Chapter 18 Catch Him!

Zixiu's emotions were fleeting like a passing storm.

After the aromatic dishes were served, Zixiu, whose hands were previously clenched tightly together, suddenly grabbed the chopsticks and with a single move picked up the most succulent part of the braised fish—the fish belly.

Qin Chuan couldn't help but feel stunned for a moment before he hurriedly started to eat with both amusement and irritation.

"Save some for me!"

The high schoolers' fervor for eating lacked any semblance of table manners and restraint. All that mattered was efficiency and the resolution to grab an extra mouthful of meat.

As the two indulged in a feast, the simple spread of three dishes and a soup somehow took on the taste of luxury.

"Boss, I'll have whatever's ready, one meat and one veggie, make it quick!"

A shout came from outside, and the busy owner hurried to respond.

At that moment, Qin Chuan's chopsticks came to a halt.

He suddenly felt that the voice from moments ago sounded familiar.

Unable to resist the urge, Qin Chuan turned to look at the man who had walked in by himself and sat near the entrance.

The man looked unfamiliar, and Qin Chuan was sure he had never seen him before.

And so, that sense of familiarity slowly vanished.

After all, there were many people in this world with similar voices.

"What's wrong?" Zixiu, noticing Qin Chuan's pause, asked curiously.

"Nothing." Qin Chuan shook his head and took the opportunity to grab the last piece of stir-fried pork with green peppers.

"Damn it, I wasn't paying attention!" Zixiu's eyes widened as he looked at the glistening piece of marbled pork, shining under the light just like a stolen lover, feeling terribly upset.

When the meal was over and both had drunk a full bowl of soup, the dining experience drew to a close.

"Burp~" Qin Chuan patted his belly contentedly, "It's not often we get to eat meat, thanks."

"Why say thanks for something like this between us?" Zixiu waved his hand dismissively but suddenly froze.

Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he then nudged Qin Chuan with his elbow, "Qin Chuan, look over there."

Following Zixiu's gesture, Qin Chuan immediately saw a familiar figure.

It was Zhou Zixiu from the Special Affairs Group who had come to give a presentation at their school the other day.

At this moment, he was sitting in a restaurant across the street, dining with a few others while occasionally glancing their way.

"Why would people from Special Affairs Group be near our school?" Zixiu couldn't help but mutter quietly, "Are they coming for a presentation this afternoon?"

"Maybe?" Qin Chuan was also unsure, responding offhandedly.

Sitting not too far from them, the man who had casually ordered one meat and one veggie dish twitched his ears, and his expression changed in an instant.

"Crash!"

With a sudden noise, he quickly stood up and headed for the exit.

"Eh? You haven't paid yet!" The owner, noticing the commotion, couldn't help but shout, but the man turned a deaf ear.

Qin Chuan couldn't help but glance at the man's uneaten meal on the table.

His food must have been served not long ago and he had hardly touched it.

Even if someone was going to dine and dash, shouldn't they at least eat their fill before running off?

As he puzzled over this, he heard Zixiu cry out in alarm, "People from the Special Affairs Group are coming out!"

What?

Qin Chuan quickly turned his head and soon saw Zhou Zixiu and the others he had been eating with, rushing out towards the direction of the man who just left.

From other directions, several figures who were previously doing their own things stopped abruptly, setting aside their tasks to chase with determination.

"Stop him!"

This...

A flash of lightning seemed to strike through Qin Chuan's mind.

He remembered why the man's voice sounded familiar!

It was from the muted quarrel he overheard last night that seeped through the walls!

This person was Zhang Zhe, who had just been put on the wanted list today!

Although Qin Chuan didn't know why the other party no longer looked the same, there were countless ways to change one's appearance, and he trusted his intuition.

He abruptly stood up, charging out of the food stall, and turned his head towards the direction Zhang Zhe had run off to.

He saw the plainclothes figures of the Special Affairs Group, and further away, the fleeing figure of Zhang Zhe.

Zhang Zhe, clearly unfamiliar with the place, had panickedly turned and darted into a dark alley amidst the chase of the plainclothes officers.

That alley...

Qin Chuan, exceedingly familiar with the area, narrowed his pupils.

"Uncle, a hat, the fat one's paying." Qin Chuan casually grabbed a duckbill cap from a nearby stall, pointed at the chubby boy, then turned and sprinted off in another direction.

He knew where the alley's exit was.

And calculating the time, he had the chance to intercept Zhang Zhe before he emerged from the alley.

Qin Chuan didn't know why he made the choice at that moment, whether it was the bravery of youth or the impulsiveness of adolescence.

But one thing was certain.

Since he had made the choice, he had to do it well.

"Hey, Qin Chuan!"

The chubby boy finally snapped out of it, dashed out of the food stall, and tried to catch up with Qin Chuan, only to be stopped by the cap seller.

"The hat is twenty-three bucks, he said you're paying."

"I..." The chubby boy first froze, then immediately became furious.

"For this hat? I'll give you fifteen at most, a penny more and you're insulting me!"

-----------------

"Zhang Zhe, don't persist in your delusion!"

Listening to the roars echoing through the alley from behind, Zhang Zhe's eyes were filled with a coldness.

Persist in a delusion?

Had Zhang Zhe been down on his luck, fallen on hard times, so poor that he couldn't even lift the cooking pot at home, and were those "good brothers" who clinked cups with him at the table climbing the ranks, living better and better, was he jealous?

He was not!

He simply hoped that these "good brothers" would help him out when he was down, give him a hand when it was but a small effort for them, yet what he received was nothing but insincere refusals.

If that was the case, they couldn't blame him, Zhang Zhe, for being unrighteous.

With this in mind, a fierce flash crossed Zhang Zhe's eyes.

This damned Dream World, the timing couldn't be better.

Although it had caused him much suffering, it also gave him power beyond his imagination.

A misty light appeared on Zhang Zhe's face, and when it dissipated, he had a new face, even his clothes had changed.

He could see the other end of the alley.

The alley entrance was bustling with people.

He was confident that hidden among the crowd, no one would find him.

When he rose from the shadows, he would surely have his vengeance on all those who watched him with cold eyes!

"Step!"

A clear footstep sounded.

Zhang Zhe's foot had stepped into a puddle at the mouth of the alley that had appeared out of nowhere.

Initially, he thought nothing of it, but in the next moment, his face changed abruptly.

The splashed Water Flower froze mid-air, a massive force hidden in the water bound his foot.

His forward momentum was instantly broken, and Zhang Zhe fell heavily to the ground.

Before he could get up, a number of figures rushed out from the alley mouth, pinning him down with a variety of Extraordinary Powers, rendering him completely immobile.

And the Water Flower had already fallen back into the water, only creating ripples, as if there had never been anything out of the ordinary.

In the chaos, Zhang Zhe faintly saw a youth with a duckbill cap covering his face giving him a quiet glance before turning and disappearing into the crowd.