Chapter 9

The figure of the young man soon quickly disappeared from his rearview mirror.

He was already very close to the art gallery. According to his recollection, Lu Zhiguang only had to take a shortcut to be able to return to his house in the slums. There were all sorts of people there, but that was still safer than being in an isolated place.

Gu Yuan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He focused on the controller, even though his body was tense.

The hovercars that he had lost had quickly caught up again. This time, the chasing platoon did not disguise their intentions to chase him, afraid that they might lose him suddenly again. They sped up, and followed closely behind him.

Gu Yuan touched the brain computer interface (BCI) [1] on his wrist, and immediately, he heard the warning signals from the ignition of the laser weapons preparatory system.

This group was so blatant about their attack on his life; they were most likely from the resistance forces of Galileo.

The Guar people were especially concerned about their partner’s combat ability. In order to show his sincerity, he had attended this trap even without any bodyguards in tow.

He did not know if this attack was a result of the resistance forces finding a loophole in his trip, or that they were compelled to attack because he had hoarded the order and was celebrating with the Guar people.

At this point in time, the entire Galileo probably knew that he had established an agreement with Guar. Even if they killed him publicly, many would applaud the act, as it would also serve as deterrence against others.

He was feeling very tense, but fortunately, he did not feel the onset of a headache or dizziness.

Gu Yuan thought for a moment, then took out the wooden amulet from his chest, as an image of the face of the tear-streaked young man flashed across his mind.

His life, one that he could easily give up, suddenly felt important again.

Clutching the amulet tightly, Gu Yuan’s gaze turned solemn. He opened a hidden compartment and retrieved a micro-particle gun, and held it tightly in his hands.

Seeing that he had no intention to stop, the chasers started attacking him. The car shook violently, and a siren soon sounded.

The hovercar slowed down; the system had already informed the police, as the car continued shaking and a red light continued to flash.

Gu Yuan pressed the emergency button. The back-up power was immediately activated, and the hovercar suddenly sped up again, and dashed into a forest, bursting into flames.

Amidst the loud sounds of explosions, a fiery red started to fill the sky.

Deterred by this turn of events, the chasing hovercars stopped in their tracks. A few well-built men dressed in black stepped out of the cars, hesitant to approach the continuing explosions. Shock and fear filled their eyes.

No one would be able to survive such a strong impact generated by the speed unprotected. Moreover, the explosions did not stop, and the fire was growing stronger.

There were rumours that Gu Yuan was a proud man. They had already guessed that he would not succumb to intimidation or promises and cancel the order. Hence they could only plan to assassinate him, but they certainly did not expect that he would choose to end his life in this manner.

Under the intense blaze, even a body might not be found, but there was still the danger of being implicated by the ongoing explosions.

The few men exchanged glances, then solemnly entered their hovercars and left the area.

The sky slowly turned darker.

At the turn of dusk, a faint rustling of leaves could be heard from the forest.

The evening rain showed no signs of stopping. Instead, the rain became heavier, and a thunderstorm soon ensued. A flash of lightning pierced the evening sky, and the rain continued beating down on the forest.

The fire was gradually extinguished. Suddenly, there were movements within the mass ruins in the darkness.

A figure stood up with difficulty, took two steps, then lost his footing and fell on the floor.

Gu Yuan had intentionally installed a secret explosion-proof chamber. He intended to use this when he was attacking Guar, but it had become useful here instead. He had already hidden in the chamber when he ignited the explosion of his car. While the protective radium net had saved him from the fires and explosion, he was unable to withstand the heat from the impact.

He was still close to fainting even though oxygen and water had been prepared within the chamber. If not for the rain, he might not have been able to survive this.

The cold rain washed over his body, slowly reducing the fiery feeling from his skin.

Gu Yuan used an arm to turn his body over, as he looked up and allowed the rain to wet his lips. It was then that he finally regained some consciousness. He touched the amulet that remained intact, and forced himself up. However, his head was still spinning.

The drug from the previous night had already taken away half of his energy, and he had not eaten a single thing the entire day. Also, the water that had been stored in the explosion-proof chamber was not enough to offset the dehydration he felt from the fire, so he was clear that his body was at its limit.

However, it was still not time for him to fall.

He had asked Lu Zhiguang to wait for him at home. The young man had always taken his words seriously, and since he had given his instructions, the young man would be waiting for him at home.

The more intricate a thing was, the more easily it would be destroyed. The combination of fire and rain had caused the BCI to stop working. Gu Yuan recovered from his giddiness, then took a few steps as he used a branch as a walking stick and started walking towards the place in his mind.

They had already signed the order, and a few production lines had already started work. The Guar people had already stopped suspecting him, and even if there were other interference, the deal could already carry on smoothly.

He was done with the country’s affairs.

Now, he only wanted to live for himself.

------------------

The rainfall sounded louder, and the surroundings had now become dark.

As he had gone full speed to avoid the chasing hovercars, the distance that he had travelled was more than what one could walk for an entire day. The surroundings were silent amidst the rain, and he could not make out anything around him. He was just relying on sheer willpower to move forward.

He was aware that he had not walked far. Gu Yuan was rarely this frantic, but he gritted his teeth and wiped the rainwater from his face, trying to find his direction. Suddenly, he heard the crisp sound of a bell in his ears.

A thought flashed across his mind, and his heart thumped wildly. He started looking at the direction of the voice, as a warm feeling filled his chest.

The thunder was deafening, and the young man was already drenched. He probably could not run any further, so he put his hands on his knees to catch his breath, and raised his eyes to look at him, as a flash of the lighting reflected the brown tint in his eyes.

The amulet was pulled out of his collar, and on the thin red thread was a small gold bell.

Gu Yuan felt tears in his eyes, but his throat was so parched that he could not speak. He could only try to move his lips, wanting to walk towards him, but he couldn’t control his movements any further.

Lu Deng [2] evened out his breathing, and then caught the figure that was falling before him. He felt his knees buckle, but he tried his best to protect Gu Yuan, as both of them sat down on the ground.

The body that was in his arms was freezing cold after being drenched in the rain for long. A pair of strong arms was holding him tightly, his heart beating wildly as though it was going to jump out of his body into the other party’s chest.

Gu Yuan was still conscious, even though he was unable to move. He gently swept the hair of the young man that was stuck on his face. The youthful face filled his eyes; there was no other presence that could fit into his eyes anymore.

Hovering between life and death, the emotions that he kept hidden started unreasonably surging, as it gushed out of his chest.

Lu Deng stayed quietly in Gu Yuan’s arms, his arm keeping Gu Yuan in place while he bore their body weights in a squatting position. When he raised his head intending to ask Gu Yuan about his condition, a warm breath washed over him.

Gu Yuan put an arm on the ground to support his weight, then locked Lu Deng in his embrace and kissed him.

The scent of fresh greenery on the youth man was increasingly strong in the rain. He locked the warm body with his arms, and kissed him fiercely. Strong feelings of unease and overwhelming thoughts engulfed his mind, and his emotions seeped into his kiss.

Gu Yuan only ended the kiss when they were both breathless. He stood up, loosened his arms slowly, then stared into the pair of eyes before him.

The clear, dark eyes were also looking back at him. There was no revulsion or confusion in those eyes. In fact, those eyes were just staring blankly, as if he had been frightened by what had just happened. That was a rare sight.

After all, he showed no fear when he took on the sugar baby job; neither did he show any fear when he was pinned on the bed. Yet, he was frightened by a proper kiss.

Gu Yuan didn’t know if he should feel relaxed or disappointed by this. He smiled bitterly, as he caressed the warm back of the young man. At least he didn’t move away from his touch. He then said softly, “I’m sorry.”

Lu Deng slowly returned to his senses, and shook his head. He could see the fatigue hidden within the depths of Gu Yuan’s eyes. He quickly remembered what he was here for. He dropped his school bag and started taking out his own rations, and shoved it into the man’s hands. “I only have these at home …”

Gu Yuan was still recovering from his disappointment when his hands were suddenly filled with many items. He looked down unconsciously, and raised his brows as he scrutinized the items in his hands.

A bar of chocolate, vanilla candy, little bear biscuits, chips, and a bottle of Pulitzer Galaxy’s free milk for students.

…

President Gu, who had just forcefully kissed the young man before him, suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt.

Seeing that Gu Yuan made no attempt to touch the food, the first thought that came to Lu Deng was that Gu Yuan probably didn’t enjoy such food items. However, the Galaxy store did not sell proper food items. He blinked anxiously, sheltered the biscuits from the rain as he opened it and delivered a piece to Gu Yuan’s mouth. “You need to eat. This is too far from home, you can’t carry on without food.”

Lu Deng was initially worried that he might affect Gu Yuan’s plans, so he returned to his small apartment that was full of homework after he alighted from the hovercar.

He monitored the erratic vital statistics for some time, but found that after his target had remained at a particular place, his vital signs were slowly deteriorating.

As he recalled the original plot, Lu Deng felt increasingly unsettled, so he rummaged the house for some food, threw them into a bag and followed the navigation system.

He did not expect Gu Yuan to have driven this far.

From the navigator, he was very far away from Gu Yuan's location. This host body was unlikely to be able to run the entire distance. Fortunately, after he ran for a short distance, Gu Yuan’s position started moving again. He felt more relieved, and slowed down his speed to search for Gu Yuan, and fortunately, managed to find him.

However, his energy was more or less spent. If Gu Yuan did not replenish regain some of his energy, he would not be able to bring the both of them back.

The young man’s gaze was clear, laden with his usual concern, but he didn’t seem too affected by the sudden turn of events.

President Gu, who was still self-reflecting, was slightly more relieved. He ignored the growing disappointment and took the bear-shaped jam biscuit. He ruffled the young man’s wet hair and said, “Thanks.”

Lu Deng was relieved by Gu Yuan’s willingness to eat. He gave a small smile and lightly shook his head.

At this point, the rain had started to subside. The remnant drops of rain from the trees continued to fall. The fog had also faded. A hint of moonlight and a sprinkle of stars could be seen in the skies.

Using the barely visible moonlight, Gu Yuan sat the young man down in his embrace and took a closer look at him. He noticed that the young man’s neck had a few scratches, probably sustained when he was rushing through the forest.

They were both drenched. Gu Yuan removed his coat and wrung it dry, then took off his undershirt and tried to clean the young man’s wounds. “Does it hurt?”

It was just a few scratches. The corners of Lu Deng's lips curved upwards, and he shook his head. He then retrieved a dry town from his bag, then knelt in front of Gu Yuan and started cleaning off the water droplets from his face.

It was surprising that the small bag that the young man carried could store so many things.

Surprise flashed across Gu Yuan’s face. When he thought about how this young man had carried these items from a long distance away, his heart softened and he embraced the young man again. “Are you tired?”

“Not anymore, now that you’re here.”

Lu Deng shook his head, and opened his arm to embrace Gu Yuan contentedly. He smiled and looked up at the deep gaze in front of him. “Don’t put yourself in danger anymore.”

Even though they were drenched, the young man’s body still emitted a faint warmth. Gu Yuan’s hug enveloped Lu Deng, as he felt his eyes water. He relaxed his grip and then lowered his head to the young man’s cheeks. “Alright.”

Lu Deng was reassured by his agreement, and handed the biscuits over.

Even though Lu Deng only brought snacks, they were high in calories. Once they finished the food, they regained a substantial amount of energy.

Gu Yuan went to scout the surroundings, then quickly returned. Lu Deng finally got on his feet. He thought that they had to start walking back, but Gu Yuan pulled the BCI on his arm and keyed in a password, sending a simple command out.

“There’s actually another hovercar in the villa that has autopilot functions. This was originally for you.”

Gu Yuan laughed at the young man’s curious look, and carried his bag for him. He ruffled the young man’s hair and said, “Let’s walk along the perimeters of the forest, and we’ll be able to see it soon.

It was a dense forest; it was especially difficult to trek after the rain. Gu Yuan was worried that Lu Deng might fall, so he intentionally walked ahead and only asked Lu Deng to join him after he had confirmed that it was safe.

Lu Deng held onto the branch, but his gaze was on the handsome back view of the man in front of him.

Gu Yuan’s coat was still damp, so he casually swung it over his shoulder. His wet shirt clung onto his body, revealing his smooth figure. His sleeves were folded, and even if he looked somewhat pathetic, there was a strong and calm aura emitting from him.

Lu Deng touched his lips, the lingering from the kiss long disappeared. He hesitated for a moment then tapped his head hoping for an answer from the supposedly all-knowing system. “Does this mean that … he likes me?

[1] Sticking to the same term used by the previous translator for continuity.

[2] To clarify - Lu Zhiguang is the identity of the host in this particular world; his real name is actually Lu Deng. The novel actually refers to him as such, so I’m not actually introducing any new characters, but using the name that was used in the raws.