Who says those who retire at the speed of light are not heroes?

"I...I haven't learned yet..."

"Then sing it to me next time we meet..."

The next time we saw each other was at her funeral. It rained that day and all the mourners left. Only Lin Cheng was left sitting on the grass in front of her grave, singing over and over again with a mask on.

....................................

Lin Cheng yawned, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and smiled awkwardly, "Sorry, I didn't get enough rest last night... I'll play Hotel California for you. Which guest recommended it to me last time? It's really nice."

The sound of electric guitar rang out in the bar, and the world seemed to have quietly quieted down again at this moment. The conversation became much quieter. Lin Cheng looked at the audience through blurry vision. They all seemed to have smiles on their lips. Maybe no one cared what he sang, but this was also good.

.......................................

Lu Xiaoxiao silently took a sip of the cocktail on the table and looked at the man sitting on the stage.

She couldn't tell whether this was a bad fate or not.

After she left the Internet cafe, she went to the high-end Japanese restaurant where she had booked a meal for 2 yuan per person for lunch. After eating, she planned to find a place to have a couple of drinks. She had been drinking outside for the past two days, otherwise she would always be too upset to sleep.

But she saw that man again. He was playing the guitar on the stage. When he was singing that song before, Lu Xiaoxiao seemed to have seen tears in the corners of his eyes. For some reason, inexplicable sadness surged from the bottom of her heart. She seemed to read inexplicable sadness in his eyes, but it was clear that he just yawned and smiled later.

People scanned the QR code to order songs, including two rap songs. She heard the conversation between Lin Cheng and the audience.

"Hey, you know what, last time someone told me about this song, I actually learned it. Didn't expect it? Next I'll bring you... Zhenhai."

The atmosphere became more and more lively. Lu Xiaoxiao silently held the wine glass and drank the bubbling cocktail in the glass. During this time, there were men who came to sit in the empty seat opposite her and wanted to chat with her, but they were forced back by her cold eyes.

Until the man on the stage finished singing and came to sit opposite her, he looked into her eyes and said, "What a coincidence."

"Yes, a little bit." Lu Xiaoxiao replied indifferently and turned her face away.

"It's intermission time. Let's have a couple of drinks. Is there anything you want to hear? I'll sing it for you later."

"No, I'll be leaving after sitting for a while." Lu Xiaoxiao replied calmly. Then she turned back and looked at Lin Cheng, "Do you work here?"

"Not really, it's just a part-time job, occasionally helping out someone by making a cameo appearance and filling in the gaps."

"So what do you do?"

"Unemployed, occasionally playing games, doing game orders, selling flowers, etc."

"I remember there was an account in a woman's name that transferred money to you every month. This has been going on for the past two years."

"Ah, that's the rich woman he hooked up with. You discovered such a private relationship? Don't you have any privacy for citizens' information? Those who have husbands secretly use their secondary accounts to transfer money."

"..." Lu Xiaoxiao couldn't tell for a moment whether what he said was true or false.

"It's so lively today." Lin Cheng looked around and exclaimed at the packed bar.

"Because today is White Valentine's Day." Lu Xiaoxiao replied indifferently.

"What? Valentine's Day! I should have sold flowers." Lin Cheng scratched his head. Lu Xiaoxiao tilted her head. "Selling flowers?"

"I occasionally work part-time as a florist. Didn't I tell you last time? I sell romance."

"Then can you perform the magic trick for me again?" Lu Xiaoxiao raised the corners of her lips.

Lin Cheng looked at her with a bitter face, "Magic is not magic, you need to prepare props."

"Then it seems that it won't work?" Lu Xiaoxiao looked at him with contempt.

"It's not completely impossible. If there is a reward... maybe I can use my magic to transform the roses at home." Lin Cheng blinked at her.

Lu Xiaoxiao was stunned, and subconsciously took over his words, "What reward do you want?"

"The book says that kissing can secrete hormones that make people feel happy."

"Change it first."

"Can I kiss you once you appear?" Lin Cheng looked at her eyes playfully.

"What if it can't be transformed?"

"Then I will drink all the wine on the table."

There were six bottles of Roosevelt No. 10, a strong monastery beer, on the table.

"Deal." Lu Xiaoxiao rested her elbows on the table, supporting her cheeks, raised the corners of her lips, and looked at Lin Cheng in front of her.

She clearly saw that Lin Cheng was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts today, and there was no place on his body to hide the rose. This time, Lin Cheng put his hands together again and began to rub it slowly. He also frowned, looking sweaty and a little exaggerated. After more than ten seconds, Lin Cheng spread his hands and said, "It's changed."

It was clear that he had nothing in his hands.

Lu Xiaoxiao tilted her head, "Where?"

"One must feel happy before seeing the roses."

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced at him with disdain. Lin Cheng smiled bitterly, took all the beer on Lu Xiaoxiao's table, stood up, opened the bottle one by one, and drank it all.

Lu Xiaoxiao smiled happily.

11 Blood-sucking worm

Lu Xiaoxiao held her cheek and watched Lin Cheng use his teeth to bite open the bottle caps one by one. She tilted her head back and finished a bottle of beer in just ten seconds. When he drank the third bottle, Lu Xiaoxiao tapped the table lightly with her fingertips. Her previous smile faded and she said in a somewhat annoyed tone, "Okay, okay, Roosevelt has a high alcohol content."

Lin Cheng lowered his head and glanced at her. "Back then, I was the champion of the Roosevelt Challenge at the bar in the west of the city. If you drank twelve bottles of wine, the bill was free. Go ask about my reputation as the Little Wine God of the West City. A man must keep his promises."

Lu Xiaoxiao always felt that if Lin Cheng’s eyes were not so bright just now, after drinking these six bottles of beer, his eyes seemed to light up again.

It was then that she suddenly recalled that he could drink too much. That day, she was drunk and dazed, but his voice didn't even tremble.

Lin Cheng sat down opposite her again and burped in a very ungraceful manner.

"You can drink quite a lot." Lu Xiaoxiao said calmly.

"I used to be addicted to alcohol." Lin Cheng smiled, "I've quit drinking in the past two years and only drink a little wine occasionally."

"Got a story?"

"No, guess what I did in the past two years?" Lin Cheng blinked at her.

Lu Xiaoxiao thought seriously for several seconds, and Lin Cheng said, "A hint, I am forced to drink every night."

"...Isn't he working as an escort for a rich woman in a bar?"

Lin Cheng smiled helplessly but did not refute. Lu Xiaoxiao's eyes became strange, "Why don't you study hard at your age?"

"Studying is not for me, so doing something else is also a way to use my talent."

"So now you've made money and are on the shore?"

"Alas, I was caught dating several rich women at the same time before, and was beaten up by their husbands. I have no courage anymore, so I just stick to one person. My work is private and safe."

"Injured?"

Lin Cheng stood up and lifted up his T-shirt to show the other person. Although it was a little unclear under the dim light, the knife wounds, burns, and various scars on his body did look... creepy.

Lu Xiaoxiao didn’t know what to say for a moment. It was really an eye-opener.

She scanned the code again and ordered half a dozen beers, and asked for two sets of dice. Drinking alone is always a bit lonely. After the drinks came, Lin Cheng played with her for a while, and then went on stage to sing. He sang the "Big Things in a Small Town" that Lu Xiaoxiao wanted to hear, and his voice was unexpectedly gentle.

Lu Xiaoxiao felt quite amused and helpless at the moment. There was no such person in her circle of friends in the past. Although she said he was despicable, he was quite honest and did not break the law. At most, it was just immoral.

....................................

She looked at the stage quietly and took a sip of the beer in the glass. But when her eyes wandered among the crowd, she suddenly froze and her eyes locked on a woman in the corner.

The woman's face seemed extremely familiar to her at that moment.

Lu Xiaoxiao retracted her gaze in an instant, took out her mobile phone and began to search the alliance website for the latest records of blood-sucking worm hosts. Sure enough... she saw that face.

Blood-sucking worm: An alien insect species that entered the world through the natural disaster space cracks. It can seek out a host for symbiosis, giving the host power and making the host crave for human blood. Every time it sucks blood, the host's desire for blood becomes stronger, and the blood-sucking worm will gradually evolve. When the evolution is complete, the blood-sucking worm will leave the host and look for the next host, and the original host will die.

As for the woman in the corner, the blood-sucking worms in her body were almost fully evolved. They had already sucked the blood of two people dry. As long as they hunted one more target, they would evolve fully, break away from the host, and look for a new target to evolve again.

Lu Xiaoxiao raised her fingertips slightly and felt the woman's body temperature. Sure enough... her body temperature was extremely low and her blood flow was extremely slow. Her ability was to control the cold, so she was particularly sensitive to temperature. But at this moment, there were at least one or two hundred people in the bar on the thirteenth floor. It was definitely not a good time to take action. The blood-sucking worms had the opportunity to forcibly break away from the host and replace it with a new one.

Lu Xiaoxiao immediately requested reinforcements from her team, and at the same time quietly observed the woman sitting in the corner. She seemed to be looking for her next prey. The woman had delicate makeup, looked to be about 27 or 28 years old, and wore a backless dress. Perhaps because her expression was too cold, no one had yet come to talk to her while sitting opposite her.

At this moment, she seemed to be looking at Lin Cheng on the stage, with a hint of greed in her eyes.

Lu Xiaoxiao keenly caught that hint of greed.

After Lin Cheng finished singing the song, he said he was going to the bathroom. Lu Xiaoxiao's eyes were fixed on the woman. The woman seemed to be hesitating whether to go to the bathroom, but while she was hesitating, Lin Cheng came back quickly.

He came back and sat down opposite Lu Xiaoxiao, then looked at Lu Xiaoxiao strangely.

"Why do you look so serious?"

He has always been good at reading people's expressions.

"Come and sit over here..." Lu Xiaoxiao lowered her voice. Lin Cheng was stunned at first, then came and sat down next to her. Lu Xiaoxiao could sense that the woman's eyes seemed to be fixed on Lin Cheng, so she leaned close to Lin Cheng's ear and said, "There is a woman who has set her eyes on you."

"What? Where? Is there such a good thing?"

"Lin Cheng...be serious. From now on, from now on...what I say is very important. Please listen carefully..."

"Got it, go ahead."

"The woman in the right corner is an important criminal wanted by the Alliance. She is parasitized by blood-sucking worms from the Scourge, and she seems to have targeted you. There are a lot of people here. If you arrest her now, it may cause chaos... She is also very likely to escape in the chaos. I need you to do me a favor... lure her to a remote corner."

"What? Is it so exciting?" Lin Cheng raised his eyebrows, but his voice did not reveal fear, but rather a bit of excitement. "Do I have a chance to help you too?"

"It will be dangerous... You can choose to refuse."

"It's just a small matter. Men can't say they are afraid. What should I do?"

"I need you to lure her to a place downstairs where there are fewer people, the fewer people the better. My ability is to control temperature. I will always be by your side, keeping a distance of fifteen meters. As long as I am within fifteen meters of you, you should be safe. Blood-sucking worms sense people through temperature. I can control my temperature so that she won't notice my traces... But there is a possibility of encountering danger. I have called for reinforcements. Even if you are injured, as long as you are not dead, you can be healed immediately. Most hosts parasitized by blood-sucking worms have more than three times the strength of an adult. You must be very careful."

"understood."

At this moment, because Lu Xiaoxiao was quite close, Lin Cheng only needed to lower his head slightly to see her slender collarbone through the collar of her shirt. He looked into her eyes and suddenly asked in a low voice, "I have another question."

"You said."

"What perfume are you using...it smells so good."

"I'll give you a bottle if you help me."

"OK."

Lin Cheng stood up from his seat and then sat back down opposite Lu Xiaoxiao. The two continued drinking and chatting. When the wine on the table was finished, Lu Xiaoxiao also stood up and left the bar, while Lin Cheng stood up and walked up to the woman in her twenties in the corner.

The woman's expression was slightly cold, and her skin was a little pale, but her makeup was very delicate, hiding the paleness. Lin Cheng smiled and looked into her eyes, "Sister, are you alone?"

A trace of greed flashed across the other person's eyes, and she quickly responded, chuckling at Lin Cheng, but her voice was vaguely stiff, which could perhaps be interpreted as the confusion after being drunk, "Yeah... Where's your female companion?"

"Her mother asked her to go home. Hey, I think you were secretly looking at me just now."

"is it?"

"How about I perform a magic trick for you, sister?" Lin Cheng smiled at her.

....................................

Twenty minutes later, Lin Cheng helped the drunk woman into the elevator.

"Let's go to my house?" The woman had already hugged Lin Cheng's neck and tried to kiss his neck, but was pushed away a little by Lin Cheng. He blushed and replied, "The elevator has surveillance cameras. If they see... that's not good."

He lowered his head and leaned close to the woman's ear, "There's a park nearby. There aren't many people in the park at this time. Why not... find some excitement?"

"You are so bad. You were so hypocritical just now."

Lin Cheng patted her on the butt, and the woman hugged him tighter. They got off the elevator. After coming out of the elevator, Lin Cheng continued to support her and walked towards the park next door.

The park was not far from the business district. There were no people there at the moment. The weather in early spring was still a little cold. Peach blossom petals fell all over the ground. Lin Cheng had already walked in with her. He loosened his arm around the woman's shoulders and said, "I'm going to the bathroom."

Under the street light, Lin Cheng could see the shadow behind him rushing towards him. He dodged by turning sideways, but the other party soon rushed towards him. At this moment, the woman's eyes had turned red, her pale skin was covered with dense hair, her lips were wide open, and saliva was constantly flowing.

“It smells so good, so good, so good, so good…”

Lin Cheng heard her incessant mumbling, and the moment she pounced on him again, a gunshot rang out.

The bullet hit the woman's back, and Lin Cheng saw with his own eyes... a big hole was blown out in her chest, and blood sprayed on his face. The hideous look on the woman's face was also frozen at this moment. She slowly turned around and looked at Lu Xiaoxiao who suddenly appeared behind her. Lu Xiaoxiao raised her hand, and suddenly many ice spikes appeared in front of her. Those ice spikes stabbed towards the woman like a rain of arrows, and in an instant, she was turned into a hedgehog.

"Freeze." Lu Xiaoxiao whispered softly, and then the woman's body was completely frozen in place, as if it had turned into a sculpture made of flesh and blood.

Lu Xiaoxiao raised her eyes to look at Lin Cheng and smiled at him, "Thank you for your cooperation, you did a great job."

But Lin Cheng seemed still a little dazed. He slowly reached out his hand and gently touched his cheek. The blood was still warm.

----------

ps: This book updates two chapters every day, each chapter has 3k words, which is quite fast.