The First Order

“Why are we going to the Southwest?” Yang Xiaojin asked.

“We’ve already confirmed the Qing Consortium really does have nuclear weapons. Previously, we did not manage to locate their nuclear test site, so we have to get rid of this future threat immediately.” The woman in the black cap said, “This time, we have to find whatever clues we can. Make a trip with me. The other members of the Saboteurs don’t know the Southwest as well as you do.”

Then Yang Xiaojin’s aunt turned around and prepared to lead Yang Xiaojin away. But to her surprise, Yang Xiaojin did not follow along this time. Instead, she remained standing there silently.

“What’s the matter? Have you forgotten our creed?” her aunt questioned.

“I didn’t forget, but I have something more important I still need to do,” Yang Xiaojin said softly.

Crowds were passing to and fro across the school’s entrance, but these two people felt like they were separate entities from the bustling of the world. It was as though they did not belong in this peaceful world at all.

Yang Xiaojin’s aunt looked at her and said, “What else can be more important than doing what we believe in?”

Yang Xiaojin did not answer this question. Instead, she asked, “Have you heard any news of Ren Xiaosu yet?”

Actually, this was also her answer of sorts. Yang Xiaojin looked at her aunt who had always been strong. Otherwise, she would also not have parted ways with the Yang Consortium.

Her aunt’s original name was Yang Anjing, but as she felt it sounded too frail, she changed her name to Yang Anjing.[1]

Yang Xiaojin met her aunt’s eyes. Her aunt stayed silent for a second before answering calmly, “No.”

“I’m going to look for him. After I’ve found him, I’ll head to the Southwest to meet up with you,” Yang Xiaojin said.

Yang Anjing smiled and said, “You said you saw him getting pierced through the abdomen by a spear with your own eyes. Then you should also know how low the chances of survival are for someone who’s had his abdomen pierced and was swept away by a flood. If it were you, could you survive that?”

“I wouldn’t.” Yang Xiaojin shook her head and said, “But he can.”

“He’s just a boy who hasn’t grown up yet. Perhaps he said something that made you happy and unable to forget about him. However, no one can have such resolute and loyal feelings in this world. Even if he were fortunate enough to survive, he would definitely have someone else he likes now.”

“He won’t.” Yang Xiaojin said firmly, “He’s just like everyone else in this world. He’s unique.”

Yang Anjing fell silent.

Yang Xiaojin stubbornly said, “I’m sorry, Aunt. But I can’t go to the Southwest yet. I still want to look for him. In the past, I also thought I could just attend school here quietly and not pay attention to the rest of the world until I forgot about him. But at some point today, I felt like he was just by my side. It was only at this moment that I realized I couldn’t forget him.”

“Then do you know where to start looking for him?” Yang Anjing asked.

“I don’t know.” Yang Xiaojin shook her head.

“And how are you going to find him?” Yang Anjing asked again.

“With my entire life if need be.”

…

Just as Ren Xiaosu was about to leave with Zhou Yingxue, Old Li and Qin Sheng bumped into them. The moment they met, Old Li reached out to touch Ren Xiaosu’s hair to test if it were a wig.

Ren Xiaosu looked at Old Li speechlessly as he pulled his hair. “What are you doing?”

“Oh,” Old Li said, “your hair feels real nice. What’s your haircare routine?”

“What haircare routine!” Ren Xiaosu did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Is that what you two came here for?”

Old Li changed the subject and asked, “How long are you planning to stay in Luoyang City? As your hosts, we should at least entertain you a little. Do you want us to show you around?”

“No need.” Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, “We were just planning to leave. There’s still some things that we need to handle.”

The sentences he had given to Hope Media’s Jiang Xu had already been published in the newspapers. As such, Ren Xiaosu wanted to return to Stronghold 61 as soon as possible to wait for Wang Fugui to arrive.

When Old Li heard Ren Xiaosu was planning to leave, he said, “Oh, then let us see you off. We can get a car for you two. What plans do you have in the future? Since we know each other so well, if I wanted to have a chat with you someday, there should at least be a place where I can go look for you, right?”

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and decided there was no need to hide his whereabouts from Old Li. He also intended to make friends with the Riders. “I’m going to the black market outside of Luoyang City first before heading straight for Stronghold 61.”

“Mhm, mhm.” Old Li hurriedly nodded. “Alright, I got it.”

Qin Sheng, who was next to them, suddenly said, “Brother Xiaosu, I guess you’ve heard about us Riders, right?”

Qin Sheng was the same age as Ren Xiaosu. In order to sound more friendly, he directly addressed him as Brother Xiaosu.

“What about?” Ren Xiaosu asked puzzledly.

“That we’re looking for someone.” Qin Sheng explained, “The Riders have been searching for that person for a long time. His name is Ren Xiaobei, and it’s only one character different from your name, Brother Xiaosu.”

“That’s such a coincidence.” Ren Xiaosu’s heart skipped a beat. “Why? Do you need me to help you look for him? Does he have any unique traits? If I see him, I’ll definitely let y’all know.”

Old Li scrutinized Ren Xiaosu’s expression and said, “We don’t know if he has any identifiable traits. We just know he looks quite handsome.”

For some reason, Old Li felt that Ren Xiaosu was suddenly very relieved.

Ren Xiaosu said, “If I encounter someone called Ren Xiaobei, I’ll definitely tell y’all.”

Actually, at some point, Ren Xiaosu also wondered if the person the Riders and Qinghe Group were looking for could be him and not Yan Liuyuan.

But Ren Xiaosu was more hoping that it would be neither of them. That was because a lot of people now knew this person had come out of the Pyro Company’s laboratory. Even if he were still alive, he would be more than 200 years old. Would he not be regarded as a monster by others in that case?

But Ren Xiaobei’s name was only one character different from his, while Yan Liuyuan addressed him as “brother” so confidently back then. Therefore, there must have been some complicated situation in between that left Ren Xiaosu unable to understand what was going on.

It was too messy, so Ren Xiaosu decided not to think about it for now.

As they chatted, they arrived at the stronghold’s entrance. Old Li said, “We’ll see you off here. Take care.”

After they bade farewell to each other, Zhou Yingxue drove the off-road vehicle Old Li and Qin Sheng had gifted them to the black market. On the way, Zhou Yingxue asked, “Master, could that Ren Xiaobei person they’re looking for be you?”

Ren Xiaosu shook his head and said, “That can’t be. They mentioned that Ren Xiaobei looks quite handsome, so how could it be me when I’m very handsome?”

Zhou Yingxue was surprised. So that’s why you were suddenly relieved earlier? It was because they said he only looked quite handsome? And then you felt they must definitely not be referring to you?

As Zhou Yingxue drove on, she could feel a sense of resentfulness growing inside her. However, Zhou Yingxue realized that ever since they parted ways with Old Li and Qin Sheng, Ren Xiaosu seemed to have a lot on his mind. As such, she did not say anything further.

Ren Xiaosu was gazing out the window, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The two of them did not head directly to Stronghold 61. Instead, they made a detour to the black market first to launder the reward money they had received from the Anjing House before setting off again.

[1] The original name “Anjing” means “quiet,” while the new name means peaceful capital (of a country).