Brushing Shoulders with Death

In the bathroom, watching the bloody water flow between his fingers, Chen Nan suddenly clenched his fists.

"Even if I die, I'll drag those scumbags down with me!" He felt a tragic resolve, like a warrior embarking on a journey of no return.

Despite making such a solemn vow, Chen Nan still felt an emptiness inside. After all, anyone would find such a situation unbearable.

He had considered going to the hospital for a check-up the next day, but then he thought: If he really had a serious illness, what difference would it make whether he found out or not? It would be better to just go all out.

With this mindset, he finally felt at ease. He finished brushing his teeth and washing up, then went to bed.

When morning came, Chen Nan heard people downstairs asking questions.

"Excuse me, ma'am, have you seen this child?"

"Sir, have you seen this child?"

Chen Nan peeked out the window and confirmed it was the group looking for him. Startled, he immediately pulled his head back.

What to do now?

It was obvious they were looking for him with his photo. Even though he always wore a baseball cap, many people here had seen his face. Not to mention, the elementary school students living in his building were even more familiar with him.

If they got a little lucky, it would be easy to find out about him.

It seemed he had to move immediately. Indeed, staying in one place for too long was not a safe option. But how could he leave now?

He couldn't worry about it anymore. These people coming to this residential area couldn't be a coincidence. He had to leave immediately, otherwise, once they found out, he wouldn't even have a chance to escape.

He immediately contacted the stray dogs downstairs, waiting for his command to attack.

He packed all his belongings, grabbed a utility knife, and left the room with Da Huang.

Entering the stairwell, he could see from the first-floor entrance that those people were still questioning others.

Moreover, one of the older women had already pointed in his direction.

Three burly men were approaching him with predatory strides.

"Attack!"

Chen Nan gave the order, and instantly six stray dogs rushed at the three men from different directions.

"Ow! Damn dogs!"

The three men cursed. Two of them pulled out butterfly knives from their waists, while the other took out a baton.

The battle between dogs and men began.

Clearly, relying only on instinct, they couldn't defeat those who relied on weapons. Moreover, the three men were obviously skilled in fighting with them.

Under the baton, two dogs were injured and retreated.

Chen Nan, disguised as an elementary school student, happened to encounter students coming out of the stairwell. He blended in with them and, mustering his courage, slipped out with the students.

When dogs attacked people, children were both curious and scared. It was normal for them to stay away. The three men, busy fighting the dogs, didn't pay attention to these three or five students.

Urged on by their parents, Chen Nan followed the children out of the complex.

However, five more people appeared ahead and were rushing towards Chen Nan menacingly!

Chen Nan could only lower the brim of his hat and glance sideways.

Time seemed to slow down...

Thump-thump...

Thump-thump...

His heart pounded nervously, and Chen Nan gasped for breath.

The fierce-looking men arrived in front of Chen Nan, revealing their weapons...

However, they passed by Chen Nan in an instant.

It turned out they had rushed in after hearing the commotion inside and hadn't paid attention to the students around them.

Cold sweat trickled down his temples. Chen Nan didn't dare to run, and it seemed he couldn't run anyway. His legs felt as weak as if they had been soaked in aged vinegar for ten thousand years.

"Okay, I'm soft, I'm soft..."

Chen Nan muttered. Fortunately, as he got further away from those people, his legs slowly became firm again.

For Chen Nan, this group of people brushing past him was no different than brushing past death.

"Escape!"

Chen Nan didn't want those dogs to be killed. Although he hadn't gone far, he still gave the order.

Although the dogs were all injured, none of the injuries were fatal. The resilience of animals far surpassed that of ordinary humans. The dogs all escaped and dispersed.

Chen Nan knew he couldn't use these dogs again, at least not take them with him.

Because this would be a tell-tale sign, exposing him.

By the time the five men arrived, the dogs were already gone. One of them, with a skull tattoo on his right shoulder, asked, "Water Duck, what happened?"

The one with the baton was called Water Duck. He spat and said, "Damn it, some crazy dogs came out of nowhere and attacked us. Don't we look like bad guys?"

The one with the tattoo was named Ghost Head. He frowned and asked, "How's the search for that kid going?"

Water Duck tilted his head and said proudly, "We've pretty much got the info. Someone saw him. He's in this building. Let's go up and search house by house. We'll definitely corner him in his room."

Ghost Head suddenly froze. He remembered the students he saw when they entered the complex, one of whom was wearing a baseball cap.

Combined with the dog inexplicably attacking him, he suddenly realized something.

"You're all useless! That kid's gone! Go chase him!" Ghost Head yelled.

Water Duck didn't believe it, but Ghost Head was their leader, so he didn't dare disobey. He led a few people to give chase.

Ghost Head stayed behind and walked into the stairwell, where he happened to run into a student who shared a room with Chen Nan...

Chen Nan had already fled to Hidden Money Alley. After getting all the money from Da Huang, he immediately hailed a taxi and headed into the city.

The place he was going was precisely the "Immortal Realm" club. At this point, Chen Nan had to take a gamble.

Literary works have always told people that the most dangerous places are often the safest. Chen Nan couldn't agree with this, but he had to do it now.

He had his reasons. For one, he figured scumbags like them probably didn't read much. Besides, everyone knew that descriptions in books were basically nonsense, and no one would be so addled as to go to a dangerous place.

Also, since the other side had already deployed personnel to the outskirts of Wu City, the "Immortal Realm" in the city center should be relatively empty.

In any case, he had to take a gamble. And after obtaining what he needed from Secretary Huang, he absolutely had to visit this "Immortal Realm."

With Secretary Huang's documents, he could at least ensure that someone could wield the weapon of the law. However, to cut off the enemy completely, he also had to provide the person wielding the weapon with the enemy's weaknesses.

As Chen Nan was thinking this, a girl suddenly waved down a taxi, and the taxi actually stopped.

Before Chen Nan could protest, the girl got in from the other side. As soon as she was settled, she said to the driver, "Take me to Immortal Realm."

The driver sneered and said, "Got it!"

Chen Nan turned his face away, but the girl recognized him immediately. She pulled him over and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, aren't you the kid I saw watching adult websites at the internet cafe? Skipping class again?"

The driver chuckled and said, "Where this kid's going is pretty much the same as you."

The girl immediately fixed her gaze on Chen Nan and said, "Little brother, watching websites is one thing, but that place isn't for you. You'll ruin your health, and then you won't even know where to cry."

Chen Nan, who had just experienced intense stress, was completely taken aback. I'm still a kid! What are they thinking?

Before Chen Nan could retort, the girl suddenly gasped, her mouth opening in surprise, and then whispered, "It's you? It's really you! Are you trying to die, running here like this?"

A chill shot down Chen Nan's spine, all the way to his... well, his backside.

"Are... are you working at Immortal Realm?" Chen Nan asked softly. "And you're from the orphanage too..."

The girl immediately covered Chen Nan's mouth and said to the taxi driver, "Let's get out!"

The driver said unhappily, "We're not there yet!"

The girl immediately threw ten yuan at him. The moment the money was in his hand, his principles vanished. The driver immediately pulled over to the side of the road, and the girl dragged Chen Nan out of the car.

After the taxi left, the girl pulled Chen Nan to a secluded spot and asked, "Are you the kid who ran away from the orphanage?"

Chen Nan didn't sense any malice from the girl, so he told the truth, "Yes, I am."

The girl looked at him for a long time before saying, "You're really something."

Chen Nan asked, "You're also from the orphanage, and after they trained you, you came to work at Immortal Realm, right?"

The girl nodded, her face filled with sadness.

Chen Nan sighed and asked, "What's your name?"

The girl gave a wry smile. "What name do I even have? I have a stage name, Butterfly Loves Flowers, named after my... shape!"

Chen Nan was speechless. The girl continued, "Since you've already run away, you should leave Wu City quickly. They're looking for you everywhere. You'll get into trouble in Wu City sooner or later."

Chen Nan smiled and said, "Just now, I brushed past the people who want to kill me. Although it was dangerous, I'm not leaving. I will bring those scumbags to justice. Then, you all can be free."

For a moment, an unusual light flashed across Butterfly Loves Flowers' face, a flicker of hope for a better future. But the light quickly dimmed. She said listlessly, "That's impossible. You don't know their power. It's not like no one has tried to bring them down before, but they all just vanished into thin air."

Chen Nan looked intently at Butterfly Loves Flowers. Without consciously using his abilities, he spoke with a firm conviction, "I'm not asking you to believe me, I just hope you'll resist. Help me gather evidence of Immortal Realm's crimes and give it to me. With this evidence, I'll find other ways to bring them to court."

Butterfly Loves Flowers fell silent. She was torn, caught between the danger of death and the humiliation of survival. Which path should she choose?

Although Chen Nan was still a child, he didn't give her the impression of being just a child. At the very least, how many people had escaped the hellish orphanage over the years? None! Except for Chen Nan. This child must have some special means, or something beyond the ordinary.

But that wasn't the most crucial point.

Butterfly Loves Flowers looked into Chen Nan's eyes, which were as clear and pure as heaven—

"Why were you looking at that kind of website?" she suddenly asked.

Chen Nan was speechless. He said helplessly, "I only went online to investigate the situation at the orphanage. Maybe when I asked for a secluded computer, the internet cafe manager misunderstood."

"Alright, I'll help you," Butterfly Loves Flowers said.