The young sentinel, with a nosebleed, bruised cheekbones, and a dark scab at the corner of his lips, clearly looked like he needed medical attention even more than Xin Hexue.
Yan Ji hurriedly grabbed some tissues to cover his nose and mouth.
“I-I…” The wild arrogance between his brows had completely vanished, and reflected in the bathroom mirror was a young sentinel who looked like a rookie that was completely unaccustomed to life’s storms.
…Like a stupid dog.
Xin Hexue lowered his eyes indifferently and sent him out to deal with the situation.
Steam condensed into droplets in the bathroom, clinging to the mirror above the sink.
Xin Hexue’s voice became more ethereal in the enclosed space. “…K.”
The system that had always accompanied the host immediately responded, [Mm.]
Even though he was teasing the virgin with malicious intent, Xin Hexue hadn’t lied about the actual situation.
The vines had gone in too deep, and it was indeed difficult for Xin Hexue to tend to the inner wounds by himself.
Xin Hexue’s eyes curved slightly in the mirror, his damp lashes curling into little clusters.
Even the coldest person would be moved by those eyes.
“Gege, can you…?”
What responded to Xin Hexue was a transparent embrace from behind.
It couldn’t be seen, but its warmth wrapped around him.
The ointment floated in the air, and the gel was squeezed out from within.
…
After helping the young man clean up, dressing him in a bathrobe, and carrying him to the soft bed, K stood silently at the bedside.
Cleaning up the aftermath…this task clearly fell within the husband’s job description.
Xin Hexue had already fallen asleep under the covers. His expression was relaxed, body slightly curled, gaining a sense of security from being wrapped in warmth.
K lowered his head a little sluggishly.
In his transparent arms, it was as if the warmth from the host’s touch still lingered.
When the ointment was applied to the deepest area, Xin Hexue’s legs trembled and he couldn’t stand, and the rhythm of his feet stepping on K’s instep resembled a little cat kneading milk.
Because the ointment melted too quickly, the host’s interior became wet, and the gel couldn’t stay in.
Xin Hexue frowned. “Why…?”
K didn’t dare admit it was because there was too much moisture.
He knew that in Xin Hexue’s heart, he was just a colleague, a partner, and a roommate.
Saying something like that would be highly inappropriate, it would sound like flirting.
K was at a loss at the time, when Xin Hexue suddenly grabbed his collar based on his intuitive perception.
His eyelashes like crow feathers stretched toward the ends of his eyes, the outer lines shaped like a crescent moon.
The clear eyes held no emotion.
In a businesslike tone, Xin Hexue asked, “…Block it. Can you?”
K felt like he was being viewed as something even lower than a humanoid.
He was a bionic being, and strictly speaking, not a human.
But Xin Hexue might have gone even further and directly treated him as a handy tool.
Because when facing K, Xin Hexue never displayed the kind of embarrassment he would in front of other human targets.
Yet it was precisely this difference that allowed Xin Hexue to rely on him completely, without any pretense.
They were host and system, bound together and always on the same side.
So even if Xin Hexue only treated him as a partner, or even just used him as a tool, K accepted it willingly.
This was the first host he had been bound to since leaving the factory. Before this, his understanding of real humans came only from data.
What was the difference between humans and bionics?
After all, he could also simulate a heartbeat through a vibrator.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the bedroom. The dog who had finished treating his wounds had returned.
K quietly faded from view.
…
Yan Ji waited left and right for two days, but Xin Hexue never called him to help apply medicine.
He felt like a clueless groom who found it easy to get married but impossible to consummate the marriage. Once he missed the chance, there was no opportunity to get close again.
Yan Ji couldn’t hold it in any longer. Stifling his frustration, he asked, “Last time you said you couldn’t apply the medicine by yourself… Did you do it the past two days?”
Xin Hexue was sitting on the sofa, holding a book he had randomly picked from the study to pass the time.
He looked up at Yan Ji.
Only when Yan Ji’s ears started to burn did Xin Hexue pretend to remember what he was referring to.
“Mm… I don’t need help anymore. I realized I could do it myself.”
Yan Ji stammered, but didn’t dare to say much or ask further.
In the end, he said, “If you can’t do it alone next time, you can call me.”
Xin Hexue lowered his eyes. The sound of the book closing made a soft thud.
Yan Ji thought he had said something wrong, making Xin Hexue think he was some indecent big pervert.
He met Xin Hexue’s gaze.
The young man looked at him gently. His slightly long black hair draped over his shoulders, a faint shadow cast into the hollow of his collarbone.
With a soft sigh, he asked Yan Ji, “Do you want to go on a date? I can’t do it alone.”
Yan Ji was more than ready.
He was born for the day he could go on a date with Xin Hexue.
…
The seven-day Christmas holiday in the Imperial Capital City hadn’t come with any special plans.
Originally, Yan Ji had wanted to ask Xin Hexue out for dinner on Christmas Eve, but Wei Zhuo’s sudden appearance disrupted everything. As a result, Yan Ji still had bruises on his cheekbones, and considering Xin Hexue’s physical condition at the time wasn’t suitable for going out, they decided to rest at home.
It wasn’t until the middle of the Christmas holiday that the two finally left the villa.
The circle of purple bamboo surrounding the villa had become untended, so fallen leaves were covering the stone path. As they walked, the soles of their shoes stepped on the bamboo leaves, producing a constant crisp crunch.
With no special plan, they chose to go to the amusement park as it was the place most couples would visit.
It was near the city center, and it would be easy to find a place to eat and rest if they got tired.
Xin Hexue wore a down jacket that wasn’t too thick or thin, and underneath it a light blue hooded hoodie, the soft hood draped over his shoulders.
He looked like a fresh and elegant college student. Standing next to Yan Ji, they looked just like an ordinary student couple in the crowd.
Yan Ji suddenly realized that if this were an era of peace, without Folded Zones and mutated monsters, then Xin Hexue would’ve just been a student who hadn’t graduated yet, not a guide with a brilliant resume.
They would’ve had a normal but sweet campus romance.
But if it were a peaceful era, with his academic level in high school, he probably couldn’t have gotten into the Imperial Capital City, unless he had met Xin Hexue in high school and, from then on, decided to hang a beam from the ceiling and stab his thigh to study hard and turn over a new leaf.
But if there were no Folded Zones in the Northern Frontier, the two of them wouldn’t have had the chance to meet in the first place.
The more Yan Ji thought about it, the more he felt that everything right now was destined.
It meant he and Xin Hexue were a match made in heaven, a perfect couple, a divine union!
His confidence soared, and he directly took Xin Hexue’s hand.
After walking a few steps, Yan Ji asked nervously, “Does this feel uncomfortable?”
From the talks he had with Xin Hexue the past two days, he had already learned why Xin Hexue always wore gloves.
Skin hunger.
Yan Ji had never heard of it before.
He didn’t know if it was just his imagination.
He noticed a faint flush appearing at the corners of Xin Hexue’s eyes, and his lips pressed together. Yan Ji couldn’t quite describe the feeling. Just one glance made his heart feel like it had been lightly tickled by a feather, itching right into the core.
Xin Hexue had beautiful features, a kind of beauty purer than moonlight and cleaner than snow. It wasn’t flashy, but once you looked at him, it was impossible to look away.
Originally, he looked so ethereal and otherworldly that people only dared admire him from afar. But now, his lips were slightly red from being pressed together, instantly giving rise to a breath of spring, so bright it was almost too much.
“I feel… a little uncomfortable…” Xin Hexue’s voice was a bit hoarse, and his brows were drawn together.
Like he had just been bullied.
He pulled his hand out of Yan Ji’s palm.
Yan Ji shook off the beastly thoughts in his mind. He was more concerned about Xin Hexue’s physical condition. “If it’s uncomfortable, then forget it, let’s not hold hands anymore.”
Through a thin layer of fabric, Yan Ji’s hand was filled once more.
Xin Hexue said softly, “It’s okay, I brought a spare pair of gloves. Is it alright if we hold hands like this?” He sincerely asked for his boyfriend’s opinion.
Yan Ji was completely bewitched.
Of course, anything was alright.
They had gone out in the afternoon. By the time they had gone through all the amusement park rides, the sun was already setting.
The crowd hadn’t thinned out at all. In fact, it was even more packed. More people had arrived to see the nighttime fireworks show.
The Christmas-themed area was bathed in a golden glow, and all the amusement rides lit up in vibrant colors at the same time.
The little lights strung across the trees on the streets looked like scattered starlight. The log boat splashed high arcs of golden water along its metal track, and painted carousels spun with the sound of children’s laughter and joyful music.
The air in the evening carried the scent of childhood.
Yan Ji had also been to a similar amusement park when he was little, but it had a parent-child theme. After all, his parents had a good relationship back then.
When turning a corner, a child suddenly bumped into them. He quickly apologized, then ran off chasing his friends.
Xin Hexue looked down at Yan Ji’s clothes. “Hm? Something got on you.”
A sticky smudge from melted cotton candy had stained the edge of his black jacket.
Yan Ji took the tissue Xin Hexue handed him, poured a little mineral water on it, and wiped away the stain.
He tossed the paper ball into the trash can accurately, then turned back and asked Xin Hexue, “Do you want some cotton candy?” The stall in front was probably where the child bought cotton candy..
There weren’t too many people in line, and Yan Ji soon returned holding a pink cotton candy, which was fluffy and wispy.
Xin Hexue: “You’re not eating?”
Yan Ji: “I don’t like sweets.”
The cotton candy was finally finished just before they got in line for the Ferris wheel.
It was really just melted sugar spun into solid threads by centrifugal force in the cotton candy machine. But maybe because of its unique shape, or its airy, melt-in-your-mouth texture, it tasted surprisingly good.
Inside the Ferris wheel cabin, they could see the scenery outside steadily rising. The sights on the ground shrank with distance, turning into tiny specks of light.
This was a new experience for Xin Hexue.
Until now, he had never ridden this kind of large, wheel-shaped mechanical structure.
As he looked out the window, the glass reflected his face, and a spark of childlike wonder danced in his eyes.
The moon had risen over the city skyline outside.
He turned his head and looked at Yan Ji, asking naturally, “Do you want to kiss?” His delicate fingers touched his lips. Then Xin Hexue hesitated and added, “But I just ate something sweet.”
He lifted his eyelashes, and his clear eyes seemed to hide invisible hooks.
The corners of his lips curved upward. It was the kind of shape that was very suitable for kissing.
Yan Ji’s Adam’s apple rolled.
“I like it…I like sweet things.”
Neither of them noticed the deepening darkness outside.
The crowds on the ground bustled about, immersed in joy and excitement.
Until the night fog thickened, so dense that people couldn’t see anything beyond five meters.
The gentle music on the radio stopped, replaced by harsh static.
Rust bloomed instantly over the once-colorful carousel. A line of blood tears trickled from the corner of the mermaid statue’s eye at the tail of the pirate ship.
It sounded like a muffled bell tolling a grim announcement.
In an instant, the entire amusement park was plunged into pitch-black darkness.
The sudden power outage left the Ferris wheel suspended high in midair.
Yan Ji frowned. “What’s going on?”
Xin Hexue smelled the dampness seeping from inside the cabin.
Dark green mold spots began to spread
inch by inch, occupying the sealed cabin door.
Suddenly, the cabin they were in swayed.
The entire Ferris wheel creaked under pressure, groaning loudly.
It was as if something was climbing its way up.
Yan Ji looked down. Through the thick night fog, his Sentinel vision allowed him to see the creature scaling upward. “What is that thing?!”
At the same time, a sharp alarm sounded in the Central Military District’s High-Level Strategy Office.
On the walls, countless screens of varying sizes displayed violent energy fluctuations of a Folded Zone, erupting at the amusement park near the city center.
Xin Hexue used a tissue to wipe away a small patch of greenish mold.
He looked down through the glass.
There were huge vines and aerial roots.
They were as thick as the Ferris wheel’s hundred-meter steel frame, entangled and spreading in all directions, turning the enormous mechanical structure into its toy.
There was a damp whisper that only Xin Hexue could hear.
It was indistinct and unclear, as if it came from ancient times.
“Ah Xue.”