PART 2
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “It’s good that there were no casualties.”
Qi Yue and Duan Shuangshuang approached. “Actually, we also helped with the hunting. We couldn’t be of much help here, with it being like a siege. Since we weren’t useful here, we went out to hunt. A lot of this meat is thanks to us!”
Lin Lou said, “Alright, Shuangshuang. We don’t have much rest time. Let everyone eat first. By the way, you two come and eat as well.”
Qi Yue shook his head. “No need, we already ate at the canteen before coming here.”
Lin Lou said, “In that case, go to the front and keep watch. If any semi-beast transformed individuals approach while we’re resting, be sure to inform us immediately.”
Qi Yue replied, “No problem.”
Duan Shuangshuang wasn’t naive, especially since Qi Yue, despite being several years younger than her, seemed more mature.
Liu Zhongyuan said, “Eat quickly, I’m starving.”
Qin Jiulin touched his stomach; he was indeed starving. Variant beast transformed individuals could go for several days without eating after a full meal, but their constant day and night fighting was taking its toll.
Even he was feeling the strain. He felt he had become somewhat decadent. Unlike in his past life, when Modu faced a crisis, they would go without food or water for three or four days, barely sleeping an hour a day on average.
But they had persevered, protecting the ravaged Modu. Although they suffered heavy losses every time a crisis struck, they had always pulled through.
In this kind of world, building walls… wasn’t entirely impossible, but if powerful atavistic animals appeared, no matter how thick or high the walls were, they would be like paper.
They could be easily smashed or broken through. Initially, Modu had planned to build walls, but they later realized it was pointless and abandoned the idea.
In the natural world, as long as one possessed sufficient strength to claim territory, other animals wouldn’t dare approach.
Qin Jiulin knew this, but the current Gao Siyang might not. In his past life, when Zhou Lie was in power, walls were built, destroyed, repaired, destroyed again, and then repaired again.
It was incredibly annoying and utterly useless. The creatures the walls could stop wouldn’t approach Modu anyway, while those they couldn’t stop could either fly, climb, or smash through them. It was a constant hassle.
Liu Zhongyuan leaned closer to him. “What are you thinking about?”
Qin Jiulin sighed. “Nothing. Just thinking that even if Modu is reclaimed… this is only the beginning.”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Isn’t that the truth? Protecting what you’ve won is always harder than winning it in the first place.”
Qin Jiulin said, “Yes, reclaiming Modu is just the first step. Who knows what more difficult challenges lie ahead? But at least we don’t have to manage Modu, otherwise…”
The population of Modu would only continue to grow, and Gao Siyang, responsible for managing the entire city, would be the busiest and most stressed person. Perhaps he should gather some anti-balding remedies for him?
The rest period passed quickly. After everyone had eaten and rested briefly to regain some energy, they continued their advance.
After several days of this, they finally completed the task assigned by Gao Siyang. This area was finally in their hands. Soon, the surrounding secure area was occupied by soldiers and ordinary beast transformed individuals.
They stood guard and patrolled the relatively safe perimeter, even eliminating the few scattered semi-beast transformed individuals that still wandered towards them.
The numbers were small, and many were eliminated by snipers from a distance, but about ten semi-beast transformed individuals still appeared every hour. This number was manageable and wouldn’t pose a problem.
After completing their mission, Qin Jiulin and the others returned, took a long-awaited shower, and headed to the canteen. The head chef had prepared a lavish feast for them. The fifteen or so variant beast transformed individuals ate together, devouring every last morsel of the chef’s cooking.
Just as the chef was worried they might not have enough, they stretched, ready to head back for some sleep.
While none of them were completely full—a variant beast transformed individual’s true appetite was bottomless—they were exhausted. Rather than waiting for the chef to prepare more food, it was better to go back and sleep, and then eat again tomorrow.
Exhausted, they said their goodbyes and headed back. Many of them had bandages wrapped around their exposed wrists and ankles.
It was unavoidable. While there were no major injuries, there were plenty of minor wounds.
Even Qin Jiulin had bandages on his arms and legs, though his condition was better than most.
Yawning, they bid each other farewell. Qin Jiulin, drowsy, let Liu Zhongyuan lead him back by the hand. Qi Yue, not as tired, stayed at the canteen, chatting with Duan Shuangshuang and Cheng Tianxiang, who were also still eating.
While Qin Jiulin was dozing, Liu Zhongyuan leaned in and stole a kiss. Qin Jiulin, realizing belatedly, touched his cheek. He seemed to have just been kissed.
He looked at Liu Zhongyuan with a sleepy gaze, and upon seeing the smile on his face, he finally registered what happened. “You like doing that so sneakily?”
Liu Zhongyuan raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean I can do it openly?”
Qin Jiulin replied, “Why not? Aren’t we in a proper relationship?”
Liu Zhongyuan said, “Then I’ll kiss you again.”
With that, he leaned in and kissed Qin Jiulin on the other cheek. Qin Jiulin felt a little shy, his face flushing slightly. It wasn’t extreme shyness, just a touch.
Even at the height of his relationship with Xia Liansheng in his past life, they had only gone this far. Xia Liansheng’s true love was Qin Jiuzhen, so he wouldn’t be overly intimate with him.
Perhaps Xia Liansheng himself realized he could never truly be intimate with him, which was why he always talked about giving him a perfect wedding and then settling down.
At the time, he had been touched, thinking that Xia Liansheng was being considerate of his aversion to physical contact.
Now, it seemed that Xia Liansheng had been killing two birds with one stone. He earned favor with him while preserving his own chastity, as his heart belonged to Qin Jiuzhen.
“Jiulin?!”
Liu Zhongyuan was practically allergic to that voice! He immediately stepped in front of Xia Liansheng. “What? Just tell me whatever you need to say!”
Xia Liansheng now had experience dealing with Liu Zhongyuan. The more agitated he became, the happier Liu Zhongyuan would be.
So, he maintained a calm demeanor when communicating with Liu Zhongyuan, preventing him from taking too much pleasure in the interaction.
“Captain Liu, the matter between Jiulin and me…”
Liu Zhongyuan interrupted, “Is Jiulin your name to call? You should address him as Mr. Qin. Do you understand manners?”
Xia Liansheng retorted, “Jiulin and I have known each other for so many years, I don’t think he would mind me calling him by his name. Besides, Jiulin himself hasn’t said anything. Why are you so eager?”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Yes, I’m his official boyfriend. Why can’t I be eager?”
Although Xia Liansheng couldn’t see Qin Jiulin behind Liu Zhongyuan, he could still speak to him. “Jiulin, you’ve worked hard these past few days. Get some good rest. Once order is restored in Modu, we’ll have plenty of time to see each other.”
Qin Jiulin narrowed his eyes and gave a soft acknowledgment. Xia Liansheng left satisfied, while Liu Zhongyuan was fuming.
After Xia Liansheng had gone, Liu Zhongyuan subtly asked Qin Jiulin, “Jiulin, didn’t you mention wanting to find an opportunity to…”
Qin Jiulin understood what he meant and nodded slightly. “I did have that thought.”
He could have acted when they first met, but it wasn’t the right time. Later, the variant beast transformed teams were formed.
Team members always acted together, so he couldn’t get away. Xia Liansheng was also always with his team. The few times they were separated, he was on missions and had no time.
Even in Modu, they were both busy and he had no time to plan or find an opportunity to eliminate Xia Liansheng. That’s why he planned to wait until order was restored in Modu.
But now, the difficulty had increased. Xia Liansheng had accepted Zhou Lie’s offer. While Zhou Lie was certainly weaker than in his past life, it didn’t mean he was without a chance.
As an ambitious individual, he would undoubtedly gather more variant and ordinary beast transformed individuals who were unwilling to join the army. He must have more forces than he currently displayed.
Once order was restored in Modu, they would gradually gather around Zhou Lie. Then Zhou Lie would have people, and weapons… with so much weaponry at the military base…
He truly hoped Gao Siyang would quickly gain control of all the weaponry there.
It was impossible now. Everyone was focused on securing Modu before winter arrived, so no one would be going to the military base.
Wait! If that was the case, would Zhou Lie take advantage of this opportunity to have the elephant and seagull transport weapons from there?
Even if they could only move a small amount, it would be sufficient for them, given their current limited numbers.
Liu Zhongyuan said, “Flying ordinary beast transformed individuals have been stationed on the route to the military base. They’ve seen people heading that way. If nothing else, it must be people sent by Zhou Lie.”
Qin Jiulin sighed, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too. That’s certainly true.”
