EDEH Chapter 78

However, strictly speaking, the matter of Huo Yanji being with a deviant wasn’t over yet.

 

No matter how much compensation was given, the principle that deviants and ordinary people couldn’t unite still couldn’t be relaxed. Besides the potential for large-scale contamination, there was also the situation of ordinary men combining with female deviants – once a female deviant became pregnant, the probability of giving birth to deformed deviants was extremely high.

 

That would be a tragedy.

 

Human tragedies were already numerous enough – they shouldn’t let the unborn next generation bear them too.

 

“I’m not really a deviant, and I can just be an ordinary human. After all, contamination index can’t be detected from me, and not many people have seen my tail.” The little evil dragon said matter-of-factly, “This isn’t lying.”

 

Huo Yanji said: “Let’s see how things go.”

 

Sang Jue hummed and said seriously: “You kissed me, so you’re my human now. You can’t leave me because of other humans.”

 

Huo Yanji glanced at him sideways: “Mm.”

 

The city’s canteens had reopened normally. This time Huo Yanji didn’t take Sang Jue to an ordinary canteen, but to the military-exclusive canteen. Though the previous voting results were somewhat comforting, just thinking about how nearly half the people were rather extreme and irrational, the probability of incidents was still quite high.

 

Even for safety’s sake, it was best not to let Sang Jue continue appearing in the public eye.

 

Fortunately, cameras weren’t widespread in this era – ordinary residents couldn’t afford them at all, so most people in the city didn’t know what Sang Jue looked like, only hearing word-of-mouth descriptions and imagining for themselves.

 

The two sat in a corner of the canteen, with Sang Jue specifically sitting across from Huo Yanji.

 

When asked why, Sang Jue said: “Because you’re good-looking, it helps with eating.”

 

Huo Yanji: “…Then look more.”

 

Even while eating, Sang Jue’s mouth couldn’t stop, talking about what he encountered today: “I heard passersby talking about me today.”

 

Huo Yanji asked: “What did they say?”

 

Sang Jue imitated their tone, reciting seriously: “Passerby A said, ‘What kind of deviant species is this Sang Jue to make even the iron-fisted Huo Yanji obsessed with male beauty? I remember there was a pretty boy who confessed publicly before – he was directly arrested for harassment of military personnel and still hasn’t been released.'”

 

“Passerby B said, ‘Must be a fox deviant with nine tails, or else a mermaid.'”

 

“…” Meeting Sang Jue’s expectant gaze, Huo Yanji said casually, “It’s a little dragon that looks soft and is actually even softer.”

 

“I’m not little,” Sang Jue hummed, “Am I very soft?”

 

Huo Yanji said: “Aren’t you soft?”

 

Sang Jue touched his belly, saying honestly: “I can’t tell. Where am I soft?”

 

“Soft everywhere,” Huo Yanji said. “You’d know if you compared.”

 

Sang Jue said casually: “Compare with whom, Colin?”

 

Huo Yanji’s eyes darkened: “Try it.”

 

Try it and die.

 

Sang Jue acted as if nothing happened, using clean chopsticks to pick up food for Huo Yanji, saying obediently: “You eat.”

 

Huo Yanji looked at those clean chopsticks for a while, then put the meat slice in his mouth.

 

The meal ended quickly. Sang Jue calculated the time: “We’ve only been together for forty-one minutes.”

 

But Huo Yanji had no more time to accompany him, as he had to return to the military district to handle official business.

 

Huo Yanji gave Sang Jue a piece of paper with an address written on it.

 

Sang Jue asked: “What’s this?”

 

Huo Yanji said: “This shop also sells potato strips. I checked – the owner of that shop in District C indeed passed away, due to the recent deviant unrest.”

 

Even now, there were still troublemaking deviants in the city. Controlled by emotions, they refused to settle down, even believing that Huo Yanji’s dissolution of the Supervisor Organization was just something he had to do due to circumstances, that he was actually a hypocrite.

 

Now there was a new saying in the city: since Huo Yanji opposed the Dawn Plan and truly wanted to help them, why didn’t Huo Yanji become a deviant himself?

 

In short, for the chaos to completely end would still take time.

 

The new law enforcement department also had to be established quickly to maintain city order – relying solely on patrol battalions was quite strained.

 

Moreover, the city’s resource supply had been cut off for many days. If it continued, things would be bad. The dissolved supervisors had to leave the city quickly.

 

Sang Jue looked at the street number of the new potato strip shop – it wasn’t far from here, about a ten-minute walk.

 

“I’m leaving.” Huo Yanji didn’t linger, getting in the car.

 

The car was about to start, but through the window, meeting Sang Jue’s focused gaze, Huo Yanji’s eyes immediately darkened. He stopped the driver, pulled up the partition curtain, pulled Sang Jue into the car, and pressed him into his arms.

 

His large hand reached toward Sang Jue’s lower back, slightly pulling down his pants, whispering: “Tail out, let me touch it for a while.”

 

“Okay.” Sang Jue obediently let out his tail, the cool scales immediately falling into Huo Yanji’s palm. Though it didn’t have soft fur, petting it was very stress-relieving.

 

Sang Jue rested his chin on the broad shoulder, hugging Huo Yanji’s neck and asking: “Are you coming home tonight?”

 

“I’ll try my best.” Huo Yanji asked, “Want to go around the city center?”

 

Sang Jue understood the hint: “I want to.”

 

This way they could spend a little more time in the car.

 

…

 

In the evening, the main gate was wide open. Saiya, who had received support, returned with over seven thousand ordinary victim residents of the Dawn No. 2 plan.

 

Due to the large and mixed crowd from different safe zones, they could only first bring them back to the main city for settlement, comfort their emotions, then send them back to their respective safe zones.

 

At the city gate, soldiers were systematically conducting contamination index tests for them. Saiya walked to one side and reported to Huo Yanji: “When we went in, we didn’t see a single rebel.”

 

Huo Yanji lowered his eyes, not particularly surprised.

 

Ji Zhen wasn’t interested in these lives, just like the rebels of the past – they wanted civilization to perish. Orchestrating all this was just to see Huo Yanji and Huo Jiangmian become thoroughly disappointed with the people behind them.

 

Saiya hesitated: “There’s another matter. One hundred and twelve residents have already been implanted with explosive chips.”

 

Huo Yanji’s face turned cold: “How long ago?”

 

Saiya said: “The shortest was only ten days ago. They all underwent cranial surgery, and the chip implantation sites are quite sensitive, so it might not be convenient for a second surgery in the short term.”

 

Huo Yanji glanced at the group of panicked residents. Though they now knew what they had experienced, they still felt a sense of unreality, unable to believe that everything they had once firmly believed was false, and that the Supreme Council they had relied on most was so cruel.

 

He turned around and strode forward: “Draft two compensation proposals – one for residents who have been implanted with chips and one for those who haven’t.”

 

Saiya said: “Yes.”

 

Huo Yanji got in the car and said to Saiya through the window: “You’ve worked hard during this time. Go back and prepare.”

 

Huo Yanji didn’t speak too directly, but Saiya understood.

 

He was currently a Lieutenant Colonel, but having rescued the Dawn No. 2 victims, plus his accumulated achievements, he had met the conditions for promotion.

 

Saiya immediately felt invigorated, his fatigue completely swept away. He saluted: “Take care, sir.”

 

Huo Yanji closed the car window and said to the driver in the front seat: “Go to the Council Building.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Zom and the others were still detained here. According to the conditions negotiated with Supreme Council headquarters, these people should be sent back tomorrow.

 

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They had been on edge this whole time, afraid that Huo Yanji would shoot them on a whim and claim they were killed for being infected.

 

Especially Gode and Lance, father and son. Upon learning they would be escorted back to the underground city, their smugness was almost overflowing, as if they had always known Huo Yanji wouldn’t dare confront the underground city directly.

 

Huo Yanji didn’t go to see the two of them, nor did he go to Zom’s office. Instead, he went straight to Julian’s room.

 

Since the incident began, Julian was the only person Huo Yanji hadn’t interrogated.

 

Julian was somewhat surprised to see him at the door. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped aside and returned to sit on the sofa, looking to be in decent condition.

 

After a long while, Julian said: “Speaking of which, I was half a teacher to you all.”

 

He said “you all.”

 

He meant Huo Yanji, Huo Jiangmian, and the former Bo Qing and Ji Zhen. At that time, Julian wasn’t yet a councilor, but a young man in his twenties who taught newly born children in the underground city. Huo Yanji and the others had spent some time under his guidance, getting along quite well.

 

“I remember Ji Zhen was quite fond of you back then.” Huo Yanji didn’t sit down, standing to one side and saying coldly: “So I’m quite surprised that you also agreed to Dawn No. 2.”

 

Julian shook his head with a bitter smile: “You don’t understand. We’ve walked into a desperate situation similar to ninety years ago… I know it’s cruel, but it really was a necessary sacrifice.”

 

Huo Yanji looked at him flatly: “Are you sure it’s not for personal gain?”

 

He mentioned Zom’s decision to make one last attempt before death to gain posthumous fame, and also mentioned the chip implantation.

 

Julian didn’t react much to the former, but when he heard about plans to implant explosive chips in residents, Julian immediately looked up in shock: “How is that possible?!”

 

Huo Yanji looked at him: “You really didn’t know?”

 

“You saw it! Every participant in Dawn No. 2 has the documents, and there’s no mention of chips at all!!” Beyond shock, Julian was more devastated. After a long while, he murmured: “Humanity is really finished…”

 

“…”

 

Huo Yanji turned to leave, but was suddenly grabbed by the arm by Julian, who stood up abruptly. He spoke incoherently, his words unclear: “I really didn’t know about the chips. They might indeed have personal motives, but this plan is already our last desperate gamble. You have to let it continue, you have to send these people underground!!”

 

Julian’s agitation was somewhat unusual.

 

Huo Yanji caught the key point and asked: “Why do you say we’re now in the same desperate situation as ninety years ago?”

 

The current situation, even accounting for internal human chaos, should be much better than ninety years ago.

 

Julian swallowed, released Huo Yanji’s arm, and kept backing away until he fell onto the sofa: “…I can’t say.”

 

With faint mockery, Huo Yanji suddenly said: “You’re not planning to wait until you return to the underground city, then use it to threaten me to continue executing Dawn No. 2, are you?”

 

Julian’s whole body shook. From his expression, Huo Yanji knew he had guessed correctly.

 

He let out a sneer: “Looks like you’re going to be disappointed.”

 

“…”

 

Julian immediately understood… the so-called agreement to safe return was just a pretense. Huo Yanji never intended to negotiate properly!

 

He opened his mouth, looking at the carpet in despair, whispering: “In that case, you’ll know soon enough… and understand that this really is the last hope…”

 

Huo Yanji frowned slightly.

 

He came here to find out whether Julian knew about the chip implantation, since the lives of the hundred-plus residents who had already been implanted were still in the Council’s hands. Explosive chips were usually controlled by programs, so getting the key in advance would be more secure.

 

He pushed open the door and left, heading directly to Zom’s room at the end of the corridor.

 

Thinking he was already safe, Zom was even less cooperative, not intending to speak at all. He kept his head down, saying nothing.

 

Huo Yanji said calmly: “We’ve indeed been too good to you during this time – beds to sleep in, three meals a day without fail, no rain or wind.”

 

Zom remained silent.

 

“But your good days are coming to an end—did you really think no one knew about those disgusting things you did in the underground city?”

 

Zom finally reacted, snorting coldly: “What are you talking about?”

 

Huo Yanji said icily: “What? Aren’t you the one who treated the underground city as your personal backyard womb, freely donating sperm and producing offspring?”

 

Zom shuddered, looking up in disbelief: “You…”

 

He had been so secretive about it—how did Huo Yanji know? Huo Yanji hadn’t returned to the underground city in years, how could he possibly know?!

 

Two beeps sounded. Huo Yanji glanced at his communicator—the caller was Sang Jue.

 

He looked coldly at Zom, answered the call, his voice still carrying the unabated chill, then softened slightly: “Sang Jue, what’s wrong?”

 

Through the earpiece, besides Sang Jue’s voice, there was also the chaotic chatter of crowds.

 

“I’m next to the Council Building. Someone just jumped off the building,” Sang Jue whispered. “He fell on the Council statue at the entrance, bleeding a lot. He died on the spot.”

 

Huo Yanji suddenly turned around, striding quickly toward Julian’s room. After knocking with no response, he kicked the door open.

 

The room was empty, with only the window on the opposite side wide open, swaying in the wind and making “creak, creak” sounds.

 

The desk was covered in blood, with two lines written in blood—

 

“I am guilty, but civilization is not.”

 

**

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