The ringtone downstairs lasted only a second before the call was hastily ended. Seeing that he had been exposed, Ji Xie simply showed himself, then turned into a tentacle and slipped into Li Xian's pocket under his inscrutable gaze.
The others arrived behind them a little later, all freezing at the sight of Deng Hanyu lying unconscious on the floor.
Jiang Qiuyue leaned closer to inspect the bump on the back of Deng Hanyu's head, then glanced at Li Xian's fist with a hint of awe.
"Holy shit, that was brutal..."
She hadn't realized his fists were that hard...
Li Xian, who had somehow taken the blame: "..."
They gathered around Deng Hanyu and, after a brief discussion, set to work.
In the darkness, Deng Hanyu felt groggy and heavy, a dull pain throbbing at the back of his head. He tried to reach up and rub it, only to discover that neither of his arms could move.
What... happened?
He seemed to remember that Li Xian had kicked his weapon away while he was picking the lock, and someone had struck him in the head as he fled.
Ji Xie's face flashed through his memories, but Deng Hanyu wasn't entirely confident in that answer.
How could Teacher Ji possibly have been here? I must be remembering it wrong.
As he struggled to think through the haze, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his temple. Deng Hanyu couldn't suppress a hiss, then heard a clear voice beside him.
"Awake?"
He opened his eyes in a daze. The first thing he saw was Li Xian and the others standing in front of him.
Deng Hanyu instantly went on the defensive and tried to rise and attack, only to feel something binding him tightly. He looked down and finally realized he had