Chapter 35
The Underground City was as quiet as ever in the early morning, the sky a hazy gray.
Xia Yi sat at the dining table, sleepy-eyed.
Last night, Ouyang had a sudden whim and pressed him onto the glazed counter in the kitchen to do this and that. A plate had been accidentally knocked over and shattered; he didn’t know if it had been cleaned up.
Ouyang Xiaoli walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of steaming potato soup. Just as he put the bowl down, he heard his wrist optical computer beep.
He looked down and glanced at it.
It was from Tang Si.
He connected the signal. “What is it?”
Tang Si’s voice came from the other end, sounding slightly anxious. “Boss! Something happened at the starship! You’d better come over quickly!”
Ouyang Xiaoli’s expression changed slightly.
Tang Si spoke fast. “A merman somehow broke in suddenly. He damaged the starship’s energy tank!”
Ouyang Xiaoli frowned.
He immediately sent a signal to Keda.
Keda picked up in less than a second. Before he could speak, Ouyang Xiaoli put on his jacket and spoke quickly in a tone that brooked no refusal. “I give you three minutes to get here immediately.”
“Huh?” Keda was confused.
“Something happened at the starship; I have to go there now.” Ouyang Xiaoli had already reached the entryway. He looked back at Xia Yi, who had half a potato slice in his mouth and a blank look on his face.
Xia Yi asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Ouyang Xiaoli walked over quickly, kissed the little merman’s forehead, and rubbed his hair. “Keda will come to keep you company. Don’t be afraid.”
Xia Yi looked at the man worriedly.
Ouyang Xiaoli turned the door handle and walked out. The cool, silver-white double doors with facial recognition automatically slid open to both sides…
Ouyang Xiaoli saw Keda outside the door and paused.
“So fast?”
Keda said, “I just happened to be at the door when I got your call.” But he didn’t have access rights, so he could only wait.
Xia Yi couldn’t follow the Boss around everywhere, so someone had to keep him company.
Since Keda was the freest one anyway.
He had very consciously taken on the role of a full-time nanny. Even after the master of the house had ruthlessly thrown him out, his love for the master’s little merman hadn’t diminished by half. He still cared for him with the utmost devotion. Perhaps the world would never find another hardworking little bee as selfless and boundlessly loving as him.
Keda was moved by his own dedication.
Ouyang Xiaoli didn’t have as much internal monologue. He was in a hurry, so he said succinctly to Keda, “You can take Xia Yi out for a walk. Remember not to leave the East Zone.”
Danger was everywhere in the Underground City, but Ouyang Xiaoli was the Boss of the East Zone. Within the East Zone, he could guarantee Xia Yi’s safety.
Keda still held a grudge about what happened that morning. “But I don’t have access…”
Ouyang Xiaoli glanced at him faintly. “Ask Xia Yi to open the door for you.”
Keda: “…”
Boss, do you have to be so petty!
It’s been half a month. I come over to play with Xia Yi every day, and every day Xia Yi has to run over to open the door. Boss, it’s one thing for you to turn a blind eye, but doesn’t your heart ache that Xia Yi’s feet might get tired from walking those few extra steps?!
Keda’s heart was full of resentment.
Ouyang Xiaoli wasn’t in the mood to bicker with Keda. He quickly rushed to the starship’s control room.
Inside the large metal control room of the starship, besides Tang Si and Xiao Mo, there was a merman with a red tail sitting on the floor. The merman’s features were exquisite and beautiful, slightly cold.
The red-tailed merman was soaking wet, and there was a puddle of water on the floor. Clearly, someone had suspected he was a merman and sprayed him with a hose, confirming their guess.
Even in his disheveled state, the red-tailed merman’s expression still held a haughty arrogance, mixed with indignation and unwillingness!
He glared fiercely at everyone!
Tang Si and the others didn’t look too happy either.
The red-tailed merman saw a tall, handsome man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist walk in. The man had deep, chiseled features, dark eyes, and brows like swords. His faint gaze carried a sharp, piercing quality.
The red-tailed merman paused.
After a long moment, he realized this person must be their boss.
Although the man was taller and more handsome than most men in the Silver Sea Empire, the thought that he was a commoner from the Underground City brought a look of disdain to the merman’s eyes. Deep down, he held an innate prejudice and arrogance!
“It’s bad enough you disgusting cockroaches smuggle yourselves into the Silver Sea Empire, but you actually steal our technology in secret! This starship is clearly identical to General Song’s God of War battleship, the ‘Apollo’! You shameless, despicable thieves!”
“I won’t let you succeed!”
“Filthy Underground City people should live underground for the rest of their lives, looking up at the Silver Sea Empire, never dreaming of surpassing us! Our civilization is far superior to yours!”
The red-tailed merman was filled with righteous indignation.
Tang Si sneered. “The real thieves are you hypocrites from the Silver Sea Empire!”
Xiao Mo’s face was also extremely cold. He, who had always liked merfolk, had no smile for this beautiful merman from the Silver Sea Empire for the first time. What use was beauty? It was just a skin. Look at this domineering arrogance; it really made him lose his appetite. Were all people from the Silver Sea Empire like this?
Ouyang Xiaoli’s expression didn’t change in the slightest due to these insults. He lifted his eyelids and looked at the red-tailed merman on the floor, his eyes like deep pools.
The red-tailed merman shrank back.
But he still stubbornly held his head high.
Ouyang Xiaoli roughly inspected the starship’s energy tank. There were just some cracks; it wouldn’t be difficult to repair. He stood up and walked toward the merman.
His posture was commanding, lacking the servility most Underground City people showed toward the Silver Sea Empire.
“You are a noble of the Silver Sea Empire?”
The red-tailed merman huffed.
“Ouyang, this merman was brought down by the boss of the North Zone. He’s a noble.” Tang Si remembered something and walked to Ouyang Xiaoli’s side. “The Silver Sea Empire has issued a city-wide notice. Soldiers are looking for him on the streets. It’s a bit of trouble.”
Ouyang Xiaoli frowned.
“If he wanted to run, he shouldn’t have run here. I recall the North Zone is quite far from here.”
Tang Si nodded in agreement.
Keda took Xia Yi for a stroll in the East Zone. With him there, few people in the Underground City approached Xia Yi, likely knowing he was Boss Ouyang’s person.
Suddenly, his shoulder was slammed hard. Keda stumbled two steps and turned around furiously to see who was so blind!
Ever since he had the Boss’s protection, no one in the East Zone of the Underground City dared to be so rude to him!
“You f*cking…”
Seeing the person who had arrived, Keda’s words came to an abrupt halt. His pupils constricted sharply, and a chill rose from the soles of his feet.
His face turned pale.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why does the little friend look so scared?” A greasy man with a big belly walked over, squinting his eyes. He smiled. “Is it because I, Hu, look too scary?”
Keda stared tightly at the man.
The greasy man’s target wasn’t Keda. His gaze drifted lightly to the young boy beside him, and he licked his dry lips.
That woman said Ouyang Xiaoli had caught a merman in the sea not long ago.
Look at this appearance.
Quite handsome.
“Brother Ouyang is being a bit excessive, hiding such a superb item for his own enjoyment and not bringing him out for the brothers to taste…”
The greasy man’s eyes gleamed with lust.
Although Keda was afraid, he still shielded Xia Yi behind him. His voice trembled but remained forceful.
“Hu Lao’er, what do you mean by this? Our East Zone and North Zone don’t interact. If you cross the line today and the Boss finds out…”
He secretly sent a signal to the Boss.
“I’m afraid of him?” The man scoffed.
Seemingly recalling unpleasant memories from the past, the greasy man’s smile vanished, his eyes full of coldness. “I’ve wanted to settle this score with him for a long time. Look, my finger became like this because of him. You can see how ruthless he is. So what if I taste his person?”
With a glance from him, the men behind him immediately swarmed forward and dragged Xia Yi into the nearby alley. Xia Yi struggled in panic!
“Let me go!”
Xia Yi was frightened and suddenly remembered his ability. Right! He had mental power. Xia Yi hurriedly concentrated to use his mental power, but for some reason, his ability suddenly failed. There was no reaction. Xia Yi became terrified.
What was happening? Where was his ability?
Why did his ability suddenly disappear?
Without his ability, he was nothing as a merman. In the sea, his brother helped him fight off sharks. In the Underground City, Ouyang always protected him.
But Ouyang wasn’t in the Underground City right now.
Keda wanted to go help, but he was blocked by several people after taking just two steps. Several burly men threw him to the ground and kicked him viciously!
Keda took several kicks to the face and stomach!
He felt dizzy and nauseous.
It felt like the beatings he used to get.
Xia Yi was pinned against the wall by the greasy man, crying like a painted cat. He struggled with all his might, but his shirt was still torn open by the man!
“Big bad guy!”
“Throw you to feed the sharks!”
Poor Xia Yi didn’t even know how to curse. In his opinion, feeding someone to sharks was the most terrifying thing.
Every time they encountered sharks, his brother would bravely rush in front of him to fight them. Once, his brother almost had an arm bitten off. His brother always spoiled him; as soon as he cried, his brother would coax him. He was the most useless one. Whenever there was danger, he would only hide timidly behind his brother. He didn’t want to be like this, but why were there so many bad guys like sharks!
He sobbed and called Ouyang’s name.
“Ouyang…”
“Come save me quickly…”
“Wuwuwu…”
When the greasy man leaned in to kiss his face and neck, Xia Yi was terrified. The disgusting sensation was like a snake slithering over him. He screamed in fright.
A sharp wind broke through the air!
Ouyang Xiaoli punched Hu Lao’er heavily in the face. The force was so great that it knocked Hu Lao’er to the ground, howling in pain!
The man’s eyes were blood-red, his body radiating violence.
The moment he received Keda’s signal, his mind went blank, and all the blood in his body rushed to his head in an instant.
His little merman…
When he arrived, breathless, and saw Xia Yi being kissed on the face by that bastard, a murderous intent rose in his heart. He wished he could tear Hu Lao’er into ten thousand pieces, and even that wouldn’t be enough to quell his hatred.
Xia Yi was terrified, forgetting even to resist.
Ouyang Xiaoli was utterly brutal.
It seemed he had gone too easy on Hu Lao’er last time!
One punch wasn’t enough. Ouyang Xiaoli delivered a vicious kick! A crisp sound came from Hu Lao’er’s chest—likely two broken ribs. His face was deathly pale, and he didn’t even have the strength to crawl up and fight back. What was pitiful was that his lackeys had also been taken down by Tang Si and the others, leaving him isolated and helpless.
Keda scrambled up and rushed over!
He cursed while ruthlessly kicking Hu Lao’er, venting the frustration he had just suffered. “Aren’t you arrogant?! Come on! Do you think your grandpa is afraid of you?! Whoever chickens out is a grandson!”
“Pah!”
He put his hands on his hips, bullying the fallen.
“You shameless thing!”
Xia Yi’s nose was red, crystal-clear tears still hanging on his eyelashes. He stared blankly at Ouyang and Keda, maintaining his posture against the wall, slowly sliding down into a heap.
Ouyang Xiaoli walked over with a dark face.
Xia Yi’s tears fell in grievance. He planned to throw himself into Ouyang’s arms and cry, telling him how scared he had been just now, how much he missed him, and wanting to act spoiled and complain about why he took so long to come.
But his approach was stopped by an arm.
Xia Yi looked at the man in confusion.
Seeing the man’s bad expression, Xia Yi became even more anxious. He recalled everything that had just happened and thought Ouyang was disgusted that he had been kissed on the face by that bad guy, so he hurriedly and vigorously wiped his cheek!
“Ou—Ouyang…”
Xia Yi was a bit at a loss.
Ouyang Xiaoli looked at Xia Yi coldly. “Why didn’t you fight back just now?”
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