Chapter Eighty-One: Something Has Been Stolen

Chapter Eighty-One: Stolen Goods

“What do you mean ‘you’? If it weren’t for the news, we wouldn’t even know how impressive you are.” Across from him, Shen Jiahe sounded agitated. “Did you think that if you kept quiet, we’d never find out? Keeping us in the dark—what, are you so busy being a hero or something?”

Since Shen Jiahe learned that Shen An was an Awakened, he and his wife had been up all night, discussing the matter. Later, they summoned Second Uncle to join the conversation. It was the first time any of them had heard of this Awakened business. They spent hours researching online, piecing together a rough understanding. Awakened were like martial artists from TV dramas: some liked to uphold justice, others committed every evil imaginable, but in the end, it all came down to power.

Looking at their son’s deeds, they felt a surge of pride. Yet, knowing that the enemy was an Awakened like their son, they couldn’t help but worry. Especially his mother, Tianru, who fretted incessantly. Left with no other choice, Shen Jiahe suggested they come see for themselves. Thus, he and Shen Jiaye took the train, accompanied by a young girl—Shen Wenjing, Second Uncle’s daughter.

Shen An suddenly detected something off in his father’s tone. “Wait, do they know I’m an Awakened?”

“Oh my!” He was utterly astonished. How could his parents have figured out his identity back home? It was impossible; it made no sense. Shen An was perplexed.

“Listen, I’m telling you—we’re on the train, half an hour from arriving. Come pick us up.” Shen Jiahe finished speaking and prepared to hang up.

A girl’s voice chimed in, “Brother, find us somewhere good to eat!” The call ended.

Shen An put down his phone, rubbing his forehead. “Why is that little brat here too?” He was plagued with a headache.

At that moment, he stood in a bustling square, with crowds all around. In the center was a huge flat-panel television broadcasting a story from Phoenix Mountain. Shen An slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked up.

His eyes widened in disbelief. The man on screen was himself. The broadcast even featured numerous comments about him. Shen An was dumbfounded.

“When did I become a hero?” he wondered. “No, how did this get out? Was this deliberate?”

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. A minute later, he made another call—this time to Bai Weiwei, seeking answers. Bai Weiwei didn’t know the details, but assured him it was a good thing and told him not to worry.

At this point, worry was pointless.

Just as Shen An hung up, a child among the crowd recognized him. “That’s the big brother from TV!” the little girl said innocently.

Shen An quickly turned around. He saw several people approaching him, some young men and women raising their phones to take pictures. This couldn’t go on.

He didn’t hesitate to use his abilities in public. With a swift movement, he disappeared from the crowd. The others stared in shock, realizing Shen An had vanished without a trace.

Shen An appeared in a taxi. It was getting late—about half an hour to the train station. He didn’t want to waste any more time.

As for Mu Linqiu, Shen An had no immediate solution. He’d wanted to look for her, driven by a sliver of hope. But so much time had passed—the enemy had likely already taken her somewhere. Still, Shen An didn’t believe they would harm her; their aim wasn’t to kill Mu Linqiu, but to threaten him. Or perhaps, when they finally confronted him, they’d use her as leverage.

If Shen An abandoned her, then Viper and Wang Yuan might leave him as well. He had promised to protect Mu Linqiu and the others from the Dark Group’s pursuit. No matter which way he looked at it, the enemy wouldn’t kill Mu Linqiu easily.

The taxi had barely stopped when Shen An’s phone rang again. He answered, “I’m here, where are you?”

“Brother, we just got off the train. Wait there, we’ll be over soon.” It was Shen Wenjing.

She hung up after that. Shen An found a quiet exit to wait by, watching the crowds pour out. He waited several minutes but didn’t see his father and the others.

He quickly used his X-ray vision to scan the area.

Suddenly, he saw several men surrounding his father and family. Beside Wenjing were a few men; Second Uncle’s arm was gripped tightly by another. His father, Shen Jiahe, was red-faced and being pushed around by several young thugs. They looked skinny, one with a tattooed arm, fierce in appearance. Two blond punks hovered near Shen Wenjing, trying to get handsy.

Ignoring the staff at the exit who tried to block him, Shen An rushed inside.

“Hey, what are you doing? You can’t go in there!” one of them protested. Shen An glared, and the staff retreated in fear.

Seizing the moment, Shen An dashed in, reaching his family in a few strides. Two blond punks were roughing up Wenjing, the tattooed man was there, and another held Second Uncle’s arm.

“My brother’s coming! Give our things back, or you’ll regret it!” Wenjing declared.

The group laughed derisively, one reaching for Wenjing. A blond punk tried to sneak behind her.

“Get lost!” Shen An’s voice rang out.

In the next instant, he kicked the blond punk away. The tattooed man glared, pointing at Shen An. “Who the hell are you?”

Shen An grabbed his finger, twisted it with a crack, and the man crouched down, clutching his hand in agony.

The others hadn’t yet reacted. Shen An grabbed them like chickens, tossing them aside one by one.

“Brother, you’re finally here!” Wenjing gleefully hugged Shen An’s arm, acting spoiled.

“Wenjing, behave yourself. You’re too old to be so flighty,” Second Uncle said with a relieved smile.

Shen An dispatched the thugs with ease, making Shen Jiahe happy as well.

“Xiao An, they stole our things,” his father said.

Shen An turned to look at the tattooed man. Just then, the station staff arrived. They watched Shen An, not daring to approach. Moments before, they’d seen him take down the thugs in the blink of an eye.