Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 23

The fire suddenly erupted.

It was like a grand magic trick, with no warning and no process; the entire mall started burning on every floor.

Flames burst through windows, reaching into the air, and passersby outside took out their phones, capturing the shocking scene with a mix of fear and awe.

The mall had just opened, and there was great emphasis on fire safety, so such an incident was theoretically impossible.

Yet, it happened suddenly.

People screamed and ran out, while Yuan Bozhu moved against the crowd towards the parking lot.

He was quickly thinking through the few clues he had, trying to piece them together—

Now it was certain that the recent arson incidents were the work of the same person. And the target was Yuan Qifeng.

Yuan Bozhu called, but Yuan Qifeng didn’t answer.

He was likely trapped in the parking lot.

Yuan Qifeng seemed carefree but was actually very skilled at counter-surveillance.

Normally, it would be impossible to catch him off guard.

But recently, he had been in too much of a hurry, frantically searching for something and leaving traces everywhere.

Yuan Bozhu speculated that the mercenary hired for the task hadn’t identified Yuan Qifeng’s appearance yet. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be setting fires on such a large scale, drawing too much attention.

During his two years in the Spider Realm, Yuan Bozhu had learned some unspoken rules of rare species, such as avoiding exposing their abilities to humans.

But now, these people were willing to reveal their existence just to kill Yuan Qifeng. Who was the employer? What was the nature of the mission?

What heinous act had Yuan Qifeng committed to cause this?

Everything was a mystery, and Yuan Bozhu had to find the answers himself.

The fire was intense, but the mall’s response was efficient, evacuating most of the people quickly.

However, some were still trapped in elevators or corners, with many stranded above the sixth floor.

Yuan Bozhu had a protective barrier, so the fire couldn’t harm him.

A security guard, evacuating the crowd, was startled to see Yuan Bozhu heading inward and rushed to stop him.

Yuan Bozhu had no time for a confrontation and evaded instantly, disappearing down a safety corridor at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.

The guard was left bewildered, thinking he had seen a ghost, as the person he had grabbed vanished in an instant. It wasn’t until he heard the sirens of fire trucks that he snapped out of it, too scared to think further.

“I don’t get it, why all this fuss? Why not just find out that wolf’s human identity and take him out cleanly?” said a woman in a red cloak, standing amidst the fierce flames.

She spoke to a man next to her who was munching on sunflower seeds, “Don’t you think so?”

The man spat out a seed shell and said, “I don’t know. Don’t ask me. My brain capacity doesn’t allow me to guess what smart people are thinking.”

“You’ve been burning for quite a while now. Why haven’t I seen anyone reveal their true form?”

The woman in red suddenly leaped, clinging to a high beam, scanning the scene with her penetrating eyes for a long time.

The fire made the metal scorching, and she quickly let go, blowing on her hands and asking,

“Could he have already escaped?”

The man pulled out another handful of seeds and said, “I just burn. That’s all.”

“With all this burning, what if you kill ordinary people?”

“Like I said, I just burn.”

“Remember that night in the bar when you burned a human to ashes? If the Special Bloodline Management Bureau catches wind of it, you’re looking at jail time.”

“I just—”

“Alright, alright, your only job is to burn. Your brain capacity is just enough for that one task.” The woman, annoyed, jumped to another high spot. Unfazed by the extreme heat that no human could withstand, she stretched lazily and continued to check if there were any rare species left in the mall.

“Bonfire, your job is to burn anyway, so make it bigger. Orcs are most afraid of fire.” As the woman finished speaking, the sound of someone eating sunflower seeds stopped. The next moment, the flames surged skyward. The raging fire looked no different from ordinary fire, but on closer inspection, it was clear that this fire had a purpose. It seemed to have eyes, seeking out every gap and igniting anything it touched, flammable or not. In an instant, the entire building was enveloped in a ferocious red blaze, leaving almost no corner for escape.

“Ah!” The woman’s fireproof hood was nearly flipped off by a tongue of flame, causing her to fall from her perch in fright. Furious, she yelled, “I will never work with you again, you brute! Can’t you control your own fire?!”

“Once it’s burning, it can’t be controlled.”

“So annoying!” But soon, a look of joy spread across her face. Her eyes suddenly fixed in a certain direction, emitting an eerie blue light. She shouted, “Bonfire! I see him, below this floor… Wow, this guy is fast, he dodged all your flames. But he’s still within range—” She jumped down, “Let’s go!”

Timing his actions perfectly, Bonfire gathered his strength. Following her lead, a tongue of flame burned through the floor beneath the woman. A quick shortcut was revealed. They both jumped directly from the first floor down to the parking lot.

With a thud, two cars suddenly crashed down in front of them as they landed. The fire in the parking lot was noticeably less intense than inside the mall, so the cars here were still intact. Bonfire, knocked to the ground by the cars, looked bewildered. The woman in red had her hood knocked off by the impact, nearly getting her head burned. She was furious.

“How dare you throw cars at me!”

She didn’t know the wolf’s name, but she cursed,

“I’m going to crush your bones today, you little bastard!”

But for now, they couldn’t locate Yuan Qifeng’s exact position.

Yuan Qifeng moved quickly and nimbly; even in a human body, he was fast enough to evade the flames.

But he wasn’t in an easy situation either.

Orcs fear fire the most.

Especially the kind of high-temperature fire created by rare species’ abilities, which could roast him alive.

Yuan Qifeng knew someone had been looking for him recently.

But his mission was more important than his life, so he had to grit his teeth and push forward.

He thought he could handle most rare species, but today, he encountered the most troublesome ones.

“Blades.” Bonfire put away the sunflower seeds and pulled out a pair of specially made sunglasses, then said to the woman, “I’m out of energy, you’re up.”

Blades snorted, adjusted her beautiful cloak to ensure she was fully covered and wouldn’t get burned, then suddenly widened her eyes. Instantly, two intense beams of light shot from her eyes. Before anyone could see where the light was aimed, the entire underground parking lot was buried in a blinding white glare.

In the corner, Yuan Qifeng cursed, “Damn,” and covered his eyes. Without timely evasion, the surrounding flames wrapped around him. As soon as his skin touched the scorching heat, his body’s self-protection mechanism kicked in. His bones and muscles exploded, returning to his beast form with a tough hide that burst through his clothes. But the combined assault of the white light and flames still caused him excruciating pain. He let out an animalistic scream, helpless amid the crackling of the fire.

At that moment, only one thought filled Yuan Qifeng’s mind:

Damn it, my great mission is going to end here. “I see you, little dog.”

Blades said, suddenly leaping towards Yuan Qifeng’s direction.

Her sharp laughter mingled with the sounds of exploding cars, making her appear even more ghostly. As she blinked, the light in her eyes softened, but she raised a dagger, landing right in front of Yuan Qifeng.

Smiling, Blades said, “Big sis is here to send you to the afterlife—”

It’s not that easy to kill Yuan Qifeng.

Even though he couldn’t see anything in the white light and couldn’t smell anything in the raging fire, his body still retained the alertness of a beastman.

Before the knife could pierce his chest, he swiftly retreated.

The stab didn’t penetrate his heart, only slicing his flesh open.

It was a close call, but he was still alive.

“Blade, don’t waste time.”

Although Bonfire’s abilities were strong, his energy was limited and couldn’t sustain for long.

If they let the beastman escape to a place without fire, it would be very difficult to catch him.

“Understood!”

The blade Blade raised suddenly extended, like a long laser blade. With a casual swing, the wall beside her was sliced open.

Her next strike aimed at the werewolf several meters away.

In his beast form, Yuan Qifeng’s tail was singed.

He hated this chaotic ability that always left him in such a mess.

But there was no helping it; even the strongest beastmen couldn’t handle fire.

He had nowhere to run.

The fire that could turn him to ash surrounded him on all sides, and the wound on his chest was bleeding profusely.

In the air, a woman in red, smiling radiantly, was announcing his death.

That strike would turn Yuan Qifeng into a pool of blood on the spot.

He gritted his teeth and steeled himself, ready for a desperate fight.

Death was acceptable, as long as he could take one down with him.

So he closed his eyes, relying on his instincts to judge his opponent’s move.

3, 2, 1—

Now!

Yuan Qifeng leaped up suddenly, claws slashing through the air with the heroic resolve of a beastman’s male dignity.

He intended to take them down with him—

Huh?

The feeling of being cleaved in two didn’t come.

Yuan Qifeng’s strike hit nothing but air, and with a thud, he fell to the ground, opening his eyes in confusion.

The white light around him had vanished.

Looking up, apart from the still-burning flames, Blade was nowhere to be seen.

He only heard Blade’s shocked scream from somewhere, along with Bonfire’s dying gasp:

“Im…possible…”

Yuan Qifeng had no idea what happened.

He was curious, but he couldn’t investigate.

The direction the sound came from was engulfed in flames.

Losing blood rapidly, his survival instincts forced him to decide: run first, figure it out later!

Whether by luck or because Bonfire was injured, the flames weren’t as fierce as before.

Unexpectedly, a gust of wind rose in the underground parking lot, clearing a path to the safe exit.

Yuan Qifeng didn’t have time to question it, assuming it was fate giving him another chance at life. Without looking back, he dashed toward the exit.

A wolf’s speed in fleeing was astonishing.

Seeing Yuan Qifeng escape the sea of fire, Yuan Bozhu retracted the wind he had conjured.

His gaze lowered.

Bonfire had fainted from his severe injuries.

Though Yuan Bozhu couldn’t control his abilities perfectly, the fire continued to burn, albeit less aggressively than before.

Blade, however, was still conscious.

She looked at Yuan Bozhu in terror—

She didn’t recognize Yuan Bozhu.

Her fear was simply because, for the first time in her life, she encountered someone who could open their eyes under her ability’s influence.

Just a minute ago, this boy in a school uniform walked into the sea of fire without hesitation. In a burst of blinding light, he appeared in front of her, his face expressionless.

He didn’t use any weapons or special abilities; he simply reached out, grabbed her by the neck, and when she tried to resist, he effortlessly tossed her beside Bonfire.

Blade’s scream was purely out of confusion:

How could there be such a powerful bloodline?

What kind of race is this defying all odds?

It’s impossible for anyone to achieve this level of power, impossible!

Even Bonfire didn’t understand.

It may be clumsy, but it was strong. It knew it was strong—its fire was a force that even the leader of the Spider Domain feared.

Who could walk in so casually and emerge unscathed from such an attack?

Even…

Even the fire seemed to avoid this boy.

For the first time in their lives, Blade and Bonfire doubted themselves: Are we not that powerful? Are we just trash?

After Bonfire passed out, Blade faced this terrifying situation alone. “Who… who are you?”

Her voice trembled.

But the boy clearly didn’t intend to answer her question. He looked down at her coldly and called her name, “Blade.”

“You know me!?” Blade was utterly shocked.

This person actually knew her!? Could it be that he was also registered in the Spider Domain?

Yuan Bozhu still didn’t respond to her words, only asking, “Who is the employer for this mission?”

“How could I possibly answer that! If you know me, you should know that mercenaries like us have principles—confidentiality is our top priority.”

“Who else took the mission?” Yuan Bozhu changed his question.

Blade was curious, wondering about his identity. “Ah! Who exactly are you? Why can’t I see your face clearly?! Damn, is it because of the smoke…”

“Answer.”

Yuan Bozhu suddenly lifted his hand and casually grabbed the air. The next moment, Blade felt an invisible force clutching her throat.

She made a few painful “gurgling” sounds, opened her mouth wide, and struggled to say, “I… don’t know… ugh!”

“I’ll ask only once more.” Watching her agonized expression, Yuan Bozhu unexpectedly showed no mercy. “Who is the employer?”

Contrary to his usual good-natured demeanor, he was now as cold as if he had no compassion at all.

Blade’s tears of suffocation didn’t move Yuan Bozhu.

In this life, Yuan Bozhu didn’t seek the grand path, didn’t accumulate virtue, didn’t strive for perfection—he only wanted his family to be safe.

So he didn’t sympathize with her.

Fortunately, Blade’s principles weren’t that strong.

With her last breath, she relented.

“N-no… no…” She lost her voice halfway through.

Yuan Bozhu’s grip loosened slightly, letting her finish.

“… cough cough! No! There is no employer… damn it, cough cough!”

Blade lay on the ground, coughing so hard it hurt her insides.

To save her life, she told Yuan Bozhu the truth: “This mission… cough!… it’s a trap! There’s no detailed information—no photos of werewolves, no citizen ID, no clues at all! But we couldn’t refuse, because, because…”

Blade seemed to hesitate about whether to reveal this last piece of information.

But Yuan Bozhu’s actions made it clear she had no choice. If she didn’t speak, this fire would be her grave.

Trembling all over, Blade gritted her teeth and told him the final fact.

“Because this mission wasn’t one we took ourselves; it was forcibly assigned by the Spider Domain.”

Yuan Bozhu’s calm expression suddenly turned cold.

Forcibly assigned meant…

The employer was the Spider Domain.

When Yuan Bozhu left, the fire trucks had already arrived.

But the fire was so unusual that the firefighters couldn’t find its source. The first responders who went in to scout were trapped on the first floor.

No firefighting equipment could extinguish the fire in the mall.

The unknown disaster and unsolvable fear turned everything into what people called “a supernatural phenomenon.”

But they weren’t wrong.

This was indeed a kind of supernatural phenomenon.

Yuan Bozhu didn’t emerge directly from the safety passage; that would be too conspicuous. Instead, he leaped from the high-altitude terrace and landed in the corner of the green belt.

At that moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to the massive fire. Onlookers were kept at bay outside the square while numerous rescue teams rushed to the scene.

Nobody noticed as Yuan Bozhu brushed off the dust from his hands and calmly leaped down from the tree.

It wasn’t surprising that Yuan Qifeng hadn’t contacted him. Yuan Qifeng had reverted to his beast form, stripped of clothes, and his phone was unlikely to have survived. Yuan Bozhu could imagine his predicament.

But it didn’t matter; Yuan Qifeng was adept at spinning tales, he could always find excuses to explain today’s sudden disappearance.

When the time came, Yuan Bozhu just needed to nod innocently.

Blade and Bonfire had been taken care of by Yuan Bozhu; they were still lying in the parking lot. When the fire extinguished itself, the police investigating would naturally discover them.

Blade and Bonfire were just following orders from the Spider Domain. Yuan Bozhu had no intention of troubling two rare species who didn’t even have their freedom.

The Special Blood Management Bureau had its connections; they could handle this matter, sparing Yuan Bozhu from getting directly involved.

Checking the time, he prepared to head home.

However, as he passed by the crowd of onlookers, he suddenly heard several familiar voices, accompanied by a girl’s sobbing.

“No, no, no!!!”

“Uncle police, you can’t seal it off! Our classmates are still inside, uncle! You can’t seal it off!!”

“Sobbing I shouldn’t have let him go alone, I shouldn’t have let him go up alone…”

Several police officers were visibly distressed. They had received orders from higher-ups, indicating that this fire was beyond the capabilities of ordinary firefighters, and “special personnel” were being arranged to assist.

Now, they had to immediately seal off all safety passages to prevent anyone from entering—or anything from escaping.

But the children in front of them were crying so desperately that they felt troubled.

“Classmates, the firefighters are doing their best to rescue him.

Don’t panic.

Rest assured, we won’t give up on anyone…”

Before he could finish, Han Banlan interrupted:

“But you haven’t sent anyone in! You haven’t put out the fire, and now you want to seal it off!

Sob!”

Xu Zhilong also cried out:

“Why aren’t you saving him! You’re the police!”

“We—”

This was indeed something that couldn’t be explained to ordinary people.

Several police officers looked at each other, clearly troubled.

They also wanted to put out the fire, but the reality was different; this wasn’t a fire that could be tackled simply by donning protective gear.

Even the professional firefighters in the rear had received orders and were unable to do anything but wait anxiously.

Who wouldn’t want to save them?

But the intense heat inside could cook a person alive, and any spark could melt human skin instantly.

They weren’t among the “special personnel”; this was truly an impossible task.

Several students causing a scene had drawn the attention of many onlookers.

People began to rebuke them:

“You’re so irresponsible! With such a big fire, why haven’t you put it out!

Do we pay taxes to Alliance International for you to play with people’s lives?”

Once these words were spoken, the situation became grave.

Several Alliance police officers’ expressions darkened, and they sought ways to stop such remarks.

But Han Banlan’s voice was piercing; for a moment, no one could interrupt her.

Just as the police were about to resort to some coercive measures, a student in a school uniform stepped forward.

Compared to Han Banlan, Yu Yangen, and Xu Zhilong, this newcomer seemed much more composed.

He stood between the police and the students, his gaze momentarily falling on where the police’s hands were, but he pretended not to see, saying, “I’ll handle this.”

Before the police could express their satisfaction with this student’s understanding, Yuan Bozhu squeezed through the crowd, holding Han Banlan in one hand and Xu Zhilong in the other.

Yu Yangen cried and shouted from behind: “Where are you taking them?!

You scoundrel, let go! I’ll beat you up, believe me!”

Cursing, he followed.

Yuan Bozhu didn’t take them away but led them to the deserted green belt.

The fire hadn’t reached here, but because there was no exit, it seemed eerily silent.

Han Banlan and Xu Zhilong cursed, wiping their tears while shouting: “You heartless person, Lin Shuanghuai considered you a friend, and you didn’t even see him one last time!”

“You villain! You helped the police catch us, how could you?! He’s alone in there, he must be so scared. You’ll face retribution!”

Yu Yangen, chasing after them, wanted to confront Yuan Bozhu directly, but he was also crying, his cries gasping for breath, lacking the strength to fight.

This crying was largely due to fear.

Because they imagined the scene of Lin Shuanghuai being burned to death, the three young boys had never witnessed such a life-and-death situation, and they trembled all over.

Yuan Bozhu understood them, so he didn’t get angry at their profanity.

He had taken them away just to prevent a simple situation from escalating—if these classmates caused unrest in human society and exposed the existence of rare species and superpowers, things would become worse than imagined.

Human society couldn’t currently withstand such a significant impact.

After freeing them, Yuan Bozhu only asked, “Where is he?”

“Where do you think?! He’s inside, he’s inside the mall!” Han Banlan stomped in frustration.

Yuan Bozhu asked again seriously, “When you came out, where did he go? When did he leave, and how long ago was the fire?”

The mall was large, and even Yuan Bozhu might not immediately find Lin Shuanghuai if he didn’t know roughly where he was.

Moreover, the fire was still raging inside, and blindly searching would only waste time.

Hearing his question, Han Banlan’s crying suddenly paused.

Yu Yangen hadn’t reacted yet, still muttering angrily.

Han Banlan kicked him to shut him up. “Let me think, let me think… He said he was going to play high-altitude drop. That project is on the eighth floor, so he took the elevator. He hadn’t gone far when the fire suddenly broke out… Then, we were driven out… Five minutes, he went to the elevator for five minutes, and the fire grew larger. He must be—”

“Still in the elevator,” Yuan Bozhu concluded for her.

“Wuwuwu, should I tell the police? Will they help us find Lin Shuanghuai?” Han Banlan asked.

“No,” Yuan Bozhu told her mercilessly.

Han Banlan immediately started crying again, swearing incessantly, not specifically against Yuan Bozhu, but against anyone.

It seemed she had to curse like this to vent her grief and fear.

Yuan Bozhu remained silent; his face impassive.

He glanced at the window nearby. This building wasn’t severely burned; there was a passage on the third floor connecting to the interior of the mall.

“We can’t just sit here and wait to die. I’m going to expose these officials’ inaction online! I’ll make the reporters report on their misdeeds!” Xu Zhilong said, reaching for his phone.

Yu Yangen also said, “I can’t stay here. I’m going ahead to question them! Why aren’t they going in to save people?”

“Wuwuwu, these bastards, sons of bitches!!” Han Banlan cried out.

Just as they were clamoring to go find the police, Yuan Bozhu suddenly kicked open the glass window of the merchant’s back door.

A loud crash.

Everything around became quiet.

The crying of the three stopped abruptly, their heads turning towards the shattered window as if on cue, then collectively shocked back towards Yuan Bozhu.

No one said anything.

They were afraid that the next thing Yuan Bozhu would kick would be their heads.

There was no time to waste, Yuan Bozhu just looked at them and said, “Don’t do anything, stay here.”

Then he plunged into the thick smoke alone.