Chapter 149: Six Eyes Meet
Su Tao thought about how large the old station was—it wasn’t likely she’d run into them, so she didn’t mention that she was also on her way there.
The bumpy ride kept her from sleeping. She stared out at the pitch-black night, worry etched between her brows.
The little one probably hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for two days.
In this scorching heat…
At that very moment, Black Sesame, who had temporarily escaped, wasn’t faring any better.
It had found a secluded spot, dug a small hole, and carefully buried the crystal core inside.
After securing its treasure, hunger and thirst gnawed at it. Pressing close to the walls, it warily yet eagerly searched the crowd for its owner.
When it couldn’t find her on the streets, it sneaked into houses.
But no familiar faces. No familiar scents. Nowhere…
Everywhere was filthy, stinking, and noisy.
So this is what the outside world is like.
Parched, it slipped into a house in search of water, only to be driven out by a screaming child who threw something at it.
It tried the next house—either it found nothing, or it was chased away. After who knows how long, it finally came across a relatively clean home, and more importantly, it caught the scent of food.
It eyed the first-floor window from a distance, gathered its strength, and leaped onto the windowsill. Using its tiny claws, it pried open the mesh screen and squeezed inside.
Just as it entered, footsteps approached. Startled, it quickly hid under the bed.
“Brother Yong~ I helped you take care of Xiong Tai during the day. Don’t I get a little reward?”
Lian Sha’s expression was sultry as she tugged at his belt, leading him to the bed.
Tan Yong absolutely adored her like this. Her sweet, coaxing voice made his bones go soft. Without thinking, he blurted out:
“Baby, what do you want? How about after we take over Panliu Mountain, you become the boss lady there?”
Lian Sha pouted. “By then, you guys would’ve already taken all the good stuff. What’s the point of me guarding an empty mountain? Brother Yong, if you really care about me, if you truly love me, give me the two crystal cores you collected.”
Tan Yong’s rationality returned slightly, and he coaxed her:
“My darling, those cores can power crystal-energy weapons. I was planning to have someone procure one from Changjing. I heard they consume a lot of energy—even two cores might not be enough. Be good, let’s pick another gift, okay?”
Lian Sha clung to him, whining: “But I only want this. Besides, I’m going to spend my whole life with you—giving them to me is like keeping them for yourself, isn’t it? If you ever need them, I’ll give them back. I just really like them. I’ve never seen one before. Can’t you just let me keep them for safekeeping?”
After much coaxing and teasing, Lian Sha finally got Tan Yong to agree in a dazed state, lulled by her soft, humming tune.
In the aftermath, she successfully obtained the two crystal cores.
Opening her jewelry box, she found that she already had three other cores. With today’s additions, she now had five in total.
Each one had been “gifted” to her by her past three lovers over the past six months.
Lian Sha greedily stroked the small, precious objects.
She had once discovered, quite by accident, that crystal cores could enhance her abilities.
At first, her power only allowed her to make people believe her lies—but not always, and even when it worked, the effect was fleeting.
One day, however, she had a strange reaction upon encountering a crystal core. A deep, uncontrollable craving overtook her, and before she realized it, she had absorbed all of its energy.
After that, her abilities improved. Not only did her lies become more convincing, but when she sang in a particular tone, she could temporarily control people.
If someone listened to her for long enough, they would grow to trust her completely—worship her even, willing to lay down their lives for her.
Her previous two lovers had fallen under her spell in this way, ultimately dying for her.
Only Tan Yong… was different.
He was a rare type of ability user—one with a psychic power called “Insulation,” which rendered him immune to all mental attacks and manipulations.
Lian Sha hadn’t understood at first why her ability never worked on him—until she absorbed more power from the crystal cores and “evolved.”
From that moment on, Tan Yong began to be affected. He even started to believe he had fallen in love with her, though he was still not fully under her control.
So, Lian Sha decided to get her hands on his remaining three crystal cores and then disappear, moving on to her next target.
Now that she had achieved her goal, she planned to leave in the next day or two.
Just then, Tan Yong sleepily murmured beside her, “Babe, you’re still up? Why are you sitting there?”
Startled, Lian Sha hurriedly closed the jewelry box, shoved it under the bed, and slipped into his arms, whispering sweet nothings.
Tan Yong, comforted by her voice, quickly drifted back to sleep.
Under the bed, Black Sesame curiously sniffed the jewelry box that had been shoved down. Its round cat eyes widened in excitement—water and food forgotten, it grabbed the box’s handle and dragged it out from under the bed.
By the time Lian Sha noticed the noise, it was already too late. She could only watch as her jewelry box was pushed out of the window and fell to the ground with a thud. Panicked, she scrambled to get up, but Tan Yong pulled her back down.
“Stay, babe. Don’t move. I’m too tired.”
Lian Sha was frantic. She shoved him away and lunged to the window, but all she saw was darkness.
Meanwhile, Black Sesame carried the jewelry box all the way back to the spot where it had hidden the crystal core. It dug up the dirt, made the hole even deeper, and buried the jewelry box along with the core.
To the little cat, this was simply an incredibly valuable treasure—something that must be hidden away.
To seal the deal, it even urinated on the soil, marking it with its scent.
Satisfied, it turned its focus back to searching for food and water.
However, before it could find anything, dawn arrived, and the streets began to fill with people.
After the previous night’s experience, Black Sesame had grown wary of most two-legged creatures and dared not show itself. Weak from hunger, it crawled into a broken plastic barrel to hide. Exhaustion overcame it, and it slowly drifted off to sleep.
Then—
“Wow! Mommy! What is this?!”
A five or six-year-old girl had found it curled up inside the barrel outside her house. Her voice was filled with surprise and curiosity as she called for her mother.
Black Sesame tried to run, but the moment it leaped out of the barrel, its legs gave out, and it collapsed. Half-conscious, it felt someone gently scoop it up.
Not her.
My owner… where are you?
*
Meanwhile, Su Tao had just arrived at Xiong Tai’s house.
But Xiong Tai himself was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she noticed a familiar vehicle parked outside.
A Pioneer Army vehicle?
Just as she was still reeling from the surprise, another black commercial car pulled up. The door opened, and out stepped Gu Mingchi, wearing a cap and a face mask.
His amber eyes narrowed slightly as he spotted Su Tao.
This woman looked even younger in person than in the photos. Small in stature, but bold in spirit.
At the same time, Shi Zijin, dressed in a sharp military uniform, walked out of the house.
For a moment, six eyes locked onto each other.
