The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Steps

Xu Wen pulled Lu Qingrang and ran all the way along the route indicated by the system. It was not until he entered the dark alley area where even the neon lights seemed to be covered with a layer of oil that he dared to pant and stop. He held on to a wall covered with various vague advertisements and could barely straighten his back.

After the intense running, his blood gradually cooled down, and he suddenly realized that it only took a few minutes from the time he discovered the crisis to dragging Lu Qing to flee, and he couldn’t even give a decent logical and self-consistent explanation to the person next to him.

He turned his head somewhat embarrassedly and met Lu Qingrang’s eyes, which were also panting but still calm.Those beautiful peach blossom eyes couldn’t see the emotions clearly, but they made Xu Wen’s throat tighten and guilt arise spontaneously.

“Brother Lu, Nangong Chen…” He spoke with difficulty, trying to find a reasonable entry point, even if it was just to comfort him temporarily.

[System warning: It is prohibited to reveal the existence of the system to any person in this world.Permission restrictions cannot be lifted.】

The cold reminder cut off his unspoken words.Xu Wen opened his mouth, and those carefully woven lies suddenly seemed pale and feeble.

“No need to explain.” Lu Qingrang gently interrupted his fragmented thoughts.

He looked at Xu Wen’s cheeks that were flushed from running, the beads of sweat on his forehead, and his tightly knit brows, and almost instinctively handed over the steps.

Hidden in this thoughtfulness was a cowardice that he did not dare to delve into. He would rather pretend not to know why Xu Wen was able to warn as accurately as a prophet, and would rather ignore those obviously unreasonable escape timings and route choices.

He was like a dying traveler in the desert, greedily absorbing the only life in front of him. As for why he appeared, he did not dare to ask, for fear that if he asked, he would wake up from his dream.

There are some truths that he would rather never know.

Xu Wen looked at the steps he handed over so easily, even with a bit of humility, and his heart felt as if he was lightly hit by something, with sourness and gratitude intertwined.This man was obviously full of doubts, but he was reluctant to even ask questions.

He took a deep breath of the turbid air in the dark alley that was mixed with the smell of mold, bad perfume, and rancid food. He suppressed his surging emotions and glanced sharply at the strange and dangerous neighborhood in front of him.

“This is a dark alley.” He lowered his voice and tried to sound calm, “A mixture of fish and dragons, all three religions and nine streams, the water is very deep. Even if Nangong Chen’s people have hands and eyes, when they get here, they have to weigh it carefully and not dare to act too blatantly… We are safe for the time being.”

Xu Wen subconsciously took half a step closer to Lu Qingrang, using his body to vaguely separate him from the malicious glances on the street. His voice was lowered, as if he was speaking to the other party, and as if he was sorting out his chaotic thoughts:

“We have to find a place to stay and take a breather first. This kind of place… we have to choose a place where we can clearly see the movement at the door, so that we can respond easily.”

His gaze was like a searchlight, carefully scanning the shops on both sides of the street with crooked signboards, closed doors and windows, or covered with frosted films, and added, “It can’t be too conspicuous, so as not to be targeted as a fat sheep, but it can’t be a dead end. If something happens, there will be nowhere to run.”

He paused, thinking of more important things, and frowned: “You have to get a phone card as soon as possible. You can’t use your ID card.” In a place like this, it means going through special channels, which is expensive and at your own risk.

He was talking about these plans related to survival, and only belatedly realized that he was habitually chattering like he did when he took care of Lu Qing’s food and daily life.

Only this time, the instructions were no longer “remember to drink water” and “eat on time”, but became “watch behind you” and “don’t trust strangers”.This change made him feel a sense of absurdity.

Lu Qingrang listened quietly without interrupting.His eyes were also observing, but unlike Xu Wen’s overt vigilance, his inspection was more restrained, like a high-speed but silent scanner, quickly analyzing the environment, people flow, potential exits and sources of danger.

He noticed that Xu Wen had unconsciously shifted his backpack to his outer shoulder, leaning slightly to the side, a gesture that was vaguely protecting him behind him.

“Okay.” He finally responded softly with one word, without raising any objection to Xu Wen’s slightly chaotic arrangement, nor showing any obvious discomfort with this dirty and chaotic area.

He was like a taut string on a fully drawn bow, silently accumulating strength and adapting to this sudden and subversive survival mode.

As the night wore on, the pungent smell of low-quality cigarettes, alcohol and some kind of rotten food wafted from the dark alley.The neon lights are intermittent, and in some corners where the lights cannot reach, you can vaguely see crouched figures or eyes looking at them with malicious intent.

Xu Wen lifted the strap of his backpack onto his shoulders again, which made his shoulders hurt. He took a deep breath of the turbid air and tried to suppress the uneasiness in his heart.

Following the system’s hidden prompts, he locked his eyes on an old hotel in the middle of the alley that looked relatively inconspicuous, but had a small window sill with a wide view at the door.

“Go to that house and have a look.” He pointed in the direction and said in a low voice, “Follow me.”

The two walked in tandem, maintaining a subtle distance, but seemed to be involved by invisible ropes, blending into the strange shadows of the dark alley, and began their first night of struggling to survive in this lawless land.

Whether the hotel ahead is safe, how to open the unknown phone card channel, when Nangong Chen’s pursuers will smell the scent and track it down…all the question marks weigh heavily on Xu Wen’s shoulders.

“System, is it really possible to escape from this place?” Xu Wen asked anxiously in his mind while alerting his surroundings.

[The forces here are complex, and large-scale armed entry can easily cause conflicts, which meets the host’s need for temporary refuge.The enemy is expected to send a small number of plainclothes infiltrators.】

“Where can I get an anonymous phone card?” He grasped the most critical question.

[The probability is higher in pawn shops and second-hand mobile phone repair shops.Need to be positioned accurately after getting close.】

【warn!!The host’s physical and mental strength is approaching the threshold, and continued high pressure will jeopardize the core mission.It is recommended to give priority to rest after safety.】

The cold reminder from the system startled him, and then he felt his sun twitching, and even his fingertips were trembling.

“… Got it.”

He ended the conversation and glanced at Lu Qingrang, who was silent beside him.Systematic analysis gave him a glimmer of direction, but that warning was like a whip on his back, and he couldn’t fall first.