Chapter Forty-Four: Is This Really a Child?

There were only two people in the car. One was dozing off, sprawled over the seat, while the other was swiping through messages on a communicator.

In the dim light, Yi Shen watched them from a distance. They seemed to be the same two who had been lurking around his house ten days ago.

Yi Shen pondered his next move—should he launch a direct attack, or probe for more information first? The situation was complicated; he wasn’t sure which side these two belonged to. Were they here to take him back, or had his mother sent them to protect him? And if they were high-level, using his Detection spell might alert them to his presence.

[Detection]

After a few seconds of hesitation, Yi Shen decided to test the waters. If they turned out to be too strong, he would retreat; if they were weaker than he, then things would be easier to handle.

[Target ID: Explorer 7228X32189]
[Level: 22]
[Health: 2130]
[Magic: 1420]
...
[Target ID: Explorer 9231X33910]
[Level: 21]
[Health: 1880]
[Magic: 1870]
...

Because the system panel allowed users to change their display names, the Detection spell could only reveal a string of strange numbers for humans, not their real names.

After casting the spell, Yi Shen observed that the occupants of the car showed no sign of having noticed. Clearly, they hadn’t detected his probing.

Upon seeing their levels and health, Yi Shen exhaled in relief.

This is it?

Level 22?

They weren’t even higher level than he was, yet they dared to lie in wait for him. The realization made Yi Shen feel that his earlier caution was almost laughable.

But it made sense—outwardly, he was just a recent high school graduate. There was no need to send high-level operatives after him.

After some thought, he destroyed the only surveillance camera nearby, then strode over and knocked on the car window.

Both men inside were rather plump. If there was any way to tell them apart, one had a long face and the other a round one. The round-faced one was asleep, while the long-faced one was in the driver’s seat, scrolling through his phone. Both were dressed in black. When Yi Shen knocked, the long-faced man rolled down the window with an impatient look.

“What do you want? Knocking so late at night? I have no money for you.”

Because Yi Shen wore a mask and hat, the long-faced man didn’t recognize him, assuming he was a beggar or someone looking for trouble.

Yi Shen paused, then asked, “I noticed you’ve been parked here for over ten days. What are you doing—are you looking for someone?”

“Mind your own business and get lost! What we’re doing is none of your concern.” The long-faced man stared at him for a few seconds, and just as Yi Shen thought he might be recognized, the man simply grew more irritable.

Yi Shen began to doubt whether the two were actually waiting for him.

“Uh…”

“You’re waiting for someone from the Yi family, aren’t you?” Yi Shen asked tentatively.

At this, the long-faced man finally gave him a bit more attention. The round-faced man in the back stirred in his sleep but didn’t wake.

“Who are you?” The long-faced man sensed something was off.

“I’m Yi Shen,” he answered truthfully.

Now it was the long-faced man’s turn to be stunned. He’d spent over ten days waiting here, never expecting any results, and now someone claiming to be Yi Shen had appeared before him.

With a “pop,” the long-faced man pulled open the car door and scrutinized Yi Shen. Only when Yi Shen removed his mask did the man truly believe him.

“So, why are you looking for me?” Yi Shen asked.

There was no one else around except these two, which was why Yi Shen dared to approach them directly. Their stats posed no threat to him; if there had been a high-level explorer present, he would have teleported away into the night.

“I…”

“Hmph, since you’ve come yourself, just get in the car and behave,” the long-faced man said, face turning stern, trying to use his size to intimidate Yi Shen, as if he were lecturing a child.

Yi Shen’s brows rose slightly. That kind of tone probably meant these weren’t the people sent by his mother.

He immediately conjured several fireballs in his hands and hurled them at the man at close range. Though the long-faced man reacted quickly, he hadn’t expected such a swift spellcasting—according to the information he had, Yi Shen was nothing more than an ordinary, jobless high schooler, so he had almost no guard up.

With a series of dull impacts:

“-342...”
“-311...”
“...”
“-315...”

Five fireballs, each dealing over 300 points of damage, totaling a devastating seventeen or eighteen hundred in a second, leaving the long-faced man barely clinging to life.

The spots where he’d been hit were already half-charred, and he was flung seven or eight meters, collapsing on the ground.

Yi Shen hadn’t even used his full strength. He quickly patched him up with a healing spell, then drew a blade from his inventory and pressed it to the man’s throat in a clear threat.

The long-faced man was utterly bewildered—he hadn’t even understood what had just happened.

Was that a fireball?
Who healed me?
Was it my teammate?
Wait, my teammate is still asleep in the car?

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, while his body was wracked with pain.

“I’ll ask you again: why are you looking for me?” Yi Shen said coldly. “I’m not negotiating. If you can’t answer, I’ll kill you and then ask the other one.”

Even Yi Shen was surprised at how easily such harsh words came to him. When he’d killed those three from Jingbei Industries in the secret realm, he’d been just as cold and unmoved. He was beginning to wonder if he truly was so ruthless.

“I…” The long-faced man choked. “I don’t know. Someone told us to bring you in. We were just following orders.”

Sensing that Yi Shen was deadly serious, the man’s tone weakened. He feared that a wrong answer might truly cost him his life.

Yi Shen was about to press further when the round-faced man in the car woke up and blinked in confusion at the scene outside.

Yi Shen beckoned for him to get out.

The round-faced man, who looked rather simple-minded, obliged and stepped out. He was even taller than Yi Shen, and seemed at a loss when he saw the situation.

With a flash of movement—

[Blink]
[Fireball]

Yi Shen repositioned himself with a blink spell, then conjured another round of fireballs—not wanting to reveal too many of his abilities, he kept it simple.

His magic damage was now so high that even the lowest-level fireball could inflict over 300 points. Against the round-faced man, he only cast four, fearing that a critical hit might kill him outright.

The two of them ended up sprawled side by side.

“Who sent you to capture me?” Yi Shen asked. “Today, only one of you will walk away. Whoever answers first gets to live.”

The two exchanged a bewildered glance—faced with someone who could kill them in an instant, they couldn’t believe anyone had sent them to capture this “kid.”

This… was supposed to be a kid?