Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 141 - 137: Past Events_1

Chapter 141: Chapter 137: Past Events_1

He had just unlatched the safety of his rifle, ready to turn around. However, he found the hulking figure of a man had come to stand beside him. He looked up at the figure and, reassured, flipped the safety back on.

He hadn’t a clue as to what Hu Daoke was up to, stealthily appearing behind him, giving him quite a fright.

"What are you doing up so late? Is it your shift tonight?" Luo’er asked.

"No, I can’t sleep," Hu Daoke sat down beside him and spoke softly, "I just have some things I need to get off my chest. It’s suffocating to keep it all in."

"Were you scared out of your sleep because of today’s events?" Luo’er asked him curiously.

"Sort of, but it’s not entirely that." Hu Daoke paused before he spoke more slowly, "I must thank you for today’s incident. Had it not been for you, Sister Moumou and me might have..."

"Just be more cautious next time. Stop acting so impulsively, you gave me quite a scare," Luo’er cut him off, still feeling traces of fear.

"Really, I’m very thankful to you!" Hu Daoke said sincerely.

"We’ve come this far together, what’s the point in thanking each other?" Luo’er shrugged off the compliment.

"I’m not very good at expressing these emotions, but I feel I should thank you when it’s due," Hu Daoke looked at Luo’er, then said, "Also, from today onwards, you are my boss. I will do anything you say, even if it costs me my life."

"What are you talking about," Luo’er responded, caught between laughter and tears, "There’s no boss or something among us, we are a team. There’s no need to establish a hierarchy."

"No, this is my personal acknowledgment." Hu Daoke shook his head, then continued, "Initially, I always saw you as an outsider. Particularly since Sister Moumou liked you so much, I felt that your presence diminished my existence. Therefore, during our time at the academy, I had a certain resistance towards you."

"I know," Luo’er responded with a bitter smile, how could he possibly not know about all this. When he joined Tangmo’s team, it seemed like nothing but trouble.

"When Yue’er first joined the squad, he almost disintegrated the team. You voluntarily backed down then, and I really admired your courage to face the reality." Hu Daoke recalled.

"Stop bringing up such old stories," Luo’er scratched his head.

"Boss!" Hu Daoke suddenly said.

"Ha, what did you call me?" Luo’er asked, taken aback.

"I called you boss!" said Hu Daoke.

"Wait, this address..."

Before Luo’er could object, Hu Daoke interrupted him, looking at him and asking seriously, "Do you actually like Sister Moumou?"

"Why are you suddenly asking me this?" Luo’er scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"I’ve always liked Sister Moumou, since we were kids, but," Hu Daoke sighed, then continued, "I know Sister Moumou will never like me. She only sees me as a little brother, as family."

Luo’er was left speechless, unsure of what to say. He had conflicting feelings towards Tangmo; it was not a romantic love, but hearing Hu Daoke’s heartfelt confession still left him feeling uneasy.

"If you truly love her, then treat her well. Give her a love that I can’t. If you don’t, let go of her as soon as possible." Hu Daoke sighed lightly and then said.

It was rare to hear such words from the usually rough-and-tough Hu Daoke, Luo’er was unsure how to respond.

"What’s got into you tonight?" After a long silence, Luo’er finally asked carefully.

"Having died once, I now have a new understanding of life." Hu Daoke looked up at the night sky.

"You made it sound like your last words, scaring me out of my wits." Luo’er let out a sigh of relief.

"Boss, would you like to hear the story between Sister Moumou and me?" Hu Daoke turned around and asked.

"Go ahead, and stop calling me boss!" Luo’er waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, boss!" said Hu Daoke.

"You..." Luo’er wisely closed his mouth.

"Sister Moumou is the first case of a subspecies at our academy, right?" Hu Daoke suddenly asked.

"Yeah," Luo’er nodded, "She was born on December 8th, 2030, her birth marked the full-scale launch of the Origin Project."

Luo’er was well aware of the development of the Origin Project and Haiya Academy. After all, the entire project was centered around him.

"I was born on May 29th, 2031, seven months younger than Sister Moumou." Hu Daoke looked at the palm of his hand and slowly said, "Growing up, I found it hard to accept my identity as a half-beastman! I even wondered why I was brought into this world, everyone discriminated against me, everyone thought I was a monster!"

Luo’er remained silent, not saying a word. What Hu Daoke was talking about was a common occurrence at Haiya Academy. It was a chain of contempt, the human hybrids looked down on the hybrids of other races, and among other races, the grotesque Beastman race was at the bottom of the heap.

People like Baiyue, who was despised to the point of becoming socially withdrawn because of her rabbit ears, were quite common. Luo’er fared better. On one hand, he was one of only two half-elves in the Academy’s first term, and on the other hand, he was the grandson of Luo Qishan. Although he didn’t reveal his identity, he had more privileges at the academy than anyone else.

Hu Daoke sighed, then continued: "Until I started elementary school, I had no friends, nobody respected me and everyone wanted to bully me. I tried to fight back, but the academy only put a stop to physical violence, not to cold violence (emotional/mental bullying)."

"Just when I was about to give up hope, Sister Moumou appeared," Hu Daoke looked up at the sky, a sincere smile appeared on his face, "She told me that as long as you promise to be my little brother, I will not allow anyone to bully you!"

"This kid!" Luo’er was speechless for a while. He remembered when they were preparing to form a team at the academy, Tangmo was also audaciously proclaiming that anyone who wanted to join her team had to agree to be her little brother.

Speaking of this, Hu Daoke couldn’t help but laugh: "At that time, although I was only eight years old, I was already over 1.6 meters tall, and Sister Moumou was still a shorty over a meter tall. So when she said this, I couldn’t help but laugh."

Luo’er joined in the laughter and shook his head helplessly.

"But she didn’t laugh at all, she was very serious. She truly took this matter to heart. So I agreed and henceforth became her younger brother."

Hu Daoke paused for a moment, then continued: "Sister Moumou loves to fight against injustice. She is kind-hearted and has a strong sense of justice. But she was always more willing than able, so every time it was me who stood up for her. Because of her, I became the best fighter in the academy. I used to be a weak and self-conscious person, but because of Sister Moumou, I started to be full of confidence in myself. I vowed to protect her and keep her from any harm."

Speaking of this, he looked at Luo’er and sighed: "I don’t know what kind of feeling I have for Sister Moumou, but I know that her feelings for me are only brotherly love. Do you know, the first time I met you, I really didn’t like you. Because Sister Moumou likes you, so subconsciously I thought you would take her away from me."

Luo’er rolled his eyes and shrugged innocently.

"But also because of you, I realized Sister Moumou’s feelings for me. She doesn’t like me, never has. What she likes is me as a younger brother, not me as a partner. Only when she is with you, can I see her acting coquettishly. She has maintained her dignity as an older sister in front of me for over a decade, but in front of you, she can take off all her masks."

"So, boss!" Hu Daoke said, giving him a pleading look, then said, "If you don’t like Sister Moumou, break it off with her sooner. I don’t want to see her put through a long heartbreak, it’s better to have a short painful break."

"I," Luo’er scratched his head, somewhat awkwardly, "I’m not saying that I don’t like her, it’s just that until I find my mother, I don’t have the mood to consider these personal relationships."

"Let me ask you then, what do you feel for Yue’er?" Hu Daoke continued to push.

"Why would you bring up her?" Luo’er said with a pause.

"Don’t think because I am rude, I can’t see through it. I am Yue’er’s partner. I can tell what she is thinking. Her feelings for you are not less than Sister Moumou’s, what are you planning to do?" Hu Daoke asked with a serious face.

"Well, I..." Luo’er bit his lip, and felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

Seeing his reaction, Hu Daoke sighed deeply and said, "I know, it’s really hard for you to make a choice between the two of them. Boss, you are an excellent person, to the point where I even feel if I were a girl, I would definitely like you."

"Stop it." Luo’er said awkwardly.

"I’m telling the truth. If you can’t make a choice, just treat them both well. One is my sister, the other is my partner. I hope you can treat them both well." Hu Daoke said sincerely.

"You..." Luo’er looked at him, hesitated and could not speak. Hearing his words, Luo’er got the feeling he was making his last testament.

"You don’t have to worry about my feelings. You can’t force things like emotions. If you can’t possess, why not let go?" Hu Daoke sighed.

"Somehow, I feel like you’ve become a lot more mature." Luo’er said, looking at him.

"I’m just complaining a bit. Just think, it’s all clear now. Lost a competitor but gained a brother-in-law, isn’t it?" Hu Daoke leaned on a tree trunk and said comfortably.

"Cut it out, calling me ’boss’ is enough, stop giving me nicknames!" Luo’er compromised. If Hu Daoke were to keep calling him "brother-in-law", that would be intolerable.

"Boss, you know, it would be great if you were a girl!" Hu Daoke murmured.

"That’s enough, stop daydreaming!" Luo’er, increasingly speechless, put a stop to his wild fantasies.