Chapter 48: Chapter 18 — Huai Hu Only Wanted to Beat Someone

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Chapter 48: Chapter 18—Waai Fu Just Wanted to Beat Someone Up

As for Zhou Jinru’s true identity, the Rat King believed only half of it. The other half still required careful consideration. He gave a slight cough. “Big Li, it’s getting late. You can say whatever you need to on the way. You’re still this child’s temporary guardian. Under Lungmen’s laws and regulations, no one can take her away without proof.”

Li Nan snorted, turned around, and got back into the vehicle without saying another word.

Zhou Jinru looked somewhat embarrassed. He knew he was in the wrong. For one thing, Shaw had suffered quite a lot while she was out there, and he could not simply ignore that. For another, Big Li had a powerful grip. If things came to blows, Zhou Jinru would be the one taking the beating.

If the Rat King had not been there today, it was difficult to say what might have happened next.

“Thank you, Uncle Lin,” Zhou Jinru said bitterly. “Otherwise, I really would have been beaten up today.”

“It was only right. You must take responsibility for what you’ve done.”

The Rat King said this, then walked over to Shaw, who was still clutching Zhou Jinru’s arm. He took several pieces of fruit from his pocket and asked warmly, “Would you like some?”

“Can I?”

Shaw looked toward Zhou Jinru.

Zhou Jinru sighed helplessly. “You don’t need to ask me. Uncle Lin isn’t a bad person. If you want them, just take them.”

The Rat King watched as Shaw accepted the fruit, his face lighting up with delight. “I have a daughter too, but she’s very busy, so we rarely get to see each other. She likes eating them as well.”

Then he added, “Remember to brush your teeth regularly. Fruit only satisfies a craving, and eating too much is bad for your teeth. And don’t climb onto the roof of a vehicle in the future. It’s dangerous.”

“Got it.”

Shaw peeled back the wrapping and popped a piece into her mouth, smiling with satisfaction.

Zhou Jinru gazed at her short hair. In the game’s original artwork, she had worn her hair in a single braid and looked like a lively, energetic girl. Her appearance had changed now, so it was no wonder he had failed to recognize her at first.

“Doctor, let’s go! Where are we going to play?”

Hearing that they were going to ride in a vehicle, Shaw dragged Zhou Jinru toward the bus, completely ignoring the Rat King. Zhou Jinru could only respond with a wry smile.

“She’s always been like this—naturally absent-minded, and hopeless with directions. She can even get lost on a straight road.”

The Rat King remained silent, watching them quietly.

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Waai Fu hurried forward a few steps, intending to board as well. Jaye called out loudly, “Where are you going?”

Waai Fu had half her body hanging through the doorway. “Tomorrow’s the weekend. I’m going back to the old house for a look. You can mind the shop properly for the next few days.”

Once they were aboard, Li Nan caught sight of Zhou Jinru and Shaw from the corner of his eye and pointed toward a row of seats behind him. “Sit there. No matter what happens later, don’t make a fuss. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask the Feline sitting beside you.”

Waai Fu sat down beside Zhou Jinru, leaving the three of them in a row. She complained, “Uncle Li, I do have a name. Calling me that is really rude.”

Waai Fu had the appearance of a tiger, making her one of the few people with a true animal form. In the world of Terra, most people possessed animal-like traits. The Feline were cat-like, the Lupo were canine, and the Vulpo were a branch of the Lupo. Even the Vouivre, a fantastical species of wyvern, had their own distinctive features.

According to the game’s files, Amiya’s race was listed as Cautus/Chimera. Chimeras were likewise a fantastical species.

Zhou Jinru had examined his own body before and found no signs of mutation. From head to toe, he remained exactly as he had been. If there were a professional term for it, his transmigration had been complete. He had not possessed another body, nor had he taken anyone’s place. In other words, he was simply human.

There was no human race in Terra’s catalog of species, yet no matter what race they belonged to, everyone still referred to themselves as human beings.

“Mr. A-Guang, what race are you, exactly?”

Waai Fu studied Zhou Jinru curiously. She had not noticed any distinctive racial traits on him either.

“Oh, I forgot. I might be Sarkaz. I used to live in Kazdel.”

Waai Fu looked doubtful. “Why not Liberi? Liberi live in Kazdel too.”

Zhou Jinru’s expression darkened. He had never expected anyone to pursue the matter so relentlessly. Left with no choice, he raised his right hand.

“I can’t turn my hands into wings. The defining trait of the Liberi is that they can switch between wings and hands.”

It made no scientific sense, but that was simply how Originium Arts worked.

Zhou Jinru complained inwardly, hoping Waai Fu would stop asking questions.

“Oh, I thought you were human, Mr. A-Guang. There were humans in Terra a very long time ago.”

What?

Zhou Jinru wondered if he had misheard her. There had actually been humans in Terra?

“Yes, there were humans long ago, but then they disappeared. No one knows where they went. Perhaps they went somewhere else.”

Waai Fu spoke casually, but her words struck Zhou Jinru like a stone cast into a thousand ripples. He pressed her for more.

“What were humans like?”

“They had no horns or furry ears. Unlike us, they didn’t have four ears. Look at us Feline—we have both human ears and our racial ears, which is why we’re especially gifted with music.”

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This was nothing new. Zhou Jinru had known for a long time that people with animal ears possessed four audio channels. Amiya had long, pointed rabbit ears, as well as human ears lower down on either side of her head. She usually preferred wearing over-ear headphones and rarely inserted earbuds into her rabbit ears. She had always strongly objected whenever Zhou Jinru tried to touch them, since they were extremely sensitive.

“They didn’t have tails either. In short, the Laterans are the most similar to humans, aside from their halos and angel wings.”

At this point, Waai Fu’s furry face took on a doubtful expression.

“This is common knowledge that even a middle school student knows. You’ve never heard of it?”

“Don’t underestimate the Doctor!”

Shaw protested.

“The Doctor knows all sorts of things. He’s very good at fighting and can easily deal with any number of enemies. Everyone trusts him. He knows everything you’re talking about—he just can’t remember it at the moment.”

Zhou Jinru was moved to tears inside. Shaw’s perfectly timed assist had just saved him from an awkward situation.

Waai Fu did not argue. Folding her arms, she said, “I don’t think you’re a bad person either. I saw you helping those Infected last night. I’m not against the Infected anymore. After all, they used to be just like us…”

“They still are,” Zhou Jinru added. “You’re all people living in this world.”

Waai Fu narrowed her eyes. “You should say ‘we.’ Strange. You always place yourself apart from everyone else. Whether you’re speaking with Jaye or telling stories, you always exclude yourself and treat yourself as a separate individual.”

Zhou Jinru frowned as he reflected on her words. The truth was that, deep down, he still had not believed any of this was real.

He had once read a frightening story. If you repeatedly heard someone calling your name from somewhere you could not see, and no matter how hard you searched you could never find them, it might mean that you were lying unconscious in a hospital bed, while the voices calling to you belonged to your family.

His sense of unreality had become overwhelming. He even suspected that everything before his eyes was false, nothing more than a dream—like Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly.

“You don’t need to keep doubting yourself. When I was in my second year of middle school, I was just like you and often let my imagination run wild. The best solution is to let me beat you up. Once it hurts, you’ll know what’s real.”

Looking at Waai Fu as she rubbed her fists together, Zhou Jinru nearly spat out his mouthful of saliva.

So after all that, she simply wanted to beat him up…

Please recommend and favorite.

End of Chapter

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