046
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“Bianbian, hand me that small red bottle from your bag.”
In the spacious kindergarten classroom, an enticing aroma of meat filled the air, making everyone’s mouths water.
Between the two benches sat a roasted chicken, neither too plump nor too thin. Its surface, crisped by fire, had turned a mouthwatering golden brown, while dripping fat pooled on the ground into a small slick.
The metal plates wrapped around Luo Yesheng’s body now covered only his waist. His limbs were free, allowing him to unleash his abilities. If he intended to escape, he could have seized Bianbian the moment his limbs regained freedom and fled with her as a hostage.
However, out of responsibility for his own life, and considering the disparity in strength between them—mainly due to that hidden individual.
Moreover, with his injuries not yet healed, he might not even succeed in taking Bianbian hostage. She was no unarmed little girl, but an ability user herself.
Luo Yesheng decided to take things one step at a time and wait for the right opportunity to act.
Therefore, in order to properly fulfill his role as “cook,” his limbs were freed once more, while the metal bands tightening around his waist and abdomen served as a warning: should he display any suspicious reaction, those metal blades would strike before he could even make a move.
The kindergarten had a sink; Luo Yesheng quickly plucked the feathers and cleaned the innards of the pheasant, then used his ability to incinerate the remains, preventing zombies from being drawn by the scent.
Luo Yesheng’s backpack contained seasonings; he brushed a layer of oil over the prepared pheasant, temporarily constructed a roasting rack using stools from the classroom, and placed the bird atop it to roast.
His right hand moved like a gas stove with an unbroken flame, skillfully adjusting the heat at will; it was clear he was a master of grilling.
At this moment, he asked Bianbian to fetch the chili powder.
Bianbian obediently handed it over.
The little girl’s entire attention had been captivated by the aroma of the roasting meat. Her eyes sparkled brightly as she watched, waiting for it to cook through. She no longer felt the heat, and even began to think that this “big bad guy” wasn’t so讨厌 after all, despite the sweat-dampened strands of hair clinging to her forehead.
Luo Yesheng closely observed her expression, believing this was a perfect opportunity to extract information, so he asked again, “Bianbian, who is the person with you?”
Bianbian casually replied, “Grandpa.”
Luo Yesheng felt a surge of joy; indeed, his probing had worked. Suppressing his racing heart, a faint hint of color returned to his pale face.
—Continuously channeling fire-type abilities placed a significant strain on Luo Yesheng, whose injuries had not yet fully healed. Fortunately, roasting a mountain pheasant didn’t require intense heat, so he could manage the effort.
He continued in a gentle tone, “Why doesn’t he come over?”
Bianbian was filled with regret; she had actually called that bad guy “Grandpa” just now. This time, no matter what, she wouldn’t say another word. She glanced at Luo Yesheng, shifted her feet, and moved a little farther away from the bad guy.
Luo Yesheng: “…”
He truly couldn’t understand why the little girl looked at him as if thinking, “This is a terrible villain.” Although he wouldn’t go so far as to award himself a “Good Person Certificate,” he certainly hadn’t committed any murders or arson.
The frustrated ability user took a deep breath and changed the question: “Have you and Grandpa always lived here?”
Bianbian continued to stare longingly at the roasted chicken like a wooden statue. Yet, it would be impolite to ignore someone’s questions consecutively. Thus, she moved a few steps farther away from Luo Yesheng before replying, “I won’t tell you.”
Luo Yesheng: “…”
“Why?” he asked humbly. “Look, you stole my chicken, tied me up, and now you’re even making me roast it for you… I’ve done everything you asked. By rights, I should be angry, yet I’m not. Bianbian, don’t you think this is terribly unfair to me?”
Bianbian didn’t know what “fair” or “unfair” meant, but Luo Yesheng’s words suddenly made her think: This bad guy doesn’t seem angry at all.
“If your grandfather is here, ask him to come out so we can talk face to face.” Luo Yesheng flipped the roasted chicken over. “I can’t defeat you, but you ambushed me without reason and stole my chicken… There must be some explanation, right?”
He was convinced that Bianbian’s grandfather had used some method to hide himself, so these words weren’t meant for Bianbian.
Unfortunately, he was destined to be talking past each other.
Bianbian stared at him with her big eyes, unmoved by his words.
In her heart, she thought: You hit Grandpa, and he only tied you up and took the meat. That was already very polite.
In the past, when Bianbian followed Grandpa and they encountered villains who tried to play dirty tricks or act ruthlessly against them, Grandpa would always teach them a harsh lesson.
Through his actions, he imparted to Bianbian the principle of repaying kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge.
He wished for his beloved granddaughter to be kind, but he would not let her be kind without principles.
Therefore, to Bianbian, Luo Yesheng was the villain who had beaten her grandfather; taking meat from villains and making them do things were naturally acts of revenge on behalf of her grandfather.
Luo Yesheng’s eyes slowly narrowed. He had spoken this far, yet Bianbian’s grandfather still hadn’t appeared, and Bianbian herself remained silent. However, the look in her eyes made it even clearer that she did not consider him a good person.
Just then—
Suddenly, the hairs on Luo Yesheng’s body stood on end.
If I had to describe it, it was like a sudden cool breeze blowing into a sweltering room—remember, in summer, even the wind is hot.
An ice-type ability user?
No, not an ice type.
The ice element merely alters temperature, yet Luo Yesheng felt as though he had plunged into a dim, profound, and frigid world of utter darkness, where one could not see one’s own hand before their face.
Someone had arrived silently.
Except for the grandfather Bianbian spoke of, Luo Yesheng couldn’t imagine who it could be. A voice deep within him whispered: this person must be the mysterious attacker who ambushed him and Feng Leijie.
So it was Bianbian’s grandfather.
He hadn’t guessed wrong!
Luo Yesheng’s breathing grew tight and labored, his other hand—the one that had just been holding a bottle of pepper seasoning—trembling slightly.
That person indeed possessed the special ability to turn invisible.
His mind raced with thoughts, yet Luo Yesheng’s face betrayed nothing. Since Bianbian’s grandfather was clearly a powerful ability user possessing invisibility, regardless of the attacker’s prior motives, Luo knew he could neither defeat nor provoke him; he had to swallow his anger for now.
“Is this Bianbian’s grandfather?” Luo Yesheng strove to keep his voice calm. “Hello, I’m Luo Yesheng. I believe… there may be some misunderstanding between us.”
Bianbian, who had been staring intently at the roasted chicken, terrified that the bad man would burn her meat, lifted her small face toward the doorway upon hearing Luo Yesheng’s words.
Grandpa and Uncle Zhu Yuan hadn’t come in. Who was the bad man talking to?
She quietly turned her head and saw the villain sitting on the ground, suddenly feeling reluctant to stay here with him any longer.
Immediately afterward, a sharp “screech” echoed through the classroom—the piercing sound of a chair leg dragging across the floor. Following the noise, Bianbian looked over and saw the chair closest to her move.
It’s Uncle! An invisible uncle has arrived.
But which uncle it was… she couldn’t tell.
The little girl’s mind instinctively flashed with this thought.
Although Luo Yesheng kept his eyes fixed on the direction where the stool was moving, he didn’t miss Bianbian’s reaction out of the corner of his eye. Seeing her tender little face filled with delight, he knew immediately that the visitor must be her grandfather.
His throat felt somewhat dry; restraining all his emotions, he spoke slowly, “Grandpa Bianbian, I…”
Before he could finish, a crisp tapping sound came from the podium behind him. Luo Yesheng quickly turned around, only to see a piece of chalk floating up before the blackboard on the podium, casually writing a line of words—
Idiot, I’m her father.
Luo Yesheng, labeled an “idiot”: “…”
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While writing this chapter, Da Wanzi fell asleep and face-planted onto the keyboard… Upon waking up, I found pages of nonsense in the document. QAQ
Da Wanzi will post two chapters tomorrow to make up for it. Chu~