Chapter 32 - 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.

If you’re able to provide me with the Raws of the Novels I need, you'll be the first person to receive my translation of them. You’ll also gain instant access to up to 30 advanced chapters for the novel of your choice.

For more details, you can check out the Raw Provider new page. 

Hostage

 

 

At that moment, Ge Yan felt utterly betrayed by fate. He'd been innocently watching from a quiet corner, without so much as lifting a finger, only to find himself airborne in the blink of an eye. Reks' face appeared briefly in his view, showing a rare flicker of concern—before quickly receding as Ge Yan was whisked away, putting dozens of meters between them as he landed on the ground. They were now separated by an alarming expanse.

 

"Stop—every last one of you." Daniel's firm voice wasn't loud, yet reaching every corner of the chaotic street.

 

The turmoil came to an instant halt. Everyone, even the onlookers, turned to Daniel. The members of the Black Wolf Mercenary Group quickly noticed Ge Yan in his grasp, exchanging uneasy looks.

 

Members of the Alice Mercenary Group retreated to Daniel's side, their clothes stained with the blood of battle—mostly that of Black Wolf members, whose skills evidently fell short of Alice's.

 

"Daniel, what do you think you're doing?" Marvin frowned at the sight of Ge Yan in Daniel's grip, unsure of his motives.

 

"Nothing much," Daniel said with a pleasant smile, though his words held unmistakable menace. "I simply want to invite this young friend to visit Alice for a while. Come find me once you've thought things through, but I can't guarantee he'll be in one piece if you take too long."

 

Even the astute Marvin was momentarily speechless, unable to think of a reply.

 

Captain Locke, however, had no concern for whose hands Ge Yan had fallen into. His voice was sharp as ice. "Is this really how low Alice has sunk, Daniel?"

 

"If that's how you see it, then sure," Daniel replied, unbothered. "I'm a reasonable man; just give me a satisfying answer, and I'll let him go."

 

Alice being "reasonable"? That was about as likely as all of them becoming Sword Saints overnight.

 

"And if we don't?" Captain Locke challenged him with a steely gaze.

 

Daniel smiled faintly, then struck the nearest Black Wolf member with his palm. With a sickening blast, the man's body burst into a cloud of blood, scattering like rain. Horrified screams erupted from the crowd. In that blood-soaked scene, Daniel's smile shone like the sun. "If not, then that's the price. We're leaving."

 

The Alice mercenaries withdrew as swiftly as they'd come.

 

"Captain, should we pursue them?" Marvin asked, stepping up beside Captain Locke.

 

Locke initially meant to dismiss the idea, but then reconsidered. "Daniel has a contracted sacred beast; we're no match for him. We'll need a new strategy. For now, let's regroup and tend to the wounded."

 

"Yes, Captain."

 

In truth, there were only a few wounded—most were dead. Alice's reputation wasn't just talk; their mercenaries were ruthless and deadly, never sparing their enemies. Had the fight continued, Black Wolf would have suffered even more casualties, and Locke himself might not have left unscathed. The few who remained uninjured, or had only minor injuries, supported one another as they followed Locke away.

 

Rex stayed where he was, gazing silently in the direction Ge Yan had been taken. Marvin, a few steps ahead, turned to see him lagging and walked back to stand before him.

 

"Rex, are you worried about Jimmy?"

 

Rex didn't answer. His expressionless face seemed to hold a hint of defiance—though it was more a façade.

 

Marvin, thinking he understood, sighed and tried to reassure him. "You saw for yourself; we're no match for Daniel right now. But don't worry, the Captain won't abandon any of his men. You heard Daniel's last words; he'll definitely come back for us, and we'll find a way to rescue Jimmy when he does."

 

"I know," Rex replied coolly, then turned and followed the group.

 

Marvin squinted at his back, a sense of unease tugging at him. It seemed odd for two people, who previously had little to do with each other, to suddenly be so concerned. He'd suspected the two were hiding some shared secret, just bound by a hidden interest. But now he was forced to reconsider, because if anyone would have wanted to see Jimmy suffer, it would be Rex. Yet his reaction suggested otherwise—almost as if he were worried about him.

 

Meanwhile, Ge Yan—now the unintended hostage—hadn't yet come to terms with his situation. How had he, out of everyone, ended up in the hands of the Alice mercenaries? And how had they managed to single him out, of all the bystanders who'd kept to themselves?

 

"Gei in," the mercenary holding him growled, shoving him forward.

 

Ge Yan nearly stumbled face-first onto the ground, pain flaring in his shoulder where he'd been shoved, as if he'd sustained an internal injury. Expecting to be locked up, he turned just in time to see his captor pulling out a thick rope to tie him up. Ge Yan quickly pleaded, "Hey, big guy, you've got plenty of people here—all of them way stronger than me. There's no way I could escape, so… do we really need the rope?"

 

The mercenary gave him a once-over, as though measuring his strength. Ge Yan immediately hunched his shoulders, and after a few seconds, the man nodded. "Looking at you, with that weakling frame, you're right. Not much of a threat."

 

Grinding his teeth, Ge Yan muttered under his breath, You're the weakling here. Just you wait till I finish my training, then I'll show you who's the boss.

 

Despite the mercenary sparing him the rope, Ge Yan found little to celebrate, as it became obvious he truly had no way out. This wasn't an inn but rather a residence of sorts, and the room he was locked in was a bare, enclosed space with steep walls on every side. With no escape in sight, he had no choice but to sit down, simmering in frustration.

 

He wondered how Rex was doing. Would he come to save him? Or maybe he was just glad to finally be rid of him. As for Captain Locke, Ge Yan knew he couldn't count on him. He probably held less value than any ordinary Black Wolf mercenary, so it was unlikely Locke would risk his life for him. By the time this was over, Locke would probably be on his way back to the capital. And when Daniel would lose patience, Ge Yan might very well be "dealt with."

 

A sad realization struck Ge Yan—he'd just barely avoided being "dealt with" by Rex, and now he'd fallen into the hands of another person with the same sick habit. Was his fate in life really to be "dealt with"? He wore a look of utter despair.

 

His mood must have affected the Shadow Winged Tiger, as he could vaguely sense the creature trying to leave his consciousness space. Ge Yan walked to the door to check that no one was watching, then let the Shadow Winged Tiger out.

 

After being confined for so long, the Shadow Winged Tiger pounced on him, scratching at his head until his hair looked like straw. Ge Yan quickly pulled the creature off his head.

 

"Enough, already! It's not like I locked you up on purpose! If you don't stay hidden, they'll capture you and try to force a contract, and if that fails, they'll dissect you."

 

The Shadow Winged Tiger playfully smacked his face with a paw, as if to say, Serves you right for scaring me.

 

Ge Yan removed the paw from his face, feeling a bit exasperated. Since when are magical beasts this clever? Letting it go, he held the Shadow Winged Tiger and sat on a few dry logs lying nearby. Passing the time, he started chatting with the creature, "So, it turns out you really are a cub. No wonder you have such short little whiskers. I should have figured as much—there's no such thing as a tiger that small. Oh, I haven't even given you a name yet. I can't keep calling you 'Shadow Wing Tiger'; it's way too long. How about I call you 'Nyx'? Nyx, the night king—doesn't that sound fierce?"

 

Nyx glanced around, feigning indifference.

 

"Oh, so you like it too, don't you? Great, it's settled!" Ge Yan declared, sealing the deal on its name.

 

Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps echoed from outside. Realizing someone might be coming, Ge Yan quickly recalled Nyx into his consciousness space. Just as he completed the action, the door swung open.

 

The same mercenary appeared in the doorway, shouting gruffly, "Out!"

 

Ge Yan stepped out, unable to help himself from asking, "Hey, where are you taking me?" In truth, he was hoping to ask if he could get something to eat. He hadn't had lunch yet, and it was nearly evening.

 

"Shut up and behave," the mercenary growled, giving him another shove. "If you try any tricks, I'll break your legs."

 

If I were really planning anything, you wouldn't have a clue, Ge Yan thought sourly. Based on the man's attitude, he figured this trip wasn't going to be pleasant. He thought about stalling, holding out hope that someone might come to rescue him, but his captor, either seeing through his intentions or simply in a bad mood, shoved him so hard he quickly gave up on the idea.

 

Arriving at their destination, Ge Yan barely had time to collect himself before he was tossed into a room. Inside, not many people were present, but seated at the center was that handsome man, Daniel, giving the place the air of a judgment hall.

 

"What's your name?" Daniel asked, his tone smooth and reassuring, as if he could sense Ge Yan's tension. The warmth in his smile could've lowered anyone's guard. But Ge Yan knew of his true colors—he only grew more cautious.

 

"I'm Jimmy," Ge Yan replied. He wondered if he should admit they'd caught the wrong person; maybe Daniel would be so angry he'd just kill him out of frustration.

 

"Any of you heard of a Black Wolf member by that name?" Daniel asked, turning to his men.

 

They looked at each other and shook their heads.

 

Daniel's brows knitted slightly. He looked back at Ge Yan. "Do you think your captain will come to save you?"

 

Ge Yan hesitated before shaking his head.

 

"Aren't you a member of Black Wolf?"

 

Ge Yan nodded; he supposed he was.

 

"Then why won't he come for you?"

 

Unable to hold back any longer, Ge Yan asked, "Can I ask why you're holding me hostage?"

 

One of the mercenaries answered with total conviction, "You were being protected by others, so you had to be important. Who else were we supposed to take?"

 

Ge Yan nearly choked on his own breath. I'd have been better off not knowing.

 

Seeing his reaction, Daniel and the others guessed they might have indeed made a mistake. Daniel was the first to reach this conclusion, recalling the reactions of Captain Locke and Marvin at the time. If they'd really cared about Ge Yan, they would have shown some urgency, but they hadn't. Realizing their blunder, Daniel—who was usually quick to take out his anger on others—felt strangely calm.

Last Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

 

❧ Join Bella Novels' Newsletter by clicking here ↫ and
receive an email for each New Update -͙✧˖*°࿐