Yama Reborn-Chapter 385 - 382 【I Refuse】
Chapter 382 I Refuse
Yu Naitang got up from the ground, trembling as she glanced at the baby, then gently lifted the infant from Lu Xixi’s embrace.
The child seemed dissatisfied by the sudden disappearance of the finger from his mouth, restlessly twisting his head.
"SHH..."
Yu Naitang gently patted the child to soothe him, then quickly wrapped him in a blanket.
Calming the fear in her heart, Yu Naitang sat back down before the fire. Then, after a while...
PAT.
A teardrop landed on the ground.
What on earth should I do...
Little Candy fiercely wiped the corner of her eye, then took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and quietly gave herself a pep talk:
Yu Naitang, you can handle these things! You can protect Teacher and Little Junior Brother! No matter what difficulties you encounter, you can handle them! You’re a genius, the very smartest genius! Teacher’s favorite and smartest disciple! You won’t be afraid, you’ll be fearless, you...
At that point, the little girl’s lips suddenly twitched.
But... I’m really so scared...
「Below the building in the city.」
The fire department’s cordon had been removed. After the incident during the daytime, the firefighters who arrived later quickly rushed into the smoke-filled building but found no open flames.
They finally located the source of the smoke: a pot on the stove, with solid fuel charcoal being heated.
The disturbance was soon quelled, and the building’s inhabitants safely returned to their homes, but the police and firefighters still sealed off one of the residences.
After inspecting the home, they found signs of forced entry. Especially the metal grates still on the doors and windows, which the police found particularly baffling.
Naturally, they sought the occupants of the residence. According to the neighbors, it wasn’t clear who lived there, as they kept to themselves, but it seemed they had moved in only a few months ago.
Occasionally, a young child was seen entering and leaving.
When the police pulled up the housing records, they were perplexed—the property belonged to a local who had died of illness several years prior.
A house registered under a dead person’s name...
That was creepy.
「Chen Nuo stood on the street corner, looking up at the room on the upper floor.」
Remnants of the police cordon were still scattered on the ground, and the upstairs windows showed signs of being forced open by firefighters during their efforts.
Now the street was silent. Chen Nuo thought for a moment and then quickly walked into the building.
Standing before the ransacked apartment door, looking at the broken door panel and the snapped metal grates...
Chen Nuo’s expression was extremely grim!
This was a safe house Little Candy had secretly procured for Lu Xixi’s refuge.
Clearly, Lu Xixi and the others had stayed here, hidden!
But their pursuers had found them and forced their way in...
Chen Nuo immediately turned and knocked on the door of another apartment at the end of the corridor.
After some inquiries and a bit of money, Chen Nuo soon got the information he wanted: the incident had happened today, during the daytime!
Considering the safe house was messy but showed no signs of a fight, and learning about the "smoke" and "chaos," Chen Nuo immediately grasped the critical points: it all seemed like Little Candy’s handiwork.
So, it was very likely they had already escaped.
So...
A few minutes later, Chen Nuo had already left the street, disappearing swiftly into the city.
The safe house in the city had been discovered, and the Empress and her disciple had fled...
Well then, the nearest other safe house would be...
「"We’ve arrived at the forest hunting grounds."」
"I’ll bring the people back as quickly as possible," Black Windbreaker said after hanging up the phone, gazing out of the vehicle.
Beneath the veil of night lay a dark forest.
Two black pickup trucks slowly stopped at the very edge of the woods.
Five people jumped out of the vehicles, gathering silently.
Four men and one woman, dressed differently. One was in plain clothes, looking no different from an ordinary person, but two among them stood out distinctly.
These two were clad in leather armor, resembling ancient warriors, and carried various cold weapons. One was a woman whose tight leather armor hugged her upper body; solid thighs showed beneath her protective skirt, and she wore greaves below.
She carried a compound bow on her back and grasped a curved blade in her hand.
The most distinctive was a burly man in leather armor, even wearing a helmet. He appeared to be close to two meters tall, with prominently muscular arms, and held a short-handled battle-axe.
These two leather-armored warriors naturally stood together after disembarking, their positioning maintaining a subtle, unspoken coordination.
In contrast, the other three were dressed more diversely but all wore ordinary civilian clothing, appearing no different from average people.
Their only common trait was that, under the cover of night, they all wore peculiar leather masks with mesh over the eyes, ensuring not a sliver of skin was exposed.
"Everyone, our target is in this forest," the leader, Black Windbreaker, addressed them.
He, too, wore a leather mask. He spoke with a raspy voice, likely due to a voice changer, as he looked over everyone.
"Let me repeat the mission objectives: There are three targets in total! Our primary target is the oldest among them! She must be captured alive! As for the other two, if they resist, they can be killed if necessary.
"Is that clear enough?"
All remained silent, nodding their heads.
Black Windbreaker waved his hand. "Then, let’s move, everyone!"
「Yu Naitang, curled up before the fire, was suddenly awakened by a series of beeping sounds.」
The girl immediately scrambled up, her eyes wide. She rushed to grab her backpack and spilled its contents out. Seeing a device no larger than a TV remote blinking with a red light, her expression grew stern.
The east!
Yu Naitang quickly stuffed the child into her backpack. She was about to attend to the wheelchair when two other devices also began to sound an alarm.
The south and the west!
Yu Naitang’s complexion grew even more troubled.
She understood she was surrounded.
During the daytime, she had set alarms in three directions in the woods. Now that they were all going off, it meant she was encircled!
Calm down, calm down... Yu Naitang took several deep breaths, then suddenly went over, lifted Lu Xixi onto the wheelchair, and pushed it to the brightest spot beside the campfire...
「Outside the cabin, five figures slowly approached from different directions.」
Black Windbreaker went ahead to check the parked van. He glanced inside, found it empty, and then signaled.
BANG! BANG!
Two muffled sounds came from afar!
The door and windows of the cabin were breached simultaneously!
The cabin door was the first to be smashed open; the one who smashed it was that battle-axe warrior.
The burly fellow shattered the thick door panel and charged inside, only to see a figure sitting in a wheelchair by the fire.
Just as he stepped forward to grab the figure, suddenly, a WHOOSH sounded from above!
Looking up, he saw an iron basin plummeting from the ceiling.
The giant swiftly swung his battle-axe to cleave it, simultaneously stepping back.
He was quite alert, but as the axe split the basin, a good portion of the liquid splashed onto him.
Then, he saw a little figure rise from a blanket on the ground, grabbing fireplace tongs and flinging them with force!
A shower of fiery embers flew at him...
BOOM!
When the battle-axe warrior stumbled out of the cabin, he was engulfed in flames!
On the other side of the cabin, a man in a leather jacket had just broken a window and was peering inside when he heard a faint SNAP!
He immediately realized something was wrong, raised his hands, and an air ripple quickly appeared before him...
However, the threat came from behind!
From the eaves, as a hidden wire snapped, a log tied with rope plummeted, swinging like a pendulum straight at the man leaning through the window.
THUMP! The man was struck on the back by the log. He lurched forward, his vision darkened, and he almost fell to the ground. He managed to brace himself with his hands, but felt a sharp pain in his wrist!
"AHHHH!!!!"
With a dreadful scream, as he forcefully pushed himself away, he found his left hand already caught in a small, serrated animal trap—the kind used in hunting grounds to trap foxes and rabbits in the woods.
The serrated jaws of the trap had pierced his wrist, and his arm hung limply.
「At the front door of the cabin, as the giant stumbled out engulfed in flames, a small figure dashed out right behind him.」
She only popped her head out for a moment, threw several objects with great speed, and then quickly ducked back inside...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A succession of explosions resonated outside. Blinding flashes of light temporarily whited out everyone’s vision...
"Flash Grenades!"
Black Windbreaker had already ducked behind a car. Meanwhile, another assailant quickly climbed onto the roof.
Before the light from the Flash Grenades had dispersed, Yu Naitang had already pushed the wheelchair and dashed out of the cabin!
"Block her!" shouted Black Windbreaker from behind the car.
But just then, the van he was leaning against shuddered violently!
Black Windbreaker immediately lunged forward, annoyed to see the van behind him start on its own and then charge out like an uncontrollable stallion.
The flaming giant was the first to be hit. He was still rolling on the ground trying to extinguish the flames when the van struck him. His body was thrown back and smashed into the cabin wall.
At that moment, a SWOOSH sounded in the darkness!
A grappling line shot from the rooftop, lodging itself somewhere in the forest. Then, Yu Naitang quickly hung a large bundle on the line...
WHOOSH! The bundle slid away...
The humanoid bundle glided seven or eight meters through the air...
Black Windbreaker could not wait any longer and rushed forward. But immediately, a gunshot rang out, a bullet whizzing past his ear.
"Above!" Black Windbreaker shouted as he rolled to evade.
Suddenly, WHIZZ! An arrow shot from the woods, accurately severing the zipline in mid-air!
The hanging humanoid bundle immediately plummeted from the sky...
Black Windbreaker quickly leaped up and sprinted toward it...
But when he reached it and forcefully tore off the blanket wrapped around it, he found only a bundle of branches inside!
Fuck!
Black Windbreaker’s expression twisted in fury.
Just then, Yu Naitang burst out of the cabin door, pushing the wheelchair!
A figure landed in front of her from the rooftop—it was the assailant who had climbed up earlier.
Yu Naitang fired without hesitation. The assailant immediately flipped backward, dodging the bullet, and then threw something in return. Yu Naitang suddenly felt a sharp pain in her calf. She couldn’t stay standing and dropped to her knees with a piercing scream.
But the girl quickly bit down hard, her eyes seemingly ablaze. Let’s die together!!
With that, she suddenly threw out an egg-shaped grenade!
The attacker: ...
His figure frantically somersaulted backward...
He landed on the ground, but the expected explosion didn’t occur. Turning his head, he saw Yu Naitang had crawled to the side of the van.
It was unclear how many modifications the girl had made to the van, but suddenly the roof of the compartment automatically detached, and a side panel fell off. Yu Naitang quickly pushed the wheelchair forward, no longer caring about anything else. Like tipping over a cart, she "dumped" Lu Xixi into the van.
As for Lu Xixi’s posture, who could care at that point?
Yu Naitang swiftly circled the van, attempting to pull open the door to get in...
Just then, the girl suddenly felt a sense of alarm; she heard something tearing through the air behind her...
Another arrow sliced through the air, striking the girl squarely in the back!
Yu Naitang immediately pitched forward but, in a frantic effort, braced herself with her hands!
This was because the backpack hanging on her chest contained the fragile infant.
Yu Naitang, fearing she would crush the child if she fell flat, desperately supported herself with her hands. She immediately felt an excruciating pain as a sharp wood splinter pierced her right palm.
Tears immediately welled in the little girl’s eyes from the pain, but she bit her lip hard and made no sound.
She raised one hand to pull open the van door and used her other hand to forcefully tug at the arrow in her back...
Just at that moment...
CLICK!
A crisp sound came from behind her.
Yu Naitang inwardly sighed and stopped her movements.
Black Windbreaker, covered in dust, stood behind Yu Naitang, pointing a gun at the little girl’s head.
"Alright, kid, give up now... You’ve been impressive enough."
Yu Naitang clenched her teeth hard, looking down at the infant’s face in the backpack she was cradling...
Her Little Junior Brother seemed completely unafraid. In the dim yellow light of the burning surroundings, he stared wide-eyed at Yu Naitang’s face, as if full of curiosity.
In her despair, Yu Naitang couldn’t help but scream, "Teacher! Wake up! If you don’t wake up now, it’ll be too late!"
BANG!
A blow to the head, and the little girl finally passed out.
Black Windbreaker stood beside Yu Naitang, frowning as he looked down at the little girl who had given him so much trouble and had almost escaped.
Bending down, he examined her and quickly pulled out the arrow lodged in her back.
There was no blood on the arrowhead, and the force needed to pull it out felt wrong.
He checked again carefully.
A Kevlar Bulletproof Vest? This little girl certainly has some peculiar things.
Black Windbreaker sneered. Without turning his head, he said coldly, "See that? Cold weapons are outdated. Your arrow was accurate, but it didn’t harm her. Tell me, why don’t you use firearms?"
Behind him, the woman with the compound bow emerged from the woods. She replied coldly, "Bullets may be powerful, but my arrows can curve. They can hit anything I aim for! Can bullets do that?"
"Your arrow didn’t kill her either."
"That’s because I was aiming for her body... Next time, I’ll aim for the head," the woman answered coldly.
Black Windbreaker shook his head and glanced at the baby in Yu Naitang’s arms. He had a strange feeling and subconsciously met the baby’s gaze for two seconds...
Black Windbreaker frowned, shook his head to clear it, and stood up again. He walked over to the van and this time looked at the person inside...
"The target is here!"
「The fire outside the cabin had been extinguished.」
Inside the cabin, when Yu Naitang woke up, her head still throbbed with pain. The first thing she did upon waking was to reach for her Little Junior Brother, whom she thought was in her arms, but she quickly realized her hands were tied.
Struggling to turn her head, she saw her Little Junior Brother lying on a recliner near the fire.
Her Teacher’s unconscious form was also placed not far from the fire.
The villains who had captured her were gathered around the fire, seemingly discussing something.
Yu Naitang immediately closed her eyes, intending to continue feigning unconsciousness.
"Alright, little one, I didn’t hit you that hard. No need to keep pretending."
Black Windbreaker turned his head to glance at Yu Naitang.
Yu Naitang snorted and opened her eyes. Although her hands and feet were bound, she still struggled to sit up!
She squinted at the villains... then counted them. There were five people, all wearing leather masks.
One burly man had bandages on his arm and shoulder; there were burn marks on his leather armor and exposed skin. Clearly the one who first burst through the door.
A thin man in leather clothes sat by the fire, one arm hanging limp. Hmph, serves him right! He came in through the back room window and got caught by my trap!
A woman in leather armor had a compound bow slung over her back. She’s the one who was shooting arrows from the shadows.
A man of medium build in a jacket leaned against the wall farthest from the fire, resting quietly.
As for Black Windbreaker—he must be their leader.
Yu Naitang looked at these five individuals, all wearing leather masks. Suddenly, the little girl laughed, her eyes filled with intense mockery.
"Little one, what are you laughing at?" Black Windbreaker frowned.
"I’m laughing at a bunch of cowardly and despicable rats," Yu Naitang replied loudly, without holding back. "You ambush us, yet you hide behind masks.
"You! Hey, don’t think I can’t recognize you just because you’re wearing masks! You’re from the Blade Knights! Your leader was hung by my Teacher on the Tower of London for an entire night, exposed to the wind, and eventually had to grovel to my Teacher for mercy! Have you all forgotten that?
"Now you come to take advantage of us when we’re down!
"That burly man, I remember you! You were the first one whose bones my Teacher broke!
"And you, the woman who shot an arrow at me! I remember you’re the mistress of that leader of your Blade Knights, aren’t you? HA!!
"You were all a bunch of cowards who knelt before my Teacher, begging for mercy and whining! Now you wear masks and delude yourselves into thinking you can get revenge?"
The two warriors in leather armor were instantly enraged. The burly man shot up, angrily tore off his leather mask, revealing a face covered in hideous scars. He drew a dagger from his waist and strode toward the white-haired little girl.
The man in the jacket, who had been in the corner, suddenly stood up. He took a few steps and blocked the burly man’s path. His voice was hoarse, and his English somewhat halting:
"Alright, she’s been caught. Our mission is complete. There’s no need to do anything else."
After speaking, he turned his head to Yu Naitang and said slowly, "There’s no need to provoke others with words. Don’t bring trouble upon yourself, little one."
The burly man shoved the man in the jacket. "Out of the way!"
The man in the jacket stumbled back a step but shook his head. Instead of moving, he straightened up and continued to block the path.
"Enough!"
The woman finally stepped forward and pulled the burly man back, whispering, "Don’t cause trouble."
As she spoke, she glanced at Black Windbreaker.
The burly man grunted, made a throat-slitting gesture at the man in the jacket, and then reluctantly stepped back, still fuming.
"What about you three?" Yu Naitang looked at the man in the jacket, then at the man whose wrist was injured by the trap, and finally, her gaze settled on Black Windbreaker. "I can understand why these two losers from the Blade Knights are here to cause trouble. But who are you?"
Black Windbreaker chuckled. "Why? Are you planning to file a complaint in Hell?"
"I’m just curious who would be so bold as to trouble my Teacher. I’m even more curious how you knew my Teacher had an accident... If not for that, you absolutely wouldn’t dare to do such a thing!"
Black Windbreaker sighed. "Of course... Under normal circumstances, if we saw your Teacher, we would only tremble in fear. The great Controller—who wouldn’t be in awe? But now..."
As he said this, he turned his head, his eyes hidden behind the leather mask, glancing in Lu Xixi’s direction...
"A Controller who has become one of the living dead has no connection to the word ’great’ anymore."
Yu Naitang gritted her teeth, about to say something.
Suddenly, Black Windbreaker waved his hand and pulled a vibrating cell phone from his pocket.
He listened for a few moments and then hung up.
Then, he seemed to reflect for a moment before turning to his companions.
"Alright, I’ve received the final orders."
The other four immediately gathered around.
"The oldest one, and this littlest one, the baby, are to be taken back and handed over. As for this little one... she’s useless... silence her. Those are the orders from above."
After a two-second silence, the burly man gave a savage grin. "I’ll do it!"
He drew out his dagger once again!
The woman sneered.
The man with the injured wrist retreated two steps.
Black Windbreaker also sighed and turned away.
The burly man brandished his dagger, staring at Yu Naitang with a savage grin as he advanced.
Suddenly, a figure once again blocked his path!
It was the man in the jacket.
"What are you doing?" the burly man said coldly. "Looking for trouble?"
The man in the jacket paused, then asked Black Windbreaker, "Do we really have to kill this child?"
"...The orders were to bring back two people. She wasn’t mentioned."
"Then, there’s no need to kill a child."
"Keep her? Let her go? She’d expose us!" the woman stated indifferently, arms crossed. "She’s already recognized us."
The burly man brandished his dagger. "Get out of the way!"
The man in the jacket took a deep breath and slowly retreated half a step— However, this was not a gesture of yielding. Instead, he cautiously created a small distance between himself and the burly man, more like adopting a defensive stance.
Then, still positioned between the burly man and Yu Naitang, he said coldly, "I don’t care about anyone else... I accepted a contract to be a hunter, not a butcher who kills children!"
Black Windbreaker turned back, also seeming to sigh. "If you don’t want to kill her, you don’t have to. Someone else will do it. You don’t need to worry about dirtying your hands... Step aside."
As he spoke, his tone carried a hint of warning. "The higher-ups didn’t say they wanted this child, which implies she’s to be killed. Sir, don’t go looking for trouble!"
The burly man advanced again, dagger in hand, while his other hand shot out to shove the man in the jacket’s shoulder.
This time, before his hand could touch the man in the jacket’s shoulder, the man in the jacket suddenly raised a hand, pushed against the burly man’s wrist, gave it a gentle twist, then released. The burly man grunted and stumbled back two steps!
The man in the jacket took a deep breath and said slowly, his tone deliberate, "Apologies. But watching you kill a child, in my eyes, is no different from killing her myself."
A second later, the burly man narrowed his eyes, then dropped his dagger and picked up his battle-axe.
The woman also drew her curved sword.
The man with the injured wrist, who was in the corner, shrank back further.
Black Windbreaker faced the man in the jacket, his gaze fixed on him. "I’ll remind you one last time: don’t cause trouble for yourself! The mission is complete! You can collect your reward! There’s no need to do anything extra."
The man in the jacket sighed. With a flick of his wrist, two sections of a metal short stick slid from his sleeve into his grasp.
"...Apologies. I refuse."
