Shen Yao wanted to rebuke and denounce the system, yet given his current situation, he could only walk the silent road, hoping to find his target. However, it had been a long time since he strolled the street, and he still hadn't spotted anyone.
"Where can I even find that person?" he mumbled.
[ Do you wish to check the target's information? ]
As expected, the system replied even without his permission, so he could only either ignore it or respond.
"What? My target has information? That'll be helpful!" After saying this, he heard a ding sound, accompanied by digital information that suddenly popped up.
Target: Xiao Ye
Sex: Male
Strength: 180
Weapon: Double-edged knife
Element: Metal
Shen Yao was mesmerized. "Wow... how could he have an element while I don't?" Naturally, the annoying system had an answer.
[ The host must first know that the current body doesn't have any elemental essence. ]
Shen Yao was about to reply when he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He immediately became alert and turned to look, but no one was there.
"Who is it?" said Shen Yao as he subconsciously clenched his fists, preparing for any danger.
"Show yourself." If it weren't for the dim lights of the neighborhood, Shen Yao would've thought that no one could hear him even if he screamed—and that the mysterious person would confidently show himself and kill Shen Yao without difficulty. The thought sent goosebumps all over his body, and he couldn't help but gulp down his saliva.
He waited for someone to come out, but there wasn't even a single soul around. Shen Yao thought he might've just imagined things.
Just as he was about to sigh in relief, a tall, dark figure suddenly lunged at him from the shadows at an indescribable speed—running past him.
Shen Yao didn't have time to react and instantly fell on his butt. He hissed and glanced at his right shoulder, where the black cloth was cut open, revealing a bloody wound.
Another footstep echoed behind him. This time, he managed to leap into the air, narrowly avoiding death.
The road cracked from the force of the impact, yet the sound wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear. Shen Yao's gaze traced the silver knife that's now stabbed into the ground, before his eyes slowly lifted to the half-kneeling figure holding it.
The guy lifted his face, revealing clear green eyes and a smile that didn't seem good at all.
"This... this is Xiao Ye?"
Seeing him, Shen Yao's back shivered. He instinctively wanted to run—if not for the system reminding him:
[ Target found. ]
Or rather, it found me.
The guy seemed to sense his fear and immediately retrieved his knife, this time aiming for Shen Yao's throat. Shen Yao, completely defenseless, could only run for his life, dodging the blade aimed at every inch of him.
'Thank god I'm used to dodging the landlady's flying slippers!' Shen Yao inwardly praised the dodging skill he learned in his previous world.
"Hey, stop!" But the man attacking him didn't listen. In fact, he quickened his pace.
At this rate, Shen Yao knew he was doomed. He called out to the system.
Yet after several attempts, the system seemed to have died—it didn't answer, no matter how many times he called out.
"What the hell—" Shen Yao rolled to the ground as the man once again tried to stab him.
What should I do? He gritted his teeth, frantically searching for any weapon nearby. Finally, his eyes landed on a heavy brick.
Just the right amount of force might knock the man unconscious—but too much might kill him.
Shen Yao shook at the idea of killing someone. Then again, this person was trying to kill him. So what was the point of keeping him alive?
Once he made up his mind, Shen Yao dashed toward the brick—unaware of the large crack on the road caused by the earlier knife strike. Unfortunately, he stepped right into the hole and fell to his knees—just in time to avoid the knife aiming for his nape.
But the sudden impact made his legs numb. Crimson blood flowed from his knees, and his already weak body couldn't lift itself anymore.
"I can't die yet, I can't die yet!!" Shen Yao encouraged himself as he crawled along the dry, rocky road. He didn't even know why he was so desperate to live—after all, he was merely forced to accept the mission. His mind was in a panic, unable to explain why he wanted to survive.
For what? To be killed by them?
"Stop running, you're doomed to die," a deep voice echoed behind him. "Do you know that when a weak butterfly is trapped in a spiderweb, struggling only makes it suffer more?"
The man's steps slowed as he approached, watching his weak victim crawl in desperation.
"You're just one of my victims. That's all. Don't worry. I'll be gentle."
Upon hearing that, Shen Yao suddenly felt enraged. I can't die—
With a groan, he managed to get up, grab the brick, and smash it into Xiao Ye's face—uncaring if it killed him.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Ye had been too confident. He let his guard down, not expecting his victim to attack him with what little strength remained. With a dull thud, the unconscious Xiao Ye collapsed, his weapon clattering as it hit the ground.
Shen Yao, victorious but injured, also collapsed, gasping for air. He used his remaining strength to glance at the unconscious man—his head bleeding.
Just as Shen Yao was about to shut his eyes and forget everything that had happened tonight, the system chimed in again.
[ Mission complete. Now, please take Master Xiao Ye back. ]
"What?" Shen Yao coughed in distress. "Are you kidding me? He almost killed me and now you're telling me to take him back?! What if he tries to kill me again, huh? And where were you?!"
The moon shone brightly, illuminating the young man carrying someone much bigger than him. They were both clad in black robes, the only difference being that Shen Yao's robe trailed on the ground, while the unconscious man's only covered his feet.
The young man muttered what sounded like silent curses under his breath as he dragged the man with all his might.
He looked like a pitiful little princess hauling a body uphill.
"You—why did I even agree to this? This is unfair!—Eek—ugh...so... heavy...ugh..."
[Later]
"I... feel like... my back is breaking..." he groaned, whispering as he climbed the mountain. Once he arrived, he instantly dropped the unconscious man on the cold floor before squatting down to rest.
He then knocked at the system.
[ How can I help you, host? ]
Shen Yao, breathless and hoarse from mumbling, asked, "What do you want me to do now?"
He didn't know whether to scold the system or ignore it. All he knew was that he was tired and had no energy to f*ck with it.
[ The system shall now give you the one-week supply. Please wait. ]
A ding echoed, and a box of goods appeared out of nowhere—startling Shen Yao. He opened the box and found it indeed contained a full supply.
He scoffed, glancing at the unconscious man. "You get none," he muttered, then returned to the box.
However, after another glance at the man, hesitation crept in. A flicker of guilt bloomed.
Eventually, Shen Yao fetched a basin of water, tore off the edge of his long robe using Xiao Ye's knife, soaked the cloth, and carefully wiped the man's face.
Now clean, Xiao Ye's features stunned him.
"If he cleaned himself every day, he'd probably attract a whole army of girls," Shen Yao muttered.
Sleep tugged at his vision. He got up, placed the basin outside, then checked once more on the unconscious Xiao Ye.
"I'll...check my looks tomorrow…" he mumbled before collapsing face-first beside him on the cold floor.