Chapter 159 - 128: Autism and Claustrophobia! Figured Something Out

’I mean, who could stand having someone steal part of their lunch every single day...’

Of course, Xu Huo considered it a fair trade. In exchange, he acted as a bodyguard, beating up the troublesome punk while also playing doctor to patch him up. It was a bargain, really. The other guy was getting the better end of the deal. Still, it didn’t sound very good when said out loud.

"You don’t need to know!"

Xu Huo threatened him.

Wang Chao immediately nodded with great solemnity.

He didn’t know what had happened, but he was sure Xu Huo had been up to no good.

A peculiar look flickered in his eyes, but it vanished a moment later.

Just then...

"VROOOM!"

The roar of the engine filled the air, and Wang Chao had a bad feeling.

He was about to say he wanted out, but Xu Huo stomped on the accelerator.

"SCREECH!"

The car fishtailed, drifting around a corner and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

To be perfectly honest, Xu Huo was a big fan of Grand Theft Auto.

As for how he managed to play it in an era with no internet and no computers capable of running a decent game...

Well, you don’t need to worry about that.

The car was flying. Xu Huo deftly switched between the brake and the accelerator, never once endangering any pedestrians.

「About ten minutes later.」

With Chao Zi scared out of his mind and wishing he could throw himself on the floor and beg Xu Huo to stop, the car finally slowed to a halt in front of a hotel.

"HISSS~"

The engine’s roar gradually faded.

Wang Chao violently unbuckled his seatbelt and scrambled out of the car. He gulped down the fresh air, finally feeling like he was alive again.

This was the hotel where Xu Huo was temporarily staying.

Without hesitating, he went upstairs and headed for his room.

As soon as he reached the floor, he ran right into someone.

She froze for a second, then looked down, avoiding Xu Huo’s gaze. She was clearly sulking as she pulled her luggage, trying to get past him.

Xu Huo grabbed the suitcase and blocked Chu Xi’s path.

"Are you really mad?"

He looked at Chu Xi’s expressionless face and raised an eyebrow.

Chu Xi didn’t want to talk. She tried to leave, but when she looked up, she spotted Wang Chao trailing behind Xu Huo.

Looking like a ghost and feeling so sick he could barely stand, Wang Chao had stubbornly crawled over to watch the drama unfold. Several hotel employees stared, completely baffled.

"Is this about Cheng Yang?"

Xu Huo ventured, "Hey, that was just a fluke. A total accident, really. The odds of it happening were tiny. And besides, I’m fine, see? Not a single bullet hole!"

Xu Huo patted himself down.

This only made Chu Xi angrier. She dropped her suitcase and kicked Xu Huo’s butt with her white-sneakered foot.

"Yeah!"

"Nice kick!"

Though Wang Chao’s face was pale, his spirit was high as he cheered her on.

"It really was an accident!"

Xu Huo made a show of rubbing his butt in pain as he continued.

This just made Chu Xi even more furious, and she landed a few more kicks.

Xu Huo was about to speak again, but his eyes met hers.

Her soft lips were pressed into a thin line. Her eyes, wide with anger, seemed ready to overflow with tears born of sheer fury as she stared at him.

They were a mix of emotions: confusion, fear, anger, and rage.

Xu Huo froze. He suddenly remembered what had been said.

’Autism.’

’Or Savant Syndrome, as it’s also called.’

’In a way, they excel in certain areas far beyond normal people. Their IQ can be higher, and their minds are incredibly sharp.’

’It’s probably hard to hide things from her.’

Xu Huo stopped short. "It won’t happen again."

Chu Xi said nothing, just kept punching and kicking him.

"Yes! Harder! Just like that, harder!"

Wang Chao continued to egg her on, a look of awe in his eyes.

’Xu Huo could fight his way from the bow to the stern of a ship while tied up and with five guns pointed at his head.’

’And Chu Xi could, with her bare hands, kick an unrestrained Xu Huo from the west wing of the third floor all the way to the east wing.’

’By that logic, Power Level: Chu Xi > Xu Huo!’

「After a long while.」

"What kind of patient beats up their doctor?"

"It really won’t happen again. Jiangsan City is too dangerous right now; you can’t go back. Be good, okay?"

Xu Huo said in a gentle, coaxing voice.

Hearing this, Chu Xi stopped and seemed to be thinking it over.

Chu Linhai had spoken with them last night.

The Corpse Repository case in Jiangsan City was spiraling into something bigger and bigger. Every new development was alarming, but this was far from the worst of it.

Now that it had international connections, it would be truly dangerous for them to go back.

’Someone like Cheng Yang?’

’Cheng Yang at least had to pretend to be law-abiding on the surface while using violence behind the scenes.’

’But the people Chu Linhai was investigating...’

’They were violent in the open and in the shadows!’

"Then I’ll go to another city," Chu Xi said, her voice still a bit muffled.

She was so mad. So mad that she’d been pacing back and forth in her room, cursing Xu Huo for being a scoundrel, and even kicking him on sight.

"What’s the point of going somewhere you don’t know anyone or anything?"

Xu Huo reasoned with her, subtly taking hold of her suitcase again.

He started nudging both her and the suitcase back toward the room.

"What if you run into bad people? It’ll be too late for regrets then."

"By making you stay, I’m basically rescuing you from those bad people. You should be thanking me."

’Something about that logic seems off,’ Chu Xi thought.

"Sis, he’s totally tricking you!" Wang Chao muttered under his breath.

Xu Huo shot him a glare.

"Sis, Brother Huo has a point!"

Wang Chao said, looking at Xu Huo with a face full of admiration.

"Brother Huo is an adviser that Hanhai Province, Haiyun Province, and even the Capital Special Fifth Bureau are all fighting to recruit!"

"When it comes to brains and foresight, he’s second to none. Absolutely solid!"

"You can’t go wrong listening to him! Brother Huo is really looking out for you. Linlan City and Zhaozhou are great. You’re used to them, and you know people there. There’s no need to go diving into a den of criminals!"

Chu Xi hesitated.

"See? I didn’t threaten him," Xu Huo said with a smile, then shot another glare at Wang Chao.

"Right, right, I’m just being completely impartial," Wang Chao nodded hastily.

"Fine, then."

Chu Xi mumbled, finally giving in.

Turns out, a reasonable woman’s temper might flare up quickly, but it also fades just as fast.