Chapter 11 Verse 10

  Kawabe Kazuhiko's assistant Hidemasa and a strange man.

  They seem to be arguing in hushed tones.

  What are they talking about? He leaned against the doorpost and stretched his neck out quietly.

  A faint Japanese voice came over. But first, he couldn't hear clearly, secondly, his Japanese listening ability was not as good as his speaking skills, and finally, the words that entered his ears were not many that he could understand.

  The most frequent word is the name Kawau Hiroshi.

  "Kill..."

  A word he was familiar with flew into his ear.

  Kill? What kill? Who are they going to kill? Or who is going to kill them?

  The quarrel between the two gradually grew louder.

  Chengzhou didn't quite understand what they were arguing about, but from the two people's attitudes, it was clear that they belonged to opposing sides.

  Xiu Ming, who was normally calm and gentle, was now emotionally agitated, looking as if he was blaming the man in front of him.

  What?! Are you going to eat him?! Who is speaking?! Cheng Zhou's hair stood on end. It wasn't just the content of the words that scared him, but also the voice that entered his ears didn't belong to either of the two people arguing.

  There was a fourth person present. Who is it? Why would they utter such cruel and shocking words?

  Time and time again, the dull, stifling, moaning-like whispers pierced through the eardrum and directly collided with the brain.

  The low whisper seemed to be filled with hatred and greed.

  As if lured by the sound, Cheng Zhou began to scan his surroundings, searching for the source of the low whisper.

  The asphalt road outside the village was empty, with no one else in sight except for Xiū Míng and the other person.

  On both sides of the asphalt road were sparse mountain forests, and further in, only a black shadow of trees could be seen...

  Chengzhou's expression suddenly became stiff, and a look of fear flowed out from his eyes.

  A pair of dark red eyes stared unblinkingly at the two under the lamp from the black shadow of the opposite forest.

  That's... the black figure on the bridge!

  Cheng Chou wanted to stand up and warn Hsiu-Ming, but his body was as if tied with a rope, unable to move, even opening and closing his mouth became an impossible task.

  After Xiū Míng angrily cursed a foul word, the two people arguing under the lamp suddenly became quiet.

  Xiu Ming strode towards the direction of the villa with large steps, her face filled with indignation.

  At this moment, Cheng Chou's body was like being released from a curse, and all his senses were restored.

  Not wanting to be seen by Xiu Ming, Cheng Zhou retreated back and quickly hid in the shadow of the door pillar.

  Cheng Zhou saw Xiū Míng walk into the gate, and only when he was sure that the other party would no longer see him did he quietly stick his head out from behind the doorpost again.

  A dark shadow loomed over his exploring eyes.

  “……！”

  The mouth that wanted to scream was swiftly covered by a small, icy hand.

  "Don't shout! It hasn't left yet." A childish voice whispered a low warning in his ear.

  Who? Who hasn't left yet?

  Under the streetlights outside, there is no one in sight, and the man from just now seems to have left. In the mountain forest across the way...

  Nothing.

  Cheng Zhou used force to pry open Xiaomao's hand covering his mouth and glared at the kid fiercely. You little brat! Are you trying to scare me to death?!

  Settle down your mind and look into the woods on the opposite mountain.

  No dark shadows, no dark red eyes, nothing at all.

  Was it his illusion?

  The child also turned around and looked at the opposite mountain forest, with a cold smile on his face that was not suitable for children.

  About ten seconds later, a "gurgling" sound came from the child's belly.

  "I'm hungry." The child covered his stomach and looked up at Cheng Zhou with a matter-of-fact complaint.

  Back in the bedroom of the other courtyard, Chengzhou made some instant noodles and bread for the child to eat. After the child took a bath and fell asleep, he also walked into the bathroom with his clean underwear.

  Cheng Zhou stood in front of the mirror, squeezing toothpaste while thinking about what he had just seen. As he thought, his mind focused on that mysterious black shadow.

  What is it after all? A human being or an animal?

  If it were human, how could there be a pair of dark red eyes emitting a faint glow?

  If it's an animal, what kind of animal is it? Even in the mountains, but in a modern metropolis like Edo, would such a large and dangerous animal still exist?

  "Cheng Zhou..."

  I don't know if the man who talked to Xiū Míng will be in danger. It would be better if he could be warned. Maybe the murderer of that homicide case is still wandering in the mountains, maybe that black shadow...

  "Get on the boat...... Hurry and escape......"

  The hand brushing teeth stopped in mid-air.

  The bathroom was quiet, and there were no sounds coming from the bedroom outside the door. The child seemed to be sleeping very soundly.

  These two days have been full of auditory hallucinations and illusions.

  Chengzhou let out a bitter laugh, lowered his head and quickened the pace of brushing his teeth. After finishing brushing his teeth, he rinsed the cup clean and put it on the washbasin, his fingers hooked onto the belt buckle as he prepared to undo the belt and take off his trousers.

  "Don't let him... wake up..."

  "Don't let him remember who he is..."

  "Get on the boat......, hurry and escape......!"

  "Who?" Cheng Zhou raised his head and shouted at the exhaust fan above the bathtub.

  No one answered.

  Damn it! Muttering to himself, Cheng Zhou prepared to ignore his auditory hallucination. He undid the buckle on his belt and took off his pants and socks, wearing only his briefs as he stepped into the bathtub and pulled the shower curtain shut.

  He thought about it and then pulled back the shower curtain again. He wasn't scared... Okay, he was a little scared.

  "He's stopping me..."

  "Onizuka has broken through... You've released..."

  "Crack!" The cup on the washbasin suddenly shattered.

  At the same time, the bathroom door was pushed open with a bang, and a small figure walked in.

  While walking and rubbing her eyes, the child walked to the toilet in a daze as if she hadn't seen Cheng Chou.

  Chengzhou stared blankly at the little kid who had just burst in.

  "Don't peek!" The child muttered suddenly.

  "Shh!" Who wants to peek at you? Cheng Zhou, who had come to his senses, glanced at Xiaomao with disdain and pulled the shower curtain shut with a swoosh.

  The sound of water and a child's urination echoed simultaneously in the bathroom.

  Cheng Chou, who had a nightmare all night, didn't fall into a deep sleep until dawn and slept till noon.

  It is unknown whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that he was exempted from the obligation and right to participate in the exchange meeting by the company, so as to fully cooperate with the police investigation until the case is cleared up, including figuring out the mystery of the child's life.

  Just as Cheng Zhou was staring at the cracked mouthwash cup in the bathroom, a voice came from the bedroom.

  Cheng Chou walked out of the bathroom and saw that young Nan Shan police officer standing at the door, bending down to talk to a child.

  If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have come out. Cheng Zhou regretted it too late. Just as he was thinking of taking advantage of the other's inattention to flash back into the bathroom, he heard that Nan Shan police officer calling his name.

  "Mr. Cheng."

  "Anything wrong?" Cheng Zhou turned back helplessly.

  At this time, he found that there were two people standing outside the door. One was Officer Nanshan, and the other was probably Xiuming who had been pulled over to interpret. Seeing Xiuming, Chengzhou suddenly thought of last night.

  "Hello." Xiū Míng smiled and waved at him.

  Cheng Zhou hastily returned the courtesy.

  "Cough, I came to tell you that the identity of the victim has been found out. Oh, by the way, I brought your son a McDonald's hamburger, which Officer Suzuki promised him last time." Through Hidemi, Nanzan briefly explained his intention.

  "There's also ramen." The child emphasized on the side, as if afraid he would forget.

  Cheng Zhou subconsciously felt that this time Nan Shan seemed not as fierce and vigilant as before... why? However, before understanding the reason for this, he still had one more thing to ask Nan Shan.

  "Have you found this child's parents?"

  "What are you talking about, Mr. Cheng?" Officer Nanshan furrowed his brow, "Why do we need to find his parents? Aren't you his father?"

  "What?" Cheng Zhou almost doubted his ears. Three days ago, the police were still looking for the child's parents everywhere, how did the child's father become him today?

  "You're not going to try to abandon him again, are you?" Nan Shan said in a low voice as he drew closer to Cheng Chou.

  "Please! Officer Nan Shan, I've explained to you guys last time, the time before that, and the time before that too. This child and I have no relationship whatsoever, nor did I try to abandon him. I really don't know where he came from!"

  This kid is weird, and not just normally weird. Who has ever seen a child who likes to run out at midnight? He's got a big temper, a bad personality, and he can eat a lot. Maybe... these are the reasons why his parents abandoned him?

  Nan Shan's expression suddenly turned cold.

  "I've never seen a father as irresponsible as you. How can you say such things in front of the child? You should know that abandoning one's own children is a serious crime in this country!"

  "Hua Xia is the same! I said he's not my son! Can't you understand?" Cheng Zhou also got angry.

  "Cheng Zhou, I believe the police will investigate this matter again carefully, don't worry. If you think it's inconvenient to have the child with you, I can take care of him temporarily until everything is cleared up, what do you think?" Xiu Ming hastily mediated as he saw the tense atmosphere between the two people.

  Chengzhou wanted to say something, but seeing Xiuying's embarrassed expression, he could only hold back. At the same time, he also noticed that the little ghost standing beside him had been lowering his head since earlier, seemingly lost in thought.

  He... won't cry anymore?

  Suddenly, a sense of guilt surged up in his heart. Cheng Zhou fell silent.

  "Also, I have another thing to ask you." Nanshan saw that the atmosphere was not right and automatically changed the subject.

  "What's wrong?" Cheng Zhou asked, mustering up his spirit.

  "Where were you between 1 and 3 last night?"

  "Last night?" The first thought that flashed through Cheng Zhou's mind was that something had gone wrong.

  Nan Shan and Xiu Ming looked at him together.

  "Uh, I was watching TV in my room all night, and then the kid came back, so I made him something to eat and went to sleep."

  "Haven't you gone out yet?"

  Cheng Zhou looked around and saw the little boy with his head down, chuckled and scratched his head, saying: "This kid was playing outside until after one o'clock and hadn't come back yet, so I had to go out and find him. It was probably around 1:10 when I found him at the entrance of the mountain villa, and then brought him back."

  Xiu Ming's eyes flickered slightly.

  "Oh? Have you seen anything?" Nan Shan asked.

  Chengzhou glanced at Xiūmíng, and Xiūmíng averted his gaze.

  To speak or not to speak? Cheng Zhou hesitated in his heart.

  "Cough, Mr. Cheng, I think you don't need to hide from Officer Nan Shan. Just tell him what you see directly." Xiu Ming said to Cheng Zhou in the Huaxia language.

  "Even if I said that at the time I saw you and a man in his thirties arguing under the streetlights outside the villa, would that be okay?" Cheng asked with an uneasy smile.

  "Did you see me come back?" Xiū Míng suddenly asked very nervously.

  Cheng Zhou nodded.

  With a grateful smile at him, Xiū Míng turned his head and relayed Chéng Zhōu's words to Nán Shān.

  As Xiū Míng was translating to Nán Shān, Chéng Zhōu saw that the child still had his head hung low and not a hint of his usual arrogance. He felt a bit sorry for him and couldn't help but want to reach out and touch his head, but he withdrew his hand halfway through the motion.

  Nan Shan asked Cheng Chou a few more questions, and then he and Xiu Ming bid farewell together. Xiu Ming looked at the child and said to Cheng Chou, "Let's leave this kid with me."

  Cheng Zhou felt extremely grateful in his heart and was just about to nod in agreement.

  "Waaah... nobody wants me... waaah." A childish, pitiful cry suddenly echoed through the room.

  Three adults simultaneously cast their gaze towards the poor little kid who was rubbing his eyes and crying.

  "Mom doesn't want me... Dad doesn't want me either... I'm a child that nobody wants..." The kid cried as he walked out the door.

  Cheng Zhou suddenly felt two piercing gazes on his face. Needless to say, it must be Nan Shan staring at him.

  Helplessly sighing, Cheng Zhou walked towards the child.

  "Alright, don't cry. You just mentioned your mom, do you know where your mom is?" The man asked in a soft and gentle voice.

  Cheng Zhou asked him, and the child cried even louder, "Waaah---!"

  "Hey little friend, don't cry, okay? Tell uncle where your mom is?" Xiu Ming squatted down to comfort the child.

  "Mom... mom... went to heaven..." The child replied with a sob.

  Ah! Three adults looking at me, I look at you, and suddenly our hearts are filled with sympathy for the child.

  "Why don't you stay with your uncle for a while?" Xiu Ming said more gently.

  "Waaahhh..." The child neither said it was good nor bad, but just kept crying.

  "What about your dad? I mean, your real dad?" Cheng Zhou also squatted down, asking with a hint of expectation.

  The child raised his head, with tears and snot all over his face, staring at him with a very resentful gaze. The stare made Cheng Zhou's heart feel hairy.

  "Little friend, can you tell the police uncle where you and your mom live?"

  The child didn't answer, just cried. Cried so much that Xiū Míng and Nán Shān looked at Chéng Zhōu together.

  Helplessly, he let out a soft sigh, and Cheng Zhou stood up, stretched out his hand and wrapped the child in his arms.

  In this country for now, he's temporarily my responsibility, Cheng Zhou told himself.

  The child hugged Cheng Zhou tightly and burst into loud sobs, "Dad——!"

  It's settled then. Cheng Zhou looked at Nan Shan's determined expression and felt like crying too.

  Unfortunately, no one saw the child burying his head in Cheng Chou's arms, with a smirk on his lips that was similar to a sneer.

  The author has something to say:

  threw a hand grenade

  Shooter Xie threw a hand grenade

  Meteor shower Beta threw a landmine

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  Always threw a landmine

  Pineapple threw a hand grenade

  Thank you very much for your support, everyone! ^^