Chapter 123: The Secret of the Internet Cafe

"Yes, I saw him yesterday afternoon, at the internet cafe by the school gate. I wanted to chase after him and ask why he hadn't come to class, but by the time I got there, he was gone. I thought I had seen wrong!" Chen Ling said.

"Are you telling the truth? Was it really Liu Shuang yesterday? You didn't see wrong?" I grabbed Chen Ling, feeling a bit excited.

"Brother Yang Yun, take it easy, you're hurting me!" Chen Ling frowned, looking a bit pained.

Only then did I realize I was indeed a bit too excited. I hurriedly let go of Chen Ling awkwardly and apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just surprised to hear this news!"

"You didn't get along with Liu Shuang before, why are you so concerned about him now?" Chen Ling gently rubbed her arm to ease the pain.

"We were classmates after all, just showing some concern!" I used a very lame excuse to explain.

"I'm sure I didn't see wrong. It was definitely Liu Shuang at the time, but I don't know why, when I got there, he was already gone," Chen Ling recalled carefully.

Having Chen Ling's confirmation, I was surprised. It seemed that the internet cafe really had some issues. If Liu Shuang had appeared yesterday, it meant he was likely still fine. Perhaps it was because Liu Shuang was still useful in Li Hong's hands; after all, an expert created by strengthening potions was very precious. Killing him easily would be a waste, not to mention Li Hong still had Liu Shuang's family as a threat, so if he was told to do something, Liu Shuang wouldn't refuse.

However, this internet cafe should be a very interesting place. I thought about it and decided to go there to take a look.

Seeing me lost in thought, Chen Ling hurriedly asked, "Brother Yang Yun, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering if Liu Shuang encountered some trouble and if he needs our help. But since we can't even see him now, there's no point in thinking about it. Let's wait until we see him next time," I said with a smile.

"Okay, let's go check it out after school. By the way, Brother Yang Yun, do you usually go online to play games?" Chen Ling asked happily.

"Okay, let's go check it out after school. As for playing games, I don't have that hobby!" I didn't usually go online or play games, mainly because there was no computer or broadband at home. Given my family's poor financial situation, I had no money for such things.

"Ah, I don't like it either. Wait for me after school, Brother Yang Yun!" Chen Ling said hurriedly.

After returning to my seat, I told Zhang Yinuo that we were going to the internet cafe after school and mentioned Liu Shuang. Zhang Yinuo didn't object to my plan but insisted on coming along.

After school, the three of us—Chen Ling, Zhang Yinuo, and I—walked to the internet cafe at the school gate. However, we weren't as lucky as Chen Ling had been yesterday; we didn't see any sign of Liu Shuang. The three of us entered the internet cafe. The air inside was unbearable for the two girls; the smell of smoke, smelly feet, and instant noodles mixed together, making them extremely uncomfortable. Nevertheless, they both chose machines.

I went online with them. Because of the appearance of two beauties, many eyes in the internet cafe were fixed on us.

I stood up and walked around the internet cafe but didn't find Liu Shuang. If that was the case, there was likely something fishy about the place. There must be other doors or areas leading to another location, otherwise, the situation where Liu Shuang entered and suddenly disappeared couldn't be explained.

When I returned, I saw that Chen Ling and Zhang Yinuo were in a conflict with someone.

A skinny, monkey-like man with a lecherous look was smirking at Chen Ling and Zhang Yinuo, saying, "Two little beauties, you look so pretty. Coming here to go online? What do you want to eat? Brother will treat you!"

"Sorry, no need," Zhang Yinuo said coldly, while Chen Ling continued browsing some study websites.

"Don't be so polite. You don't have to spend money, Brother will treat you!" The skinny, lecherous man moved closer to Zhang Yinuo and even reached out to touch her face. Zhang Yinuo subconsciously dodged and snorted, "Please respect yourself!"

"Oh, you have personality, I like it!" The skinny man licked his lips excitedly and leered.

"What about this little sister? Still in school? What do you want to learn? Brother will teach you. How about Brother takes you to a big room tonight for a proper 1v1 lesson?" The skinny man's eyes lit up when he saw Chen Ling, and he reached out excitedly.

However, just as the lecherous man was about to touch Chen Ling, Zhang Yinuo grabbed his hand and twisted it backward. A "crack" was heard, and the man screamed in agony: "Ah, ah, ah, it hurts, it hurts!"

"Watch your hands, or I won't be so polite next time!" After Zhang Yinuo finished speaking, she kicked the man, and he crashed heavily into the computer desk behind him, scaring the people nearby into scattering.

Zhang Yinuo had gone very easy on him; if she had really attacked, the guy would have been finished long ago.

The skinny man slowly stood up, pointed at Chen Ling and Zhang Yinuo, and cursed, "Stinking bitches, you're quite spicy, you know kung fu, right? Just you wait!"

After saying that, the skinny man ran away. It looked like he was going to find reinforcements.

Seeing this, Chen Ling grabbed Zhang Yinuo's arm and said, "Sister Zhang, shouldn't we leave quickly?"

"No rush, wait for Yang Yun to come back!" Zhang Yinuo didn't take the person from earlier to heart at all.

At this moment, I returned and saw them, hurriedly asking, "What happened? Are you two okay?"

"We're fine. If it weren't for Sister Zhang earlier, I would have been in trouble. It's all thanks to Sister Zhang!" Chen Ling said excitedly.

I nodded. This place was indeed very unsafe for girls. There were all kinds of people in the internet cafe; most of them were good-for-nothings, either hanging out in society or skipping school to go online. They had no jobs and no life goals. Only a small number of people were truly there to go online.

I thought about it and said, "Let's go first! Let's leave this place!"

I had basically looked around, and there was no sign of Liu Shuang. Staying here was useless. I decided to come back at night when there were fewer people to see if I could find any other clues.