Little Fish. Chapter 8.

“Major Gu!”

Placing down his tablet, Gu Lang raised his head. Everyone who worked beneath him knew him to be their workaholic boss. There were numerous rumours about the Grade A guide, and Gu Lang was in no hurry to dispel them. His team knew his temper, his abilities, and that he always had reasons behind his actions. They also knew if they couldn’t find Gu Lang in his assigned office, he’d be working from his personal one. That afternoon, he was indeed in his personal office—but that didn’t mean the guide wasn’t exuding his usual hard aura. To be a guide so well-renowned was no easy feat, and Gu Lang would never let anyone trample on his pride without crushing them a hundred times in return.

His team even knew the newest rumour—the return of a former enemy who’d wronged their boss so badly the man had thrown up mouthfuls of blood. That rumour seemed to be true. The last three months had driven them all to various stages of nervous breakdowns. Some quietly prayed that this enemy would remain hidden forever, while others wanted to drag him out by the roots and present him before such an angry god.

Standing in the doorway, Shu Min swallowed hard. Gu Lang personally didn’t find himself so terrifying and couldn’t help clicking his tongue in annoyance.

“Officer Shu.”

The short woman’s heels clicked against the polished wooden floors. She may have hesitated for a moment, but she managed to bounce back and strained a pained smile. Passing over the thin file, Gu Lang took it without opening it. Having been by his side for long enough, Shu Min knew he wanted her explanation in 50 words or less.

“Major, the last of the test subjects have been transferred into the third laboratory successfully. Fifteen sets of remains were found within the structure; DNA has conclusively linked them to the previously supplied samples. Excavation of the grave sites will commence tomorrow. Commander Wang has requested your presence.”

Gu Lang leaned back in his chair.

“Inform Commander Wang that I won’t be coming. Have Gun Wen brought back up to my office. Pause excavation on the grave site until after completion of preliminary scans on the test subjects. State the hazard of infection without confirmation of source. Cancel my itinerary for the next five days. I’m going hunting.”

“Sir, I’m sure they’ll accept that excuse. All current data confirms the source as mania.”

With a smile on his lips, Gu Lang gazed into Shu Min’s eyes.

“It’s been a month and a half since my prey slipped through my fingers. I refuse to let that happen again. I don’t care what excuses you supply. This is far more important.”

Shu Min lowered her gaze. She bore the brunt of every time he went against regulations. That’s why Gu Lang trusted her. However, he couldn’t tell her that his enemy was an esper he’d once known—and that it had taken substantial string-pulling to keep the esper’s identity a secret until he could drag him back himself and demand answers.

“Yes, Major. What shall I list as Gun Wen’s reason for leave?”

“Consultant work. He knows what happened at Perpex and is consulting on following up leads. Have you wired the money across to his sister?”

“Yes, sir. She still wishes to meet with him. I’ve explained that he’s being debriefed on classified matters. She’s none too enthused, but I think the money helped.”

“It always does. Clear the staff from the Sun Bay apartment. I want them replaced with a completely human staff. Replace the security system and refit the locking protocol on the master bedroom. Say, Shu Min, what do you think is a good present for a pet?”

Shu Min couldn’t keep her expression neutral.

“Sir?”

Gu Lang gave a shake of his head.

“Never mind. A slip of the tongue in excitement. Just make sure there’s new staff there before Monday.”

Shu Min gave a nod.

“Yes, Major. Cai Dan will return in two days from now.”

At the mention of his second-in-command’s name, Gu Lang’s face blackened enough to speed up Shu Min’s heart. He clicked his tongue again.

“Let him. Keep him busy. Please send Gun Wen up immediately.”

Fifteen minutes later, there was a tiny knock on his office door. Opening it, Gun Wen poked his head in.

“S-sir?”

Sitting up straighter, Gu Lang gestured to the chair in front of his desk. He couldn’t say he had a positive view of the human before him. For four years, Gun Wen had aided in keeping Gu Lang’s prey out of his grasp. His foolish human ways seemed to truly believe he and Wei Zangchen had a chance to escape again. When they’d apprehended him, he’d initially been unwilling to help. His lack of cooperation had led to Wei Zangchen—and the child with him—slipping through their grip once again.

Gun Wen now believed they were in possession of the child named Xiao Li, and that cooperation would allow him to see the child again.

Slinking into the chair, Gun Wen sat on the very edge. His heart was racing, a slight twitch in his right eye. Gu Lang snorted.

“Nothing to say?”

Gun Wen clenched his fists as he raised his gaze.

“You requested to see me, sir?”

Normally the first thing out of the man’s mouth was to enquire about Wei Zangchen. The second, about Xiao Li. He’d never asked about his sister—not once. He didn’t know they’d gone behind his back to contact her. Gu Lang planned to use her later. The money transferred was a retainer in his eyes, while she believed it was compensation to help reintegrate Gun Wen into society after his formal dismissal.

“How are you at driving?”

Gun Wen raised an eyebrow.

“I can drive…”

After a moment, he became excited.

“Have you found him? Is he okay?”

Gu Lang’s lips tightened. He loathed the closeness between Gun Wen and Wei Zangchen. Gun Wen was insufferable and couldn’t seem to decide if he was loyal to Wei Zangchen and his secrets, or if he should list off the esper’s numerous injuries and beg for help.

“He’s under observation. We’ll be making an arrest shortly.”

Gun Wen slumped, his clenched hands releasing before coming up to cover his face.

“He didn’t do anything…”

Gu Lang didn’t want to hear it and sharply rebutted,

“You call remaining at a military institute where clear mania had broken out, without reporting it, ‘not doing anything’? When put that way, he truly did do nothing. Then there’s the involvement of the children. A cemetery of corpses without clear causes of death. Leaving without clearance, and stealing prototype technology.”

“He was only trying to survive. I told you, the exoskeleton melted into his body. He couldn’t remove it even if he wanted to.”

“It’s still government property. Don’t forget—he also attacked my second-in-command. An A-grade esper on active duty, who is also of a lower rank than himself.”

Gun Wen opened and closed his mouth. Gu Lang pushed his chair back.

“You’re coming with me. Happens I’m in need of a driver. You owe me for allowing him to slip away.”

Gun Wen had never allowed it. He’d been detained while intending to purchase the drink he’d promised Wei Zangchen. Gu Lang knew he was secretly happy that Wei Zangchen had slipped through their fingers. The man needed to see for himself the damage he’d caused by not allowing capture sooner.

“So I have to drive…?”

“Yes. Any funny business, and I will personally deliver you to Laboratory Three to watch over what your actions have caused.”

“But… would I be able to see Wei Zangchen?”

Gu Lang gave a cold laugh.

“With where he’s going, it’s best to forget his name for the foreseeable future.”

Arriving in the underground garage, Gu Lang handed over the keys to Gun Wen, who took them as if he were being marched to his death. As the man had been unable to provide useful information on Wei Zangchen’s whereabouts, they’d relied on his past browsing history. The guide knew Gun Wen had no clear idea—mental manipulation had wiped specifics. And since he’d been seized before erasing the history on his devices, Gu Lang could only do things the old-fashioned way.

His team consisted of ten members, including Cai Dan and Shu Min: four Grade A espers, two Grade B guides, two technical experts, and one lone human to counter internal friction. Rising through the ranks, Gun Wen had ridden on Wei Zangchen’s coattails. Wherever the esper went, he was generally assigned to the same team.

At the time of the incident, he’d been sent to Country A to aid in the transfer process of another guide who was leaving Country T on a six-month loan. The Grade A guide didn’t need a babysitter, but with his name and ties, Gu Lang was sent along anyway. By the time he’d come back, Wei Zangchen was listed as deceased, and the matter of the exploding gate had been hushed up. No matter who he turned to, Gu Lang was smacked back. His superiors claimed Wei Zangchen had intentionally let the gate explode—intending to flee, only to be caught in the blast wave that caused the helicopter he was on to crash into the sea.

Despite not even being in the same country, Gu Lang’s name had come up. The public felt that if he’d been there, things would have turned out differently—and their national hero wouldn’t have fled. Since then, Gu Lang had conducted his own investigation in his own time. No matter where he’d gone, Wei Zangchen had followed him. The only way to cast off the shadow was to become stronger. Strong enough to be recognised as the number one guide.

He’d worked hard. His looks were advantageous. At 1.9 metres tall, with square shoulders, fine muscles built through hours of hard training, and a face that appealed to many coworkers. Wei Zangchen’s death had become his obsession. Years of work had finally paid off—only for Cai Dan to be attacked. Had Wei Zangchen’s DNA not been recovered, he’d have doubted it was the esper, even with the residual mental damage left on Cai Dan. Not going himself had left a bitter stain on his heart.

Folding his long frame into the backseat, the guide pulled out his tablet again. Wei Zangchen had finally been located. The esper had been researching previous gates, leading Gu Lang to send teams to secretly surveil every possible location. Coupled with their normal duties, the process had exceeded his original timeline.

Just that morning, a positive ID had been made. Wei Zangchen had fled north with the child—the one who’d appeared shortly after the esper’s disappearance. Gun Wen insisted the child belonged to one of the researchers, but Gu Lang had discovered that Wei Zangchen had been admitted to hospital shortly before his “death”… and he knew the esper had been sexually active just before vanishing.

“Sir, where am I going?”

Meeting Gun Wen’s gaze in the rearview mirror, Gu Lang smiled a scheming smile.

“Until you meet the Black Dragon.”

“Th-th-that’s 16 hours! At least!”

Lowering his gaze to his tablet, Gu Lang kept his annoyance in check.

“Then we’d best leave immediately. I will warn you now—this car has the latest security updates, and more than one GPS locator. The route is also displayed on my tablet. Don’t even think about betraying me or intentionally crashing. I’ll survive—but the same can’t be said of you.”

Gun Wen slumped forward over the steering wheel.

“You… You’re a beast!”

“Thank you for your kind words. I suggest you start driving. If Wei Zangchen slips through my fingers again, I’m not sure what condition I’ll be bringing him back in.”

“He said y-y-you were scary. I can see why he never wanted to see you again.”

Gu Lang wasn’t shocked—nor was he surprised. He knew very well that he was the last person Wei Zangchen wanted to see again.

“Then I hope he told you how scary I can be when there’s something I want. I’ve been searching for him for a long time—and now that I have him in my grasp, I won’t let go a second time. Drive.”