Chapter 41: Are You Looking For Me?

Ling Wu walked in the alley, moss and emerald ivy climbing the mottled walls; occasionally, the sound of a cat meowing drifted to his ears, followed by a series of hurried footsteps.

He bit down on a candied hawthorn, the sweet and sour flavor exploding.

A moment later.

Several youths wearing school uniforms and sporting colorful hair appeared in the alley.

"Where is he?"

"Don't lose him, hurry up and catch him. Young Master Wei and Shen said we must teach him a lesson."

"We won't lose him, Qiangzi and the others are lying in ambush in the other alley."

"Hurry and chase!"

Ling Wu looked back, saw them chasing from the alley, and ran forward with his long legs.

The scattered midday sunlight cast down from the top of the wall, enveloping him in mottled shadows, faintly outlining the youth's cool and exquisite profile, the exposed arc of his jaw beautiful, his temperament elegant and aloof.

"Damn it! Stop right there!"

"Don't run!"

"Stop!"

Those youths really hadn't expected that Ling Wu, who looked so frail, could run so well, leading them around like dogs.

The yellow-haired youth panted and said, "This kid, how can he run so well?"

After chasing for two more streets, Ling Wu's speed slowed down, and the group chasing him behind was panting: "Run then."

"Why aren't you running anymore?"

Ling Wu pointed at them with the candied hawthorn in his hand and asked, "Who sent you?"

The yellow-haired youth spat: "Cut the crap about who sent us, you've provoked someone you shouldn't have, and today we're going to teach you a lesson."

"Brothers, get him!"

Seeing that he wasn't running anymore, the others lit cigarettes and held them in their hands, looking Ling Wu over with a hooligan air, their gazes shifting from those long, straight legs to his face.

He whistled again: "Boss, he looks really pretty, even better-looking than those young girls."

"I finally understand why those nobles passed the Same-Sex Marriage Law; who wouldn't be dazed looking at this?"

Ling Wu slowly bit down on the bright red candied hawthorn and spoke very calmly: "What do you want me to do to let me go?"

"Let you go?"

The leading yellow-haired youth licked his lips: "Come over and keep us brothers company; if you serve us well, we'll be magnanimous and let you go."

"Otherwise, don't think about walking out of this alley today."

As soon as the words fell, several people laughed in unison.

That laughter was sharp and grating.

Ling Wu's clear eyes swept over them, and a smile bloomed on his face: "Alright."

"But you must keep your word and let me leave safely."

Yellow-haired youth: "That goes without saying."

After speaking, his gaze fell unprofessionally on Ling Wu's hand holding the candied hawthorn, thinking how a man's hand could be as fair as porcelain.

"Let big brother touch your hand."

He said this and reached out to touch Ling Wu.

The youth coldly brushed away the hand that reached over.

When his gaze looked over, his eyes were half-lowered, his pupils turned amber by the sunlight, the corners of his eyes outlining a bit of ruthless coldness, his thick eyelashes hiding the displeasure deep within his pupils.

"What's the rush?"

Ling Wu's tone was slightly drawn out: "Ever heard of giving up to gain?"

"It doesn't matter if you haven't, I'll treat you to a candied hawthorn."

Before the yellow-haired youth could react, the cool youth grabbed his wrist, forced the back of his hand upward, and immediately followed by driving the sharpened wooden skewer of the candied hawthorn fiercely through his palm; fresh blood spurted out, staining Ling Wu's clean white shirt red.

"The skewer is a gift for you."

Ling Wu lifted his long leg to the side and kicked the person flying several meters away.

The body hit the ground with a dull thud, accompanied by a few whimpers of agony.

"Ah... uh..."

The yellow-haired youth clutched his palm, his eyes splitting with rage: "I'm going to kill you!"

"Boss, are... are you okay?"

The yellow-haired youth glared at him: "Do I look like I'm okay?"

"Idiot, hurry up and catch him!"

Several youths rushed over aggressively, but Ling Wu acted first, kicked two of them down, and ran in the opposite direction.

This area was close to the Lower City District and was accessible in all directions; Ling Wu quickly shook them off and ran to an intersection, where he saw a team of people appearing at the end of the road ahead, also wearing Sike Academy uniforms.

"That's him!"

Seeing the situation was bad, Ling Wu looked toward the left and right ends of the intersection; the yellow-haired youth had already brought people to chase him, and there were people blocking the other side, so he ran toward the remaining road.

The three groups of people converged.

The youth nicknamed Qiangzi frowned when he saw the blood on the yellow-haired youth's hand: "What's your situation?"

"Damn it, forget it." The yellow-haired youth said: "That kid ran into a dead end, there's no surveillance in this area, I'm going to kill him when I catch him."

On this side, Ling Wu stopped running once he entered the alley and dialed the local Police number: "Hello."

"I am currently at No. 829 South XX Road, there are about ten people causing trouble..."

After the call ended, the alley returned to silence.

Qiangzi led his men in: "Where is he?"

The end of the alley was blocked by a wall, yet it was empty and not a soul could be seen.

"Could they have grown wings and flown away?"

A clean, pleasant voice of a youth came from overhead.

"Everyone..."

Looking toward the source of the sound, Ling Wu sat atop the high wall in a white shirt stained with blood, right leg bent, backed by a lush pagoda tree; with eyelids lowered to reveal that hidden little mole, they did not look as aloof and distant as usual, but instead presented the eccentricity and sharpness of a sword drawn from its scabbard.

"Are you looking for me?"

Yellow-hair: "You're at death's door, what are you still being arrogant for?"

Ling Wu unhurriedly drew a Colt M1911 pistol from their lower back and aimed it at the person in the lead.

They placed an index finger against their lips: "Don't move, everyone, watch out for accidental discharge."

That pistol was pitch black, the frame made of rare metal materials with a matte texture, emitting a lethal and cold, dangerous aura.

"A gun..."

The alley fell silent in an instant.

Firearms might be distant to commoners, but to the nobles at Sike Academy, they were simply commonplace; with professional shooting classes and an armory in the Academy, everyone present had touched a gun before.

They knew very clearly in their hearts that what Ling Wu held was a real gun.

You run fast, but can you run faster than a bullet?

No one dared to use their life as a wager.

And they dared not be certain whose head that bullet would land on.

They had originally thought this place was remote with no surveillance and few people, making it the best place to teach Ling Wu a lesson, never expecting it to end up as their graveyard.

Ling Wu slightly raised their chin: "Raise your hands and squat down in the corner of the wall."

About five minutes later.

Police helicopters arrived inside the alley, and several people in police uniforms stepped down, looking at the people squatting in the corner with confusion, and asked as a matter of routine: "Who called the police?"

Ling Wu raised their hand properly: "Officer, I called the police."

"Come back to the station with me to give a statement, and take these people away together."

The people in the alley were escorted onto several helicopters one after another.