Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Qin Qin bent over as if struck by something heavy, burying her face in her palms.

"Mom, it might be something else; don't think the worst," Chu Ya said softly, squatting in front of her. "Maybe it's because of the upcoming prime minister election. The Sunburn Club might find Dad too threatening and decided to detain him temporarily until after the election."

Qin Qin raised her head, her face pale, her eyes red. She reached out to touch Chu Ya's head. "Yun Tuo has been with your father for so many years, and Gu Lin is my nephew. It's likely that the problem lies with the others. We must leave here now. If your father falls into their hands, they will use us to threaten him. If—" She closed her eyes, her voice hoarse: "If we lose our value, we'll be disposed of."

She quickly stood up and walked towards the hidden cabinet. "Wang Lin and his men are guarding outside. We can only escape through the window. There's a drainage pipe on the right wall that goes all the way down to the ground floor. We can slide down it."

Chu Ya walked to the window and leaned out to look down.

Their home was on the twentieth floor. Apart from the guards at the bottom, the other floors were empty, serving as storage for the Morning Star Club. He could only see a few smooth walls illuminated by the lights, while everything else was shrouded in darkness.

"Here."

Chu Ya turned around to see Qin Qin holding a handgun.

"Can you kill?" Qin Qin asked.

Chu Ya remained silent.

"If you don't kill them, we will die," Qin Qin said, taking Chu Ya's hand and placing the gun in his palm.

Qin Qin touched Chu Ya's damp head, softening her tone. "I'm here, you don't have to kill, but carry it for protection."

Chu Ya looked down at the gun and then tucked it behind his waist.

The door suddenly knocked. Wang Lin asked from outside, "Madam, would you like some midnight snack?" As he spoke, he began to turn the doorknob.

Chu Ya tensed instantly, and Qin Qin grabbed a teacup from the nearby cabinet and threw it at the door, shouting angrily, "Get lost!"

The teacup shattered, and the turning of the doorknob stopped.

"I won't disturb Madam and Master anymore," Wang Lin said, then left after giving instructions to the guards.

To get down from the twentieth floor to the ground, the only option was the drainage pipe on this building. But the pipe was on the right wall, and they had to step onto a narrow ledge less than half a foot wide to reach it.

The ledge was already narrow and now slippery from rain. One misstep could lead to a fall.

Qin Qin tore off the curtain rod and tied one end around Chu Ya's waist. "I'll hold this end. You go first, and when you grab the pipe, untie it. Then I'll come over."

"What if you slip when you're coming alone?"

"I can tie the other end to furniture inside."

"We can't waste any more time," Chu Ya said, tying the other end around Qin Qin's waist. "I'm a Sentinel in my differentiation phase. Physically, even though you're a B+ Guide, you can't match me. Let's go together. I can support you."

Qin Qin looked down at Chu Ya, who was focused on tying the rope. "Dad isn't here, so it's my job to protect you."

Qin Qin's eyes suddenly welled up, and she hastily nodded. "Alright."

Chu Ya climbed out the window and stood on the ledge, with Qin Qin carrying an automatic rifle beside him.

The rain poured heavily, and the wind on the twentieth floor was fierce. They clung to the wall like geckos, moving sideways toward the pipe.

Raindrops pelted Chu Ya's eyes, making it hard to keep them open. Half of his foot hung in the air. He pressed his body against the wall, digging his fingers into the crevices between bricks.

He felt two small paws pressing against his calf, knowing his mother had released her quantum beast. He whispered, "Mom, let the raccoon help you. I don't need it."

Qin Qin also knew they were connected by the rope and didn't insist, letting the raccoon push her instead.

Chu Ya slowly moved around the corner of the floor. When he was close enough to the pipe, he lunged forward and hugged it. Then, he wrapped his legs around it and pulled Qin Qin over using the rope.

Mother and son slid down the pipe. Whenever Chu Ya's speed increased, he felt the raccoon supporting his feet, reminding him not to go too fast.

When they were about three floors above the ground, Qin Qin tugged the rope, signaling Chu Ya to stop.

They were on the right side of the building. Although no one was below them, several soldiers in black raincoats were visible near the main entrance, their flashlights moving around.

Chu Ya waited a few seconds. A soldier came around the corner, scanned the area with his flashlight, found nothing unusual, and left.

Qin Qin made a gesture, and they quickly slid down to the ground.

Chu Ya landed on his feet and immediately caught Qin Qin. Behind the building was a large planting area. Once they crossed this area, they could seek help from the Morning Star Club. Tonight's incident was sudden, and the high-ranking members of the Morning Star Army were under attack, but due to the communication blackout, the lower-level soldiers were unaware. However, if Qin Qin and Chu Ya appeared, they could lead a counterattack.

Mother and son tiptoed along the wall towards the planting area. But just a few steps away, two gunshots rang out overhead, followed by a clear voice from the walkie-talkie at the main entrance: "Catch them! They're on the right side of the building!"

"Run!" Qin Qin shouted, and Chu Ya ran with her towards the back.

Chu Ya sprinted through the fields between the planting buildings, corn leaves whipping against his body, with the flickering light of flashlights nearby. His mother wasn't running fast, and he soon overtook her, gripping the rope around their waists and pulling her along swiftly.

"They're ahead, quick, catch them."

"Ouch."

The leading soldier suddenly fell straight down, as if his limbs were bound.

"That woman is a Guide, using mental force to restrain!"

"Ahh—my eyes—"

"Be careful, wear your goggles. Her quantum beast is around us!"

"Do we have any Sentinels? We need a Sentinel to shield us!"

"Yes, but they're still behind."

Qin Qin wasn't running fast, but she kept firing her gun and calculating the intervals of her mental force restraint. Whenever the distance between them shortened, she precisely released her restraint, tripping the ones chasing closest.

Her raccoon was attacking from the rear, quickly taking down four or five of them.

"We need to hurry, Wang Lin will catch up." Qin Qin ran while shooting backward, "Untie the rope and go ahead of me."

"No!"

Chu Ya only managed to say one word.

The corn leaves slapped his cheeks, stinging painfully, as rain mixed with sweat dripped down his forehead. He pulled on the rope, running forward, straining to see through the darkness.

He felt the taut rope suddenly slacken as Qin Qin fell onto his back, followed by a muffled groan.

"Mom!" Chu Ya quickly turned to support her.

Qin Qin's face was deathly pale, and she urged, "I'm fine, keep going! Wang Lin is here, using psychic attacks on us."

She freed her arm from Chu Ya's grip and fired backward. A scream echoed, and a flashlight's beam vanished from above the cornfield.

Chu Ya knew they couldn't delay, so he tightened his grip on the rope and dragged his mother forward.

"How's your raccoon?" Chu Ya asked, panting heavily.

"It can't beat Wang Lin's pangolin; I've recalled it into the psychic realm."

"Can you still run?" Chu Ya waved aside a corn stalk.

"Yes." Qin Qin released another psychic bind, ensnaring a soldier, "I've been too lax these years; otherwise, how could they have caught up?"

Chu Ya wiped the rain from his face: "It's not your fault; blame Dad. Every time you train, he gets upset."

Qin Qin suddenly stumbled, taking two steps forward.

"Mom!"

Qin Qin clutched her chest: "Go on without me! Keep running, and you'll leave the plantation."

A flash of lightning illuminated the plantation, revealing the blood at the corner of Qin Qin's mouth.

She shakily reached for the rope around her waist, strands of wet hair sticking to her pale cheeks: "Xiaoya, it's better if we split up. This way, we can scatter their forces."

Chu Ya glanced at the approaching Sunburnt Army soldiers, then squatted in front of Qin Qin: "I'll carry you."

"Xiaoya—"

"Mom, hurry up!"

Wet clothes clung to the young man's back, his shoulder blades protruding, making him look even more slender and frail. Yet, the persistent curve of his back showed determination.

Qin Qin didn't hesitate, climbing onto Chu Ya's back as he stood up and continued running.

After a few steps, bullets shattered nearby corn stalks, nearly hitting him. He reached for the gun at his waist but hesitated.

Only when two more bullet holes appeared near his feet did he grit his teeth and turn, firing at the approaching light.

Bang!

The flashlight's beam disappeared from view.

"Be careful!"

As Qin Qin shouted, Chu Ya felt as if a hammer had struck his chest, jolting his organs.

"Wang Lin is using psychic attacks on you, but I can't muster enough psychic energy to resist him," Qin Qin said.

Chu Ya gritted his teeth through the searing pain, trying to stay calm: "I'm a sentinel in my differentiation phase; he can't hurt me. Don't worry; I can protect you."

Qin Qin tightened her grip on her son's shoulders, choking back tears: "Yes, you've grown up."

The heavy rain pounded as Chu Ya carried his mother through the dense corn stalks, struggling to move forward. Suddenly, the corn stalks parted, revealing a narrow path.

With the light from behind, Chu Ya saw a small black figure hopping on the ground. Though it was smoking, its shape was discernible.

"Mom, did you release your quantum beast?" Chu Ya panted.

"Yes, though it has no offensive power now, it can clear a path for you," Qin Qin's voice was faint.

Chu Ya strained to run, his neck stretched forward, veins standing out: "Finally, finally, I can see it."

Qin Qin took a moment to respond: "… It told me that it's happy you can see it."

Qin Qin fell silent, seemingly unconscious, as Chu Ya kept talking: "Mom, do you want to know what form the quantum beast I sketch every day takes? It's a wolf, a silver-white wolf, very beautiful. You'd like it, and the raccoon would too. Dad's blue tiger would definitely like it…"

Chu Ya endured another psychic attack.

This time, it almost knocked him down, but he managed to hold on, clutching Qin Qin's knees tightly, staggering forward.

He no longer hesitated to fire, frequently turning and pulling the trigger. But his vision blurred, his footing unsteady, and his words slurred: "The raccoon is gone… Mom, we're almost there… I can see the lights…"

Finally, half-running and half-walking, he emerged from the plantation, approaching a three-story road with soft, bright streetlights.

If they crossed the lowest level, they would reach the Morning Star Army's base.

But someone stood at the intersection, dressed in a black raincoat, like a statue or a waiting ghost in the night.

Chu Ya didn't care who it was, continuing to run until he got closer, until the face under the hood became clearer.

He stopped, staring in disbelief for a few seconds, rubbing his eyes and wiping away the rain.

When he confirmed he wasn't mistaken, the overwhelming relief brought tears streaming down his face.

"Cousin!" he called out in a hoarse voice.

Gu Lin did not respond, only smiling as he approached.

Chu Ya quickened his pace to meet him, speaking to Qin Qin, who lay motionless on his shoulder: "Mom, Cousin is here, we're safe now, we're safe now."

As he neared Gu Lin, he was nearly exhausted, reaching out his hand: "Cousin."

He saw Gu Lin extending his hand toward him, but in the next moment, his head was struck with a heavy blow, and he lost all consciousness.