Chapter 62.1 Jailbreak
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Hearing that Zhuang Lao’s beloved little dog was being called fat, Mr. Li became afraid that Zhuang Lao would get angry. He quickly intervened to defuse the situation, “Let’s not talk about that. Is there any other way?”
“Yes, but it’s a bit more complicated when someone like him turns into a dog,” Victor smiled. “It will take more time.”
“How long will it take?” Zhuang Lao asked.
“At least a week,” Victor’s eyes, seen through his glasses, looked at Lin Zhaohe. Only then did Lin Zhaohe notice that one of Victor’s eyes was different. It had a beautiful amber color, shining like a precious gem.
“That long?” Mr. Li was surprised. “When Alfarr transformed me into a human, it only took two hours.”
When Victor heard the name Alfarr, his expression suddenly changed. His face became cold and devoid of any smiles. “Are you familiar with Alfarr?”
“That’s right,” Mr. Li didn’t feel the need to avoid the topic. He didn’t care much and said, “My name is Li Yu. You should have heard of me before. I met you back then.”
Victor stayed silent for a moment. “I remembered.”
“So, because of Alfarr, you don’t want to help me anymore?”
“Not really,” Victor replied. “Things have changed, and I feel a bit nostalgic.”
He returned Lin Zhaohe to Zhuang Lao and turned around. He took a row of golden potions from the nearby cabinet and handed them to Mr. Li. He explained that these potions could turn Lin Zhaohe back into a human, but it would take some time. He needed to drink one every day, and it would take a week to see the effects.
Mr. Li didn’t expect it to be this easy to obtain the potions. He stood there momentarily stunned.
“Did you think I would give you a hard time?” Victor smiled again, slightly curling his lips. He said he wasn’t like Alfarr, who considered alchemy a forbidden practice. He believed that good things like these potions should be widely promoted to let people know how useful they are. That was how more people would be encouraged to learn alchemy.
Mr. Li wasn’t too concerned about that. In fact, as long as he could turn Lin Zhaohe back, he was satisfied. He thanked Victor, and they both left.
Despite getting the potions easily, Zhuang Lao didn’t show much joy on his face. He turned to Mr. Li and asked where his friend Alfarr was being held. It seemed that obtaining the potions too easily made him doubt this person’s trustworthiness.
“It’s in the prison in town,” Mr. Li pointed to the tallest building. “According to Sofia, he should be held on the lowest level, which is a bit strange…”
Following the town’s rules, only those who committed serious crimes would be kept on the lowest level. Even if Alfarr attempted to blow up Victor’s laboratory, it would still be considered a crime in progress. So, why was he held in such a place?
“And he doesn’t want to see anyone from the outside,” Mr. Li said. “We can’t get in through regular means. We’ll have to find an opportunity to sneak in.”
Zhuang Lao suggested, “Let’s wait until it gets dark.” It was still early morning, so it would take another four hours before nightfall. They could take advantage of the darkness to enter safely.
What about Lin Yan? Why hadn’t Lin Yan returned yet? Lin Zhaohe woke up, but there was no sign of Lin Yan.
“Yeah, I almost forgot,” Mr. Li’s eyes widened. “He went chasing butterflies yesterday. Why hasn’t he come back? Could the butterflies have captured him?”
Zhuang Lao: “Unlikely. It’s more possible that he finds the butterflies too beautiful and doesn’t want to come back.”
Mr. Li: “……”
At that moment, Lin Yan was indeed captivated by the butterflies, but not because of their appearance. It was their odd behavior that intrigued him.
After flying a distance, he caught up with the butterfly that had abducted the child. He was about to attack the butterfly and rescue the child when he noticed something strange about its movements. Upon closer observation, he made a startling discovery—the butterfly was adjusting its posture slowly, as if afraid of hurting the child.
The child kept crying, and another butterfly flew slowly towards him. It extended its long antennae and spread some nectar on the child’s cheek. The child stuck out his tongue and tasted the sweetness of the nectar. Gradually, the crying subsided, and the fear disappeared as he started looking around.
Perhaps afraid that the child would be frightened by the height below, another butterfly flew beneath the child and used its wings to block his view.
It was all so strange. Witnessing this scene, Lin Yan suppressed the urge to attack them and began pondering what these butterflies were up to and where they intended to take the child.
So, they flew farther and farther, gradually veering away from the town until they reached a steep canyon.
The surroundings of the canyon were covered in white cocoons, indicating that this was the butterfly’s nest. Lin Yan watched as the butterflies carried the child into an opening. Seizing the opportunity, he quietly followed them inside.
Inside the cave, the ground was adorned with freshly picked flowers and tender grass, seemingly from nowhere. The air circulated well, suggesting the presence of another exit in the cave.
The cave walls were adorned with densely hanging blue radiant butterflies. They remained motionless, seemingly asleep.
Deep within the dark recesses of the cave, without disturbing the butterflies, Lin Yan flew slowly forward and suddenly caught a familiar sound—the cries of children, echoing continuously. It was evident that there was more than one child.
Did the butterflies bring all the children from the town here? Lin Yan was immediately filled with a sense of horror. He followed the sound’s origin and, after turning a corner, discovered the source of the crying.
There were over a dozen children, ranging from infants to no more than five years old. Some stood, while others sat, playing or crying. Surprisingly, the atmosphere appeared harmonious.
The child who had just been brought there was placed on the ground. He seemed bewildered, opening his mouth and crying out for his mother, over and over.
From the depths of the cave, a figure emerged, and as Lin Yan saw the appearance of the figure clearly, their eyes widened in astonishment.
It was a being with half-human, half-butterfly features—a human body with a butterfly’s head and wings. Clearly feminine in nature, she approached the child with a calm stride and reached out to embrace them.
“Waaaah!” The child let out a piercing cry, obviously frightened by the woman’s appearance. The woman moved gently and spoke softly in the language of humans, “Baby, don’t cry.”
The child, in their tear-filled confusion, heard the familiar sound of human speech and stared blankly at the woman.
“Don’t cry,” the woman said. “Mommy is here. She’ll be here in a little while.”
The child clung to the woman and stopped crying.
The woman asked if the child was hungry, if they had eaten well and been good. She remarked how the child seemed a bit thinner than before.
The more Lin Yan listened, the more something felt off. The woman’s words were strange, not like those of a predator, but rather resembled a reunion between a child and his long-lost parent.
The child showed no signs of unfamiliarity and quickly bonded with the butterflies.
Could there be something special about the nectar given to the children? Lin Yan glanced at the group of children, contemplating how to rescue them.
However, at that moment, a sharp whistle cut through the air, and something hard struck Lin Yan. He turned his head, realizing he had been discovered by the butterflies inside the cave.
The butterflies swiftly gathered, surrounding Lin Yan tightly, seemingly ready to launch an attack.
“Wait,” a woman’s voice came through. “Someone recognizes you.”
Lin Yan froze.
“Your name is Lin Yan, right?” the woman said. “They have witnessed your murderous nature. We are no match for you. Are you here to kill us too?”
Lin Yan never killed anyone, so it was easy to guess who they had seen. He smiled bitterly and replied, “No… I don’t like killing. I don’t even enjoy killing butterflies.”
The woman tilted her head. “Then what are you here for?”
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According to Sofia’s information, the most heavily guarded place in the town was the prison.
Zhuang Lao and Mr. Li planned to create a small disturbance to divert the guards’ attention, allowing them to sneak in smoothly.
In fact, they had a simpler solution. Mr. Li could have easily swallowed all the guards in one gulp, smoothly reaching the lowest level. However, Lin Zhaohe hadn’t transformed back yet, so they both agreed it would be better not to provoke the guards to that extent and leave some room for maneuver.
Mr. Li, lacking manners, set fire near the prison. Watching the guards rush out to extinguish the flames, he sneaked into the prison with Zhuang Lao.
Lin Zhaohe was hanging on Zhuang Lao’s chest, an appearance that didn’t resemble a prison break but rather a tourist outing.
“Luckily, Lin Yan isn’t here,” Mr. Li remarked. “Otherwise, wouldn’t this be risking his life?”
Zhuang Lao nodded. “You have a point. Escaping from prison is too thrilling for someone like Lin Yan, who values order and kindness.”
At first glance, the town’s prison seemed heavily guarded, but for individuals as powerful as Mr. Li and Zhuang Lao, it posed no difficulty at all. Mr. Li even restrained himself from knocking out the guards too forcefully, afraid of accidentally smashing their heads off.
Suddenly, they realized there was no need to be cautious at all. If any guard spotted them, in the next second, their body would lie limp on the ground.
The other prisoners inside the prison stared wide-eyed, grasping the bars and softly asking the valiant duo if they could also be released. Mr. Li firmly rejected such impudent requests, “How can you entertain such terrifying thoughts? We are righteous individuals who would never commit the serious crimes of releasing prisoners.” After speaking, he gently placed the unconscious guard he held in his hands back down.
Prisoner: “……” Is my understanding of the term “righteous individuals” somehow distorted?
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