Chapter 54
The sudden surge of enthusiasm from Wei Xin Cult made Wen Xin feel a bit unsettled.
They had always been welcoming, but it had its limits. Now it was as if he’d gone from being a favored guest to an emperor on his deathbed—one cough and a flurry of people would call for a doctor.
A shiver ran down Wen Xin’s spine.
The atmosphere in B City’s base had been great, but Wei Xin Cult’s strict hierarchical structure was something he struggled to get used to.
When a devotee delicately peeled a grape and offered it to his lips with an overly earnest expression, he hurriedly leaned away.
“Thank you, thank you, but I can manage on my own.”
Wen Xin felt an urgent need to escape for a while.
“I asked you yesterday to look for my friend. Is there any news now?”
Wei Xin Cult’s efficiency was impressive. In just one night, they had concrete information.
The devotee said, “We’ve located Mr. Tang; he’s in the base now. Would you like me to summon him for you?”
Summon. He used the word “summon.”
A chill crept up Wen Xin’s scalp. “No need, no need. Just give me the address, and I’ll go by myself.”
The devotee objected, “The Cardinal has ordered that you, our esteemed guest, must not go out alone. That would be too disrespectful!”
Wen Xin: “…”
He didn’t mind having someone follow him, but he was terrified that when they found Tang Qi, these people might rush to kneel or shout insults like “How dare you!”
That wouldn’t just sink the ship of friendship; it’d be like the Titanic hitting an iceberg.
Wen Xin glanced at the peacefully sleeping Xiao Qi and gently poked the fluffy, pointed ear.
The fox’s ear twitched rapidly in irritation.
Wen Xin poked again, and it twitched once more.
After a few pokes, the ear twitched frantically, even producing a blurry afterimage.
But Xiao Qi refused to wake up.
Wen Xin, unbothered, reached out and pinched the soft cheek of the pink furball.
“Yip—”
The little fox bolted up with teary eyes.
The cry startled the devotees, almost making their souls fly away.
Who could have predicted that the audacious young man wouldn’t stop there?
He spread the furball’s soft belly flat against his thigh and, with a blank expression, started tickling it mercilessly.
“You mischievous thing, you were awake when I opened my eyes, weren’t you? Were you secretly watching me make a fool of myself?”
The little fox was so ticklish that it almost couldn’t breathe from laughing. It squirmed frantically, eyes watering from the playful torment.
“Yip, yip yip!”
Hahaha, Wen Xin, stop it, I’m sorry, hahahaha!
The devotees stood dumbfounded, unsure whether they should kneel and beg their Pope for forgiveness or cover their eyes and pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
Xiao Qi didn’t care what anyone else thought.
He nestled in Wen Xin’s arms, shamelessly showing his embarrassment without a care.
Uninhibited and carefree.
When the tickling became unbearable, the pink furball leaped up, rubbed against Wen Xin’s chin, and licked his forehead with a pleading look.
“Yip.”
I’m sorry. Don’t be mad.
Wen Xin let it go, unable to hide a smile as he kissed the furball’s forehead. “Good morning.”
He had a soft spot for the little ones, and he wasn’t even truly upset earlier. He had suspected that the cult’s change in behavior had something to do with Xiao Qi and couldn’t help but drag the “culprit” into the mess when he saw it observing from the sidelines.
Turning back to the gaping devotees, Wen Xin raised an eyebrow. “So, can I go out alone now or not?”
The first devotee who had spoken faltered. “Well, this…”
Wen Xin lifted Xiao Qi up and repeated, “Can I or can’t I?”
The devotee’s eyes met Xiao Qi’s big, wide eyes, and before they could make real contact, he almost knelt in front of the fox.
“Y-yes, of course!”
Wen Xin smirked. “Thanks, friend.”
He still made a stop by Cardinal Shi to explain the situation. It wouldn’t be fair if his insistence on going out alone got others in trouble.
Cardinal Shi’s reaction wasn’t much different from that of the others. Hearing that Wen Xin planned to go out by himself, his brows furrowed deeply.
“It’s too dangerous. What if something happens?”
Wen Xin used the same trick, lifting Xiao Qi. “What if I take Xiao Qi with me?”
There was no one in the base capable of posing a threat to their Pope, so Cardinal Shi was momentarily reassured. “Oh, in that case… wait, no, that’s an issue!”
A big issue!
Cardinal Shi hadn’t initially thought it through. He’d been focused on Wen Xin’s safety, not considering that Wen Xin might use this as an opportunity to escape.
Looking at Xiao Qi’s compliant expression, Cardinal Shi could only imagine that if Wen Xin wanted to leave, their Pope might pack himself up and go along willingly.
Wen Xin was puzzled. “What’s the issue?”
Flattery wouldn’t sway Wen Xin, and using force would only anger Xiao Qi. What else could they use to make him stay?
Right, they still had Zhang Quanyong.
Cardinal Shi cleared his throat. “It’s about Zhang Quanyong’s situation.”
Wen Xin had asked about Zhang Quanyong multiple times on the way here but had been brushed off by Cardinal Shi. He never imagined Wei Xin Cult would suddenly agree to hand over Zhang Quanyong to City A now.
It was akin to giving away a mountain of gold. While Wen Xin would be touched, he couldn’t feel truly happy, worried that Xiao Qi was making an irreversible compromise for him.
“Is this Pope’s decision?” Wen Xin couldn’t resist squeezing the fox’s ear. “Is there no condition attached?”
“His Holiness considers you an old friend. This is just a small gift,” Cardinal Shi said, then added casually, “But if you feel uneasy, perhaps you could think of a way to relieve His Holiness’s recent troubles.”
Wen Xin’s hand stilled.
He let go and stroked Xiao Qi’s head. “I need to discuss something with Cardinal Shi. Can you go back to the room and wait for me?”
The pink furball looked at him longingly. “Yip…”
I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to leave.
Wen Xin coaxed gently, “I promise, I’ll be back in twenty minutes at most. Then we can go out together, alright?”
Xiao Qi didn’t think it was alright.
After much persuasion and solemn oaths, Xiao Qi finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.
As it left, Wen Xin called after it, “Good kids don’t eavesdrop on adults’ conversations, right?”
Xiao Qi froze, muttering, “Yiip…”
The furball left, turning back with each step. Cardinal Shi’s lips twitched uncontrollably.
“Good kids don’t eavesdrop”? That was their revered Pope, not a clueless child!
Wen Xin had no idea that the “child” he spoke of had tormented the pockmarked-faced man to the brink of death the previous night.
Cardinal Shi couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have children, Mr. Wen?”
Wen Xin shook his head. “No, why do you ask?”
“If you do have kids someday, remember not to always treat them like they’re little,” Cardinal Shi advised.
“A friend’s child used to cling to him when they were small, always sticking close. But as the child grew older, they became independent and resented being treated like a kid, blaming my friend for not respecting them.”
He added gently, “Keeping a bit of distance is wise.”
Wen Xin picked up on the underlying meaning but, to Cardinal Shi’s surprise, shook his head.
“Thanks for the advice, but if it makes Xiao Qi sad, I can’t do it.”
Cardinal Shi thought he was being stubborn. “It’s not that simple—”
Wen Xin interrupted, “What do you think Xiao Qi wants?”
Cardinal Shi opened his mouth but couldn’t find an answer.
He struggled to respond, leaving a silence between them.
Wen Xin, who had anticipated as much, still couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“I hope Xiao Qi grows not because he’s forced to, but because he realizes he’s ready to be a big fox.”
“He’s not your friend’s kid. He’s our Xiao Qi. Even if he wants to be a carefree little fox forever, what’s wrong with that?”
Cardinal Shi was left speechless, stuttering, “But he’s the Pope…”
Wen Xin’s gaze hardened. “Does Wei Xin Cult deserve to claim him as its leader?”
The usually polite young man didn’t hold back, letting his anger show.
Cardinal Shi couldn’t muster the courage to say “deserve.”
Wen Xin circled back to the earlier topic. “You mentioned helping relieve the Pope’s recent troubles. So, he’s not happy lately.”
“What’s troubling him?”
Cardinal Shi could answer this but not in detail. He muttered, “He’s probably just exhausted.”
Wen Xin cut him off, “Probably? Why ‘probably’?”
Locking eyes with Cardinal Shi, he spoke clearly, “He’s holding up a utopia for tens of thousands with his own strength, and you say he ‘might’ be tired? How could he not be tired?”
Cardinal Shi was speechless, his lips trembling.
“But…but that’s just how it is. No one else has his power.”
With fervor, he tried to reason with Wen Xin. “You’ve seen it, haven’t you? These people are living well, their faces full of hope. Weren’t you moved by that?”
“Since His Holiness the Pope has such an amazing ability, why not use it? He could be the Pope for the whole world, ruling above all!”
Wen Xin clenched his fist, nails digging into his palm. Trembling, he finally let out a bitter laugh.
“Is being a Pope valuable?”
Cardinal Shi looked as if he’d been slapped.
Wen Xin’s voice was firm. “What kind of title is that even worth?”
Cardinal Shi’s voice cracked, “How dare you—”
Wen Xin didn’t let him finish. “I’m taking Xiao Qi with me.”
It was like ice water splashed over him; Cardinal Shi’s fury dissolved instantly. “Wait, don’t rush into this.”
Wen Xin was decisive. “Don’t worry. If Xiao Qi wants to go out for fresh air, I’ll invite him.”
He turned and walked to the door without hesitation.
Cardinal Shi called out, “Wait—what about Zhang Quanyong? What will happen to him?”
“And the zombie virus vaccine, don’t you want it?”
“Cardinal Shi, remember, you’re only a Cardinal, not the Pope.”
Wen Xin looked back, eyes cold. “Giving Zhang Quanyong to City A was the Pope’s decision, not yours.”
*
Xiao Qi lay on the bed, waiting impatiently for Wen Xin’s return.
Around the ten-minute mark, he saw the young man’s figure at the door and pounced in delight.
“Yiip?”
Back so soon?
Wen Xin caught him and pinched his nose. “Of course, I wouldn’t want our Xiao Qi waiting too long.”
Xiao Qi purred contentedly, rubbing against him.
Then, Wen Xin’s gentle voice came from above.
“Xiao Qi, do you want to come with me? We’ll go back to City A, then find Xiao Hei and the others.”
Wen Xin lifted Xiao Qi, meeting his bright, hopeful eyes. “And once we find them, we’ll go home together.”
Omg I love the mc. Doesnt take persuasion from anyone and sticks up for the little ones in his own special way :]
Okay you can’t just create a sanctuary having thousands of people depend on you than abandon it. He shouldn’t have made people so reliant on him in the first place then. The very least he needs to leave some mutants to protect it.
He’s not human so it doesn’t really apply to Xiao Qi.