Soul Patch

Chapter 322 I've been waiting for you for a long time!

I'm trapped in the system!
So... is James still trying to steal spirit stones from the system?
Thinking of this, Wenjie looked around warily.

Awen and Andy, influenced by Wenjie's emotions, quietly shut their mouths, lowered their heads slightly, and looked left and right.

Andy asked cautiously, "Who...who are you looking for?"

Awen's gaze was fixed on Wenjie's face as he stared intently at him, clearly waiting for his answer.

Wenjie's gaze swept over the customers having breakfast in the small restaurant one by one, and after confirming that James was not among them, he made sure that James was not among them.

His expression softened slightly. He leaned closer to Andy and Awen, raised his hand to shield his left cheek, and lowered his voice:
"...System mission failed. A man named James shot and killed... Yang Shanshan."
...to snatch a stone from my hand.

What... Yang Shanshan is dead!

Andy fell silent.

Her look of fear was replaced by sorrow, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears. She raised her hand to pat Wenjie and comfort him.

"Uh……"

Andy clenched his right hand in a struggle, but ultimately didn't raise it. Finally, he lowered his eyes sadly.

“Wen…Wenjie…” Awen rubbed his face, as if he had made up his mind, and looked up at Wenjie:

"We can think of... a solution..."

Seeing that Wenjie kept his head down and didn't look at him, he awkwardly scratched his hair, waved his hand, and emphasized, "I mean, there's still a chance in the system missions."

Upon hearing Awen's words, Andy immediately stood up and blurted out, "Yes, we'll go with you...we'll figure something out together."

Meeting the two people's concerned gazes, Wenjie slowly raised his head.

He was overwhelmed with disillusionment, and his body surged with a resolute determination to take James down with him.

In this extreme emotional state, hearing such heartwarming words suddenly left him feeling somewhat lost.

He forced a smile, trying to give Andy and Awen a reassurance that he was alright.

But to Andy and Awen, he just gave a bitter smile.

He opened his lips slightly, but made no sound. His expression gradually turned fierce and angry.

Awen clenched his fist and swung it sharply in the air: "Go!"

Wenjie nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the door.

Ah Wen and Andy followed closely behind him, as if the fates of the three of them were intertwined at this moment.

The three of them walked out of the shop and calmly passed a small group of people at the entrance, where the old man was still telling his story with great enthusiasm.

"All the apocalyptic scenes vanished in an instant, and what appeared before them were the familiar mountain valleys, the familiar grass and rivers..."

Wenjie slowed his pace and turned his gaze to the old man in the crowd.

Awen and Andy stood back to back, alertly watching their surroundings.

They thought Wenjie had discovered James's trail.

Wenjie walked towards the crowd on his own, reaching out and squeezing his way in, his gaze fixed on the old man's face the entire time.

The old man seemed to sense the intense and focused gaze, and he raised his head slightly to meet his eyes without any hesitation.

He leisurely waved his fan and continued telling the story.

"Old man..."

Wenjie moved closer, scrutinizing the old man with a probing look, then hesitated to speak.

"Hey, who is this? Move back a bit..." someone in the crowd muttered in dissatisfaction.

Andy looked at Wenjie with a puzzled expression and whispered, "Wenjie, who is this old man?"

Awen also noticed Wenjie's unusual behavior. He looked the old man over and over again and slowly shook his head.

I don't recognize him! Then... what could this old man possibly have to do with the system mission... Andy pondered.

At this moment, Wenjie ignored the hustle and bustle of the street and the group of people around him.

His eyes were fixed on the old storyteller's lips as they opened and closed, listening intently to every single word he uttered. Wasn't this old man recounting exactly my childhood experiences?
He must know something!
Maybe he knows what's going on!

His heart was pounding wildly inside him, and he was trembling slightly with excitement.

The old man stopped talking, tapping his teacup rhythmically with his index finger, glancing at the young man in front of him, and then scanning the onlookers.

The grumbling and dissatisfaction vanished instantly as soon as they saw him. Everyone looked at him expectantly, but more so with worry.

As expected, the old man sipped his tea and said, "That's all for today. We'll continue tomorrow."

Everyone erupted in an uproar: "Wait a minute! Why did you stop talking about the strange phenomenon right after we started?"

"Yes, I haven't explained what happened yet!"

The old man shut his mouth, put his hands behind his back, and shuffled past Wenjie in his slippers.

"Hey, old man..."

Wenjie turned around to call him, but someone next to him patted his shoulder.

He glanced at the man and saw a middle-aged man in his forties with a square face and a slightly overweight build.

The man pressed his index finger to his lips and said "shh," while glancing at the old man's back.

Wenjie didn't dare to make a sound. He glanced at Andy and Awen standing outside the crowd, then nodded his chin toward the old man.

Awen blinked, seemingly understanding, and nodded to Wenjie.

The two turned around and walked in the direction the old man had staggered away.

Wenjie then looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, waiting for his explanation.

The man pulled Wenjie a few steps toward the shop entrance, and the two of them came to the steps where the old man had been telling stories, leaning half their bodies against the wall:

"Old Li has been traumatized and is a bit out of his mind. So you must not talk to him, or he might go crazy."

Wenjie glanced hesitantly at the middle-aged man from before the New Year, then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andy and Awen gradually walking away.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he quickly said thank you and chased after Andy and the others.

The middle-aged man glanced sideways as Wenjie ran over, took out his phone, and quickly typed a few words on the screen.

Old Li's phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at the people around him, didn't stop, and quickened his pace toward the street corner.

After several twists and turns, we arrived at a courtyard. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, desolate and quiet, and had obviously been abandoned for a long time.

Old Li stopped and turned around. As Wenjie and the other two approached him, he calmly extended his right hand to Wenjie.

This is a handshake... Andy subconsciously tugged at Wenjie's arm, telling him to be careful.

The old man didn't seem to mind, and smiled faintly, his white beard trembling slightly with the smile: "Young man, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Wenjie, who had taken a half-step forward, was startled upon hearing this.

"You know me?"

"do not know"

Wenjie frowned, exchanged a glance with Awen and Andy, and the two moved closer to him from behind.

Awen narrowed his eyes and gripped the dagger in his pocket. Andy tensed up, ready to strike at any moment.

"I don't know you... why are you waiting for me?"

The old man smiled mysteriously: "I knew you would come looking for me. Are you looking for a woman?"

Upon hearing this, Wenjie's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently, "Where is Yang Shanshan?"

The old man breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself, "Oh, so her name is Yang Shanshan... I'm afraid she doesn't even remember her own name!"

The old woman's voice trailed off, making Wenjie even more anxious: "How...how is she? Is she hurt? Please tell me!"

Awen silently watched the two of them. Seeing that Wenjie had lost his composure upon hearing the news about Yang Shanshan, he leaned close to Wenjie's ear and said, "Wenjie! Be careful, something might be a trap!"

(End of this chapter)