BXBX NOVEL Volume 8, The Beginning NO.6: The Silver Pieces of Betrayal
Volume 8, The Beginning NO.6: The Silver Pieces of Betrayal
Translated by Raylight (proofread by Trespasserby; C/E edited by Taffygirl13 & lucathia)
“Gē.”
With that one word from Ah Ye, I immediately felt that something was off. The good mood from finally receiving a call from him instantly vanished. With this tone and this hesitancy, there must be something wrong!
Could it be that he’s wounded again? That’s not right, if he received an injury, Ah Ye would definitely keep it from me rather than giving me a call. Something even more serious must have happened!
“Ah Ye, what happened? Who dared to touch you—”
“No! Nothing big happened, don’t panic…”
“You’re hiding things from me again! If nothing big happened, then why would you call me!”
“What do you mean if nothing big happened, I wouldn’t call you! Don’t I always call you at night?”
Hearing that, I snorted and said, “Recently you only call once in three days.”
Actually, it’s not even once in three days, but I should not say the truth. Otherwise Ah Ye will definitely take it for granted and follow the same duration of time before calling again. Honestly, it would be good if I could hear from him even once in five days now. If this continues… It’s all that butler’s fault! Isn’t he even capable of reminding Ah Ye to give a call?
“O-Once in three days isn’t infrequent…”
I threw the paperweight on the desk violently at Bai Lian Yue seated beside me. He caught it with one hand and even rolled his eyes at me. Then, I inquired calmly, “Ah Ye, tell Gēge what exactly happened?”
Now is not the time to debate over how many times he calls. It’s rare for Ah Ye to seek help from me, so if I continue steering the topic away, he’ll be even more unwilling to call me for help in the future.
“Gē… Luo Ye is still alive.”
I was unable to speak for a long time. Never would I have guessed that it was that kind of thing from the past. How could he still be alive? That year, our father had cast an inescapable net in the area. The only way of escaping that was if he was dead. How could he still be alive?
Moreover, Father has been dead for so many years, so why would he appear now? Why did he contact Ah Ye and not me? Is it possible that he knows the truth… No! Let’s not think about all these for now. Ah Ye is still waiting for me to speak. He definitely must be at a loss as to what to do. Ah Ye trusts others too easily, and would probably believe anyone with just a bit of coaxing.
To be able to survive under Father’s merciless pursuit, Luo Ye is definitely not an ordinary person.
I opened my mouth, finding my voice a little hoarse as I said, “That person is with you, isn’t he? Hand him over to me. I will deal with him.”
Once I finished speaking, I knew that I was in trouble. If I said something like that, Ah Ye would definitely refuse…
“No! If you dare to do that, I’m never going to care about you again!”
The line cut off. To think that Ah Ye actually hung up on my call… It sounds like he’s extremely angry and it seems like he won’t hand that person over. How could I be so careless and make the mistake of telling Ah Ye that I intended to “deal with” him? Things will be troublesome from now on…
“Damn it!”
“You have my gratitude, Ah Shuu,” I sincerely thanked. In these past few days, not only had he helped me save Mr. Luo Ye, he had now also given my legs their usual mobility. He was truly a good friend who could not be any more dependable.
“No need for thanks, just please don’t continue challenging my limits.” Ah Shuu said weakly, “Though I did my best to secure your injury, I have to warn you that pain is unavoidable. I believe you can endure it, but please, I beg you. You should rest properly if you get a bullet to the knee and not go to a shootout! Promise me that once your thing is settled, you will really rest and recover.”
“Very well.” As long as the matter reaches a closure.
“If there are any issues with your wound, you have to tell me.” Ah Shuu looked extremely uneasy as he said, “This is my first time helping a seriously injured person take part in a shoot-out. Don’t make me regret this for all eternity.”
“Understood, I will certainly inform you.”
I got off the vehicle and moved my leg. As expected, I could move it with ease now. I was not sure if I could use x-speed, but at the very least, I would not need to be supported by others.
“Family Head.” Dong Fong Lei came dashing out from the driver’s seat about to lift me onto his shoulder once more. I quickly took a few steps back.
He looked stunned for a moment and looked down at my feet. I calmly said, “I said that I can manage on my own. Hurry! We do not know what has happened on Curtis’s end, and should delay no longer.”
“Understood!” Dong Fang Lei turned to the others and said, “Move out.”
At this moment, the red bowtie squad had all returned their guns back into their business briefcases as well as buttoned up all the buttons on their suits, immediately transforming from a special operations squad back to a secretary squad. Dong Fang Lei gestured to me and then took the lead. I walked behind him, surrounded by the red bowtie squad members on all sides.
The hotel staff came up to receive us, and Dong Fang Lei indifferently said, “We are going to the hundred-and-sixth floor.”
The staff started and their attitude became more polite as they answered, “Understood.” Following that, they rushed to press the elevator for us. The elevator was indicated as an “exclusive elevator” that was not usually open for regular hotel guests. It was as large as a cargo lift, and thankfully so, or it would not be possible for all of the red bowtie squad members to ride it together.
The young master had not stayed on a floor that required the exclusive elevator to access, since the room that he was staying in had been booked by the movie crew. Secretary Bai must have given special orders for the crew to be able to stay in this luxurious hotel, and perhaps the reason behind the entire crew staying here was for the sake of not letting others say that the young master was receiving special treatment.
“Family Head, have you all arrived?” Curtis’s voice suddenly came from over the earpiece.
I pressed onto the earpiece, and hastily replied, “We will arrive soon.”
I fell silent for a moment. Despite knowing that I ought not expose the fact that we knew that something was off, I could not resist asking, “Why did you suddenly want for me to come over? Has something happened?”
Curtis actually gave chuckled as he said, “Nothing much. I merely miss my grandmother and wish to converse with you, Family Head. Remember that time when you were captured in the cage together with Grandmother, I—Let’s leave that for later, we will talk more when you arrive.”
When I was captured in the cage with Sadina—Curtis was being controlled by Avexila’s childe!
“Curtis is being controlled by someone,” I informed Dong Fang Lei quietly, worried about the possibility of surveillance cameras in this place.
Once I said so, Dong Fang Lei’s expression immediately changed. His face that could be considered delicate contorted in rage, and actually turned as terrifying as that of a demon. It was simply like a vampire’s Face Morph!
I was shocked by this, and subconsciously looked around to see if the others were equally as astonished. Instead, I was greeted by the sight of over ten demonic faces…
Though my first reaction was shock, I soon felt joy afterwards. If the red bowtie squad felt such rage toward Curtis being caught in a perilous situation, that indicated their fairly good relationship with Curtis, and that could not be any more wonderful.
The elevator doors opened, and two human silhouettes stood in the corridor pompously, one on the left and another on the right. Though the corridor was wide enough for five to walk shoulder-to-shoulder and still have room left over, with the two standing there like that, it somehow gave off a feeling that it was impassable.
The chandelier above them was extremely bright, making it difficult to see their faces clearly. However, a strange feeling abruptly formed inside of me, and I walked up to attempt to see the other party more clearly. I had barely walked a few steps before I was stopped by Dong Fang Lei’s hand. Even so, I still managed to gradually see the others’ faces as my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the chandelier, and my disbelief grew more and more.
“Father Yue?” I said with disbelief, “Why are you here? W-Why are you involved in these matters?”
Father Yue’s face was apologetic as he said, “I need the whereabouts of E.X.”
X again? Even if he is living in that practically abandoned church in Sunset City, Father Yue is truly still someone from the Church, and seems to have a complicated background as well. I had clearly already known all of this, and should not have trusted him so much—However, I still felt a strong fury that stemmed from a sense of betrayal!
This person was Yue Gang’s father and had always been very friendly to both me and the young master, allowing us to form a rare friendship with someone from the Church. I had even optimistically thought that if I could continue a friendship like this, perhaps the grudge between X and the Church could be resolved one day.
However, it turned out that this was an unachievable dream. With the rage from being deceived, I growled at him, “You promised before not to harm X!”
“I will not!” Father Yue quickly said, “Trust me, I do not want to kill him!”
“We only want to resolve the hatred between E.X and the Church.”
The other person, Alex, sincerely and honestly said.
I continued staring at Father Yue. Regarding Alex, I had always reckoned him to have ulterior motives. If it were not for Father Yue, the scenario from before when the three of us had sat down and talked would never have happened in the first place.
Dong Fang Lei seemed to have trouble holding himself back as he asked, “Family Head, the steward’s situation is unknown. Can we forcefully break through?”
“Hold on for a moment.” Despite being extremely worried about Curtis’s situation, I still patiently asked, “Father Yue, who is it that wanted you to be informed of X’s whereabouts?”
Although I had a faint guess, I still wished that it was not that person. That enemy was way too powerful, to the point where one could not help but feel their blood run cold…
Father Yue’s brows furrowed together.
“Is it the Sun Emperor?” I abruptly dropped the name of the speculated person.
Father Yue did not have much reaction to that. Instead it was Dong Fang Lei who suddenly turned to give me a look.
“What is he receiving in exchange for X’s whereabouts?”
This was the point I was truly concerned about. If possible, I hoped that he was only targeting me and not Curtis. I simply did not wish in the slightest to see the Elysees Family clash with the Sun Emperor, for though Curtis had mentioned earlier that the Elysees Family would not lose to the Sun Emperor easily, the Sun Emperor was still an opponent that we had to avoid clashing with at all costs.
Father Yue hesitated for a moment, but another person spoke up first.
“Judas betrayed his mentor for silver pieces. Despite knowing the lessons of the past, but as of today, someone has cast down silver pieces and I still have no choice but to bend down and pick them up, bowing to him willingly. Indeed, as expected of—”
Alex gave an embarrassed smile and said, “While I don’t approve of that person’s behaviour, I still have to commend his capabilities. Sorry though, we do not admit that this has anything to do with the Sun Emperor.”
Do not admit that it has anything to do with the Sun Emperor… So it indeed has something to do with the Sun Emperor? But why? The Sun Emperor only wants to kill Luo Ye. Is that not so? Just the news about X would be enough to threaten me. There is completely no need to drag Curtis and the Elysees Family, or even the Church into this. That would only complicate matters.
Or perhaps it is actually the Church? After all, both Father Yue and Alex are members of the Church. Or even worse…
“Has the Sun Emperor started working with the Church?” I deeply hoped that the situation was not so disastrous.
“We do not represent the Church.” Father Yue shot down the notion firmly, and even clarified immediately, “The Church does not know of what we are doing. They only wish to kill E.X, which is different from our motives. Alex and I are moving on our own.”
I started and realized that the other was not wearing his priest garbs. It was just that the style of his clothes was not too far off from the priest garbs, so I had not noticed until now.
I was still unclear about the current situation; however, I did not intend for us to stay tangled in this mess. In comparison to the Sun Emperor, the Church, or even the two cooperating together, Curtis’s safety was currently still the most important!
I ordered, “Dong Fang, let’s go—”
“I am very sorry, but we cannot let you all go over right now. Please stay right here. It doesn’t need to be for long. Just twenty minutes will do.”
As he spoke, Father Yue picked up a black exercise bag at his feet. That bag was so big that the young master could be stuffed into it, but judging from the sound it made, it was clearly not a person but a heavy metal item inside.
Following that, Father Yue pulled out a spear from the bag. The style was very classic, just like the silver spears that I had seen before in his firearms collection cabinet.
“Family Head, what should we do?” Dong Fang Lei turned to look at me. His expression still looked very controlled, though perhaps it was just my imagination, but I thought his eyes seemed to be a little too red.
Once I heard “twenty minutes,” I felt uneasy. What will happen in those twenty minutes?
“Force your way through!”
Dong Fang Lei quietly asked, “Do we need to take their lives into consideration?”
Their lives… The other person is Yue Gang’s father, but… I gritted my teeth and shouted, “What needs to be taken into consideration is Curtis’s life. If anyone dares to stop us from advancing, annihilate all of them!”
The warning had already been issued. If Father Yue still refused to let us through, then I would no longer show any mercy. After all, Curtis’s situation was still unclear, and I did not wish for Dong Fang Lei and the members of the red bowtie squad to be injured as a consequence of holding back. These people were important combat power for the family, and under the situation where it was unknown if our enemy was the Sun Emperor or the Church, or even the both of them together, I absolutely could not let them get injured so easily!
At this moment, Father Yue had actually slung the giant exercise bag onto his back, the pocket of the bag already open to reveal gun muzzles of various firearms. He praised, “Charles, it hasn’t been long since we last met, but you seem a lot more daring now.”
Under such a situation, I did not wish to chat more with the other, and directly ordered, “Prepare the rocket launcher!”
“Please do not do so.” Alex was still unarmed, and merely clutched onto the cross on his chest. He sincerely said, “It will affect many innocent civilians. Perhaps you all do not care about that, but it is not like you know the location of the person you plan to rescue. To resort to rocket launchers so hastily, are you not afraid of causing a regretful scene to happen?”
Although I knew it was very possible that he was making excuses because they were unable to withstand such heavy firepower, I had no choice but to take his point into consideration. Curtis was merely an ordinary person, and really could not withstand the power of a rocket launcher.
“Family Head!”
Dong Fang Lei suddenly pushed me away. He charged forward and used his gun to block the flash of silver flying over. In the next second, however, his gun left his hand and was pulled back all the way into Alex’s hand.
Alex’s cross had become a chain knife. A thin silver chain extended out of the cross’s tail, and a sharp blade had popped out of the tip of it. That was precisely what had flown over and pulled away Dong Fang Lei’s gun.
“Fire!”
Dong Fang Lei commanded, but Father Yue was even faster. His bullets shot out with unfathomable speed, forcing our side to retreat and dart behind the corner, using the wall to block the bullets. Dong Fang Lei was forced one step further, having to take out his briefcase shield before he could safely retreat around the bend.
On the opposite side, Father Yue did not even have a shield. He merely dodged continuously left and right, and with added protection of the bullet rain, he thoroughly executed the use of offense as the best defense.
If Yue Gang had half the skills of Father Yue, he probably would have only needed to purchase guns out of all the heavy equipment.
At this moment, Alex took out even more crosses, which were clearly all chain knives. However, he did not seem to be in the role of offense, for he swung the chains like a net. It was unclear what kind of material the chains were made of, for even when the bullets struck them unceasingly with clear ringing sounds, the chains did not break. It seemed like the chains truly could block the bullets.
From time to time, those chain knives would be wrapped around our side’s weapons or shields, pulling them away to become new weapons for Father Yue.
“Dong Fang!” I was a little anxious as I shouted, “What is the problem? Are you all unable to hit him?”
Considering how dense the rain of bullets was, even if Alex really had cast a net, the bullets should still have been able to pass through the gaps, not to mention that the density of the blades were still far from that of a net.
“There is something about their priest garbs. We definitely shot them!” Dong Fang Lei gritted his teeth and said, “Family Head, please order us to use the strength of the Extraordinaries!”
Extraordinaries? I froze and stared at him, not understanding what he meant. However, he only returned my gaze with an unwavering one. Given how urgent the situation was, I should have immediately said, “Go ahead.” However, the expressions on his and the red bowtie squad’s faces made me hesitate. It was not an expression of one about to demonstrate their amazing prowess but rather one of resolve.
Anything that requires resolve is usually not a good thing.
“Why don’t I break through with my x-speed—”
“Family Head!” Dong Fang Lei growled angrily, “You are the target of our protection, and not the person protecting us!”
I know that too, but their resolve… I gritted my teeth. Since they all had such resolve, who was I to deny their determination?
“Red bowtie squad members, use the power of the Extraordinaries!”
The moment I yelled that, I watched on as Dong Fang Lei’s appearance started to change unusually. First was his forehead, as blue veins started to burst out from his brows all the way to his forehead. Then his neck also erupted with protruding veins. However, he was not done, for even his eyes also changed. His pupils expanded at least twice the original size, making it nearly impossible to see the whites of his eyes. With that, the Dong Fang Lei who had initially possessed delicate features now looked completely unlike a human, now as ferocious as demon.
However, the extraordinary features Dong Fang Lei showed were the most tame, for the others had much more prominent ones. One person had scales sprout out from every inch of their skin, even including their face, which reminded me of that woman who had worn her bones on the outside.
Another person’s hands became extremely long, curving in a peculiar manner when he was moving as though his entire hand was boneless. It had transformed into something akin to an octopus’s tentacle.
Someone’s back had sprouted eight spider-like legs. Another person even turned completely transparent, while clearly still retaining a basic human figure. However, it would occasionally “shift” into an irregular shape…
Are they non-humans? It seemed that they were not. They merely had many “extraordinary features,” each one drastically different from the other. They were unlike any non-human races that I had heard of before.
“Abnormals?” Alex quietly exclaimed, “I wouldn’t have thought that the Elysees family had gathered so many abnormals. I thought that only the Sun Emperor’s P29 had so many abnormals.”
Dong Fang Lei and the others glared fiercely at Alex, clearly feeling very outraged by the term “abnormals.”
I was extremely confused. Since when had the world materialized “abnormals”? However, I caught the keywords from Alex’s sentence—“P29 had…abnormals.” If I was not mistaken, abnormals likely referred to those humans with special abilities.
Dong Fang Lei glanced at me, appearing slightly nervous for some reason. However, perhaps I had seen wrongly, for it was difficult for me to gauge subtle emotions with his current appearance.
Regardless, now was not the time to be concerned about emotions. I commanded him, “Hurry and break through!”
Dong Fang Lei and the other squad members stared at me with stunned expressions. After a moment of hesitation, Dong Fang Lei asked, “Do you not find us strange?”
I blankly answered, “I am a vampire. Do you think that I am in a position to be calling you all strange?”
Dong Fang Lei’s mouth curled into a smile—In his current appearance, it felt as though a devil was grinning at me.
“Family Head, head over first. Leave the rest to us.”
“How should I cross—”
Dong Fang Lei turned to yell at the others, “Charge!” and the person with the transparent fluid shape was the first to charge in. Father Yue’s frenzied gunshots rang out again, and it all hit the person. Numerous bullets became stuck in the flowing water, not a single one making it through this “human barricade.”
Due to this barricade, Dong Fang Lei and the others were able to go on the offense again. The scene was simply unlike one of humans attacking, if I were to put it in words, perhaps the phrase “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” would be rather appropriate.
“Yue, change to energy weapons!” Alex said anxiously.
Father Yue immediately threw down the guns in his hands and used his feet to bring out another two weapons. However, Dong Fang Lei had already appeared right in front of him and swung a fist, forcing Father Yue to dodge and give up on picking up his weapons.
I managed to see this happen with extreme clarity. Dong Fang Lei had still been in the same spot in that second, but in a blink of an eye he had already appeared in front of Father Yue. Truly, speed did not seem to be the question here. He… teleported?
After Father Yue and Alex were held back by the crowd, that transparent human barricade suddenly lurched at me, securely wrapping around me. Following that, it ignored all the enemies on the other side, and charged toward them like a wave.