Next Time I See You, I Won't Let You Go. Hello, We Meet Again.

"Time's about up."

At Chen Xing's words, the four thugs jumped in fright.

The thug who had been so eager to kill Chen Xing just moments ago

immediately pulled the others down to their knees.

"Sir, please! We were wrong. Be generous and spare us! We were forced into this."

"Yeah, sir, please spare us!"

Chen Xing kept his pistol raised and studied them with interest as they begged.

"Oh? Really?"

"It's true! That damned bald guy forced us!"

"Exactly! He threatened to hurt my Ah Zhen if I didn't work with him."

"He's got my mom, too. He said if I didn't do this job, he'd screw her."

Holy shit. That bald guy's tastes were something else.

Chen Xing glanced in surprise at the bald man lying unconscious on the ground.

He'd go for young and old alike. Impressive, in a way.

He'd probably even take the Snake Granny from twenty thousand years ago.

But Chen Xing wasn't about to believe a word they said.

"Sir, you see, we were forced into it! Please, take pity on us and let us go?"

Chen Xing gave a cold laugh.

"Let you go?"

The skinny thug and the others nodded frantically.

But mockery crept across Chen Xing's face.

A moment later, another bang!

The skinny thug dropped where he knelt.

A crimson flower bloomed on his chest.

"Whether you get spared is for the judges of the underworld to decide."

"As for me, I'm sorry, but I have no intention of letting you go."

The remaining three thugs went deathly pale.

Then,

driven by sheer survival instinct, they scrambled to their feet and ran.

"Heh. Think you can escape?"

Within seven steps, a gun was fast.

Beyond seven steps, it was fast and accurate.

Chen Xing raised his pistol.

Bang! Bang!

Two more shots rang out.

In an instant, two of them fell to the ground.

Only one thug remained in the alley.

He saw the men who had run beside him fall with those two shots,

and his legs gave out beneath him.

Chen Xing advanced step by step.

The thug stared at him, rolling and crawling backward across the ground.

"Don't... don't kill me... please..."

Chen Xing lowered the barrel and looked down at him.

"Talk. Who's behind you?"

The thug stared at Chen Xing, his teeth chattering with fear.

"The Holy... Holy Spirit Cult... people from the Holy Spirit Cult in Eastsea City..."

"They told us to grab kids and bring them over... that little girl was a target..."

His lips trembled so badly he could barely get the words out.

"We're just errand boys... really... don't kill me..."

Chen Xing watched him for a few seconds.

The Holy Spirit Cult? Those evil soul masters?

He hadn't expected these thugs to be tied to something like that.

In the original story, there were admittedly people in the Holy Spirit Cult whom Shrek had driven into a corner.

But that did nothing to erase the vile things they had done.

Whatever threat they posed to Shrek and the other factions,

they had abducted people—especially children by the thousands, even tens of thousands—and refined them for their cultivation.

That alone proved the Holy Spirit Cult was an evil, inhuman organization that needed to be wiped out.

He hadn't expected the cult to have agents even in a small place like Aolai City.

These thugs were clearly at the bottom of the ladder, though. They didn't even know what the sacrifices were for; they only knew to grab people and hand them over.

Chen Xing kept his expression blank and gave a faint nod.

"I see. Go. If I see you again, though..."

Chen Xing lifted his pistol slightly.

"Thank you! Thank you, sir! I'm leaving right now! You'll never see me again, I swear!"

Joy surged through the thug. He stumbled to his feet and sprinted toward the mouth of the alley, faster than he had run for his life moments earlier.

But when he reached it, he suddenly collided with something.

He looked up.

Somehow, Chen Xing was there ahead of him, leaning against the wall. He smiled and waved.

"Hi. We meet again!"

The thug froze.

What the hell...

"You... you said you wouldn't kill me..."

Chen Xing tilted his head.

"I said, 'Don't let me see you again.'"

"Well? Isn't this 'again'?"

The thug opened his mouth to beg.

Chen Xing gave him no chance. He raised his pistol and fired.

Bang.

The shot wasn't loud, but its echo lingered in the alley.

When Chen Xing put away his pistol and returned, Na'er was still standing where he had left her.

Her eyes were wide as she watched him approach without moving.

Chen Xing stopped in front of her.

"Na'er, are you scared?"

Na'er looked him in the eyes and shook her head hard.

"No."

"Not even though your big brother killed people?"

Na'er pressed her lips together.

"You only killed bad people."

Her voice trembled, but she didn't hesitate over a single word.

Warmth stirred in Chen Xing's chest.

He reached out and gently ruffled Na'er's hair.

"The bad people are gone now. You don't have to be scared."

Na'er suddenly threw herself into his arms and clung tightly to his neck.

"Big Brother Chen Xing..."

"I was so scared... so scared they'd hurt you..."

Chen Xing patted her back softly.

"It's all right. They'll never bother you again."

Na'er nodded hard and buried her face deeper against him.

Chen Xing let go of her, crouched beside the bald man, and searched him.

All he found was a few crumpled Federation Credits and a battered dagger.

Nothing valuable.

The others had no more on them.

No wonder they'd been so desperate to abduct Na'er. They had been broke enough to take the risk.

But Chen Xing felt no sympathy for them.

They had helped the Holy Spirit Cult abduct people. They deserved to die.

One thing did weigh on his mind, though.

The Holy Spirit Cult in Eastsea City.

They had already begun reaching into Aolai City.

Na'er was one of their targets. What about Tang Wulin?

If events followed the original story, Tang Wulin would eventually cross paths with the Holy Spirit Cult.

I don't have time to waste.

I have to get stronger as soon as possible.

With that, Chen Xing stood and dusted off his hands.

"Come on, Na'er. Let's go home."

Na'er obediently took his hand.

By the time they got home, it was evening.

When Lang Yue learned that Chen Xing had won the favor of the divine craftsman Zhen Hua,

she was so excited that she scooped Chen Xing into her arms.

Tang Wulin cheered for Chen Xing, his face bright with happiness.

The whole family shared in the joy.

Over dinner, Tang Ziran said,

"Looks like we'll have to scrap the plan for Little Chen to learn Mecha work from me and earn money. He may have to go away to study with Senior Zhen Hua."

"What?" Lang Yue stared at him.

"What? Big Brother might leave?"

Tang Wulin was stunned, too.

"Big Brother... are you leaving Na'er behind?"

Na'er tugged at Chen Xing's clothes and lowered her head. Her voice was so faint it seemed ready to break.

Chen Xing took her little hand.

"Na'er, listen to me..."