They were at the top of a rocky mountain, and night had already fallen in the desert. Yu Hao didn’t eat a mouthful of sand again like he had imagined. Strangely, the sandstorm had already stopped, and what replaced it was a quiet desert — like a deathly silent city. A shining Milky Way appeared in the sky.

Under the starry sky, an ancient city appeared in the distance. There seemed to be many buildings all around them, but they had already been buried by gravel, with only a few remaining ruins and broken walls. Two dried up riverbeds appeared at the bottom of the Gobi desert that winded from the city, passed through the rocky mountain they were on, before meandering back.

“The storm has stopped.” Yu Hao said.

“Amidst his impressions, perhaps he can only feel at peace during the night. Look, the monsters have disappeared.” Chen Yekai said, “This means that he suffers all kinds of torture during the day and only feels safe when he sleeps at night. If no accidents occur, night in desert shouldn’t last long. We need to hurry.”

Yu Hao realised that when Chen Yekai was around, he didn’t need to analyse dreams anymore.

They jumped down from the rocky mountain. Yu Hao kept his daggers and followed behind Chen Yekai as he thought about how to separate the flying scalpel from his daggers, while Chen Yekai was vigilant to all movements in their surroundings.

“Wait for me for a bit.” Yu Hao felt really uncomfortable during the walk and said this.

In the silent desert, Yu Hao sat down on the spot, took off his basketball shoes, and poured the sand out. Chen Yekai watched from the side. Yu Hao suddenly felt that, it seemed that after coming to Beijing, Chen Yekai didn’t talk as much anymore. Or rather, after Ou Qihang’s incident, Chen Yekai’s attitude had changed in a subtle and peculiar way.

“Your team uniform during the basketball match.” Chen Yekai said, “At that time, Huang Ting hadn’t transferred to Beijing, and everyone would still gather together; it all seems just like yesterday.”

“Time flies by so fast.” Yu Hao smiled a little sadly. He didn’t know why he would suddenly talk with Chen Yekai about this. However, he did miss his life in college a lot. At that time, everyone was still together, they didn’t worry about anything and could gather at any time with just one call to go to the foot of Mt. Yunding to eat delicious stir-fry.

“Okay, let’s go…Chen Laoshi.” Yu Hao followed behind Chen Yekai again, “Is the flying scalpel a part of your totem?”

“Maybe? Do you want to ask what it means by me giving you my totem?” Chen Yekai turned his head sideways to look at Yu Hao. The two lines of footprints had formed like folds in the silky desert sand. The night was beautiful, but Yu Hao couldn’t help but remember Ou Qihang’s words, ’embarrassment is good’.

“I need to think of a way to return it to you.” Yu Hao said.

“I didn’t give it to you.” Chen Yekai said, “To be exact, you ‘forcibly took’ it away.”

Yu Hao answered, “Un…So, I don’t really want it to be like that.”

Chen Yekai said, “The scalpel symbolises my courage. It belongs to me, but it also belongs to you as well. You had taken my courage away, but you had also bestowed it upon me again. In a certain sense, you’re the source of my courage. Letting it protect you once in awhile isn’t a bad thing, you don’t have to mind.”

Yu Hao has always felt that there was nothing between him and Chen Yekai. However, Zhou Sheng always talks about it, and Situ Ye would mention it once in awhile, which made him a little suspicious too. Yu Hao himself had had enough of suffering the pain of unrequited love from another party, yet still leaving him hanging with hope. If someone doesn’t like another, then refuse them clearly — this would be good for both parties. Chen Yekai though, had never discussed such issues with him formally, and the only sign was the concern he showed Yu Hao before he finally received a response from Zhou Sheng. So how could Yu Hao bring it up?

“I feel like you’ve changed after coming to Beijing.” Yu Hao said.

Chen Yekai said, “Do you think I’m avoiding you?”

“It’s not to that extent.” Yu Hao said, “You’re very busy, right?”

“Want to hear the truth?”

Yu Hao said, “Yes.”

They were walking slowly in the desert. The ancient city in the distance looked very close, but it was really far away after they started walking. The whitish colour of a fish’s belly was gradually appearing on the horizon.

“To be honest, I wasn’t busy. There was a period of time when I really wanted to see you.” Chen Yekai slowed down a little and let Yu Hao catch up. The two of them walked side by side, “But I know that long-distance relationships are very difficult to go through, especially in situations where there are too many obstructions. If I showed you too much concern, I was afraid that it’d put your relationship to even more tests.”

Yu Hao laughed, “That wouldn’t happen, sometimes you really do overthink too much.”

Chen Yekai said, “Un, I think I often overthink too much too.”

When he said it like that, Yu Hao instantly felt something inexplicable.

“Do you like Ou Qihang?” Yu Hao suddenly asked.

Chen Yekai seemed to have expected that he would definitely ask this question. He answered, “Do you really want us to be together?”

Yu Hao laughed. If he hadn’t gone through Ou Qihang’s baptism, he would think that this conversation in the dream today was really too awkward.

Chen Yekai said, “I was often invited out by him, because I wanted to take the chance to find out something.”

“What is it?” Yu Hao frowned.

Chen Yekai pondered, then explained, “What Huang Ting would do after Zhou Sheng erased his memories.”

“There’s still a follow-up?!” Yu Hao was surprised, “It happened so long ago, he shouldn’t go that far ba!”

“You don’t understand Huang Ting.” Chen Yekai said solemnly, “As long as there’s one portion of the case that’s illogical, he will remember it very clearly and raise his doubts during appropriate opportunities.”

Yu Hao frowned deeply and pondered.

Chen Yekai continued, “After Xiao Ou came to Beijing, Huang Ting looked for him thrice. Twice last year, and once this year. The last time was during your internship.”

Yu Hao said, “He won’t be able to get anything out of him, Qihang has already forgotten everything.”

Chen Yekai said, “If Huang Ting was the only one analysing the inside story, then he may not be able to find any clues. But you’ve forgotten an important point — Xiao Ou has doubts about this as well. With his personality, if a portion of his memory fragmented, he definitely wouldn’t let it go so easily.”

Yu Hao started feeling like this was a little dangerous now.

Chen Yekai made a gesture with both hands, “So this is equivalent to the involved party, Ou Qihang, and the criminal investigator, Huang Ting, jointly pursuing a lost memory. Now that I think of it, what I regret the most is sending the Golden Crow Wheel to the STA for an appraisal……”

“But you said that the data was destroyed.” Yu Hao said.

“Yes.” Chen Yekai said solemnly, “But there are still people who know of its existence. I’ve gone to the research lab twice. My Shidi is still there, and everything is as usual. I wanted to erase his memories, but after contacting Zhou Sheng, we realised that he never dreamed of me, so we can’t enter his dream.”

Yu Hao comforted, “Don’t worry about it too much. If it was leaked, it would’ve been leaked a long time ago.”

Chen Yekai smiled and looked at Yu Hao, “Yu Hao, let me ask you a question.”

The sun was beginning to rise slowly.

Chen Yekai said, “Do you trust me?”

Yu Hao said, “I trust you, of course. You’re an honest person.”

“I’m not that honest ba.” Chen Yekai thought about it, and stated, “I also have a cowardly, selfish, and dark side……has Zhou Sheng ever told you why he didn’t erase my memories?”

“Ah?” Yu Hao was baffled, “No…”

This time, it was Chen Yekai’s turn to be a little surprised, “He never told you what he saw when he was planning to erase my memories?”

Yu Hao, “???”

Yu Hao looked at Chen Yekai tentatively and shook his head, “No, why?”

Chen Yekai nodded, “Then…Have you ever suspected that I used to think of taking the Golden Crow Wheel for myself?”

Yu Hao said, “You won’t take something that doesn’t belong to you. There’s no reason for that.”

“There are many reasons.” Chen Yekai said, “For example, I can’t forget my old lover, so I hoped to have the ability to enter dreams whenever I wanted to so that I’ll have the company of Ryuusei. Or, through the study of the Golden Crow Wheel,I could think up all sorts of ways to revive my lost lover in a certain sense?”

Yu Hao said without even thinking about it, “You wouldn’t”

On Chen Yekai’s handsome face, there was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and a handsome temperament, “Why?”

Yu Hao couldn’t say why, but he just thinks that Chen Yekai just definitely wouldn’t do that. He wasn’t the kind of person who would harm people, no matter how many temptations he had that couldn’t be said. (re…check…)

“Because your courage is here.” Yu Hao patted the dagger at his waist.

Chen Yekai laughed and nodded, “Then remember that and trust me at all times.”

Yu Hao nodded as well, but he was a little worried about Huang Ting and Ou Qihang’s deep-rooted suspicions. In the end, he said, “What measures will Huang Ting take?”

“At present, no one knows.” Chen Yekai answered, “But he still suspects you two. Fortunately, he doesn’t list me and Liqun as targets to doubt. Hopefully, this point of doubt will turn into an unsolved case in his career.”

The sandstorm started stirring again and instantly covered the bloody morning sun. Chen Yekai said to Yu Hao, “Hide behind me, we’ll reach the ancient city soon!”

The sandstorm came without any warning and instantly blew up so much sand that Yu Hao couldn’t even keep his eyes open. Chen Yekai pulled up his shirt collar and lowered his head to block the gravel from pummelling his face, exposing his bare back. Yu Hao followed Chen Yekai closely and hid behind him, and they walked arduously through the sand.

Suddenly, Chen Yekai stopped and let go of his shirt as he watched the scene.

“What happened?!” Yu Hao could hardly keep his eyes open because of the wind.

Chen Yekai immediately turned around and hugged Yu Hao tightly, then leaped towards one side. In the next moment, a huge dragon roared as it rushed over and landed harshly into the sand! Following which, an overwhelming number of flying mosquito men caught up.

“Zhou Sheng’s dragon!” Yu Hao saw the dragon fly through the sandstorm and rush into the gravel, accompanied by Zhou Sheng’s cry that came out of nowhere. The flying mosquito men had piled up into a mountain and swarmed over.

But in the next moment, the black dragon vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye!

Yu Hao, “Zhou Sheng?!”

Chen Yekai pulled Yu Hao and climbed out of the pile of sand. The huge dragon appeared in the sky almost twenty meters above without warning. Zhou Sheng shouted loudly, “All of you, drop dead!”

Zhou Sheng, clad in an iron armour, was being bombarded constantly by the flying mosquito men, and clanging sounds rang out incessantly. Chen Yekai fired a shot at the sky with a ‘bang.‘ Zhou Sheng was riding the black dragon, but the black dragon started flickering with an unstable light, as if it was hit by a virus in a video game. After flashing a few times, it disappeared once again!

The monsters that were swarming around Zhou Sheng exploded from Chen Yekai’s precise, consecutive shots. The iron man fell with a ‘bang‘. Yu Hao rushed forward and pulled the heavy Zhou Sheng up. Zhou Sheng was dragging his jingubang, and seemed to have used up all his strength. In the next moment, the sea of sand outside the ancient city started swirling up in a strange way!

Chen Yekai said, “Run!”

“Where’s the dragon?!” Yu Hao shouted.

Zhou Sheng handed the jingubang to Yu Hao. He took off his helmet — his face was covered in blood. He shouted, “Shield!”

Yu Hao shook the jingubang and pointed it at the sky. Within an instant, the jingubang transformed into a giant shield. That shield came from his totem. Now that Zhou Sheng’s life was entrusted to him, he possessed a ‘just try’ mentality, and the shield did indeed sense his thoughts and blocked the group of flying mosquito men that pelted down on them like a rainstorm.

There was a vast army of flying mosquito men numbering in the thousands, and all of them slammed onto the shield like crazy. Yu Hao used the shield to block the impact, while the sea of sand behind them had risen up to a massive wave that was 10 meters tall, and now it crashed down on them!

Chen Yekai turned around to look, then shouted, “Run!”

Yu Hao supported Zhou Sheng and rolled sideways. The sea of sand below his feet rose and sent them into the sky, then crashed down again violently!

Three seconds later, Yu Hao stepped on the huge shield and used the shield as a skateboard, and as if he was surfing, he took Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai to slide down with a whoosh from the apex of the sand wave!

The flying mosquito men gathered in teams and pursued them relentlessly from behind. Zhou Sheng shouted, “It’s up to you now!”

“Hold onto me!” Yu Hao shouted, then shrunk the shield down to a size that was just enough for the three of them to stand on. He inadvertently glanced at the sea of sand. Zhou Sheng’s dragon had appeared again and was still flashing like a holographic image for a few times before disappearing.

“What the hell is wrong with it?!”

Zhou Sheng, “I don’t know! It’s gone crazy!”

—

Juurensha: At last, Haohao’s skateboarding lessons come in handy. Also those mosquito men are terrifying.