Chapter 27: “Mommy! Mommy! QAQ”

The guilty baby retracted his power, and the bear headgear dropped to the ground with a “thud” in front of Chi Liu, instantly reminding him of a certain man who had left him speechless so many times.

Just as the bear-shaped helium balloon was about to fly completely into the sky, Chi Liu accurately grabbed the balloon string.

Nearby tourists had already stopped to watch when the mascot headgear started inexplicably taking off, and now all eyes were focused on Chi Liu.

They thought it was a surprise Sunday event at the amusement park!

Only the bewildered mascot performer and Chi Liu stared at each other blankly.

At this moment, the voice in Secretary Wen’s head finally stopped. He was about to take out his wallet when he saw Xiang Xiang take out a stack of large bills from his small backpack and hand them over, whispering, “Can these buy them?”

Secretary Wen: “…”

When did this child become so mature?

The mascot performer was an honest person. He scratched his head and said, “This is enough to buy all the balloons. And I’ve worn this headgear, I can get you a new one if you want!”

Xiang Xiang was firm: “Buy them all.”

So, in the end, Xiang Xiang got a large bunch of helium balloons and a brand-new bear headgear.

He walked up to Chi Liu, handed over the bear headgear and all the bear-shaped balloons, and said shyly, “A gift for the baby.”

Chi Liu blinked in surprise, took them, and thanked him sincerely and gently, then chuckled, “Why did you buy so many?”

After selecting the bear-shaped ones, a large number was still left.

A troubled look appeared on Xiang Xiang’s delicate little face: “I won too much money at the anniversary celebration. Secretary Wen said it was mine and told me to keep it, but I can’t spend it all, no matter how hard I try.”

He wasn’t used to using electronic payment methods and would take out a portion of cash every day to fill his backpack, but he never had a chance to spend it.

He finally spent some of it today!

Chi Liu: “…” What incredibly sweet troubles.

At this moment, a family of three passed by. The little girl looked at the balloons, her eyes shining. Just as her parents were about to buy some, Xiang Xiang proactively gave her a balloon.

Then, more and more children gathered around, and Chi Liu bent down slightly to help distribute the balloons.

Secretary Wen watched this scene helplessly and gently, deciding to muster the courage to disobey the boss’s unreasonable order—they would stay at the amusement park for the entire afternoon as planned and even see a movie!

As for the boss, he would come up with a perfect excuse for not following orders before going home!

Having made up his mind, he also went to help distribute the balloons. They walked and handed them out, becoming famous throughout the amusement park. Children came up to them everywhere asking for balloons!

It even spread among the children that they were magic balloons!

Soon dusk fell, and they arrived at the maze area.

The maze was inspired by the story of The Little Prince, featuring waist-high hedge walls, lined with roses, and filled with small gifts. Each child could receive their coordinate map and visit the locations to discover a surprise.

The children were all busy looking for gifts in the passages, so there weren’t many people in the small square in the center of the maze.

Chi Liu didn’t like roses, so he stood in front of the statue of the Little Prince and the fox, waiting for Secretary Wen and Xiang Xiang, who had excitedly gone to the rose passage to search for gifts, to return.

The children’s song playing at this time was “Two Tigers.”

Chi Liu was stunned when he heard it, inexplicably thinking of Mingming, who was still waiting for his only friend.

“Big brother,” a little boy suddenly ran over, tugged at Chi Liu’s clothes, and said in a soft voice, “Can I have two magic balloons?”

After a moment of hesitation, fearing rejection, he quickly explained, “I don’t want two for myself, my friend is too shy to come over.”

His parents and Xiao Yu’s parents were good friends, so he and Xiao Yu had been good friends since childhood.

The teacher said that good friends are the most precious! So he must get her magic balloons!

Maybe these magic balloons can cure Xiao Yu’s illness so that he can go to the same elementary school as Xiao Yu!

Chi Liu chuckled: “Of course.”

The little boy said, “Can I have rabbit-shaped ones?” He pointed in a direction: “Xiao Yu likes rabbits the most.”

Chi Liu followed the boy’s gaze and saw a little girl with pigtails cautiously poking her timid little head out from behind the statue.

That expression was similar to Mingming, who had autism.

Chi Liu’s heart softened instantly. He picked out two rabbit balloons, leaned slightly, and was about to hand them to the little boy with a gentle smile.

Just then, an unusually tall man wearing a top hat and a gray trench coat brushed past Chi Liu. Chi Liu was stunned, and the man’s unusually slender wrist caught his eye.

His pupils shrank, and he immediately let go of the balloons in his hand, covered the little boy’s mouth, and quickly picked him up, turning his back to the man and striding towards the passage.

The lovely “Two Tigers” nursery rhyme still filled the space, cartoon balloons filled the sky, and the maze was full of laughter.

Chi Liu quickly put the little boy inside the maze wall, his voice gentle and stern, soft and fast: “There are bad people here. Go out from here, and you will soon see an uncle with green eyes and glasses. Tell him, ‘Chi Liu wants you to call the police.’ After that, go outside and find your parents to take refuge.”

Most of the people in the maze were children, and many parents were waiting outside. If he remembered correctly when he came in, Secretary Wen was the closest adult to the center of the maze! Less than twenty meters away!

He’s sure that Secretary Wen will call the police and notify the park to organize an evacuation when he hears that sentence!

The little boy was frightened by Chi Liu’s sudden change of face, but he still desperately suppressed his instinct to cry, his voice only trembling with sobs: “Xiao Yu—”

Chi Liu’s pupils were cold and sharp, shining with an alarming light: “We will protect her together.” He pushed the little boy towards the exit of the maze with force: “So, don’t cry, run out!”

The little boy gritted his teeth and ran out desperately.

Chi Liu took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing and facial expression, and then slowly turned around.

In the dim light, a man sat on a nearby park bench, reading a newspaper; the black brim of his hat was pulled low so that Chi Liu couldn’t see his face.

However, he had just clearly seen the silver bracelet on his hand.

Chi Liu casually passed the bench, came behind the statue, leaned slightly, and smiled gently: “Your friend is waiting for you outside with magic balloons. I’ll take you to find him and your parents, okay?”

Children with autism may not respond immediately to external communication. The little girl squatted there, hiding her face in her arms, shivering.

However, when Chi Liu picked her up, she did not cry or resist.

Chi Liu carried the girl and walked at a very fast pace. He strode across the square, and his next step was to enter the passage of the maze.

Suddenly, a clear snap of fingers sounded in his ear. Chi Liu’s pupils shrank, and he instinctively retreated a step to protect the child in his arms. The next second, a circle of raging fire, two people high, ignited around the small square, completely isolating the outside from the small square!

The sudden fire spread outward, and screams from both tourists inside and outside the maze could be heard. Park staff who came to support nervously organized the evacuation of tourists.

The man in the trench coat stood up at this time, the silver bracelet on his wrist flashing with an icy blue light, and said with a gloomy and hoarse voice: “Number 28, Number 40, kill him.”

Two thin men wearing black hooded sweatshirts appeared silently to Chi Liu’s left and right, one of them raising a gun at Chi Liu.

Chi Liu stood frozen in place, shielding the girl in his arms as much as possible, careful not to move. He glanced to his right—the person there hadn’t raised his gun for some reason. Was it a loophole or a trap?

The statue that could be used as cover was also on the right…

There was no time to hesitate. Chi Liu decisively strode to the right. His speed was astonishing.

He had bet right. Even when they brushed past each other, the person on the right had no intention of shooting or attacking at all.

But the other black-clothed man’s gun was already aimed at him again.

As if his body had instinctively become accustomed to the trajectory of this type of gun, the moment the safety was released and the trigger was pulled, Chi Liu rolled to the ground with the little girl in his arms. The bullet grazed his shoulder and back, narrowly missing, and shot into the fire, making a terrible bang.

Chi Liu immediately got up, only half a step away from stepping behind the statue!

But the black-clothed man’s second shot was already aimed at him again.

The man in the trench coat stood up with a whoosh, the button on the silver bracelet on his wrist flashing with an icy blue light, and said dissatisfied: “Number 28, what are you doing! Why aren’t you shooting!”

Number 28 only looked numbly at the girl in Chi Liu’s arms. When his gaze touched the expression on the girl’s face, a negligible light flashed in his pupils—this girl was the same kind of person as his friend.

He had checked the information in his minimal personal time. This society refers to children like Mingming as “Children of the Stars.”

He thought the name was so beautiful.

His friend was a “Child of the Stars,” and he was just a soulless clone whose purpose of birth was only to be used as food and a tool…

It was his friend who gave him a new “meaning”…

With a “bang.”

Number 40 fired the second shot.

Chi Liu gritted his teeth—he couldn’t dodge it.

He seemed to instinctively know that if that kind of bullet hit a person in any part of their body, they would not survive.

But at least one must live!

In less than half a second, a sense of guilt that made his scalp tingle surged in Chi Liu’s heart, a sense of guilt towards his unborn child…

He held the girl tightly in his arms and strode toward there. The bullet was about to hit his left leg—

Number 28 directly opened his arms and numbly stood in front of Chi Liu—or rather, in front of the little girl.

The bullet hit his left shoulder, and he fell silently to the ground. A small player dropped out of his pocket, and the switch was knocked open by a small stone. The nursery rhyme “Two Tigers” played softly, echoing the same children’s song in the maze area.

Blood and flames burst outward from the point of impact, as if he was about to be blown into blood foam in the next second…

Chi Liu finally came behind the statue. He looked at the player with Mingming’s name on it not far away and suddenly widened his eyes, his eyes red with horror—this was Mingming’s friend…

He didn’t understand why he blocked the bullet for him.

However, he hated and feared carrying human lives the most…

No, now was not the right time to consider these matters. He was still not completely out of danger. He needed to find a way to get this little girl away from here, at all costs…

Chi Liu leaned against the statue, biting his tongue. He held the girl tightly, and his other hand trembled slightly as he stroked his abdomen: For some reason… it was unusually quiet there…

Usually, he could feel the existence of the embryo…

He couldn’t think about these things either!

He forced himself to think and calm down, his temples hot and painful…

Find a way, find a way!

Suddenly, there was a “whoosh”—as if some kind of water sound exploded angrily.

A massive wave of green water completely engulfed the surrounding raging flames, causing them to die down and vanish entirely.

The green water devoured all the thick smoke and wrapped Number 28, whose body had not yet completely exploded, in the water, saving his life.

The disheveled Secretary Wen crushed the last bit of flame. He held a knife made of green water in his hand, the blade already piercing Number 40’s abdomen. He closed one eye, green blood flowing from the socket, and looked at the man in gray with cold and angry eyes—

These despicable and vile guys!

They didn’t know what methods they used to accurately locate Little Chi and only blocked it here for them!

Those fires were like a damn barrier!

It took him a full three minutes to break into here!

In these three minutes, he was in extreme fear every second. What if something happened to his friend…

He didn’t expect those players who had been holding back to actively put themselves out there! He was too arrogant and thought he could always catch up in time, so he didn’t follow Little Chi every step of the way!

He didn’t listen to the boss and send Little Chi home earlier! If something happened to Little Chi, he wouldn’t know how to make up for it!

His green eyes were boiling with long-lost murderous intent. He raised the tip of the knife and aimed it at the player with fire abilities.

…

Xiang Xiang came up behind the statue and helped Chi Liu up with a heavy heart. He said firmly yet softly, “Let’s go. Secretary Wen said he wants you to trust him; he will win!”

Chi Liu’s face was frighteningly pale, yet he still picked up the little girl and stood up firmly. He calmly “mm” and followed Xiang Xiang out.

The moment he stepped out of the small square and onto the passage of the maze, he felt a connection to his child once more. Suddenly, a clear “Mommy!” with crying and worry echoed in his mind.

All kinds of sounds poured into his ears: the sound of sirens, the sound of people evacuating in an orderly manner, the sound of panicked shouts…

That “Mommy” was so clear.

Chi Liu’s eyes were about to fill with tears. However, he still bit his tongue and calmly called Lao Zheng while walking: “…Regarding the Dream Amusement Park incident today, I have important information to report.”

He held the little girl in his other hand, rubbing the player he had just picked up with his palm: “Today’s suspects are likely from Chunming Special Elementary School or near Chunming Community. Please also send police there to search for clues.”

Children like Mingming couldn’t go too far alone. He must have made friends near the school or at home. Then, since Number 28 had the opportunity to become Mingming’s friend, he and his accomplices had likely been hiding nearby before!

Lao Zheng, who had arrived at the amusement park and received the call, suddenly widened his eyes: The hiding clues of the players they had been looking for were discovered by Chi Liu first…

Just as he was about to say something more, Chi Liu had already hung up the phone.

“Mommy, Mommy.”

The voice in his mind became clearer and clearer. The embryo’s emotions were too strong and impacted the mother’s body. Chi Liu’s legs weakened, his vision faded to black, and he fell forward with his eyes tightly shut.

Xiang Xiang’s pupils shrank, and he caught the little girl. Just as he was about to catch Chi Liu again, he suddenly widened his eyes.

A deep blue tentacle appeared around his waist. The next second, he and the little girl had appeared outside the maze!

…

The sky-covering deep blue tentacle completely swallowed the entire maze. Secretary Wen had already killed that player. He widened his eyes and looked in shock at the huge shadow that was surging wildly above his head.

He saw it, which meant that other NPCs in the amusement park would also see it… The boss was so angry, but he understood it for the first time.

The feeling of guilt overwhelmed him again. He thought, it didn’t matter if the boss swallowed him now…

The next second, the corpse on the ground was angrily torn into dust by the tentacles. The tentacles roughly wrapped around Secretary Wen’s waist, threw him out of the maze, and then frantically surged into the bushes in the direction of the maze exit that Chi Liu and Xiang Xiang were about to reach, dragging out another player who was hiding there to carry out Plan B and waiting to give Chi Liu a fatal blow, and tearing him to pieces.

…

The embarrassment of falling to the ground that he had imagined did not come. Chi Liu fell into a familiar embrace, enveloped in a cold fragrance.

A strong arm was tightly wrapped around Chi Liu’s waist, and the man, whose eyes were entirely consumed by scarlet, gently kissed the young man’s forehead, his voice hoarse yet gentle to a frightening degree: “Honey, don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

His voice was harrowing: “Sorry, I’m late again.”

Only the young man and his monster lover were left in the entire maze. This place was isolated in another world by the sky-covering tentacles.

“Ah, you’re back from your business trip…” Chi Liu still kept his eyes tightly closed, but suddenly felt relieved.

He gently stroked the embryo in his abdomen with one hand, which had been unbelievably soothed, and tightly grasped the man’s clothes with the other. A faint smile barely appeared on his pale face. He said, “Why do you still have the smell of braised fish on you?”

The tentacles surged wildly. Chu Qi steadily picked up the young man. He said gently, affectionately, and with heartache: “I made braised fish for you.”

“A perfect braised fish.”

Chi Liu smiled completely. Before losing consciousness safely in the man’s arms, he murmured: “…Then I have to try it…”

The tentacles churned wildly in this space, as if the end of the world had come. The evacuating tourists watched this scene in shock, some vomiting nonstop, and some falling to the ground.

The next moment, the terrible monster and its existence disappeared completely, as if they had never existed.