Guardian

The first message was from five days ago.

"Mr. 39, are you interested in trading items?"

Then, a day later.

"Good morning, Mr. 39. Does your wound still hurt? Do you need my help?"

Another two days later, which was yesterday.

"The next Instance is about to start. Can I team up with you?"

Three messages in total, and he hadn't replied to a single one.

Xie De tapped his phone screen. After so much time, replying now would not only be rather impolite, but also too late to be relevant. The first two messages probably no longer needed an answer, so he only replied to the last one.

"Sure."

He still had to team up. There was no way he would ever stop teaming up. Instances were so dangerous that he had to cling tight to this powerful ally.

"455, any news on the player forum? Remember to send the protagonist a team request."

455 made an OK gesture. "Not much. Instance teams can't have more than eight members. I saw that the protagonist's team has him and Yue Xiamo. I'll invite Beiwei too. She's a powerhouse, and she listens to you pretty well."

"Do whatever you want."

After washing up and fixing his hair, Xie De opened the storage cabinet behind the mirror, loaded the Glock, and tucked it securely against his body.

When he came back out, none of his just-awakened grogginess remained, only a trace of languor.

Most of the clothes at home came in three styles: outdoor jackets, trench coats, and leather overcoats. He preferred the leather overcoats. With his long silver hair falling over his shoulders, he looked like a model with a distinctive style.

Before he finished getting ready.

Wei Yunmo had already placed his cigarettes on the dining table. Like a little spinning top, he then ran to collect the breakfast delivered outside the door, arranged it neatly on plates, and sat at the table waiting for Xie De.

It was like a daily task.

Xie De first went into the kitchen and filled the little house centipede's bowl with mealworms, then went over and sat down.

The two of them finished their respective breakfasts without a word.

It was already ten in the morning.

"You can eat earlier on your own. You don't have to wait for me."

"Okay, I understand." Wei Yunmo sipped his porridge and asked cautiously, "Mr. 39, can I go out today?"

"Yes."

The unexpected answer made Wei Yunmo's eyes light up.

Actually, Xie De had already considered that he couldn't keep the kid shut inside forever. The villain already had some antisocial tendencies. If he stayed locked up at home, he would surely find some way to escape. If he ran off and the Laboratory's people found him, that would be quite a mess.

It was better to let the villain move around under his watch.

Expressionlessly, Xie De handed him a watch. "There's a tracking system inside. You can only go within a ten-kilometer radius."

Wei Yunmo's expression stiffened, but then he accepted the watch as though he had expected as much. "I understand."

Xie De's home was on an out-of-the-way street in a small county town, rather than in a residential complex. There was a convenience store on the ground floor, and the cries of street vendors could be heard early every morning.

The amenities here weren't all that comprehensive, and surveillance cameras were scarce. The paving tiles were made from materials used in the previous century, while the old poplars beside the road had only grown thicker and taller.

"Hey! Who are you? How come I've never seen you before? Where did you come from?"

39 had already driven off to take care of his business. Wei Yunmo was standing downstairs, looking around curiously, when a girl's voice came from overhead. He looked up and saw a girl in long sleeves and trousers standing high above him on the old poplar's thickest branch, her chin raised.

"My name is Wei Yunmo. Who are you? Why are you standing up there?"

"I'm Lu Nana. I'm playing hide-and-seek. Want to play with us?"

"What's hide-and-seek?"

"It's where a bunch of people hide, and one person is 'it' and has to find everyone."

"What a boring game."

Wei Yunmo had fair, delicate skin, with eyes and hair of the deepest black. He always moved like a little gentleman, an effortless elegance in every gesture. Now he said politely, "If I hid, you'd never find me. But if I did the searching, you wouldn't stay hidden for even a minute."

"Hey, you little brat!" Lu Nana climbed down from the tree. She was fourteen this year, and girls matured early. Standing straight, she was a full five centimeters taller than Wei Yunmo.

The girl swiftly pinched Wei Yunmo's cheek. "How old are you? Where do you live? You're from a big city, aren't you?"

Wei Yunmo frowned. "Why should I tell you?"

"Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll guess." Lu Nana grinned, bobbing her head. "I've lived here for fourteen years. I know everyone in this little county town inside out. Let me guess. You live in apartment 304 on the third floor, don't you? And I bet you only moved here in the past week, and haven't come outside for the last five days."

She had guessed correctly.

Surprise flashed in Wei Yunmo's eyes. "You're very observant." Then, as though something had occurred to him, he asked furtively, "Then do you have any impressions of the person living in 304, or know anything about him?"

Lu Nana reached out to pinch Wei Yunmo's pale cheek again, but he dodged her hand. She didn't mind and kept grinning. She had probably been playing for a while before meeting him. Both her cheeks were flushed, and her skin had a healthy golden tone.

"You live in 304 yourself, so why are you asking such a strange question? Fine, to tell you the truth, I don't know anything about that household."

Lu Nana said, "I know a man lives there. My parents said he bought Grandpa Li's apartment and moved in after Grandpa Li went to live with his children in a big city. He's lived here for less than two years altogether. Honestly, I think... is he your older brother? Well, I don't know him, but I think your brother is like a vampire."

"You've seen him? Why do you think he's a vampire?"

"I haven't. Granny Wang, who lives near me, and my parents haven't seen what he looks like either. That's why I say he's like a vampire. He never goes out during the day, and even when he does go out, he doesn't let us see him."

Lu Nana's smile was full of energy. She leaned closer. "Hey, your name's Wei Yunmo, right? What's your brother's name? Is he as good-looking as you?"

"Yes." Wei Yunmo thought of 39's appearance. "He's very good-looking, just really scary."

"Adults are all scary. What does your brother do?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Then what are you doing here? Why didn't you go outside those past few days?"

The girl had so many questions that she was practically a walking encyclopedia of "why?"

Wei Yunmo had no intention of answering them all. "Wait, let me guess. You found out someone had moved into 304 because my brother ordered three meals a day from the restaurant downstairs, right?"

"Yeah. Not many people here are that, um, extravagant, I guess. At this time of year, even the most expensive vegetables only cost seven or eight yuan per jin, and meat only costs eighteen or nineteen yuan per jin at its most expensive." Lu Nana made her confusion plain. "Does nobody in your family cook? Your brother's already that old, and he can't cook?"

He wouldn't dare ask 39 to cook anyway.

Wei Yunmo smiled. "Stop prying into our family affairs."

"I'm just curious."

Several kids around Lu Nana's age appeared at the street corner. The one leading them looked a little angry. "Lu Nana, we agreed you could only hide on that street. Why did you come over here? You're such a bad sport! Do you know how long we've been looking for you?"

"Oh, fine! My bad, my bad." Lu Nana waved a hand carelessly and grabbed Wei Yunmo. "Let him play with us. His name's Wei Yunmo. I think he looks like a doll. He's so cute."

The other playmates included both boys and girls, though most were girls. They readily accepted Wei Yunmo, then launched into another barrage of questions. Kids this age weren't easy to fob off, either.

Wei Yunmo wrinkled his nose, wondering whether going outside had been a mistake.

The girl leading them was called Li Jiahui, and she was also fourteen. When she learned that Wei Yunmo lived upstairs in 304, she immediately grew excited.

"I've seen your brother! It was really late the night before last. I was half asleep and thought it was six on Monday morning, so I got dressed and went outside. That's when I saw your brother. I thought I was dreaming. Your brother has his hair dyed silver, right? It's so cool, but he nearly scared me to death."

The youngsters huddled together, chattering away.

"Really? I really want to see your brother."

"Can we visit your place?"

"Can you come visit mine? I think my mom would definitely like you. She really likes good-looking boys. She even follows celebrities."

Wei Yunmo frowned, surrounded by questions. This was his first time interacting with people his age, and he felt awkward and out of place. He thought that if he brought these people home, Mr. 39 would probably never let him out again.

There weren't actually many entertainment facilities in the little county town.

Their group played and fooled around, making things quite lively.

They played until five in the afternoon, when the few boys in the group enthusiastically invited Wei Yunmo to come home with them to play video games and stay overnight.

Wei Yunmo knew he should politely decline.

But suddenly, he was extremely curious about how Mr. 39 would react when he learned that he was staying overnight at an ordinary person's home.

So he went.

Everyone was delighted, and the parents at that house were very welcoming too. Naturally, there was more questioning: what did his parents do? Where did he live? Which school did he attend? How were his grades?

All of this was truly novel to Wei Yunmo! He had only ever stayed in the Laboratory before. Then he was shocked to learn that his new friends couldn't even get passing grades on such simple math and English questions.

But as they kept chatting and it grew later and later, Wei Yunmo couldn't help wondering anxiously.

Would Mr. 39 call these parents to check in?

Like an ordinary guardian would.

By eight that evening, most households in the little county town had settled into their nighttime routines, but 39 hadn't done so.

The boy was inviting Wei Yunmo to wash up and then play on the bed.

Wei Yunmo felt a little disappointed.

But then, a knock suddenly came at the door.

The parents exchanged a look. "Who is it?"

The boy went to open the door himself. His mouth dropped open, and he let out a "Wow!"

For a reason even he couldn't explain, a rush of joy instantly welled up in Wei Yunmo's heart. He hurried over, his eyes shining, but lowered his head and apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay out."

"And you are?"

Xie De's voice was cool but polite. "I'm this child's guardian. Sorry for the trouble."

"Oh, no trouble, no trouble at all. Such handsome young men, both of you. Little Mo is so sensible, so well-behaved..."