CH 69

The nephew went missing, and Xiao Jingfeng, the one who should have taken charge, went off the grid for a while. Finally, just when everyone was getting into conspiracy theories, suggesting that the Union president was the puppet master behind it all, he made a grand entrance.

With more than just wounds, he brought back three individuals.

To be precise, one alive and two lifeless bodies.

Xiao Jingfeng opened a small meeting room at the hotel, stubbornly refusing suggestions from others to go to the hospital. With a stern tone, he frowned at the doctor, demanding emergency bandaging. When Si Di arrived with Xiao Jiali after receiving the news, they found Xiao Jingfeng sitting solemnly on the top sofa, bare-chested, with layers of bandages wrapped around his waist and abdomen. His left shoulder was also tied with a thick bandage. Despite the blood gradually seeping through and staining the outer layers, he remained undeterred.

On the floor of the meeting room was a guide bound like a dead dog. The union’s methods were far from benevolent; after subduing him, Xiao Jingfeng ordered someone to embed a spiritual suppressor in his neck—a cutting-edge technology exclusive to the Special Union Headquarters. It featured a centimeter-thick steel needle embedded with a chip at the front, forcefully inserted into the fragile back of the neck, a sensation few could endure without letting out a painful scream.

In the corner, two bodies lay side by side, their faces covered with white sheets. One of Xiao Jingfeng’s sentinels, a trusted subordinate, was lifting a corner of the sheet to inspect the bodies.

“Zhenyun was kidnapped?” Xiao Jingfeng, pale from loss of blood, looked unwell, but his voice remained steady and resolute.

Si Di nodded. Behind him, Xiao Jiali turned his gaze to the dead bodies on the floor, curiosity and doubt in his eyes but no unnecessary movements.

Noticing his glance, Xiao Jingfeng explained slowly, “The MP’s latest generation of sentinel experiment, labeled as new, but in reality, it seems like a degraded, lower-tier prototype. In our recent clash, there were clear issues with intellect, and emotionally and spiritually, they are far inferior to the previous batch I encountered, escaped, and subsequently destroyed most of them.”

The comparison between the two batches clearly refers to Xiao Jiali. If not for the spiritual injury, his usual performance seems no different from an ordinary special individual’s. However, the deceased tell a different story—they appear problematic, like a hedgehog about to explode at any moment.

He casually pointed at the corpse with his chin, saying, “The one tied up here is probably an internal figure with some status in MP. The two dead ones were likely dispatched by MP to cover his actions, disposable sentinels ready to be abandoned at any moment. But they didn’t follow the guide’s commands at all, harboring an uncontrollable thirst for blood and violence. I casually provoked them, and they went crazy, charging at me.”

As Xiao Jingfeng spoke, he winced, likely hitting his wound, frowning in pain. “Crazy S-rank sentinels, two of them, both with a spiritual matching rate of zero. I almost messed up big time.”

Si Di approached the guide lying on the ground, sniffed around, sensing a familiar odor. He used his shoe to flip the person over, observing for a few seconds. Kneeling down, he tore off the disguise on the person’s face.

It was a stranger familiar to both Xiao Jingfeng and Si Di—Du Nai.

How could Si Di forget this face? An A-rank Sika deer guide, one of the culprits behind the crashed spaceship. Du Nai was an undercover agent sent by the MP Research Institute, lurking around Xiao Jingfeng. Though he had gained the chairman’s trust, his identity was exposed after the failed attempt to murder Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di. Since the spaceship incident, he had disappeared without a trace until reappearing in the Xiao Zhenyun kidnapping.

After being implanted with the suppressor, Du Nai became extremely weak. Even while being insultingly bound on the ground and kicked around, he glared fiercely at Si Di but lacked any real vigor. Si Di, of course, wasn’t intimidated by him, coldly stating, “You’re clueless.”

Xiao Jingfeng chuckled. “No wonder I smelled something foul from a distance. Turns out, it’s our old acquaintance.”

“Hmph…” Du Nai weakly retorted, “If it weren’t for the terrible quality of this batch of experiments, how could I have fallen into your hands?”

As he finished speaking, a call invitation popped up on his wrist terminal. The sentinel crouching to examine the bodies received the chairman’s order and quickly walked over, covering Du Nai’s mouth first and then answering the call in front of everyone.

No need for extra words; on the other end of the call were Du Nai’s remaining comrades. They seemed to be aware that their companion hadn’t joined them for so long, a sure sign of capture. Without any pretense, they immediately demanded a hostage exchange—offering Xiao Zhenyun and Si Chu in return for Du Nai and Xiao Jiali.

They demanded that Xiao Jiali, alone with Du Nai, proceed to the designated location for the exchange of Xiao Zhenyun and Si Chu. Others were strictly prohibited from following, or they would tear the deal apart immediately.

“Tear the deal? You don’t want Xiao Jiali anymore?” Xiao Jingfeng was never one to succumb to threats, surprisingly unfazed by their stance. “Xiao Jiali is just the experiment subject we can easily retrieve. If we can’t, it’s a minor inconvenience, representing nothing. As for Guide Du, I believe sacrificing himself for MP is his glory and lifelong pursuit.”

Du Nai, lying on the ground like a lifeless fish with his mouth covered, could only muster the reaction of breathing.

Xiao Jingfeng and Si Di exchanged a glance, staying silent for a moment. Then Xiao Jingfeng shifted his gaze towards Xiao Jiali, subtly shaking his head as a signal. Confused, Xiao Jiali opened his mouth to say something, but Xiao Jingfeng’s eyes immediately grew more intense, staring at him sternly with tightly pressed lips.

Xiao Jiali’s breath quickened with nervousness. He understood that Xiao Jingfeng was trying to convey something, repeatedly hinting that he should think carefully before speaking. But… what exactly did Xiao Jingfeng want him to do? Xiao Jiali’s mind raced, feeling frustrated with his own stupidity for the first time.

Suddenly, he realized something, turned around, and grabbed Si Di’s wrist. Shouting loudly, he exclaimed, “No, I don’t want to die! Don’t exchange me! “

In his cries, he cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Jingfeng, seeing a softened and affirmative expression. A warm sensation surged in Xiao Jiali’s chest, an untimely happiness for some unknown reason.

Si Di immediately ‘comforted’ him dismissively, saying, “Don’t worry, we won’t exchange you.” Then he quickly turned away, asking the other end of the terminal, “How do we prove that Xiao Zhenyun and Si Chu are indeed in your hands and still alive?”

Xiao Jiali angrily retorted, “Are their lives more valuable than mine?!”

Completing the act, he tried to run out after his outburst but was easily caught by one of Xiao Jingfeng’s subordinates and tied up with a rope.

“Xiao Jiali is not very cooperative…” Si Di cruelly and coldly remarked, “I’ll personally escort him and Du Nai over, let me hear Xiao Zhenyun’s voice myself.”

The other end of the voice went quiet for a moment, then, as if conceding to Si Di’s words, a faint sound emerged. It was the soft, rhythmic tapping of footsteps on the cement ground covered in pebbles. Following that was a voice processed through a voice changer, “Chairman Xiao, cooperate a bit. Your sentinel wants to hear your voice.”

Si Di, who had been successfully suppressing his anxiety, couldn’t help but reveal a bit of it now, “Little uncle!”

The voice of his younger brother, Si Chu, came through the terminal first, “Brother!” Then, Xiao Zhenyun’s deep voice followed, “Si Di, it’s me. Xiao Chu is here too.”

His voice sounded remarkably calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuations, but Si Di knew Xiao Zhenyun was merely adept at concealing and disguising his emotions. His guide wasn’t as powerful and fearless; just an ordinary person who would undoubtedly be afraid, panicked, and at a loss in the face of danger.

“I know, don’t be afraid. I’ll get you out soon.” Si Di reassured softly.

The terminal returned to the hands of Du Nai’s accomplice. “You have half an hour. If we don’t see them in half an hour, prepare to collect their bodies.”

The communication ended, and Xiao Jingfeng immediately said, “They agreed too easily for you to take the hostages for the exchange. It’s probably not that easy. Be careful.”

“I know. They probably want to get rid of me as well,” Si Di said with an indifferent tone. “My spiritual domain has already recovered. If they want to deal with me, I’m afraid they don’t have the ability…”

Xiao Jingfeng chuckled lowly, wanting to say something more. However, his vision suddenly blurred, and soon after, due to excessive blood loss, he fell into unconsciousness and collapsed to the ground.

During the half-hour wait for Si Di to bring the hostages, Xiao Zhenyun lay on the cold and dirty cement ground, shivering from the freezing temperature. His fragile physique, combined with being drenched in cold water, left his clothes wet in large patches. The chilly night wind gusted through him, making it feel like lying in a refrigerated room.

Si Chu, the little dog, anxiously looked at him, seemingly eager to move closer to keep him warm. However, every time he tried, the aggressive sentinel with Tourette’s syndrome1Tourette’s syndrome is a condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements. found a reason to approach and kick him away. Eventually, Xiao Zhenyun advised the little dog not to move, to lie still and that his uncle wouldn’t freeze to death anytime soon.

Finally, as the countdown silently dwindled to the last five minutes, the bored Tiger Sentinel roared low like a wild beast, quickly lurking into the shadows. The other four guides also stood up alertly, and the two black-robed masked individuals stirred. They slightly loosened the restraints on Si Chu’s hands and feet, allowing him to move in small steps. Then, they instructed him to carry Xiao Zhenyun on his back, and two guns were immediately pressed against Si Chu and Xiao Zhenyun’s temples.

Outside the abandoned factory, Si Di parked the car—ironically, the same one that the hedgehog had planned to abduct Si Chu with. Unexpectedly, it was now being used to redeem Si Chu.

After getting out of the car, Xiao Jiali and Du Nai followed suit.

Xiao Jiali had a pair of handcuffs on his wrists, the kind that would easily open with a struggle. Du Nai had the real deal; a spiritual suppressor was embedded in the back of his neck, making him walk with a floating and unsteady pace.

Xiao Zhenyun instantly connected with Si Di through a spiritual link. Simultaneously, two spiritual whips attacked Si Di’s spiritual domain, directly knocking Xiao Zhenyun’s spiritual power away.

Si Chu suddenly felt a heat on his neck. Lowering his head, he saw a splattering of blood on his collar, and a large warm liquid seeping into the neckline.

“Little uncle!” he shouted in terror. “What happened to you, little uncle!”

Xiao Zhenyun undoubtedly shielded Si Di from the most unexpected and vicious attacks. The silver-haired sentinel gritted his teeth, stabilizing his spiritual domain, and instantly aimed his guns at the back of Xiao Jiali and Du Nai’s heads. “I guess you don’t care about their lives anymore…”

Du Nai, his mouth still obstructed, visibly laughed. He turned his head, provocatively locking eyes with Si Di.

You’re also our target, Du Nai’s gaze implied, a foolish prey walking into our trap.

The Tiger Sentinel suddenly pounced out of the shadows. To evade his attack, Si Di lifted his left arm and turned sideways, using it as a shield. Seizing the opportunity, Du Nai rolled to the side. Xiao Jiali discarded the disguise and assisted Si Di, kicking the Tiger Sentinel’s waist as he retaliated.

The Tiger Sentinel miraculously halted mid-air, blocking Xiao Jiali’s attack with his raised arm. Then, leveraging the momentum, he jumped backward. Excitement burned in his eyes, and he launched another fierce attack.

Si Di’s spiritual domain was simultaneously under attack from three S-level guides. He could hardly spare any attention to counter the Tiger Sentinel’s attack. In the blink of an eye, he was drenched in sweat, his face contorted in pain. He bit through his lips and tongue, eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

Xiao Jiali helped him withstand the force of two attacks from the Tiger Sentinel. Hindered by the sensory suppressor, his reaction time was more than twice as slow. With no power to fight back, he could only keep defending and retreating steadily. 

Xiao Zhenyun wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips. Despite the excruciating pain in his spiritual domain, he attempted again. However, at that moment, the gun pressed against his temple forcefully tilted his head.

“Don’t do anything unnecessary,” a masked individual threatened.

“…,” Xiao Zhenyun remained silent. He observed as one of the guides approached Du Nai, removing the obstruction from his mouth and crouching to untie him. Du Nai maliciously glanced at Xiao Zhenyun, his gaze sharp, “Take off this thing from the back of my neck and let Chairman Xiao have a taste of its flavor.”

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