It broke down again?
Why did he use the word “again”?
Xin Hexue pressed his knuckles against his temple. A dull, numbing pain throbbed at his forehead, as if something blunt had been hitting his brain for a long time.
He stepped out of the car with a pale face and asked, “Why did it suddenly break down?”
Kuike was checking the engine compartment. While inspecting for any brake fluid leaks, he responded to Xin Hexue, “It’s weird… I even had it specially checked before we left.”
He Botian, who was standing nearby, noticed Xin Hexue’s pale complexion; the brown-haired sentinel’s face showed his concern for his bonded guide. “Are you okay? Are you carsick?”
Xin Hexue shook his head. “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy. We should be about half an hour from Taobakou, right?”
Kuike had just finished inspecting the engine. He clapped his hands in satisfaction. “Yes. You heard the navigation announcement in the car on the way? I told Brother He that you weren’t really asleep, you were actually paying attention the whole time!”
Kuike’s tone was filled with trust in the alertness of the guide.
But Xin Hexue paused.
He hadn’t slept well the night before, so from the moment he got in the car, he had been sleeping the entire way.
So… he shouldn’t have known when they’d arrive. Could it be that he had heard the navigation in a half-dreaming, half-awake state?
Xin Hexue found it a little strange. And when they reached their destination, that strange feeling peaked again.
He looked at the flat-roofed house where they were staying and felt an odd sense of familiarity. Even the longan tree beside the house gave him a feeling of déjà vu.
Maybe it was the hippocampus effect. Perhaps he had seen a similar scene in some subconscious dream. Xin Hexue rubbed his throbbing forehead.
There were already very few people left in Taobakou. Ever since mutated creatures were fished out of the sea by local fishermen, organized evacuations had been gradually taking place.
The bungalow they were staying in was a former guesthouse. It was a “Four Gold Points” bungalow with distinct local characteristics. The central axis of the building had a front hall, an inner courtyard, and a back hall. Both the front and back halls had side rooms on the east and west, and because these four rooms occupied the four corners of the courtyard, the locals called it “Four Gold Points”. This type of bungalow had no windows facing outward, and all windows opened inward toward the courtyard. The central courtyard was considered a symbol of wealth and fortune by the locals. If the courtyard was moderately spacious, it would gather wealth.
Since there were only four rooms, and too many people, it was impossible to assign one room per person.
He Botian spoke up. “In that case, I’ll share a room with Ah Xue. That way, the rest of you each get your own room.”
Xin Hexue frowned. “It’s not enough, there’s still one room that needs to fit two people.”
He Botian turned to look at him and replied naturally, “It’s enough. There are five of us.”
Xin Hexue subconsciously asked, “What about the other person?”
‘Which other person?’
This questioning voice echoed in his mind too, repeating over and over.
His abnormal expression caught Wei Zhuo’s attention. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
He Botian: “Are you still carsick? Or… Ah Xue, you don’t want to share a room with me?”
Because of this assumption, the sentinel looked as if his ears were about to droop, revealing a kind of aggrieved look like he was about to be abandoned.
Xin Hexue denied it. “No.”
Right, there were five people in their newly regrouped Honeysuckle Squad.
Him, He Botian, Wei Zhuo, Kuike, and Xing Xianqi. Xing Xianqi had just been promoted from Sequence B to Sequence A legion this year and wasn’t very familiar with the other four of them.
So him sharing a room with He Botian would be enough.
Xin Hexue felt that he still hadn’t recovered, so he avoided He Botian’s warm and concerned gaze. He said to the others, “I’m going in the room to rest first.”
The remaining sentinels looked at each other.
………
He Botian served food from the outer hall and brought it into the room for Xin Huexue.
Xin Hexue had taken another nap in the evening, but the more he slept, the dizzier he felt. After finishing dinner and washing up, he lay back on the bed, but because he had slept too much during the day, he couldn’t fall asleep again.
He Botian came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.
Xin Hexue could smell the faint herbal scent of He Botian’s body wash, as well as the clean fragrance of his pajamas that had been laundered and dried under the sun.
The familiar scent helped Xin Hexue calm down a little.
By the time he realized, He Botian’s hand had already slipped under his clothes.
Xin Hexue had sensitive skin, and the sentinel’s large hands, covered in calluses from years of training and combat, brushed upward from his waist and abdomen, caressing the smooth and supple flesh over the young man’s ribs.
The pressure was a bit strong, the heat intense and scorching. Xin Hexue couldn’t help but gasp several times from the sensation and his chest heaved, completely caught in the sentinel’s palms and fingers. Unable to bear it anymore, he tilted his head back. “No, stop it…”
He Botian’s chin rested on his shoulder. “Why not? We haven’t done it in a long time…”
Xin Hexue: “I’m too tired tonight. We still have to survey the village tomorrow. Let’s wait until this mission is over and we’re back, okay?”
He used a question word to ask for agreement, but his tone didn’t allow refusal.
The sentinel, who had been clinging to him like a bear, finally calmed down, simply holding him from behind without moving.
Xin Hexue held back for a moment, then still said, “Your hand. Take it out.”
He Botian rubbed his forehead against the back of his neck, their messy hair intertwining. “No, I want to sleep holding them.”
‘Lunatic!’
Xin Hexue gritted his teeth, the tips of his ears flushed hot red. He lowered his voice and warned, “Don’t make me say it again.”
He Botian finally, slowly, pulled his hand out from under Xin Hexue’s pajamas. Propping himself up with his elbow, he leaned down and kissed Xin Hexue’s earlobe with a loud smack before getting off the bed.
Xin Hexue turned over, his soft black hair spreading across the pillow beneath him. He looked at He Botian with misty eyes, “Where are you going?”
With his back to him, He Botian said with embarrassment, “To the bathroom. To take care of it.”
‘In heat again?’
Xin Hexue frowned slightly. He turned back over and ignored He Botian.
Thanks to the distraction the sentinel had caused, Xin Hexue felt drowsy again. Half-asleep, he heard the sound of He Botian opening the door and heading to the bathroom.
After two creaks from the door hinges, Xin Hexue’s consciousness was pulled into a dark dream.
He Botian didn’t turn on the hallway light when he left.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom at the end of the dark corridor in the middle of the night.
The faucet was turned all the way, causing icy cold water to gush out, slamming against the sink and splashing onto the sentinel’s face. Droplets clung to his sharp brow bones and defined facial features.
Only a small wall lamp in the corner of the bathroom was lit, casting a tilted shadow of the tall sentinel onto the floor.
The shadow of the adult male was bent over the sink, clawing at his own throat.
“Plop!”
“Plop!”
“Plop!”
Dark red fragments of internal organs dropped into the sink. The rushing water shattered them further, breaking them down as it washed the bloody mess into the drain along with the smell of blood. When no more flesh came out of his mouth, thick green vines began to push out of his throat, crowding upward and writhing silently as they met the air.
The dark shadow straightened up and faced the mirror above the sink, revealing a vague smile.
………
The investigation the next day went fairly smoothly. They walked through all areas of Taobakou and drew a floor plan of the small fishing village.
A local villager who hadn’t moved away yet brought them to the coast where the first mutant creature had been fished up. Speaking with a strong regional accent, he explained that it was salvaged right there about half a year ago.
“The villagers were terrified. The watch tower told us immediately not to go out to sea to fish. The ones in the village with a bit of money moved away immediately. I’ve made a living off the sea for half my life…suddenly telling me to leave my home and start over somewhere else, how am I supposed to survive that?”
The villager sighed. His old, weather-beaten face, aged by years on the sea, showed a look of exhaustion.
As they left the coast, Xin Hexue suddenly felt something and instinctively turned around.
The old villager was still standing by the sea, his pitch-black eyes staring straight at him, as if he had been watching him like that for a long, long time.
A dull pain surged in Xin Hexue’s head again. The sea breeze carried the buzzing of the tides, which he actually felt was a little sharp.
He Botian stayed by his side the whole time. “What’s wrong?”
The clean herbal scent wafted over, comforting like nature itself, helped steady Xin Hexue. “Nothing,” he said weakly.
When he looked back again, the old villager who had just been standing there had disappeared. Only a stone tablet at the coastline remained in his place.
………
On their way to the volcanic island aboard the Osprey 21, Xin Hexue showed signs of seasickness. To make matters worse, the coordinates of the volcanic island suddenly vanished from the navigation map. The patrol ship found itself surrounded by nothing but endless blue, and it would still take some time before they could break through the “ghost wall” around the Folded zone. Xin Hexue took a few seasickness pills and returned to the cabin to rest.
Evening, Imperial Capital City Time, 16:31.
They finally caught sight of the crescent-shaped island in the distance. Its terrain sloped from high in the west to low in the east. On the western side, sheer cliffs rose sharply, white waves crashing against them, carving the cliffs into something jagged and treacherous.
The shore was covered with hundreds of thousands of black volcanic rocks, and they could just barely make out the deep red earth within.
Xin Hexue paused as he put on his combat uniform jacket. A suffocating tightness in his chest made him feel extremely unwell, his head pounding as if struck repeatedly by a blunt object.
The moment they set foot on the volcanic island, the sky changed dramatically.
The sun, like scorched charcoal, sank into the sea. Rain fell in a fine drizzle, blurring the boundary between sky and ocean.
Xin Hexue looked up. In the dim light, the tall cliffs on the island’s western edge looked like a gaping mouth, ready to swallow them all whole.
………
Despite the rainy weather, the volcanic island was burning hot. Even though the combat uniforms, custom-made for sentinels and military guides, used the latest phase-change material and fiber tech to adapt to extreme environments, under the current conditions and the unavoidable wear and tear from battle, they still fell short.
The high temperatures accelerated dehydration during their continuous fighting.
Three days… or was it four?
Xin Hexue wasn’t sure anymore. In this dark environment, day and night blended together, and the human sense of time became wrapped in a thick cocoon.
They had underestimated the number of mutants on this island, and the battle had started before they were ready. Worse still, there was no end in sight.
The sentinels around him collapsed one after another.
Harsh, labored breathing came from the sentinel fighting beside him. Xin Hexue felt his breathing was already as strained as an old bellows.
He quickly realized that He Botian was close to losing control.
He Botian was the team’s main force and had the most severe injuries. And the pollution intensity on this volcanic island was very high, and the pollution level within the sentinel’s body was rapidly rising.
Xin Hexue reached for the injector gun and medical kit on his waist.
Fortunately, this time the medical kit and injector gun designed for potentially out-of-control sentinels hadn’t been lost.
…Had they been lost before?
A trace of confusion flickered in Xin Hexue’s eyes.
Just then, because of his momentary distraction, a huge mutant flying insect dived straight at him, its sharp hooked claw stabbing toward him!
A shadow loomed over him.
He Botian slashed off the insect’s head with his blade, but the venomous stinger still pierced his arm. The toxin numbed his nerves, rendering him unable to react even to the pollution seeping in.
All symptoms pointed to one conclusion: it wouldn’t be long before this sentinel lost control, lost all reason, and turned into a mutant.
Xin Hexue’s pupils shrank. Panicked, he said, “Don’t move! I’m going to give you mental guidance now!”
Pure white wings spread wide. They burst from the young man’s slender back, struggling and unfolding to fully envelop both the guide and the sentinel, isolating them from the crimson hell around them.
Xin Hexue took off his combat jacket. A guide’s uniform was slightly different from a sentinel’s; once the jacket came off, underneath was a thin, sleeveless white vest. The exposed arms were lean and defined. This design was meant to allow maximum skin contact in unstable battle conditions to facilitate emergency mental guidance.
He turned and embraced He Botian. There was light red blood sliding down from his temple, and his heart was beating wildly. Despite this, he had a gentle expression as he soothed the sentinel’s emotions. “It’s okay… it’s okay… it’ll be over soon…”
He Botian was severely injured and choked in pain. “Ah Xue…”
Xin Hexue patted him.
“It’s alright. Soon… everything will be fine.”
He Botian nodded trustingly.
A soft, almost imperceptible sound rang out.
He Botian looked down slowly…but it was already too late. The injector gun had already pierced into his back. A high-concentration dose of potassium chloride, far beyond human limits, was fully injected into his body. It was enough to send the sentinel into fatal arrhythmia within minutes.
The young man in his arms, the one he trusted completely, lowered his head, his eyelashes drooping. “Very soon… it’ll be fine.”
He Botian asked in confusion, “Ah Xue? Why?”
Xin Hexue lifted his eyelids. His eyes were cold.
It was undeniable that even when killing his lover, the young man was still so beautiful it made one’s heart race.
He Botian’s pale, chapped lips trembled. “Why? Am I not like him?”
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
[??? Current love value is full]
Thirteenth times.
And he had killed “He Botian”…
For the thirteenth time.
Xin Hexue finally understood. The constant dull pain in his head, the buzzing sound churning like the tide of the ocean…
It was the love value notifications being blocked.
Over and over again.
He Botian cupped his cheek. His palm had already started to go cold, but the words coming from his lips were tender as honey. “I love you, Ah Xue, I am He Botian…”
Xin Hexue raised his hand, covering the back of the sentinel’s hand, and spoke coldly, “If you love me, then go die.”
………
The faint taste of alcohol messily exchanged on the tip of their tongues. Maybe it was because the heat was turned up too high on this winter night that they grew light-headed from lack of oxygen during the kiss.
Xin Hexue tilted his head back. He was pinned against the closed door of the room by the sentinel, his breathing erratic. His pink lips were ground against and pressed into a bright, vivid shade due to the excessive kissing.
Their tightly pressed lips parted, and a string of ambiguous silver thread clung in the air.
“Don’t be with Wei Zhuo…”
He Botian’s large hand supported him beneath his buttocks, and Xin Hexue had no choice but to wrap his legs around He Botian’s waist to avoid falling.
“Okay?”
The clothes on his upper body had already been pushed up to his chest during the pushing and grinding.
The reason Xin Hexue’s bare back hadn’t been directly pressed against the door was because He Botian had one hand placed behind him. His broad palm was so rough it felt like it was covered in a layer of sand, rubbing against the young man’s slender back and moving up along the spine. For Xin Hexue’s sensitive skin, it was an overly erotic punishment.
The sentinel’s brown head burrowed into the sweater, and the loose strands of his hair brushed across his skin.
Xin Hexue whimpered, the arches of his feet tightening with a trembling spasm.
Someone had forgotten to turn off the TV in the dorm’s common living area before leaving.
It was Christmas Eve, and an unsettling news broadcast played…
“According to reports, due to the expansion of the Folded Zone, the abnormal seawater backflow has completely submerged the coastal villages of the Eastern Frontier at 1 a.m. today. Among them, Taobakou was the worst hit. The entire village sank underwater. All 210 residents died, with no survivors… We now go to our reporter…”
