I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 169 Yes, I Didn’t Let Her Down

“…But…I don’t know…”

Lin Xing'an licked his lips, his eyes full of confusion.

"I... don't know where Taoyuan's host is..."

"You've got the wrong person..."

he asked weakly.

But Zhang Guang smiled.

"Child, this all starts with your mother, Yu Yu."

He sat down again.

"...Does this have anything to do with Taoyuan..."

"Why are you suddenly talking about...Yu Yu..."

Lin Xing'an scratched his head and asked in confusion.

"Yes, it does."

"The one who knows the location of Taoyuan's host is Yu Yu."

"She locked this message and sent it to me, and she gave you the key to this lock."

Zhang Guang’s words made Lin Xing’an even more confused and bewildered.

For a moment I didn’t even know how to ask…

But this time, Zhang Guang continued talking without waiting for Lin Xing'an to ask.

"Twenty years ago, I was just the director of the newly established Logistics Department for encircling and killing my subordinates, and Yu Yu was a new recruit in the Operations Department, a rising star."

"...Huh? She's...from the committee?"

"Yes, she possesses a very powerful A-rank ability, [Command]."

Zhang Guang took out a photo that he had prepared long ago from his arms and handed it to Lin Xing'an.

"..."

Lin Xing'an was stunned.

Normally, gluttons don't take photos...

"Before the Taoyuan incident, we also had the habit of taking photos."

Seeing the doubt in Lin Xing'an's eyes, Zhang Guang also said with a smile.

"This is a group photo of the new recruits to the Siege and Killing Division at that time."

"After the Taoyuan incident, all electronic archives of the photos were destroyed, leaving no trace."

"I was the only one who washed it at the time, and the master copy that I used to keep in contact with your mother is kept in my safe."

Zhang Guang pointed at Yu Yu in the photo.

"……mom……"

Lin Xing'an naturally saw it at first sight.

His body trembled.

"So young..."

Lin Xing'an looked at it for a long time and murmured.

Yu Yu in the photo looks no more than seventeen or eighteen years old.

About the same age as Lin Xing'an now, or even younger.

She stood in the corner of the photo, her head slightly tilted, her hand raised in front of her eyebrows to block the sunlight, her waist-length black hair gently lifted by the wind.

On her face was the gentle smile that Lin Xing'an was very familiar with, with two shallow dimples.

Even if it’s only in photos.

But... such a gentle smile really makes people feel at ease...

Lin Xing'an's heart was suddenly touched.

Unconsciously...

Yu Yu has been gone for twelve years...

Unconsciously...

It’s been so long…

Suddenly, in front of Lin Xing'an's eyes, Yu Yu's figure with long flowing hair seemed to appear again...

"You're really young..."

He sighed again and took a last deep look at the photo.

He silently memorized the appearance of each of the seven people in the photo.

What level would these people from twenty years ago have reached if they were now in the committee?

"Your mother and I are very good friends."

Zhang Guang naturally also felt Lin Xing'an's emotional fluctuations.

There was also a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

But he just looked at the door, as if waiting for something, and didn't say anything.

"..."

Outside the door, Xu Zhe opened his eyes and waved to Keke and Zhao Wuji.

Having worked under Zhang Guang for so many years, he naturally knew what this pause meant.

He could listen to what Zhang Guang said just now.

Zhang Guang also wanted him to hear Lin Xing'an's emotional fluctuations.

But whether it was the shock Lin Xing'an showed when he first heard Zhang Guang agree, or the vigilance and suspicion he showed after realizing it...

Including the anticipation and trepidation when expressing his views to Zhang Guang, and the confusion and shock he now expressed...

No problems whatsoever.

This is enough.

Since Lin Xing'an has no problem, what Zhang Guang is going to say next is something he cannot listen to.

"……but……"

Seeing that Zhang Guang remained silent for a long time, Lin Xing'an couldn't help but speak.

"But Yu Yu and I... have always lived in South City..."

"And she..."

Lin Xing'an lowered his eyes and sighed softly.

"Child, what kind of person is Yu Yu in your eyes?"

"How have you been living these years?"

Seeing this, Zhang Guang patted Lin Xing'an on the shoulder and asked while looking at Lin Xing'an.

A glimmer of inquiry flashed in his eyes.

"She is a... very gentle person..."

"At least when she was with me, she was really... gentle."

Lin Xing'an raised his head, avoiding Zhang Guang's gaze, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"But it wasn't until I was six or seven..."

Lin Xing'an shook his head.

Zhang Guang also nodded and motioned him to continue.

"When I was about six or seven, I realized I was a glutton."

"I realized that most of the children around me were fools, and some were even beasts. I realized the truth of this world."

"So, Yu Yu sent me away, and she warned me not to reveal my identity as a glutton."

"I didn't see her for many years after that."

"Until... two years ago, before she died..."

Lin Xing'an closed his eyes.

As if he thought of some scene, his breathing trembled a little. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.

"Son, how did she die?"

"……I have no idea……"

A bitter look appeared on Lin Xing'an's face.

"Her body... seemed to fail all of a sudden, as if... it was hollowed out."

"Or maybe it's like... like a machine that's been running for a long time and finally stops..."

Lin Xing'an tried his best to describe it.

Zhang Guang also closed his eyes and nodded.

really……

Pretty much as he expected.

Yu Yu did not die at the hands of humans or animals, but was dragged to death by her own abilities.

Even if Yu Yu's strength reached Class A, he would not be able to resist the side effects of the [Command].

When Yu Yu started his undercover mission, Zhang Guang had estimated that Yu Yu's limit would be about two years.

And what Lin Xing'an said just now seemed to confirm this point.

Before Lin Xing'an was six or seven years old, Yu Yu did not use his abilities on himself and lived with Lin Xing'an.

Indeed, in the past six or seven years, he had not received any news from Yu Yu on the mother copy.

When Lin Xing'an found out that he was a glutton, Yu Yu started his undercover operation again.

Use [Command] on yourself again.

She could have been a good mother...

But in order to find the host of Taoyuan and to eliminate humans and animals, he gave up so much...

"child……"

Thinking of this, Zhang Guang's eyes flushed slightly.

Looking at Lin Xing'an, a hint of guilt appeared in his eyes.

"My child, your mother did this to protect you."

"She really loves you."

Zhang Guang patted Lin Xing'an's shoulder again.

"Everything stems from a plan I made twenty years ago."

Under Lin Xing'an's puzzled and eager eyes, he took a deep breath and told Lin Xing'an his plan, Yu Yu's identity, and Yu Yu's contribution without reservation.

After he finished speaking, the entire safe house fell into silence.

“…” Lin Xing’an clenched and unclenched his fists, and all kinds of complicated emotions flashed across his face.

In the end, it just turned into a sigh...

"Is that so..."

For a moment, he was actually at a loss as to what to do.

Zhang Guang didn't say anything else, giving Lin Xing'an enough time to digest the whole thing.

"This is the mother copy I used to communicate with your mother."

Feeling that Lin Xing'an's emotions had calmed down, he handed the black master copy to Lin Xing'an.

"Can I...can I see this?"

After taking it, Lin Xing'an did not open it, but asked cautiously.

"of course can!"

"Child, all the secrets here were passed on by your mother."

Zhang Guang stood up and said.

Lin Xing'an nodded and began to read silently.

[3am, people and animals gather in the snow house]

[Humans and animals have awakened the Class A ability "Sky Eye"]

[Humans and animals knew about the raid in advance]

……

He looked at the pages of brief text.

These were all written by Taoyuan, copying Yu Yu's handwriting exactly...

Over the years, all the information has been 100% true...

It was just to operate the identity of "Yu Yu" and to allow him to successfully infiltrate the committee...

Lin Xing'an turned the pages one by one until the last page.

There are six horizontal bars on it.

Sent...two years ago.

The day Lin Xing'an woke up and agreed to infiltrate the committee.

"This is……"

He lowered his eyes, and when he raised them again, his eyes were filled with doubts.

"Yes, this is the last message Yu Yu conveyed."

"Inside is the location of Taoyuan's mainframe, the 'heart' of Taoyuan."

Zhang Guang nodded and said.

"…How did you know that?"

"I went to South City and found Yu Yu's burned copy. She guessed that I would come looking for her sooner or later."

"You also went to South City?"

Lin Xing'an blinked in surprise.

"Well, I took a look at the place where you used to live."

Zhang Guang took a deep breath.

Lin Xing'an also nodded silently.

After being killed by his mother at Puguang Mountain, all traces of him disappeared.

All the gluttons who knew him have been eliminated by Taoyuan.

And all the traces Zhang Guang saw were disguised by Taoyuan.

"...But...this information is from two years ago..."

Lin Xing'an looked at the date on the page, which was handwritten like a piece of letter paper.

"If Taoyuan wants to kill me, it proves that Taoyuan has guessed that the location of his host is about to be exposed."

"So... he has time to transfer his host..."

Lin Xing'an said again.

A hint of surprise appeared on Zhang Guang's face.

"You have considered it very correctly and comprehensively."

"But judging from Taoyuan's actions and my informants on the human and animal side, it can be seen that Taoyuan only recently realized that he had been exposed."

"Otherwise he would have killed you long ago and wouldn't have had to wait so long."

"And even if he had already discovered it, he wouldn't have the ability to transfer it."

"Although we can't prevent Taoyuan, we can still monitor him."

"His data flow is so large, if it were to shift, we would be able to detect it instantly."

Zhang Guang’s words made Lin Xing’an’s eyes flicker.

"The informant from the human and animal side? Is he also a glutton?"

"No, no, no, it's humans and animals. Apart from Yu Yu's ability, no gluttonous ghost can get close to humans and animals without killing them."

"Humans and animals...will they voluntarily reveal information to us? Is that true?"

"Of course it's true, kid. You still don't understand humans and animals. They are inherently inferior, afraid of death. So what's wrong with revealing some information just to survive?"

Zhang Guang said with a smile.

Lin Xing'an also narrowed his eyes and nodded silently, then looked at the six-digit number, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

"Minister, I... I don't remember... any six-digit password..."

"Just call me Uncle Zhang."

Zhang Guang signaled Lin Xing'an not to be nervous.

Then he took the mother copy and talked to Lin Xing'an about the characteristics of the mother and child copies.

"Xing'an, the parent-child copy is not a computer. This password is not a simple six-digit number or symbol."

“It could be a sentence, an idiom, a story, or even six completely unrelated paintings.”

"So there is absolutely no possibility of cracking it."

Zhang Guang’s words made Lin Xing’an stunned.

As if he had thought of something, a hint of uncertainty flashed across his face.

"...Uncle Zhang, will this have a limit on how many times you can enter it, like entering a password?"

"Yes, but you only have five chances. If you enter the wrong information all five times, the page will be destroyed and turned into an ordinary piece of paper."

“…Five times…”

Lin Xing'an took a deep breath and looked a little hesitant and nervous.

"Have you thought of anything?"

Zhang Guang asked.

"...Before Yu Yu died... he said something to me. If you count the punctuation marks... it's exactly six digits..."

"She also said this when she left me when I was six or seven years old."

Lin Xing'an pursed his lips slightly.

Zhang Guangze, who was standing by, had a glint in his eyes. "Try it, it's okay."

He handed Lin Xing'an a pen that looked very expensive.

"It's okay, Xing'an, this is a great credit that Yu Yu left for you."

"If you can't solve it, then no one in this world can solve it."

"Try it! You have five chances!"

Zhang Guang patted Lin Xing'an on the shoulder.

"it is good."

Lin Xing'an nodded and took the pen.

Zhang Guang also stood up and paced around the room, no longer staring at Lin Xing'an to put pressure on him.

"..."

Lin Xing'an closed his eyes.

Taoyuan's words came to mind.

When entering the password, Zhang Guang may set a small trap for you.

I clearly stated in Yu Yu's notebook that Yu Yu clearly told you the password.

So you know this password for sure, but you don't know what it does.

That is, you must enter the correct...

Lin Xing'an quietly opened his eyes.

Even though Zhang Guang had his back to him, it seemed as if he was no longer paying any attention to him.

but……

This silent temptation is much more terrifying than Xu Zhe's fierce temptation...

Lin Xing'an raised his pen.

【My dear, don’t be afraid】

He lowered his eyes and wrote in the notebook.

This is the password Yu Yu set for him.

As these six words appeared, the black ink on the white paper was like an inky fish swimming lightly in the water.

Lines of handwriting slowly emerged as if a seal had been released.

"Kid, you did it!"

Zhang Guang's eyes widened and his breathing became rapid.

"Yes, I did."

"Good, good, good, you have not let your mother down."

He waited for the words to appear completely, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and patted Lin Xing'an's shoulder heavily.

"Yes...I didn't let her down..."

Lin Xing'an nodded.

Said softly.

Now, it’s my turn…

He looked at Zhang Guang in front of him.

There was a glint in his eyes and a smile played on his lips.

(End of this chapter)