Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 443: Uneasy

When all was said and done, Zhong Yun was an unruly child who had been placed under Instructor Song Yin’s care – or to be exact, discipline – since he was young. Having dedicated a majority part of his life to martial arts, he could defend himself against a group of local thugs just fine.

Alas, his main concern right now lay not in ruining his beautiful and expensive suit, but Mu Yuze who looked like he could faint straight on his feet at any moment! He was the one who had pulled Mu Yuze out of the comfort of his house, and if something were to happen to the boy, he would not be able to live on with the guilt!

Standing back to back, Zhong Yun shouted at his sick buddy without taking his gaze off the approaching thugs, "Are you okay?!"

Mu Yuze’s complexion remained pallid as he struggled to control his uneven breathing. Huge droplets of sweat rolled down his temple, though his entire person remained calm and steady. "Worry about yourself first, idiot."

"What did you—woah!" Zhong Yun had not even finished his sentence yet when Mu Yuze threw the first punch, knocking the thug straight to the ground. In an instant, chaos ensued as the remaining thugs pounced on them like a pack of starving hyenas, eager to see blood.

"Ah ah ah!" Zhong Yun yelped as he raised his arm to deflect an incoming blow. "My suit... don’t tug on my suit, damn it!"

Amidst the flurry of punches and kicks, the corner of Mu Yuze’s eyes caught a sharp glint that reflected off the light and his pupils constricted in shock. He exclaimed in alarm, "Watch out!" He staggered back a step and almost stumbled on his feet just in time to narrowly avoid a thug’s swinging cutter, missing the tip of his nose just by a hair’s breadth.

These people had knives!

"Damn it!" Mu Yuze cursed under his breath. Hearing a sharp cry behind him, his heart instantly skipped a beat and he whipped his head back to see Zhong Yun clutching his bloodied arm, mourning, "You ripped my suit!"

The man facing Zhong Yun sneered. "Fucker, just go to hell with your ugly suit!"

For a split second, Mu Yuze’s attention was momentarily distracted by the blood trickling down from Zhong Yun’s arm, but in that instant, two thugs rushed forward to seize him, while another landed a punch to his stomach!

"Ugh!" Mu Yuze felt as if he was going to hurl out his internal organ from the force of the blow. The attacker, the same man Mu Yuze had knocked down at the beginning, harbored a malicious smile on his face as he cracked his knuckles,

"Do you think you’re so great just because you know how to fight a little? Hmm?! Laozi[1] is going to teach you a lesson!"

"Mu Yuze!" Zhong Yun’s eyes burned with anger. He tried to go to Mu Yuze’s side, but the other thugs surrounded him and blocked his path. "Fuck, let me go! You are going to regret this, bastards!"

’Not good...’ Mu Yuze thought dizzily.

He was quickly losing strength. His eyes blurred and his ears were filled with deafening white noises. He tried to employ the techniques Master Song Yun had taught him to break free from the grips of his assailants, yet his efforts were futile as they held him in a death grip, rendering him immobile. As he stared at the thug who advanced toward him with a sinister grin, all of a sudden, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

—"There are actually so many weak points in a person’s body. It all depends on whether you are decisive enough to employ it or not."

A piece of memory from months ago floated to the forefront of his mind. It was from the time when He Juan sparred with him in the dojo. The haze on Mu Yuze’s eyes cleared up and for some reason, he felt like he could breathe a little easier.

—"Don’t be afraid if you accidentally kill your enemy. Your main priority is to secure your own life first and foremost. It’s either you or them who has to go down, no in between."

A humorless smile tugged on the corner of Mu Yuze’s lips. ’Even at a time like this... why are you always the one who comes to my mind?’

Seeing the subtle curve on Mu Yuze’s lips, the thug misunderstood that the boy was still looking down at him and his temper immediately erupted like a volcano. He roared at the two others, "Fuck, hold him tight! Laozi is going to kill him!"

He raised his fist and aimed it at Mu Yuze’s face, yet before the punch could connect, the boy, who was already drained from energy, suddenly made a shocking move!

Relying on the grip on his arms, Mu Yuze extended his leg and delivered a powerful kick to the man’s knee! A bone-cracking sound reverberated through the air as the thug crumpled to the ground, howling in agony. Before the other two could react, Mu Yuze swiftly jammed his elbow into the throat of one, then he spun around and landed a forceful kick to the side of the other’s neck, knocking the man out cold!

Mu Yuze’s breath was scorching hot, and his eyes were bloodshot. At that moment, he felt as though a crimson haze had descended on his mind, and all he could see was the thugs’ terrified look as they stared at him.

—"Take a good look at your surroundings and grab whatever you can use."

Mu Yuze’s eyes darted to the stones on the nearby curb, and he lunged forward to grab the biggest one he could find. Turning around, he grabbed the collar of the thug facing Zhong Yun and smashed the rock on the man’s face with all of his strength!

"AH—!" The man wailed as he covered his bleeding nose. "Damn it, grab him!"

—"Eyes, throat, knees, and lastly..."

Mu Yuze hurled the rock, which precisely struck the face of another thug nearest to him, and he swiftly rushed forward to kick another man right on his crotch, causing him to collapse in an instant with froth bubbling on the corner of his mouth. The thugs did not even have a chance to brandish their knives before they were KO-ed one by one.

—"Good job, Xiao Ze. It’s a very beautiful win."

Zhong Yun: "..."

Zhong Yun’s jaws snapped shut with a click as he stared at the magical scene unfolding before his eyes, utterly dumbfounded. He quickly dealt with the other two thugs and knocked them out with clean movements before he stuttered, his voice shaky for some reason,

"M–Mu Yuze?"

Damn it, was the person in front of him really Mu Yuze? Mu Yuze, Master Song’s star pupil, his pride and joy, who would always follow the rules to a T?

Zhong Yun was certain that the fighting skills Mu Yuze displayed this time were never taught by their master as it was... too damn ruthless! How vicious! Cold-blooded! So damn cool!

Looking at the thug who convulsed in pain while still covering his family’s jewel, Zhong Yun couldn’t help but feel an ache in his nether region too. He grimaced. "Mu Yuze, are you—"

His words were cut short by a startled cry when the boy suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious, like a marionette whose string had been cut off.

"Mu Yuze!!"

***

At the same time, in Twilight Haven

He Juan furrowed his brow when his heart suddenly felt uneasy for some unknown reason. The discomfort was abysmal at first and could easily be tossed to the back of his mind. But then, the sensation persisted and grew more insistent, nagging on his mind until it was impossible to ignore any longer.

What was wrong? Had he eaten something wrong earlier?

He couldn’t have been poisoned, could he?

"What’s wrong?" A–Mu, who had stuck to his side ever since, perceived the subtle change in his mood. Usually, XIU would don an impeccable mask that rendered people unable to read what he was thinking, so this was the first time A–Mu had ever seen the man show such obvious discomfort. "Do you have any prior engagements?" he asked the man in a whisper.

Right now, they had settled in the inner part of the bar that was specially reserved for Alphas. The soft and elegant music filled the air, and their target – Jay – was busy mixing drinks behind the counter. They had been planning to approach him when He Juan began to act weird.

"I..." He Juan frowned. He lifted his head and met Marius’ concerned gaze. He pressed his lips together into tight lines. Unable to bear it any longer, he stood up and said, "Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom."

Marius raised a brow in surprise. It was their agreed-upon signal to indicate something was amiss and be prepared to abandon the plan. "What’s wrong?" He couldn’t help but ask. Hadn’t the plan been going well so far? Why would He Juan want to abort it midway?

"I–Is it because of me?" A–Mu asked in a stammer, the rims of his eyes reddening. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, you have done an excellent job." He Juan did not elaborate further and turned to Marius instead, saying, "Please take over for me."

With that, he strode toward the door and pulled out the burner phone from his pocket. He hesitated for a brief while before dialing a number he had remembered by heart. The call connected on the third ring, much to his relief.

"Hello, who is this?"

He Juan made his way to the back door, out of the bar, and left the pandemonium behind him. He took in a lungful of humid air smelling of garbage and liquor. "A–Xie..."

"Ge?" He Xie sounded surprised, as it was very rare for He Juan to call him in the middle of the night. He couldn’t help but think of the worst and his tone became slightly anxious. "What’s wrong? Did something happen, Ge? Why did you change your number?"

’He’s okay,’ He Juan noted in his mind. ’But why do I still feel so uneasy?’

"Um, nothing. Ge just missed you all of a sudden..." He made up an excuse on the spot and exchanged some pleasantries, telling the young man to sleep early and rest well. After reassuring He Xie that everything was fine, he hung up on the call and stared at the phone, deep lines etched on his brow.

Lost in thought, his thumb instinctively moved to enter another set of numbers, and he was taken aback to realize that it was Mu Yuze’s contact. Before he could even second-guess himself, he dialed the number and brought the phone to his ears.

This time, it took longer for the call to be answered. "H–Hello...?"

.

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[1] Laozi: arrogant way to refer to oneself

A/N: My sincerest gratitude for DragonQueen2105, Sasaki666, ArcaneMag and others for giving CBCD 205 GT this month! I’m very sorry for the irregular and chaotic update this month QAQ