Chapter 4: The Meeting
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
When Shi Wenze mentioned giving Lin Su a painting, both of them fell silent, as if they had both remembered the same past event. After a moment, it was Shi Wenze who spoke first. “You must be busy preparing for the gallery’s opening. If you don’t have time to meet up—”
Lin Su’s brow twitched at that. He thought Shi Wenze was going to push the meeting off to another day, but before he could speak, Shi Wenze continued, “How about I just deliver it to your house?”
Lin Su was momentarily taken aback. It had been years, and Shi Wenze had certainly become more bold. In fact, from any logical standpoint, delivering it to the gallery made more sense. But then again, what does an artist care about logic?
“Alright,” Lin Su replied.
Shi Wenze smiled, though he quickly suppressed his emotions. “How about… now? I’m nearby at Qinghu Garden.”
Lin Su straightened up unconsciously. “I’ll go to work first. See you in a bit.”
Shi Wenze ended the call, standing still for a moment before punching a nearby utility pole. He then leaned his forehead against it, his mood akin to a loyal lottery player who had just won five million. Unable to share his joy with anyone, he was left fidgeting awkwardly, his excitement bubbling up in odd, restrained ways.
Xu You, holding two cups of coffee, stood nearby, looking confused. “What are you doing?”
Without turning around, Shi Wenze grabbed him by the arm. “Sign me off for the night shift.”
Xu You grimaced. “Running off again?”
“Nothing else to do,” Shi Wenze grabbed the coffee, took two sips, and shoved the cup back into Xu You’s hand, then swung a leg over the motorcycle. “Let’s go.”
Before Xu You could stop him, he had already dialed up Zhou Yuansong. “Zhou, Shi ge wants to take the night off tonight… Reason? Maybe he’s going to see a doctor… What kind of doctor? Well, it’s like this, Zhou ge, Shi ge just stared at the army medic ad on the utility pole for a while, then had this big, happy smile on his face, so I guess he thinks he’s finally found a cure.”
Zhou Yuansong, already feeling a headache coming on, responded, “If you don’t have a good excuse, stop making things up.”
Xu You regretted not taking a photo of the situation just now. This time, he was sure about it!
Shi Wenze sped through Sports Arena Road, and when passing Commerce Street, he made a point of stopping to adjust his look in the mirror outside a clothing store.
The young girl outside, trying to attract customers, saw the tall, handsome man and immediately blushed. She secretly beckoned her colleagues to come out and share the view. But the man, completely absorbed in admiring his own appearance, paid no attention to the pink bubble of admiration building around him. After straightening his collar, he strutted off, the motorcycle skidding around the corner, its brakes screeching as it ran over dry leaves, leaving a trail of impressed gasps behind him.
When Lin Su had seen Shi Wenze at the high school opening ceremony, his first reaction had also been a “wow.” However, unlike tonight’s young girl, he wasn’t as bold with his expression. Instead, he merely lowered his eyes slightly, allowing Shi Wenze and his group of friends to pass by him.
Now, Lin Su couldn’t quite remember how he had felt at that time. But he didn’t have time to reminisce or indulge in sentimentality. He hung up the phone and tossed the cushion he had been holding a few meters into the air before running up the stairs barefoot. Luckily, Lin Lu was working overtime that night, or she might have thought something was wrong with her older brother.
The walk-in closet door was wide open, and Lin Su’s gaze quickly swept across the rows of clothes. No sane person would wear a suit at home, so he dove into the closet, his hands flying as he searched for comfortable home clothes—looking like a dedicated, hardworking man.
Shi Wenze wasn’t familiar with the layout of Qinghu Garden. Although part of his job as a tracker involved city patrols, he had always purposefully avoided this area. Recently, the neighborhood was undergoing renovations, with safety nets and steel rebar everywhere, making the place feel even more unfamiliar. A narrow trail wound through the woods, and occasionally a rebellious plant would pop up. But when it sensed the presence of a tracker, it would quickly shrink back, hiding itself as a morning glory.
A dark shadow circled low in the sky, giving out a hoarse cry. It was a common species of bird, the Lesser Kestrel. Because of its strange appearance, both monsters and humans tended to avoid them. Shi Wenze slowed his pace.
The bird calls grew increasingly frantic, vibrating with a hum. Cicadas joined in, their cacophony merging into the sound of raindrops that pounded against Shi Wenze’s eardrums. He frowned impatiently, setting the picture frame against a tree as if to tie his shoelace, but his right hand suddenly clenched tight.
A black wind blade shot from his fingertips, slicing through layers of leaves like a bullet. It was so fast it barely disturbed the air, leaving only a faint thud and a suppressed cry of pain in its wake. A man in a baseball cap stumbled out of the bushes, fleeing without looking back.
The thick scent of a feral beast filled the garden, something humans mistook for a “metallic earthiness.”
The pursuer moved with the agility of a leopard, shrouded in twisting black mist from his partial transformation, granting him incredible speed.
“Stop!” Shi Wenze’s hand clamped down on the man’s shoulder. The man turned his head, his plain features stretching unnaturally as wings sprouted from his back. Shi Wenze grabbed his collar with a firm grip, swinging himself into the air like on a trapeze, following the Qiongqi as it dove into the Mist Realm.
The Mist Realm was another dimension only monsters could access, with entry points scattered throughout human society.
Qiongqi’s true form loomed like a mountain. Shi Wenze landed steadily on the ground, calmly tightening his wristband. “Not from around here, huh? You’ve got guts causing trouble on my turf.”
The creature glared at him, muttering in a gravelly voice, “Guardian Kirin.”
“Don’t misunderstand,” Shi Wenze replied, showing his ID. “I’m not connected to the leadership in Chengdu. Now, hand over your monster license and travel pass—routine inspection.”
The Qiongqi leaned in close, its breath reeking of decay. Of course, it had no documents. A fugitive monster on the wanted list wouldn’t carry anything legal.
“I hate Kirins,” it growled.
“Noted.” Shi Wenze stepped back slightly. “After you’re released, you can call the Monster Affairs hotline at 19191 to submit feedback. But for now—” He grabbed the claw aimed at his back. “—you’re under arrest for attacking a government official.”
With a roar, the Qiongqi lunged at him. Black mist and violet-blue lightning intertwined as Shi Wenze dodged the beast’s whip-like tail, leaping onto its broad back. Drawing a tranquilizer gun from his belt, he fired. The thick needle and red liquid pierced its armored hide with a faint “pop,” but instead of collapsing, the Qiongqi grew more frenzied, bucking wildly to fling Shi Wenze off.
“Damn it!” he cursed, hitting the ground hard.
Meanwhile, Lin Su had changed outfits and used enough hair spray to resemble wielding a fire extinguisher. Admiring the broodingly handsome young man in the mirror, he adjusted his expression a few times before striking an elegant pose, like a swan, to answer the door.
No one was outside. But the jingling sound continued. Confused, Lin Su soon realized it wasn’t the doorbell—it was his phone.
“…”
“Lin-ge.” It was the foreman, showing off freshly painted walls over a video call. “About this duck poop green… No, duck green—duck green, okay? We have a problem—hello? Lin-ge?”
Lin Su hung up mercilessly, then glared at Shi Wenze’s WeChat profile picture for a long time, mentally crafting ten scenarios of him ditching halfway. Unable to stand it, he called him via video. The phone vibrated furiously on the ground.
Shi Wenze kicked the Qiongqi off himself, lightning twisting into ropes that bound its wings and smashed it to the ground with a resounding “thud.” The beast lay in a cloud of dust and gravel, defeated and barely breathing.
Shi Wenze got to his feet, leaning down to pick up his phone… or rather, half of it—the other half was buried in the dirt. The Qiongqi’s eyes still bore into him. “Kirin.”
“What Kirin!” Shi Wenze snapped, his temper flaring. “Documents!”
Qiongqi stirred slightly, as if about to pull out a monster license from somewhere, but his wings suddenly snapped with an almost inaudible force— The sound of crackling electricity grew more intense. Shi Wenze stood above, coldly watching him. Qiongqi let out a strange laugh. “So, I really do hate Kirins.”
Before the words had even left his mouth, the beast suddenly leaped off the ground. A metallic crash shattered the silence once again. Before Shi Wenze could react, the massive black wings whipped through the air, forcing him to step back, struggling to hold onto the wings. He was thrown off balance, and the next moment, blood began to pour down his arm, dripping into small streams.
Even someone as accustomed to danger as Shi Wenze felt a shiver run down his spine. Just moments ago, Qiongqi had deliberately severed his own wings to free himself from the electric ropes, then quickly grew a new set of wings made from metal rods, escaping right under Shi Wenze’s nose.
“Shi-ge!” The patrol team had received the report and rushed over. “We—”
“Enough.” Shi Wenze tossed his chest-mounted recorder at them. “The footage’s all in there. Give it to Director Zhou. I’m going home to wash my face.”
“Okay… uh… Shi-ge, are you alright?” The patrol team member looked at the severed wings on the ground, still shaken. “What about the beast?”
“It ran.” Shi Wenze had no time to explain. He took off his bloodied jacket, borrowed a shirt from the patrol team, and limped out of the Mist Realm. The Qinghu Garden was still eerily quiet.
Lin Su, in large slippers, watched with a complex expression as the elderly janitor pedaled his tricycle past, the sound of “chugging” echoing as a streak of blue was shoved into a water bottle and cardboard, bouncing with every bump. It couldn’t have just run away, right? It couldn’t have just run away, could it? It couldn’t have just run away.
“Hey, young man, going out for some exercise?” The old man greeted cheerfully.
Lin Su hesitated, almost speaking, then stopped himself. “This painting—”
“Hey, wait!” A figure suddenly dashed out from the trees, agile and with one hand firmly gripping the tricycle.
Lin Su, “…?”
The old man jumped, startled. “What are you doing?”
“Sorry, I left this here for a moment. It’s not junk,” Shi Wenze explained, panting.
The old man was skeptical at first, wondering if he was trying to steal his work, but when he saw Shi Wenze’s appearance clearly, he immediately understood and quickly returned the painting frame. He hurriedly pedaled away, fearing the thug would attack if he delayed.
Shi Wenze leaned against a tree, casually wiping the dirty frame. It didn’t clean well, but even if it did, it seemed impossible to continue delivering it today. He had a headache.
Lin Su stood by, patiently waiting for what felt like five seconds, but seeing that Shi Wenze wasn’t noticing him and was instead lost in thought while staring at the painting, he finally spoke up. “Are you okay?”
Shi Wenze suddenly looked up, and before his gaze could focus, his heartbeat abandoned his breath and started pounding erratically, making his ears ring and his fingertips tingle.
His profile was injured, blood still staining his body, his hair a mess, and his wrist wrapped in a bandage. If an ordinary person showed up looking like this, they’d probably be mistaken for a ghost house NPC or be sent straight to the police station. But with Shi Wenze’s face, it instantly transformed from a chaotic, street fight aesthetic into something tragic yet charming. Even the sunlight seemed to understand its role, filtering through the trees to cast a warm, cinematic glow. Lin Su’s Adam’s apple shifted slightly. He hadn’t expected this kind of reunion. Not only did Shi Wenze look battle-worn, but the light almost made him seem otherworldly.
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