EDEH Chapter 76

Unlike Huo Yanji’s hands with thin calluses, Sang Jue’s palms were delicate and flexible – not overly soft, but couldn’t be called hard either.

 

He had no idea what to do.

 

Although Huo Yanji had taught him hands-on before, he still had no method when helping others.

 

A knock came at the door: “Sir, lunch.”

 

Huo Yanji turned his head, pausing for two seconds before saying hoarsely: “Come in after one minute.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Huo Yanji grasped Sang Jue’s wrist, placed it on his shoulder, and carried him toward the inner room of the office. This was originally a rest room, but since Huo Yanji rarely slept during work hours, he had converted it into a file room filled with various documents.

 

The supervisor who came to deliver food pushed the door open, only seeing a military uniform jacket scattered on the sofa, draped over the edge and about to fall.

 

He picked it up puzzledly and hung it on the rack by the door, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

 

“It seems like it’s going to explode.” Sang Jue blinked, urging: “If you don’t hurry, lunch will get cold.”

 

The hard fabric of his pants was pulled to his knees, his bottom supported by broad palms, pressed against the filing cabinet.

 

All the veins on Huo Yanji’s hands bulged, and the tendons on one side of his neck kept jumping. Though his eyes were dark and deep, his tone remained light and leisurely: “Then you’d better work harder.”

 

Sang Jue could never understand how torturous his clumsy ministrations were, or how much restraint this human in front of him used to resist the urge to merge him into his bones.

 

Sang Jue inexplicably thought of a phrase – broad daylight… hmm.

 

The file room had no tables, chairs, or sofas, and his back against the shelf was uncomfortable. Huo Yanji carried him back to the office, swept the documents off the desk, and placed Sang Jue on it.

 

The hot food was right beside them. Huo Yanji scooped up a spoonful of mushroom sauce and fed it to Sang Jue’s lips: “Eat while you work, it won’t get cold.”

 

“…” Huo Yanji was excessively wicked.

 

Exploiting dragon labor, not even giving rest during meal times.

 

…

 

The news of the Supervisor Organization’s dissolution spread to all safe zones within just three days – of course, this wasn’t without Huo Yanji’s help.

 

The previously busy Supervision Hall was now empty, the towering plaques were quickly removed, all uniforms were recalled for reprocessing, personnel systems were shut down, supervisor identities were canceled –

 

From this moment on, supervisors completely became history.

 

With the deed done, all higher-ups could only accept reality. Large and small meetings continued, discussing specific decisions.

 

The most troublesome thing was that this news also reached the underground city.

 

There are no walls that don’t leak. Huo Yanji couldn’t cut off all connections between safe zones and the underground city – someone would always notify them.

 

Huo Jiangmian’s people had just reached the surface above the underground city when they were turned away.

 

In the conference room.

 

Everyone was there, including the suspended Huo Jiangmian.

 

In the current situation, even though he was officially suspended, they still needed his help secretly.

 

He sat across from Huo Yanji, attitude casual, coolly looking at the formally seated people around the conference table without speaking.

 

The political district people had the most thoughts. Since Fu Xi was a participant in the Dawn Plan, he was suspended for investigation, with the deputy administrator temporarily replacing him.

 

The deputy administrator rubbed his temples: “The underground city passage has been closed. The remaining councilors are now demanding that we immediately and safely return the several detained councilors.”

 

Huo Yanji said casually: “Then release them.”

 

The deputy administrator disagreed: “That way, we won’t have any leverage…”

 

Huo Yanji’s tone was flat: “Do you think we can exchange the opening of resource channels from the underground city with just Zom and a few others?”

 

Ling Gen frowned: “Then what do we do? We can’t fight a war with the underground city, can we?”

 

Everyone whispered among themselves, all disagreeing.

 

With insufficient military strength and weapons, an internal war would finish humanity directly. Most people felt negotiation was more appropriate.

 

Those who control resources are always fearless. Even though the despicable Dawn No. 2 plan was exposed, the council wasn’t too panicked.

 

Tang Bai snorted coldly: “We never should have handed the underground city over to the Supreme Council for full management.”

 

Balance is always needed, because there’s no guarantee that any organization or department will always maintain their original intentions.

 

Huo Jiangmian suddenly said: “Perhaps you should think more long-term.”

 

“…What?” Everyone looked at him.

 

“The main city’s monthly death toll is above fifty thousand. Last month it even broke seventy thousand.” Huo Jiangmian said leisurely: “If the underground city passage stays closed for a hundred years, surface humanity will be finished.”

 

The underground city, which controls reproductive resources, could completely erase this period of history and make a comeback after a hundred years, just like the ancestors who avoided the Meteor Season and first emerged from underground, redeveloping the surface.

 

Everyone was stunned: “That’s impossible, they’d have to be crazy to do that…”

 

The deputy administrator said: “Though we need the underground city’s resources, the underground city also needs our material supplies—”

 

Huo Jiangmian said: “The underground city’s location is special, and their technological resources are much better than the surface. They have cultivation capabilities and resource supply has long achieved internal circulation. Closing the passage would only mean less food supplementation for them.”

 

“…”

 

Everyone fell into discussion, actually feeling that what Huo Jiangmian said was very likely to happen. From past to present, the council’s ideological indoctrination had always been to sacrifice everything for the future.

 

Otherwise, when they first migrated to the underground city, with positions still vacant, they had ruthlessly abandoned the remaining billion-plus lives.

 

Unable to think of a good response, everyone looked at Huo Yanji.

 

Huo Yanji said: “The underground city isn’t the council’s one-man show either. Don’t we still have the Supervisory Office?”

 

The Supervisory Office’s origins were complex.

 

Simply put, decades ago, women had no choice and were forcibly kept in the underground city by the Supreme Council as reproductive resources. They seemed to live safely, but were actually numb and suffering.

 

Until an uprising, when a female leader led a rebellion and initiated negotiations, finally reaching an agreement that women could choose to stay or leave on their own, and the Underground City Supervisory Office was established to monitor every word and action of the Supreme Council members.

 

What made the Underground City Supervisory Office members special was that there were no males – all members were female supervisors who had served on the surface for many years, then retired and were elected by underground city residents before taking office.

 

Though not many in number and without military power, they largely represented all underground city residents.

 

Ling Gen thought for a long time, then exhaled deeply: “It seems you anticipated this day long ago… The Supervisory Office changed personnel four years ago. If I remember correctly, the main city retired two, Districts 7, 5, and 13 each one – are they all your people?”

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “Not exactly my people, just carefully selected with the same aspirations. They won’t sit idly by.”

 

Staying in the underground city was also a kind of sacrifice, but if surface civilization crumbled, then this sacrifice would be meaningless.

 

Tang Bai said: “You mean, if the council wants people, we’ll go along and send Zom and other councilors back, taking the opportunity to coordinate inside and outside to completely resolve the council’s threat?”

 

“Yes, the plan has already begun. I’m notifying you only to have everyone prepare.” Huo Yanji looked around at everyone, saying slowly: “After leaving here, every phone call, message, including people and events you contact will be monitored to prevent information leaks. It’s not that I don’t trust you, just being cautious as usual.”

 

Everyone was speechless, unable to find words to refute.

 

Huo Yanji said coldly: “The council’s various actions and years of inaction have already violated the ‘Survivor Agreement’ they themselves established back then, meeting the prerequisites for abolition and dissolution.

 

“—Betrayal now would be betraying all survivors. I hope everyone understands this.”

 

Huo Jiangmian already knew the detailed plan and didn’t react much.

 

He walked out of the conference room with Huo Yanji, their steps surprisingly synchronized. Standing at the steps, looking at the faint light in the city, he said: “This seems like our first cooperation.”

 

Huo Yanji: “Yes.”

 

“It should also be the last.” Huo Jiangmian said: “You can’t prove I participated in ‘Dawn No. 2,’ but you also can’t clear the suspicion in people’s minds. Better to follow the rules and let me take off this uniform.”

 

If the Dawn Plan was established by predecessors and those who subsequently maintained and supported it could be somewhat forgiven, then those who participated in Dawn No. 2 had no grounds for pardon.

 

Without dealing with these people, what about those tens of thousands of lives that nearly went to their deaths?

 

Huo Jiangmian’s arm trembled slightly – it had been like this recently.

 

He smiled, saying lightly: “You know, if I continue in this position, I might not be able to control myself anymore.”

 

Huo Yanji glanced at him: “Then what?”

 

“We’ll see. Maybe I’ll go find Ji Zhen, watch her, see what choice she’ll make in the end, what kind of ending she’ll walk toward.

 

“You have Sang Jue now, and loyal subordinates. No matter how bad people’s hearts or the situation gets, you can still find people who share your aspirations. But Ji Zhen is still alone – too lonely. I won’t help her, but watching from the side should be fine.”

 

Huo Jiangmian walked down the steps, waving his hand: “As for me, I’ve gotten what I wished for.”

 

Just like he said in his youth, he had achieved another level of eternal infamy, with his bad reputation following him forever.

 

“Oh right.” Huo Jiangmian looked back: “The voting results on whether Sang Jue should be exchanged for those seven thousand-plus residents are out… honestly, I’m a bit surprised.”

 

“Beep—”

 

Huo Yanji looked at his communicator – it was a message from Colin with the voting results.

 

According to statistics, 740,000 people participated in the vote, and the number of disapproving votes exceeded the approving votes by 80,700.

 

Often it’s like this – most people remain silent.

 

But as long as they don’t speak up, their thoughts get represented by the loud voices.

 

Huo Yanji looked down and called Sang Jue. Over these three days, they had barely communicated – it had been too busy.

 

The other end answered almost immediately. Huo Yanji asked: “Sang Jue, where are you?”

 

Sang Jue replied: “I’m with Colin, on the way to the research institute.”

 

Huo Yanji said: “Don’t trust others too easily.”

 

This time Sang Jue understood. He was already sensitive to places like research institutes: “I won’t say anything carelessly. Just going to see Old Karl.”

 

Huo Yanji hummed: “Come home early.”

 

Sang Jue asked directly: “We haven’t seen each other for eighteen hours and thirty-one minutes. Did you miss me?”

 

Huo Yanji paused, then looked at the time: “I have about two hours of rest time coming up. I can come find you for dinner.”

 

Sang Jue’s mood brightened: “Then I’ll wait for you.”

 

From answering the call to hanging up, Sang Jue’s lips never stopped curving upward in a smile.

 

Colin laughed: “You like the superior that much?”

 

“Yes, very much.” Sang Jue was completely frank, saying with a small hint of pride: “I have a wife now. Do you?”

 

Not only did Huo Yanji kiss him, but even when so busy, he still wanted to have dinner with him.

 

His wife really liked him.

 

“…Wife?” Colin nearly cracked, asking tremblingly: “You didn’t call him that to his face, did you?”

 

Sang Jue nodded: “I did. He really liked it.”

 

Colin turned to stone on the spot.

 

Was there still time to explain to the general that he wasn’t the one who taught him this?

 

**

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