Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 47

The Giant Ape seemed as surprised as Meng Xuexiao to suddenly find a child before it. It paused, then asked, “You are…”

Those were the last words Meng Xuexiao heard. The next moment, his vision began to spin wildly again.

For some unknown reason, the Giant Ape holding the box suddenly released its grip.

Meng Xuexiao and the box plummeted downward together, the fierce rush of wind roaring in his ears.

He couldn’t estimate the Giant Ape’s height, nor could he predict which part of his body would hit the ground first. All he could do was curl into a tight ball, wrapping his arms around his head to protect it.

Twenty seconds passed, then half a minute…

The agonizing pain Meng Xuexiao had braced for never came.

After a long hesitation, he cautiously lowered his arms from his head.

The surroundings were eerily silent, as if devoid of life. Neither the Giant Ape nor the boy who had spoken earlier made another sound.

What on earth is going on?

Meng Xuexiao waited warily, but the silence remained unbroken.

In the end, he couldn’t resist any longer and peeked through the gap in the iron box.

The gap was sealed with transparent tape, blurring his vision and speckling it with dust and tiny particles, like looking through frosted glass.

Still, it was barely usable.

Meng Xuexiao slowly leaned closer, pressing his nose against the iron wall.

An icy sensation instantly spread through his nostrils, making him shiver involuntarily.

Outside was the familiar corridor of the manor, the route he took daily to the kitchen. He knew every detail intimately, from the wallpaper to the carpet color.

Everything was in its place, eerily calm, with no sign of people or Alien Beasts.

Perhaps the Giant Ape and the boy outside had some urgent matter and left me here…?

Left with no other explanation, Meng Xuexiao clung to this hope.

He had to get out. The iron box was sealed too tightly. When the Giant Ape carried him in, it had completely forgotten to punch air holes. If he stayed here too long, he would suffocate.

Meng Xuexiao slowly picked at the edge of the transparent tape from the inside, finally managing to peel up a corner.

He grabbed the corner of the tape and ripped it off in one swift motion. The lid of the iron box immediately loosened, threatening to flip open to either side as fresh air began to trickle in.

Meng Xuexiao exhaled in relief, tensing his arms to push the heavy lid open in one go. He bent his elbows, flattened his palms, and thrust forward with ferocious momentum, channeling every ounce of his strength. But just as his hands were about to make contact with the lid, a golden eye suddenly appeared in the crack.

It was a vertical pupil, pure gold in color, emitting a faint, eerie glow from the gap. How long had it been waiting for him?

Meng Xuexiao’s mind froze, his thoughts grinding to a halt.

Only then did he realize something was wrong.

What he had seen from inside the box—the corridor, the wallpaper, the carpet…

He had been sitting inside the iron box, surrounded by towering metal walls, and the Giant Ape had suddenly let go. How could he possibly have seen the color of the carpet?

The only explanation…

Seeing Meng Xuexiao’s lack of reaction, a pair of youthful hands quickly flipped the iron lid open completely, exposing his face fully to the boy’s gaze.

Silver short hair and golden vertical pupils made Meng Xuexiao feel like he was being watched by a cold-blooded creature.

This… this is even worse than that Giant Ape…

He instinctively shifted slightly, and a hand reached into the box, gently stroking the back of his neck as if scratching a kitten. The golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, glinting with a faint, amused light.

Only then did Meng Xuexiao fully grasp the situation. The young man kneeling before him was supporting the bottom of the box with one hand while the other hovered over his neck.

“Oh my, look what I’ve found?”

He had effortlessly lifted both the box and Meng Xuexiao inside.

Meng Xuexiao was considered light for his age, but he was still an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old boy. The silver-haired, golden-eyed youth before him looked about the same age, perhaps even a little younger, with dimples that appeared when he smiled.

Now Meng Xuexiao didn’t know whether to stick to his original plan of escaping the box or remain hidden inside.

The silver-haired youth deliberately and slowly lowered the box to the ground, as if handling a newborn kitten.

He even tipped the box over himself, gazing at Meng Xuexiao inside and waving encouragingly, “Come on, get out!”

Meng Xuexiao, “……”

Though confined to the box, he didn’t expect to be treated like an animal.

But he had no intention of relinquishing this readily available freedom.

He tentatively crawled forward a little. The shifting angle of the box forced half his body to lie on the ground, his back arched, shoulder blades twitching, and wrists and shins alternating contact with the earth, forming a graceful arc.

As the silver-haired youth with golden eyes watched, his pupils brightened involuntarily, and a vivid red tongue flicked across his lips.

Finally, Meng Xuexiao managed to get half his body out of the box. He exhaled in relief, only to belatedly realize a cold, damp sensation seeping through his sleeve, which was pressed against the ground.

Lifting his hand, he saw a blinding crimson stain.

And with it came the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood.

Meng Xuexiao instinctively glanced to the side and saw the Giant Ape’s fangs, bared just inches from his face. The teeth were enormous, and for the first time, Meng Xuexiao could see them clearly in such bright light.

He froze in terror, until a warm drop of liquid dripped from the Giant Ape’s fangs onto his sleeve.

The glaring, crimson stain was the blood that had just soaked into his sleeve.

Only then did Meng Xuexiao calm himself enough to examine the Giant Ape looming before him.

It still radiated the same faint breeze, but its neck now bore a flawlessly smooth severance—the mark of a single, decisive blade strike.

The Giant Ape’s body lay nearby, reduced to a pulpy mass like the humans it had brutally whipped to death earlier. There was no difference between hunter and hunted.

Such was the brutal reality of the Alien Beast race.

Yet among all Alien Beasts, the Giant Ape was renowned for its thick hide and resilience. Even Chu Sinian’s mecha-clad subordinates on Yanxing had never managed such a feat.

Then… who could have done this?

The answer was glaringly obvious.

Meng Xuexiao slowly turned his head, looking once more at the silver-haired, golden-eyed youth.

The youth seemed completely unfazed, tilting his head as if Meng Xuexiao were the one acting strangely, “Ah, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you moving?”

As he spoke, he reached out again, as if wanting to tease Meng Xuexiao further. But Meng Xuexiao instinctively recoiled.

He suddenly remembered what the youth had said to the Giant Ape while Meng Xuexiao was still trapped in the crate. The youth had mentioned searching for his brother’s tribute.

Across the entire Empire, Zhuoyue, the Golden Giant Dragon, had only one twin brother, Huai Sui, the Duke of the Empire.

This perfectly matched the “high-ranking noble” the Giant Apes had mentioned.

In the original text, Huai Sui and his brother were polar opposites.

Zhuoyue stood ostentatiously on a throne piled high with gold coins, a tyrannical and ruthless ruler. Regardless of their titles, all nobles would yield to its carriage, and its very name was said to silence crying children at night.

Huai Sui, on the other hand, was far more reserved. Due to his striking resemblance to his brother, many simply regarded him as Zhuoyue’s shadow. His presence in the Empire was minimal, almost like a mere mascot.

However, thanks to his omniscient perspective, Meng Xuexiao knew that everyone who angered Huai Sui eventually vanished without a trace, their disappearances shrouded in mystery.

Readers of the book had long speculated that Zhuoyue and Huai Sui maintained a hidden partnership. Zhuoyue’s brutality was overt, while Huai Sui’s danger lurked beneath the surface, each helping the other monitor enemies and potential threats, their strengths complementing each other.

Meng Xuexiao had remained skeptical until witnessing this scene firsthand. Now, he believed it, he had no choice but to believe it.

Huai Sui’s earlier innocence must have been an act. If so, why had he approached Meng Xuexiao? He couldn’t see any value in himself that would warrant Huai Sui’s attention.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor. The kitchen steward, concerned by the Giant Ape’s prolonged absence after it had carried away the crate, personally led a search party. They arrived to find the ape’s corpse… and Meng Xuexiao halfway out of the crate.

While Alien Beasts prioritized their own survival above all else, killing one on its territory and stealing its possessions was a clear act of defiance!

The kitchen steward frowned deeply, about to erupt in anger, when his eyes suddenly met Huai Sui’s.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze. He and the menacing group of Giant Apes he had brought with him stood frozen like ice sculptures, lined up stiffly like wooden stakes.

Finally, the kitchen steward broke the silence, his voice trembling with nervousness, “Duke Huai Su… what are you doing here?”

An Alien Beast of the steward’s rank had no right to stand face-to-face with a Duke. Even the rare encounters occurred only when the steward was serving dishes.

He never imagined one of those rare meetings would happen like this.

And…

The steward stole a glance at Meng Xuexiao.

There was Human Livestock present!

He hadn’t forgotten the warning from the Giant Ape who had tipped him off earlier. High nobles despised Human Livestock. If Meng Xuexiao were to offend Duke Huai Sui…

A chill ran through the steward’s entire body. All the lustful thoughts he’d harbored toward Meng Xuexiao vanished completely.

When forced to choose between keeping his “wife” and saving his own life, he would choose his own life!

The steward’s gaze turned icy as he preemptively struck, “Where did you escape from, you piece of Human Livestock? Do you even know who stands before you? He is a being infinitely more noble than your worthless life! Kneel and beg for forgiveness at once!”

With a glare at the giant apes flanking him, he barked, “What are you waiting for? If this Human Livestock is ignorant, are you too?!”

“Drag him away and beat him to death with clubs in some remote place! Don’t sully Duke Huai Sui’s eyes with this filth!”

The apes immediately understood. They moved to seize Meng Xuexiao’s arms, just as they had when stuffing him into the crate earlier.

A shiver ran down Meng Xuexiao’s spine.

He could never forget the feeling of being forcibly crammed into that crate, a true sense of utter helplessness.

Moreover, the steward now genuinely intended to kill him!

Instinctively, Meng Xuexiao retreated, his back brushing against something cool.

A soft breath tickled his ear, so close he could feel it. That cool sensation swiftly encircled his waist, then affectionately patted his head, “Big brother, you should stand steady when you walk!”

Only then did Meng Xuexiao belatedly realize it was Huai Sui’s hand.

Huai Sui’s fingers were icy cold, as if boneless, giving Meng Xuexiao the unsettling sensation of being coiled by a water snake.

Damn it, why did I instinctively back away?!

Meng Xuexiao found himself in an impossible position, the kitchen steward loomed ahead, while Huai Sui pressed against his back, caught between a wolf and a tiger.

It was impossible to say which of the two posed the greater threat. His only options seemed to be: die now, die now, or die now…

As the claws of the two giant apes drew closer, Meng Xuexiao didn’t dare blink.

Then, in the next instant, he saw the apes flung back before their claws could touch him.

Huai Sui stood motionless, his hand still resting on Meng Xuexiao’s head. Given his slightly shorter stature, the gesture seemed particularly… bizarre.

The meticulously embroidered hem of Huai Sui’s robe fluttered slightly in the breeze, without a single crease.

He casually flicked the hair from his forehead, grinning at the Giant Apes sprawled on the ground and the kitchen steward.

“Oh dear, you’re all in such a hurry! I wasn’t quite finished playing yet!”

The kitchen steward secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the rumors about Lord Huai Sui’s prolonged seclusion in the manor and his naive, childish nature were true.

At least this meant he could keep his head.

But in the next moment, the silver-haired youth with golden eyes lifted his head, his voice brimming with delight as he uttered words of utter cruelty, “In that case, I’ll have to punish you all.”

“What’s the penalty for stealing the Emperor’s tribute offerings again?”

The steward’s mind went blank.

If Huai Sui had realized the Human Livestock had escaped due to his carelessness, he would have accepted it. If Huai Sui blamed him for the Livestock’s rampage, he would have had no defense.

But… but he hadn’t stolen the Emperor’s tribute offerings!

In broad daylight, who in their right mind would dare steal from the great God Zhuoyue? That was practically begging for death!

Even an idiot wouldn’t do something like this!

“The King’s tribute? No, no, no! You must be mistaken. All the tribute items are in the Manor’s main hall! You can inspect them at any time!” The kitchen steward explained frantically.

“Oh, is that so?” Huai Sui blinked and pulled out his communicator. The screen displayed densely packed tables meticulously recording every tribute item, including its quantity, color, shape, and other details.

“But that’s not what I see here!” He slowly turned the communicator screen around, “Lip red, teeth white, shining brighter than metal. You could easily spot it from a distance.”

“This is the last message your boss sent me, you know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way here!”

With that, his tone shifted abruptly. He smiled slyly at Meng Xuexiao, his gaze slithering over Meng Xuexiao’s exquisite features like a snake’s tongue, missing not even a single curled eyelash.

“So, what do you think, Tribute Big Brother?”