Chapter 554: Sense of Guilt

“You fellows… … don’t harm my husband. He doesn’t know anything.” Jenny’s eyes turned red. “You fellows can use that device to erase his memories of this evening… … I, I will perform my duties.”

“Jenny?” Tom Huggins was at a loss as he stared at his own wife.

“… … sorry, dear, this is some… … some matters that you do not know of.”

“Enough, I am starting to feel guilty. I feel like I am tearing apart a loving couple.” Tian Lie revealed a wry smile and released his hold on Tom Huggins. “Don’t try to resist, knight. My strength is not something you can handle. Just be obedient and cooperate with us and I will not harm anyone, all right?”

“Knight?” Jenny cast a puzzled look at her husband.

“Clearly, there are some secrets between you two.” Tian Lie shrugged and continued, “I am sorry, I had not intended to disrupt the tranquillity of your lives. However, the situation has forced my hand… … by the way, are you fellows preparing dinner? It smells delicious!”

“I urgently need to contact Zero City. Following the protocols, I came here,” said, Nicole, a highly serious expression on her face.

“Zero City?” Tom Huggins cast a look of disbelief at his wife. “Jenny? That… … Zero City? Zero City? No! Impossible! I had you tested before, you are an ordinary human! You are not an Awakened!”

“Tom?” Jenny looked at her husband in shock. “You, how do you know about the… … Awakened?”

“Enough, you lovebirds. You can take this chance to get to know each other once more,” said Tian Lie with a smile. “Ms Jenny Miller, the emergency contact person for Zero City. Mr Tom Huggins, the contact person for Thorned Flower Guild in England. See? This way, you get to save time, no?”

The couple looked at each other and fell silent.

“See? I am feeling more guilty by the second.” Tian Lie smiled bitterly as he turned to face Nicole.

…

Ten minutes later…

Inside the living room…

Tian Lie was stuffing himself with an apple pie. “I have to say, Jenny, this food you made is really delish.”

As for Nicole, she had brought a chair out and was seated opposite of the couple.

“So, we have been keeping some secrets from each other, is that right?” Tom Huggins suddenly opened up. However, the one he was talking to was his wife. “Jenny, you are someone from Zero City? But I had you tested before, you are not an Awakened.”

“I… … I don’t know either. I am just an ordinary human. They rendered me some assistance and benefits while I work for them.”

“All right,” replied Tom Huggins with a wry smile.

“What about you? Tom?” Jenny looked at her own husband.

“I… … work for Thorned Flower Guild. Thorned Flower Guild. Have you heard of them before?”

“I… … no. I do not know much about those things. My duties are simple. Should an emergency arise, render assistance to the people from Zero City. However, something like that has never happened before. So… … I had always…”

“Using an ordinary human as an emergency contact. This is a very smart move. Additionally, the chances of getting exposed would be lowered to the minimum. The persons selected would be easier to control.” Tom Huggins cast a hostile gaze at Nicole.

“Tom, do you have nothing to say to me? You… … you are an Awakened?” There was a tangled look on Jenny’s face as she looked at her husband.

“Yes. I am very… … very sorry. I have always kept this from you. I thought you are just an ordinary human.”

“So… … I am just an ornament for you to hide your identity?” Jenny looked at her husband.

“… no! Of course not!” Tom suddenly jumped up. He continued agitatedly, “I am your husband, I am serious about it! I love you, dear! Our love, our marriage, they are all real! Real! I… …I did not tell you about all those things because I wanted to protect you. I did not want you to be dragged into it.”

“Me… … me too,” Jenny whispered. “I… … I am very sorry.”

“Damn it! The sense of guilt! The sense of guilt! Argh!” Tian Lie muttered.

“It is evident that you did not change sides. Which means this is a ridiculous coincidence, am I right? The contacts for two great powers unknowingly became a couple and hid within this world.” Nicole sighed. “I am sorry for disrupting your lives. However, this is a special case and I am left with no other choice. Now, let us get down to business. Jenny, we need to talk in private. As for you, Mr Tom Huggins, my companion has a question for you as well.”

Tom’s face was pale as he said, “My quiet life is no more, am I right? My family is torn, am I right?”

“Don’t get so riled up.” Tian Lie shook his head. “Things may not be as bad as you think. After this whole thing is over, you two can still continue on as husband and wife. Enough. Right now, I have some matters that require your assistance, Knight Ivan.”

“My current name is Tom Huggins! Not a damned knight! No more!” Tom Huggins cast a fury filled glare at Tian Lie.

“All right…”

It was at that moment that the doorbell suddenly rang.

Tian Lie quickly got up. He moved toward the door while leaning his body close to the wall. After glancing for a bit, he said, “You have a guest? Who is it?”

“Just… … just our friend,” Jenny quickly replied. “An ordinary human, one who knows nothing! I swear! That is just a friend from overseas who came to London for work. We agreed to dine in my house tonight.”

“Ordinary human?” Nicole nodded her head and said, “Let her in. We’ll knock her unconscious. Don’t worry, we will not harm your friend.”

“Thank, thank you.” Jenny looked at Nicole with a tangled look.

Nicole used her hand to make a gesture to Tian Lie.

Tian Lie opened the door. Without waiting for the one outside the door to react, he reached out with his hand and pulled that person inside.

Considering his level of strength, could an ordinary human resist him?

The guest whom Tian Lie pulled in fell onto the floor and released a cry of pain.

“A female?” Tian Lie smiled wryly and said, “I am sorry, I used a little too much strength.”

He then pulled the woman on the ground up.

The guest was a young Asian woman. To be exact, she was an East Asian young woman. Additionally, it appeared she was not someone with mixed parentage, but a genuine Asian. Yellow skin and black hair.

The woman was very young. Although she was not very tall, she had quite the beautiful face.

“Jenny? Tom?” The young woman cried out in alarm.

“Lin, do not resist them!” Jenny stood up and cast a glance at Nicole. Seeing that Nicole was not doing anything to stop her, she said in a hushed tone, “Lin, do not resist. They will not harm you. I am sorry… … your arrival is rather… … ill-timed.”

The beautiful young woman looked at Tian Lie with an alarmed and terrified expression. Then, she turned to look at Nicole – inside the house, those two were the only unfamiliar figures to her.

Then, she saw the gun hanging from Tian Lie’s waist.

“They are… … robbers?” the young woman asked uncertainly.

“Quite the contrary, we are the messengers of justice!” Tian Lie popped a joke as he pushed the young woman into the living room.

The young woman was quick to calm down… she possessed a very steady state of mind. After taking a few deep breaths, she raised up her hands cooperatively to signal that she would not resist them. Next, she walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa – seemingly unintentional though, she chose to sit on the sofa closest to the living room’s window.

“Smart girl.” Tian Lie smiled as he had instantly seen through the young woman’s actions. “Your choice of seat is the closest to the window, a rather excellent decision. You have undergone coping strategy training for hostage taking before?”

The young woman was taken aback. The expression on her face was that of someone whose intentions had been seen through.

“Enough, tell us.” Nicole turned to face Jenny and continued, “This friend of yours. Who is she?”

“She is my friend. I met her in a charity event. She is just an ordinary human, a member of a charitable organization affiliated with UN Peacekeeping. She is Chinese.”

“Chinese?” Nicole smiled and turned to look at the young woman. Next, she switched to using the Chinese language and said, “Do you understand me?”

“Yes.” The young woman’s grasp of the Chinese language appeared rather common… … however, it did not sound like the Mandarin they commonly used.

“Oh, from Taiwan?” Nicole smiled.

“Yes.” The young woman nodded.

“Well, then. I will have to trouble you to introduce yourself. Generally speaking, an ordinary young woman from a charitable organization would not have to undergo coping strategy training for hostage taking,” said Tian Lie coolly.

“I… …” The young woman took a deep breath. She looked at the gun on Tian Lie’s waist and calmed herself down. “I had worked for charitable organizations affiliated with UN Peacekeeping in Africa and some war-torn regions before. That is why we, the members of the organization, had to undergo some coping strategy training for hostage taking. Because the places we had to work in are not safe.”

“Oh, what an amazing job.” Tian Lie whistled and nodded. “You are a very kind girl. Can you tell me your name?”

The young woman pursed her lips and said, “My name… … is Lin Leyan.” [1]

Nicole looked her in the eye and said, “I am willing to believe you. However, for your safety and to avoid any misunderstanding, I will need to check the contents of your bag.”

Lin Leyan nodded her head and obediently handed over her small backpack.

Nicole opened the backpack.

There was not much inside the backpack. An emergency medical kit, a purse, a multi-purpose Swiss army knife and a magnesium rod, some simple tools for outdoor living.

Inside a leather pouch were some photos.

Nicole casually opened up the leather pouch and pulled out the photos.

“Please do not damage those photos,” Lin Leyan quickly said. “Those are the photos taken during my most recent charitable activity in Africa. One of the reasons I am here in London is to give those photos to some media stations for reporting. I hope the masses will pay more attention to the war-torn regions of Africa. Moreover, Tom had contacted several reporters that he knew of for me. They will be interviewing me about my experiences in Africa…”

“She speaks the truth,” Tom Huggins quickly said. “She is really just an ordinary human. Please…”

Nicole nodded and said, “I believe you. She really is just an ordinary human.”

She then casually looked over a few of the photos, intending to put them back after.

It was at that moment that Nicole’s eyes flickered.

She stared in shock at the photo that she was holding.

Inside the photo, a yard could be seen. A truck loaded with a great deal of food and medical supplies was at the side of the photo.

Lin Leyan and a few of her other companions in UN Peacekeeping uniforms were busily moving about. Obviously, someone had taken the photo on the spot. The people within the photo were not posing for a shoot.

The photo was taken outdoors. Thus, the lighting for the photo was very good and the image was very clear.

The thing that shocked Nicole was what she saw in the left corner of the photo.

In that corner, a small part of someone’s face could be seen.

To be exact, it was a small portion of that person’s side face. Additionally, judging from the photo, that person had intended to turn around to avoid the camera.

Nicole’s expression changed and she quickly picked up the other photos. Next, she went through them one by one.

Soon, she was able to find what she was looking for in two other photos.

The first one was just of a person’s back. However, Nicole was able to recognize the person’s back with just one glance.

The second photo was the clearest one. The person’s whole face could be seen, but it was small. It was on the upper right corner of the photo, far in the background. That person’s face in the photo was very small and it would seem that this photo was also taken randomly. However, seeing that face allowed Nicole to confirm that she was not mistaken.

“Look here, I found something interesting.” Nicole passed those photos to Tian Lie. “Find it yourself.”

After accepting the photos, Tian Lie examined them for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

“Chen Xiaolian?”

…

1 Lin Leyan from Africa arc. Chapter 344.↩