AHEIAID Chapter 51: It’s Him, It’s Him, It’s Definitely Him
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Towering, gleaming skyscrapers.
Gigantic advertisements projected across the sky.
Flying vehicles zooming back and forth…
The limping human, who had never stepped foot outside before, clutched the glass container holding his gosling, staring up at the crowd of people who all seemed like giants compared to him. He looked exactly like a rural wife, carrying her child to the big city in search of her husband.
His eyes reflected the dazzling scenery but were filled with unease, fear, and helplessness.
What does it mean to feel utterly lost in life, staring blankly into the abyss?
This was it.
Noticing that some people were already glancing at him in confusion, Joey hurriedly lowered his head to hide his embarrassment. But he really didn’t know which way to go. In the end, he just backed up a few steps and found a spot in the corner where he wouldn’t be in the way.
Back then, Garius always took him wherever he needed to go, so he never needed to contact anyone himself. It had never even crossed his mind to memorize a phone number.
And Hammond had simply assumed that the little human would be able to find his way home, so he hadn’t asked either.
As a result, Joey was now completely lost, and getting home had become a massive headache!
“Joey, don’t panic. Think carefully. There must be another way. Believe in yourself,” Joey mimicked the system’s voice, trying to encourage himself. Then he took a deep breath and started analyzing the situation step by step.
First: District 13 was a place, sure, but it wasn’t in the Imperial Capital. He wouldn’t be able to find it, nor could he get there—it was a restricted zone.
Second: The estate was in the Imperial Capital, but…
The estate no longer existed.
The image of the butler, Lucian, with his elegant smile, flashed through Joey’s mind. He lowered his head, hugging his gosling in silence for a long while before slowly limping over to find a place to sit.
He opened his small backpack and rummaged through the bottles and medicine containers, pulling out a pen and some paper.
For a moment, he considered simply exposing himself as a human and waiting for Garius and the others to come find him.
But Harry was still alive.
That lunatic was capable of anything! If Harry found him first, both he and his gosling would be doomed.
No way forward, no way back…
Sigh.
No choice.
Screw it—he had to take the risk!
Joey stared at the words he had written on the paper, and after a few seconds, a nostalgic smile appeared on his face. Warmth spread from the soles of his feet to his chest, filling him with courage again.
He removed the drawstring from his hood, tied both ends together, and hung the paper around his neck.
—He believed that if anyone from District 13 saw this, they would definitely find him!
Heh.
I really am a little genius~
At the bustling Imperial Capital passenger station, it didn’t take long for someone to notice the small figure sitting quietly in the corner near the entrance.
The childlike figure kept his head down, tightly hugging his shoulders, completely hiding his face. The only thing visible was the sign hanging from his neck.
On it, in clear, bold letters, were the words:
[DANGEROUS ITEM, DO NOT TOUCH]
Anyone from District 13 would instantly understand the meaning of this sign.
Joey was confident—he could swear on his life—that the brilliant minds of District 13 would immediately recognize who was wearing this sign the moment they saw it.
Feeling pleased with himself, Joey grinned smugly under his hood.
What he didn’t realize was that, to outsiders, this location, this message, and this entire scene carried an entirely different meaning…
Hmm?
Dangerous Item? This Child?!
Bystanders stopped in their tracks, staring in confusion at the strange “child” sitting in the corner.
The kid looked small and frail—he didn’t seem dangerous at all—
Wait, holy shit!
Could it be that extremists had strapped a bomb to him, planning to blow up the passenger station?!
Having just endured a turbulent struggle for the throne, the Ottoman citizens were on high alert!
As soon as someone made the connection, they immediately began evacuating the crowd, dialing the emergency hotline to call the police. Others rushed to inform the security guards stationed at the terminal.
In no time, even the ever-watchful media got wind of a possible terrorist attack at the station. Reporters flooded the scene, eager to be the first to break the story.
…In short, things escalated. Big time.
By the time Joey realized that everything had spiraled far beyond his expectations, he was already surrounded by police barricades, facing an ocean of cameras and countless pairs of scrutinizing eyes.
Cold sweat trickled down his back. He didn’t dare move an inch, terrified that the battle-hardened Ottoman people might resort to “Russian-style rescue operations” and shoot first, ask questions later!
Joey: ·A·
Big bro, big bro, look at my innocent little face—uh, let’s talk this out, please, I’m begging you!
The officers were built like tanks and looked intimidating, but deep down, they were actually kindhearted people. Seeing that the supposed “bomb” was strapped to a small child, their emotions flipped from sympathy to fury.
They cursed the damn extremist lunatics—absolute brain-dead idiots, may they choke on their own stupidity!
While carefully maintaining the barricade, one officer called out loudly to the “dangerous item” sitting on the ground:
“Don’t be afraid! No matter what happens, we’ll do our best to protect you—just hold on, kid!”
“Yeah, yeah! And don’t move, okay? We need to check if there’s anyone remotely controlling the bomb. Stay still! If it’s safe, we’ll defuse it right away!”
Joey: No, no, no, no need to defuse anything
—
I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!! I’M NOT WEARING A BOMB, HOLY SHIT!!!
Joey trembled violently, on the verge of tears.
The bystanders, however, mistook his shaking for fear and were immediately overwhelmed with sympathy.
“Oh, poor kid… He looks like he’s still in primary school.”
“No way, probably kindergarten—look how tiny he is…”
“This is just tragic!”
Joey: … 😭
Although It Wasn't the Right Time…
Joey’s nearly-falling tears whooshed right back into his eyes the moment he heard those words.
Not only that—he suddenly had the urge to transform into a little steel nail and launch himself at the glass foreheads of those people calling him short!
Oh, so being tall makes you special, huh?
HUH?!
Furious at having his sore spot poked, Joey dramatically ripped the sign off his neck.
What, you guys are only 80 centimeters taller than me—big deal! I don’t envy you at all, dammit!
I get to breathe fresh oxygen down here, while you giraffes are up there inhaling car exhaust—who’s the real loser, huh?! Pfft—
Meanwhile…
The incident at the passenger terminal was quickly picked up by the low-level personnel of District 13, who monitored every corner of the Empire.
After all, District 13 had the authority to access every surveillance camera in the Empire.
Their name—The Department of Surveillance and Monitoring—wasn’t just for show.
Even minor incidents involving people or places of interest were immediately logged into the Signal Tower’s big data system.
A major hub like the passenger terminal? Naturally, it was on their radar.
At that moment, one of the thousands of elite clerks was casually skimming through tomorrow’s "Reports to Review" list.
When his eyes flashed over the key terms:
“Passenger Terminal” – “Suspected Extremist Plot” – “Bomb”
His fingers, which had been flying across the screen, suddenly froze.
And in that single second of hesitation—
He leapt to his feet, spun around, and shouted for his supervisor—unknowingly altering the fate of many.
That one second also sent his supervisor sprinting to yank out a data chip, rushing straight to the executive-level elevator.
For the first time in his life, he contacted First Assistant Amon and stepped into that person’s office.
The air inside was frozen solid with chilling pressure, but he forgot his fear of his superiors.
Instead, he held up the data chip with trembling hands, grinning so wide his face turned red, and shouted—
“Lord Heine! It’s a human—it’s little Joey! Hahaha, he’s alive! We found him!”
“What… did you just say…???”
Assistant Amon and the Saxis squad, who had been receiving their latest mission orders, turned to stare at the unfamiliar supervisor in stunned disbelief.
Even the golden-haired man behind the icy silver desk—whose presence was as sharp and unforgiving as a blade—finally lifted his head.
Between his golden-green heterochromatic eyes, a deep crimson gemstone gleamed from his forehead.
“You’re certain?”
The supervisor lunged forward, slamming the data chip into the console.
A holographic screen projected upward, displaying a tiny figure crouched in a corner—
And on his chest, the sign that made everyone’s breath catch.
A sign they all recognized far too well.
Face flushed, voice trembling with excitement, the supervisor pointed at the screen and declared:
“I swear it’s Joey! I’d bet my life on it!”
“That height, that posture, and—”
“That utterly adorable presence, like a little kitten wearing a 'Beware of Dog' sign—IT’S HIM!!!”
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
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