Chapter 29 - Actually, I Have a Cheat Too

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

Volume 3: Thorn Valley

 

You're Sleeping on the Floor

 

 

The mercenary called out Rex's name, then caught sight of Ge Yan and gasped, seemingly startled, before quickly spinning around and running off. Soon after, they heard a loud, urgent knocking on a door.

 

"Are you Jimmy?" His companion asked, staring at Ge Yan in disbelief, as if stunned to see him here.

 

Ge Yan was about to answer when he heard quick, hurried footsteps approaching. Captain Locke appeared before them, his gaze resting on Ge Yan for a brief moment before moving to Rex, and then he scanned the area behind them. Seeing no one else, a faint disappointment flashed across his eyes.

 

"Follow me," Captain Locke said curtly, turning with a dark expression.

 

Ge Yan exchanged a look with Rex.

 

Rex and he followed in silence.

 

They entered Captain Locke's quarters, and without needing to be told, Marvin signaled for the others to stand guard outside and close the door. The fewer who knew about Carlos and the others, the better.

 

Captain Locke sat down silently, his cold gaze fixed on Rex and Ge Yan. Especially Ge Yan—bearing the brunt of suspicion as the last person to see Carlos and the others alive. The air grew heavy and tense.

 

Recalling Rex's instructions, Ge Yan wasted no time and collapsed to his knees, crying out, "Captain! Captain, thank goodness I've found you! Carlos—Carlos and the others are dead!"

 

Captain Locke swayed, his vision blurring for a moment. Ever since finding Carlos and Ariel's swords, he'd sensed something was wrong, though he hadn't wanted to believe it. Jimmy's words shattered that last hope. They were truly dead. Not only had he failed to capture the sacred beast, but he'd also lost three young masters under his watch. He knew now that his own position—and perhaps even his life—were now at risk.

 

"Captain," Marvin said, looking at him with concern.

 

Captain Locke abruptly stood up, grabbed Ge Yan by the collar, his bloodshot eyes blazing with fury. "How did they die?"

 

Feigning terror, Ge Yan stammered and gave the account Rex had drilled into him, bit by bit. Once he started, the rest flowed naturally, skillfully weaving Cecil's death into the account. In this way, there was no evidence to prove that the only two remaining witnesses were in it together. Captain Locke would never suspect anything going on between them because nearly everyone in the Black Wolf Mercenary Group knew that Jimmy, Carlos, and the others were close allies—and it was a well-known secret that they all looked down on Rex.

 

"They… they're really dead…" Captain Locke spat out, flinging Ge Yan away in anger. The force of the blow sent Ge Yan stumbling backward, slamming hard against the doorframe, clutching his chest with a look of vulnerability as he gasped in pain.

 

Marvin sighed, understanding the captain's difficulty accepting the truth. He then turned to Ge Yan with a frown. "You're saying Young Master Carlos went to Tasha Forest after you overheard someone mention a sacred beast there?"

 

Ge Yan nodded.

 

"Who would be so bold as to reveal such information? Did you see who it was?" Marvin's gaze grew steely as he demanded an answer.

 

Marvin's presence was intimidating, and Ge Yan shivered under his stare, shaking his head quickly. "I don't know; it was who Ariel heart it. He first told Carlos and Cecil before finally coming to me. I even tried to persuade them to report it to you, but Carlos said you must already know and had purposely kept it from us. He threatened me not to say anything. Who would've thought that despite all our preparations, our luck would be this bad? If not for Rex, I wouldn't have made it back."

 

I'd rather you hadn't, Marvin thought to himself. Any one of the young masters would be worth more.

 

Marvin continued questioning them in detail, even directing a few questions at Rex. Both men's answers were seamless. Noticing the exhaustion etched on Ge Yan's face, he finally dismissed them and called over a mercenary standing guard outside.

 

"Arrange a room for the two of them to rest," he ordered.

 

The mercenary hesitated. "Both of them in one room?"

 

"There are no spare rooms. Let them share for now. When another opens up, we'll reassign them," Marvin replied smoothly, then turned to Ge Yan. "Sharing a room shouldn't be a problem for you two, correct?"

 

Ge Yan hesitated, then nodded. "It's fine."

 

The mercenary knew there were vacant rooms, but he didn't expose Marvin's lie and quietly led them to their room.

 

"Wait," Marvin called out, noticing something rounded poking from the cloth bundle on Rex's back. "What's that on your back?"

 

Without a change in expression, Rex replied that it was a magic beast egg, though he made no move to show it to him.

 

Magic beast eggs were classified into low, medium, and high grades. Marvin clearly didn't believe it could be a high-grade egg, and Rex's calm demeanor reassured him it was probably just a lower- or mid-tier egg.

 

As soon as they left, Marvin called over several key members of the mercenary group, ordering a thorough investigation to find out who had leaked the information about the sacred beast cub.

 

Meanwhile, the mercenary led Rex and Ge Yan to their room, telling them to reach out if they needed anything. Before leaving, he even closed the door for them.

 

Ge Yan was about to say something to Rex but was silenced by a single look from him.

 

Outside, the guard lingered in the hallway, noting the silence within, as if the two men had nothing to say to each other. Finally, satisfied, he walked away.

 

When Ge Yan sensed that the coast was clear, he moved closer to Rex, cautiously asking, "What's going on?"

 

"Marvin is a suspicious man," Rex replied simply.

 

Ge Yan understood. He didn't speak further and, exhausted, lay down on the bed, soon falling asleep.

 

Rex sat across from him, his expression unreadable.

 

In the dead of night, a commotion suddenly broke out in the inn, with shouting and the sound of people running across the wooden floors. Torches lit up the inn's hallways, casting them bright as day. The noise woke Ge Yan, and as he opened his eyes, he saw a dark silhouette standing over his bed, startling him—he thought for a second he'd seen a ghost. Then he realized it was Rex.

 

"What's going on outside?" Motto threw off the covers and sat up, fully awake now.

 

"I don't know," Rex replied curtly.

 

Motto hadn't really expected a straight answer from him anyway. He pulled on his boots and asked, "Shall we go take a look?"

 

Rex nodded.

 

They left their room, following the sounds and torchlight toward the backyard, where a large crowd had gathered. The spacious yard felt cramped with so many people, and in the center, two figures knelt before Captain Locke. With his back to them, Locke's face wasn't visible, but his icy demeanor was unmistakable. The two kneeling figures were pleading with him, begging for forgiveness and vowing, "We won't dare do it again."

 

Ge Yan The two kneeling figures were pleading with him, begging for forgiveness and vowing, "We won't dare do it again."

 

"What are you two doing out here?" Marvin approached them.

 

"I heard noises. Is something happening?" Ge Yan, not fully sure how Jimmy usually interacted with the mercenaries, spoke cautiously to keep a low profile.

 

"Do you recognize them?" Marvin asked unexpectedly.

 

"Uh…" Ge Yan blinked, seemingly confused, and answered blankly, "Aren't they members of Black Wolf?"

 

Seeing his apparent cluelessness, Marvin said evenly, "Not anymore. They were the ones who leaked the news about the sacred beast. The captain is about to deal with them. Want to stay and watch?"

 

Ge Yan almost looked to Rex for a reaction, but managed to restrain himself. He replied, looking weary, "I think I'll pass."

 

"Alright then. We're moving out at dawn, so get some rest while you can."

 

Ge Yan nodded, turning to leave without glancing at Rex.

 

Rex gave Marvin a slight nod and followed him.

 

Marvin watched their retreating figures. So far, their behavior seemed normal; there was little reason to suspect them. But his naturally cautious nature, combined with the gravity of the situation, kept him vigilant.

 

Back in the room, Ge Yan clutched his chest. "That scared me. I thought he'd caught on to something."

 

"You handled it well," Rex praised him.

 

Ge Yan grinned with satisfaction. "Who knew that the lie you made up would turn out to be true? It's lucky they got caught, or Captain Locke would definitely think we were lying."

 

"It wasn't just a random guess," Rex replied.

 

"How did you know?" Ge Yan asked, but Rex didn't respond. Instead, he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

 

Ge Yan looked at him for a moment, then realized something—Rex was sleeping on his bed. Although Rex had technically "saved" Jimmy's life, they'd never really gotten along. Marvin had intentionally arranged for them to share a room to test their dynamic. Rex couldn't act too friendly with him, but Jimmy, on the other hand, could. Relaxed by this thought, Ge Yan kicked off his boots, putting one foot on the edge of the bed. Suddenly, he was kicked off, his knee painfully hitting the bed frame.

 

"Why did you kick me?" Ge Yan hissed, voice low and full of irritation.

 

"You should ask yourself," Rex replied, sitting up and narrowing his eyes at him like a beast lurking in the shadows.

 

Ge Yan wasn't as intimidated by him now. "Obviously, I'm going to sleep."

 

"You're sleeping on the floor."

 

"No, I'm not."

 

Rex's expression shifted slightly, as if surprised by his audacity.

 

Ge Yan stood his ground, chest puffed out.

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