Chapter 179
The Black Robe’s Space.
Shen Shuyu began to survey the vortex space belonging to the Black Robe. This time, the space wasn’t as magnificent as the first one he had entered; in some places, the colors were pale, looking like ink that hadn’t quite taken.
After the two of them had walked for an unknown amount of time, Shen Shuyu couldn’t help but speak up. “Can’t we take a break?”
The light here was dim and gloomy, and he was exhausted from walking.
Black Robe turned his head and shot him a glance. “Do you think this place is a gallery?”
He had consumed too much energy today. This spatial tunnel was barely cobbled together, and its stability certainly couldn’t compare to when he was at his peak.
Shen Shuyu replied, “Just because it’s not a gallery doesn’t mean we can’t rest. Even if you’re not tired, I am.”
He simply sat down right where he was. “I don’t want to walk anymore. Since this is your territory, conjure up a transport for me. A bicycle would even do—we could ride it together, and I’ll pedal for you.”
Black Robe turned around and looked at Shen Shuyu, who was sitting directly on the ground. A hint of “are you serious?” flickered in his eyes. Just a moment ago, he had wanted to kill the boy, but now, the kid was talking to him like they were friends catching up.
He even suggested a bicycle ride. The boy didn’t have a shred of a sense of crisis.
Black Robe snapped angrily, “Get up.”
Shen Shuyu looked back at him, refusing to back down. “Not a chance. Either we rest, or you give me a vehicle. Otherwise, I’m not moving.”
Shen Shuyu had figured it out just now—Black Robe still needed him to retrieve something. It was impossible for him to actually take his life. Since his life wasn’t at risk, he had nothing to fear.
Black Robe clenched his fists and repeated, “Get up.”
Shen Shuyu tilted his head back and looked at the pitch-black sky, not forgetting to add, “This sky needs a fresh coat of paint.”
Black Robe took a deep breath. He realized what Shen Shuyu was doing—the boy was banking on the fact that he wouldn’t touch him. And unfortunately, he was right.
Looking at his clearly roguish behavior, Black Robe inhaled deeply again. “Five minutes.”
“Ten minutes.”
“Then don’t rest at all.”
Shen Shuyu immediately shut his mouth. Five minutes it was.
With a wave of Black Robe’s hand, a countdown clock appeared in the air. He really did have everything.
Shen Shuyu remembered the question he had asked the System back in the ward. Why was everyone fighting over that keychain? It wasn’t a good idea to ask Black Robe directly, so he had the System investigate. He hadn’t expected the results to be so shocking. What Shen Xili had taken was actually the key to their organization’s vault. Furthermore, the System found a bounty: any member who retrieved the Unlocking Core could receive one-tenth of the treasures within the vault.
Even a tenth was a literal mountain of wealth. One could take that money and retire into a life of luxury.
Shen Shuyu raised his head to carefully study Black Robe’s face. He was a Beta with no pheromones, looking to be in his thirties.
Sensing his gaze, Black Robe frowned. “What the hell are you looking at?”
Shen Shuyu gave him an “OK” gesture but couldn’t help asking, “Speaking of which, since you have the ability to enter and exit spaces at will, why don’t you just charge into your vault and take the stuff yourself?”
Black Robe said coldly, “What do you know?”
His spatial vortex seemed free, but it was actually quite limited. The exits could only lead to public places or places with an “anchor.”
Shen Xili had once been a member of the organization, so he himself was an anchor. Black Robe could come and go freely around him, but he couldn’t enter Shen Shuyu’s home or Wen Jiafei’s home; the magnetic fields were different.
In fact, entering Shen Shuyu’s hospital room was the result of a long period of effort. The hospital corridor was a public area, but the room itself was not.
To kidnap Shen Shuyu, he had to act fast, which had cost him a significant amount of energy.
As for the vault, it went without saying that it was a forbidden zone for the organization. Not only was it guarded 24/7, but the locks on the doors were numerous. Even if he were lucky enough to get in, he would be killed by the poison gas inside because he hadn’t entered through the proper channels.
He cherished his life; he had no desire to die yet.
Seeing his slightly dazed expression, Shen Shuyu thought for a bit and asked again, “So, were you born with this vortex ability?”
Black Robe snapped back to reality. “If you want to rest, then stop talking so much.”
Shen Shuyu said, “Chatting doesn’t cost physical strength. Actually, I’m quite curious about this ability of yours. If I learned it, wouldn’t I save a lot of time traveling?”
Black Robe sneered. “Whether you’ll even live is still a question, and yet you’re already eyeing my abilities.”
“I’ll definitely live.” Shen Shuyu glanced at the countdown; two minutes left.
Black Robe said, “You’re an interesting person. No wonder the God of War regards you so highly.”
Shen Shuyu shrugged. “I know I’m interesting. Quite a few people like me.”
He added, “However, I’m curious. Since you’ve escaped, why can’t you go back to your own place? You clearly know that even four people couldn’t take the item back. Can you really do it alone?”
Black Robe didn’t answer, only saying coldly, “Five minutes are up.”
Shen Shuyu checked; it really was time. How did time fly so fast?
Although he suspected Black Robe had tampered with the clock, he still stood up. “Fine, let’s go. Where are we headed?”
Black Robe ignored him. After that, no matter what Shen Shuyu said, he remained silent.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally saw the end. The two walked out one after the other. As soon as they stepped out, Shen Shuyu began to shiver violently from the cold.
He was only wearing a thin hospital gown. The hospital building was heated, so it hadn’t been cold at all. Inside Black Robe’s vortex, while it was dilapidated, there was no wind. The temperature had been low, but bearable.
But now, Shen Shuyu was so cold he wanted to curl into a ball.
He said, “Couldn’t you have grabbed a coat for me just now?”
Black Robe replied, “Too much talk.”
Shen Shuyu turned his back to him, and the Black Robe behind him said, “Thinking of running? You’ll have to try harder than that. This place is a hundred kilometers away from your hospital.”
Good grief. He couldn’t run back tonight even if he ran himself to death.
He shivered and looked around. After listening carefully for a moment, he heard the sound of waves. He looked toward the sound and realized the ocean was nearby. They were in a forest on a small island by the sea.
Shen Shuyu was truly freezing. He turned back to negotiate. “Just this once, show some mercy, will you? Give me a thicker piece of clothing.”
Black Robe had just sat down to take a nap. Hearing Shen Shuyu’s words, he cursed “pig” in his head but still fished a garment out of the vortex and tossed it onto the ground. “Don’t annoy me.”
“Yes, yes, you’re a great man.” Shen Shuyu quickly put it on. He let out a long sigh. Although it was still cold, it was much better than just wearing a hospital gown.
He sat down next to Black Robe, who gave a cold snort. “Not running?”
Shen Shuyu said, “If I run ten steps, you’ll catch me in one. It’s pointless. Forget it, I’ll just wait for my brother to come save me.”
“Are you so sure they will come for you?” Black Robe asked. “The God of War is their real son, isn’t he?”
Shen Shuyu was stunned for a moment. “So you all know already.”
“There is nothing regarding the God of War that we don’t know,” Black Robe said. “I also know that the reason he hasn’t acknowledged the Shen family is because of us.”
Shen Shuyu let out an “oh.” It was roughly as he had guessed. He had thought that following the plot would keep things safe, but he hadn’t expected another “Black Robe” to show up.
Thinking of this, Shen Shuyu asked, “By the way, what is your name?”
Black Robe replied, “I don’t have one.”
Eh?
No name?
Shen Shuyu was puzzled. “Then what do people in the organization call you? Black Robe?”
Black Robe opened his eyes. He turned to look at Shen Shuyu, meeting that inquisitive gaze. “I’m starting to regret bringing you here.”
Shen Shuyu raised an eyebrow slightly, then heard Black Robe say: “I should have just killed you and let them trade the item for your corpse. Otherwise, I’ll just throw your body down to feed the fish.”
“…These days, a person can’t even speak.” Despite the mutter, Shen Shuyu shut his mouth.
At the same time, the System sent his coordinates to Shen Yisi and the others.
However, a second before sending it, the System asked in confusion:
[Master, they are already heading this way. Do I still need to tell them?]
They’re already coming?
So fast!
Shen Shuyu was shocked. How long had it been? Shen Yisi’s capabilities were becoming more and more powerful.
He said: [Since they’re coming, don’t send it. But keep a close eye and give me a warning if there’s any danger.]
This was naturally no problem, and the System immediately went to monitor them.
After completing all this, Shen Shuyu fixed his gaze on Black Robe again.
The man kept his eyes closed, seemingly resting. He didn’t seem afraid of a sudden sneak attack from Shen Shuyu. After all, they were out of his space; it would be quite easy for Shen Shuyu to counter-attack now.
Shen Shuyu walked over and stood in front of him. After standing for a while, he walked to the side and found a spot where he could see the ocean, then sat down to watch the waves.
Black Robe slightly opened his eyes to look at Shen Shuyu in the distance. Because of the cold, the boy was huddled in a ball, his eyes bright as he watched the distant sea.
Black Robe lowered his eyes. On the ground not far away lay a thin piece of bamboo that had been sharpened at one end. As long as one found the right spot and used the right amount of force, it could easily kill a person.
This bamboo was a self-defense weapon he had made on a whim when he escaped, but Shen Shuyu hadn’t given it a single glance.
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