TYMIMA Chapter 41

Zhan Pingchuan experienced a case of pure, selfless maternal love.

 

He wanted nothing more than to cling to Chu Fu’s legs like he did as a child, rubbing his head against her vigorously, saying “mom” non-stop.

 

The tiger father might have given birth to a dog son. Chu Fu pushed Zhan Pingchuan away with disdain: “Enough, you’re embarrassing.”

 

She didn’t understand either. Zhan Qinghe was a white tiger form animal system, and when fully transformed, he still had the majesty of the king of beasts. But why was their son like a dog?

 

Zhan Pingchuan carefully put away Chu Fu’s pheromones, instantly dropping his playful demeanor, saying with determination: “Don’t worry, I won’t let myself need to use this vial of pheromones, nor will I let you and Dad fall into crisis.”

 

He wasn’t someone who could only rely on S-level abilities. Even before his awakening, he had been training in underground cities for many years.

 

The Blue Pivot building was indeed a den of dragons and tigers, but it depended on who was facing it. There was no such thing as a flawless defense in this world; it was just that they hadn’t encountered a strong enough opponent.

 

Chu Fu glanced at Zhan Pingchuan and finally couldn’t resist patting her son’s head.

 

If he was like a dog, then so be it. After all, he was her own flesh and blood.

 

–

 

Within a month, Star University’s recommendation letter and the Federation government’s invitation were both delivered to Lance’s Sky team.

 

Tang Li was extremely excited upon receiving the letter, and Liu Bo was equally ecstatic, but Lance and Zhan Pingchuan each harbored their own thoughts, their minds full of plans for the upcoming mission.

 

As Dawn Day approached, the capital city was already permeated with a festive atmosphere. Colorful small light bulbs were hung on the green belts along the streets, and cheerful blessing pictures were pasted on the street lamps.

 

Due to the half-month long holiday, airline tickets and accommodations throughout the Federation had significantly increased in price, but civilians planning to travel were still coming in an endless stream. The Federation government ordered strengthened qualification verification for underground cities everywhere to prevent unauthorized Awakened ones from entering.

 

Because of this, the Blue Pivot inspection team and Hong Suo Research Institute became even busier, making the recruitment of interns an inevitable choice.

 

Just as the entire Federation was happily waiting for the holiday, the Black Lantern Society released a second help request through the official network.

 

Applicant: Confidential as needed

 

Wrongdoer: Confidential as needed

 

Charges: Betrayal, cowardice, resentment

 

Requested sentence: Death penalty

 

Remuneration: Confidential as needed

 

Additional requirements: Confidential

 

As soon as the application was released, it was immediately reposted by various media outlets, causing an instant uproar in public opinion.

 

After the Erdiff incident, the Black Lantern Society had already been in the spotlight. Later, the Blue Pivot inspection team’s large-scale crackdown yielded no results, further shrouding this organization in mystery.

 

The public gradually discerned a pattern: disputes and injustices occur every moment in this world, and no matter how powerful the Black Lantern Society is, they couldn’t possibly fulfill all requests immediately. Therefore, only applications made public on the official website were those that had been accepted, investigated, and were ready for execution.

 

“It’s confidential? Who is it this time?”

 

“I guess it’s someone important, otherwise it wouldn’t be confidential. The applicant is probably afraid of retaliation.”

 

“Hmph, since the Black Lantern Society has already accepted it, it means this person truly deserves to die.”

 

“Indeed, look at the charges; this is definitely deserving of death.”

 

“I guess the Black Lantern Society is about to make their move. We can keep an eye on the news these days.”

 

“Right around Dawn Day, I wonder if it’s a good omen.”

 

“Who cares? They only kill those in high positions anyway, it has nothing to do with us ordinary people.”

 

“With the Black Lantern Society around, those high-level Awakened ones have indeed become more restrained.”

 

……

 

The news quickly spread within Blue Pivot as well. While everyone outwardly adhered to discipline by not discussing such sensitive news, privately, everyone was talking about it.

 

Two night-shift inspection team members walked all the way to the seventh floor, finding nothing unusual. So they took the opportunity to slack off, browsing news online while chatting—

 

“Hey, did you see the news? The Black Lantern Society is going to kill someone again.”

 

“I saw it long ago. I wonder who they’re killing this time. It’s confidential, so mysterious.”

 

“I guess the confidentiality might be to avoid alerting the target. This person must be harder to kill than Erdiff.”

 

“Heh, who knows? Anyway, the various high-ranking officials of the Federation have all strengthened their security. Even our Blue Pivot has dispatched quite a few people to protect their safety, leaving the district short-handed.”

 

“Those who have done nothing wrong don’t fear ghosts knocking at their door. They seem quite afraid of death. I guess they’ve done plenty of betrayal, cowardice, and resentment.”

 

“Shh, are you crazy? There are cameras everywhere. Do you have a death wish?”

 

The two chatted briefly before hurriedly leaving the seventh floor. They didn’t hear the slight sound coming from a nearby room, separated by a barrier.

 

In an emergency meeting, Si Hongche was repeatedly asked by Federation councilors to catch the Black Lantern Society rebels before Dawn Day to alleviate the councilors’ panic.

 

Throughout the meeting, Si Hongche hardly said a word. His expression grew increasingly grim, and his gaze toward the councilors grew colder.

 

As soon as the meeting ended, Si Hongche didn’t wait for the chairman to announce adjournment before storming out, slamming the door with a “bang.”

 

His aide caught up, earnestly advising: “Director Si, leaving like this is too disrespectful to everyone. By Monday, someone will surely impeach you before the elders.”

 

Si Hongche coldly sneered: “Blue Pivot maintains the order of the entire Federation, not the safety of any individual. What do you think they’re afraid of?”

 

He strode toward his office, not slowing his pace at all.

 

The aide smiled bitterly and sighed: “Water too clear has no fish. You need to be more open-minded about some things. Hasn’t the Federation government’s development to this day made us beneficiaries as well?”

 

Si Hongche suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and coldly stared at the aide: “Who did you say is a beneficiary?”

 

The aide, facing Si Hongche’s icy gaze, broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly slapped his own mouth, apologizing repeatedly: “I misspoke, Director. There are no beneficiaries, no beneficiaries!”

 

He knew what price Si Hongche had paid to get where he was today: losing his sister who was his only family, becoming enemies with his former love, and nearly dying in the rebellion suppression to save his enemy’s life.

 

It was hatred that drove Si Hongche to climb higher and higher, but even though he now held a high position and wielded power that others could only envy, he still couldn’t find any happiness.

 

His status, his dignity, his power—all were exchanged with blood: that of relatives, enemies, and unrelated people.

 

The aide guessed that if possible, Si Hongche probably wished he had never set foot in Blue Pivot, or even never brought his sister to the capital city.

 

After a long while, Si Hongche finally withdrew his murderous gaze, and the air finally had some room to breathe.

 

The aide let out a long breath, keeping his mouth tightly shut, not daring to speak again.

 

Si Hongche left Qian Yun, boarded the special vehicle within the restricted area, and drove back to the Blue Pivot building. He went straight to his office, took off his leather gloves with his back to the door, threw them on the desk, and said in a deep voice to the inspection team member behind him: “Bring that person here.”

 

Si Hongche was wrapped in a layer of murderous intent, his tone frighteningly cold. The inspection team member had to steel himself to say: “He, he, he should be taking a bath.”

 

Oliver was the most special existence in Blue Pivot. On one hand, he was Si Hongche’s personal prisoner, the most deprived of human rights and the most humble at the bottom of the entire Blue Pivot building. But at the same time, apart from Si Hongche, no one dared to harm him in the slightest.

 

 

Not only because he was a rare plant system S-level Awakened one, but also because of Si Hongche’s insanely possessive nature.

 

Si Hongche always became unpredictable and mercurial in matters concerning Oliver. He could beat Oliver to the brink of death, could violate and humiliate him against his will, but he would also become furious at Oliver’s self-harming behavior of crashing into the barrier, ordering his subordinates to remove all fibers from the barrier and smooth it out.

 

So when Oliver was naked and taking a bath, the inspection team member absolutely dared not disturb him.

 

That dark, narrow room only had a bathroom without any surveillance equipment.

 

Si Hongche paused slightly, turned back, and frowned deeply: “You say he’s taking a bath voluntarily?”

 

The inspection team member hurriedly said: “Yes, yes, he did it on his own.”

 

Si Hongche remained silent for a long time, still in disbelief.

 

Oliver had now deeply sunk into the Spirit Realm system. He was almost unresponsive to everything in the outside world. He seemed to no longer care about his physical body, with only his spirit escaping to a peaceful corner.

 

So no matter how dirty or disheveled he was, he seemed not to notice. Each time, Si Hongche had to drag him forcibly, throw him into the bathtub, increase the water volume, and wash him clean.

 

Initially, Oliver would struggle and hide, but later, no matter how strong the water pressure was or how painful it felt on his body, he had no reaction at all.

 

But today he actually bathed himself?

 

Oliver sat with his knees drawn up in the bathtub, the slightly cool water soaking his battered body. Bright sunlight filtered through the small window, only the size of a palm.

 

He leaned forward a bit, letting the sunlight fall on his face. It seemed warm, so bright that one could hardly open their eyes.

 

He had been soaking in the bathtub for a long time. The water had gone from scalding hot, making his skin red, to cool enough to make him shiver slightly. His fingers and toes had wrinkled from the prolonged soaking, and the newly formed scabs on his wounds had turned white and soft, faintly seeping blood.

 

But he had never felt so peaceful and calm.

 

When he heard the content of the inspection team members’ conversation, he knew he could finally be free.

 

He hadn’t bet wrong; the Black Lantern Society had accepted his request. He was about to die.

 

When people learn of their impending death, there’s a period of temporary revival.

 

In life, he had been a disheveled, undignified person, but in death, he wanted to be a dignified corpse.

 

At this moment, he finally gained a bit of cruel pleasure, finally having the strength to do something for himself.

 

In his application, he wrote that he resented Si Hongche for his heartlessness and his brother for breaking his promise. But at this moment, he no longer resented anything.

 

This was an absurd world, full of monsters, and he was one of them.

 

When Si Hongche arrived at the seventh floor, Oliver had already come out of the bathtub. He was sitting in front of the mirror, combing his hair.

 

Long-term malnutrition had long stripped his golden hair of its luster, but this didn’t prevent him from meticulously combing it out and smoothing it until there were no tangles.

 

His hair was slightly curly, inherently difficult to comb. To completely smooth it out, he inevitably had to pull out many strands.

 

He gathered those strands together and found a small box to temporarily store them.

 

His room had no trash can, just as he had no privacy here. All items he used would be carefully examined, even if it was just a condom wrapper.

 

Si Hongche stood outside the barrier, watching Oliver comb his hair with his back to him.

 

Paying attention to one’s appearance was a very ordinary action, but Si Hongche inexplicably felt a trace of fear in his heart.

 

Because life, leisure, pleasure were all at odds with this dark, narrow room full of barriers.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Si Hongche opened the barrier, stepped into the room, and snatched the comb from Oliver.

 

The action hurt Oliver’s fingers, but he only slightly furrowed his brow and continued to look at the mirror.

 

“I’m, too thin.”

 

Oliver said word by word to the person in the mirror. This was the first time he had voluntarily answered Si Hongche’s question, although it seemed somewhat irrelevant.

 

He really was too thin. His cheekbones protruded, his cheeks were sunken, his eyelids clung to his eyeballs without a trace of fat, making him look especially exhausted.

 

Oliver couldn’t help but think, if he died like this, would there even be much nutrition?

 

Those plants waiting for him to decompose and become nutrients would probably be disappointed.

 

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time anymore; otherwise, he would have tried to fatten himself up a bit.

 

There was still lingering moisture in the room. A whip wound on Oliver’s arm had been soaked until it was red and bleeding, showing signs of infection.

 

Si Hongche pulled him up from the chair with one hand, forcing him to look at himself, and demanded in a deep voice: “What exactly are you thinking?”

 

Oliver didn’t answer. He held onto Si Hongche’s hand that was gripping his neck, looking at Si Hongche with a calm gaze.

 

He looked carefully, examining every inch of his skin, the traces of the years.

 

The former Si Hongche loved to smile—gentle smiles, indulgent smiles, helpless smiles. The current Si Hongche never smiled.

 

The former Si Hongche kept his hair neat and clean. When he jumped playing basketball, his flying hair looked good. The current Si Hongche had a personal barber, yet inevitably carried a bureaucratic air.

 

The former Si Hongche had rescued a kitten that fell into a ventilation duct with him, secretly keeping it in the dormitory. The current Si Hongche’s hands were stained with the blood of countless people.

 

Time was long enough to completely change a person.

 

Oliver suddenly felt that he no longer loved or hated this person at all.

 

–

 

On Dawn Day, the entire Federation entered a relaxed holiday life. Even Star University students had gone home, traveled, or otherwise departed, with very few remaining on campus.

 

Zhan Pingchuan secretly wrapped the small box Chu Fu had given him in his clothes, then stuffed the clothes into his backpack. After confirming they wouldn’t be damaged, he leaned the backpack against the chair, then rested his chin on his hand, watching Lance put a third layer of password on his bulging suitcase.

 

Zhan Pingchuan couldn’t help but ask: “Little classmate Lance, what do you have in your suitcase that’s so precious?”

 

Lance adjusted the password while replying: “Harbor Tan mixed noodles sent from my home. I heard the food at Blue Pivot isn’t good, and I’m afraid I won’t be used to it.”

 

Little idiot, of course it wasn’t just Harbor Tan mixed noodles. How could one not make preparations when trying to take someone away from right under Si Hongche’s nose?

 

Zhan Pingchuan tried hard to understand for a long time but still couldn’t comprehend: “Is it really necessary to set three layers of password for a suitcase of Harbor Tan mixed noodles? Who would steal and eat it anyway?”

 

Lance immediately turned to look at him, his gaze unwavering.

 

Zhan Pingchuan: “……………………”

 

After a while, Lance couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes curving into a mischievous arc.

 

Zhan Pingchuan finally realized that Lance was teasing him, so he strode over, picked up the little red fox, held him in his arms, and asked: “You think I would steal food? These plain mixed noodles, I’m afraid I’d become malnourished if I ate them.”

 

Lance looked up at him, unable to resist defending his hometown cuisine: “How are they plain? There are green onions, cilantro, diced carrots, and broccoli bits. The sauce is also concentrated bone broth, perfect in appearance, aroma, and taste.”

 

“You call that perfect in appearance, aroma, and taste? You’ve never had Desert City’s spicy beef. That’s what you call nutritious. I grew this tall by eating that.” As he spoke, Zhan Pingchuan imperceptibly pulled Lance closer.

 

“I grew up well eating mixed noodles too. Healthy body, complete nutrition.” Lance’s breath gently blew on Zhan Pingchuan’s cheek. His T-shirt had already been wrinkled by Zhan Pingchuan’s hand around his waist.

 

“Is that so?” Zhan Pingchuan raised his eyebrows, his gaze falling on Lance’s soft, full lips, saying softly, “Let me taste if the nutrition is good.”

 

He bent down and captured Lance’s lips, giving him a kiss.

 

Lance pressed his moistened lips together, his hands climbing onto Zhan Pingchuan’s shoulders, asking with a straight face: “Classmate Zhan, is the nutrition good?”

 

He was like a good student asking a teacher about a difficult problem from a textbook, as if this was a key question type closely related to the final grade, one that must be thoroughly understood.

 

“Hard to say.” Zhan Pingchuan’s eyes were very deep, his palm cupping the back of Lance’s neck, caressing his gland while pressing him closer. “Let me taste more carefully.”

 

After saying this, he tasted thoroughly and meticulously, not sparing the tongue that was obediently tucked inside.

 

Lance seemed to truly want to know the answer to this question, so he fully cooperated with Zhan Pingchuan’s ‘inspection.’ He even opened his teeth, allowing Zhan Pingchuan to inspect more thoroughly.

 

Before long, his lips were engorged and reddened. Lance dodged away from Zhan Pingchuan, resting his chin on his shoulder, breathing lightly.

 

While catching his breath, he still asked: “Classmate Zhan, how about now? Have you tasted enough?”

 

Zhan Pingchuan parted the reddish-brown hair, lightly pecked the gland area without marking it, then covered the hair back.

 

He whispered in Lance’s ear: “Not bad, a little red fox with star magnolia flavor.”

 

Under the pretext of discussing dietary differences, the two seriously tasted the essence nurtured by different lands. In the end, perhaps embracing all rivers with great tolerance, they unanimously agreed that both cuisines had their strengths, with no distinction between them.

 

The assembly time finally arrived. Lance’s suitcase was handed to Zhan Pingchuan, while Zhan Pingchuan’s backpack still hung on his own shoulder. The two wiped away the wet traces on their mouths and headed to the school gate to catch the car.

 

Blue Pivot had sent a special vehicle numbered C.P.1. Besides a driver, there was also a squad leader accompanying them as an escort.

 

He Jing’en, as the school representative specially appointed by the principal, had been waiting at the school gate early.

 

The wind blew up He Jing’en’s black training uniform, like a wild swan flapping its wings in the sky. In this wind, he smiled and waved at Lance.

 

The special vehicle driver crushed his half-smoked cigarette and threw it out the window. He glanced at the young faces behind him through the rearview mirror, snorted lightly, and started the car.

 

The wheels squeaked over the plastic track, rushed through the school gate, and sped away.

 

##

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)