himself up with one hand, kneeling there and staring at Xiao Zhenyun from a distance, forgetting even to call out ‘Little Uncle’ in joy.
Only Si Di and Xiao Nian knew that there was a particularly thick pile of snow where Xiao Zhenyun was, and he almost fell to the ground when he stood up just now. That’s why he specifically summoned Tian Lu to use the stag as a cane to continue walking forward.
Si Di: Ever thought of becoming an actor after the plot ends? If you hadn’t almost stepped into thin air just now, I would have thought the original ‘Xiao Zhenyun’ came back to life.
Xiao Zhenyun: The original ‘Xiao Zhenyun’ in the text is sinister, twisted, and a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. Does he have the innate noble and elegant temperament that I have now?
Si Di: Okay, I got it, even if you were burned to ashes, I could still tell it was you.
Xiao Zhenyun didn’t respond, and Si Di didn’t distract him further. Soon, the black-haired guide and his stag walked leisurely through the falling snow to the ‘center of the storm.’
“Little Uncle!” After a long silence, Ye Feiran was the first to shout with a mix of surprise and joy, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he bombarded with countless questions, “How did you get here? Are you okay, Little Uncle? Can you walk now?! You stood up, oh my god, where have you been all these years, what have you been through? Right, right! Does Brother Di know? Ah Chu, hurry, let Brother Di know Little Uncle has been found!”
Si Chu stared blankly at Xiao Zhenyun’s unchanged face over the years. His waist-length jet-black hair now only reached his ears, and his walking posture was very unfamiliar, but he was definitely his Little Uncle. It wasn’t until Ye Feiran called his name that Si Chu suddenly reacted, “Right, quickly tell my brother.”
He turned his head to shout at Hedgehog, “Brother Han Bang, you—”
The rest of his words choked in his throat. The amber-colored pupils contracted in surprise because his long-lost Little Uncle was now pointing a gun at him with a blank expression, the muzzle aimed directly at his forehead, emotionless as he asked, “Do you know me?”
“Little Uncle?” Ye Feiran exclaimed in disbelief, while Si Chu subconsciously opened his arms to protect Ye Feiran behind him before asking in surprise, “Little Uncle, you don’t recognize us? I’m Si Chu, your sentinel’s brother.”
Xiao Zhenyun squinted, seemingly judging the truth of this statement.
“Then do you remember my brother? Si Di, your sentinel…” His tone became more urgent, “You can’t possibly forget your own sentinel, right?”
“I have a sentinel?” Xiao Zhenyun questioned skeptically.
Those four words instantly drained the color from Si Chu’s face. “Little Uncle… do you remember… who you are?”
Xiao Zhenyun suddenly sneered, “What nonsense are you trying to pull? I don’t know how you found out I have amnesia and started making up stories here, but even if I have amnesia, I’m not easily fooled.”
With that, he turned to the side, his right hand still aiming at Si Chu and Ye Feiran, facing Hedgehog solemnly, “Release Briches… Professor! Otherwise, I’ll shoot them.”
There was a strange pause in the middle of his sentence because after saying the professor’s name, Xiao Zhenyun remembered that the professor’s name wasn’t Briches but Briggs. But changing it at this moment would undoubtedly be foolish, so he continued to threaten stubbornly.
Si Di burst into uncontrollable laughter in the spiritual link, sounding more like a noisy duck than a wolf, infuriating Xiao Zhenyun enough to sever the connection.
Fortunately, Si Chu and Ye Feiran were both immersed in the news of their Little Uncle’s amnesia and defection, so they didn’t notice this issue. Meanwhile, Hedgehog, stepping on the professor’s back, subtly raised an eyebrow, vaguely understanding something.
Three seconds of contemplation later, Xiao Zhenyun clearly saw admiration in Hedgehog’s eyes.
Roughly translated, it means: Impressive! Your return after so many years is incredible, and it’s on par with my plan. One of us is going for the ultimate visual impact, while the other is playing mind games… Damn, I feel like you’ve outdone me. How did I not think of pretending to have amnesia?… Wait, why didn’t you tell me about this good idea earlier?
Xiao Zhenyun: “…”
Then he saw Hedgehog’s eyes light up: Wait, I can still join in now!
To be honest, Hedgehog’s reaction was completely within Xiao Zhenyun’s expectations; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to rescue the professor from under the feet of the S-class dark sentinel on his own.
Just a second ago, the pitiful protagonists were trying to bring back Xiao Zhenyun’s memories, proving they were a family. The next moment, Si Chu and Ye Feiran saw the ‘reliable and formidable’ Brother Han Bang suddenly reveal a strange sinister grin, licking the sharp canine teeth with a crimson tongue, then exhaling a breath of hot air with an indulgent tone, laughing lightly, “Really, why are you here so late? If you had come any later, I would have really killed the professor.”
To get the help of the chaotic and evil fun-loving person that Hedgehog was, Xiao Zhenyun reluctantly started ad-libbing, “On the way here, I encountered a white-haired sentinel who was very noisy. It took me a lot of effort to shake him off… You better release the professor quickly. Even if you want to gain their trust, you’re going too far. How could the old man withstand your torment?”
“Fine…” Hedgehog moved his boot, and Xiao Zhenyun quickly holstered his gun and rushed over.
Si Chu was somewhat unable to keep up with the developments and wanted to get up to follow, but he looked up to see Hedgehog suddenly swinging the light machine gun, the barrel that had killed countless enemies now aimed at them, “Kid, the fairy tale is over. Don’t. Move.”
Xiao Zhenyun half-knelt on the ground, helping up Professor Briggs, whose face was turning purple from the cold and whose eyes were rolling back: “Professor, Professor!”
The professor finally regained consciousness, and as soon as his gaze touched the antlers above Xiao Zhenyun’s head, he trembled. He desperately tried to break free from him. Xiao Zhenyun quickly opened his eyes and said seriously, “Professor, don’t be afraid. I’m one of your men, here to rescue you.”
How the hell did I not know I had someone like you under my command! The professor looked terrified.
In reality, Professor Briggs, who had countless restless souls under his command, actually had a very ordinary face. Thrown into a crowd, no one would recognize him. He had a round belly, kind eyes, and looked quite deceptive.
“I’m on your side too.” Hedgehog leaned in.
Undoubtedly, the professor was terrified by this trench-coated man who appeared out of nowhere and wreaked havoc. When he suddenly saw his face, his whole body trembled, almost bursting out with curses: You’re almost wiping out everyone on my side! Are you even on my side?!
Xiao Zhenyun didn’t care whether the professor believed him or not. As long as he was still alive and had the strength to run to the grave and leave a message, that was enough. What mattered more now was injecting the serum into the little dog. He turned his back to Si Chu, took out the translucent yellow QTA drug from his pocket, and signaled to Hedgehog with his eyes.
Hedgehog understood immediately, turning around with a mischievous laugh as his short-tailed viper peeked its head out from his shoulder, hissing.
The author has something to say:
Hedgehog: I’m the most handsome guy here!!!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
