EDEH Chapter 41

Sang Jue propped his cheek and asked: “What happened to them?”

 

“The mastermind was killed on the street. Participants with minor offenses were exiled to border labor, and those with serious crimes were imprisoned.”

 

Deputy Officer Zhang Min had mentioned before that Huo Yanji personally led city patrols every Sunday—this was a tradition that only started five years ago.

 

That year, the city was in chaos, with many rebels infiltrating.

 

To stabilize security, Huo Yanji would personally patrol every week. This deterred the rebels, but he was stabbed in the back by city residents.

 

A bullet from two hundred meters away was aimed at Huo Yanji’s head. His danger perception made him instinctively turn his body sideways, keenly looking toward the window where the sniper rifle was positioned.

 

The bullet only hit his shoulder. His body swayed, and Huo Yanji fired back without hesitation—

 

The effective range of a military pistol was only 120 meters. Beyond this distance, it was difficult to cause sufficient damage.

 

But in that instant, across two hundred meters, Huo Yanji precisely captured the high-rise and rooftop where the mastermind was located. The pistol bullet hit the opponent’s brain in seconds—instant death.

 

If the opponent had left after the first shot, he wouldn’t have died. But he was greedy, hating Huo Yanji to the bone. He wasn’t even willing to change positions and aimed again directly, trying to deliver another bullet to kill Huo Yanji.

 

The body fell rapidly from the high-rise rooftop, crashing into the crowd with blood flowing everywhere.

 

The other participants separately killed eleven supervisors in the chaos and seriously injured five deviant soldiers who tried to stop them.

 

As Huo Jiangmin said, those people always remembered how many people the supervisors had killed, but no one cared how many people they had saved.

 

Normally, after experiencing such an incident, a general officer would no longer personally lead patrols, but Huo Yanji continued as usual. As long as he was in the city, once a week, without fail.

 

Only then did the security in the main city gradually improve to what it is today.

 

Although Huo Yanji didn’t elaborate, Sang Jue was still very unhappy: “They don’t know what’s good for them, ungrateful, can’t distinguish right from wrong, turning black into white—they’re all bad things.”

 

If he had been there, he would have bitten all those people to death.

 

Evil dragons are very protective of their own.

 

Huo Yanji removed Sang Jue’s hand again, saying flatly: “Your idiom usage is pretty good.”

 

The little evil dragon could also be stubborn: “Why won’t you let me touch it?”

 

Huo Yanji said: “It’s been healed for five years.”

 

Sang Jue widened his eyes, full of expectation: “Then can you let me touch something else?”

 

Before Sang Jue’s paw could touch his abdomen, Huo Yanji blocked it.

 

His large palm could completely cover most of Sang Jue’s hand, holding it together.

 

“Didn’t I say before that friends should also maintain distance?”

 

Sang Jue didn’t speak, just stared at Huo Yanji.

 

He didn’t want to listen.

 

Why should they follow human friendship rules? Evil dragons should do whatever they want, following their hearts.

 

“I want to touch you because I cherish you.”

 

“…”

 

Having known each other for less than a month, Huo Yanji had been silent in front of Sang Jue more times than in his entire life before.

 

What exactly had Sang Jue’s guardian taught him?

 

“The word ‘cherish’ isn’t used that way.”

 

“Why not?” Sang Jue seriously explained to him, “Fragile creatures evoke cherishment in others. What’s wrong with that?”

 

Huo Yanji, having just undergone surgery, lay on the bed with his expression still cold and sharp, but his lips were somewhat pale, having lost so much blood after all.

 

With all those scars on his body, there was a kind of beauty that was both strong and tragic.

 

“…I’m fragile?”

 

“You’re fragile now, don’t you think?”

 

“That’s your misconception.”

 

Sang Jue drew out a long “hmm,” then suddenly understood—

 

Human males were creatures with excessive self-esteem who were unwilling to admit their fragility or become objects of cherishment.

 

Stubborn human males.

 

Sang Jue secretly touched Huo Yanji’s waist, where there was a thin, light scar that looked recent and should metabolize away in a while.

 

Before Huo Yanji could say anything, Sang Jue immediately sat up straight and said: “General Huo Jiangmin has been standing at the door for a long time.”

 

Sang Jue rarely had the habit of using honorifics with people. He didn’t understand human hierarchical systems, so he always called people by their names directly, occasionally remembering to add a title.

 

Huo Yanji glanced at the door: “Go open it.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Sang Jue opened the door, meeting Huo Jiangmin’s naturally smiling eyes, and said very politely: “Please come in.”

 

Huo Jiangmin: “…”

 

This felt a bit strange, but he couldn’t say where exactly.

 

He walked to the bedside, pulled up a chair and sat down. Sang Jue beside him had no intention of leaving at all. After staring at each other for a while, Sang Jue whispered: “I won’t eavesdrop.”

 

“…” The room was only this big, so there was no need to eavesdrop anyway.

 

Sang Jue wanted to protect Huo Yanji.

 

In his eyes, Huo Jiangmin was now the potential big villain from fairy tales. What if he left and the prince was persecuted?

 

Huo Jiangmin turned his head, looked at Huo Yanji, sighed leisurely, and said: “Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d just handed the governor over to me before? Now he’s completely disappeared.”

 

Huo Yanji asked: “Is it worth violating military discipline and using capital punishment for such a person?”

 

“You still don’t understand. I was never torturing the governor.”

 

Huo Jiangmin leaned back casually in his chair. Unlike Huo Yanji, who was always cold and solemn, he smiled after a while: “Now everyone fears you, everyone’s terrified of becoming a soul under your gun, but they’ll never know that the highest executive officer they see as brutal and cold-blooded is actually the simplest and most pure person.”

 

Sang Jue glanced over.

 

Huo Jiangmin looked at that face completely different from his own and smiled: “Despite having the same father, we’ve become two extremes—in identity, personality, and even endings.”

 

Huo Yanji’s gaze remained cold. After Huo Jiangmin finished speaking, he suddenly said: “I dreamed of Bo Qing.”

 

Huo Jiangmin’s smile gradually faded: “Really? What was he doing, what did he say?”

 

Huo Yanji didn’t remember that dream originally.

 

But while lying on the operating table, listening to Sang Jue and the military doctor seriously discussing bloody topics, he suddenly remembered.

 

Bo Qing said, “Our Yanji must be very lonely.”

 

Bo Qing also said, “What’s broken isn’t the world, it’s you—it’s everyone.”

 

Huo Yanji didn’t answer, saying flatly: “Once Ji Zhen asked you, if Bo Qing and the world stood on opposite sides, what would you do.”

 

The sudden mention of two names living in memory made Huo Jiangmin’s smile completely disappear, and distant conversations surfaced in his ears.

 

‘What, is your brother going to become some kind of ultimate villain?’ ‘That’s impossible. If my brother and the world were on opposite sides, then this world must be broken.’

 

Huo Jiangmin always remembered his answer then: “What else can you do with a broken world? Destroy it.”

 

The youthful voice and face both carried wanton arrogance. They ran toward lofty ideals, only to discover every step was treading on the abyss below, not glory.

 

Huo Jiangmin lightly tapped the armrest. When not smiling, he bore one or two points of resemblance to Huo Yanji. “Over these years, I’ve come to understand one thing more and more—current humanity isn’t worth it.”

 

Sang Jue listened quietly without interrupting.

 

He felt Huo Jiangmin’s words made some sense, but also didn’t make sense.

 

Since landing, he had met many people.

 

In the underground arena, those lunatics who treated people as commodities weren’t worth it, but old Karl and Si Fu whom he met later were worth it. Terrell, who harmed Si Fu’s team, wasn’t worth it, but Wu Ke and Hill were good.

 

Those mercenaries who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong were annoying, but Colin, Wei Lan, and the deceased Shui Ming should all live well.

 

The governor was the worst, but Huo Yanji and Bo Qing were good.

 

Sang Jue suddenly realized that perhaps it was because good people all had such bad endings that made it seem not worth it.

 

Even those civilians who seemed to have done nothing wrong weren’t innocent.

 

They were cowardly and base, unable to face fear and death, so they vented their pain and anger on others.

 

“This is the apocalypse.” Huo Yanji said, “Everything we do isn’t for those survivors you think aren’t worth it, it’s for future generations.”

 

Under the apocalypse, human hearts were the most unaccountable thing.

 

In this absurd, mad world, not everyone could maintain reason and view every matter objectively. Everyone was a potential madman.

 

“Rest here for two days before returning to the city.” Huo Jiangmin changed the subject, “You’re quite seriously injured this time. Want me to help find the mastermind behind this?”

 

“No need.”

 

“As you wish.” Huo Jiangmin smiled again, “By the way, I didn’t violate the Commander Safety Protocol—I came here under military orders to guard Rift No. 2.”

 

Huo Yanji’s eyes flickered slightly.

 

Usually, a district commander couldn’t leave their district without higher-level instructions, for safety and stability reasons, unless there were more serious matters.

 

Especially Huo Jiangmin—after the ‘People’s Trial’ incident years ago, the Court was somewhat wary of him and had him sign a special activity restriction order.

 

Ostensibly for his safety, but actually for precaution and control.

 

“Are you saying Rift No. 2 detected a riot?” His sharp, aggressive gaze pierced toward Huo Jiangmin. “I thought they would prioritize finding me for such matters.”

 

It had always been this way over the years. Huo Jiangmin stayed in the city, rarely going out, while most dangerous missions were assigned to Huo Yanji.

 

Huo Jiangmin said lightly: “Maybe they, like you, think I’ll do something to betray the safe zone, so they’d be happy to see me die and kick me out of the game?”

 

“I won’t suspect anyone without evidence.”

 

“That’s your personality.” Huo Jiangmin touched his scabbed neck. “Then why did you have to slash me? I haven’t offended you recently, have I?”

 

Huo Yanji let out a faint scoff: “I thought an enemy was coming.”

 

Huo Jiangmin smiled: “Do you believe that yourself?”

 

Huo Yanji didn’t speak, restraining his expression and returning to his cold demeanor.

 

Silence began to spread. After a long while, just as Sang Jue was getting bored, he suddenly heard Huo Yanji speak out of nowhere: “Where is Bo Qing’s body?”

 

The governor had said before that the night Bo Qing died, Huo Jiangmin found the community hidden in the spore circle and took away the governor and Bo Qing’s body.

 

Theoretically, over ten years had passed. If not cremated, they would have become bones by now.

 

Given Huo Jiangmin’s personality, he probably hadn’t cremated it.

 

Huo Jiangmin paused slightly, then squinted nonchalantly: “What, you want to compete with me for your sister-in-law’s remains?”

 

Huo Yanji suddenly called him by name: “Huo Jiangmin, you have a habit that Bo Qing, Ji Zhen, and I all know.”

 

Huo Jiangmin asked: “What?”

 

“Once the answer to a question contradicts what we hope for, you won’t answer directly.” Huo Yanji said coldly, “Sang Jue, see the guest out.”

 

“Sang Jue?” Huo Jiangmin didn’t move, tilting his head with a smile. “What’s your relationship?”

 

Although he didn’t want to answer, Sang Jue thought he should be respectful to Huo Jiangmin. After all, he was still among the prince candidates, and there was no evidence he was a villain.

 

“We’re friends.”

 

Huo Jiangmin snapped his fingers and clicked his tongue: “I see, unrequited love, eh, General Huo.”

 

Finally winning verbally, he stood up satisfied and walked toward the door, only to be called back.

 

Huo Yanji, unaffected by the teasing, went straight to the point: “We found General Huo Feng’s medal several levels down in the rift.”

 

Huo Jiangmin instantly stopped, slowly turning back: “So what if you found it? I know you come to Rift No. 2 once a year looking for clues, but so what if you find them? Are you really going to announce it publicly?”

 

The medal was with Sang Jue, who took it out and placed it on the table.

 

Huo Jiangmin didn’t take it, only asking: “Everything is developing in a good direction now. Let the missing stay missing forever, don’t you think?”

 

“Really? Is it really developing in a good direction?”

 

Huo Jiangmin didn’t answer, looked at their father’s medal for a while, then turned to leave.

 

Huo Yanji called him back again: “Could the general trouble someone to send some bread, preferably with jam?”

 

Huo Jiangmin nearly laughed in exasperation and left without looking back.

 

Sang Jue put the medal away again and closed the door: “Not telling him about the notebook?”

 

Huo Yanji hummed: “Wait until we figure out what he’s really doing at Rift No. 2.”

 

“Didn’t he say guarding against rift riots?”

 

“Sang Jue, this is another piece of common knowledge you lack.” Huo Yanji said flatly, “Each rift has special contamination creatures. For example, Rift No. 10 has snakes, Rift No. 11 has rodents. They need guarding because once they riot, these contamination creatures will overflow from the rift, causing unpredictable damage in surrounding areas.”

 

But the contamination creatures in Rift No. 2 were tentacles that grew in caves and couldn’t move. Even if they rioted, at most they would collapse Rift No. 2—there was no point in guarding.

 

Huo Jiangmin was just making up an excuse. His real purpose definitely wasn’t guarding against riots.

 

But from the medal test just now, Huo Jiangmin wasn’t here for Huo Feng either.

 

Sang Jue made a sound and sat on the bedside, propping his face with one hand in a thoughtful pose.

 

Ten minutes passed, and the usually talkative Sang Jue remained silent.

 

Huo Yanji glanced at him: “What are you thinking about?”

 

Sang Jue hesitated, then said: “I’m wondering which female you have unrequited love for… Dr. Hill? Or Wei Lan?”

 

He carefully searched his memory—Huo Yanji didn’t seem to know many females.

 

“…Huo Jiangmin was talking nonsense. Don’t mind him.”

 

“Really?” Sang Jue propped up the other side of his face too, his cheeks squeezed like a little hamster.

 

He asked unhappily: “Will you have a female you like in the future? After you have a female, will you still have time to touch my tail, eat with me, and give me gemstones?”

 

Humans shared marital property. If Huo Yanji gave him gemstones then, would his female be angry?

 

**

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