EDEH Chapter 61

Old Herman’s body had already stiffened somewhat, his face pale, eyes slightly closed, but very peaceful.

 

Perhaps in that final moment before death, he had completely let go of all worries, and humanity’s future was no longer his concern.

 

Colin reported the circumstances of discovering the body: “About thirty minutes ago, someone found a pistol under the central building, then went to investigate and found Executive Officer Lange’s body on the rooftop.”

 

Shiwei said bitterly: “The charges for framing you were enough to have him executed by firing squad. He probably didn’t want to die on the execution ground… After all, Old He truly devoted his life to the main city, in the end he just…”

 

Huo Yanji said calmly: “He wanted a clean tomorrow.”

 

Shiwei was stunned: “Yes…”

 

Did civilization continued through despicable conspiracies, so inglorious, really need to exist?

 

This question was hard to answer.

 

In the Court’s eyes, at the moment of racial crisis, everything present could be sacrificed.

 

It seemed great, but if even the current humans couldn’t be protected, if this generation’s souls were all shattered, what was the point of tomorrow?

 

Shiwei exhaled softly: “I took it upon myself to reveal classified Court documents, destroying the hope of reaching dawn. I know I deserve death and ask for your punishment.”

 

When saying ‘hope of reaching dawn,’ her tone carried mockery.

 

Huo Yanji said: “Refer to Article 21 of the Supervisor Code.”

 

The Supervisor Code was much shorter than the Deviant Code, containing only thirty-nine regulations total.

 

Articles 21 through 23 all expressed that supervisory responsibility faced not only the public, but all people in political and military districts. When any situation unfavorable to the public arose, supervisors had the right to publicly and fairly reveal the truth and take all measures to prevent damage to public interests.

 

Shiwei paused: “Sorry for putting you in a difficult position.”

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “If not you, someone else would have. The truth would be revealed eventually.”

 

The public weren’t all fools. The Dawn plan was only ninety years old—people were temporarily blinded by official casualty statistics.

 

But how much longer could they be blinded?

 

Ten years, thirty years, or another ninety years?

 

Eventually, the lies would be exposed.

 

And the earlier they confessed, the smaller the possibility of humanity’s internal fragmentation.

 

The longer time passed, the more indelible the harm and evil became.

 

Shiwei didn’t stay long, bowing respectfully before leaving.

 

She would live well, watching on behalf of her father to see whether the future he couldn’t see would be complete darkness or brilliant light.

 

Huo Yanji slowly approached Old Herman’s corpse, looking down at those aged hands.

 

When Old Herman was in office, he would spend a long time washing his hands after every execution. The accumulated erosion of disinfectant on his skin had made it dry as tree bark.

 

So on the day Huo Yanji became a supervisor, Old Herman gave him a pair of black gloves, perhaps hoping that with a layer of leather between, it could reduce some of the guilt from executing compatriots.

 

To this day, Huo Yanji still maintained the habit of wearing gloves when going out.

 

Many supervisors would wash their hands many times a day, even when there was no blood on them.

 

They weren’t real murderers—it was difficult to feel completely unburdened by executing compatriots, just like many people who participated in wars throughout history suffered from PTSD.

 

Moreover, supervisors killed people their entire lives. Apart from the infected, there were also deviants who came monthly for testing at the Supervision Bureau. Once a deviant’s contamination index approached the dangerous value of 60, it was time for them to pull the trigger.

 

The deviants coming for testing were nervous, but actually the supervisors weren’t much more relaxed.

 

They had blood and flesh, their hearts weren’t steel either. They hoped more than anyone that today there would be no one who needed to be executed.

 

But the public didn’t care about these things. They only remembered how many people you had killed.

 

As Shiwei said, Old Herman devoted his life to the main city—sixty-plus years, not long, not short, with no history of alcoholism, no personal ideals, never loved anyone.

 

When he finally entered the crematorium, he still carried a full load of infamy.

 

This should have been Huo Yanji’s ending too.

 

If not for Old Herman’s machinations, Huo Yanji’s final result would have been to be an eternally reviled criminal minister.

 

Even if he wasn’t the one to ultimately reveal “Dawn,” the humans under collapse wouldn’t respect him. When they mentioned him, it would only be with deep hatred: “That ‘violent general’ with countless blood on his hands—I hate him to the bone.”

 

Only when the world restored order and humanity returned to peace would someone truly open this chapter of history, carefully ponder it, weigh achievements and rights and wrongs.

 

Just like what the Court did—it was shameful to current people, but if successful, the Court would be the greatest existence to descendants living in greenhouses a thousand years later.

 

Huo Yanji asked: “Suicide?”

 

Colin answered: “It appears so… but there’s something wrong with the gun. It’s not an official main city weapon, nor civilian.”

 

Huo Yanji took the evidence bag, his eyes flickering: “It’s a privately manufactured gun from rebels near District 19.”

 

Colin was somewhat surprised: “District 19 is tens of thousands of miles from us… how did they get here?”

 

In some minor details, Colin was always amazed by his superior’s knowledge, as if there was no information he didn’t know.

 

From memory, Huo Yanji had never been on missions to District 19, yet still understood the situation there.

 

Sang Jue, who had been quietly not interrupting, suddenly said: “Earlier Shiwei told me that her partner died probably because he saw Old Herman secretly meeting with a woman.”

 

Colin was puzzled: “Secret meeting with a woman?”

 

Sang Jue nodded: “A beautiful woman with shoulder-length hair.”

 

Colin searched his memory for a long time but had no clues: “Probably just an ordinary lover. It’s normal for Executive Officer Lange[mfn]so i discovered the name is Herman Lange and not Herman Coke…..[/mfn] to have needs after being alone for so many years.”

 

Huo Yanji handed back the evidence: “Pull the surveillance from the central building, check all personnel entering and leaving at this time.”

 

“Yes.” Colin immediately sent a message to the central building.

 

Looking at Old Herman’s corpse, Huo Yanji paused for a moment: “If there are no other issues, cremate him. Individual cremation—leave some ashes to send to me.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Huo Yanji still had to give a brief meeting to the executive officers below. He threw Sang Jue a bag of candy: “Ten minutes.”

 

Sang Jue was somewhat dissatisfied. Huo Yanji must have been a dolphin in his past life: “Keep your word. I’ll wait for you here.”

 

After the superior left, Colin raised an eyebrow: “Why are you using ‘you’ formally again?”

 

Sang Jue said: “Because Ji Ji is now my master.”

 

“Pfft—cough cough!!” Colin nearly choked on his saliva, “You really don’t need to tell me about your little intimate games.”

 

“It’s not intimate games, it’s punishment.” Sang Jue looked at him strangely, “And you asked first.”

 

Colin waved his hands repeatedly: “I won’t ask anymore.”

 

Sang Jue tilted his head: “You don’t seem angry or sad.”

 

“You mean about the ‘Dawn’ plan? I was too angry already, and I’m accidentally infected, different from their situation.” Colin shook his head, “Honestly, I’m somewhat grateful.”

 

Sang Jue: “Hm?”

 

Colin half-jokingly, half-seriously said: “Fortunately I became a deviant, otherwise how lonely would Wei Lan be alone? At least we can die together.”

 

Sang Jue said: “You might not lose order at the same time.”

 

“Doesn’t matter.” Colin had already thought it through, “If I die first, that’s perfect. If she leaves before me, at least I won’t have to spend decades alone for the rest of my life—I can go see her in a very short time.”

 

Sang Jue concluded—humans were all creatures with suicidal tendencies.

 

He stated a cruel fact: “You haven’t caught your female yet. Although you’re both deviants, you’re still alone.”

 

“…” That hit home.

 

But Colin had no time to pursue anyone. Just back from Rift No. 2, before recovering for two days, there was the incident of Huo Yanji being framed, then the “Dawn” plan was revealed, the whole city in turmoil…

 

Speaking of which, the superior should be busier than him, yet still found time to tease his little boyfriend and play role-playing games.

 

Tsk.

 

The superior was still the superior, always one step ahead in methods.

 

“I need to get busy.” Colin said goodbye, “Contact me if anything comes up.”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

…

 

The storm raged outside, and after nightfall it felt even more oppressive.

 

Sang Jue had already bathed and didn’t want to get wet from the rain again, so he tugged at Huo Yanji’s clothes and openly requested: “Can you carry me home? Like when we crossed the bridge at the bottom of the rift last time.”

 

Huo Yanji glanced at him: “Have you ever seen a master carry a little slave?”

 

Sang Jue honestly shook his head: “No—but you can be innovative.”

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “Quite presumptuous.”

 

Despite saying this, Huo Yanji still extended his hand. Sang Jue, wrapped in the military coat, seemed somewhat delicate, very skillfully pouncing into his embrace and wrapping his coat around Huo Yanji’s shoulders.

 

Carrying a person weighing over a hundred pounds, Huo Yanji could still free one hand to hold an umbrella: “Loosen your leg grip, there are no rifts or cliffs here.”

 

Sang Jue: “But you’re also very high up.”

 

Huo Yanji: “…”

 

Because he was covered by the military coat, Sang Jue secretly let out his tail, occasionally poking out the tip to prod Huo Yanji’s wrist.

 

“…”

 

When Huo Yanji slightly loosened his arms, Sang Jue stopped fooling around and tightly hugged Huo Yanji’s neck, as if the height of over a meter could cripple him.

 

“Don’t scare me…”

 

Sang Jue quite liked this position.

 

Huo Yanji’s embrace was warm and steady, full against his front, completely merged with another person’s body heat, with an indescribable comfort.

 

Military boots stepped through puddles, rain pounding on the umbrella top, but not wetting Sang Jue at all.

 

Sang Jue asked: “Are you sad?”

 

Using respectful address, his tone didn’t carry much reverence, nor was it humble—methodical, indeed like the little fun Colin had mentioned.

 

Huo Yanji: “About what?”

 

Sang Jue said: “Old Herman died, are you sad?”

 

Sang Jue could actually walk by himself, at worst he’d bathe again when they got back. But he felt that Huo Yanji might be a bit sad right now and wanted his hug.

 

Huo Yanji said: “Everyone dies.”

 

Sang Jue asked: “If I died, would you be sad?”

 

Huo Yanji paused slightly, asking back: “Sang Jue, you only have thirty years left… maybe less. Have you thought about how to spend the future?”

 

Sang Jue blinked: “I don’t know.”

 

Although he wasn’t really a deviant, he still had no plans for the future.

 

The doctor had once commented on him this way—no sense of urgency.

 

Probably because his life was very long, everything could be done slowly, doing whatever he wanted when he wanted. Unlike humans, who because of limited lifespans always rushed to plan the distant future.

 

But thinking carefully, he had made plans.

 

For example, he definitely had to return to his home planet, and wanted to pack up Huo Yanji and take him along before leaving.

 

They reached the apartment.

 

The broken bar table had been replaced with a new one. Huo Yanji set down Sang Jue and went to the bathroom to bathe.

 

The little evil dragon who had been carried the whole way finally had a conscience attack, holding slippers and waiting at the door. When the person came out, he respectfully bent down: “Please put on your shoes.”

 

“…” Huo Yanji lay on the bed, saying just before Sang Jue pounced on him: “Massage my arms.”

 

“Okay, but I’m not very good at it.”

 

Sang Jue folded his knees, took Huo Yanji’s arm and placed it on his legs. His uncalloused fingertips gently kneaded along the muscles, very elastic.

 

Huo Yanji’s skin, from years of wearing military uniforms and gloves, was also very white, with particularly prominent veins.

 

Sang Jue secretly glanced—Huo Yanji was resting with his eyes closed.

 

His tail tip uncontrollably emerged to the front, tapping on the veins like playing piano. Each poke made the veins jump lightly.

 

When Huo Yanji opened his eyes, the tail immediately returned properly to coil behind him, as if nothing had happened.

 

Sang Jue changed the subject: “When do you plan to retire?”

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “Probably when I lose value to humanity.”

 

Sang Jue thought: “Like being disabled like Wei Heng and Lu Tiancong?”

 

Huo Yanji: “…Maybe.”

 

“Mm… then when that time comes, would you be willing to come back with me?”

 

Huo Yanji looked at him: “Back where?”

 

“Back to my hometown.” Sang Jue worked hard to promote it, “The environment is very good there, the people are also good, not bad and smelly. If you become disabled, I’ll learn to take care of you.”

 

“…” Huo Yanji didn’t ask where it was, lightly curving his lips: “Planning to be my little slave for life?”

 

Sang Jue hesitated: “If you’re willing to leave with me, I could consider it.”

 

“Oh.” Huo Yanji said deliberately: “If you don’t come with me, you’ll still have to be a little slave for life.”

 

Sang Jue successfully fell into the trap: “Why?”

 

Huo Yanji said: “The sofa’s maker died, its price has appreciated again, it’s now a priceless treasure. You’ll have to spend a lifetime paying off the debt.”

 

“…”

 

The entire dragon froze.

 

Was his lifetime too long?

 

**

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