Chapter 71: The Secret part 1
The voice was too calm, too indifferent. It echoed through the cave, icy and devoid of warmth, as if it had materialized out of thin air. It was profoundly unsettling.
Yellow-Hair frowned and scanned the surroundings. “Who’s there? Stop playing tricks.”
As he spoke, a figure stepped silently from the dim shadows, appearing before the group. “Am I not right here?”
Yellow-Hair and his thugs paled at the sight of the man in black. “Who are you? How long have you been standing there?” They hadn’t sensed a thing. Even now, they couldn’t gauge the man’s mental power—there was only one explanation: his strength far exceeded theirs.
Yellow-Hair was an A-rank mental power user, and his subordinates were all B-ranks. This was the source of his arrogance in robbing these “fat sheep.” He hadn’t expected to run into a “colleague.”
Ning Yunyi remained silent, looking at the group as if they were already dead.
Yellow-Hair shuddered and immediately backed down. There were other ways to get star coins; there was no need to lose his life over this. In their line of work, everyone lived by the blade, and they wouldn’t hesitate to kill their own kind if necessary. “Well, isn’t this a case of ‘the Flood at the Dragon King’s Temple’? Since we’re all friends here, consider these coins a tribute to our colleague. We’ll leave right now and let you have this place, how about it?”
Ning Yunyi took another step forward. Just as Yellow-Hair and the others thought he was satisfied, he spoke. “Not much.”
Yellow-Hair’s expression shifted. “Brother, that’s not fair. We’ve already handed the meat over to you. What more do you want?”
Ning Yunyi pointed to the box in the subordinate’s arms. “You’re mistaken. From the beginning, I said I would tell you personally. First, I am not your ‘colleague.’ Second, didn’t you want to know who gave them this box of gold coins? Since Harlo wouldn’t speak, I’ve kindly come to tell you myself. Now that I’m here, why are you in such a hurry to leave?”
His voice remained cold, but the light tone made Yellow-Hair realize the danger. This man was on Harlo’s side.
Yellow-Hair retreated warily. He suddenly snatched the box from his subordinate and hurled it at Ning Yunyi. “Go! Run!”
Anyone who dared to interfere like this definitely had the strength to crush them like ants.
Ning Yunyi was faster. He closed the distance in a blur, appearing directly in front of Yellow-Hair. Before the thug could react, Ning Yunyi’s mental power surged outward. Yellow-Hair and his entire crew were instantly paralyzed, frozen where they stood.
Yellow-Hair was utterly terrified. “Bi-big brother, spare us! We’re just trying to make a living… w-we were just joking with little brother Harlo…”
Harlo and his family were dumbfounded. They thought they were facing two groups of bandits, only for the situation to take a wild turn. Was this gentleman actually the previous Mr. Godefroi? Hope flared in Harlo’s eyes, sparkling with gratitude. They were saved.
Harlo’s eyes were red as he hugged his sister and father, a sense of relief washing over him after their brush with death.
Ning Yunyi stood before them in the small cave. Hearing Yellow-Hair’s plea, he let out a scoff. “Is that so? Then how about I play a joke on you as well? You enjoy bullying people, don’t you? In this lawless land? I think it’s quite nice. I just wonder… once you’ve become cripples without any mental power, how will the people you bullied treat you? And how will those ‘colleagues’ you mentioned… treat you then?”
These thugs had clearly done this many times before; their hands were far from clean. Letting them die quickly would be too merciful.
Since they loved to rob, he would let them taste what it felt like to be robbed and bullied in return.
Ning Yunyi raised his hand, his palm glowing with spiritual energy. With a wave of his sleeve, the mental power of the entire group condensed into transparent spheres in his palm. As he stowed them into his spatial storage, a blade as thin as a cicada’s wing appeared between his fingers. He walked past each person, methodically severing the tendons in their right wrists.
Now, they weren’t just devoid of mental power; they were worse off than ordinary citizens. They were total cripples.
Ning Yunyi looked at their contorted, agonized faces with a cold smile and sent them flying out of the cave with a surge of energy. “Get lost. Enjoy the colorful life ahead of you. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
Yellow-Hair and his men didn’t dare utter a word of protest. They were terrified that anything more would cost them their lives, not just a hand. In a place like this, having no power and having offended so many people meant a life worse than death.
As peace returned to the cave, Ning Yunyi turned around, meeting the teenager’s idolizing gaze. “Mr. Godefroi? It’s you, isn’t it? Why have you come back?”
Harlo knew they had left previously and thought he would never see them again.
Harlo’s father trembled as he tried to rise and bow. If this man hadn’t saved them, their family would have been destroyed.
Ning Yunyi helped him up. “There’s no need for such formalities. It was my lack of foresight; this wealth was meant to be a blessing, but it nearly became a disaster.”
Harlo had been cautious, but he was no match for the villains on this desolate star. He had been followed by the club boss, nearly leading to his family’s ruin.
Harlo shook his head quickly. “No, no, this has nothing to do with Mr. Godefroi. It was my own carelessness. I didn’t realize I was being followed. You’ve saved us again. Mr. Godefroi, are you heading to that place again? I’ll go back to work immediately and cooperate with you!”
He had no way to repay the debt, so this was all he could offer. He assumed Ning Yunyi had returned specifically for the secret base.
Ning Yunyi glanced at the father and the young sister. “I am here for that place, but you don’t need to go back. I only have a few questions for you. Once we’re finished, you and your family should leave this place as quickly as possible. As for the indenture contract in your boss’s hands, I’ll retrieve it for you.”
Harlo spoke immediately. “What does Mr. Godefroi wish to ask?” After a pause, he admitted sheepishly, “First, I must apologize. Last time… I wasn’t entirely truthful. Aside from working at the club, the reason I could always enter that place was that my lover is a guard there. I went to those banquets to see him. Once you enter that place, you aren’t allowed to leave. My father nearly died when he injured his leg mining; a Healer was too expensive. To save him, my lover sold himself to that base… I didn’t mean to hide it, it’s just…”
The reason he hadn’t fled with his family, despite having the star coins, was the contract—and the hope that he could return safely to find a way to ransom his lover.
His father’s face went pale. “No wonder Bevin hasn’t visited in so long. I thought you two had broken up. That boy… you’re both so foolish. No one comes out of that place alive…” He wept bitter tears. Bevin had traded his own life for his. He was an old man; how much longer could he live?
Harlo was confused by his father’s words. “He’s just a guard, not a soldier. How could it be that serious?”
His father’s expression was one of profound grief. His lips trembled, but he couldn’t find the words. His eyes were filled with despair.
Ning Yunyi realized there was more to the story. It was clear the father knew about the base from Harlo and that the family had planned to leave once they had the money. Harlo had confessed his past deeds because he feared his father would refuse to leave the desolate star.
Yet Harlo clearly didn’t know the truth. His father understood that place far better than Harlo, who visited frequently.
Ning Yunyi stared at the father. “Mr. Harlo, you know about that base, don’t you? You’ve known for a long time. What exactly is going on there?” Otherwise, how could he know it was a place with no return?
The father’s lips quivered. He looked at Harlo and the young girl, then at Ning Yunyi. “Sir, I want to know why you are going there? What is your purpose this time?”
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