Chapter 44: The Past, Part 7 – Rainy Season and Corpses

Just then, two sharp thuds echoed from upstairs, followed by a figure darting down and rushing out the door, a swarm of bodyguards hot on their heels.

Without a second thought, Ji Yaoming followed. The people ahead filed orderly into cars. Ji Yaoming, with a clear destination in mind, made straight for the pristinely maintained lead car, slamming his hand against the hood with a resounding crash.

The next second, thunder rumbled overhead. Father and son stared at each other in silent communion through the windshield.

The car idled, and there was no sign of anyone getting out. In fact, Ji Yaoming thought it wouldn't be surprising if the car floored it and ran him over right then. His eyes were bloodshot, and the person inside the car was in no better state.

Ji Yaoming walked to the driver’s side. Ji Dufeng frowned and rolled down the window, his lips parting slightly as if to speak, but before he could, a wind-swift punch slammed directly into his face!

“Ji Dufeng! May you die a painful death!”

Ji Dufeng gritted his teeth, floored the accelerator, and sped off. Ji Yaoming, equally resolute, turned and rushed back into the mansion to grab the car keys, then drove straight toward the Dedapman affluent district.

The road was clear the entire way. The Dedapman affluent district wasn’t far from the Ji family home—only five minutes down the mountain.

Ji Yaoming gripped the steering wheel tightly, gunning it until he reached his destination. He jumped out of the car and hurried toward the spot he’d seen on the news. Ji Dufeng’s car was parked there too, and Ji Dufeng himself was still inside, watching as the bodyguards searched outside, not moving an inch.

Ji Yaoming took a deep breath but couldn’t afford to waste time. He kept running, but after three hours, he had covered every street in the neighborhood, even the reported location—he’d lost count of how many times he’d been there—but the result was always the same.

The two were nowhere to be found.

Ji Yaoming stood still, bending over with his hands on his knees, racking his brain for any missed spot. But the truth was, he had personally checked every corner.

A drop of rain fell on his shoulder. Ji Yaoming lifted his face just as the rain suddenly poured down—swift, heavy, and relentless, giving no one a chance to prepare.

Ji Yaoming straightened up and glanced toward the person in the car who was snapping orders at the bodyguards to search again and again.

His expression darkened, and he suddenly sprinted toward his parked car. He started the engine, jerked the steering wheel hard to the left, and accelerated fiercely from behind the row of cars, charging forward...

Ji Dufeng frowned as he watched the car racing off into the distance, but he continued cursing out his men. It wasn’t until a bodyguard looked up, took two steps back, and shouted a warning that he lifted his head again—

Blinding headlights cut through the curtain of rain, approaching at extreme speed. The engine beneath the rain seemed to scream in protest. Ji Dufeng yelled “Lunatic!” and immediately wrenched his car to the right, but the other vehicle was already upon him. In the split second when the rain formed connecting threads between the two car fronts, hanging in the air, Ji Dufeng saw Ji Yaoming.

He was smiling, bidding him farewell.

Boom——————!!!

A deafening crash shook the area. Along with the shower of shattered car parts scattering everywhere, Ji Dufeng was hurled backward by the impact, his car skidding dozens of meters before coming to a stop.

Hearing a faint sound of a car door opening, Ji Dufeng blearily opened his eyes. Leaning against the car, he looked across and saw the young man, blood coursing down his face, staggering toward him. Ji Dufeng fought to keep his eyes open, waiting for him to approach, but Ji Yaoming’s gaze remained locked forward. Slowly, step by step, he passed the front of the car, the window, the rear, until he disappeared at the end of the road.

He was going home.

Ji Yaoming could no longer feel the pain in his body, the biting cold of the rain, or the phone that had been vibrating incessantly since earlier.

His mother had said she would wait for him at home.

He had rarely climbed the mountain road before. The Ji family home was halfway up the mountain, usually a half-hour drive. Now, he trudged upward silently. Even as rainwater streamed down the path, his body felt warm from head to toe. The unstoppable flow of blood was washed away, marking his trail. He didn’t know how long he had been walking—until the sky began to darken—

But then again, he didn’t know; the sky had been dark all day.

The old mansion’s gate slowly came into view. The rain showed no sign of letting up. He wiped his forehead, smeared with blood and rainwater.

If he returned looking this a mess, his mother would surely scold him.

Through the rain, he saw a figure standing in the middle of the mansion’s entrance, quietly waiting in the downpour as if expecting someone. Ji Yaoming took two deep breaths and continued walking, thinking that he must give the butler a raise—on a rainy day like this, he probably waited here ever since the others left.

Ji Yaoming stopped at the entrance, about to say “Thank you for your hard work,” but as he opened his mouth, rainwater rained into his mouth. He stared blankly at the person smiling gently at him, and the next moment, his legs gave way. He stumbled forward and grabbed the person’s arm.

“Where have you been!”

Shi Yuewei stood there, saying nothing, simply waiting for him to come home.

Then Ji Yaoming asked again, “Where’s Ji Yue? How did you end up going to the Dedapman area?”

“Brother.”

A soft reply made him lower his gaze. There was Ji Yue, clinging to Shi Yuewei’s leg, looking up at him with a happy little face.

“It’s so late. Why are you only coming back now?” Shi Yuewei reached out and gently touched his face. “Why are you in such a state?”

Ji Yaoming wanted to smile but found he had no energy left.

“Let’s go inside first.” Ji Yaoming pulled them toward the entrance. “You didn’t even bring an umbrella. In this heavy rain, you’ll get sick. I’ll call a doctor to check on you.”

But Shi Yuewei stood her ground, not moving.

She shook her head lightly and effortlessly slipped her hand free from Ji Yaoming’s grip.

“No,” she said, her smile fading as she looked seriously at Ji Yaoming. “I want to tell you something... no, Yaoming, Mom wants to ask you for a favor. Promise me.”

Ji Yaoming didn’t understand but nodded anyway.

“Take this... Promise me, be a hero...”

Something cold pressed into his palm. Ji Yaoming, stunned, shifted his gaze from the woman’s face to his hand. It was a dagger—small, exquisite, and like its owner, elegant yet piercing.

But it was stained with blood. Through the rain, he confirmed it over and over, his hand trembling uncontrollably.

“No... you can’t do this...” His voice trembled too.

Then, with a thud, the woman fell to her knees. Only then did Ji Yaoming realize that the area beneath her was already soaked in blood, flowing incessantly from her chest.

Headlights pierced through the rain from behind him, illuminating the scene. The blood on the dagger in Ji Yaoming’s hand hadn’t even been washed away by the rain yet.

The woman looked at him and said, “You can do it...”

“Two Alien Species confirmed. Weapons ready. Crystal Source status stable. Awaiting further instructions.”

Amid the chaotic footsteps, Ji Yaoming couldn’t hear anything. Then, suddenly, the world was torn apart by an explosive sound. His ears burned, and the next moment, warmth trickled into them. He watched as the little girl, who had been standing there dazed, was pierced by a bullet and stopped breathing within seconds.

He stood frozen, but then someone surrounded by people walked up from behind him.

“Ji Yaoming.”

It was Ji Dufeng.

“You killed two Alien Species.”

Ji Yaoming stared at the two on the ground, then suddenly pulled them into his arms. “Shut up! They can still be saved!”

Ji Dufeng looked down coldly at Ji Yaoming and, without hesitation, struck his head with the gun. Ji Yaoming was sent rolling away. The next moment, Ji Dufeng pressed the gun firmly against the woman’s temple.

“Ji Dufeng!!!”

Bang—

The world suddenly fell silent.

Ji Yaoming knelt on the ground, staring at the two bodies lying in a pool of blood. Ji Dufeng turned and walked over to him ruthlessly, crouching down. His face, too, was battered from the earlier impact.

"Ji Yaoming, you killed them."

He left.

Ji Yaoming crawled on his knees toward the two bodies. He reached out a hand to touch the cold, small form but quickly withdrew it. He wanted to hold the woman, but the moment his hand brushed against her skin, he pulled back again.

All he could do was brace his hands against the ground, his eyes wide and choking back sobs.

"...Ming..."

"Ji Yaoming!!!"

"Ji Yaoming, why didn't you answer me—" Wen Qi didn’t even bother to close the car door, rushing over with an umbrella, splashing through the rain as he ran up behind him.

But the moment he came to a stop, he gasped sharply. He wanted to ask Ji Yaoming why he was kneeling before the corpses of two Alien Species—one larger, one smaller. The smaller one had a smooth, featureless head where a face should be, with only four eyes not fully closed. The other was mostly obscured by Ji Yaoming, but enough was visible to see that half its body was green—

Wen Qi took a slight step forward, then froze in place.

The other half of the figure’s mouth was curved into a smile, just like always, the same beautiful face he remembered. But now it was fused with something alien, becoming a half-human, half-monster abomination.

Wen Qi crouched down without a word.

Suddenly, Ji Yaoming could no longer hold back. Trembling, he wrapped his arms around Wen Qi.

So cold, so painful...

This rainy season has truly been dragging on forever.

--

Ji Yaoming swayed slightly for a moment, took a deep breath, and then steadied himself.

The thick, foul stench in the cave remained pungent.

Shi Yuewei walked over to him and grabbed his hand. Ji Yaoming jerked and immediately pulled away. "No... you shouldn’t be here. This isn’t where you belong..."

"What are you talking about, foolish child?" The woman looked bewildered. Ji Yaoming blinked, then suddenly looked down and realized the knife was gone from his hand. He wasn’t wearing combat boots or a tactical uniform either—instead, he was wearing a black school uniform.

Shi Yuewei sat on a leather sofa, patting the seat gently. Every movement carried the elegance ingrained from years in the performing arts. "Come here, let me see if you’re hurt... Why are you just standing there like a fool?"

Ji Yaoming opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly a weight tugged at his right leg. He looked down to see a well-behaved little face looking up at him, smiling brightly. "Brother, why did it take you so long to come back? Ji Yue has been waiting for you! You promised to play dolls with me—I’ve already set them up!"

"Regarding yesterday’s Alien Species emergency alert in the Dedapman affluent district, the situation has now been resolved. Investigations confirm that this incident is related to previous cases. Lieutenant General Ji Dufeng led relevant personnel in promptly apprehending the Alien Species, bringing the matter to a close. However, it is with great sorrow that we report the tragic deaths of renowned musical theater actress Shi Yuewei and her daughter Ji Yue, who were passing through the Dedapman district at the time of the incident and tragically lost their lives in the attack."

That was the broadcast from that day. He has remembered it ever since.

And he knows, all too clearly.

They’re really dead.

"Yaoming?" The woman’s voice came again. "Are you going out again tonight? I haven’t seen you in so long. Stay home tonight and keep me company, okay?"

Ji Yaoming’s fingers, hanging at his sides, curled slightly.

"I..."

"Brother!" Ji Yue also looked up, her little face sulking. "Do you hate Ji Yue now?"

"I don’t."

"Then how come you never come back to see us?"

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Author's Note: The memory has come to an end again. There will be another update tonight—come see Wen Qi make a cool entrance to save his husband. [dog head]