Hey! Control Yourself! - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Asking for a Hug

Seventy percent of the planet Gaya is covered by forest. To the Gaya people, the forest is their ocean, and hidden within this “ocean” are “islands” of various sizes.

These islands are composed of a unique geological formation, soft yet resilient, usually blanketed in vines and grass. Once developed, they can house forest cities, also known as Forest Islands.

In one such forest city within Country D…

A group of young men stood by a riverbank, staring in awe at the green metropolis before them. The city combined vibrant vitality with elegant, orderly architectural lines. Shuttles drifted beneath the boughs of ancient, massive trees; trunks hundreds of meters long spanned the river like bridges; and leaves as large as boats floated along the waterways carrying crates of cargo. Above their heads, levitating maglev trains streaked toward high-rises swathed in emerald vines.

“This place looks more beautiful than an elven kingdom,” Sha Mo remarked, constantly snapping photos with his light-brain.

“Why are we only discovering this place right as we’re about to leave?” Lei Yi looked up, his mouth hanging open as he watched a giant bird resembling a wyvern. Its fairy-tale-sized wings cast shadows over them.

Three hours earlier…

“We have to go with you.”

Though they didn’t know the reason behind Shen Ji’s intent to kill Sheng Lu, Royce and the others had decided to follow him. Even Lei Yi, who viewed Shen Ji’s actions as “ungrateful,” chose to stand by his side.

“Wait for me here,” Shen Ji had said.

“Did you forget what the mentor said? We have to maintain physical contact. Otherwise, when the transition machine starts, if you’re acting alone, you might be left here forever,” Lei Yi countered.

“The problem is, do you even know where Sheng Lu is?” Royce asked.

In truth, Shen Ji had been tracking Sheng Lu’s trail for some time. He finally found information on a Gaya underground website, which led him to this forest city. It had taken them another three hours to reach this location.

“Then this must be the First District, where Shaxing frequently appears.”

The First District was at the very heart of the forest city, centered around a Green Palace. From Shen Ji’s perspective, green buildings and the massive roots of ancient trees surrounded them in dense, overlapping layers. Despite the widespread bounties and the occasional bounty hunter who managed to enter, there were far too few mental energy experts capable of actually opposing Shaxing.

The group stood near a shopping mall constructed within a hollow tree, looking up at the sky—or rather, a sky veiled by green leaves. A wild wind blew past, causing a surging rustle to echo through the forest city.

There were approximately three hours left until their departure.

“Are you lot here for the bounty too?”

A man wearing a long green trench coat with a scar across his face sat beneath a tree, calling out to them.

Lei Yi thought for a moment and replied, “Not exactly for the bounty.”

“Oh, come off it. What’s there to deny?” Seeing that Shen Ji didn’t answer, the man continued, “My target is Woodpecker. What about you? Who are you looking to kill?”

He likely assumed they were novice hunters who had just finished their apprenticeship and were foolishly rushing in to find Shaxing. He wanted to display his experience as a senior, while subtly warning them not to compete for Woodpecker’s bounty.

Woodpecker was the code name of a Shaxing member. They had seen him on the bounty list; compared to the others, his reward was lower, suggesting he was easier to handle.

“Don’t worry, we won’t compete with you for Woodpecker,” Royce said.

“Then who? The Hunchback?”

“Maybe… Sheng Lu?” Lei Yi suggested.

The man’s eyes widened visibly. He frowned, looking at them as if they were madmen. After a long silence, he finally spoke: “Bullshit.”

“No one in this world can kill Sheng Lu.”

Lei Yi shot back, “And you think you can kill that bird fellow?”

At this, the man looked proud. “Of course. I’ve spent an entire year—a whole year, observing and mastering Woodpecker’s movements. Every ten days, at this exact time, Woodpecker comes out to a… Wait!” His voice cut off suddenly as he stared ahead with a serious expression.

The group followed his gaze. In the distance, several shuttle escorts surrounded a luxurious levitating frigate, gradually approaching their location. It finally docked at an aerial landing pad constructed from giant trees.

A couple dressed in magnificent finery emerged, surrounded by guards. The noble lady held a child in her arms. Shen Ji noticed the child was pale and appeared gravely ill. The party took a panoramic elevator to the ground and walked toward the Green Palace.

“Pardon us, Duke and Duchess Teakin wish to see Master Sheng Lu,” a member of the knights’ guard said to the gate sentries.

“Why would royalty come to see Sheng Lu?” Lei Yi rubbed his chin. Logically, many countries were currently hunting the Shaxing organization.

The bounty hunter looked at them skeptically. “Which hunters’ association trained you? If you want to take on bounty missions, you should do your homework instead of bragging about killing Sheng Lu. Though, I suppose this information isn’t something ordinary people can find.”

“Since we seem to have a bit of destiny between us, I’ll tell you…”

Royce raised a hand to silence him. “No, we don’t want to know.”

“…” The bounty hunter choked on his words, his desire to share left with nowhere to go. Sha Mo turned away to stifle a laugh. After enduring thirty seconds of silence, the hunter looked hopefully at Shen Ji, who hadn’t spoken. “Actually, you really want to know, right?”

Shen Ji replied, “It’s not important to me.”

“Please, just let me finish…”

Finally, through the bounty hunter’s unsolicited explanation, Shen Ji learned that Sheng Lu possessed supreme mental healing techniques. He could heal himself and others. Many people suffering from incurable diseases sought a sliver of hope from him.

“However, Sheng Lu doesn’t intervene easily. Even if he is willing, the next of kin of the saved must pay a price.”

Royce and the others had witnessed Sheng Lu’s self-healing ability, so they weren’t particularly surprised. “So that child really is sick.”

The bounty hunter added, “Duke Teakin’s youngest son contracted a mysterious, incurable illness. The Duke must have tried everything else before coming to Sheng Lu.”

Shen Ji noticed a mechanical weapon resembling an anti-aircraft machine gun on the inside of the man’s arm, loaded with bullets made of refined copper and mental energy. It looked like a highly professional assassination weapon, much more formidable than his own pistol.

“What kind of gun is that?” Shen Ji walked over.

The bounty hunter patted his weapon, as if he had been waiting for them to ask. “Oh… I had a master mechanic modify this. No matter how powerful a mental energy expert is, they won’t escape a single bullet…”

“Lend me your gun.”

“…What?”

Shen Ji extended his hand. “Lend me your gun.”

The bounty hunter looked up, his pupils reflecting a black silhouette radiating immense pressure. The man who had been full of pride just a moment ago now looked as innocent as a rabbit. He reached out to push Shen Ji’s hand away, but it felt as hard as military-grade synthetic machinery.

He focused his mental energy to push, but Shen Ji didn’t budge. He poured every ounce of mental power he possessed into the effort; his hand turned red and slightly swollen from the strain, veins bulged on his forehead, and his face turned livid. Yet, he failed to move the hand even a fraction of an inch; instead, he watched in despair as the hand moved an inch closer.

“Thank you,” Shen Ji said.

The hunter’s lip twitched. Do I look like I’m agreeing? Why are you thanking me?

Ultimately, the unlucky bounty hunter lent his gun. Shen Ji took the heavy weapon, which was nearly as long as his forearm. The caliber was larger, and the destructive power was naturally greater. He used his mental energy to forge several pure mental energy bullets and loaded them into the chamber.

Watching this process, the bounty hunter’s cheek twitched involuntarily. No one could simply forge mental energy bullets directly… even high-level hunters like him needed refined steel to create semi-mental bullets. Where did this guy come from?

He looked at Shen Ji’s pure black hair and eyes, and a sudden realization struck him. “You… you and the Shen family are—”

Shen Ji’s dark pupils shifted toward him. For some reason, the man went silent instantly.

Royce said, “We have two hours left until we have to go back. Shen Ji, you’d better hurry.”

They entered the outer layers of the palace directly through another tree-root passage. There were two guards at the entrance, but they didn’t stop them. Shen Ji used his mental energy to sense the surroundings; there were no taboos or restrictions set.

Upon entering the interior of the Green Palace, Lei Yi and Sha Mo couldn’t help but gasp. The corridors were connected by green leaves, and thousands of firefly-like insects flew through the pipes of the handrails. For a moment, they felt as though they were in a green paradise.

Shen Ji pressed the button for the twentieth floor. Royce was surprised by his lack of hesitation; it seemed Shen Ji instinctively knew where Sheng Lu was.

Beneath their feet were transparent floor tiles, like glass. A clear green lake flowed beneath them, separated by the glass, like the moving veins of the forest. As they stepped onto this flowing “natural vein,” the floor tiles beneath them moved. Green trees and giant birds drifted past the window; the entire world seemed to revolve slowly around them. Looking out the window, they felt like trees flying through the forest; looking at the floor, they were like leaves floating rapidly on the water.

Stepping forward caused the water below to splash; reaching out, several leaves brushed past their wrists. The shifting ground carried them in a slow rotation to the second floor, the third… spiraling upward until they reached their destination.

On the various corridors of each floor, figures could be seen in small groups. They carried themselves with poise and mystery, draped in black cloaks, using various gazes to scrutinize these young uninvited guests. No one blocked their path.

Shen Ji turned into a side passage and saw the ducal couple. The Duchess was kneeling on the ground. “I beg of you, Master Sheng Lu, please help my child.”

Standing behind the corner, Shen Ji couldn’t see Sheng Lu. A hunchbacked man spoke: “Since you’ve found your way here, you should know Master Sheng Lu’s rules.”

The Duchess was pale but firm. “Yes. Please tell Master Sheng Lu that I am willing to pay any price, as long as my child is healthy.”

Throughout this, Duke Teakin stood tall and proud, his face filled with suppressed anger. As a grand Duke, he had received no hospitality here—not even a seat.

“Duchess, do not be too distressed. Master Sheng Lu is very fond of children. Your child will be healthy,” the hunchback said softly.

“Truly?”

Duke Teakin sneered. “Fond of children? Aside from these foolish women and ignorant commoners, who would believe that the great demon who slaughtered an entire village loves children?”

The hunchback’s tone remained calm. “Master Sheng Lu likes children and will cure the child’s illness. But it will cost Duke Teakin an arm.”

“What did you say?!” Duke Teakin’s face darkened. His words clearly carried no weight here.

“It is a fair trade,” the hunchback continued.

Shen Ji didn’t listen further. He continued down the corridor, sensing Sheng Lu’s presence growing stronger. He could feel the other’s mental energy at the deepest part of the area. He walked inside and heard a child crying. In a blue-green room, he saw Sheng Lu at a glance, his long white hair cascading onto the pristine carpet.

The great demon was holding the child. The child was crying, but his face was slightly flushed and his cries were strong; compared to the paleness from before, it was a clear transformation. Sheng Lu looked down at the tiny life, his coldness tinged with mockery. “Human children naturally know how to cry—they know how to make their mothers willing to give up their lives for them. Despicable little brat.”

Shen Ji was somewhat surprised. At every turn, Sheng Lu completely overturned the image of any Omega he could have imagined in reality.

Despite his words, Sheng Lu gently placed the child on a rectangular table and allowed a member to carry the child down to return him to his mother. His gaze followed the child’s figure and naturally shifted toward Shen Ji at the doorway.

Sheng Lu was still wearing his black suit. When he saw Shen Ji, his cold, handsome face became surprised and tender. He opened his arms toward him—a complete departure from his previous coldness. He didn’t speak, but his eyes clearly and longingly asked for a hug.

Shen Ji thought of a fledgling bird on a tree waiting for its mother to return. No, that was a strange comparison. Sheng Lu was always so inexplicable. Shen Ji felt he should ask: “Do we know each other from before?”