Chapter 221: Mutation (19)
Qian Zheng could no longer care about the pain. Just as he tried to flee, he saw a raging fire ignite beneath the high-rise, and a pair of enormous golden wings appeared before him.
Bai Yinnian had been feeling restricted and tied down. He had spent all that time cleaning up the thorns only to realize he had fallen for a trap, and by this point, his rage was boundless.
By the time he flew up to the rooftop, the powder the woman had turned into had long since scattered. All the filthy blood and gore had vanished along with her, as if they had never existed at all.
All he saw was the strange man trying to flee in the other direction, Xiao Cui taking small, hurried steps as he tried to give chase, and Xiao Ji standing by the edge of the roof, looking innocent and bewildered.
Bai Yinnian quickly pieced together what might have just happened.
Xiao Ji had limited mobility. For him to be standing on the roof, it couldn’t have been on his own; this man must have used some despicable method to drag Xiao Ji to such a dangerous place.
Then, Xiao Cui had suddenly erupted, shredding the man’s arm. The man must have realized that Xiao Cui, this seemingly unremarkable little boy, was not to be trifled with, which was why he was trying to turn and run.
As for whether that man had said anything insulting to Xiao Ji or bullied him during that time—Bai Yinnian didn’t even need to think about it.
His anger surged, bubbling up:
“You dog of a thing, you’d dare lay a hand on anyone?”
Countless flame-engulfed spikes erupted from Bai Yinnian’s wings. Each one whistled through the air, sweeping toward Qian Zheng’s retreating back.
To claim himself a “candidate for the New World lord” meant Qian Zheng was not blindly confident.
Upon realizing that Xiao Ji possessed formidable strength, fleeing was his instinct. But when faced with a life-or-death crisis, the instinct to fight for survival took over.
Just as Bai Yinnian’s feather spikes were about to touch Qian Zheng, he suddenly turned around and spread his arms, creating a black hole between his hands.
The feather spikes plunged into the black hole as if stabbing into the void. A split second later, the black hole appeared behind Xiao Cui, but the once-sharp spikes now looked as if they had melted. Coated in black, viscous fluid and hissing with heat, they lunged at Xiao Cui.
Bai Yinnian narrowed his eyes. Before Xiao Ji could make a move, he shielded Xiao Cui with one of his wings.
The melting sludge splattered onto Bai Yinnian’s wings, emitting a corrosive, sizzling sound.
At the same time, Xiao Cui’s pupils turned a blood-red. Just as Qian Zheng was about to escape, his left leg exploded once again, and he collapsed to the ground.
Bai Yinnian seized the chance to flash in front of Qian Zheng. He first slammed his heavy fists into Qian Zheng’s face, beating him relentlessly while raging:
“You dog-f*cking wretch, I’ll teach you to use diversionary tactics, I’ll teach you to sneak into the house, I’ll teach you to pass the buck!”
Bai Yinnian’s strength was terrifying. With every blow, he nearly caved in Qian Zheng’s skull, deforming his entire head.
Following that, his wing spikes pierced straight into Qian Zheng’s chest. The raging fire burned with his fury, and before long, Qian Zheng was reduced to a charred, unrecognizable lump.
A foul, scorched stench filled the air.
Bai Yinnian’s eyes were blood-red. The wings on his back began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, and soon, they shrouded the entire rooftop.
Xiao Ji furrowed his brows. Sensing that Bai Yinnian’s state was wrong, he called out:
“Yinnian.”
The moment the name left his lips, Bai Yinnian seemed to regain his sanity. He whipped his head around to look at Xiao Ji, his wings wrapping around him and pulling him close.
He reached out to hold Xiao Ji. After a long while, the wings on his back began to shrink, retracting back into his flesh.
“Were you scared?”
Bai Yinnian asked Xiao Ji.
Xiao Ji shook his head. “What happened to you?”
Bai Yinnian held Xiao Ji in his arms, resting his chin on Xiao Ji’s shoulder. “We’ll talk about it later. Let me lean on you for a while.”
Bai Yinnian’s upper garment had long since vanished along with Qian Zheng.
Xiao Ji reached out to embrace Bai Yinnian, feeling the burn marks on his back. Before Bai Yinnian could react, he picked him up and walked toward the rooftop door.
Downstairs, the rest of the group had already gathered.
Mu Fan watched Bai Yinnian being carried down from upstairs by Xiao Ji, then glanced at Xiao Cui following them while wheeling himself in his chair, and was momentarily speechless.
After a long, silent pause.
Mu Fan looked at the number on his wrist, which represented high-level pollutants; after flickering repeatedly, it finally settled on ‘2’. Then, he looked at Bai Yinnian’s pale complexion and only said one thing:
“I guess you win.”
He then led the Second Team toward the cars parked at the intersection.
As they walked, he grumbled, “Damn wristband, it really is a piece of trash.”
Along the way, the five people in the car didn’t say a word.
By the time they returned home, the burns on Bai Yinnian’s back had already healed.
He first bathed Xiao Cui and sent him upstairs to sleep. Only then did he come back down, look at Xiao Ji standing by the dining table, and ask:
“Have you been acting all along?”
Xiao Ji denied it. “No.”
Bai Yinnian looked at Xiao Ji’s standing posture, which was no different from a normal person’s, and the legs hidden beneath his pant legs:
“If I wasn’t hallucinating, I need an explanation for tonight.”
He truly couldn’t wrap his head around what kind of person would choose to stay in a wheelchair even when they could walk and move normally.
It wasn’t that he was angry—after all, it was a good thing that Xiao Ji was fine—but there was no need to pull such a prank.
Xiao Ji wasn’t afraid of explaining anything. In front of Bai Yinnian, he pulled up his pant leg.
A prosthetic metal lower leg was exposed to Bai Yinnian.
“Does it look good?” Xiao Ji asked.
Bai Yinnian froze on the spot.
After a long pause, he opened his mouth and said to Xiao Ji: “Sorry… I…”
“No need,” Xiao Ji interrupted him.
He lowered his pant leg and said nothing more.
Bai Yinnian felt like an idiot and shut his mouth.
While Xiao Ji went to take a shower, he thought back and forth, finally making up his mind to call Lin Xu:
“I have something I want to tell you.”
Lin Xu had just fallen asleep. Upon hearing this, he thought Bai Yinnian had some urgent matter, so he sat up from the bed, forcing himself to wake up. “Go ahead, Boss, what is it?”
Bai Yinnian thought for a moment. “You saw it, right? Xiao Ji stood up today.”
Lin Xu had initially thought he saw wrong, too.
But once he realized what happened, he felt it had little to do with him—perhaps the man just enjoyed sitting in a wheelchair?
Now that Bai Yinnian asked, he guessed there might be some hidden story:
“I saw it, Boss. What’s going on? Is there something wrong with his legs?”
Bai Yinnian said: “No, there is indeed something wrong with his lower legs. He has always been unwilling to stand up, but today…”
Bai Yinnian paused. “There are some things I disdain to speak of, as it’s my private business.”
Lin Xu was curious. “What is it, Boss? Is it convenient to tell me?”
Bai Yinnian said: “I’ll reluctantly tell you a little bit.”
So, he spoke for over an hour.
During that time, he heard Xiao Ji come out of the shower, so he stepped into the courtyard.
He recounted every detail of the last two days, starting from the first day he brought Xiao Ji back:
“You tell me, he used to always cling to me when sleeping, and now, because I was injured, he forced himself to stand up to catch me—what is he thinking?”
Translator’s Note: I feel for Bai Yinnian here! That moment when you realize you’ve been a total jerk for suspecting someone, only to find out they have a prosthetic leg… ouch. And the “peacock spreading its tail” (孔雀開屏 – kǒngquè kāipíng) is such a perfect way to describe his need to show off his “devouring” ability to Xiao Ji. He’s trying so hard to impress!
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