Li Hao’s hand once again went right through the red shadow without any obstruction. Li Hao felt more courageous.
The red shadow didn’t attack him right away. It seemed to be observing him. He decided to pretend to not see it.
Li Hao looked at the dark, cold house and let out a breath. “It’s getting late. The house is creepy. Maybe I should call Professor Yuan. I don’t trust the Inspection Office. They closed Zhang Yuan’s case and filed it as an accident as though nothing was unusual. I can ask Professor Yuan to get the Night Patrollers if nothing else works!” said Li Hao aloud.
Li Hao had seen the Night Patrollers only once from a far distance but he had never had any contact with them, ever. He was only talking aloud to scare whoever was watching.
If the red shadow had a consciousness, it would know who he was talking about. Li hao wanted to test the red shadow and the Night Patrollers were in league.
He actually felt much calmer now. Not only was he alive, but also testing things out!
Running away was not a choice. It was a stupid thing to do. If he ran away, the one watching him would know that he could see the red shadow. They might kill him!
According to what Li Hao had found out so far, the red shadow will only attack him on a rainy day. There must be a reason behind this. He didn’t know what. But he might as well take a gamble for now.
Li Hao mumbled. “The Night Patrollers, all in black, do look scary. I wonder if they will answer Professor Yuan. The Inspection Office seems useless. Those black-robed people are the only ones I can rely on for now. I am not made for investigation, clearly. I was scared half to death just now! I can’t really do this on my own, can I, Black Panther?”
Li Hao pretended to look dejected and took out his communicator. He gritted his teeth. “I will ask Professor Yuan for help,” he declared.
Li Hao dialed Professor Yuan’s number on his communicator. Li Hao trembled a little. The red shadow beside him began to flicker suddenly. A faint red thread spread and swooped from outside the courtyard walls and connected with the shadow.
Li Hao wondered if someone was calling the red shadow back because the next moment, the red shadow drifted away from him and disappeared.
Black Panther wagged its tail. It no longer looked scared. “Woof! Woof!” it barked softly as if telling Li Hao that everything was fine now.
Li Hao’s face darkened. It meant that the red shadow and whoever was watching him were in league with each other. He had long suspected that the red shadow did not act on its own, now, he was sure.
Whoever was watching him from the courtyard could control the red shadow. They had probably gotten scared when he tried to call his professor to ask him to send the Night Patrollers and left.
Li Hao’s method of intimidation had worked! But Li Hao was far from pleased. He was distressed. The red thread that had connected with the red shadow had somehow looked similar to the starlight that had appeared in his stomach when he drank the water.
However, Li Hao was not happy at all. The red threads that were spreading over were somewhat similar to the Starlight he had seen when he was drinking water, which was the mysterious force.
‘Was the person outside a mysterious Super?’ wondered Li Hao. ‘If whoever that was could control the red shadow, why didn’t they try to kill me? Were they testing me? One thing is clear, the red shadow can’t be killed by a gun. But what if the person who controls it is killed? What will happen to the red shadow then?’
Li Hao felt a little hope. The red shadow was terrifying. But as long as it was a human who was controlling it, it wasn’t invincible.
‘Red shadow … Mysterious person …,’ pondered Li Hao. He had also found out something strange. The moment he had touched the red shadow, the jade pendant on his chest had stirred. Li Hao wondered if the Starry Sky Sword could hurt the red shadow.
‘Even if I can’t find the saber-shaped, tonight wasn’t lost in vain!’ thought Li Hao excitedly. Maybe he could fight those people. Assuming that they didn’t think he was important enough, maybe he could find a moment to strike. Otherwise, the red shadow could kill him in an instant.
‘If I can get rid of whoever controls the red shadow, then it might be possible to fight the shadow itself with the Starry Sky Sword,’ thought Li Hao, his eyes twinkling.
He now had hope. He was no longer afraid. Instead, he wanted revenge!
‘However, I need to find out if this is the only red shadow. Is it the same one I saw on Zhang Yuan? Who is watching me? Probably some bigshot. But why?’ Li Hao worried again.
He sighed. He had a little time to himself now. The people who were watching him might not be back for a while. Li Hao wanted to find the saber-shaped stone as soon as possible,
…
At the end of the street. The person under the ghost-mask hesitated. Should they leave or stay? If Li Hao really called the Night Patrollers, it would be troublesome.
It will create even greater problems. ‘Forget it. It’s unlikely he will get the Night Patrollers to come here. Even Yuan Shuo might not really come but it’s wiser to avoid them for now.’
The masked person chose to leave. Not very far behind, the red shadow followed silently. The masked person didn’t expect Li Hao to find anything at the Zhang residence anyway. They had turned the place upside down and still hadn’t found anything. It was probably lost.
One thing was for sure. When Li Hao left the academy a year ago, he hadn’t seen the red shadow. He just wasn’t able to cope with the death of his friend.
The masked person ascertained that if Li Hao had seen something, he wouldn’t have appeared so calm tonight. The masked person ruled out that possibility, at least.