Chapter 179 No One Can Hurt My Friends
Liu Xingquan dreamed of Yan Zhen again.
He remembered that afternoon. The air was filled with a dull smell of dust. It was a sultry Sunday afternoon, and the door to the corridor was closed, quiet and eerie.
The two of them walked down the long, dim staircase. This was a very old public housing building, with dim lights and mottled stains on the walls. The windowsills of the corners between floors were covered with dust. Yan Zhen walked in front, making light footsteps. He followed carefully.
While going upstairs, he wanted to say to Yan Zhen more than once, "Let's go back." But Yan Zhen walked ahead of him firmly and never looked back. This seemed to have become a silent agreement that he could not leave until Yan Zhen retreated.
Liu Xingquan swallowed his saliva. He looked at the back of Yan Zhen's shiny head and quickened his pace to shorten the distance between them. His palms were full of sweat. They arrived at the fourth floor, and Yan Zhen stood in front of the door. He didn't say anything, just watched Yan Zhen staring at the door.
It will be too late when he rings, he said to himself, but in the end he said nothing.
Yan Zhen reached for the door and knocked on it.
Liu Xingquan stood behind him and clenched his sweaty hands.
I want to protect him.
I want to protect my friends.
He said to himself.
…
He opened his eyes. Above him was the gray ceiling of the cabin.
He was still on the ship bound for the Land of Hope, a low-level stowaway.
Today was still as busy as usual. Liu Xingquan knelt on the ground and pried out the oil-clearing clay balls one by one. The knife given by Yan Zhen was very useful. With a gentle pry, the clay balls that were full of oil jumped up automatically. He collected the clay balls one by one, put them into the oil-clearing machine, and pressed the timer button.
The kitchen was in a state of emergency today, with servants running around and people coming and going. The robots were also busier than usual. Liu Xingquan didn't know what they were busy with. He was helping the spider chef Rico, and the fragrant smell of meat was wafting through the kitchen, and his stomach began to growl. The spider's many legs rolled over several grills at the same time, spraying seasonings in an orderly manner. The saliva of the Fei Tu spider can emit a wonderful fragrance at a certain high temperature, which is highly praised by many alien diners.
He wanted to taste it, but it was not prepared for him.
As soon as the baking tray came down, he was busy taking it to the cleaning area, and then he carried the meal boxes back and forth to deliver the meals. There was a banquet in the big restaurant on the ship these two days, and the robots were not enough, so Liu Xingquan, a handyman helping in the kitchen, was filled in.
For most of the day, he had to run back and forth with a heavy lunch box in his arms. If he was a little slower, the patrolling robot would hit him on the back with an electric baton. Apart from the restaurant, the place with the most lunch boxes was the fighting arena on the middle floor. It was noisy every day, and the guests in the full house were shouting and spending a lot of money on the fighting competitions. Liu Xingquan only delivered it to the door every time, and a small robot with flapping wings would take his lunch box. He never really stepped into it. Sometimes he would run into a few alien guests who came out of the cabin to get some fresh air on the road. Most of them were wearing exquisite and beautiful clothes. They whispered and strolled on the deck. An alien wearing a blue cloak and bluestone decorations on his body and another green-skinned alien were discussing the war in the distance. When Liu Xingquan passed by them, the vague word "Izel Alien" fell into his ears. What these alien guests talked about most often were interstellar news, such as the struggle between the Parliament and the Legion, the faction that the Governor of a certain star zone could not be re-elected this time, the Inspector of a certain planet was assassinated, and not even the shadow of the assassin was caught.
The cabin was set up with an automatic natural day and night system, using artificial lights to simulate the sunset and sunrise. That evening, when Liu Xingquan walked down the stairs from the lower level, his hands were already blistered and his legs were shaking. He had not eaten a single grain of rice all day. His stomach was aching with hunger. I will go back to the kitchen to get two boxes of instant lunch boxes, and then I can rest, he thought.
A group of people walked up the stairs. Liu Xingquan quickly stepped aside. This was a group of aliens with solemn expressions. The leading alien had a more gorgeous uniform than the others. He wore a turquoise mask and a golden belt around his waist that emitted light. An eye-shaped ruby was decorated under his collar. Following him was a sturdy and beautiful alien woman. The reason why Liu Xingquan thought it was "her" was because she walked gracefully. She had a pair of turquoise horns on her head and a slender tail behind her. Her appearance was not human, and her skin was light pink. A heavy sword decorated with lapis lazuli was inserted diagonally at her waist.
When the group passed by, the guests on the deck suddenly became silent. Everyone was silent, even their eyes deliberately glanced in other directions. They all respectfully and silently made way.
Liu Xingquan stared intently, and then suddenly someone grabbed him from behind and pulled him into the darkness at the corner of the deck.
He knew who was pulling him. It was little Ross. His three fingers were rough and strong, and the scales on his arms scratched his skin a little painfully.
"You're really brave, staring at them," whispered Little Ross.
"Who are they? The group just now?" Liu Xingquan asked.
"Eye of Supervision." Little Ross uttered this term with fear in his tone.
"What is the Eye of Supervision?"
Little Ross stuck his head out to make sure that the group had gone far away, then he whispered, "We must stay away from them." His voice was still trembling.
“Are they scary?”
"If they find you suspicious or suspect you of a crime, that would be the most terrifying thing." Little Ross made a gesture of wiping his neck. "If they take you away, death would be a mercy."
Liu Xingquan still didn't know what the Eye of Supervision represented. But looking at Little Ross's fearful and worried expression, he guessed that the Eye of Supervision might be a violent agency similar to the police on Earth, so he didn't ask any more questions.
The patrol robot sounded a warning, and Liu Xingquan suddenly remembered that he had forgotten his lunch box at the stairwell. When he ran back to the stairwell , he was caught by the patrol robot. The patrol robot then used an electric baton to beat him up, leaving him covered in blood.
He gritted his teeth and accepted the punishment, enduring the pain and limping back to the Spider Chef's kitchen. Rico saw him like this and quietly stuffed two skewers of meat into his instant lunch box.
He returned to his cabin, handed a box of food to Little Ross, and then fell down. He heard Little Ross shaking him and shouting in panic in his ear. He forced his eyes open and told Little Ross that he was just a little tired and would be fine after a good sleep.
Afterwards, he fell into the cabin in a daze, and the voice of Little Ross could still be heard in his ears. Little Ross said that his uncle was originally a well-known forging craftsman, but because he offended the powerful, he was deprived of his qualifications by the Craftsmen's Association and could only make a living by farming on Thorn Star. He always hoped that he could make a name for himself and wash away his uncle's shame.
"Don't go to the kitchen to work tomorrow," said little Ross.
"Hmm?" Liu Xingquan asked in a daze.
"I got an opportunity." Little Ross said softly, "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A big shot is willing to give me this opportunity. If I succeed, I will get a salary, and you won't have to work in the kitchen anymore. You've been too tired these days, so take a good rest."
Liu Xingquan's consciousness was sinking. He only felt that Little Ross's words were floating in the air like dust. He responded in a low voice, trying to capture these words, and then these fragments of words dissipated like mist.
He fell into a dream.
…
"Look." Yan Zhen whispered while standing on the side of the road.
He followed Yan Zhen's gaze and saw an old woman squatting on the other side of the road, holding a dying cat in her arms.
He knew the old woman, and everyone called her Granny Lin. She was a well-known volunteer rescuer of stray cats and dogs in this neighborhood. Her granddaughter disappeared early in life, and now the old woman relies on taking in cats and dogs to relieve her loneliness.
"This cat was poisoned." Yan Zhen said in a low voice.
"..." Liu Xingquan remained silent. This was not the latest incident of poisoning cats. It seemed that it was targeting Granny Lin. Several cats and dogs she rescued were poisoned. The poisoned cat vomited yellow water on the ground and died soon after.
Yan Zhen said he knew who was poisoning him, and he looked troubled when he said this. "Who was it?" Liu Xingquan asked.
"I don't have any evidence," Yan Zhen said, "but I know who it is."
He was very sure about it, so Liu Xingquan believed him. But without evidence, they could do nothing.
Then the next day, the most beautiful big white cat that Grandma Lin rescued was also poisoned to death. The old woman held the white cat and kept crying. This is a very smart white cat. Every time Grandma Lin went to the park, Dabai would sit with her at the entrance of the park. It is Grandma Lin's favorite.
Now, even it is dead.
After seeing Dabai's body, Yan Zhen ran away in anger. When Liu Xingquan found him, he was fighting with a middle school student. Another student seemed to be trying to stop the fight, but was actually helping his companion to restrain Yan Zhen.
Liu Xingquan recognized the middle school student who was fighting with Yan Zhen. He was Fei Ge, a well-known gangster from the neighboring school. In the students' minds, he was someone who should never be provoked. But now Yan Zhen was fighting with him, and he was fighting two people at once.
Without any thought, Liu Xingquan rushed forward. The two of them fought with two thugs with punches and kicks. The fight was very ugly. Liu Xingquan only remembered that the opponent was very fierce, and Yan Zhen was pushed to the ground and kicked several times. So he rushed forward and punched the opponent on the bridge of the nose, and the opponent's nose bled. There was a look of fear in their eyes.
The fight was over before the school teachers intervened. Fei Ge pointed at Yan Zhen and Liu Xingquan and cursed, saying that he would remember them.
After the two thugs left, Liu Xingquan asked Yan Zhen: "Did they poison me ?"
Yan Zhen nodded.
"But you have no evidence." Liu Xingquan said.
Yan Zhen just dusted himself off, smiled and said to him: "Thank you for saving me."
He opened his eyes and saw the familiar gray cabin ceiling again.
Little Ross was not in the cabin.
Liu Xingquan sat up, still feeling a little dizzy. His whole body ached. He remembered that he hadn't eaten yet. Just as he fumbled for his instant lunch box and was about to eat, his roommate rushed in.
"Your friend is in trouble!!"
Liu Xingquan looked at her blankly, and after a brief pause in his mind, he realized that she was talking about little Ross.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He accepted the bet and challenged someone in an underground fighting arena," the roommate said anxiously. "He really risked his life to get the job."
"What's the meaning ?"
"Come with me now."
His roommate took him to the busiest place on the Impeccable - the underground fighting arena. She happened to have found a job as a handyman behind the scenes of this private fighting arena, so she was able to bring Liu Xingquan in.
As soon as we entered the venue, we were hit by the heat and the cheers of aliens. Every floor was packed with alien guests, and from the third floor onwards, there were nobles dressed in exquisite and gorgeous clothes.
Liu Xingquan followed his roommate forward, and amid the waves of excited noise, he finally saw the situation on the field clearly.
His friend, Ross Jr., was standing on the field.
He only had a simple shield and an axe in his hand. In front of him was an iron cage that was opening. Liu Xingquan heard some hissing sounds, which made his hair stand on end and his heart beat like a drum. That was the instinctive reaction of creatures when facing a terrifying natural enemy.
"It's over, it's over," he heard his roommate whisper, "It's a spiny-tailed lizard."
"What is that?"
His roommate whispered to him that this kind of gambling game was to randomly release wild animals to fight. Sometimes the cages would release docile and harmless birds or low-aggression wild animals, but sometimes they would be truly ferocious beasts. This was a game based entirely on luck. If you were lucky, you would rise to the top, but if you were unlucky, you would die in vain.
Now Little Ross had drawn the spiny-tailed lizard. It was a very dangerous beast. This creature had teeth sharp enough to bite through steel, and if its tail thorn pierced into a living being, it would paralyze the whole body. The spiny-tailed lizard was a beast that was forbidden to be kept because of its strong aggressiveness and uncontrollable danger.
"They injected it with stimulant drugs," the roommate said in near despair. "It is extremely angry now."
The announcer's excited voice echoed in the fighting arena.
"Our young Ross from Thorn Star is about to challenge the spiny-tailed lizard from Relai Star!!"
"A lovely young Russian wants to get an internship as a craftsman. I wonder if his dream can come true? Let our spiny-tailed lizard, who has won the arena five times, answer this question!!!"
The audience burst into loud cheers.
The spiny-tailed lizard rushed into the venue with a hiss.
The roommate turned his head away, unable to bear to watch any longer.
Little Ross circled the field with the axe. The spiny-tailed lizard didn't stop and rushed towards him. Little Ross dodged and crossed with it. A tear appeared on his sleeve. His scales were scratched. The spiny-tailed lizard stared at him with red eyes, drooling between its sharp teeth.
After that, Little Ross kept circling to avoid the spiny-tailed lizard.
The audience was somewhat dissatisfied with the slightly dull and testing atmosphere, and kept shouting frantically: "Go! Kill it! Are you scared of the coward???"
The frenzied noises buzzed in the venue, and the atmosphere only infuriated the spiny-tailed lizard. It roared and charged at Little Ross. This time, Little Ross was pounced on by it. After a tangled scuffle, Little Ross's axe flew to the other side of the venue. Little Ross half-knelt on the ground, his leg bleeding. He raised his shield in his hand and tried desperately to push the spiny-tailed lizard's head away.
The spiny-tailed lizard swung its tail high, and a huge needle popped out and stabbed into little Ross's back.
A wailing scream was heard.
The blood spread on the ground, mixed with the light from the dome and flowed into Liu Xingquan's eyes.
The audience clapped and cheered, the walls shook, and my roommate sat on the floor, covering his face.
He blinked hard. His friend, Little Ross, was there. His figure was gradually blurring out.
Without any further thought.
He leaped onto the fence, turned over and rushed into the fighting arena. The lights in the arena were shaking. His roommate seemed to want to hold him back. His whole body was still aching, his feet were trembling, and the blisters on his hands were piercing from time to time. The air was filled with the smell of blood.
The aliens' cries seemed to chase him like a tide.
He didn't look back.
Thank you for coming to save me. His voice whispered in his ear.
He stumbled toward the center of the venue. Little Ross fell to the ground, and the smelly spiny-tailed lizard was biting him.
He drew his knife and stabbed the spiny-tailed lizard.
The hot wind blew up, and the spiny-tailed lizard twisted its neck and roared. Its back was covered with scales. But the knife pierced into it, and blue blood gushed out. He pulled out the knife and stabbed it hard again.
This time, the knife suddenly burst into light, and the blue blood turned into smoke, swirling in the wind. The knife in his hand was burning hotly and bursting with brilliant light.
The spiny-tailed lizard was struggling desperately. He pounced on it and stabbed it again and again.
The light is burning.
When he woke up, the sparks had dissipated and the spiny-tailed lizard had been burned to ashes.
He saw the alien guests in the audience screaming in horror.
He clenched the knife in his hand.
No one can hurt my friends.
No one, he thought.
