Seeing the men shouting, the corners of Zhou Ruiyang’s mouth curled up even more.
Sure enough, these guys were after Mujin.
Zhou Ruiyang had no intel, but his intuition and analytical skills were razor-sharp.
After all, these men dared to grab him on the street—clearly backed by a big shot.
He was just an ordinary college student who’d never offended any powerful figures. The only exception was probably Boss Luo from the other day.
Though Boss Luo didn’t even know his real name, with enough influence, just recognizing his face should’ve been enough to track him down.
Since their target was Mujin, throwing her out would foil their plan. Then, bothering him further would be pointless.
But Zhou Ruiyang was still too young.
“Brat! Take him away!” the black-clad leader barked. Several men pinned Zhou Ruiyang down and dragged him out of the alley.
Zhou Ruiyang didn’t resist. There were four of them, all trained fighters—resisting would only get him hurt.
His fighting rule was simple: he beat others up, not the other way around.
So he could only gaze up at the little sparrow soaring in the sky and shout inwardly.
“Go, Mujin! This is my final throw!”
He believed Mujin would save him, just like when she’d found him to rescue that kidnapped mother.
Mujin circled overhead a few times, forced to watch helplessly as Zhou Ruiyang was hauled away.
She knew charging down now would be useless. Instead, she’d track their route from the air first, then figure out how to rescue Xiao Yang once she knew the location.
Surrounded by four men with no escape, Zhou Ruiyang obediently climbed into the SUV parked roadside.
Mujin flew swiftly, determined to follow the SUV to its destination.
But sparrows only seem fast—they max out at 50 km/h. Their top speed lasts under four minutes, making two kilometers their absolute limit.
And Mujin was a sparrow terrible at flying. By one kilometer, she was exhausted, her wings growing heavy.
She slowly landed on a rooftop, panting as she watched the SUV shrink into the distance. All she could do was fret helplessly.
Damn it, I can’t fly anymore.
System, open the points shop!
The shop interface appeared. She wanted to buy abilities like [Flight Mastery] or [Endurance Boost] to give chase.
[Flight Mastery] cost 500 points. She only had 834 total—but to save Xiao Yang, she had to redeem it.
Just as she searched for [Flight Mastery], a shadow covered her from above.
She looked up and instantly panicked.
There it was again—the black-and-white striped sparrowhawk, staring down with piercing hawk eyes.
Damn it, why’s it after me again?
With so many sparrows in the world, why pick on me alone?
Little Mujin shuddered. She wanted to flee, but exhaustion left her unable to even take off.
Panic took over. She hopped back two steps and buried her head under her wings, copying the survival tactic of birds’ biggest brother—the ostrich.
Sobbing… “Sorry, Xiao Yang. I might not save you.”
“Because I’ll be eaten first…”
Mujin was truly scared to tears, bracing to be bitten to death.
But after a long wait, no attack came. She loosened her wings and cautiously peeked out.
The sparrowhawk stood on the roof edge, glaring coldly. Then it turned, spread its wings, and glanced back at her.
Mujin froze.
What did this mean?
It felt like an invitation to climb on?
No, no—she must be overthinking it.
Sparrowhawks were her natural predators. Not killing her was already generous; she didn’t dare provoke it.
“Screech!!” The sparrowhawk spread its wings and screeched, then glared back at Mujin.
Mujin flinched. She noticed it faced the SUV’s direction. The vehicle was now a tiny speck in the distance.
Could it… want to help her chase the car?!
Mujin vaguely understood. Gathering courage, she spread her wings and hopped onto its back.
The sparrowhawk cried out, pushed off with its talons, and soared into the sky with powerful wingbeats.
Wind whooshed around them, nearly blowing Mujin off. She clung tightly to its body, wings spread wide to stay on.
She opened her eyes, gazing down at the earth. They were rapidly closing in on the SUV.
This speed was more than double hers. The sparrowhawk’s endurance dwarfed hers—hawks glided effortlessly, barely flapping.
No wonder they were sparrows’ natural predators. To it, a sparrow’s speed was like an athlete watching a kid run.
In under ten minutes, they followed the SUV to Linhai Garden Villa—a famous wealthy district.
Mujin knew this place. The SUV passed three security checkpoints just to enter, proving how strict it was.
Luckily, she and Big Brother Sparrowhawk were birds; no authentication needed to fly in.
The SUV drove along wide roads before stopping at a two-story European-style villa. Even from the air, Mujin’s sharp eyes made out the number.
Unit 1-105.
Men got out and led Zhou Ruiyang inside.
Entering the villa revealed a long corridor. At its end stood Boss Luo, smiling.
“We meet again at last.”
“Boss Luo, this kid he—” the black-clad leader rushed to explain, but Boss Luo raised a hand.
“Change shoes first. We’ll talk inside.”
Zhou Ruiyang was forced to swap his shoes for slippers from the cabinet.
They walked through the corridor into a spacious, opulent living room. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, paintings lined the walls, and sculptures dotted tables—all radiating European luxury.
Zhou Ruiyang glanced around as Boss Luo chuckled. “Please sit. You were harder to invite than I expected. Took quite an effort to bring you here.”
“You brought me here for that talking sparrow, right?”
“Correct. I want that sparrow. And when I, Luo Sheng, set my sights on something, no one stops me.” Luo Sheng sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and inspected his nails. “Name your price. One million isn’t enough? We can negotiate.”
“It’s not about the price. This deal can’t happen now—I just released her.”
“Impossible.” Luo Sheng’s voice was confident. “I’ve never seen a deal money can’t buy. If one exists, I’ll use other methods. Be sensible—don’t force me to use means I dislike.”
“Use them all you want. I already set her free.”
“Setting her free won’t help. I’ll just… what the hell?”
