Volume 4 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Book 4 Chapter 3 – Catastrophe in the Sky

”Yiming, are you sure you don't want to come with us?” The way Qing Qiaoqiao looked at Li Yiming showed that she was going to miss him dearly. She held her boarding pa.s.s and lingered at the lobby of the airport instead of walking toward the gate. Qiaoqiao had to go back with her elder sister to the Northern part of the country. Qing Linglong owned an oil field there, and it was fair to say that she was the true hidden millionaire in the group.

”I can't. I have things to do back in Hangzhou.” Li Yiming refused politely. He knew Qing Qiaoqiao's intentions, but, right now, it was simply impossible for anyone else to find a place inside his heart.

”The plane is about to leave. It's not like you're never going to see each other again, so why be this dramatic.” Eyegla.s.ses waited on the side. He was fas.h.i.+onably dressed, and his suit, together with his pale countenance from his vampiric transformation, gave him an air of coldness that was much more imposing than the image of someone who seemed socially awkward.

”Call me then.” Qing Qiaoqiao pursed her lips as her sister pulled her into the boarding gate. Eyegla.s.ses turned back and waved his hand at Li Yiming before following the Qing sisters. He was headed for the same place, since they lived in the same city.

”Alright. Time to do some work.” After seeing his friends leave, Li Yiming made a long, lazy stretch and took out his boarding pa.s.s. He needed to go back to Hangzhou and start the mission Mr. Kong had a.s.signed to him.

After receiving the generous rewards from the Shangbei domain, Li Yiming suggested for the team to take some time off and to rest at least three months before going into the next one. The plan was to meet up at the end of the long vacation and to discuss their next course of action. Li Yiming had chosen three months for a specific purpose; Mr. Kong asked his help for precisely three months.

”Flight H3882 from Shangbei to Hangzhou will soon depart. Please…” Li Yiming stood up from his seat and queued up at the end of the line.

”Excuse me…” The voice belonging to a middle-aged man was heard as he squeezed his way through the crowd. Unfortunately, his course came to a halt when he collided against a frail-looking young man who was behind Li Yiming. The young man was thrown to the ground from the impact and his computer bag slid several meters on the floor.

”I'm sorry. I got the wrong gate.” The middle-aged man apologized but did not slow down. He ran away from the crowd and disappeared after a few seconds.

”What's wrong with him?” A few were revolted by the man's recklessness, but no one did anything about it. Li Yiming looked at the young man on the ground but did not intervene as he noticed that the young man seemed uninjured. After all, there was no point in risking a complication when his plane was about to depart. 'Well, that other guy was in a heck of a hurry… This young man, he's going to Hangzhou too?'

”Are you okay?” Li Yiming did what he could. He turned around and helped the young man stand up. It was someone who looked barely in his twenties, with soft features and about a few inches shorter than him. His pale skin and his skinny limbs suggested at a lifestyle with a lack of exercise.

”Yeah. I'm fine. I'm used to stuff like this. Thank you.” The young man stood up and smiled. However, his warm smile turned into bafflement when he saw Li Yiming's face. After a long pause, he finally recovered from the shock. What followed surprise was a strange expression. It was as if the young man knew Li Yiming, but he hesitated to speak to him, and he even seemed to doubt whether Li Yiming was a real person or some kind of spectral apparition.

”Do we know… each other?” Li Yiming was a little frightened by the young man's intense gaze, and he took a step back.

”No. I don't think so. But you really do look like a friend of mine. Oh, thank you, by the way.” The young man smiled shyly once again, picked up his bag and examined it carefully.

Li Yiming returned to where he stood in the line. However, as he inched forward slowly, he could feel that the young man behind him was staring at him. 'Wait… he? I don't think that I know him.'

* * *

Li Yiming looked out of the cabin's window as the plane took off. He stared at the buildings and the streets as they shrank in size. Images of the post-apocalyptic Shangbei from the domain flashed in his mind, and he thought about what Xiang Liu said. 'Heaven's Laws… Manipulating everyone and the entire world?'

Thinking about Xiang Liu's words brought a sudden unease to Li Yiming. He shook his head and suddenly noticed that the young man from earlier was seated behind him, and he seemed to have been observing him for a good while already. As their eyes met, the young man, who seemed a little embarra.s.sed at being caught peeking, nodded with a smile and looked away.

'Don't tell me he's interested in me in that way?' Li Yiming s.h.i.+vered and shook his head as hard as he could to remove all of the distracting thoughts from his mind. He then tried to express where his interest lie by staring into the slender legs of one of the air stewardesses who happened to walk by.

”Is there anything I can do for you?” The stewardess noticed Li Yiming's invasive gaze, and her well-kept professional habits compelled her to stop right in front of him with a smile that hid away her complacency and pride. 'Well, this boy sure has good taste.'

”Uh… Could I have a cup of water please? I feel a little sick.” Li Yiming looked away while trying his best to maintain his facade of calmness and hide his embarra.s.sment.

”Of course. Please wait for a moment.” The stewardess nodded politely and turned away.

Li Yiming let out a long sigh of relief, but it was not long before another bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead; he could sense the young man behind him scrutinizing him again. 'This isn't going to be fun for me, is it…'

'Yiming, we're in trouble.' Bai Ze's voice came right as Li Yiming was thinking about his misfortune, as if everything had been concerted in advance.

”What is it?” Li Yiming awareness was brought to a peak. He adjusted his seating position so that he would not be caught off-guard if the young man behind him was ever to attack him.

'There's a thunderstorm ahead.' Bai Ze sounded like she was about to laugh; they had been waiting for lightning for days in Shangbei, only to be met with a cloudless sky. Yet, as soon as they hopped on a plane, they run into a thunderstorm.

'A thunderstorm? Wasn't it a clear sky a moment ago? Is it going to rain?' Li Yiming recalled the blue sky from the airport and looked out. The sun which shone so brightly earlier was hidden behind a grey curtain of clouds.

'Well, that's just bad luck then. There's nothing we can do about it. We'll get the next one.' Li Yiming thought that Bai Ze was simply unhappy due to the fact that they had missed a chance to be struck by lightning.

'Do you even understand what I'm saying? I'm saying that we're in trouble.' Bai Ze was unimpressed by Li Yiming's slow reaction.

'Trouble? You mean the storm ahead?'

'Yes. The clouds ahead carry a violent storm.' Bai Ze said in a worried voice.