Return (First Update)

The land was desolate. Chi Li returned to the cave. In the wilderness, one often had to guard against large predators, yet this place carried a different kind of soundless silence.

Chi Li could barely find anything to fill his stomach.

Two days later, he picked up the communicator. Chi Li stared coldly at the sole contact listed inside it.

Si Jinyan might have foreseen all of this long ago, including that he would dial this number.

However, only a mechanical voice came through the communicator, like a preprogrammed recording. "After the sun sets, please wait at the entrance. Someone will come to pick you up and take you away."

After a pause, the mechanical voice added, "Believe me, I will not harm you."

Though it was still a mechanical voice, the words inexplicably made Chi Li think of Si Jinyan. He frowned slightly as the communicator automatically disconnected and could no longer be reached.

At dusk, Chi Li lay on the blanket with his eyes closed, resting. As the light gradually receded from the cave, he heard someone knocking against the rocks at the entrance.

He abruptly opened his eyes and picked up the sharpened stone tool he had prepared beforehand.

When he reached the entrance, Chi Li saw only a youthful middle-aged man. The man was plainly dressed, with an unremarkable face that would disappear in a crowd, slightly dark skin, and a short build. He looked like a local resident.

The man seemed startled when he saw Chi Li emerge. In less-than-standard Imperial official language, he said, "I'm here to pick you up. Come with me."

Expressionless, Chi Li followed the man forward, quietly tightening his grip on the object hanging at his side.

Yet the man truly seemed to be doing nothing more than leading him out. Unless Chi Li took the initiative to ask something, the man did not say a word more along the way.

Whatever Chi Li asked, the man answered if he knew. If he did not, he honestly told Chi Li that he did not know.

The man was a nearby villager. He had once guided people who loved rock climbing and earned a little extra money, though he had not done that work in a long time. A few days ago, someone had contacted him and asked him to guide someone out. That person was Chi Li, and the payment offered was generous.

Chi Li asked, "What did the person who contacted you look like?"

The man said, "Very tall. His face was covered, so I couldn't see it... He told me to keep it secret. I won't tell anyone about bringing you out, either."

After saying that, the man gave an honest smile.

Chi Li said nothing.

Chi Li asked, "Then do you know what is strange about this forest?"

The man did not understand. "Huh?"

Chi Li said, "Why is it so quiet? There are barely any animals, either."

The man looked puzzled. "That's not true..."

After a pause, he added, "We do a very good job protecting the environment."

Along the way, Chi Li noticed that the farther they went, the more traces of animals appeared. Amid intermittent birdsong, the surroundings gradually became livelier as well.

Chi Li knew he would get nothing more out of him. This strangeness might have something to do with Si Jinyan.

After Chi Li arrived at the village, two more people dressed like villagers came to take him away that night. Yet the moment he saw them, a thought stirred in his mind, and he instinctively felt that they were not villagers from this place.

The two men also spoke little. They only told Chi Li that they would take a smuggling route by spaceship to send him back to Loran.

Having come this far, Chi Li did not hesitate any longer. He followed them into another stretch of forest and saw a spaceship parked in an open clearing.

The two treated Chi Li with great respect. Food had been prepared aboard the spaceship, but Chi Li did not touch any of it.

Chi Li leaned against the back of his chair, one hand tucked inside his clothes.

Overcome by exhaustion midway through the journey, Chi Li unexpectedly fell asleep. When he jolted awake, clutching the knife against his chest, he found that the spaceship was still traveling smoothly. The route display before him showed that they had just flown beyond the Empire's border.

The entire journey was unexpectedly peaceful and steady. Nothing happened.

Thus, even when Chi Li returned to his homeland and stood on Loran soil, he remained dazed for a moment.

Having escaped the Empire and returned to Luolan, the dangers surrounding Chi Li had diminished greatly. At least for the time being, he was safe.

Chi Li had nothing on him. Before leaving, the two men wanted to give him an optical terminal for communication, but Chi Li refused and only asked them for some money.

At a public communications booth, Chi Li contacted his superior using the prearranged code.

His superior, Qi Yan, came to pick up Chi Li in person. Qi Yan wore casual clothes: a linen-colored shirt and trousers in a similar shade. He was tall and upright, with a gentle, refined demeanor. He was also an alpha, eight years older than Chi Li.

The moment Chi Li saw Qi Yan step down from the spaceship, the taut nerves that had held him together finally relaxed completely.

Qi Yan hugged him. "You've worked hard."

On the spaceship, Chi Li briefly reported to Qi Yan how he had gotten out. He vaguely skipped over some of the things Si Jinyan had done to him afterward and did not mention them.

Qi Yan said, "When you suddenly lost contact, we were all very worried. We'll need to hold a meeting about these matters and gather the relevant materials, but there's no rush. Rest properly first."

Chi Li said he did not want an examination and wanted to go straight home. Qi Yan was somewhat displeased. "You're always like this. You need to take care of your body. The examination won't take long, and you still have injuries that need treatment."

Chi Li lazily leaned against the back of his chair and looked out the window. "I know. I'm exhausted, Qi Yan. Stop ordering me around."

Qi Yan looked at Chi Li's face. Chi Li continued gazing out the window. Qi Yan opened his mouth, but in the end, he compromised. "All right. Contact me once you've rested. I'll come pick you up."

Chi Li gave a perfunctory hum.

After a year and a half, Chi Li had finally returned to his own home. Every time he went on a mission, Chi Li prepared himself never to return. His home was spacious and empty, with no pets or plants. It was so bare that it contained only the most necessary furniture and facilities.

Qi Yan believed Chi Li had injuries, but they had already healed in the cave. Chi Li did not know what method Si Jinyan had used; even the place where a bullet had passed through him had not left a scar.

After showering, Chi Li looked at the back of his neck in the mirror. Only there did the redness and swelling remain extremely obvious.