Chapter 134: Little Rabbit x Archon

“Wen Chu!”

Xiu finally reacted to what was happening, his voice calling out a beat too late.

“Wait, let me do it, you can’t—”

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Four gunshots rang out without hesitation.

The man who had been begging on the ground just moments ago now had four bloody holes in his body. One bullet had struck his heart precisely, and he collapsed heavily.

Wen Chu was knocked back several steps by the recoil of the pistol.

The white light on his body hadn’t dissipated yet, so he wasn’t injured, but because he was so close, a few specks of blood had splattered onto his face.

The monitoring system seemed to glitch, taking a long time before emitting a voice filled with ecstatic madness. Its speech became incoherent, repeating words like “miracle” and “success” over and over.

Wen Chu’s expression didn’t change. Holding the pistol with both hands, he turned around and trotted over to Xiu, who hadn’t even had time to stand up yet, and obediently handed the gun over.

“Done. Foster father, let’s go back.”

Xiu took the gun with a complicated expression, then pulled Wen Chu’s hand over to inspect it.

After confirming that the boy hadn’t been injured by the recoil, Xiu sighed. He used his thumb to wipe the bloodstain off Wen Chu’s face, then picked him up and climbed onto the helicopter’s rope ladder.

The helicopter was finally able to take off smoothly. Holding Wen Chu as the ladder retracted, Xiu said, “Next time, don’t do it yourself. You’re still young, do you understand?”

Such a bloody scene wasn’t good for a child’s physical and mental health.

Wen Chu hugged Xiu’s neck tightly and, for the first time ever, refused: “No. He hurt you first.”

Xiu had a bit of a headache. “Even if he hurt me first, I have my own ways of handling it. You’re just a child…”

“But, I am your child, and you are my foster father.” Wen Chu didn’t let go, his mind filled with the image of Xiu coughing up blood just moments ago.

Fear and panic finally caught up with him, and tears began to swirl in his eyes.

He sobbed, “I don’t want you to die.”

Feeling the cold dampness on his shoulder, Xiu froze.

Amidst the roar of the helicopter, Xiu suddenly realized just how heavy the responsibility on his shoulder was.

This wasn’t just a poor little thing he had saved in passing; he was all of this child’s hope and trust.

The title “foster father,” originally just a joke, was Wen Chu’s only connection to and reliance on this world.

His life wasn’t just his own anymore; it belonged to Wen Chu too.

“Stop crying,” Xiu coaxed softly.

He carried the child into the helicopter cabin, placed him on a seat, and draped a blanket over him, finally seeing Wen Chu’s tear-streaked face.

Xiu half-knelt in front of the seat, reached out to cup the back of Wen Chu’s head, and pressed his forehead against the boy’s.

“Don’t cry. I won’t die. Don’t I still have to raise you?”

Wen Chu looked at the man through hazy, tear-filled eyes.

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but after the white light appeared, the cold fragrance on Xiu seemed even more intense.

Wen Chu reached out, hugged Xiu’s neck, and buried his face in the man’s neck, inhaling his scent.

After a long while, he said in a muffled voice, “Promised. You aren’t allowed to die.”

Xiu patted his head. “Okay, promised.”

The subsequent cleanup was left to Secretary Li and the Adjutant. Xiu sealed off all information regarding Wen Chu’s abilities and took him back to the Archon’s residence.

Wen Chu refused to let go of Xiu, so Xiu had no choice but to carry him all the way back.

Half of the Archon’s residence had been converted into a temporary research institute, so space was limited. Wen Chu’s damaged sickroom hadn’t been repaired yet, so Xiu simply took him to his own bedroom.

The first thing they did upon returning was to give the dirty little rabbit a bath.

Wen Chu finally felt a sense of shame during the bath, struggling to wash himself, but Xiu lifted him up with one hand.

Struggling was futile; Wen Chu was stripped and tossed into the bathtub.

“I really can wash myself…”

Wen Chu’s face was bright red. He buried half his face in the water, his eyes darting around, afraid to look directly at Xiu sitting opposite him.

Xiu grabbed the kid and squeezed out some shampoo to wash his hair. “You don’t know how to use the things here, and you don’t even recognize body wash.”

Wen Chu was forced to nestle into Xiu’s embrace, his body stiff.

The Archon had an excellent physique. Once his clothes were off, his eight-pack abs were visible. He had a narrow waist, broad shoulders, and long legs—so long that he had to bend them slightly to fit in the tub.

Wen Chu whispered, “Humans and rabbits shouldn’t touch intimately.”

Xiu couldn’t help but laugh. “Who taught you that nonsense?”

Wen Chu: “I learned it from watching TV.”

He would occasionally catch a glimpse of the 8:00 PM soap operas when he woke up. He had no other channels for information, so he learned from watching TV.

Xiu pondered for a moment, then remembered something. “Later, a doctor will come to draw blood and check you. If there are no issues, I’ll start teaching you the elementary school curriculum.”

“Okay.” As long as it didn’t involve Xiu’s life or death, Wen Chu had no objections.

He stared at the reflection in the water, seeing Xiu’s unscarred chest, and finally diverted some attention to other matters.

“Just now, I…”

“It was an ability,” Xiu confirmed.

Wen Chu already had a guess, so he wasn’t too surprised. He just waited for Xiu to continue.

Xiu went on, “You likely awakened an extremely powerful healing-related ability. The specific reason isn’t clear yet; we have to wait for the results from the research institute.”

“But regardless of the results, from today on, you absolutely cannot use your ability outside.”

“Why?” Wen Chu asked, puzzled.

Xiu’s expression grew serious. He didn’t brush it off because Wen Chu was a child; instead, he explained earnestly, “The Upper District doesn’t pay much attention to ability users right now because they are too weak, and the awakening conditions are too harsh.”

“But you are different. Your ability can almost be described as bringing the dead back to life. Added to your past in the laboratory…”

Xiu pursed his lips.

“I am currently not in the Upper District. If your ability is discovered, it is very likely you will be taken away for research again.”

The researchers he brought were his trusted aides and would never do anything to Wen Chu, but the researchers in the Upper District were a different story.

Wen Chu finally realized what this meant.

Possessing a treasure is a crime in itself.

He was too weak, yet he possessed an ability that people would go crazy for.

Even if Xiu wanted to protect him, until he truly grew up, countless people would come after him one after another.

“I understand,” Wen Chu said, biting his lower lip. “I’m sorry, I’ll be careful in the future.”

Xiu patted his head. “No need to be so nervous. It’s not your fault, and you have your foster father here.”

He half-joked, “You call me ‘Father,’ so I have to be responsible for you, right?”

Wen Chu blinked and whispered, “Father.”

Xiu was startled, the tips of his ears turning slightly red. “I didn’t mean it like that…”

“—Alright, let me rinse the foam off you.”

He quickly skipped over the topic, ignoring Wen Chu’s struggles, and lifted the child up to rinse him off again.

Wen Chu was flushed with embarrassment.

Xiu hadn’t worn any clothes and was washing with him. The moment he stood up from the bathtub, his body was completely exposed.

How… how can this person have no sense of shame!

This rabbit is dying of embarrassment!

After the bath and drying his hair, Wen Chu was held by Xiu while blood was drawn.

Seeing the doctor acting tactfully by not asking questions, Wen Chu waited until the doctor had completely left before looking up to ask Xiu, “Are you very powerful in the Upper District?”

Xiu thought about it. “Maybe?”

Wen Chu: ?

Xiu explained, “The Upper District isn’t like the Lower District where the Archon holds all power. There, executive, legislative, and judicial powers are separated, basically monopolized by three major families. I am the next head of the Aflrend family, and also the Archon of the Upper District.”

“Then why did you suddenly come to the Lower District?” Wen Chu asked, confused.

Xiu clicked his tongue. “The old geezers from the other two families are sore losers. I killed a few corrupt officials, and they acted like the sky was falling. In the end, after negotiations, because I exceeded my authority, I was temporarily demoted to the Lower District. I can only go back after completely subduing the Lower District.”

Wen Chu frowned. “That’s too much.”

“Right?” Xiu fell back onto the bed, holding Wen Chu like a body pillow. “I only killed about twenty corrupt officials. Was that necessary?”

Wen Chu: “…”

Looking at the child’s speechless expression, Xiu chuckled and rubbed his beautiful little face. “How have you still not put on any meat? Have you been eating properly?”

Wen Chu, his cheeks squished red, mumbled incoherently, “I diiii…” (I did).

Xiu smiled. “Then eat more and grow up faster. I plan to rest and build up strength in the Lower District for a few years before killing my way back. After I go back, I’ll need an heir to help me stabilize the rear.”

He had originally intended to hand it over to the Adjutant, but that seemed like letting that kid off too easy.

Wen Chu opened his round eyes wide, digesting Xiu’s words. Looking at the smiling man, he suddenly realized, “You got yourself demoted on purpo…”

“Shh—” Xiu pressed a finger to his lips.

“Alright, bedtime story is over. Let’s sleep.”

Xiu yawned, holding Wen Chu tight, and slowly closed his eyes.

Even if the demotion was a calculated move to expand his power, the work he did was real, and the awakened ability was completely unexpected.

Between government affairs and saving Wen Chu, he hadn’t slept an hour in the last two days.

Wen Chu…

Xiu’s consciousness grew hazy.

He remembered the first time he saw him—the child’s round blue eyes and the small hand desperately holding onto him.

He was human, too; his heart was made of flesh. To say he wasn’t moved would be a lie.

Even without Secretary Li’s reminder, Xiu had never thought of pushing Wen Chu into the spotlight.

His initial thought was simple:

It’s just a child. I don’t lack the resources to raise a child.

But later, as Wen Chu’s identity as an experimental subject surfaced, he had to give him the title of “Self-Sacrificing Young Hero” for self-preservation.

And now, an ability had appeared.

When he saw the white light, felt the influx of vitality, and wiped the blood from Wen Chu’s cheek, Xiu realized that his previous thoughts might not be feasible anymore.

He didn’t just have to raise Wen Chu; he had to let Wen Chu grow until no one dared to covet him anymore.

The Archon of the Lower District was a very good identity for that.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly mentioned so much to Wen Chu…

Having saved Wen Chu and taken a hot bath, Xiu’s tense nerves slowly relaxed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Wen Chu watched the sleeping blond man, slowly processing what Xiu had said.

Feeling the man’s steady breathing, Wen Chu felt a bit sleepy too.

Like a little cub, he squeezed tightly into Xiu’s embrace, hugged Xiu’s arm, and took one last look at the man’s handsome profile.

“Father,” Wen Chu whispered.

He opened his mouth, not knowing what he should say, so he just buried himself deeper in Xiu’s arms.

He still felt like a little rabbit, but before that, he was the child Xiu adopted.

He liked his foster father.

And he wanted to grow up quickly so he wouldn’t cause trouble for his foster father anymore.

Six years later.

“Sector E03, third street, turn right…”

A white-haired teenager wearing a black combat suit and carrying a guitar bag checked the information on his terminal, lurking on a rooftop under the cover of night.

He had extremely beautiful blue eyes, round and harmless, and his cheeks still held a trace of baby fat, giving him a very gentle and soft appearance.

For ease of movement, his long white hair was tied into a ponytail reaching his waist, shimmering with a cold silver light under the moon.

Below the roof was a small courtyard lit by lamps, with people coming and going, carrying heavy wooden crates.

“Move it! If anyone makes a mistake, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

A man’s sharp shout rang out.

Wen Chu focused his hearing. There were other voices inside the room.

“Doctor, look, these are goods we had a hard time getting. All orphans. The price…”

The sound of a crate opening was heard. After a long while, the person addressed as “Doctor” said with satisfaction, “Not bad. The humans this time are very fresh.”

Hearing that familiar voice, Wen Chu narrowed his eyes and secretly gave Secretary Li a thumbs up.

As expected of someone who had been undercover in the Lower District for years; the Doctor had barely shown his face in the Lower District before he was discovered.

Wen Chu opened his bag, quickly set up a sniper rifle, and curved his lips slightly.

The hysterical, malicious voice from the monitor all those years ago constantly echoed in his ears. He could never forget the four shots his father took.

After the incident when he was ten, the laboratory sent constant pursuit teams after him. He followed Xiu, learning basic academics, and started learning basic taijutsu to strengthen his body.

Perhaps due to his rabbit genes, his short-term explosive power was formidable. Once Xiu discovered his talent, he got serious and began teaching him firearms and combat.

This sniper rifle was a gift from Xiu when he turned twelve.

But because Xiu protected him too well, the people chasing him had become fewer and fewer over the years. This was the first time he was using this gift in actual combat.

Thinking of his father, Wen Chu’s mood soured.

Two months ago, he finally turned sixteen and was allowed to act alone. He immediately teamed up with Secretary Li to hunt down the laboratory deserters.

As a result, because he didn’t come home for three days, he got a severe scolding from his father upon returning, and was even banned from acting alone again.

Wen Chu behaved for two months, but after getting information on the Doctor, he couldn’t sit still anymore.

Let him be scolded. Xiu couldn’t bear to say anything too harsh to him anyway. Today, he had to take this dog’s life.

Holding a grudge, Wen Chu had marched out the door with his gun.

The conversation inside continued. Wen Chu held his breath, focusing his hearing.

Voices, footsteps, and even… heartbeats.

Found him.

He shifted the muzzle slightly and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Thanks to the silencer, the bullet made only a tiny sound as it smashed through the window, striking the heart of the person behind the curtain.

The sound of shattering glass and screams rang out simultaneously.

“Sniper!!”

“It’s a blind snipe! It’s the Archon!!”

Wen Chu sneered, quickly dismantled the sniper rifle, drew the pistol at his waist, and jumped off the roof.

Not the Archon, but the little rabbit the Archon taught personally.

Unlike Xiu’s blind sniping technique which utilized precise calculations, Wen Chu’s method was more direct.

He could simply use his hearing to locate most sounds.

Amidst the crowd’s screams, Wen Chu kicked open the door, sneering as he looked at the chaos inside.

Heavy wooden crates had fallen to the ground in the confusion, revealing the bound children inside.

“Who are you?!” someone screamed.

Wen Chu twirled his pistol, shot the man in the knee, and laughed lightly. “Here for revenge.”

Bang—

The gunshot completely shattered the silence of the night.

Wen Chu had called the police in advance. He simply disabled the group, moved the children to the backyard temporarily, then dragged out the Doctor, who had been killed instantly with one shot. He emptied his magazine into the corpse.

Click.

After confirming there wasn’t a single bullet left in the gun, Wen Chu looked at the nondescript middle-aged man and curled his lip. “You got off easy.”

If he hadn’t been afraid the guy would run, he wouldn’t have let him die so quickly.

Wen Chu felt it was a pity. The traffickers nearby, however, were terrified to the point of incontinence, looking at the white-haired teenager under the moonlight as if he were a demon.

Monster! This was absolutely a monster!

Wee-woo wee-woo wee-woo—

Sirens sounded in the distance. Wen Chu holstered his pistol, feeling a bit melancholic.

There were still scattered fugitives from the lab, but this one was different.

The person who had made him helpless as a child, who had almost dragged Xiu into danger, had been dealt with so easily.

Wen Chu lowered his eyes, suddenly feeling his heart beating unusually fast.

Was he too excited?

He kicked the Doctor’s corpse, intending to drag it back for lab analysis, but his expression changed in the next second.

Hanging at the man’s waist was a bomb.

[Vital signs lost detected. Countdown initiated: 00:00:02]

He had been careless. How could someone holding the laboratory’s secrets allow their body to remain intact?

“Find cover! Get down!”

Wen Chu only had time to shout that before he was swallowed by the blinding white light of the explosion.

BOOM—

The entire E03 sector shook.

It was several minutes later before the police finally arrived, late to the scene.

A police officer from the district got out, clicking his tongue at the courtyard which was largely destroyed. “Didn’t they report human traffickers? Was it infighting?”

“How do we handle this now? Blown to ashes… are there any survivors left?”

“The hostages are in the backyard. They’re alive,” a teenage voice spoke up.

A white-haired teenager pushed the door open and walked out. His hair was loose and dusted with ash, and he had changed into casual, loose-fitting clothes.

It was Wen Chu.

Wen Chu had been tricked, surviving only thanks to his healing ability.

He said unhappily, “I recall it takes five minutes tops to get here from the station. Your precinct actually took a full fifteen minutes?”

A police officer retorted indignantly, “If we arrived earlier, maybe we would have been blown up…”

The person next to him recognized Wen Chu and hurriedly pulled him back.

Wen Chu narrowed his eyes, staring at that police officer for a moment.

Then, he moved. Like an agile rabbit, before anyone could react, he was beside the officer who spoke, reaching out to snatch the badge number from his chest.

“Hey! What are you doing!!” The officer was furious, but when he reached out, he only grabbed the afterimage Wen Chu left behind.

Wen Chu jumped directly onto the roof and left with his guitar bag on his back.

The officer beside the rude one hurriedly held his partner back, lowering his voice. “Stop talking! That’s the child adopted by the Archon!”

The retort-happy officer froze, only then remembering the white hair. “…That child is so big now?”

He couldn’t be blamed for not recognizing Wen Chu. When Wen Chu was publicized as a “Young Hero,” he was ten years old, a scrawny, pitiful little thing. Afterward, he had completely vanished from the public eye.

Now, seeing a beautiful, healthy teenager, no one could immediately connect him to the child from back then.

The officer was vexed. “I’m done for. I finally got my uncle to get me this job, what do I do now?”

His partner looked at him with exasperation. “What else can you do? He already noted your badge number. Hurry up and work to make amends!”

The two walked into the house, now half rubble, and rescued the bound children from the backyard.

Many of the children had woken up, all teary-eyed as they were led to the police cars.

The officer comforted them helplessly, “It’s okay, the bad guys are dead. The Archon’s adopted son came to save you personally. You will definitely be properly settled.”

“The Archon’s adopted son?” a child asked in confusion.

The officer gestured. “The one with white hair. He should have been hiding in the backyard with you guys. He just left.”

The children were silent for a moment. Finally, the oldest, a ten-year-old, spoke cautiously, “But… he wasn’t in the backyard then?”

“This—”

The two officers looked at each other.

If he wasn’t in the backyard, where could he have been?

On the other side.

He didn’t know if it was because he used his ability, but Wen Chu clearly felt his heart beating faster on the way back.

Not only that, perhaps due to the dust, his ears were starting to itch.

Wen Chu stood outside the Archon’s residence, taking deep breaths, trying to calm his excessive heartbeat.

Good. Father’s bedroom lights are off. Now I just have to sneak back into my room…

Wen Chu lightened his steps, quietly opened the door a crack, slipped inside, and silently closed the main door.

Click.

The soft sound of the lock engaging.

The next instant, the originally pitch-black living room was flooded with light.

Wen Chu’s body went stiff. He slowly turned around to see the man with short blond hair sitting on the sofa, arms crossed, watching him.

Six years had passed. The man had settled from his initial sharp, mischievous nature into something more steady—and he knew Wen Chu like the back of his hand.

Wen Chu: “…”

Wen Chu retreated guiltily. “Father, you haven’t slept yet?”

Xiu said coolly, “Secretary Li has been docked three months’ wages.”

Wen Chu: QAQ?

Secretary Li sold me out.

Wen Chu dropped his guitar bag with a thud, taking the initiative to complain before Xiu could scold him. He approached Xiu with a pitiful expression. “I just went out to kill someone, and I got hit by a bomb he had on him. It hurt a lot.”

As expected, the icy expression on Xiu’s face softened, replaced by concern. “Where are you hurt?”

Wen Chu felt guilty. “Not a vital spot. I already healed it with my ability.”

He couldn’t very well say he was blown into fireworks and then healed; otherwise, Xiu really would fix him good.

Xiu sighed. Facing the teenager’s pleading, cute look, he couldn’t bring himself to say harsh words.

He rubbed Wen Chu’s head. “You’re only sixteen, don’t always take such risks. You could have told me about this. I’m confiscating all your guns.”

Wen Chu let out a “Wu” sound and leaned into Xiu’s embrace.

Normally, he would definitely fight to keep his guns.

But today, he felt strange.

After getting close to Xiu, his heart beat even harder.

Even his face began to burn.

Wen Chu had never told Xiu that he could smell a wonderful fragrance on him, mostly because saying it out loud seemed too weird.

Now, that cold fragrance was more intense than ever.

Wen Chu whispered, “Father…”

He burrowed deeper into Xiu’s arms.

Feeling the scalding heat in his arms, Xiu was startled. Unable to maintain his stern parental facade, he pinched Wen Chu’s cheek. “Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever? I’ll call the doctor.”

Saying that, he picked Wen Chu up to go upstairs.

Since he was ten, Wen Chu had always slept with him. At first, it was because Xiu was worried about a relapse of his illness and wanted to watch over him personally. Later, it became a habit, and he never asked Wen Chu to leave.

Wen Chu shook his head in a daze.

It wasn’t a fever; his head didn’t hurt.

He just felt… his foster father smelled so good.

Only when he was close to the scent on Xiu’s body did his heartbeat slow down a little.

After being placed on the bed, Wen Chu instinctively hugged Xiu’s waist.

“Father…” he whimpered uncomfortably. “I feel so bad.”

As he spoke, a warm sensation came from both sides of his head.

Xiu looked down and was shocked by the scene before him.

Hanging down from the sides of the white-haired teenager’s head were two fluffy ears.

Wen Chu’s cheeks were flushed red. With his rabbit ears drooping and arms hugging Xiu’s waist, his eyes were filled with a watery haze of desire.