Shen Yi hid on the floor, not daring to go out, terrified that he would run over to the window and see her.
How would she explain it then? Like some kind of god, she had predicted the sniper's route in advance and, without a spotter, single-handedly killed the gunman with two shots. She couldn't possibly tell him that she could foresee the future.
Shen Yi slowed her breathing. Hugging her knees, she hid in a quiet corner, trembling slightly out of control.
Before, she was just exhausted; now, only lingering fear remained as tears streamed down her face.
Her imagination even began to run wild, wondering if she would be arrested and sent to prison for murder.
Shen Yi even pictured her eldest brother—who loved tossing people in jail—advising her upon finding out: "Shen Yi, once you go to prison, make sure you reform yourself well through labor."
In the future, it was highly likely that she would end up with the same limited-edition "prison skin" as Shen Ruxu.
But she didn't have his prison-breaking skills; she could only be a labor camp inmate.
Shen Yi wanted to cry even more.
"System, as a punishment for loading a save file, do I have to go fight dinosaurs in another world? Or will I be thrown onto a battlefield to kill enemies?"
System: [...]
The System naturally ignored her; it remained silent unless there was a specific event.
Shen Yi didn't know how to do any so-called cleanup work.
If the police investigated, they would notice that someone had been here. As for whether they would suspect a child? The possibility was actually very slim.
Right now, she simply wanted to find an excuse to cry.
...
Shen Ruxu bent down and brushed his fingers against the ground.
He picked up a bullet casing.
There was also a useless cell phone.
Unlocking the passcode, he found only employer contact info—virtual numbers with no room for tracing.
Judging by the size of the casing, the gun model must have been quite compact. The shooter was highly likely a female assassin.
Was she that brave?
Single-handedly daring to take on a sniper head-on.
This realization was harder for him to wrap his mind around than the sniper's betrayal.
Who could it be?
Going to such great lengths to kill the sniper, just for him?
Shen Ruxu was a man without a conscience.
He didn't have any complex about being rescued.
In the past, when he was in a good mood, he would save a few innocent passersby, but those rescued passersby usually didn't have any good feelings toward him either.
After surviving a disaster, they would only feel the same kind of fear toward the person who saved them.
At this moment, Shen Ruxu didn't feel much gratitude, only a bit of confusion.
It felt off.
The shooter's first shot hit right between the eyebrows—a guaranteed kill.
But after that, she had fired several more insurance shots.
A professional sniper wouldn't waste bullets like this. The impact points were too scattered, and the intervals between the follow-up shots were too close. It didn't seem like the style of someone well-trained at all.
Were her professional skills that poor? Compared to his earlier assumption of a professional sniper, this situation looked more like a novice firing consecutive shots in a blind panic out of fear.
It was even more bizarre.
Shen Ruxu held the bullet casing in his hand, bringing it up to his eyes to examine it, casually wondering: What was the other party's motive?
There had to be some profit to be made; otherwise, he couldn't understand why someone would go to such great lengths to save him and then run away.
Where in the world were there so many bleeding hearts?
...
Unable to find anyone, Shen Ruxu planned to head back.
He took out his phone, preparing to call Shen Yi and ask her what she wanted to eat.
Shen Ruxu wasn't incompetent at daily life; he had wandered alone outside since he was quite young.
He felt that if he kept feeding Shen Yi instant noodles all day, their mother would hack him to death if she found out.
Better go back and cook.
He rubbed his eyes and made the call.
To his surprise, it was instantly hung up.
Not giving up, Shen Ruxu called two more times, but both were rejected.
What is this kid doing?
She's awake but not answering the phone—is she playing games?
He sighed silently, instinctively looking down and opening the tracker he had casually slipped onto her.
Shen Ruxu wasn't a control freak, but since he had abducted Shen Yi, he had to ensure her location and safety. Usually, Shen Yi would obediently stay in one place, either sleeping, playing games, or chatting with others.
However, the next second, the pulsing red dot on the screen made his departing footsteps halt.
The location indicated by the dot was right nearby.
The distance was less than two hundred meters.
Shen Ruxu straightened his back, turned around, and looked at the two very close dots on the screen, biting his lower lip slightly.
Unbelievable.
The curve of his lips flattened, and he walked briskly downstairs.
This time, Shen Ruxu deliberately slowed his pace, moving with the nimbleness of a cat catching a mouse.
His voice was very soft, so soft it was almost swallowed by the wind.
"Shen Yi."
He called her name.
Shen Yi was hiding on the third floor. She completely didn't want to move right now; her legs were like jelly. A few strands of sweat-soaked hair clung to her forehead, and when the wind blew, she felt a chill all over her body.
Her nose tickled, and unable to hold it back, she sneezed.
Crap.
Feels like I'm catching a cold.
Hearing Shen Ruxu calling her, Shen Yi felt even more doomed.
She was still shedding tears, venting her emotions on her own, hiding behind a wooden board covered in cobwebs.
The girl was covered in dirt, her eyes brimming with tears, looking like a stray kitten or puppy that anyone could kick around.
Instantly, Shen Ruxu was left speechless.
Looking at his sister crying while biting the back of her hand, he froze in place.
All his previous guesses—the cold-blooded, professional female assassin who single-handedly took out three people.
Shattered completely in this moment.
Those mental images had absolutely no overlap with the little girl before him, who was huddled in the corner hugging her knees, crying until her nose was red.
She was terrified.
Separated by half a room, the two stared at each other for three seconds.
Shen Ruxu walked toward her.
From this angle, Shen Yi could only look up at him.
There was an expression on his face that she had never seen before.
The young man's lips twitched slightly, as if trying to pull a familiar, relaxed smile.
But that smile never fully formed; it broke apart just as the corners of his mouth lifted. Gazing into her crying eyes, he murmured absentmindedly, "It's you, Xiao Yi."
It could only be her.
Incredible.
Shen Yi was sitting on the ground, clutching a backpack in her arms. She looked teary-eyed and exceptionally timid; there was absolutely no sign that three people had just lost their lives at her hands.
All his initial guesses were overthrown, and the answer turned out to be the most unbelievable one.
Outside the window, the sky was completely bright.
Sunlight poured in through the window frame, falling onto the two of them.
"I killed someone, Second Brother."
Shen Yi's voice was choked with sobs the moment she spoke. Her emotions, which she had painstakingly managed to compose, broke down into wailing tears again upon seeing that the person she saved was safe and sound.
She was sorry, but she was truly terrified of someone dying right in front of her.
In the past, even if a bird died in front of her, Shen Yi would feel nauseous and wouldn't dare to touch it.
Yet, not long ago, she had even searched a corpse.
The girl's uncontrollably welling tears left him feeling somewhat at a loss. When Shen Ruxu first met her, he had even mocked her, saying she looked funny when she cried.
But now, her crying was making his heart a mess.
Shen Yi was sitting on the floor, so he simply knelt down on the floor as well, lowering his head to gaze at her.
"I am sorry, I am sorry, is this all because of me?" The young man snapped out of his daze, finally realizing what was going on. He slowly lowered his head to gently wipe away her tears, wrapping his arms tightly around her in a panicked attempt to soothe her anxiety. "Xiao Yi, how are your tears even sharper than a knife? Don't cry, don't cry, don't be afraid."
"Do you want to play horsey? You can ride on my shoulders."
"Little sister," he said, somewhat at a loss. "Xiao Yi, Yiyi, please stop crying and look at me."
The scene from just a moment ago exploded in his mind over and over again.
His violently pounding heart—he couldn't tell if it was the emotional turbulence after the gunshots rang out, or the sheer shock of the moment he was saved—pieced itself together with the image of the girl crying loudly behind the wooden board.
So, there really was a child who would go to such lengths to save him.
She had walked a very, very long way all by herself. Even though she was terrified, she still killed three people, all just for his safety.
Shen Ruxu felt as if he had swallowed a huge gulp of strong liquor, leaving him intoxicated and dazed.
Panic, confusion, pleasant surprise—all sorts of intense emotions practically buried him.
He was wrong.
He admitted that he really had been putting on an act just now.
He actually had a strong complex for being saved.
...
Author's Note:
[It is time for the next plot arc. Every time I advance the plot, I have to reorganize my thoughts, so the writing hasn't been going very smoothly. I am so sorry, please forgive me! We are reaching the next plot point, and I always update a bit slower during transitions until I figure things out and smooth them over. Please excuse the late or short updates. If I can smooth it out, I will give everyone bonus chapters later!]
