Chapter 101: He Isn't Trying to Sell Me, Is He? (Revision)

Today is a school day, and neither Shen Zexi nor Qi Hengyu, nor Ying Duo, any of them, should be appearing in the Slum at this time.

Mitra Academy does not force students to earn credits by attending classes, but for newly enrolled freshmen, following the routine is the best choice.

After all, for them, improving their mastery and development of Aberrant Arts is the top priority.

Even though many of them awakened Aberrant Arts in childhood, their young bodies cannot bear the consequences of developing them, so even awakened parents would admonish their own children not to use them.

They only begin formally studying their Aberrant Arts after turning sixteen, and systematically learn to develop more abilities.

At least most people in Tianmian City are like that.

And for Shen Zexi, the luckiest thing is that he has no classes this afternoon or evening.

He originally planned to wander near the Academy during this time, but as soon as he stepped out, he saw Qi Hengyu hurriedly climbing over the Academy's wall.

Fearing Qi Hengyu might run into trouble, he followed.

As a result, that following led them straight from Tianmian City into the Slum.

Shen Zexi began to suspect that Qi Hengyu might be trying to lure him to some unknown corner to sell him.

Especially after arriving in the Slum, Qi Hengyu no longer wore the frantic expression, strolling as if in a back garden, looking east and west, unusually leisurely.

Gradually, the one behind became the one leading the way.

Qi Hengyu followed step for step behind him, occasionally pointing the way, giving the feeling as if they had entered a human trafficker's den, and the trafficker didn't worry about him escaping at all.

"So, what exactly are you in such a hurry to do here?"

Shen Zexi couldn't help asking; after taking the train to the Slum earlier, he had already asked Qi Hengyu once, and Qi Hengyu only replied that something had happened at his home.

He naturally assumed, as the rumor in the Academy went, that something had happened to the Ancient Martial Family Qi Hengyu came from.

But Qi Hengyu now wore a look of unwillingness to elaborate, so Shen Zexi could only temporarily give up probing.

Everyone has secrets they don't want to voice, and Shen Zexi is no different.

"So I told you from the start, you didn't need to follow me."

Qi Hengyu rolled his eyes, admitting that he was a bit emotionally out of control when he first heard about the incident, but after arriving here and finding that nothing much had happened, he gradually calmed down.

Especially after seeing Shen Zexi's laborious steps, the smile on his face never resurfaced.

"A bunch of bastards trespassed onto my family's territory, so I'm just coming back to settle the score,"

Information exchange between Tianmian City and the Slum is inconvenient, and because few in the Slum can read, the letter he received was already somewhat delayed.

He only worries that the people of the Fourth District will clash with those Invaders.

In the Slum, they each cluster by district for warmth; regardless of the Invaders' strength, many other tangled forces lurk in the shadows, eyeing them.

However, it doesn't look like they're fighting.

After all, if a fight broke out, this place wouldn't be so "tidy"......

"Isn't it just that someone just looked like they were about to burst out of the Academy and kill people?"

Shen Zexi bluntly rolled his eyes at Qi Hengyu, recalling the overbearing aura Qi Hengyu displayed in the Academy; he truly feared that the guy's impulse might cause something irreversible.

"The consequences of a Special Ability Practitioner harming an ordinary person are clear to both of us,"

Qi Hengyu curled his lip but did not refute Shen Zexi's words.

He truly was blinded by rage then, because that corner of the Fourth District in the Slum was the only shelter for him, a group of homeless children, and a few elders.

Though dilapidated, it was their sole refuge in these chaotic times.

If anyone intrudes there, they cross his line.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing,"

Qi Hengyu's voice deepened, carrying a barely perceptible cold sharpness.

"I'm just going to check the situation and politely 'invite' anyone who shouldn't be here to leave; as long as they haven't touched my people, I won't act rashly,"

He paused, looked at Shen Zexi's tightly furrowed brows, and added another sentence.

"Here, many matters don't have to be resolved with blood,"

In fact, unless absolutely necessary, the people here tend to avoid conflict proactively, since the Slum can't obtain particularly useful medicines, and an infected wound without timely treatment is almost certainly a death sentence.

Shen Zexi, after listening, nodded thoughtfully.

He understood that the Slum has its own set of survival and problem‑solving rules.

And Qi Hengyu clearly knows this well.

"Do you need my help?"

Shen Zexi asked, his tone serious.

Since he had already chosen to follow, he wouldn't stand by idly; after all, they'd been roommates for so long.

Qi Hengyu raised an eyebrow in surprise, his gaze at Shen Zexi seeming to assess how sincere his words were.

After a moment, he twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Whatever you like, but don't get in the way; stay close, this isn't the Academy's Xunlianchang."

The two said no more and continued weaving through the tangled alleys.

Qi Hengyu was extremely familiar with the terrain here, always finding the most concealed and swift paths.

Shen Zexi steadied his mind, staying close behind while vigilantly observing the surroundings.

Qi Hengyu led Shen Zexi on a patrol around the Fourth District; fortunately, aside from a somewhat piled-up heap of household trash, there were no other issues.

At that moment, the two almost simultaneously slowed their steps, instinctively meeting each other's gaze, each seeing the same wariness reflected back.

From ahead came an unusually strange commotion.

It wasn't the usual Slum clamor, but rather the steps of a more disciplined group approaching with clear intent, interspersed with a faint hum of machinery.

"There are people ahead, and they're not from the Slum,"

Qi Hengyu lowered his voice, his eyes sharply fixed toward the source of the movement, likely near the entrance of an abandoned street in the Fourth District.

"There are quite a few of them, and they're very professional."

Shen Zexi also sensed it, his brow slightly furrowed.

"This energy fluctuation's frequency...... is a bit like that of official personnel—could it be the Supervision Bureau? How could they be here?"

Coming from the Dome, he had a certain understanding of the action styles and energy frequencies of various official agencies.

Qi Hengyu's face darkened instantly; official forces entering the Slum usually meant trouble was coming, especially when their target coincided with his destination.

"Let's go over and take a look."

Qi Hengyu made a snap decision, his figure swiftly darting into the nearby shadow.

Shen Zexi also immediately followed; the two, using their respective stealth skills, silently approached the direction of the abandoned street entrance.

Having sneaked behind a pile of huge abandoned pipes, they cautiously peered out and happened to see Yue Chengzhang, Su Jingchuan and their group—especially that fluorescent green head, which was especially conspicuous even in the dim Slum.

For a moment, both of their movements stiffened for an instant, then they quickly retracted their heads, stared at each other, and only one thought arose in their minds.

Ying Duo/this little brat, how is he here?!