EDEH Chapter 70

[007 Diary Twenty-Five]

 

[The little evil dragon now has an extremely poor impression of humans. Whether this will affect humanity’s future trajectory is unknown. Though there are bonds with No. 002 now, if No. 002 were to die…]

 

·

 

Rain pattered softly. The complexion of Ling Gen’s officers changed: “We don’t wish to target you, just want to investigate your companion’s identity clearly. Please cooper—”

 

The word “cooperate” was cut off by Huo Yanji.

 

He had no desire for more talk, directly beginning the final countdown: “Three, two—”

 

The lead officer clenched his fist and quickly stepped aside before Huo Yanji could reach “one.” Though rationally he felt Huo Yanji wouldn’t shoot soldiers over a small deviant, he didn’t dare gamble.

 

Huo Yanji led his people through the path they’d cleared, his figure gradually receding.

 

“Would General Huo really shoot us?”

 

“Who knows. We shouldn’t have done this anyway. The commander will understand our concession.”

 

…

 

The elevator was descending. Ding—the doors opened.

 

Ling Gen directly met Huo Yanji’s cold gaze, paused, then forced a smile: “General Huo arrived quite quickly.”

 

Ling Gen’s hands were empty, with no sign of Sang Jue behind him. He’d only taken some evidence from Huo Yanji’s home—things like cups and hair for genetic testing to prove Sang Jue was really a deviant.

 

“Where is my person?”

 

Though Ling Gen hadn’t been in the rain, he was soaked through, hair dripping wet.

 

He wiped his face, looking terrible: “Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?”

 

Huo Yanji glanced at his wretched state, saying coldly: “General Ling went to such lengths breaking into my home to arrest an innocent person—what exactly do you want?”

 

“Though you plan to disband the supervisor organization, the ‘Supervisory Code’ still stands. Ordinary people and deviants cannot be together—this is an iron law that will never change.”

 

Ling Gen didn’t think he’d done wrong: “As General and highest executive officer, how can you be so confused!? You’re responsible not just for your own safety, but for a million city residents!”

 

At their position, their lives were no longer their own—they couldn’t die when they wanted to die, or live when they wanted to live.

 

Huo Yanji was currently balanced between deviants and ordinary people, barely keeping the situation from complete chaos. But if something happened to him, it would truly descend into mayhem.

 

Huo Yanji said: “So what, you want another public trial?”

 

“This is autonomous behavior by residents, I have no such intention!” Ling Gen said irritably, “I came here to take Sang Jue away early, to avoid the situation deteriorating. After investigating everything—”

 

His voice stopped abruptly.

 

Huo Yanji scoffed: “What do you plan to do after investigating everything?”

 

Ling Gen took a deep breath: “You shoulder so many responsibilities, you really shouldn’t be with a deviant. Trials and such are too inhumane—neither Sang Jue nor Bo Qing back then did anything wrong. When the time comes, Sang Jue can be transferred to live in other safe zones. For both your safety, just endure it.”

 

If Huo Yanji was truly infected by Sang Jue someday, Sang Jue would also face death.

 

Saying these words made Ling Gen uncomfortable too. He and most of his soldiers were deviants, forcibly categorizing themselves as the harmful side created a profound sense of division.

 

All the deviant soldiers still following orders had abandoned their dignity.

 

They ignored their identity as ‘victims,’ didn’t think about their limited lifespans, and continued fighting for so-called ideals.

 

Those protesting and shouting in the city were just “ordinary people” who couldn’t control their anger and fear, desperately fighting for their rights.

 

Huo Yanji brushed past Ling Gen, knocking him sideways.

 

Entering the elevator, Huo Yanji pressed the button for the eleventh floor. Before the doors closed, he said indifferently: “Do you think Huo Jiangmin was the only one acting against his conscience all these years? Don’t put me on such a pedestal.”

 

Ling Gen was stunned.

 

He instinctively reached out to stop the elevator doors, but it was too late—the elevator had already started ascending.

 

Military boots clicked in the corridor. Scattered rain mist drifted into the hallway, adding a chill to the air.

 

The house wasn’t too messy, just a hole in the door, water stains by the bedroom entrance, and an empty basin.

 

His expression grew colder as he headed straight for the bedroom.

 

Already prepared for the person to be gone, he was suddenly embraced by a warm figure, his body stiffening.

 

The person in his arms was somewhat happy: “From the city gate to the apartment should take an hour, but you only used thirty minutes.”

 

Huo Yanji held the slender waist, looking down at the fluffy head in his arms: “Are you hurt?”

 

“No, but they broke your door.” Sang Jue blinked, quite proud, “I only broke the pillow.”

 

The cold expression on Huo Yanji’s face finally softened: “Your punishment is to stay by my side from now on, not leaving for even a step.”

 

“Okay.” This punishment was nice. “How will you punish them?”

 

“Handle according to military law.” Huo Yanji asked, “How did Ling Gen get wet?”

 

Sang Jue answered honestly: “I was afraid you’d be angry if I killed him, but I’d be angry if I didn’t kill him, so I put a basin of water on the door.”

 

Originally he wanted to use toilet water, but this was Huo Yanji’s house and they still had to live here—spilling it on the floor would be too unsanitary.

 

The little evil dragon was very moral, stepping back to choose tap water instead.

 

A very crude prank, but extremely effective. Ling Gen clearly looked terrible.

 

Huo Yanji rubbed Sang Jue’s nape: “That situation didn’t warrant killing, but if your safety is threatened, don’t spare anyone regardless of who they are.”

 

Sang Jue asked questioningly: “But then could I still be with you?”

 

Even if someone really wanted to eliminate him, it would be for the safety of citizens and Huo Yanji—similar to Bo Qing’s situation back then.

 

If he killed these people, it would be even harder to stay by Ji Ji’s side.

 

Mm… but the problem wasn’t too big. He could steal Ji Ji away when these humans weren’t paying attention, take him back to the home planet with the aircraft, leaving them no resources at all.

 

Hmph.

 

Huo Yanji was used to Sang Jue’s ambiguous phrasing. This “being together” probably just meant staying together on the surface.

 

“I won’t…” Huo Yanji paused, “No one is worth you compromising yourself. Your safety comes above all else.”

 

“Got it.” Glancing at the soldiers behind them, Sang Jue asked quietly, “I mixed ‘Dawn’ and put it in the fridge, originally wanting to wait for you to come back and drink it. Want to try a sip?”

 

Though Huo Yanji always said no alcohol during non-rest periods, his alcohol tolerance was obviously better than his own—a sip or two shouldn’t be a problem.

 

But when would he be less busy and have rest time? Then he could see what Huo Yanji looked like drunk.

 

Sang Jue pulled Huo Yanji to the refrigerator, took out the drink, eyes wide: “Want some?”

 

Huo Yanji said nothing, took it and drained it in one gulp: “Tastes good.”

 

Sang Jue was shocked: “Wasn’t that too much?”

 

Huo Yanji subtly curved his lips: “This special cocktail is only about five percent alcohol. Not many people get drunk from one glass.”

 

Sang Jue: “…”

 

He was being mocked. Hmph, he wasn’t human anyway.

 

“Let’s go.” Huo Yanji took Sang Jue’s hand.

 

But footsteps sounded outside again—Ling Gen had followed.

 

He originally wanted to ask about the meaning of Huo Yanji’s words in the elevator, but was caught off guard seeing Sang Jue, who he couldn’t find anywhere before.

 

“You…” Ling Gen was extremely shocked, “Where did you come from?”

 

He had clearly searched every part of the house, including the exterior, and found no trace of Sang Jue. How could he suddenly appear?

 

Sang Jue hesitated—should he play dumb or pretend not to hear?

 

He had simply turned into green fungus and hidden in the ventilation ducts before Ling Gen entered.

 

Civilian ventilation ducts couldn’t fit an adult, barely even a child. Ling Gen’s people never thought to check there.

 

Huo Yanji suddenly said: “What, doesn’t General Ling’s house have hidden spaces?”

 

Ling Gen was stunned.

 

Huo Yanji casually pressed a wall tile, and the sound of bookshelves moving came from the study. Through the doorway, there was indeed a small hidden room behind.

 

Ling Gen looked twice, somewhat unwilling but with no choice—he couldn’t take the person away in front of Huo Yanji.

 

“Sitting in this position, you don’t just represent Huo Yanji the person. You should be cautious in word and deed.” Ling Gen looked deeply at Huo Yanji before turning to leave. “None of us have the right to be willful.”

 

But if he had just looked in the study, he would have found that the hidden space was covered in dust with not a single footprint on the ground—clearly unused for a long time.

 

Huo Yanji normally didn’t live here, so naturally wouldn’t go in.

 

Sang Jue quietly pursed his lips, not knowing why Huo Yanji suddenly covered for him… when he clearly hadn’t hidden there.

 

After Ling Gen’s figure disappeared, Huo Yanji pressed the wall tile and the hidden space behind the study closed again.

 

Outside the apartment, a car was waiting.

 

Sang Jue sat with Huo Yanji in the back seat, not speaking the whole way, rarely experiencing what “anxiety” felt like.

 

He waited for Huo Yanji to ask him, but Huo Yanji kept making calls. Sang Jue could only play with his free left hand.

 

Huo Yanji’s hand was as attractive as the person himself—strong and powerful, with distinct knuckles, nails trimmed round and neat, not like many people with dirty black stuff under their nails.

 

From years of gripping guns, his palm and the web between thumb and forefinger had thin calluses, making them somewhat rough—

 

Sang Jue had felt this when Huo Yanji touched him before, grinding somewhat painfully while making his whole body go soft.

 

After the Adam’s apple, Sang Jue had found another thing he wanted to bite.

 

Huo Yanji: “—Handle it like that for now.”

 

The other side replied with agreement.

 

The call finally ended. His hand had been poked several times. Huo Yanji looked at Sang Jue: “What’s wrong?”

 

Sang Jue was a little evil dragon who couldn’t hold things in: “Why didn’t you ask where I was hiding just now?”

 

After looking at each other for a while, Huo Yanji asked: “Do you want to tell me?”

 

The little evil dragon didn’t answer for a long time. The communicator beeped twice again. Just as Huo Yanji was about to answer, he felt moisture on his fingertip.

 

Thin green slime climbed up, wrapping around just one finger before stopping, like holding hands.

 

Sang Jue said: “I told you my secret.”

 

His body instinctively sensed danger, trying to retreat or kill, but Huo Yanji forcibly suppressed the instinct. His Adam’s apple rolled slightly as he looked at where Sang Jue’s finger gradually blended with the slime, slowly humming acknowledgment.

 

“Then would you be willing to become my mate?” Sang Jue said seriously. “Though I’m very poor now and can’t give you babies, I’ll work hard to build you a golden house.”

 

“…”

 

**

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