MASG chapter 60

 

Mi Dou cast a questioning glance. “What does ‘hot’ mean?” Mo An’s choice of words is strange. He must have learned it from the hooligans in the control center.

But he was genuinely worried about Xia Yu. Doing this clearly violated the rules. Now, their every move was under the surveillance of an irresistible force—Nuwa.

When they were young, they didn’t have the opportunity to contact Nuwa directly. They always communicated with Ling Shi and Jingwei directly. However, as they grew older, officially entering human society and dealing with conflicts and contradictions, connecting with Nuwa became inevitable. It was not only their job but also a necessary step in their growth.

Nuwa wasn’t as easy to talk to as Ling Shi or Jingwei. Mi Dou was terrified of her and didn’t know her well. In Mi Dou’s eyes, Nuwa was a madwoman who would wipe them all out if he wasn’t careful.

Through the transparent plastic film, Xia Yu sat down in front of the man.

“Ma Jiayuan,” he called out to the old man.

The surveillance camera was working; its light shone on their faces. The rain outside had stopped, but the sky remained dark. The old man didn’t look up. Xia Yu placed one hand on the table and lightly tapped its surface with his fingers. “Ma Jiayuan.”

Ma Jiayuan slowly raised his head, but his entire movement was filled with resistance. Although their eyes met, he didn’t fully lift his face, and wrinkles appeared on his forehead. Xia Yu was disgusted by this expression, especially by the stench emanating from Ma Jiayuan, which almost made Xia Yu vomit his dinner.

“Resisting interrogation is no good. Don’t think I can’t do anything to you just because you won’t talk.” Xia Yu had seen countless people like this over the years, and he could crack even the toughest nut. “Do you know why we arrested you today?”

Outside, Mi Dou nervously wiped his palms. This old man was harder to communicate with than expected.

Ma Jiayuan grinned, revealing lips covered in dried, dead skin. “I don’t know. Have you arrested the wrong person?”

“Arrested the wrong person? I’ve never arrested the wrong person. You’re questioning my competence.” The interrogation light switched on, and Xia Yu turned it toward Ma Jiayuan, shining it directly on him. “Why did you impersonate someone from the Machine Omnipotent Cult? Who’s behind you?”

Ma Jiayuan wore a spotless white robe, and with his white hair and eyebrows, he did seem like a con artist. Xia Yu moved forward slightly and threw out a key word to probe his reaction. “Who authorized you to do this? Was it an individual or a company? What company? In Qingyao City?”

The question sounded foolish, and Xia Yu didn’t actually expect Ma Jiayuan to confess immediately. A person’s initial reaction is usually the most genuine, and he wanted to know if this matter was related to Rijianmei. “Hehe, hehehehe, hahaha.” However, Xia Yu only received laughter in response. Instead of answering directly, Ma Jiayuan mocked Xia Yu: “Captain Xia, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined. Has anyone ever told you that your body smells good?”

Xia Yu’s expression didn’t change after hearing this. Outside, Mo An’s smile vanished. He chewed the energy candy in his mouth, making a crunching sound. His fingers unconsciously clenched, cracking his knuckles.

“Whether my body smells good or not is none of your business,” said Xia Yu, his hair loose after washing. The soft, half-wet hair flowed down as if water could drip from the ends at any moment. He looked cool yet radiant.

“Your eyes are special, too. Tell me, how much would it cost to buy you for one night?” Ma Jiayuan showed an obvious physical reaction the instant he spoke. The change in his lower body was hard to ignore. However, he only stared at Xia Yu’s face, his eyes blazing with fury.

“Buy me?” Xia Yu stood up with his hands on the edge of the table, his expression unreadable. “What would you buy me for? How much are you willing to pay?”

“Five million points. Then we’ll strip naked and have sex in front of the deity statue.” Ma Jiayuan said bluntly, swallowing hard. “Endless sex and the completion of life through endless orgasms. Our lives will forever remain in the mechanical world. We will never disappear or be separated.”

“Is this the story you told those underage girls?” Xia Yu threw the evidence at his face. “For the past two years, you’ve pretended to be a saint of the Cult of the Machine:

Omnipotence, swindling, and amassing wealth. You rallied everyone to carry out a grand plan called ‘Blooming,’ in which you selected 14-year-old girls, brainwashed them, and raped them thousands of times. There were hundreds of victims. Ma Jiayuan, are you still going to play dumb with me?”

Outside the interrogation room, Mi Dou struggled to control his anger. His team had spent six months infiltrating the cult to capture Ma Jiayuan, and now they had finally caught this notorious villain. Some of the girls grew up and realized it was all a scam. Others were brainwashed and controlled at a young age and still don’t understand what’s happening. They are waiting for their “blossoming” moment.

“Don’t try to talk to me with your nonsense,” said Xia Yu, leaning forward. “I won’t follow your train of thought.

“Then what are you doing now?” Ma Jiayuan laughed so hard he almost fell over. “Let me tell you, the Blooming Plan isn’t something I made up. It’s the highest doctrine of the Machine Omnipotent Cult. I am a saint, and everyone will ascend to immortality and usher in the true bloom sooner or later. The world will cease to exist. Only numbers will remain.”

Xia Yu nodded perfunctorily, picked up the water glass on the table, and took a sip.

“The way you drink water is so sexy! Actually, you could drink something else, too.” Ma Jiayuan glanced between his legs.

A patch of his robe had unknowingly become wet, and he let out a satisfied sigh. Xia Yu walked over to him, holding a water glass, and placed it directly in front of him. “Before I came in, I considered not torturing you.

“You can’t torture me.” Ma Jiayuan suddenly looked exhausted and glanced at the surveillance camera in the corner of the room. “Captain Xia, forgive my bluntness, but you’ve violated the rules. You can’t interrogate a suspect alone. Nuwa is watching you.”

“Nuwa? If she knew you were using her reputation to bully young girls and that some had even lost their lives following you, I believe you’d die a much worse death.” Xia Yu had originally intended to use poison but changed his mind. He grabbed Ma Jiayuan’s head and pulled it toward him. His skin, like his age, showed signs of aging: smooth and loose to the touch.

“What are you doing?” Ma Jiayuan tried to dodge instinctively, but his hands were restrained, rendering him powerless. He could only watch helplessly as the corner of the metal table drew closer.

A flash of blood filled his vision, and a sharp pain shot through him. The crisp sound of breaking bones filled the air.

Blood splattered as Xia Yu slammed Ma Jiayuan against the table, but he wasn’t satisfied. He pressed down on the back of Ma Jiayuan’s head with full force, repeatedly. Clang, clang, clang… one after another, accompanied by the twitching of Mi Dou’s bear ears.

“Why is he using so much force?” Mi Dou muttered. “What if he hurts his hand?”

Mo An stuffed another candy into his mouth to relieve the numbness in his tongue. “He could have just told me to go in. I wouldn’t have had to lift a finger.”

“Sigh.” Mi Dou started worrying again. “What about the security cameras? What if someone pulls up the footage and sees that Xia Yu went in alone for questioning? How are we going to cover that up?”

Ma Jiayuan had been beaten nearly to death, yet Mi Dou and Mo An were still trying to figure out how to explain his going in alone. A moment later, Mo An tapped his employee badge. A hint of nonchalance flashed in his dark eyes. “I’ll just delete it later.”

“Really? Is that okay?” Mi Dou had already taken out a tissue, ready to wipe Xia Yu’s hands.

“I’m from the control center.” Mo An knew this all too well. As long as he was there to protect Xia Yu, no one would care if he beat Ma Jiayuan badly. They could just say it was a casualty of the capture. People like that—let alone Xia Yu—were all waiting for his “good end.”

However, it must be said that Xia Yu’s interrogation style was completely different from Silver Fang’s. Although he was someone Silver Fang had trained, violence was far more effective.

As soon as he finished speaking, the interrogation room went quiet. Xia Yu released his grip, and Ma Jiayuan’s face had already turned bright red. Then, Xia Yu grabbed downward with one hand, clutching something tightly. The previously calm and confident Ma Jiayuan immediately began to wail, overwhelmed with terror. Before he could react, Xia Yu twisted his wrist and snapped it hard…

Crack!

It was the sound of metal breaking!

Ma Jiayuan convulsed on the table like a shrimp whose vein had been pulled out. Xia Yu threw the metal piece on the ground, took a clean tissue from his pocket, and wiped his ten slender, white fingers vigorously.

Outside the interrogation room, Mi Dou was also stunned. He looked at Mo An. “Is this what you meant by… ‘Hot’?”

Mo An’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He carefully swallowed the candy, glanced down at his waist, and avoided eye contact. “It seems a little…too hot.”

Xia Yu was in a bad mood after leaving the interrogation room. He disliked this process because interrogations brought him closer to people’s darker sides. Facing a suspect like Ma Jiayuan made him feel powerless and helpless. Hundreds of girls had been victimized, dozens had lost their lives, and thousands of families had lost everything. Even if he killed Ma Jiayuan, it wouldn’t change anything. Back inside, he took another cold shower. As soon as he turned on his laptop, he received a voice message from Nuwa.

Nuwa: [What happened during today’s interrogation?]

If Xia Yu had considered Nuwa a good friend when they were children, his attitude toward her now was purely businesslike. “He’s not cooperating.”

Nuwa: [You broke the rules.

“He’s been using the name of the Machine Omnipotent Cult to swindle and cheat citizens. I broke the rules to help you,” said Xia Yu, drying his hair. “He mentioned a Blooming Plan. What is that?”

Nuwa: [The Blooming Plan is underway but will not be disclosed for now.]

Okay, it seems Ma Jiayuan really stumbled upon the real plan by accident. He can deceive people with half-truths. Xia Yu was lost in thought for a while, then suddenly asked, “Nuwa, do you think I’ve changed?”

Nuwa: [You’ve grown up, not changed. The grown-up you have impressed me greatly, Xia Yu. You never disappoint.]

But perhaps this version of himself would disappoint Professor Wang Qin. Xia Yu never talked to Nuwa about Professor Wang. After all, the person who had meant as much to him as a mother had died in betrayal. The research institute entered self-destruction mode, and Professor Wang didn’t even leave behind a complete skeleton. She sacrificed herself for science, and in the end, she vanished into nothingness.

Nuwa: [By the way, Mo An just used his ID card to access the surveillance system and delete the interrogation videos. He’s smart. I wasn’t wrong about you.]

“Him? I knew he would do something like this.” Xia Yu closed his laptop. Just then, Mo An and Mi Dou came in together, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.

“Ah, I’m so sleepy.” Mi Dou had just helped Mo An delete the videos. “Let’s go to sleep!”

Xia Yu didn’t want to ask any more questions at that moment. Everyone was exhausted after a long day. “Okay, I’ll sleep on the floor tonight. You sleep on the bed.”

There was only one bed in the room, so even though Xia Yu was the team leader, he had to sleep on the floor. He and Mi Dou had been sleeping like this for over a month, taking turns sleeping in the bed. Mo An was dissatisfied with the conditions. “Why didn’t you request another bed?

“We’re here to arrest someone, not on vacation.” Xia Yu pulled out an inflatable mattress. “How are you going to sleep? Did they arrange a room for you?”

“I’ll sleep here.” Mo An looked at his pillow. “What? You’re not welcoming me?”

Xia Yu stood up with a dry white towel on his head like a nun. “My place isn’t that great. How are you going to sleep? I mean, it’s not that I’m not welcoming you, but … you could have a private room…”

He stopped not because he couldn’t continue but because Mo An suddenly got too close. Even from a distance of a dozen centimeters, Xia Yu could smell Mo An’s scent and feel the intense heat emanating from him. His younger brother’s shadow loomed over him, engulfing him completely. His arms could easily wrap one and a half Xia Yu.

“Xia Yu, I’ll sleep here.” Mo An lowered his head slightly and approached Xia Yu’s face with his right hand, but he was unable to touch him. “Just give me a pillow. I’ll sleep on the floor with you.”

Xia Yu took a deep breath. Mo An had grown so tall; being so close to someone that tall made it hard to breathe. “Okay, sleeping on the floor is fine, but don’t lean in like that again. It’s dangerous.”

“Am I dangerous, or are you?” Mo An laughed again.

“What do you mean?” Xia Yu sensed hidden meaning in his words.

“Nothing.” Mo An knelt down to help him make the bed. “Get ready to sleep.”

Strangely, Xia Yu still didn’t understand. Mi Dou, a bit scatterbrained, fell asleep as soon as he lay down. Only then did Mo An begin to undress. With each piece of his training uniform removed, his undulating back muscles, like rolling hills, were fully revealed, and some of the scars were quite fresh.

Mo An had a broad, inverted triangular back. The faint outlines of pelvic fins were visible on either side of his waist. The muscles of his lower back looked as if he could unleash a powerful fishtail strike at any moment.

“Sigh.” Xia Yu, who had already changed into his pajamas, put his long sleeves back on and donned gloves. “Go sit over there.”

Mo An unbuckled his belt and sat down in the chair backwards with his arms crossed and his elbows resting on the back. Xia Yu walked behind him with ointment. “Did you get injured again?”

“It doesn’t hurt.” Mo An looked at their shadows. When would they be able to touch each other without barriers? Was Xia Yu’s body temperature cold or hot? Were his hands hard or soft?

“Really not painful?” Xia Yu gave him a twist. “They’re really hard. I can’t twist your shoulders anymore. Meng Qingqing is probably going to take you to see Haisiruola.”

“But my tongue is still numb.” Mo An leaned back, resting his head on Xia Yu’s stomach.

“Serves you right. Don’t touch me again.” Xia Yu pushed him back.

After applying the medicine, he went to sleep too. Having been busy for so long, he was the type to fall asleep as soon as he lay down. Mo An, half a meter away through the “fence” of blankets and two pillows, quietly turned away. After Xia Yu fell asleep, Mo An stretched out his left hand and removed his fingerless glove. His webbed hand was clearly visible.

Blue veins were visible on the back of his hand and blue veins were visible on Xia Yu’s neck. However, the two colors were different, constantly reminding him not to touch.

Touching meant death.

Mo An brought his hand even closer, his fingertips only half a centimeter from Xia Yu’s face. He felt the warmth of Xia Yu’s body and imagined the sensation of touching him—a realistic and satisfying caress. He really wanted to touch him, but Xia Yu would definitely scold him.

After “simulating caressing” for a few minutes, Mo An withdrew his hand, closing his eyes in dissatisfaction.

The next day, the rain stopped.

The capture operation only required finishing touches, so everyone’s work was relatively easy. They had breakfast in the tent called the “canteen.” Xia Yu opened a can of beans but didn’t feel like eating.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Mi Dou asked, spreading jam on his bread.

“I’m not hungry. I’m wondering what the Blooming Plan is exactly,” Xia Yu said absentmindedly as he ate. Just then, Mo An sat down. His tray was full of food, and he gave them two bottles of milk. “I don’t like it.”

“I’ll drink it.” Mi Dou immediately took it. “Mo An, it’s great that you’re an officer now. Give me anything you don’t like.”

Xia Yu smiled and patted Mi Dou on the head. “You’ll never lack food.”

“Of course I want more of the good stuff. Maybe I’ll grow taller.” Mi Dou drank the milk. Mo An looked enviously at Xia Yu as he rubbed Mi Dou’s head. He asked softly, “Did you sleep well last night?”

“It was okay. I just kept dreaming.” Xia Yu looked at his silver hair. It really was beautiful. “Help me open this milk bottle. I can’t twist it.”

“You can’t open it?” Mo An pretended to be shocked. “Didn’t you have pretty good strength yesterday?”

Mi Dou almost spewed his drink. Xia Yu knew exactly what he meant. He slowly turned to look at Mo An. “Do you want to try?”

Mo An frowned slightly as if seriously considering it and then handed him the opened milk. “If you’re not that strong…”

“Stop messing around.” Xia Yu took a sip, not believing Mo An’s nonsense. “The tent next door is giving out juice. Bring two bottles for me and Dou Dou.”

“Being too strong would be dangerous.” Mo An smirked and walked to the other tent. The more dangerous it was, the more challenging it was for him. He loved challenges.

Inside the tent were several kinds of juice. He remembered that Xia Yu liked strawberry juice. As for Mi Dou, he liked everything, so forget it. Just as Mo An picked up the bottles, the ground beneath his feet began to shake lightly. A few seconds later, the tremor became moderate. The rain-soaked earth felt like it was sinking.

Of course, Xia Yu sensed it. He grabbed Mi Dou and ran outside, but the soil suddenly turned soft, and he couldn’t find his footing. His knees buckled, and they both fell into an underground cavity. As they fell, he suddenly remembered that beneath them was an air-raid shelter that had been converted into a temporary prison. It held dozens of suspects captured yesterday, all of whom were at an “extreme” danger level.

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