The Protagonists Keep Adding Scenes For Me | Chapter 29 | The Wanted Fugitive | Novela.app

"Tell me, who took him?" The young man’s voice seemed even colder than it had been that day. Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes, the malice in his gaze unconcealed as he stood shrouded in the shadows. He was looking forward to seeing this man lose control. "No, no—how could you say someone 'took' him?" He certainly had no intention of telling the truth. "It was clearly a case of him taking a liking to that police officer and abandoning you, his 'knight.' What a pity... if I had been a bit gentler that day, perhaps I could have been the one to spirit the little brother away to my home." Ye Xuan watched with immense satisfaction as the temperature in the young man’s eyes visibly plummeted. "Which way did they go?" To Ye Xuan's surprise, even though he had subtly tried to drive a wedge between them, the young man showed no reaction other than that slight change in his gaze. His tone remained as cold and calm as ever. *Hmm... this reaction... does it mean there’s no real affection? Or is it extreme trust?* But he didn't care about that. The restless impulses surged through his blood as he put on a show of mock surprise, grinning. "Hm? No way. He doesn't want you anymore, yet you're still pathetically clinging to him? How tragic~" Through certain means, Ye Xuan had obtained information on Mu Ran. He knew the boy had no "brother" listed in his family records—in fact, he didn't have a single living relative. Thus, the young man’s existence and his protection of the boy were quite intriguing. Furthermore... Ye Xuan’s smile deepened. He still remembered the strange influence the young man had exerted over him. These past few times he had watched the boy from the shadows, he had wanted to step forward and snatch him away several times, but he had been defeated by an unknown sense of dread within his heart. He could only watch from the corners. Recalling his blurred memories after attacking the man in the alley that day, he suspected he might have been placed under some kind of psychological suggestion. Thinking further, how could a boy with such a delicate and sensitive personality immediately place his trust in a stranger of unknown origin and extraordinary skill? They were even living together... *Tsk, tsk. Quite the technique.* "Heh..." The System had no desire to argue with Ye Xuan, but the other's circuitous refusal to reveal information was testing his patience. He stepped closer, intending to use the suggestion he had planted days ago to force the boy to speak. *Bee-bee-bee—!* But at that moment, a sharp police siren wailed. The System’s movements froze as several police cars sped toward their location. Pedestrians scattered in a panic. The System’s instinct told him he needed to leave the area immediately, but the moment he showed any intent to move, Ye Xuan grabbed his arm firmly. He could have easily torn Ye Xuan away, but doing so would expose his abnormal strength. Ye Xuan used his free hand to pull down his hood, revealing his face without reservation. He curled his lips into a grin and laughed wildly at the police cars charging toward him, suddenly making a strange hand gesture. It looked like a provocation, yet also like some kind of signal. "Let go." The young man’s voice was cold, tinged with a hint of thin rage, like a blade shimmering with frost. "Mm-hmm~ I’m letting go." Ye Xuan’s eyes curved as he easily released the man’s arm. He then gave him a loose, mocking salute of some unknown origin, his smile eerie. "Well then, enjoy your life as a fugitive, Mr. Knight." *How could anomalies like us ever have a peaceful life?* ... "Facial scan shows no match in the database." "Confirmed close contact with a high-priority target of the Organization." "Assessment: Extreme risk. Capture recommended." The officers stepping out of the cars held their firearms ready, their expressions solemn. The dark muzzles of the guns were aimed directly at the solitary young man standing with a frigid gaze. *** "Don't zone out!" Mu Ran flinched. His chance to secretly speak in the mental channel was interrupted again, leaving him momentarily speechless. *Damn it!! Why can you still tell I'm distracted even through this white veil! I need to explain to the System why I suddenly vanished!!* But the System had only asked once; maybe it wasn't that urgent...? Shen Feibai looked at the clearly nervous boy and explained patiently, "Alright, how many times do I have to say it? We're police officers, okay? Just cooperate with our questions, please." "...But I want to know why you took me away so abruptly first." Mu Ran lowered his eyes, his usually gentle features tinged with melancholy. His voice was clear yet firm. "If there isn't a valid reason, I don't want to answer any more of your questions." The moment he had been picked up, he was faced with the detective's questions about his background. Shen Feibai’s questions were jumpy yet interconnected; Mu Ran couldn't find a single moment to explain things to the System. He could only rack his brain to recall the background settings he was supposed to use. Now, they were starting to ask questions related to the System. *Mu Ran: I absolutely will not answer until we've synced our scripts!* "There is a valid reason, of course." Shen Feibai rested his chin on his hand, exchanging a look with Mo Yuan before speaking seriously. "We are concerned for your personal safety." Mu Ran’s hands tightened slightly on his lap. His first thought was the uninvited guest who had broken into the shop that day. *How did the protagonists find out?* "Is that so..." Mu Ran looked up, relaxing his expression as much as possible to put the protagonists at ease. "It’s alright. My brother will protect me." Shen Feibai: "Hmm..." His gaze turned subtle. "What a coincidence. We believe the danger stems precisely from your 'brother.'" Mu Ran: ? He blinked, confusion and bewilderment clouding his brow. *Why?! Isn't the System playing a good person in this experiment! A good brother taking care of his sibling! Didn't you see him save me with your own eyes that day!* The emotional fluctuation was a bit much for Mu Ran’s frail body. He felt a wave of dizziness, but he still struggled to defend the System. "Why would you say that? Do you have any evidence? *Haa...*" By the end of the sentence, he had run out of breath and had to take small gasps to alleviate the feeling of suffocation. Despite his best efforts, the boy's thin voice couldn't sustain an aura of defiance; instead, it sounded like a murmur of disbelief. Shen Feibai hurriedly patted the boy's back to soothe him. Once Mu Ran’s emotions had calmed slightly, he added tentatively, "Then... will you answer the question we just asked?" Mu Ran: ... *I can't answer it! QAQ* Seeing the boy’s eyes darting away, Mo Yuan, who had been observing for a long time, suddenly asked, "You actually know there's something wrong with him, don't you?" Mu Ran’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly reacted. "No..." He paused. If he followed that line of reasoning, he would inevitably have to explain the System’s origin. Although he didn't know what the protagonists had discovered, it was best not to say too much right now. Mu Ran decided to simply play dumb to get through it. "No, I don't care about that." The boy raised those misty violet eyes. The anxiety and tension from before were gone, replaced by a touch of innocence and clarity. He explained softly, word by word, "He is my brother. I believe he won't hurt me." "He will protect me." *Mu Ran: Time to play the fool.jpg* Mo Yuan pursed his lips and looked away from the boy, exchanging a look with Shen Feibai. *[What’s your assessment?]* *[Exactly what I suspected... he’s been completely brainwashed.]* *[That 'brother' is very skilled at manipulating hearts. To be defended like this, despite being a person of unknown origin.]* *[I thought he was just a good fighter... I didn't expect this...]* Shen Feibai threw up his hands, feeling that pressing this topic wouldn't yield any information from the boy. He decided to take a step back. "Fine, fine~ We'll take your word for it for now because of your persistence." Just as he finished speaking, the phones of both Shen Feibai and Mo Yuan chimed simultaneously. It was the specific ringtone used by the police force for emergency incidents. Shen Feibai opened the message. The fingers that had been idly tapping the table froze. He silently zoomed in on the attached photo, then placed the phone in front of the boy. His gaze was complicated. "I'm sorry. But it seems... we can't believe you anymore." In the photo, the young man was surrounded by police cars. His azure eyes were cold and dark, and blood seeped through the fingers clutching a wound on his left shoulder. He looked like a lone wolf driven into a corner. Mu Ran’s pupils dilated sharply. He didn't care about the large word "WANTED" stamped on the image; he only cared about the jarring crimson on the System’s body. "Why..." Shen Feibai was about to comfort the distraught boy when he heard the weak second half of the sentence. "...did you have to hurt him?" Shen Feibai: "...Kid, shouldn't we be focusing more on the word 'WANTED'?" However, the boy merely lowered his head, staring blankly at his own palms, and spoke no more. *[Mu Ran: Ahhh, what happened?! What’s going on?!]* *[Mu Ran: Reply quickly, QAQ]* *[Mu Ran: I’m waiting for your reply, QAQ]* *So what if I'm suspected? So what if the experiment fails? I only have one partner!!* *** He needed to stop the bleeding. After staying underwater for a long time to finally lose his pursuers, the System, his body soaking wet, hid in a blind spot of a building. He let out a long breath, assessing his current physical condition with an eerie calmness. This body had strong self-healing capabilities. Even after the wound had been treated so poorly, he hadn't reached the point of shock from blood loss. The System closed his eyes to soothe the pain from opening them underwater. Only now did he find the mental capacity to check the internal communications. The message log was flooded with Mu Ran’s frantic reports every thirty seconds. *[System: I’m fine.]* Mu Ran replied instantly; he had likely been staring at the channel the whole time. *[Mu Ran: I saw the photo, you’re hurt! QAQ How are you now? Where are you?]* *[Mu Ran: I was taken by the protagonists. They asked about you, but I didn't answer. Then they said you were wanted...]* *[Mu Ran: How are you now?!]* The System’s reply was a bit slow; his physical condition was affecting his reaction time. In truth, when Ye Xuan had fled alone, he had understood the other's malice—he was being dragged down. He could have fled immediately like Ye Xuan, but his face had already been recorded by surveillance. If he fled recklessly, it would likely confirm the baseless charge of complicity, and he wouldn't be able to stop hiding in the future. So, he had stayed put. Being an unregistered citizen was hard to explain, but it was better than being a forced fugitive. However, just as his struggle with the police was nearing its end and he was about to be able to communicate normally, a gunshot shattered his plan. Someone had fired at the police. Some high-strung officer had, in turn, fired at the System. The System was shot in the left shoulder. His hesitation to use his full strength had put him at a disadvantage during the scuffle. Sensing that someone in the shadows was pulling the strings, the System stopped holding back and made a somewhat bedraggled escape. *[System: When that boy left, he made a strange hand gesture toward the police cars.]* The System lowered his eyes, feeling a dull throb in his temples. *[System: I suspect the officer who shot me is connected to him.]* Mu Ran was fuming. *[Mu Ran: Those two villains!!]* But he was more concerned about the System’s condition. *[Mu Ran: Can you treat the wound now? Come home quickly!]* *[Mu Ran: Luckily my shell this time is the sickly type... there are all sorts of medicines at home. Please take care of it, QwQ]* *[System: If they know I’m wanted, they’ll likely be watching the area near the shop.]* *[System: Don't worry. I’ll find a place to handle it.]* The System keenly caught the sound of distant footsteps and rose to leave. *[System: I have to go. Until things stabilize, I probably won't be able to reply to messages promptly.]* Recalling the anxiety that had nearly overflowed from the screen when he opened the channel, he thought for a moment and added a word of comfort. *[System: Don't worry. I will read every single one of your messages.]* And now... the System raised his cold, azure eyes and glanced toward the exit of the alley where people were passing by. It was time to move.