Chapter 121: Curse

“What’s wrong with him?” asked Chen Ying.

“I’m not sure.”

Fat Jun stumbled on his words. “There seems to be an energy that doesn’t belong to him in his body, and it’s especially pronounced in the arm that was bitten. It’s rejecting and offsetting my healing.”

Fat Jun scratched his head. “How should I put it? It feels like my healing can’t find a target. It’s very strange.”

Surprise flashed through Chen Ying’s face. She sounded hesitant as she said, “It may be a curse.”

“Holy!”

“A curse?”

“What do we do?”

The crowd erupted into murmurs.

Gao Yang was surprised as well.

There were Talents that put curses on people from serial number 11 to 199, and those Talents were categorized as the Miracle type.

That made sense to Gao Yang. Blessings and curses were two sides of the same coin, so were sanctuary and punishment. After all, both were what a god that reigned supreme would do.

Among the twelve types, Miracle-type Talents were the rarest.

“We must take him back to HQ,” Chen Ying came to the conclusion while Gao Yang was lost in his thoughts. She turned to order Zhang Wei, “Make the announcement that the market ends now. Everyone is to return home and keep up their guard. I’ll make a report tomorrow. Our meeting place may change going forward.”

“Got it,” Zhang Wei answered.

Chen Ying turned to Gao Yang and his companions. She opened her mouth before closing it, hesitant to say what she wanted to say.

“Please speak your mind,” Gao Yang offered.

Chen Ying glanced at her unconscious companion. “I’m taking him back to our base. We have a member with Talent: Cleansing. That should remove the curse if it’s indeed what he was hit with.”

Gao Yang nodded and waited for her to continue.

“But I’m worried that something may happen on our way back. Another ambush, for example.”

“That’s reasonable,” said Officer Huang.

Chen Ying smiled bitterly. “To be frank, with the second team killed in action and the first team away, I’m hoping that you would be so kind as to escort us back.”

Gao Yang didn’t immediately say yes.

If the ‘ghost’ named Fresh Snow and her mysterious sister wanted to kill someone, the three of them and Chen Ying together wouldn’t stand a chance. However, it seemed that Fresh Snow wasn’t actually hostile to Gao Yang or the Hundred Rivers Union, and her sister seemed to have only shown up to get Fresh Snow while being wholly uninterested in anyone else.

Gao Yang could make Chen Ying owe him a favor without risking anything.

He turned to Qing Ling and Officer Huang. Through exchanges of glances, the three of them came to an agreement.

Gao Yang said with a smile, “We are willing to play bodyguards, but not for free.”

“How much do you want?” Chen Ying was too worried to beat around the bush.

“How about this?” Officer Huang said with a shrewd smile. “Whatever the three of us bought today will be given to us free of charge.”

“Deal.”

Chen Ying didn’t even hesitate. None of the products traded at the flea market were that valuable. Although the Hundred Rivers Union wasn’t that strong in battles, they did have quite the wealth accumulated.

“But,” Chen Ying trailed off, shooting Wang Zikai a fleeting glance.

Gao Yang caught on immediately. Wang Zikai was a monster. Chen Ying couldn’t possibly allow him to follow them to their homebase. It was too risky.

Gao Yang cleared his throat and said, “Wang Zikai, why don’t you return with Fat Jun?”

“Why?” Wang Zikai was confused.

“That’s because...” Gao Yang gave Fat Jun a pointed look.

“Oww, owwww!” Fat Jun immediately grabbed onto his own arm. “I don’t feel too good, something’s wrong...”

Gao Yang put on a serious look. “Fat Jun isn’t in the right state. Please take him back in case something bad happens. Remember how his arm lost control again? And he slapped you twice...”

“Fucker!” Wang Zikai flew into a rage as soon as he was reminded of that. “I told you we shouldn’t keep the piece of trash around!”

“Haha, I know you’ve got a heart of gold underneath all that toughness, Brother Kai! You ain’t gonna kill me!” Fat Jun quickly rattled off flatteries. “You’re the chosen one. The chosen one must be magnanimous in nature!”

“Piss off!” Wang Zikai spat, but his arched eyebrows and the curve of his lips betrayed his true feelings.

“None of us are confident that we’ll be able to keep Fat Jun under control. You’re the only one who can.” Gao Yang continued to talk him up. “And it doesn’t befit someone of your station to play bodyguards. Leave it to us.”

“Fine, fine.” Wang Zikai waved a hand at them reluctantly. “I’ll take care of it.”

Officer Huang threw his car key to Wang Zikai. “Take my car. I’ll get it from you later.”

Wang Zikai took the key and dragged Fat Jun by the collar, cursing under his breath as he walked away.

Watching Wang Zikai go, Chen Ying was both astonished and worried. “I’ve never seen a wanderer like that.”

“It’s a first for us too.” Officer Huang smiled wryly.

Chen Ying pressed her lips together. “Is he really not dangerous?”

“Not at the moment.”

“And he’s saved our lives,” Gao Yang added with a smile. “More than once.”

“Alright.”

Chen Ying was in no place to interfere with another organization’s business. “We can’t afford to dally. Let’s go.”

...

Chen Ying carried the unconscious man on her back with Little Tian, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang in tow. They left the amusement park through the backdoor and got into a gray SUV parked by the road.

Chen Ying drove, while Little Tian rode shotgun with his eyes closed and Sensory activated, making sure that they weren’t being followed or at the risk of getting ambushed.

Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Officer Huang were in the back as bodyguards.

The still unconscious young man, Jiang Hao, was crammed into the seat with them.

As soon as the car started, Chen Ying took out three blindfolds from the glove compartment and smiled apologetically. “Would you please put these on? I know it’s quite rude of us, and I’m not doubting your intention, but rules are rules.”

“I understand.” Officer Huang took the blindfolds. “Better safe than sorry.”

Gao Yang took one blindfold from him. “I understand too.”

Qing Ling didn’t take the last one, but instead put on the sleep mask she kept in her pocket and began to rest.

With all three of them blinded to the surroundings, the car drove on the main road for a good while before turning into a bumpy path. The cicada chirps and frog croaks grew louder and louder, while the car drove softly downhill.

Gao Yang could tell roughly that they were somewhere in the southmost suburban area in the Nanji District.

“We’re here,” Chen Ying said after twenty minutes.

Gao Yang pulled off the blindfold and found the car in a strange-looking car elevator. It descended slowly for about thirty meters. Then the metal door rose to reveal a small parking lot.

Once they got out of the car, Chen Ying led them through the quiet and dim parking lot with Jiang Hao on her back. They entered a regular elevator and went further down.

Soon, the door opened, and they were led into the main hall of the Hundred Rivers Union’s headquarters.

There were dozens of office desks, arranged in clusters according to tasks. On the desks were computers, potted plants, pillows, folders, books, coffee mugs, and other everyday objects, and around the room were a watercooler, coffee machine, and vending machine selling snacks.

It looked like your average company.

However, some desks were covered in dust with the potted plants wilted, making it clear that they had been left unattended. They might belong to members who had passed away, or frontline members who didn’t stay in the office for administrative work.

It was two o’clock in the morning. Only three young men were left in the office.

One was working hard, another was eating instant noodles, and the other was playing a game.

They all looked up when they heard the elevator door open.

“What’s wrong, Sister Chen?”

They tensed up when they saw Chen Ying carrying Jiang Hao with three strangers following her.

Chen Ying scanned the office and asked urgently, “Where’s Sha Ye?”