Carrying his comatose teammate, the man with the ear studs led the way but did not get far.
They stopped just a few dozen meters outside of the camp, next to a pile of dirt.
"Thud!"
He dropped the comatose teammate to the ground and turned to Chen Yu, lowering his voice, "Run in this direction and keep going until you hit the Luoyun Mountain Range. Find a place to hide well."
"Big brother, what do you mean?" Chen Yu scratched his head.
"Donât you get it?" the man with the ear studs squinted, "Iâm letting you go."
"Oh!" Chen Yu realized, "Youâre shooing me away."
"No, Iâm letting you go. Letting."
"But I donât want to leave either." Chen Yu spread his hands, "Isnât this just the same as shooing me away?"
"...Are you sick?"
After a moment of silence, the man with the ear studs looked him up and down, "Donât you realize youâre about to die?"
"Really? Then tell me, whatâs actually going on." Chen Yu sat down on the ground, pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket, and started to eat them as he watched the man with the ear studs.
The man with the ear studs: "..."
Clenching his fists, he glanced at the comatose teammate and spoke rapidly, "Transcendents have a robust constitution. I only have so much Pandoraâs Crystals, enough to keep him asleep for five minutes at most. So Iâll only say this once, and after that, you need to run."
"Okay," Chen Yu gestured with his hand, "Start your speech, please."
"Last night, while teaching you how to barbecue, I told you. The higher-ups actually intend to use you as a bargaining chip, sending you to the âEnforcement Centerâ to exchange for benefits, right?"
"Right," Chen Yu nodded and spat out two sunflower seed shells.
The man with the ear studs wiped one of the sunflower seed shells off his face and continued, "In such a situation, youâre pretty much dead meat! Then, you went on to kill two teammates! Iâve heard that the Team Leader and the Vice Leader are ready to seal your transcendent origin and shackle you. At that point, youâll indeed be a lamb to the slaughter."
"What?" Chen Yu was so scared that his sunflower seeds fell, "For real?"
"For real!"
"Is it?"
"Yes!"
"I donât believe it."@@novelbin@@
"..."
"And you and I are not related, so why risk helping me escape?" Bending over to pick up the sunflower seeds from the ground, Chen Yu looked dubious, "You have an ulterior motive."
After a brief silence, the man with the ear studs suddenly let out a long sigh, "Thatâs right! I do have a purpose."
"See!" Chen Yu sneered, "I knew you werenât up to any good. Iâm out of here."
"Hey, hey, hey?!" The man with the ear studs quickly grabbed Chen Yu as he turned to leave, shocked, "Donât you want to hear what my purpose is?"
"No need," Chen Yu waved his hand, "Your face says it all."
The man with the ear studs: "...Iâm doing this to rebel. I canât accept the actions of the higher-ups who shamelessly relinquish our sovereignty, sending a hero like you, who has fought for our race, to his death."
"A hero, huh."
Chen Yu seemed touched, he stopped, his expression turned somber, looking up at the sky, "But heroes, they are just toys under the control of power."
"So you will just tolerate all this?" the man with the ear studs clenched his fists again, veins bulging on his forehead in anger, "Once dead, you have nothing left. In the capital, both in the transcendent community and among the common people, there are so many supporters, high and low. How can you just resign yourself to fate?"
"Stop it." Chen Yuâs voice was melancholic, "Iâm feeling confused."
Noticing Chen Yu was swayed, the man with the ear studs instantly brightened up and pressed his advantage, "A real man born in this world! How can he allow himself to be manipulated like a puppet..."
"Cough cough cough..."
Before the man with the ear studs could finish, the Transcendent lying on the ground began to come to, slowly opened his eyes, and after a few weak coughs, looked around in bewilderment.
"Damn." The man with the ear studsâ face changed drastically.
"You guys..." The Transcendent barely managed to utter with a barely audible voice, "What... what..."
"His constitution is so strong." The man with the ear studs gritted his teeth, quickly put on a pair of gloves, and then took out a silver-white baton from within his coat, handing it to Chen Yu, "Quick! Take him out! Before he can shout! Hurry!"
"Me?" Chen Yu hesitantly accepted the baton, "I should kill him?"
"Who else? Youâve already killed two! One more wonât make a difference!" The man with the ear studs urged, "Struggle is never a dinner party! You have to rebel!"
"Why donât you do it?"
"Because I still have to cover for you! If I act and my blood splatters on me, I wonât be able to protect myself, how will I help you then?"
"Makes sense!" Chen Yu came to an understanding.
"You... you want to..." The Transcendent struggled desperately, trying to lift his arm shakily.
"Hurry up!" the man with the ear studs lowered his voice, shouting in Chen Yuâs ear, "Thereâs no time! Quick! Quick! Quick! Strike while heâs weak and take his life!"
"Hit... hit him?"
"Hit him!"
As his breathing grew more rapid, Chen Yu pulled out the baton, his nervous hands grasped it tightly, aiming at the Transcendent teammateâs forehead.
"Gurgleâ"
He swallowed hard.
"Quick!" the man with the ear studs gritted his teeth, "Aim for the head!"
"Of course."
"Strike down on the head!"
"Okay."
"To make a narrow escape!"
"Here it comes."
The man with the ear studs clenched his fists, "Hit him!"
Chen Yu raised the baton, "Hit him, yeah!"
The man with the ear studs, "Hit the motherfucker!"
Chen Yu, "Hitting it!"
The man with the ear studs, "Hit him!"
Chen Yu, "Hit him, yeah."
The man with the ear studs angrily, "Hit the motherfucker!"
"Bang!"
The baton suddenly slammed onto the head of the man with the ear studs with great force.
Accompanied by a loud noise, blood instantly started to flow from the wound...
The man with the ear studs stared in disbelief, staggered back half a step, trembling, and reached out to touch the unstoppable flow of blood from his forehead.