His sister had dropped him off right at the front door of Yuxia's house. Wang Fei had told her that he had plans to eat with Uncle Lin today
His sister had dropped him off right at the front door of Yuxia's house.
Wang Fei had told her that he had plans to eat with Uncle Lin today and also needed to discuss some business regarding Rhodes Island, which Ch'en was already aware of since she was present at the last meeting.
Even so, Ch'en still had to remind him for good measure.
"No drinking, and be back before 9 PM. Understood?"
Does she see me as a child?
"Right back at you," Wang Fei grumbled.
"I might be back late today since I have to clear the remaining paperwork at the office. Even though the slums are relatively safe these days, it wouldn't be good for you to be wandering around here for long at night in that outfit." Ch'en glanced at the uniform her brother was wearing, which was still the attire of the Praetorian Guard.
Although the slums had been cared for and developed over the years, it wouldn't be wrong to say that most of the residents here disliked people from the guard units like them. The riots that often occurred were usually due to conflicts between two groups: the mafia and the Praetorian Guard, causing trouble for the slum dwellers.
Hearing this, Wang Fei replied to his sister with confidence.
"Don't worry, sis. Yuxia is with me, so I'll be fine."
"It's because she's with you that I'm worried," Ch'en sighed. She wasn't overly concerned about her brother in that regard, as he was well-known in the slums. But what made her worry was him being near Yuxia, who was like the current leader of the slums. It wasn't strange that she had many enemies and was a greater threat to those who engaged in illegal activities than people from the guard units like them.
Ch'en said her final words to her brother.
"Anyway, be careful on your way back. Lungmen isn't very safe these days because many Infected have moved in. If it's not absolutely necessary... have that little girl walk you home."
"Yes, yes, I understand. You should get to work, sis. I'll be fine," Wang Fei waved to his sister, who seemed to be growing more like a mother every day with her worries about him.
"Well then... see you at home."
After speaking, his sister smiled and waved before slowly driving away.
Seeing this, Wang Fei couldn't help but feel that her behavior was strange.
"Sis is acting weirder than usual today. She must still be in shock from what happened."
Thinking about Mr. William, Wang Fei could only sigh with regret.
He hoped that his children were still doing well, especially his son named Thula. The two of them often talked through letters, via Mr. William. At first, he didn't know him, until Mr. William suggested they try talking since they had similar interests.
And Mr. William was right. Wang Fei and Thula really hit it off. They talked about various things, from politics, human peace, and concepts between different races and the Infected, to even playfully brainstorming solutions.
'Thinking about it, I can't help but miss him. If it's as my sister said... he should be safe at Rhodes Island. I guess I'll have to find time to visit him.'
Meeting an online friend was always an exciting form of entertainment for him. As everyone knew, the two of them had never met face-to-face, so he couldn't help but worry if the other person would be as easy to get along with as he was in the letters.
'But from what I've observed, he's probably a dense guy who takes everything way too seriously.'
Wang Fei couldn't help but recall the early days of their correspondence, where he had criticized the other for proposing his own method of helping the Infected. That criticism seemed to have hit him hard, so much so that he didn't send a letter back for a whole month.
'Well, I hope he's not still angry about that and won't come looking for a fight the moment we meet.'
After grumbling to himself, Wang Fei arrived at the front of a three-story wooden house with a sign that read "Lin's Dessert Shop." He wasted no time in reaching out to press the doorbell.
"You're 3 minutes late."
But before his finger could even touch the button, a chilling female voice whispered from right behind his ear.
"Shit!!!" Wang Fei jumped in surprise, so startled that the tail he was trying to hide under his coat popped out. But when he turned to see who the voice belonged to, he immediately sighed in relief.
"Yuxia, don't scare me like that... I almost had a heart attack."
The girl behind him was none other than the little pink-haired girl, who was now smirking at his expression.
"Consider it your punishment for being late. Let's go in. The old man and Mom are waiting for you."
It seemed Yuxia was in a rather good mood. As she walked past him to open the door, she used her free hand to grab his blue-scaled tail and lead him inside.
"Why are you pulling my tail?" Wang Fei complained.
"Consider it punishment for being late."
"But didn't you just say my punishment was you scaring me?"
"But I never said that was the first and last punishment..." Yuxia said.
That answer made Wang Fei's face fall.
"As expected of the princess of this place. You're very tyrannical."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Yuxia laughed, before the two of them walked inside, into a house that was much larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside.
After they had walked for a bit, Wang Fei couldn't help but ask Yuxia.
"Uh... Yuxia, you haven't been waiting for me there for long, have you?"
"Why? If I said I was, would you take responsibility for it?" Yuxia turned to say to him with a playful smile, but her eyes didn't look playful at all. This made Wang Fei quickly apologize to her.
"I-I'm sorry. My business at Rhodes Island took longer than I thought. I'll treat you to dinner to make it up to you!"
Seeing his submissive attitude, Yuxia revealed a rare, happy smile.
"Heh heh... unfortunately for you, you know I'm always punctual. So I wasn't waiting for you that long."
"Actually, Miss Yuxia has been waiting for the young master for over thirty minutes."
"!!!" A sudden old man's voice made both Wang Fei and Yuxia jump in surprise.
When they both turned, they saw an old Zalak man dressed in a black raincoat, waving at them from the corner of the room, slowly appearing as if he were a ghost.
"Uncle Zhou! You're back in Lungmen!" Wang Fei was overjoyed to see the old man and quickly ran to embrace him, full of longing.
Uncle Zhou was like the old man next door who would often stop by to give him snacks since he was a child, back when he was in Yan. After he left without saying goodbye, he couldn't help but worry about him, because Uncle Zhou was a lonely old man with no family to care for him. Wang Fei loved and respected him like a real grandfather. But by coincidence or something else, when he arrived in Lungmen, he met Uncle Zhou again and learned that he was actually a renowned Shadow Guard from Yan. The reason he was living next door to Wang Fei was because he had a mission to carry out in the area. Wang Fei didn't mind that much and saw it as a matter of fate.
Another thing... it seemed that Uncle Zhou was an old comrade of Uncle Lin, so they often visited each other. Although Uncle Zhou was a servant to old man Wei, he was also Yuxia's combat instructor. Oh, and the reason Uncle Zhou served old man Wei was because it seemed the old man (Wei) had the blood of the ancient Yanese royal family, or in simpler terms, he was royalty. Although the old man never told anyone, he could guess that he was probably the twin brother of the Yan Emperor who disappeared decades ago. As someone from Yan born into a high-ranking family, it was no surprise that Wang Fei knew this through information from the library.
"Ho ho... Young Master Fei, you seem to have gotten much stronger. This puts my mind at ease, and I can finally let you take care of Miss Yuxia," Uncle Zhou said, genuinely surprised after receiving the heartfelt hug, and couldn't help but tease him.
"Wh-what are you talking about, Uncle Zhou? Yuxia is much stronger than me."
Even though Wang Fei was a little surprised that the other knew about his physical condition, it wasn't too strange. Uncle Zhou was a renowned warrior from Yan; he could probably figure it out easily, like one of those grandmasters in martial arts movies.
"He's right, Master. A guy like him, I can knock him down with a single finger... I should be the one protecting him," Yuxia walked over and cleared her throat softly to interrupt their conversation, trying to hide her blushing face and ears from being exposed earlier.
"As expected of the little princess of Lungmen! It's that confidence that makes your leadership charm shine the brightest," Wang Fei praised her openly, but the compliment seemed to displease Yuxia.
"Little princess? Are you... implying I'm second to your sister, Fei Fei?" Yuxia reached out and pinched his cheek with an annoyed look.
"No, no, I just meant your aura is as imposing as—Ow, ow, I give up, I give up! I was joking! I was joking! I won't call you that anymore!"
After their playful chat, the three of them arrived at the dining room, where a married couple was already waiting.
"Oh... look who it is. Isn't it our favorite little boy!" an old Zalak man, who looked identical to Uncle Zhou in every way, said immediately upon seeing them enter.
This old man was Lin Kojui, the former ruler of the slums, famous as the Rat King or the ruler of the gray world. Although he had since abandoned that title and become the owner of a simple dessert shop, his charisma and intimidating presence as the old leader who had long ruled the underworld had never faded.
"Welcome, Xiao Fei. I haven't seen you in weeks, dear. How have you been?" a middle-aged woman with pink hair, who bore a striking resemblance to Yuxia, greeted him gently.
Of course, this person was Uncle Lin's wife, or Lin Yu-Bai, Yuxia's biological mother. Although she said she was just an ordinary person in Lungmen, Wang Fei didn't really believe it and thought she must have been a former noble from Yan or Higashi.
"Hello, Uncle Lin. Hello, Auntie Yu-Bai. As you can see, I'm doing great! Thank you for having me again today," Wang Fei replied to them cheerfully, as if talking to family he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Having you? Don't be such a stranger. Come, come, sit here next to me," Uncle Lin quickly beckoned him to sit nearby. Wang Fei didn't hesitate, quickly moving to sit next to Uncle Lin. Yuxia sat down next to her mother, who was next to him. Uncle Zhou didn't join them for the meal, merely standing guard at the door like a sentinel. Wang Fei was used to this, so he didn't mind much, knowing that the Shadow Guard were not like ordinary people. They couldn't eat with others and didn't have the same need for food as others. The only things they did well were assassination and obeying orders. But that didn't mean they were thoughtless or killing machines. They were just soldiers who were more obedient to orders than normal people. Unless they had a genuine interest, the Shadow Guard would barely speak to anyone if it wasn't necessary. But he didn't know why almost all the Shadow Guard treated him specially, differently from others. It made him a little curious whether it was because of old man Wei's orders or because he was just too charming. But Wang Fei didn't care much about that. After all, that was the reason he became close to all the Shadow Guard and knew their real names, which even old man Wei didn't know... a proud victory for him.
When it was time to eat, the four of them chatted cheerfully like a normal family. Wang Fei had been visiting Yuxia's house frequently ever since she started isolating herself due to depression after her best friend, Beatrix, moved to Victoria after middle school. He and his sister, who were still in Lungmen, would often visit the slums to see Yuxia whenever they had the chance. But unlike his sister, who was busier because she had training plans from that old man every day, Wang Fei was the one who came to the slums most often to visit her. Because of that, it wasn't strange that he became close to Yuxia's mother and her father, Uncle Lin.
At first, Uncle Lin seemed to disapprove of him, seeing him as a boy trying to get close to Yuxia during her weakest moment to form a relationship with her. At that time, Uncle Lin had intentionally tried to bully him by sending scary people to intimidate him or scare him off. But Wang Fei at that time already knew it was the other's plan, so he couldn't help but tease him back in his own way. For example... by pointing out the mistakes he made in managing the slums and what to be most careful about when trying to intimidate someone. When Uncle Lin learned of this, his attitude towards him clearly improved, and they started talking more often, even playing chess together sometimes. Although Uncle Lin often used tricks to cheat, he never once beat him at chess. Finally, Uncle Lin accepted him after seeing that Yuxia's depression had started to improve after his visits. From then on, Wang Fei became like another member of the Lin family and would often come to eat here twice a week.
For Wang Fei, everyone he was close to in Lungmen was like the family he never had before, and what he did for Yuxia was just to make his family happy.
After a period of casual conversation, the food on the table began to dwindle. Suddenly, Uncle Lin, who was sitting quietly sipping tea, spoke up in the middle of the meal.
"By the way... Fei Fei, when are you planning to propose to Yuxia?"
"Pfft!!" Yuxia, who was drinking water, immediately spat it out. She turned to glare at her good-for-nothing father, her face flushed. "Wh-what are you talking about, old man!"
Her reaction brought a smile to the faces of Uncle Zhou and Yu-Bai, who were secretly watching. Uncle Lin then replied to his daughter with a serious face.
"Yuxia, you don't understand. I'm getting old... what's so strange about an old man like me wanting to see his grandchild's face before he goes to his grave?"
"Old man, you're only sixty-five! By Zalak standards, you're still considered middle-aged!!" Yuxia argued irritably. But at that moment, Wang Fei spoke up to help his uncle.
"Yuxia, but Uncle Lin is right. With the burden and stress from his old job, it's not surprising that his body has taken a heavy toll, making him age faster than he looks. It's not strange for him to be worried about this."
"I'm touched that you're defending me, but I don't know why I feel like I'm being subtly insulted," Uncle Lin's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"Wh-what's with you, Fei Fei! Are you siding with this old man because you want to marry me!" Yuxia, both embarrassed and angry, pointed a finger at him, which Wang Fei answered with a confident smile.
"Of course. I'd definitely want to marry Yuxia."
"!!..." "Ooh!" "Oh my~" "As expected." Uncle Lin, Mrs. Yu-Bai, and Uncle Zhou all showed expressions of immediate delight.
As for Yuxia, hearing that, her eyes widened in disbelief. Her face turned as red as an apple. But Wang Fei continued.
"But Uncle Lin, you should know... I'm still worried about my sister's well-being. So until my sister has a boyfriend or gets married, I can't find happiness for myself by leaving her like that to get married."
"Of course, Yuxia is a good woman. She's cute, gentle, and has a stronger heart than any woman I've ever known. What man wouldn't be happy to marry her? I dare say, none! If any man dares to reject her, I'll be the first one to get up and kick that bastard's ass myself!"
Uncle Lin nodded vigorously, slapping his knee in approval.
"This kid speaks my mind! That's right! My Yuxia is a national treasure of Lungmen! There's no man who wouldn't be captivated by such a wonderful woman!"
It was no surprise that the doting father fell for Wang Fei's simple words and couldn't help but agree with him, forgetting all about the marriage he had just mentioned.
"That's right! When the time comes that I see my sister has a life of her own, if Yuxia doesn't have anyone interested in her then, I'll probably be one of the first to want to propose to her!"
"..." After hearing everything he said, even though Yuxia knew it was just an excuse for the old man, she still couldn't help but feel shy hearing him speak with such a serious tone.
"Haha! Now that's what I call a worthy son-in-law of our Lin family!! Honey, I told you! Fei Fei is the most suitable for Yuxia!"
"Yes, yes, but matters of the young should be left to the young. As for you, just sit quietly and be a spectator."
Yu-Bai gently scolded her husband, while also secretly glancing at her daughter, who was so shy she wouldn't say a word, which made her feel she needed to help a little.
"Yuxia, help me take these remaining dishes to the kitchen."
"Y-yes!" Yuxia quickly replied to her mother before getting up and carrying all the plates in front of her to the kitchen, following her mother without daring to look this way.
At that moment, Wang Fei saw his chance. He wasted no time in leaning over to talk to Uncle Lin.
"Uncle Lin, I have something I'd like to consult you about."
"Hmm? What is it... if it's about Yuxia's taste in wedding rings, I can help with that."
Wang Fei smiled and continued.
"That's very interesting, but we'll have to save that for later. I have something I'd like you to listen to."
Wang Fei then told him about Rhodes Island and the agreement they wanted to make, by building a pharmaceutical company and a treatment center in this slum.
After Uncle Lin had heard the whole story, he quietly lifted his tea to his lips and asked him a short question.
"And what does that old dragon think?"
"In the old man's opinion, he probably thinks this organization is too suspicious. They have advanced equipment, an alarmingly strong operational staff, and even their stock market figures, which have been growing for the two years since their establishment, are shockingly high, as if the organization has received countless support from an invisible hand. To be frank... it seems they set up a pharmaceutical company as a front, but behind the scenes, they're working for another country in return. That's the old man's perspective."
"...And in your opinion?" Uncle Lin asked him in turn.
"In my opinion, I think Rhodes Island is a very trustworthy organization, and they have a very clean record. Even though they say they want to fight for the rights of the Infected, they've never neglected the poor or the refugees fleeing from war. They even help them without expecting anything in return. The leader there is a very cute girl, a young Cautus with a bright future. And her assistant, Kal'tsit, she's very smart and has a high level of medical knowledge. It would be very beneficial to form a relationship with people like that."
"Hmm... since you put it that way, then do as you wish. I approve," Uncle Lin said with a smile.
This made Wang Fei unable to help but ask him with concern.
"But Uncle Lin, aren't you going to check for yourself first?"
Lin Kojui slowly shook his head, a smile spreading across the old man's lips before he turned to look out the window as if reminiscing about something.
"Fei Fei, all the years I've ruled this slum, I've only used three things that I know: Power, Fear, and Peace. But because of that, this slum has become like a lawless land, filled with trash who only adhere to the first two things I mentioned, to intimidate people who know nothing."
"Even though there were times I invested a lot of effort hoping to make this place better, it failed countless times, to the point that even I was about to give up."
"Until I heard your advice about this place. That's when I started to think again that this slum really does have a chance to change."
"So it's no longer necessary to entrust this duty to someone like me. I trust you and Yuxia. I believe you two will help build this slum into a place that even I and my comrades never dared to dream of."
"Uncle Lin," Wang Fei was very moved upon hearing this. Uncle Lin was like an old man who had devoted both his body and soul to Lungmen, so much so that he would almost sacrifice his own flesh and blood for it. Compared to the other person who only thought about profiting from others and making Lungmen a great city through trade, without caring about the innocent people who got caught in the crossfire. Comparing them, he preferred Uncle Lin's ideology much more than that of old man Wei.
He couldn't help but complain with regret.
"Sigh, if there was a vote for a new ruler of Lungmen, I would undoubtedly vote for Uncle Lin... you are much more suitable for that position than that old man."
"Haha, you're not the first one to say that to me. In the past, when me and my comrades fought to reclaim this land from the Ursus, many of my comrades also voted for me to be the ruler of this city."
"Unfortunately... the power from the nearby Yan empire is not something to be trifled with. If another strange ruler were to rise, this place would be immediately occupied by Yan. So there was no choice but to hand over that position to that damn dragon instead."
"But even so, you still got to rule the slums, Uncle Lin. This place has a total population ten times larger than the inner city."
"That's right... but it's because there are too many people that management is difficult. If it weren't for your suggestion to secretly build illegal entrances and exits to constantly monitor the population coming in, as well as establishing the CPN management unit, it would have been difficult to monitor the population coming into each district."
"And with the Chernobog incident last week, I've heard that in the past few days, the number of Infected wanting to move into the slums has increased at an alarmingly high rate... Thanks to your sister for clearing out those mafia from Syracuse. It threw the whole slum into chaos, but because of that, it made it easier for us to take care of those Infected who came in."
"Hehe... I must really apologize on behalf of my sister."
Uncle Lin shook his head as if to say it was alright.
"Forget it. Anyway, next time you do something, please let us know. Even though the slums might be a bit chaotic these days, it's nothing compared to Chernobog, which has to face battles on multiple fronts... Fei Fei, about your operation there, I want you to be careful about one thing."
"The name 'Blacksnake'. If you hear that name, I want you to run away from there immediately. Do you understand?"
Wang Fei was not surprised that Uncle Lin knew about this. Perhaps it was old man Wei who called and told him himself. But what interested him was this "Blacksnake" that Uncle Lin mentioned.
"Uncle Lin, do you mean... the Immortal Blacksnake, the evil god of the land of Ursus? Isn't that just a legend?"
"The Blacksnake is real. I've seen it with my own eyes... Many of my comrades died by its horrifyingly venomous fangs in exchange for Lungmen's freedom."
"I believe the incident in Chernobog is more or less related to the Blacksnake. That's why I want you to be careful..."
Seeing that Uncle Lin was very serious when he talked about it, Wang Fei had to reply to him with an equally serious tone.
"I understand! If I hear that name, I'll bolt immediately and drag everyone in Rhodes Island back with me."
"Very good," Uncle Lin nodded with satisfaction. Before long, he reached out and picked up a magazine from under the table.
"Then let's talk about this. After you get back from Chernobog, what kind of wedding venue do you think is most suitable for you and Yuxia? I think the Lánguǐng (Yan) style isn't bad, but if you like the Nashi (Higashi) style, my wife would be very pleased... but if you like the church style of the Laterano folks, I know some Sankta who could be the officiant."
"..."
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