Chapter 550: Thanks

Qiao Yifeng pulled Yu Jiajia until they were beside a car. The bodyguards standing beside them pulled open the door of the car but the father-daughter pair were quarrelling and they did not notice a little girl walking out from the iced drinks shop across the street.

She wore a small floral patterned skirt and small shoes with cartoon figures. Beneath her mushroom like hair was a delicate face, which was seemingly filled with childishness. However, her pair of eyes – her pair of dark pupils stared intently at Qiao Yifeng, who was standing across the street.

They did not blink at all.

None of the bodyguards beside Qiao Yifeng noticed Soo Soo’s appearance.

Soo Soo stepped onto the street, both her hands tightly clenched together. However, the moment her one foot stepped upon the street…

A pair of big hands suddenly reached out from beside her.

One hand pressed down on the little girl’s shoulder while the other quickly caught hold of one of Soo Soo’s wrist. The hands pulled her and led her back to stand before the iced drinks shop across the street.

Soo Soo swiftly turned her head to see a thin figure with an ordinary and wooden face. However, there was a hint of warm amusement in his pair of eyes.

Soo Soo recognized this face.

The expression of coldness in her eyes then loosened. She raised her head and looked on indifferently at this person standing before her.

“I do not know what you wanted to do. However, I get the feeling that your next set of actions would not be good. So…”

“So, you want to stop me?” Soo Soo’s voice was very icy.

The figure before her narrowed his eyes, seemingly smiling as he looked at Soo Soo.

The two of them looked right into each other’s eyes.

A few seconds later, Soo Soo suddenly opened her mouth to say, “You are not Da Gang.”

The figure standing before her was shocked, but he then smiled and said, “Of course I am Da Gang.”

“No, you are not.” Soo Soo then frowned and continued looking at him. “Or rather, you are not just Da Gang.”

The figure standing before her was none other than Tian Lie, who had transformed his body back to its original form of Da Gang.

Tian Lie raised a brow and looked at Soo Soo. He pointed at her nose and said, “What about you? It would appear that you are not just Soo Soo as well, right?”

Across the street, the bodyguard beside Qiao Yifeng sensed something and he jerked his head to look across the street. However, when he swept his gaze over, there was no longer anyone near the door of the iced drinks shop. A gust of wind blew…

…

“Want a drink?”

Tian Lie handed a chocolate milk packet over.

Soo Soo gave it a glance and said coolly, “Only that naïve little girl would like something like this.”

“So, you are not her?” Tian Lie smiled. He then pulled out a straw, poked it in and started sipping it. “Little girl, don’t be angry at me. Just now, I was able to stop you not because I had taken action … … rather, it was because you have yet to come to a proper decision yourself, isn’t that right? If not for that, considering your strength, you would not obediently follow me.”

Soo Soo lowered her head as she seemingly pondered something. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath.

“Huh!” Soo Soo raised her head up and looked at TIan Lie. “So? Let us not talk about me. Who are you? You have constantly been lurking around us, but now what? Did you decide you do not want to continue hiding anymore? Why expose yourself to me? Did you think that because I am a little child, I am not dangerous?”

“Because I sense an aura coming off you,” replied TIan Lie with a smile. “The aura of someone like me.”

They were in a public square not far from the residential complex. Sunlight spilled down from between the cracks of the tree canopy above them and fell upon them.

“Like you?” Soo Soo’s face remained indifferent.

“Yes, like me.” Tian Lie tapped Soo Soo’s nose and said, “Inside your heart are two completely different existences… … on that, we are the same.”

“Just who are you?”

“Me?” Tian Lie thought about it for a moment. “Something like… … a friend, I guess. At any rate, I am not taking anyone’s side at the moment. I do not see anything wrong with befriending you people. Besides, Chen Xiaolian, that fellow is not bad.”

Soo Soo suddenly became like an alarmed cat and she stared at Tian Lie warily.

“Enough, don’t look at me like that. It is not as if I have only been around you people for one or two days. If I wanted to harm your Xiaolian oppa, trust me on this, I had plenty of chances to do so,” said Tian Lie with a wry smile. “Truth is, not only did I not harm him, I had even secretly helped him out a few times.”

Hearing those words, the harshness in Soo Soo’s eyes softened somewhat.

After finishing the chocolate milk, Tian Lie casually threw it into a distant trashcan. Then, he turned to look at Soo Soo. “Tell me, you people are no ordinary Awakened ones, are you?”

Soo Soo pursed her lips and said nothing.

“Don’t want to say? Up to you, then.”

Tian Lie stretched his waist and said, “What was it you wanted to do just now? Did you wanted to take action against Qiao Yifeng? As I recall, you have some relationship with him, don’t you? Fine, fine, I won’t ask you what is going on.”

“You plan on leaving?” Soo Soo suddenly asked.

Tian Lie cast a deep look at Soo Soo. “You… … are a clever person.”

“You have always been hiding your identity while lurking around us. For you to suddenly expose your identity in front of me… … next, I believe you must be planning on leaving,” Soo Soo slowly said. “Am I wrong?”

“No, you are very clever… … compared to your other form, I prefer this one. A smart and cold little loli, who exudes an air of danger.”

Ignoring the flippant words from Tian Lie, Soo Soo stared intently upon Tian Lie and slowly asked, “So, you are also not one, am I right?”

“Not what?”

“A normal Awakened.” Soo Soo stared right into Tian Lie’s eyes.

“… … …”

The two of them stared at each other for a good two seconds. Then, Tian Lie smiled. He reached out with one hand to pinch Soo Soo’s nose. “I am really growing to enjoy your company, little girl.”

Soo Soo gave a defiant look in response to Tian Lie’s actions. However, she did not dodge. She just looked at Tian Lie quietly.

“You seem very familiar with us. Although I know that Xiaolian oppa brought you here from Hangzhou… … I feel that you did not first get to know us there. Perhaps… … even earlier? Could it be from an instance dungeon?”

Soo Soo slowly continued, “To have a relationship with us in this world… … yet you are also a member of that world. This is interesting. By considering the time when you ‘first’ got to know Xiaolian oppa in Hangzhou and move further back in time, the number of Awakened ones that Xiaolian oppa knew then is limited. It is also unlikely for him to get in contact with other Awakened ones in this world. So, the only other possible places of contact are instance dungeons… time wise, if we are to consider the time before Xiaolian oppa met you in Hangzhou, back then, he had only participated in a few instance dungeons.”

Soo Soo spoke slowly, showing neither confusion nor anxiousness. Her little face showed no emotions as she stared at Tian Lie.

Tian Lie raised his brows.

“Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang instance dungeon? There were quite a few Awakened ones in that instance dungeon. Tokyo instance dungeon? Mm, that was also a large-scale instance dungeon with quite a number of participants… …” after saying that, Soo Soo deliberately paused for a moment. She then stared at Tian Lie and said, “So, which instance dungeon did you appear in? Where was it that you encountered us the first time around? Or perhaps, this current appearance you have, is it actually not your original appearance?”

Tian Lie smiled in response. “Little kids should not be too smart. When little kids are too smart, they lose their cuteness.”

“Fine, I won’t ask.” Soo Soo abruptly stretched her body as well. “At any rate, it would appear that you do not have any ill intentions right now.”

“Mm, that is more like it. If everything is revealed, then there would be no room for everyone to be friends.” Tian Lie smiled and stood up.

“You are leaving?”

“Yes. Since my identity has been exposed, it would be awkward to hang around you people. Besides… …” Tian Lie’s face suddenly took on a profound expression and he said, “Something big has happened. It would appear that there are many new developments on the other side. I will need to go check it out to satisfy my curiosity. As for you, clever girl, you take care. Hopefully, next time we meet, we can still be friends and not enemies.”

“… … …” Soo Soo quietly observed Tian Lie as he turned around to leave.

After Tian Lie had taken over tens of steps away, Soo Soo suddenly spoke up, stopping him.

“Wait.”

“What is it?” Tian Lie turned his head to look at her. “You are not an ordinary little girl. Surely, you do not need me to escort you back to Chen Xiaolian’s side, right?”

“How was it like?”

“What?”

Soo Soo bit her lips before replying, “Dying.”

“… … …” Tian Lie was silent.

Soo Soo continued, “Dying. You died once… … how did it feel like?”

Tian Lie narrowed his eyes. “You… … guessed it?”

“After analysing it, there are not many who fit the criteria.” Soo Soo shook her head. “It is not that hard to guess.”

“… … feeling, eh? It is like having a dream.” Tian Lie shook his head. “Sometimes, I wish I had never woken up.”

After saying that, Tian Lie continued moving forward. After taking a few more steps, he heard Soo Soo speaking out once more.

“Metal spheres.”

Tian Lie suddenly halted his steps.

“The metal spheres seem to be the key here.” Soo Soo’s voice rang out from behind him and she spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. “I do not know what you had to go through. Additionally, I am also not too clear on the specifics. However, from my personal experience, the metal spheres appear to be the key. Also… … you cannot die anymore. If you die again, there will be no way to revive you anymore.”

“… … thanks,” said Tian Lie in a hushed tone. “These words of yours, I will be sure to keep them a secret.”

After that, he strode forward and left. It did not take long for him to disappear from the park.

“Truly, what a weirdo.” Soo Soo jumped down from the chair in the public park. Next, she raised her head to look at the sun. “Also, thanks. Just now, it is true that I have yet to make up my mind. Maybe your action of stopping me is not a bad thing. I still need to put more consideration into this.”

This little girl mumbled to herself and finally came to a conclusion. Then, she left the public park through the other direction.

…