Tian Lu suddenly pressed his head against the glass of the French window, bleating at Xiao Nian, then lifted his hooves, tapping the glass in dissatisfaction.
Hedgehog also approached, wrapping an arm around Tian Lu’s neck, while a brownish triangular head of a viper emerged from behind him. Then Hedgehog exhaled a breath of warmth, drawing a heart on the frost with his finger, smiling broadly, “Good morning, Nian Nian.”
Xiao Nian nodded expressionlessly towards him.
Hedgehog always found Xiao Zhenyun’s son interesting, stepping into the room, shaking off the snow from his coat, “Xiao Zhenyun, you said you couldn’t let anyone know your whereabouts for the past few years. Who exactly does this ‘anyone’ refer to? Why does it feel like everyone in the world knows where you are? Si Di, me, even that kid from the Duan family, let alone, now even your son knows. Aren’t you afraid this little brat might blabber and accidentally spill the beans?”
“…Among the examples you gave, who is most likely to expose my secret? Don’t you have a clue?” Xiao Zhenyun rolled up his sleeves, resisting the gust of cold wind and snowflakes that whistled in as the door opened.
Hedgehog took pride in his shamelessness, saying smugly, “That would definitely be me. But I wouldn’t do that. I still need to use your connections to get into the Storm Squad.”
“… ” Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t be bothered to correct his peculiar choice of words, waving his hand, indicating he should go find a comfortable spot to hang out.
Hedgehog poured himself a glass of cold milk, gulping it down, changed into warmer clothes to fend off the cold, then once again with his snake in tow, he left to check the traps he had set earlier in the snow. Xiao Zhenyun intended to hurry Si Di to process Hedgehog’s employment quickly; otherwise, with this energetic dark sentinel around, all the animals and plants within a hundred kilometers would be disturbed by him.
“Oh, by the way, Administrator.” Xiao Zhenyun suddenly looked up, “What mission did Hedgehog actually take on back then? Is there anything mentioned in the book?”
Since they had accidentally saved him, it was better to pay attention to the cause of death in the book, lest a few days later Hedgehog felt bored here and went out looking for excitement again, ending up dead.
Xiao Nian fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head to flip open the hardcover book, speaking earnestly, “In the original text, there aren’t many related descriptions. It’s during the later stage when Si Chu was suppressed by a villain. The person took out his reagents from the fridge while looking down on him, saying, ‘Even S-class Dark Sentinels are helpless against my needle serum. They can only watch helplessly as their spiritual body goes mad. He never thought that the fangs he always aimed at his enemies would one day turn against him. Injecting poison without discrimination… Oh, how arrogant and domineering he was when he came. The scene of hopeless struggle before his death was quite laughable. He’s the one who chopped off my left arm, but what use is it? Just an arm compared to life, I’ve earned more.’”
Listening to the description, S-class Dark Sentinel, fangs, poison, arrogance, indeed all match Hedgehog.
“This plot… sounds like the main villain at the end of the story?” Xiao Zhenyun asked, “Are you sure this dark sentinel is Hedgehog? Everything else fits, but the part about ‘hopeless struggle before death’ doesn’t seem to suit his style? He’d probably want to go out with a bang.”
“It’s him, I checked the world’s source code, confirming that this dark sentinel is Han Bang, aka Hedgehog,” Xiao Nian nodded. “As for the terms like ‘died tragically’ and ‘hopeless struggle,’ the villain also needs to embellish their image with some nonsense. You can’t just say that this dark sentinel managed to get back at him before dying, almost dragging him to the grave.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “But the scene before Hedgehog’s death is quite moving, holding his sleeping snake, closing his eyes peacefully in the flames, like a serene slumber enveloped by the raging explosion.”
“Hard to imagine,” Xiao Zhenyun said, “Hedgehog has always been this neurotic. If he goes down like that, it’d be classic him.”
Xiao Nian suddenly smiled, his dark eyes gazing at the man in the picture, “Although most of the time I really want to rush over with an ax and slaughter you, sometimes I also think, fortunately it was you who accidentally stumbled into this book.”
“Why the sentimentality all of a sudden?” Xiao Zhenyun wondered, “Are you planning to leave?”
Xiao Nian’s face stiffened, “Leave my foot! If I leave, what mess will you guys turn this world into? Alright, whether there’s anything going on or not, don’t come up from the countryside anymore. Just endure for another two years, and after that, you can do whatever you want without anyone bothering you.”
“…”
In the season of blooming flowers, Hedgehog finally received his formal membership in the guild and joined the Storm Squad.
It’s said that on his first day in the squad, he almost bumped into Xiao Jingfeng. The dark sentinel, who usually didn’t care about anyone, surprisingly tucked his snake tail and meekly lowered his head against the wall, slipping away.
It seems that Chairman Xiao’s groundbreaking spiritual whip from back then still casts a psychological shadow over Hedgehog.
Originally, Si Di planned to promote him to deputy squad leader soon, but this dark sentinel couldn’t help but be sarcastic, saying arrogantly, “Captain Si, have you noticed that this winter, you haven’t had as many chances to meet with your guide as I have.”
“…” Being in a long-distance relationship already made Si Di feel lonely and miserable, coupled with the lack of comfort from his guide, he felt both mentally and physically distressed. Being taunted by this newly appointed troublemaker only added insult to injury, so he directly ordered Hedgehog to start from scratch as the lowest-ranked member.
A whole year later, only after Si Chu and Ye Feiran left the squad to establish the Blaze Team, did he finally ascend to the position of deputy leader in the Storm Squad.
“How did you manage to persuade the little dog?” Because life in seclusion in the countryside was too dull and boring, although Xiao Zhenyun verbally promised Xiao Nian to stay at home, he still sneaked out for a stroll. Fortunately, the protagonists were busy with their newly formed team, too busy to run into him.
“Do you really think he’s obedient?” Si Di hugged Xiao Zhenyun’s neck, exchanging a kiss with him, “Despite his submissive appearance, always wagging his tail, he still has the spirit of a sentinel.”
Xiao Zhenyun held a glass of water in one hand, trying to reach for the pillbox on the table, but his actions were always interrupted by Si Di’s movements. “You…”
“I told him: I know you’ve always seen your brother as your goal, but if you’re content with being a deputy in the Storm Squad, you’ll always be in my shadow. If you want to surpass me, take Ye Feiran and go out on your own. Once your team surpasses the Storm Squad in popularity, then you can truly surpass me and become a sentinel in your own right.”
“…So the little dog was convinced by you?” Xiao Zhenyun finally seized the opportunity when Si Di’s mouth was idle, popped the capsule into his mouth, and without waiting for him to drink water, Si Di eagerly leaned in to kiss him.
Xiao Zhenyun finally couldn’t help but push him away, “Si Di, do you need some medication?”
“Why are you being so cold? We haven’t seen each other in three months, don’t you miss me?” Si Di’s wolf tail kept wagging against the bed, reaching out to undress Xiao Zhenyun, but he was caught by the latter, “You’re being unreasonable. If you don’t want me, why take medicine? Are you doing it for yourself?”
“You’re like a middle-aged man who just realized his feelings are gone after seven years of marriage, trying not to let his wife notice, then forced to do chores,” Si Di’s wolf ears drooped, threateningly baring his canine teeth, “Is there someone else out there?”
Xiao Zhenyun chuckled, “Who would want a paralyzed and impotent marked guide like me?”
“You’ve got me cornered with that.” Si Di’s left hand reached behind Xiao Zhenyun, grabbing his petite and fluffy deer tail, skillfully teasing it. It was evident he had been fondling tails for years, “Do you really not realize how charming you are?”
“How can I not realize?” Xiao Zhenyun sat waiting for the medication to take effect, “If I had tried a bit harder back in the basement, Si Chu would’ve succumbed to me.”
“…”
Si Di dangerously pressed down his ears, his turquoise eyes narrowed, “It’s been so long, Si Chu almost forgot about you, and yet you’re still thinking about him?”
“Really?” Xiao Zhenyun pretended to be aggrieved as he unzipped his hoodie, “Little Uncle is a little heartbroken…”
Si Di spent the night consoling his heartbroken but capable little uncle.
The next day, before leaving, Si Di sighed at how quickly time had passed and asked him, “Have you thought about how you’ll return to everyone’s sight when it’s time for the grand finale of the story?”
Xiao Zhenyun had never thought about this question, “Is that something I need to consider?… Just pick a nice day and show up outside your house: ‘Hey.’”
“…” Si Di, “What will you be wearing?”
“Tattered clothes, to reflect the turbulent years I’ve been through? Or luxurious attire, to show off my return in glory?”
“…” Si Di, “Then what will you say when asked why your legs are better?”
“I don’t remember.”
“…” Si Di sighed, “And the reason for your disappearance?”
“I don’t know. I have amnesia. I lost all memory of the past three years.”
“…” Si Di, “That might actually work?”
Although he said it might work, Xiao Zhenyun could sense Si Di’s speechlessness through his four consecutive silences.
The biggest reaction to this topic surprisingly came from Hedgehog. Months later, when the drama king learned about it, he was heartbroken and angrily questioned Xiao Zhenyun about how he could be so perfunctory with such a great chance to show off. He even wished he could take Xiao Zhenyun’s place and seize the opportunity to show off himself.
Xiao Zhenyun: “…”
Si Di finally managed to carve out some private time in his office to video call Xiao Zhenyun, only to be interrupted by the annoying dark sentinel. Frowning, he shooed him away, “Get out, get out.”
“Wait, Xiao Zhenyun, I’ll come up with something for you,” Hedgehog said excitedly at the door, “It’ll be grand and unforgettable.”
After he left, Xiao Zhenyun suddenly asked, “Have Si Chu and the others received the assignment to capture the villain BOSS recently?”
Si Di nodded seriously, “Yes. Knowing that they will get severely injured from this mission but being unable to do anything… it’s a really powerless feeling.”
“Can you hold back?” Xiao Zhenyun smiled.
“All I can say is I’ll try my best,” Si Di smiled back. “If Xiao Nian hears me say something this irresponsible, will he hit me?”
“Don’t worry, he’s just a ten-year-old kid. He can’t beat you.”
The author has something to say:
Nian Nian: Is this how a person talks?!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ