Little Fish. Chapter 9

Arriving in the small hours of the following morning, Gu Lang recalled his agent. Gun Wen had done well—the man deserved the rest he was now taking. Twice, he’d nearly given in to his desires to protect Wei Zangchen, and twice he’d made the right decision not to bite his master.

Subduing the human, he left him with his hands tied in the back of the white sedan. Gu Lang leaned against the car, smoking a cigarette while browsing the surveillance photos. Wei Zangchen. The esper clearly wasn’t in the same form he’d once been. He now walked with a crutch, his hair was longer, and his gaze… no, his gaze was as piercing as ever.

“Major, I’ve compiled the household records for the town. It appears after leaving New Air City, he made his way directly here. He’s established ties in this town. They have one other esper here—Liu Han. A 78-year-old grade D esper. His ability is ice-related. He never served in the military. Other than that, the population is human.”

Gu Lang flicked the ash from his cigarette. Casting a backward glance at the box on the back seat of his car that his subordinate had supplied, he quickly looked back as if the glance had never happened.

“Officer Wang, take your car and return to the office. You’ve earned a five-day holiday. I’ll deal with capture and retrieval.”

“He’s a grade S, sir…”

“No need to worry. I’ve brought a bargaining chip with me. Remember, not a word of this is to reach command. Not until I’ve collared him and dragged out all the answers.”

Wang Bu nodded. As the only human on the team, he knew it was better not to look the gift of five free days in the mouth. No one was more vindictive than Gu Lang when he felt betrayed.

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent. Good work. I may just put you forward for a raise next quarter.”

Money worked better than promises in this world. People were always lacking money, and Wang Bu was no exception. He had a top-rate mind but bottom-rate test results. Wang Bu’s family had wanted him to follow in the steps of his successful aunt, which was how they’d met. The man would never be a scholarship student, but he had his uses.

Wang Bu raised an eyebrow.

“May?”

Gu Lang snorted.

“You saw right through me. Don’t worry, you’re on paid leave. I’ll be needing you soon enough.”

“And my raise?”

“Tell Shu Min I authorised it. I’m in such a good mood, tell her to give you a bonus too.”

“I’ll hold you to your word.”

“I know you will. Now leave.”

Wang Bu didn’t hesitate to walk over to his car. Getting in, he didn’t look back before taking off. Gu Lang truly was in a good mood. Old friends were due to reunite.

Leaving Gun Wen sleeping, Gu Lang retrieved what he needed. Wei Zangchen not only now had a child with him, he also had a cat. While Gun Wen had driven, he’d searched for what he needed, then forwarded the list onto Wang Bu. Children were loud and obnoxious; taking the cat would be to keep the child quiet. In his pocket was a tin of cat food and a cat harness that frankly felt too small. After all, Wei Zangchen’s entire “family” must also be taken in.

Enjoying the stroll up to the township, he suppressed his mental cloud to near nothingness. When he got bored, he’d take the cat food out of his pocket and play catch with the tin. From the photos, he already knew the building he was looking for, and once the child and cat were removed, Wei Zangchen would be more pliable in his hands.

Unlike New Air City, the streets grew dark at night. As nimbly as a cat burglar, Gu Lang leapt over the side fence to avoid the chance of the old property gate squeaking. The lights inside were all off, the occupants clueless that there was about to be an unannounced guest.

Doing a slow lap of the house, he blocked the back door with a thick branch taken from the pile of firewood neatly stacked beside it. The windows were all shut from the inside, as expected of a paranoid man. Walking back around to the front door, Gu Lang took out his pocket knife, jimmying the neglected latch with a slight crunch.

Slipping into the darkened residence, Gu Lang was momentarily blinded. The living room light flicked on, revealing two uncles holding a walking cane and a shovel, respectively.

“Who are you?! What are you doing in this house?”

Gu Lang had to laugh. Wei Zangchen was more cunning than Wang Bu had noticed.

“I’m searching for a lost cat. Have you seen him?”

“Ming Shen has gone already! You won’t take him back! What kind of a worthless man sides with such a despicable ex! We won’t let you hurt him.”

Ming Shen!? Gu Lang could only shake his head. What a ridiculous name. Never in his life had he heard a more ridiculous name in reference to Wei Zangchen.

“What gives you the impression I’m here to hurt him?”

“No one would come sniffing around here if not for him. You leave that boy alone. You have no idea what he’s been through! Now leave. Leave him and his son alone. He ain’t hurting anyone being here.”

His son? So Wei Zangchen had confided in these strangers that the boy was indeed his son. Gu Lang raised the can of cat food.

“No harm meant. I’m simply looking for a lost cat.”

“You get out of our town, and don’t you come back! We don’t want no trouble.”

These uncles were certainly feisty. Letting his release go, he expanded his consciousness until he felt it brush against Wei Zangchen’s. Calmly, he replaced the tin of cat food back into his pocket.

“I’ll be on my way with my cat. Don’t go hurting yourselves.”

Backing out of the residence with a mocking smile, Gu Lang then turned, jumped the front fence, and took off running. Wei Zangchen wasn’t so far away that he couldn’t catch him, but he wasn’t exactly close either. The esper vainly attempted to pull his consciousness away while wisps stretched out, eager for guiding. Gun Wen said he’d been heavily injured, and not the same man as before—but he’d underestimated his friend. The hunt was on.

***

Earth terrain wasn’t so different from gate terrain. All espers and guides that entered gates were highly skilled and adapted to most terrain—not to mention their enhanced abilities and skills. Leaving the town behind, Gu Lang ran, climbing the rolling slope to the northwest of the town and dodging trees with ease. Wei Zangchen was still moving away, though his speed was much slower and his consciousness was growing more hazy. This was part of the reason Gu Lang had hoped to subdue his prey while he’d slept.

Nimbly, the distance shortened and shortened, Wei Zangchen realizing the inevitable was going to happen, coming to a stop and allowing Gu Lang to catch up with him. After four years, he finally laid eyes on the man whose name he couldn’t escape.

Standing in the clearing, the esper held a small child in front of him. A cat, almost crushed in the teary-eyed toddler’s arms. Wei Zangchen had dropped a lot of weight, and his mental state hovered dangerously close to going manic. Still, he held enough sanity to glare at Gu Lang coldly.

“I never wanted to see you again.”

Gu Lang feigned being wounded, placing his hand against his racing heart.

“No. I’m the last person you’d ever want to see. Come back with me.”

“No.”

That was what he’d expected to hear.

“I’ve got your friend Gun Wen waiting for you. He’s been worried sick since you went missing.”

“Let him choke to death.”

Gun Wen would have been choking on a mouthful of blood to hear that. Gu Lang smiled as he spread his hands.

“You need to come back. Do you know how long I’ve been searching for you?”

“You’ve found me, now go. I’m not going back. I refuse to go back to that life.”

“Even if I ask you nicely?”

“Especially if you ask me nicely.”

Laughing, Gu Lang felt better by the second.

“You haven’t changed at all. But think about what you’re doing to your son.”

“My son has nothing to do with this. The townspeople have been nothing but kind to us. We can survive out here on our own.”

“I don’t doubt it, but you’re still coming back with me. I can feel your consciousness reaching out for mine already. You’re barely holding on.”

“I might be, but I still have enough power to stay out of your hands.”

Feeling the fluctuation in Wei Zangchen’s energy, Gu Lang lunged forward.

“Stop, don’t do it!”

Flames shot out around Wei Zangchen, sparks hitting Gu Lang’s suit causing it to smoulder. The esper in front of him truly didn’t want to return. The only thing Gu Lang could do was launch his own mental attack back. Shooting his mental tendrils into the esper’s mind, Wei Zangchen let out an ear-piercing scream, the flames growing brighter until Gu Lang pushed harder. Finding the locked part of Wei Zangchen’s mind, he broke through his defences, forcing guiding upon him and forcing the mania to recede.

It was an undignified attack, and also an attack that Cai Dan hadn’t been able to complete. Emotions came flooding through. Wei Zangchen truly feared what would happen to his son over everything. His last conscious thought was of the small boy in his arms.

With Wei Zangchen unconscious, his flames died on the spot. In the centre of the scorched earth were the three family members—Wei Zangchen now unconscious, the cat desperately trying to escape, and the small boy who had no idea what had happened. His hunt was complete.

***

Walking over to the trio, Gu Lang said nothing. Taking the cat harness out, he forced the cat from the boy’s arms. The beast scratched at him as it tried to escape. The little thing was slippery, but he was a seasoned guide, adept at handling all forms of monsters. Wrangling the cat into the harness, it hissed at him. The little boy tried to get his best friend back, glaring at Gu Lang so fiercely it struck him as cute.

“Stop it, kid. I’m here for your father. He’s sick, and you know he’s sick. Gun Wen sent me. He’s waiting in the car. If I wanted to hurt him, I could’ve brought a lot of bad, scary men. Don’t let your cat escape again. You’ll make Wei Zangchen cry if you lose him.”

The cat fought going back to the kid. Scruffing it, Gu Lang stared into its angry yellow eyes.

“Behave. I’ve got food for you in my pocket. Look, kid, this cat isn’t going to behave. I’m taking your father with me—and this cat. Either you can stand here or you can follow us home. Your father needs medicine. Do you understand me?”

The boy said nothing. Sighing, Gu Lang squatted down. He put the lead to the cat harness between his teeth, then hefted Wei Zangchen over his shoulder, finding him surprisingly heavy for a walking skeleton. With the esper taken care of, he lifted the cat against his chest and held the angry beast there, both of his hands now full.

“Come on then. Unless you want to stay out here all alone.”

The little boy didn’t want to come… but the big bad man had taken both his father and his cat. He had no choice but to follow him.