In the early morning, before the sky had brightened, a inconspicuous figure leaped down from a high window. Landing gracefully, he rolled forward along the momentum without making much noise in the dark night.
It wasn't until he landed that Yu Bai felt a bit reckless for flipping out of the window like that.
Firstly, he didn't know the area around the auction house, and it could be more dangerous to venture out hastily.
Secondly, Marshal Fu Linyuan was still inside the auction house.
However, the appearance of the human who had just opened the suite door with a card was still fresh in Yu Bai's memory.
In his previous life, it was this person who pushed the tank containing him and sent him on the transport to the laboratory.
Later, he also saw that person in the laboratory.
It was after another failed escape attempt when the people from the laboratory came up with a new method to prevent him from leaving.
They created a metal ring fixed to the bottom of the observation box with a chain, and the size of the metal ring was just perfect, tightly encircling his waist.
On the inner side of the metal ring, there was a slender barb.
The sharp metal pierced his lower back, hooking firmly onto his spine.
The merman's potent self-healing abilities quickly resulted in the flesh around the barb almost completely healing, merging with the barb.
However, those lab-coated individuals might have intentionally severed a nerve during the process. Since then, Yue Bai's silver fish tail could no longer move freely.
The barb embedded in his bones subjected him to excruciating pain every moment.
Every breath, every subtle movement, intensified the pain.
The person who had just opened the room door was the one who had been in charge of delivering the metal ring to the operating room.
So, when the merperson recognized him, alarm bells rang in Yu Bai's mind, and he instinctively wanted to distance himself.
With the only exit blocked by the newcomer, in a moment of urgency, Yu Bai pushed open the window in the room. Fortunately, the floor wasn't too high, and with the help of a decorative sculpture in the middle, he landed safely, even though his ankle was still aching.
However, during the landing and roll, his disguise device, hanging on his ear, fell to the ground and seemed to have broken. In the darkness, Yu Bai picked it up and put it back on his ear, but his silver hair on his shoulders remained unchanged.
Amidst the twinkling stars, he found himself in a short alley. Yu Bai observed his surroundings and walked toward the brighter direction along the wall.
If he remembered correctly, human structures were usually square-shaped. So, by circling around this building, he might find the entrance and locate Fu Linyuan who was still inside.
With this thought in mind, Yu Bai supported himself against the wall, taking one step at a time.
Soon, he arrived at a well-lit area. It was the market outside the auction house, hosting numerous itinerant interstellar merchants.
If the auction house sold the highest quality goods on the black market, these market vendors outside were responsible for trading the remaining items.
Even though it was early in the morning, the market was still bustling with activity, illuminated by bright lights and filled with lively chatter.
Upon reaching a corner, Yu Bai noticed that the itinerant merchants blocked his path along the wall. What should he do?
With his ankle still subtly aching, the merman glanced back at the dim alley he had just emerged from. He abandoned the idea of retracing his steps and decided to traverse through the market.
Clutching the edges of his oversized coat, Yu Bai ventured into the crowd.
The air here wasn't pleasant – a mixture of low-quality machine oil, pungent smoke, the earthy scent of mud, and lingering sweat created an unpleasant atmosphere that made Yu Bai wrinkle his nose.
...It stinks.
Coincidentally, at this moment, a faint aroma of food mingled with the unpleasant air.
Before Yu Bai could react, his stomach, betraying his hunger, grumbled.
...I'm so hungry.
When was the last time he had a meal?
It was before coming to Tarl Star, wasn't it?
Two days? Or was it three days ago?
As soon as he began contemplating this question, the sensation of hunger became increasingly apparent.
Rubbing his stomach, the merperson involuntarily followed the scent with his steps.
In front of a snack stall, his silver hair and delicate appearance stood out among the rough-looking crowd. It didn't take long for this attractive customer to attract attention from all directions.
The gazes directed at him varied in meaning, but Yu Bai seemed completely oblivious to the hidden dangers around him. His ocean-blue eyes were pure and focused as he stared at the owner grilling interstellar beast meat.
He resembled a lamb unwittingly wandering into a pack of wolves.
However, the golden emblem on his coat collar, signifying his association with the nearby auction house, made the nearby interstellar thieves hesitate.
The clean coat looked quite valuable, and most of them recognized it as a symbol of a distinguished guest from the auction house.
Before entertaining any other thoughts, they pondered whether they could afford to offend the owner of this coat.
Of course, not everyone understood that the golden-tailed snake represented a wealthy and noble status.
For example, the two punk aliens sitting at the table next to Yue Bai were casting openly greedy glances at the merman.
Punk aliens were usually tall, robust, and had a particular fondness for exquisite and delicate things.
"He's so beautiful, is he a human?" one of them whispered to the other.
"Probably," his companion's gaze lingered on Yue Bai's hand resting on the table, "with such slender fingers, only humans could look so fragile."
The one who spoke first asked, "Can we sell him for five?"
"I think more than that. Look at his hair..."
While Yu Bai, seemingly unaware of the danger, was being observed by the surroundings, he had already noticed the attention from those around him.
However, before sitting down, he had carefully observed the spiritual seas of the people nearby.
Hmm, at least among the dozens of customers sitting in front of the stall, their spiritual seas were shallow and dim, not even reaching one-tenth of Fu Linyuan's strength.
Not as powerful as Fu Linyuan, so there was nothing to fear.
Yu Bai thought to himself while gazing at the grilled meat and swallowing his saliva.
Moreover, the meat here was so clean, unlike what he used to catch for himself.
His delicate Adam's apple rolled up and down with his movements, almost making the nearby punk aliens turn red-eyed.
The stall owner, an older lady, could see the unfriendly intentions from all directions.
Normally, as a small merchant, she wouldn't interfere much in such matters. However, perhaps it was because of the pure look in the young man's eyes, she felt a bit reluctant.
So when the landlady placed the plate in front of Yu Bai, she whispered, "Finish eating and return quickly, okay?"
"Landlady, don't be such a killjoy!" The hearing of the space pirates present was quite good. Upon hearing her words, not only did a sarcastic laugh emanate from one corner, but also someone commented, "Maybe he hasn't had enough fun yet, it's late at night, and being alone, isn't it lonely?"
This remark triggered a burst of laughter.
Due to their heavy accents, Yu Bai, who didn't understand a word, had no idea why the people around him suddenly made noise. The sudden increase in volume made him unconsciously twitch his ears, and a corner of his ear fin inadvertently peeked out before being covered again by the silver strands of hair.
However, the merperson's attention was entirely captivated by the steaming grilled meat in front of him. Grabbing a piece, he blew on it forcefully and then took a big bite.
Due to the angle, only the two punk aliens at the adjacent table caught this detail. The two looked at each other, seeing the same shock and enthusiasm in each other's eyes.
Fu Linyuan sensed something amiss the moment he opened the door.
Even though all the furnishings were exactly the same as when he left, the air felt a bit peculiar.
Frowning, he pushed open the door to the inner room.
The room was quiet, with only the curtains swaying lightly in the breeze that entered through the window.
No one.
Xiao Bai was missing.
Glancing down from the window, Fu Linyuan roughly guessed the cause and effect.
Duke wouldn't lie to him, which meant that after Duke left Xiao Bai alone, someone else might have entered.
Now there were two possibilities: either the intruder took Xiao Bai away, or Xiao Bai, sensing the intruder, escaped through the window before they entered the inner room.
Fu Linyuan scanned the surroundings.
There were no signs of struggle or resistance. Only traces of disturbance were visible near the bed next to the window.
...He's very clever.
Fu Linyuan thought.
However, their plan was already delayed because they lingered an extra hour at the auction venue.
Originally an accident, even though he promised to save him, redeeming him from the auction house fulfilled that promise.
The mission wasn't over, and Fu Linyuan shouldn't focus on unexpected events like this.
With this in mind, Fu Linyuan prepared to leave. However, when he reached the doorway, something seemed to occur to him, and he paused.
His jawline tightened, and he turned around, striding back to the window.
...
Yu Bai's appearance was too eye-catching, allowing Fu Linyuan to easily follow the scattered discussions and locate the barbecue stall.
The landlady also had a deep impression of the attractive customer and pointed Fu Linyuan in that direction.
So, in the man's steps, there was a bit of impatience that he himself hadn't noticed.
Abductions on Tarl Star were commonplace.
Those with outstanding appearances were the prime targets for human traffickers.
And the usual fate of these victims...
The lighting around grew dimmer, but the brightness didn't decrease. It turned out that the dawn was approaching.
The clamour of voices gradually faded away. Following the main road, Fu Linyuan turned into a small alley overgrown with weeds.
The surroundings gradually quieted down.
In the morning breeze that came towards him, there was a faintly discernible scent of blood.
The man's pace quickened.
Another turn.
"Bang!"
In the distance, there was a vague sound of a body hitting the ground, heavy and fierce.
Accelerating his steps, Fu Linyuan finally spotted the slender figure crouching not far away.
Noticing the large patches of blood on the figure, he couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"...How did you end up here?"
Hearing his voice, the person squatting on the ground turned around.
Then, those ocean-blue eyes curved into a lovely crescent.
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Thanks for the update!!
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