Main Story Ch. 6-16 - The Cage and the Soaring Bird (囚笼与飞鸟) | Light and Night 光与夜之恋

Previously on Chapter 6-14... (read here)

You: Osborn, You-- what exactly are you?

Osborn: Do you really want to know?

The grey clouds gradually covers the rays of sunlight, and the features from his side profile is becoming a blur over the boundaries.

Osborn: Have you heard of bounty hunters?

You: Bounty hunters? I think I've seen them in TV before... Are they the type of mysterious professionals that receives remuneration from capturing those hard-to-catch escapees?

Osborn: It's alright for you to understand it that way too. But the nature and content of work for bounty hunters in real life are even more complicated. Our guild-- or the LONGDAY you've heard just now, only processes non-human matters. The employer will commission the guild, and the bounty hunters will choose to accept or reject the commission based on its difficulty and remuneration. Of course, there will also be situations where bounty hunters will fight for the commission.

You: Any commission?

Osborn: Any commission. In the world of bounty hunters, we don't talk about the right and wrongs, only the strong and weak.

I widened my eyes in surprise. Seeing me reacting this way, Osborn raised an eyebrow.

Osborn: Why, afraid now?

I shook my head, but I still can't help to speak in a trembling voice.

You: You... Have you accepted any missions that aren't good?

Osborn: Does kidnapping you count?

You: ......

I opened my mouth, but I had no idea how to reply him. Of course I understood that this is a bad mission, but Osborn hasn't harmed me.

Osborn: There aren't much in this world that is right or wrong completely, also I've never said that I'm a good person too.

I turned over and met Osborn's eyes, and it feels like I've once again saw the unpredictable him on the rooftop back then. 

You: So the one that talked to you just now is a bounty hunter too? And your mission is to kidnap me?

Osborn: Yeah. This is a sudden mission received from the guild.

You: Then the Merodach he mentioned is...

Osborn: That's the founder of the guild.

You: But why do you have to act in front of him and pretend you're kidnapping me?

Osborn: Remember the silver box I threw away just now? That's a monitoring device for every bounty hunter. If I've suddenly threw it away from the very beginning, in whose hands you are going to be in, it'd be something unknown. As for why I wanted to act in front of him--

As he speaks, he can't even hold back from letting out a smirk.

Osborn: Don't you think your performance earlier was really brilliant?

You: ......

I flustered. How did he happen to begin teasing me as we speak again?

You: Then are those people who were capturing me in the Moonrise Building bounty hunters too?

Osborn: Yeah.

The puzzle is slowly being unveiled, layer by layer. Finally, there's only the one last question that have been troubling me the most left.

You: Who exactly is the one to commission you guys to kidnap me...

Osborn: Give it a thought, do you have any nemesis?

You: Nemesis? I've been living a very ordinary life since childhood, there wouldn't be anyone that would want to kidnap me--

Then, I froze. A ridiculous answer flashed past my mind.

Could it be him? The person that wanted to use my life as his paving stone, my nominal father.

Osborn: What did you think of?

You: I...

I don't know how I should tell Osborn, this is an answer that I'm still in denial with.

You: Perhaps there might be a certain someone who would do this... He doesn't acknowledge me, and once forcefully arranged my life for me. Of course I'd be unwilling to, and after rejecting him, I returned to this country. I thought he has gave up on his previous thoughts, but now that we're looking at it, perhaps it wasn't like this...

Osborn looked at me quietly, deep eyes reflecting the gentle lights from the sunset, looking all his way to the depths of my heart.

You: I don't want to be captured back anymore...

Osborn held onto my hand tightly, the reassuring warmth kept spreading from his palms.

Osborn: I won't let you get captured away.

The sun is already setting as the car drove forward stably. This long path looks completely endless, and continued to extend to the distant.

You: Then where are we going next?

Osborn: First bring you to somewhere safe, and let you hide for a few days. I'll find out who the commissioner is.

You: Okay...

Who will be waiting before us? Could it be a greater danger, more secrets, and an even more unpredictable world?

But before I could think of these in detail, a piercing sound have befallen. The howling winds violently hits the car windows, I actually saw a helicopter with its propellers hovering in the sky not far away!

At the same time, a few ORVs* are speeding towards us at extreme speeds!

*T/N: Off Road Vehicles.

You: Osborn!

Osborn: Hold on tight.

The needle on the tachometer has turned a cycle in an instant. The screeching sounds of the tires against the road and the sharp sounds of the hovering propellers sounded together, gloomy yet chaotic.

My thoughts are scattered all over this dangerous plight, and I completely didn't notice the faint red light coming from the ring in my hand.

Osborn: They don't look like anyone from the guild, I didn't expect you to be this popular.

You: ?!

Osborn grabbed tightly onto the steering wheel with a hand, with another pressed on his phone.

Osborn: Wen Wan, where are you now? Wait for us at the Erre Bay.

I'm now extremely surprised, but am too embarrassed to ask, worrying that Osborn will be distracted because of this, so I can only grab onto the safety belt tightly.

The car is gradually accelerating. Suddenly, a silver-white car overtook by our side, with loud sounds of friction from its tires against the road, sparks flying all over. The car continuously closed up to us, and our rear-view mirror is bent from the collision. Osborn's expressions darkened, and immediately stepped hard--

The car leaped upwards, and as the world began spinning around, I could feel a sense of weightlessness. In a loud crash, the car crashed heavily onto the road!

The car is now overtaken, with a crossroad appearing before us. Osborn turned his steering wheel, and drove into the narrower lane. But right at the next second, a black ORV suddenly crashed out from the rails, almost crashing onto us!

Looks like these cars just wanted to crash into us without caring about its consequences. This is a terrible sign, yet the crueler situation has impatiently began to strike us.

The endless blue skies have entered into our vision, and the car has driven to the seaside. The waves unscrupulously crashes towards the windows, and only then I've realized there's not a single rail along the seaside road!

Looking forward, a laughter came out from Osborn's throat.

Osborn: From now on, leave me.

You: Why?!

Osborn: What's ahead is too dangerous, it's not something you can bear. I'll pass you to someone safe at the next intersection, understand?