Chapter 100: Did I Even Sleep?

’When faced with danger, a normal person’s first instinct is to flee. Who would waste time on some mysterious fragments?’

Wen Qian couldn’t understand it. Even if her mother had been an exceptionally calm person, there was no way she would have had the presence of mind to indulge in such pointless speculation at a time like that.

’That’s not something a normal person would do.’

"Don’t overthink it," Gu Mian said reassuringly, looking up at the girl’s lovely face. ’Though he also found the whole thing outrageous, it was impossible for anyone to guess what she had been thinking back then.’

’Maybe she was just curious...’

’Or maybe she really did see something during that disaster.’

’In any case, there were too many possibilities.’

Once all the fragments were assembled, they formed a stone that was merely the size of her palm. Wen Qian couldn’t help but question the stone’s abilities.

’If this is the Taoist Sect of the Guardian Beast World, it’s... a little too small.’

"It looks like it’s still missing three or four pieces," Yin Zhi said analytically, stroking his chin.

Chi Ye frowned. "I’d say it’s more like seven or eight pieces."

"To me, it looks like five or six..." Wen Qian said hesitantly.

At the same time, Li Jiu tugged at his loose shirt and said timidly, "I think it’s five or six pieces too."

Everyone fell silent.

It was hard to analyze a three-dimensional stone like this. Most importantly, no one could be sure just how small the remaining fragments were.

"Let’s wait until we get the pieces from the Little Fox and my adoptive parents, then we can count again," Wen Qian said with a sigh.

The fragments they had, despite their bizarre shapes, were all roughly the same size.

Once they had those fragments, everything would become much clearer.

She wasn’t worried about the Little Fox, but she was worried about her adoptive parents. Her relationship with her adoptive father was at an all-time low, so her only option was to go through her adoptive mother.

’But will she really be willing to tell me where the fragments are...?’ Wen Qian’s brow furrowed. She wasn’t confident at all.

After a moment’s thought, Wen Qian looked at Gu Mian. "A Mian, can you contact the Little Fox?"

Gu Mian’s expression faltered for a second, and he didn’t answer right away. He tightened his grip on one of the fragments in his hand before finally responding with a low murmur.

"That fox... can he be trusted?" Chi Ye asked, crossing his legs and letting out a lazy yawn.

There was prejudice against foxes on both Blue Star and in the Beast World.

On Blue Star, fox beastmen, regardless of gender, were all exceptionally attractive. But for that very reason, they were also saddled with many unsavory labels.

Gu Mian didn’t mention that he had seen the Little Fox the day before. He simply replied, "It shouldn’t be a problem."

’If he really were connected to those people, he wouldn’t have been tailed yesterday.’

’But half a day has passed since we met. It’s possible he’s been won over. After all, we still don’t know the extent of their power or their methods.’

’Qi Ke worked hard to build a respectable life for himself on Blue Star. There’s no telling if he might switch sides at a critical moment.’

"I’ll find a way to meet with him," Gu Mian said. He then looked up at Wen Qian. "If he checks out, I’ll bring him here to meet you."

"Okay." These were critical times, so for everyone’s safety, Wen Qian naturally had no objections.

After breakfast, the Beastmen went to rest in various parts of the villa.

Autumn always seemed to arrive faster than the other seasons. In the blink of an eye, the vibrant green leaves had faded from their original color.

The midday sun was strong, and the breeze felt warm. Wen Qian sat sunbathing on a lounge chair in the yard, a strawberry lollipop that Yin Zhi had produced from who-knows-where dangling from her lips.

A heavy blanket was draped over her. At her feet lay Chi Heng in his wolf form, and cradled in her arms was a fluffy little bird.

Chi Ye had said that Chi Heng’s injuries were quite severe, and transforming into a wolf would help him recover faster.

As for Li Jiu... he was much better at flying than walking. Unfortunately, a Hundred Bird Clan Beastman was far too conspicuous on Blue Star, so he had taken on his small animal form.

He loved to nestle in Wen Qian’s arms or on top of her head. It was soft and warm... just like a bird’s nest.

While Wen Qian and her group were relaxing comfortably, Qi Ke, who hadn’t slept in 36 hours, was utterly exhausted.

’He knew Gu Mian wouldn’t contact him immediately... not even for Wen Qian’s safety.’

His head throbbed painfully. Qi Ke propped his chin on one hand, struggling to keep his eyes open, but his movements with the mouse were still much slower than before.

He didn’t know how long it had been before he finally drifted off to sleep in his chair.

He was sleeping so lightly that he could even hear the hum of the computer tower. But he clearly didn’t have the strength to open his eyes; he was simply too exhausted.

After another unknown period of time, the heavy metal door was pulled open from the outside. Xiao Rui walked in, holding a newly upgraded phone, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, wake up..."

Qi Ke was still half-awake, his head throbbing. He could hear Xiao Rui speaking, but the voice sounded like it was coming through a piece of cloth—muffled and indistinct.

So Xiao Rui gave him another push. "Buddy, time to get up!"

"Did I even fucking sleep?" Qi Ke gritted his teeth, but still managed to slowly open his eyes.

’It’s been a long time since I’ve been this miserable.’

’The last time I felt this awful... was the last time I felt this awful.’

"Hey, I didn’t want to wake you..." Xiao Rui said, rubbing his nose. He then handed the phone to Qi Ke and gestured with his chin. "That guy called you again."

When Qi Ke had taken Gu Mian’s call earlier, his expression had been dead serious, which led Xiao Rui to deduce that this person was important to him.

He’d planned to trace the guy’s location during the call, but as it turned out, the man’s phone also had anti-tracking software installed.

’Heh, ran into one of my own kind.’

Qi Ke took the phone and answered with a disgruntled, "Hello?"

"Ten p.m. tonight. South City, Shuangqiao Technology, Exit C." The man’s voice was impersonally cold.

Qi Ke’s mind was still groggy. It took him a moment to realize Gu Mian was setting up a meeting.

But just as he was about to speak, the line went dead.

Staring blankly at the phone’s black screen, the man forced out two words through a stiff expression: "How rude."

’Wait, I think I missed something.’

’The entire city is on lockdown, and I’m on the Beastman wanted list. The main roads from City A to South City are crawling with Hunters targeting Beastmen.’

’Is he sure he wants me to go to South City, and not just go there to die?’

"What’s with that look on your face?" Xiao Rui asked, noticing that Qi Ke’s expression had only gotten uglier since he’d hung up.

"I have to go out," Qi Ke said in a low voice, grabbing his jacket from the chair.

Watching his retreating back, Xiao Rui shouted, "You’re giving up on the search?"

Qi Ke didn’t say a word, simply waving a hand over his shoulder.

’The surveillance footage showed that Wen Qian had indeed left City A. If I wasn’t sure before, Gu Mian’s call definitely removed all doubt.’

’It’s very likely that the people from the footage... are now in South City.’