Steam Era: The Lord Chapter 6: Why Shoot to Kill?

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Why Shoot to Kill?

Lying on the dormitory bed, Li Banfeng silently stared at the ceiling. The dorm bed was high, bringing the ceiling close. The mold spots on it looked like eyes watching him. Indeed, eyes were watching him, observing his every move.

CLICKETY-CLICK! A ssage ca through on the phone again.

Who on Earth is sending

ssages?

This person found He Jiaqing’s phone.

He knows I t Third Uncle.

He knows I t the police.

He also knows He Jiaqing is lying in a hospital bed.

Who exactly is this person?

A teacher from the university? A doctor from the hospital? Old Chen, who claims to be a policeman? The janitor downstairs? ...

The phone kept buzzing with endless ssages. Li Banfeng picked it up and saw He Jiaqing’s number had sent over a dozen texts.

"Ban Feng, throughout four years of university, you’re the only brother I’ve had!"

"If there’s only one cup of liquor left, you have a drink, and I have a drink."

"If there’s only one cigarette left, you smoke half, and I smoke half!"

"The first ti I went out to eat with my wife, you were there with . The first ti I was spending the night with my wife, your call ca halfway through, and I ended up spending the entire night with you at the internet cafe."

"When you were diagnosed with a ntal illness, I took you to the doctor. When you ran out of money, I paid for you. When I ran out of money, I went to work at a construction site moving stones, and I kept at it until you were discharged."

"Last year during exams, I failed a subject trying to pass you answers and almost got put on probation by the school. Throughout these four years of university, you’re the only one I’ve acknowledged as my brother! Just you!"

...

Over a dozen ssages proved one thing: the sender was indeed He Jiaqing. Because there were so things only the two of them knew.

The last ssage read: "Brother, save . Only you can save ."

Li Banfeng took a deep breath and redialed the number, wanting to confirm He Jiaqing’s voice. The call didn’t go through, so Li Banfeng sent a ssage, "How did you get back from the station, and why did you end up on my bed?"

He Jiaqing replied, "That wasn’t ."

Li Banfeng quickly typed back, "If it wasn’t you, then who was it? And where are you? Why can you see ?"

Li Banfeng had many questions for He Jiaqing, but for now, these were all he could think of.

CLICKETY-CLICK!

He Jiaqing replied, "I really want to answer you, but there’s no ti. The train is about to leave. If you don’t co to save

today, I don’t know when the next one will be. You might never see

again."

The train is about to leave. Save him today...

Li Banfeng rolled out of bed and quietly looked out the window.

So, in university, I only have him as a friend?

From birth until now, how many friends have I had?

It seems just this one.

Below, the Sixth Dormitory was eerily quiet, even the clotheslines empty. But under the large willow tree downstairs, soone had been standing there all along.

It was a young man with a slender build, around Li Banfeng’s age. His eyes were huge, glittering like light bulbs, and Li Banfeng could see them clearly even from the third floor. He seed to be waiting for soone.

In this dormitory building, aside from Li Banfeng, only the janitor remained. Setting aside the janitor for the mont, this person had to be here for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng sent a ssage to He Jiaqing, "I’m being watched."

He Jiaqing replied, "It must be soone from the Dark Star Bureau."

Li Banfeng ssaged back, "What is the Dark Star Bureau?"

"I really can’t explain right now," He Jiaqing replied. "The na ’Dark Star Bureau’ cannot be ntioned casually; they can sense it. Brother, you have to save , or it’ll be too late."

Li Banfeng sat in his chair, lost in thought. He sat motionless for more than ten minutes. During that ti, the janitor ca up once and, looking at Li Banfeng, asked, "Why haven’t you left yet?" Li Banfeng didn’t respond; he didn’t even seem to see him. He was rapidly recalling his various experiences with He Jiaqing over the past four years.

Yes, I’m the only brother he has.

After a long silence, Li Banfeng typed on his phone, "Brother, in four years of university, I’ve also only acknowledged you as my brother. If there’s one cup of liquor left, we share it, sip by sip. If there’s one cigarette left, we smoke half each. If you run out of money for dical treatnt, I’ll go to the construction site and move stones without a second thought. But this matter... I don’t want to get involved anymore."

Li Banfeng put down the phone, feeling deeply conflicted. The reason he no longer wanted to get involved was that this situation was beyond his comprehension. As far as Li Banfeng knew, the He Jiaqing in the hospital bed and the He Jiaqing on the phone had both appeared at the wrong ti and in the wrong place. He also knew that in the past four years, He Jiaqing had never displayed any superpowers; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been caught cheating. Li Banfeng felt his ability to accept things was already quite strong; this kind of situation could drive a normal person insane.

Besides, I’m already ntally ill.

CLICKETY-CLICK! The long-silent phone received a ssage from He Jiaqing.

"Fine." The ssage contained only one word.

Li Banfeng lay back down on the dorm bed, gazing at the ceiling, continuing to space out.

I haven’t slept well for three days. A good sleep, and this would all be over.

Jia Qing, I’ve done everything I could for you.

CLICKETY-CLICK! Another ssage from Jia Qing.

"Take care of yourself."

"Take care of yourself."

That phrase sounded so familiar.

It was the last thing Li Banfeng had said to He Jiaqing.

The last thing he had said to him face to face.

"Be well..."

He had told him to be well, but now He Jiaqing wasn’t.

Not well ant not well; the logic was that simple.

Li Banfeng sat up and sent a ssage, "How can I save you?"

He Jiaqing’s reply ca quickly, his words conveying agitation even through text: "Ban Feng, my good brother, I’m begging you, help

get sothing and bring it to my house."

"What thing?" Li Banfeng asked, his gaze shifting to He Jiaqing’s storage locker, which, as far as he rembered, had long been empty.

He Jiaqing replied, "The item isn’t in the dorm; it’s in the campus supermarket."

Li Banfeng went to the window and looked down. First, he looked at the man still crouching under the tree, then towards the campus supermarket not far away.

Li Banfeng ssaged, "You said to take the item to your house. You don’t an your hotown, do you?"

He Jiaqing replied, "It’s my hotown. My hotown isn’t too far. I’ll buy you a train ticket; it leaves this afternoon! Hurry to East Station! I’m begging you!"

Li Banfeng took a deep breath and jumped down from the bed. He washed his face thoroughly, letting the cool water temporarily suppress the fatigue from the past few days. He put on a short-sleeved T-shirt, loose sweatpants, and sneakers. Since he was going on a long trip, he needed to pack. He first grabbed his wallet, packed his ID, and took the two thousand yuan in cash Third Uncle had given him. Then, he took a backpack from the wardrobe. He Jiaqing had bought it from a street stall—thirty yuan for one, fifty for two. Jia Qing had bought two and given him one. He packed a change of clothes and prepared to leave imdiately.

Before leaving, Li Banfeng glanced out the window again; the big-eyed man watching him was still there.

Li Banfeng sent a ssage, "The guy watching ... since he’s not a police officer, I suppose he can handle a bit of physical contact, right?"

CLICKETY-CLICK!

He Jiaqing replied, "Don’t be impulsive."

Li Banfeng ssaged back, "Don’t worry, I know my limits. It’ll definitely be within the scope of self-defense."

"It’s not a matter of limits," He Jiaqing replied. "He’s a Dark Energy User. You can’t beat him. You have to find a way to shake him off."

"What’s a Dark Energy User?" Li Banfeng asked.

"I can’t explain right now," He Jiaqing responded.

"When I get to your place, you have to tell

everything, down to the last detail," Li Banfeng stated.

Li Banfeng left the dormitory. As soon as he stepped out, the big-eyed man didn’t move. After Li Banfeng had walked a few dozen ters, the big-eyed man silently followed.

Li Banfeng casually walked into the campus supermarket, as if he were just going in to buy a pack of spicy strips like usual.

The slender, big-eyed man was nad Dong Xiaoning, codenad Light Bulb. He had just joined the Dark Star Bureau last month, and many of his thods were still unprofessional. For example, his surveillance technique was subpar, and he knew it. Right now, he stood at the supermarket entrance, hesitating. The campus supermarket wasn’t large; if he went in, Li Banfeng might easily spot him. But if he didn’t go in, he worried he might lose his target.

CLICKETY-CLICK! A ssage arrived from He Jiaqing.

"The item is in a storage locker at the supermarket."

Li Banfeng approached the storage lockers. The campus supermarket only had facial recognition lockers; scanning one’s face was the only way to store or retrieve items.

"How do I open the locker? With your photo?" Li Banfeng ssaged back.

"No need," He Jiaqing replied. "Just retrieve it directly."

Retrieve it directly?

Li Banfeng pressed the "retrieve" button, and the locker screen began to record his face.

What good will this do? It’s not like I stored anything...

CLICK! Locker number six swung open.

What’s going on?

My face opened He Jiaqing’s locker?

What was the principle behind this?

Li Banfeng stood there, astonished for a long mont, unable to comprehend how this had happened.

Inside the locker was a package, tightly bound with duct tape. It wasn’t large, but it was very heavy. Li Banfeng quickly stuffed the package into his backpack. Just as he was about to leave the supermarket, he saw Light Bulb waiting at the entrance, apparently on the phone.

Li Banfeng quickly ssaged He Jiaqing, "The person watching

is on the phone. Can you hear what he’s saying?" If the other party was calling for reinforcents, Li Banfeng had to figure out how to respond.

He Jiaqing ssaged back, "I can hear a little, but it’s very faint. I can’t do it alone; we brothers need to cooperate. Can you get closer to him?"

Li Banfeng grabbed a shopping cart and lingered casually near the supermarket entrance. Light Bulb’s voice grew louder, and Li Banfeng could hear it more clearly. It seed He Jiaqing had temporarily lent Li Banfeng so of his superpower. Li Banfeng not only heard the big-eyed man’s voice clearly but also the voice on the other end of the phone, loud and distinct.

"Chief Xiao, Li Banfeng took sothing from a storage locker in the supermarket. I’m not sure about the origin of that item," Dong Xiaoning said into his phone.

On the other end of the line, Xiao Zhenggong asked, "Have you reported this to Captain Chen?"

"I called Captain Chen, but I couldn’t get through," Dong Xiaoning replied.

Silence hung on the other end for a long mont before Xiao Zhenggong’s command ca through: "Terminate him. Bring whatever he took back to the bureau."

Upon hearing this, Dong Xiaoning trembled all over. Shuddering nearby, beside the shelves, was Li Banfeng. To be precise, Li Banfeng was trembling even more violently.

Terminate?

This has to be a joke, right?

What did I do? Why do they want to terminate ?