Chapter 140
The following evening, 6:12 PM, Xucheng.
After a day and a half of long travel, Ji Qing finally arrived at Xucheng Railway Station. He had deliberately put on a baseball cap, along with an extremely plain work jacket and work pants, to cover up his overly conspicuous looks.
He was absolutely not going to suffer the same loss he had at Zhou Que’s hands a second time.
Compared to the railway stations in ordinary towns, the environment of Xucheng Railway Station looked somewhat shabby and old. Several groups of fierce-looking men lingered at the station entrance, glaring at passing pedestrians like predators, occasionally shifting the cigarettes hanging from their lips.
The passengers all came and went in haste, none of them daring to meet their eyes.
Ji Qing secretly sized up the group nearest to him and discovered that every one of them had an azure dragon tattooed on their arm. They looked rather like the gang forces he had once seen in Hong Kong crime dramas. Ji Qing’s heart inexplicably sank a little.
It seemed he would not be able to take the person away without going through quite a bit of trouble.
Blending into the crowd, Ji Qing continued deeper into Xucheng. Even though this was his first time in Xucheng, the city had already shown him its vicious side. Not long after he left the station, the roads grew tangled and convoluted.
The gaps between the buildings were extremely narrow, and the muddy ground was full of potholes.
Standing beneath an eave to avoid the rain, Ji Qing quietly listened to the idle chatter between the owner of a small shop and a customer. The rain rustled before him, while the voices behind him came and went in broken fragments.
He looked up at the high-rise standing not far away, then lowered his gaze to sweep over the makeshift rain awning nearby.
This sort of distinctive scenery reminded Ji Qing somewhat of Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City.
Ji Qing had never been to Hong Kong, but he had played a horror game based on the “Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong.” Because of various historical factors, neither the Chinese government nor the British government stationed in Hong Kong at the time had been able to step in and clear out the criminal forces within Kowloon Walled City, with the result that it had gradually turned into a lawless zone even the police were unwilling to enter.
Xucheng gave Ji Qing very much the same feeling as that city.
But if he was really going to draw that comparison...
A thoughtful look flickered across Ji Qing’s eyes.
Then his rescue plan would probably be extremely difficult to carry out.
After all, the population density here was remarkably high. Even the slightest disturbance would attract the attention of the nearby residents. Ji Qing had never before fought inside a city, and You Xingluo’s combat strength could practically be ignored.
The moment he imagined a tidal wave of gang members surging toward him, Ji Qing felt a chill rise in his heart.
The nearby railway station was also being watched by the gangs.
If they wanted to escape, they definitely could not choose the train. But cars could easily be chased down, and afterward they would most likely end up fighting a pursuit battle in the wilderness. At that point, the enemies they faced would no longer be only humans, but also the Aberrants drawn over by the scent of flesh and blood.
For a moment, Ji Qing truly could not tell which enemy was more unbearable.
Ji Qing sighed softly. “Let’s find You Xingluo first.”
He could not very well lose heart before even seeing the person, could he?
Ji Qing was definitely going to understand You Xingluo’s current circumstances first before making a judgment. But then again... Ji Qing could not help raising his head to look at the rooftop of the high-rise nearest to him, idly thinking: I wonder what sort of view you can see from up there...
Ji Qing’s home had been on the twenty-third floor of a high-rise residential district.
Every night in the past, he had been able to look out through the floor-to-ceiling window in his room and see the city’s streams of traffic, as well as the neon lights flickering in the darkness. His parents had been born in the country’s most difficult era, yet had been fortunate enough to catch the train of the nation’s rise.
As their child, Ji Qing had also been lucky enough to experience a leap in class.
Forget it. Better not think about that.
Ji Qing subconsciously pressed down the brim of his cap and strolled toward the direction indicated by the system. His expression was cold, his steps steady, yet his back involuntarily revealed a faint loneliness that sat oddly apart from the people around him.
That night, 10:45 PM, inside the Xucheng high-rise.
Because of various unmentionable factors, You Xingluo had failed to fall asleep. Although he had successfully gone to sleep on his first day in the building, and had even slept soundly, it did not change the fact that he now knew with perfect clarity that his bed was moldy, his pillow was moldy, his...
These cruel facts had been laid bare right in front of him.
As a pampered young master from a Noble House, how could he possibly sleep under these circumstances?!
The snores of the guards outside rose and fell one after another, while the hostage stubbornly wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and sat opposite the wall mirror. Because the building was old and badly maintained, gusts of chilly wind kept pouring into the room through the cracks in the window.
On his left were the thunderous snores of the guards, on his right the cold drafts, and in front of him a moldy bed.
You Xingluo’s living conditions were this terrible.
“This would be better if they just killed me,” You Xingluo muttered while wrapping his coat more tightly around himself. “This is practically deliberate torture. Why won’t they even give me the option of sleeping in a sleeping bag... school was better than this...”
“Sigh... another sleepless night...”
In low spirits, You Xingluo glanced at himself in the mirror. Though it had only been a short time, he could already see two faint dark circles under his eyes.
You Xingluo: QAQ.
If this kept up, he was going to die sooner or later, You Xingluo thought. He had to start thinking about how to escape, even though he felt that he probably would not be able to manage it on his own.
You Xingluo quietly gazed at the night outside the window.
The people in this town were extraordinarily tightly connected. The moment anyone discovered he had gone missing, an order to search for him would spread from here across several kilometers around them. If it became serious enough, even the nearby gangs might join in the hunt for him.
Yesterday’s escape attempt had been a very typical example.
Should he go to the local government for help? No. The local government did not have enough power to help him.
Should he try hiding somewhere in Xucheng for a while? No. Escaping this building alone would already be difficult enough. Besides, he knew nothing about the local situation. Nor did the residents of Xucheng look like the sort who would kindly take in a stranger for a time.
...
Then should he try asking an acquaintance for help?
You Xingluo unconsciously rested a finger against his chin, and a thoughtful gleam passed through the depths of his dark eyes.
At present, this looked like the most reliable method.
Although his Terminal was not with him, which meant he first had to get a network-connected Terminal from someone else; although the people he could come into contact with did not look like the sort who would have one, which meant he would still have to sound them out...
The biggest difficulty with that method had already been overcome!
You Xingluo remembered his friends’ Terminal numbers, especially Ji Qing’s. Because Ji Qing counted as the first friend he had made after leaving the social circle of the Noble Houses, You Xingluo had often opened his contact list back then and admired it to his heart’s content.
Looking back now, he really had been too childish.
You Xingluo let out a melancholy sigh.
Still, troubling Ji Qing with this matter felt rather abrupt. Even though Shao Huayu had repeatedly emphasized to him, “Ji Qing is quite close to you,” as the person actually involved, all he had really sensed was the faint, half-hidden jealousy coming from Shao Huayu, and not much else.
Perhaps that was because Ji Qing was simply too naturally approachable.
Besides, even though Shao Huayu had verbally denied it, well—those who knew, knew!
Shao Huayu was jealous! Even if Shao Huayu smacked him over the head on the spot, he was absolutely not changing his words!
But should he call Huayu?
You Xingluo’s heart immediately wavered. Although he and Shao Huayu were close, their relationship had ultimately been built on the foundation of cooperation between their families. He knew Shao Huayu would definitely be willing to come, but what then?
What would still be left to them would be an utter mess.
Just thinking about all the disputes and difficulties they would have to deal with afterward made You Xingluo feel as though all his hair was about to fall out.
“Forget it...” Supporting his chin in one hand, You Xingluo murmured, “I’ll just live or die on my own. Anyway, no one at home wants me back...”
The grandfather who had wanted him to go back the most had already passed away.
You Xingluo’s eyes suddenly darkened.
Though in reality, even the idea that “Grandfather wanted him back” was false. If there had been anyone else in his generation whose talent surpassed his, that person would have immediately replaced him in Grandfather’s heart. Rather than caring about You Xingluo, what Grandfather had cared about was the future of the You Family.
And yet, on this point... his parents simply could not see it.
You Xingluo’s gaze returned to the icy room before him. The conditions here were awful, but his home... his family...
Were they really any different from this place?
Just as You Xingluo’s mood was sinking even further, a shadow suddenly fell by the window. Realizing that from the curled-up position You Xingluo was currently in, it would be hard for him to notice anything, the figure lightly knocked on the window under cover of the wind.
Tok, tok...
The glass window immediately gave a soft sound.
You Xingluo looked up instinctively, only to see Ji Qing standing by the window with the light at his back. His dark eyes widened at once, clearly shocked beyond words by what he was seeing.
You Xingluo quickly stepped forward and opened the locked window.
Bending one knee, Ji Qing immediately jumped into the room. Before he could even survey the surroundings, You Xingluo softly briefed him, “I’ve already checked the room. There are no cameras. At present, aside from the guards sleeping outside my room, there’s no other security on this floor.”
“They probably think that even if I do escape, I still won’t be able to get out.”
“You really are as careful as ever.” Hearing that, Ji Qing withdrew the gaze that had been wandering over the walls and turned it back onto You Xingluo. Mimicking You Xingluo’s manner, he quietly asked, “But why does it feel like you’ve been trapped here for quite a long time?”
You Xingluo: Ying, QAQ.
With deep resentment, You Xingluo said, “How could a person not grow thin when they can’t eat well, can’t stay warm, and can’t sleep?”
“That sounds miserable.” Ji Qing let out a soft laugh.
Because of the environment they were in, the two of them both had enough self-awareness to immediately abandon any thoughts of leisurely catching up. Ji Qing soon sighed. “Still... you really did choose a place with an exceptionally high rescue difficulty for me.”
Hearing that, You Xingluo protested unhappily, “How could that possibly be my fault?”
“Of course it isn’t.” Ji Qing spread his hands with feigned innocence, then blinked playfully. “But you may have to stay here for a few more days. It’ll be hard for me to force my way out with you on my own. I need a little time to prepare.”
The moment those words landed, You Xingluo instantly felt his heart settle.
The dejection and sorrow from moments ago disappeared like passing smoke, and his mood brightened once more. Although he had no idea how Ji Qing had found him, compared to everything else, that question suddenly felt far less important.
Because at this moment, Ji Qing was right beside him.
So You Xingluo returned to his usual familiar tone and asked meaningfully, “Oh~ so you’ve already thought of suitable reinforcements?”
“The main issue is that there isn’t much choice.”
“True, there really isn’t much choice.” You Xingluo nodded with an exaggerated old-fashioned air, but almost at once, he could not suppress his curiosity and pressed on, “So, who is it?”
