---o---
"Little Li!"
Seeing Fu Li act so recklessly in the face of such a monster, Uncle Mu's heart seized with anxiety. Ignoring the girl who had just fallen, he prepared to rush forward and help.
However, before he could take two steps, he saw Fu Li send the Stalker flying with a single blow.
"Aiya, Little Li! Why did you strike so hard! She may be hideous, but what if you killed her?!"
At that moment, Uncle Mu felt his heart skip a beat.
Although he had been startled by its appearance, what if it was just an ugly person? Killing them directly would still mean having a life on his hands.
Just then, however, Fu Li took a step back, dodging a flying scythe. He looked at Uncle Mu's reaction with a sense of weariness.
Although he had deliberately held back ninety-nine percent of his strength, intending to let Uncle Mu use the monster for practice, wouldn't holding back for fear of killing a Stalker be suicidal?
"Uncle Mu, that's not a person, it's a monster. Think about it, how could a normal person survive a punch like that from me and still be alive? Still able to attack?"
"Ah, this…" After Fu Li's reminder, Uncle Mu calmed down a bit.
As he watched Fu Li tangle with the Stalker, he noticed that the monster's face had already cracked open like a watermelon.
If an ordinary person had such tenacious life force, they would have probably been taken away for experiments long ago.
Realizing his opponent was not human, although Uncle Mu still felt an instinctual fear of the unknown, he nonetheless charged forward to help Fu Li.
Finally, seeing that Uncle Mu had more or less gotten used to the Stalker's attack patterns, Fu Li decided not to delay any longer. He 'accidentally' kicked the Stalker's head, knocking it completely askew.
With its spine severed, the Stalker's movements ceased. After it fell to the ground, it turned to ash in an instant, leaving behind only a work ID card.
"An, Female, 24 years old. Siren Sixth Research Institute, Level 3 Researcher."
Looking at the ID card, Fu Li couldn't help but shake his head.
Their current era was still in the early stages of the Honkai Eruption. Some private, or as The MOTHs Who Chase the Flame would call them, 'fly-by-night' research institutes, often caused these kinds of leaks.
"What is this?" Witnessing the unbelievable scene before him, Uncle Mu felt his entire worldview start to crumble.
"It's nothing. As you can see, this was likely created by some research institute. The organization behind it is probably very powerful."
Fu Li used a deliberately exaggerated tone, his goal being to make Uncle Mu realize the gravity of the situation.
"An organization that can build a research institute in the city is not a power we can afford to provoke, Uncle Mu."
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Uncle Mu's brows furrowed. He had clearly understood the meaning behind Fu Li's words and sighed. "Forget it, we'll talk about this when we get back. Li, let's get out of this troublesome place first."
"Mm." Seeing that Uncle Mu was not naive, Fu Li said no more and followed him out of the alley.
As for the girl, after confirming she was only suffering from exhaustion, they took her to a nearby shop and left it at that.
---o---
[That day, after returning to the dojo, Uncle Mu just forced a smile and brushed off Hua's questions before leaving.]
[You, on the other hand, patted her head and told her that you would handle everything, but that now was not the right time for her to know.]
[Although Hua was a little disappointed, being an obedient and honest child, she did not press the matter.]
[That evening, you hacked the chip embedded in the work ID and found the location of their research institute.]
[The next day, Uncle Mu pulled Lan into a room to discuss moving.]
[When night fell once more, you infiltrated the laboratory and discovered that the only living creatures inside were Stalkers and Honkai Beasts.]
[You took ten minutes to clear it out completely, saving this small border town and taking some trophies while you were at it.]
[Three days later, Uncle Mu decided to temporarily close the dojo and prepared to take Auntie Lan back to their hometown to lie low for a while.]
[They asked you and Hua whether you wanted to go to Changkong City early or go back to their hometown with them and head to the city when school was about to start.]
[Hua chose to go to Changkong City early. You, being indifferent to the choice, decided to accompany her.]
[Seeing this, Uncle Mu told you both to pack your things and prepare to leave the day after tomorrow.]
[You had no objection to Uncle Mu's arrangements and returned to your respective rooms to pack your luggage.]
[As your family was of modest means, you didn't have many belongings. After packing everything up, you left the small border town two days later.]
---o---
"Goodbye. Take care of yourselves when you get to Changkong."
"We know, Uncle Mu. You two as well."
At the train station, Fu Li and Hua said their farewells to Uncle Mu and Auntie Lan, then boarded the train under their worried gazes.
In the final second before stepping onto the train, Fu Li glanced back at the two of them on the platform out of the corner of his eye.
I'm sorry, Uncle Mu, Auntie Lan. This is a path of growth that Hua must walk. In this world, which is not so beautiful, ordinary people cannot live in peace.
But please, rest assured. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect Hua.