Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Memory(11)

HuMing hid in the shadows, pressing a hand to his earpiece, carefully eavesdropping on the conversation in the study.

"Why the sudden emotional fluctuations? You know how important that item is to us!"

It was Chachai's voice, though HuMing could tell he was doing his best to suppress his emotions.

Another voice followed over the earpiece.

"I’ve already completed the item for you, but hiding the formula in that place—isn’t that a bit risky?"

"No one will ever guess the formula is hidden there."

"Heh, true enough. Since it’s done, I should take my leave."

"Won’t you stay? I’m hosting a boxing match in a few days. It’d be a great chance for you to meet some people."

"No need. Given my current situation, I can’t appear in public."

"Very well, I’ll have someone escort you out."

HuMing frowned. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the second voice was familiar.

As the door to the study closed again, HuMing headed back to his room. He’d overheard ChaChai say the formula was hidden in a place no one would think to look—but where could that be?

…

The next morning, ChaChai sent someone to summon HuMing. That was also the day HuMing encountered Ah Nuo again.

Ah Nuo approached him excitedly and asked, "Uncle, can we play together today?"

HuMing was about to refuse when ChaChai waved a hand and said, "Mr. Ross, I’ll have to trouble you to keep my son company for a while. I need to step out, but I’ll be back shortly."

Though clearly displeased, HuMing didn’t refuse. He knew all too well that, in ChaChai’s territory, he couldn’t afford to reject the man’s requests. Resigned, he turned to Ah Nuo, who tugged at his hand and led him toward the back garden.

"Uncle, what’s the outside world like? Tell me!" Ah Nuo’s eyes were filled with curiosity, a stark contrast to ChaChai’s cold demeanor.

Sitting on a garden bench, HuMing began describing the world beyond. Ah Nuo listened intently, his expression shifting between wonder and confusion. But midway through, a shadow of disappointment crept over his face. ℞

"I wish I could see the outside world too. But Dad won’t let me. He says I have to stay here forever and inherit his estate."

"He won’t let you leave?"

"That’s right. I even suggested having another child, but he says one is enough, so he’s never found me a mom."

"Have you ever met your mom?"

Ah Nuo shook his head. From the moment he was born, it was his Dad who had raised him.

He, too, longed for a mother, but for some reason, his Dad was always resistant to the idea.

HuMing stood, studying the boy’s face—it was nothing like ChaChai’s. His expression grew solemn.

Ah Nuo pursed his lips and said something that struck HuMing as odd: "But I will stay here forever. My teacher says, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ Dad says that by staying, I can change the fate of everyone in town."

As he spoke, Ah Nuo’s eyes gleamed with an unshakable resolve. HuMing was startled by the boy’s conviction.

‘He’s just a child’

"Hey, by the way, could you give this to my teacher?" Ah Nuo pulled a jar of ointment from his pocket and placed it in HuMing’s hand. "I heard him mention joint pain recently. This ointment works wonders, but I can’t leave the villa, so you’ll have to take it for me!"

Flashing a bright smile, Ah Nuo radiated youthful energy. HuMing pocketed the ointment, just as ChaChai appeared before them.

Ruffling Ah Nuo’s hair affectionately, ChaChai seemed unusually attentive to the boy. Then he turned to HuMing with a smile. "Mr. Ross, I can now show you my goods. I promise you’ll be satisfied."

ChaChai had a servant escort Ah Nuo away, then motioned for HuMing to follow. As HuMing trailed behind, an uneasy feeling crept over him. Since his arrival, he hadn’t seen any of ChaChai’s soldiers—it was as if they were deliberately avoiding something. This didn’t align with ChaChai’s apparent overprotection of Ah Nuo.

Or was there another explanation?

HuMing followed ChaChai to an underground warehouse. Swiping a card, ChaChai unlocked the heavy doors, and the two stepped inside. At the center of the room was a boxing ring, surrounded by an icy, bone-chilling atmosphere.

ChaChai’s voice broke the silence. "Mr. Ross, didn’t you want to see my goods? Step into the ring, and I’ll show you."

"What are you planning, ChaChai?" HuMing asked coldly, his gaze piercing.

Without warning, ChaChai drew a gun from his waistband and aimed it at HuMing. But HuMing moved faster—grabbing ChaChai’s wrist, he disarmed him with a quick twist.

ChaChai, however, wasn’t easy to subdue. Twisting around, he delivered a powerful kick to HuMing’s arm, forcing him to release his grip. Both men stepped back, sizing each other up.

ChaChai smirked and stretched, his joints cracking audibly. "Impressive skills, outsider."

HuMing didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on ChaChai with unrelenting vigilance. He sensed others in the warehouse.

"Mr. Ross, I know about the stolen invitation," ChaChai began. "At first, I wondered why you were at Zhou’s place. When my subordinates reported it, I was puzzled—how did you and Zhou know each other?"

"But then I remembered the man who escaped me years ago. He must’ve sent you here before his death, to retrieve the formula from me."

Before ChaChai could finish, HuMing lunged forward, unleashing a flurry of punches that left ChaChai scrambling to dodge. A low sweep from HuMing caught ChaChai off balance, sending him to the ground with a grunt. HuMing pounced, raining blows on ChaChai’s face.

Chachai curled into a ball, using his hands to tightly shield his face, desperately trying to avoid being knocked unconscious by HuMing's relentless blows. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

But in the next moment, a gunshot rang out from behind, halting HuMing's movements.

Immediately after, countless red dots appeared across HuMing's body.

HuMing's cold gaze swept across the room. At some point, the entire warehouse was filled with an overwhelming number of soldiers.

They had their guns trained on HuMing, poised to deliver a fatal shot at any moment.

HuMing slowly stepped off Chachai, his eyes never leaving the man lying before him.

"Hahaha, outsider, I admit I’m no longer a match for you youngsters now. But this is my turf. If I let myself be killed in my own home, I’d be a laughingstock!"

With that, ChaChai landed a punch squarely on HuMing’s face, followed by a barrage of blows. HuMing’s vision blurred, his ears ringing as the world faded into a muffled chaos.