Chapter 9: Different Smell

Kai Feng looked at Li Bai's paling face. His hand reached out and caressed the other's face, tracing the white cheeks with his thumb.

The mole below Li Bai's eyes made his skin looked paler and emphasized his bright eyes. 

"This eyes..." Staring at the teary eyes that would shift every now and then, fear can't hide from Li Bai's honest face.

"—I wish for them to only see me." Kai Feng's palm covered his eyes. The darkness loomed over his lids and the uncertainty of security pervaded his soul.

"S-system, help me." Li Bai whimpered as Kai Feng touched his neck with his other hand. The man would ever so slightly traced the visible veins by his skin. With just a snap, he can kill the human in his hands.

Agent 013 hesitated, he can't transport Li Bai under the eyes of a world character. If he violated the law of transmigration, Li Bai would suffer from great setback.

The system scrolled through the system store and found no other choice that can help Li Bai. The helplessness peeved him, if only he could grab Li Bai in person or someone to help the youth. He opened his wrist terminal and stared at the red button. If he clicked it, he can save Li Bai.

Someone.

Just someone who can help Li Bai.

"Aiya, looks like our time is up. I need to get you back to your cage." The man retracted his hands and moved away from him. Agent 013 retracted his hands on a 'certain' button and got back to monitoring. Kai Feng was looking intensely behind them.

Li Bai followed his gaze but could not see anything but trees.

The man patted his clothes and reached out his hand. Li Bai obediently took it and the two of them held hands as they walk.

"I want to stay for a bit longer but your owner is here and I have a mission to finish."

Kai Feng took him to an open field. It was filled with bloomed sunflowers and fleeting butterflies. The beauty of nature contrasts the danger the man held despite his handsome appearance.

The man stopped walking and petted his hair, "Let's meet again sometime." Kai Feng waved just as another voice sounded behind them.

"Li Bai?"

Li Bai turned around and saw Xiang Lian Jun jogging towards him. Following him are his soldiers, almost fifty of them. Around fifteen are wounded, five missing an arm or leg, while the rest are fully conditioned. All of them, including Xiang Lian Jun, have blood on their military uniform.

Li Bai internally panicked. What if he got caught hanging out with a Biantai? Li Bai looked beside him and found that Kai Feng had already disappeared. There were no traces of the Biantai at all.

He remembered what Kai Feng said earlier. His owner? Xiang Lian Jun?

"What are you doing here?" The man pulled the youth near him and checked whether he had injuries or not.

"I...I went out for a walk?" He was relieved that Kai Feng was not seen by the general.

The man raised his brow, "You're not sure?"

"..." How come that sounds sassy ah!?

Li Bai was stared at intensely by the man so he crossed his fingers and lied, "Erm, I looked for you but got lost."

Xiang Lian Jun signaled for his men to rest and then pulled Li Bai away. The man stopped when they got far away from his men and then proceeded to scold him, "I only allowed you to wander inside the base. Why did you look for me? Didn't you know it's dangerous?—"

Li Bai can't retort at all. This is the first time he saw the general get upset with him. He found the man scolding him like this is cute but he felt that something is wrong. The youth's face turned blank by seconds. He poked the system, "Don't you think Xiang Xiang is acting like my mother? Is this another tactic to get my maiden heart?"

"..." *Son, how does acting as a parent turned into pursuing?

The system didn't answer and changed the topic, "Li Bai, you currently have 90 points. Do you want to get the gun skill set now?"

"Get, get, get. I need to show Xiang Xiang how bad ass I am!", Li Bai made a smug expression as he felt the familiar energy pouring in his body.

"—Bai, Li Bai! Are you listening to me?" The man looked helplessly at Li Bai's dumb face.

"I-I'm listening. I'm sorry I made you worried." The man sighed. This child gets dazed too often. Should he let Mu Cheng check him after they went home?

"Actually, I spent the time wandering around by practicing my gun skill. Does Xiang— I mean, General Xiang want to see?"

Xiang Lian Jun had touched the youth's hands earlier. The smoothness of Li Bai's hands didn't show any signs of him practicing guns. Besides, Li Bai's small body can't handle a gun's recoil that is why the hand gun that he gave is only for display.

"Sure." He would entertain Li Bai's lie for a short time and then decide what he should do with him later.

"Okay." Li Bai reached out for the hand gun on his hip and then pointed to a random spot.

'Bang!' Li Bai blinked in shock but nonetheless remained with his shooting form. The generated skill deemed his body weak so it took a stance where he will get less impact from the recoil, his hands both holding the gun instead of just the dominant hand. Except from the shock coming from the sound, the gun skill is trustworthy even at level 1.

"..." Xiang Lian Jun frowned as he analyzed Li Bai's shooting form. The shocked face is clearly shown but the way he handled the gun with much familiarity is definitely real.

In Li Bai's eyes, Xiang Lian Jun's contemplating face turned into 'silently admiring him' which is a bluff. A soldier ran to their side and asked what happened. Li Bai and Xiang Lian Jun forgot that the sudden gun shot will startle the others.

After reassuring the panicked guy and stopping Li Bai from muttering countless of apology, he led the three of them back to their resting place.

The sunflowers grew very tall, almost at Li Bai's height. Besides the flowers, there are also tall grasses, making it a perfect place to hide and rest for a while.

It's twelve noon and the sun is particularly glaring. Since the field is open, the tall plants had lesser effect to give them shade unless they crouch or sit. The fresh summer did not compliment the rustic smell of blood. Li Bai took  a deep breath when he saw a young man with a dismembered left arm, getting treated near him. The young soldier's eyes redden and his teeth gritted from pain but no sounds nor complains can be heard.

"Little Zhao, you're quiet lucky that you are still alive." The soldiers getting treated around him laughed at the military doctor's words. To them, this bloody situation is at most, a slight injury and being alive is the most important rather than being dead.

Li Bai looked away as he felt something rising from his stomach. Xiang Lian Jun noticed his abnormality and quickly hugged him to cover his sight. The man patted Li Ba's back, coaxing him like he was a little child, being treated like this doesn't make him mad at all.

Just as Li Bai relaxed inside the man's arms, Xiang Lian Jun's grip suddenly became tight and painful. Li Bai struggled, telling the man that he's hurting. When he looked up, he got frightened at Xiang Lian Jun's dark face. The man's grip is turning more painful and suffocating.

"You stink. Why is your body filled with a Biantai's scent?"

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Small theater:
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Li Bai: What are you doing?

Author: Searching about guns so you don't shoot yourself.

Kai Feng: *snickers*

Xiang Lian Jun: *gets his desert eagle* May I shoot him?

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In the end, I don't really have to search for it since there's no battle yet.