Chapter 29

Chenxin returned home and packed some things she needed to take, seemingly not wanting her daughter to overhear her discussion with Diti Xia. She patted her daughter's head and instructed them, "You and your brother take the other car."

"…Okay." Chenxian nodded obediently, but her hand clung tightly to Lipu. She was worried, even vaguely sensing that the days she had long grown accustomed to and enjoyed—filled with anticipation, and even daydreaming about high school, college, and a small future in society—would undergo changes she couldn't accept.

"Is this something very important to Mom?" Chenxian suddenly asked out of the blue.

"…" Chenxin was silent for a moment before she firmly replied, "Yes, it is very important."

Chenxian lowered her head, then took a deep breath as if gathering all her courage, lifted her face, and showed a bright, sincere, and unreserved smile, "Then Mom, you must do it. I and Apu will support you!"

Chenxin, of course, understood the emotions her daughter was trying to convey. She hugged her daughter tightly and kissed her little face. Even Diti Xia, who was standing nearby, showed a look of approval in his eyes.

"…" Compared to Chenxian, Lipu had a troubled look on his face, hesitantly looking at his adoptive mother and teacher.

"D-boy, what do you want to say?" Chenxin released her daughter and asked the boy.

"I'm the same as Chenxian!" Lipu quickly patted his chest, but then asked, "Uh… Auntie Xin, is it a love triangle?"

"You little brat!" Chenxin playfully hit Lipu's forehead. However, thanks to Lipu's somewhat inappropriate joke, both Chenxin and Chenxian seemed to relax a bit.

Getting into the car, Chenxian held back for a while before blinking her eyes and asking her childhood friend, "…Is it a love triangle?"

"Of course, just look at Auntie Xin and your dad," Lipu said confidently, basing his judgment on the bits and pieces he had heard. "Yeah, your dad, that Diti Xia, doesn't seem like me at all. So, could that Tianhao guy be the one Auntie Xin mentioned before, who has a personality a bit like mine? Uh, in the end, does Auntie Xin still like the pretty boys?"

"Dad is like that…" Chenxian was a bit troubled; Diti Xia was very different from the father she had imagined.

Not to mention his appearance, which was even more handsome than Jude Law and other stars. After interacting with him, he seemed a bit dangerous and exuded an indescribable mystery.

Such a man might have a fatal attraction to girls. Mom likes this type. Chenxian's thoughts aligned with Lipu's.

"If we have to live abroad," Chenxian looked at her childhood friend with some difficulty, "your English has always been terrible…"

"Chinese people only speak Chinese!" Lipu had a very solid reason.

The girl, who had been a bit down, started bickering with the boy over this issue, and as usual, the conversation veered off into some strange topics. After the car had been driving for three hours, perhaps because of the many events of the day, Chenxian was a bit tired. Her head rested on the boy's shoulder, her small, soft hands tightly holding his, and she fell into a deep sleep with even breathing.

"Mom, and Apu, don't leave me…" she mumbled half-asleep. Lipu turned his head slightly, and the girl's slightly immature scent and familiar fresh hair fragrance wafted into his nose.

Lipu's clear eyes gazed at the girl's rosy face. After a long while, he raised his hand and gently brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on her face, placing it behind her ear as if it were a treasure.

Only then did the relaxed expression on Lipu's face fade. The boy looked outside; it was already night, and they were on a provincial road. The vast, dark night sky was devoid of stars, with only a hazy moon casting a cold light on the desolate countryside.

The car had been following the one in front for a long time, indicating that Auntie Xin and that man had been talking for a long time. What decisions would they make? Lipu was actually more anxious than Chenxian.

Thinking about this, he asked Brad, who was sitting next to the driver, "Hey, the weird uncle in front?"

"Hmm?" Brad didn't bother to turn his head, just grunted to show he had heard.

"Where are we going?" Lipu asked casually.

"To where we should go." Brad, a foreigner, evaded the question in a style reminiscent of Gu Long.

"Where should we go?" Lipu, being idle, started his nagging.

"Ha ha ha ha ha…" Brad didn't answer this time, just let out a series of dry, eerie laughs.

"Laughing so evil, Uncle, you're a method actor!" Lipu praised.

"…" This time, Brad turned his head. His dark eyes stared at Lipu, and he bared his fangs threateningly, "Chinese boy, I am an internationally certified super villain."

Lipu immediately perked up, "International police? Like in the movie 'Police Story' with Jackie Chan? Are you a drug dealer? Or an arms dealer?"

"I'm a killer!" Brad said coldly, "And the movie 'Police Story' is just a Hong Kong Royal Police story."

"Uncle, you've seen these movies too? You really know your stuff." Lipu blinked, "I like the 'Eagle Plan' series the most…"

"An imitator of Indiana Jones." Brad made his evaluation, "It's barely watchable, especially the first one. If I were in charge, in that desert inn, the story would be over within three minutes of the enemy showing up."

"You're that good?" Lipu seemed skeptical.

Brad clearly didn't want to argue whether he was stronger than the movie villains. He crossed his arms and said, "You didn't see me fight your adoptive mother."

"I didn't see the process," Lipu answered honestly, "I only saw three bodies on the ground. So you and Auntie Xin fought, and you didn't die? Hmm, thinking about it, you must be pretty strong."

"I just didn't surround her!" Brad felt this Chinese kid was really annoying. If he weren't Chenxin's adoptive son, he would have cleanly and neatly ripped off his skull.

"Alright, alright, Uncle, which enemies in action movies do you think would be tough?" Lipu's topics were all over the place.

Brad remained silent, seemingly unwilling to answer.

"Rocky?" Lipu nominated the inspiring boxer first.

"…" Brad still didn't speak.

"Then… Rambo?" Lipu quickly changed the character.

"…" Brad resisted to the end.

"You don't have confidence in beating either of them?" Lipu's tone was a bit disappointed.

"All of Sylvester Stallone's characters. Note, all of them," Brad's words seemed to be spat out through clenched teeth, "If they were all brought to me, they would be as helpless as babies."

"Oh~~~" The boy nodded, "Then, Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies, and Jean-Claude Van Damme?"

"Jean-Claude Van Damme? At the peak of his skills, not much better than Stallone."

Brad seemed to think for a moment, "Hmm, Arnold's other movies aside, 'Predator' and 'The Terminator' are slightly more challenging. But the T-800 is too dumb, good with firepower and accuracy, but rarely dodges, which is a fatal weakness. As for the Predator, its invisibility and shoulder cannon are a bit troublesome, but I just need to bare my chest, hold a dagger, and the alien brute will put down his thermal weapons and only use a wrist blade to fight me in close combat."

"Then just one grab," Brad flexed his fingers, making a cracking sound, "The alien's brain and spine would be completely scooped out…"

"Would you eat it?" Lipu asked.

"…What?"

"I mean, would you eat the internal organs of the defeated opponent?" The boy explained, "I read in 'Why?' that some tribal warriors do this."

"…" Brad turned around, "My ancestors might have done this, but I am a modern person! A modern Navajo who is very particular about hygiene!"

"So you prefer fried chicken over a live human heart?" Lipu understood Brad's point.

"No, no, no," Brad seemed to care about this, "I prefer pizza, with lots of tomato sauce. Just like the four turtles in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' often order. Speaking of which, I haven't found a decent pizza place since I came to China, but Chinese food is good too…"

"So you watch cartoons too?" Lipu caught the key point.

"…Why not? Texans watch them, no matter how old they are!" Brad clearly had his own thoughts on this topic, "Do you know Sheriff Bronco? Has this show been broadcast in China?"

"Yes, the strength of a bear, the eyes of an eagle, the speed of a leopard…"

"And the ears of a wolf!" Brad pointed to his ears, bared his white teeth, and showed a wolf-like, eerie smile, "Hey, kid, do you know, the prototype of Bronco is me."

"Bullshit! He's a sheriff, you're a killer, how can they be the same!" Lipu couldn't accept it.

"Believe it or not, it's a well-known fact in Texas," Brad shrugged.

"Being a killer known to everyone?" Lipu looked Brad up and down, "Your business must be pretty bad, right?"

"Can't a killer be famous… Do you know who the world's top seven killers are?" Brad rolled his eyes. He was just telling an American joke, but this kid took it the wrong way—was he British?

"Usually, aren't they ranked in the top ten?" Lipu's focus was completely off.

Brad thought about it and agreed, "How should I know, but that's how it's ranked in the underworld!"

"Are you on the list?"

"Without a doubt."

"Then you're at the bottom?" The boy blinked.

"…" Brad gritted his teeth, "Third!"

"Third place, really can't tell." Lipu's interest was piqued, "Who's above you?"

"First is the 'Night Demon' from Germany, who's basically not human."

Brad licked his lips sinisterly, "Second is the 'Coffin Dancer' from Corsica. His skills with small and medium firearms and explosives are probably only matched by Tanya from 'Last Stand' among the people I've seen. Otherwise, he's just average."

Lipu secretly noted these names and asked casually, "What about the other four below you?"

"Fourth is 'Agent 47' from Russia, but he's basically retired; 'Dragon Taiyang' and 'Tiger Qinglan' from Hong Kong, who count as one person. And 'Fuma Mujin' from Japan and 'The Jackal' from France."

"They all have cool names, do you have one?"

"You can call me—Skinwalker." This name comes from an ancient Navajo legend, and Brad has always been satisfied with it.

"Doesn't sound like a killer," Lipu bluntly expressed his feelings, "More like a serial killer."

"Hah, you're right," Brad laughed instead of getting angry, "I'm ranked third because the targets I eliminated were tough. I haven't been doing this seriously in recent years."

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