"You-you-you-you—why are you here?"
The freckled youngster stared at Lin Jie in horror as if he were a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead as he stammered and backed away.
He subconsciously reached out to grab his weapon, but the situation had caught him off guard as he grabbed at air. How could he have a weapon on him in such a place?
I’m done for! Greg felt his vision turning dark as he sank into despair.
A few months prior, Greg had transformed into a black cat to investigate the situation in the bookstore. However, on that dark and rainy night, he had witnessed his idol, Joseph, being taken down effortlessly. The psychological trauma from that encounter with the terrifying threat seemed to have enveloped him once more, and that very scene was still vivid in his mind.
The young magician gritted his teeth. He couldn’t give up yet! Even though it seemed like there was an ordinary mortal beside them, Greg couldn’t care less… He had already scoured the terrain of the entire manor and there were three vents in this corridor alone, with the nearest at the corner less than ten meters away. As long as he could rush over at his fastest speed, he would still have a chance to escape!
Then, he would inform the Tower to make preparations… At the thought of that, Greg suddenly froze in place and his intentions of transforming into a cat came to a halt.
Wait a minute, how can the Tower not know that this monster has left the bookstore?
"Hmm…?" Lin Jie observed the youngster quickly retreat and stick to the wall as if he had just seen a ghost.
The latter's expression warped so quickly as if he had been eating an apple, then noticed a worm in it. Then, a sudden realization hit him that there was only half a worm remaining. His face was pale, and his entire body was trembling furiously.
"Hey… Kid, are you alright? You don’t seem well. Do you need help?”
Out of humanitarian concern, Lin Jie took a step forward and reached out to try and support this young stranger who seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Greg's pupils constricted, but he had already missed the opportune time. He was certain that at such a close distance, it would be easy for this monster to control or kill him.
In other words, escaping was futile and all he could do was await his death…
Ahhhhhh! Don't come over!
Lin Jie placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. The latter's eyes were tightly shut, and his lips were trembling. Fear was written all over his face, which surprised Lin Jie even more.
This didn't seem like a breakdown. It was more like the reaction of seeing a 10-centimeter-long and sleek American cockroach flying toward one’s face…
And the person seemed to be afraid of Lin Jie?
Am I really that scary? Deep down, Lin Jie shook his head. He was certain that he had always been amiable and definitely didn’t have the sort of fierce face that people would find scary upon a first encounter.
At the very least, not till the extent of being comparable to an American cockroach, right… Thus, Lin Jie deduced that the problem didn’t lie with himself but was probably an issue of the young stranger’s.
Perhaps, this kid, who seemed like one from a noble family, was the sort of child that was pampered dearly and rarely interacted with others, so much so that he suffered from some form of serious social anxiety?
Lin Jie felt that this guess made sense.
After all, the other party seemed to be speaking smoothly into the communications device just moments ago but had suddenly become like this… It didn’t make any sense other than a relapse.
In any case, since the young stranger was staying in the room here meant that he must be a guest. However, Lin Jie hadn’t seen him at the opening ball downstairs, so it was likely that he was hiding in his room due to his social issues.
But from the conversation Lin Jie had overheard, didn’t it seem like the youngster had been forced by his family to come over and socialize?
What a pitiful child. With a sympathetic look, Lin Jie put his hands down and backed away slightly. At the same time, he put on his most gentle smile and commiserated, “Sorry, sorry. Do you want me to get a doctor? Or, um… Though it might sound like I’m slightly boasting, I’m quite experienced in dealing with such situations and perhaps I can help you calm down a bit…”
Greg felt the vice grip on his shoulder finally let go, and he loosened his clenched teeth when he heard the monster say that he wanted to help him ‘calm down.’
His heart sank. This ‘calming down’ was definitely something bad!
‘Dealing with such situations’; could it mean that I’ve been recognized somewhere or even exposed?! If so, what the monster was going to do next is obvious—he’s definitely going to silence me!
Greg's heart pounded. His eyes widened as he jumped to the side and exclaimed loudly, “No, no, no. No need, no need too. I’m fine. Very fine!”
Lin Jie was stunned. "Are you really okay? I think…"
"It’s completely not necessary! Not at all!” Greg reiterated as he crossed his hands into an X. “Thank you for your concern. I feel much better now.”
While he didn’t know why, it seemed like the monstrous bookstore owner didn’t have the intention of starting a massacre on the spot. Instead, he was warning Greg not to expose his identity…
In that case, as long as he stayed alive, there was hope. He needed to keep his life first and foremost so that he could figure out what to do!
This wasn’t fear but the professionalism of an investigator!
"You sure?" Lin Jie looked at him skeptically and realized that the youngster’s pale face had returned back to normal and was even ruddy. The worry he had eased a little, but he still added kindly, "The condition you showed just now appeared rather serious. You must be honest if there’s any problem. You can’t joke around with your own well-being.”
Greg gulped as he met Lin Jie's sincere gaze. "Don't joke around"… This is a threat! It has to be a threat!
If he exposed Lin Jie's identity or revealed any information, the monster would definitely attack him!
He shook his head vigorously. "I'm really fine!
"Just now, um, just now, I was abruptly given a scare by someone. It’s an old issue of mine. My reaction to that scare was just a little too much, haha…”
Lin Jie was enlightened. "Ah, I see."
Phew… Greg wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He had finally dealt with this problem.
Fitch suddenly chimed in glumly, “It didn’t seem so, though. This kid looked to be very afraid of you, Mr. Lin, perhaps he might have some unspeakable notion.”
Haaa?! Greg looked at the guy whom he initially thought was an ordinary mortal at first and met the latter’s competitive and hostile gaze.
After his attention had been diverted away from Lin Jie, he suddenly realized that this person was also a transcendent being!
And there was something strange about the aether waves…
Lin Jie shook his head and chuckled. "Why would that be? I'm so ordinary. Do I look scary? Don't you think so, young friend?”
Lin Jie’s gaze shifted back to Greg. The latter, who had been in thought, immediately felt his hair stand on end. Under this pressurizing gaze, he nodded stiffly. “Yes, you aren’t scary at all!”
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