Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 176: Cold Welcome

The chilled air of the Agathan land felt different as the aircraft landed at the Special Forces’ airport.

He sat calmly in his seat, his hand covering his face, wondering how happy Lily would be when Zoe relayed the information to her.

His chest hummed slightly as he giggled, then lifted his face from his palm, the feeling of joy filling his gut.

Mechanical sounds echoed as the door of the aircraft slowly opened, followed by a faint flow of warm air.

Soldiers arranged themselves in two groups, one on the left, the other on the right.

Liu Yan, An Lang, and Wu Ze were among those on the left, while Tiger and the entire Black Ops group were among those on the right.

Hei Yung stepped out from the aircraft first, followed by Hei Luo. They descended the stairs, then stopped in unison, tilting their heads to the open space in the door.

As soon as Leon’s head popped out, Liu Yan’s cheeks reddened. Among the soldiers, she was the first to fidget, followed by An Lang.

They wanted to run toward Leon, but protocol had to be followed, so they controlled themselves and stopped.

Everyone saluted, then screamed. "Welcome, Lieutenants."

Leon hesitated before descending the stairs. When he reached the center of the two lieutenants, he smiled.

Hei Yung placed a hand on Leon’s right shoulder, then leaned against his ear. "This is how you are when you train a little bit."

Hei Luo shifted his gaze from Hei Yung to Leon. He didn’t say a word, but the smiling eyes of his sent the same message to Leon.

With a synchronized movement, the heels of their boots slammed on the ground as they moved through the saluting soldiers.

Tiger’s blue eyes blazed with anger. When he noticed the Yanlous smiling, he cast a sharp look at them, which silenced them in a second.

Among the soldiers, those who had looked down upon Leon, calling him Dusthollow Rat, moved aside. They bowed to him as if he were now a god, or something that didn’t have a name yet.

Leon saw the look in the Yanluos’ eyes, then smiled back. When he saw the look on Tiger’s face, he paused, giggled slightly, before continuing his steps.

As soon as they reached the front of the CODX building, the saluting soldiers dispersed. Some went back to the breathing space on the left side of the workshop. Others stood there watching.

The Yanlous went straight into the Black Ops apartment, while Tiger and Samir stayed behind.

Tiger’s grin remained, but Samir showed no sign of anger. He simply watched as the Madhouse squad united with Leon.

Leon smiled at all of them, at An Lang, Liu Yan, and then Wu Ze.

An Lang wrapped his hand around Leon’s shoulder. "Storm, what did you bring us?"

Leon giggled, shaking his head.

"Nothing?" An Lang pulled his head back, then frowned slightly. "You mean not even one of the fine girls in your country?"

He laughed, shifting glances from Leon to Wu Ze and Liu Yan’s confused expressions. "Don’t mind me, I’m just joking."

The four of them walked into the Madhouse. Leon’s bed was neatly laid, a new bedsheet wrapping the bed, and a pillow lying where he usually placed his head.

Liu Yan doubled her steps, then stood by the bed. "This is now yours." She smiled, pointing a finger at the pillow she had saved for whoever would make her happy.

Leon closed in on her, looked into her light-blueish eyes, then bowed slightly. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Liu Yan replied, then stepped aside. "We are one."

As the dark cloud slowly formed in the sky, birds descended to the trees, seeking shelter before the night birds appeared.

At the window of the Black Ops apartment, Tiger stood there idly, watching the Madhouse, which was slightly opposite theirs, with the road separating them.

He folded his hands across his chest when he saw the silhouette of a person standing by the window, staring back in his direction.

A crackling sound echoed from him as he raised his right arm slightly, then grabbed the window frame. The wood screamed under his grip, pieces of its force peeling off and piercing through his palms.

After two minutes, slow footsteps echoed from behind him. He didn’t turn, but knew exactly who the person was.

"Kang, T," Samir called out, then neared the window when Tiger gave out a sharp exhale.

Samir focused deeply on Tiger’s blazing eyes, then shifted his eyes toward the Madhouse. He watched the person watching back, then inhaled deeply. "What a lovely night."

He closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling slowly. But the moment he cracked his eyes open, he placed a heavy hand on Tiger’s shoulder, then whispered. "Don’t worry about him, he’s already dead without you intervening in his tracks."

Tiger’s blazing eyes dulled for a second as he threw a confused look at Samir.

Samir giggled slightly, then released his palm. "I know more than anyone else in this world. So trust me when I say that."

Tiger’s stiffened body relaxed as he watched Samir move back, sit on his bed, then slowly lie his body on it, closing his eyes.

Tiger looked at Samir’s sleeping form for a while, then tilted his gaze back to the figure still standing at the window of the Madhouse, and then whispered. "Until I see him die, I can’t let him go scot-free."

His blue hair rose slightly as he walked back, leaving the window open.

Outside, leaves fell from the branches of the trees as squirrels rushed out from their den and crawled down onto the street. Their cries echoed loudly as they moved from one hole to the other, searching for food.

Leaves danced in the air, and when a black nightbird descended on a branch of the tree closer to the Madhouse, the person standing by the window vanished.

The Agathan Special Force land enjoyed its peace until the first morning light touched the sky.

Engines hummed, and loud footsteps cracked the ground as soldiers jogged on the streets, singing their warm praises.

Inside the Madhouse, Liu Yan yawned heavily, tilted up from her bed, stretching her arms, her mouth opening wide.

She looked at Leon’s empty bed without any reaction, then shifted her gaze to the sleeping An Lang. "Wait," she whispered, then gave Leon’s bed a quick glance.

She froze for a moment, her eyes opening wide. "Where is Leon?" she asked herself, then quickly went and tapped An Lang on the shoulder.

An Lang shifted himself on the bed, talking in his dream. "Leave me, I don’t love you anymore. Leave me."

Liu Yan tilted her head back, whispering in her head. ’What is he talking about?’

She slammed her fist into An Lang’s shoulder. And at that instant, An Lang’s eyes cracked open, saliva gluing his lips to the bed.

He wiped the saliva off, brushed his left palm across his face, then blinked at Liu Yan. "What?"

Liu Yan stared at him for a while before turning and pointing toward Leon’s empty bed.

At first, An Lang brushed it off and lay on the bed, wanting to sleep again, but then something clicked in his head and forced him to look again.

This time, he shoved his bedsheet off his half-naked body, then stood up. His rod was hard and showing vividly, but that wasn’t what Liu Yan’s eyes were on.

An Lang moved from his bed and stood by the window, peering his head out, searching the busy street.

Wu Ze slowly woke up after An Lang had pulled his head back. She looked at Liu Yan’s troubled face, An Lang’s half-naked body, then asked. "What’s going on?"

Before anyone could answer, she tilted her gaze toward Leon’s empty bed, then blinked, shaking her head.

Liu Yan threw a frustrated stare at Wu Ze, then neared her. "Do you know where he is?" she asked, staring deep into Wu Ze’s eyes.

Wu Ze also looked at Liu Yan, then gave an irritating laugh. "Why do you seem scared? Is he a baby?" She continued laughing. But when she noticed Leon’s bags weren’t there, her laughter faded.

She stood up from her bed, looked back at the saddened expression on Liu Yan’s face, then rushed toward the bathroom door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She slammed her fist on the door three consecutive times, then placed her left ear on it, waiting for a response.

After a minute of hearing no response, Wu Ze took in a deep breath, then swung the door open. She swallowed hard, noticing Leon’s towel was also missing, then tilted her head sharply toward An Lang.

"An Lang," Wu Ze called out, closing the bathroom door. "Weren’t you the one who slept late yesterday?"

An Lang moved from the window, then answered. "Yes, I did. And he was sleeping when I was about to sleep."

While they contemplated where Leon could have been, footsteps echoed from the other side of their door, followed by a knock that didn’t sound like one of the morning drill soldiers.