Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 35: Party of Four

The two of them were used to facing ups and downs and wouldn’t panic because of this bad news. No matter what the true situation was outside, anxiety and panic wouldn’t change anything. Zhu Yanchen put down the medical tray in his hand, asked Shu Jun a few questions, and then picked up the tweezers again to deal with the wound.

Shu Jun liked the feeling of smooth communication. They wouldn’t waste time questioning each other or denying their emotions, making their discussions quite efficient.

He closed his mouth with satisfaction, feeling a sense of relief out of nowhere, and even the pain in his back didn’t affect his good mood.

As Zhu Yanchen dealt with the arrow, his movements were terrifyingly light and precise, as if Shu Jun were a sculpture made of cotton that a slight breath could make him crumble.

This guy is too serious.

Having fought these past few days, Shu Jun was familiar with the characteristics of the erosion substance in his body. This thing was simple—if the injury was bad, it would panic and repair the wound. But if the wound wasn’t life threatening, it wouldn’t bother to change its original state and would only heal at a normal rate.

In other words, his wound would only slowly improve and not worsen. But Zhu Yanchen still treated him carefully. He gave him anesthesia and carefully cleaned the open skin and flesh.

After his body improved, Zhu Yanchen’s hand was no longer cold. Now he was busy taking out the arrowhead, with his palm pressed against Shu Jun’s back, and his body temperature constantly flowing over.

Shu Jun suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

He sat back on the chair with his chin resting on the back of it. Zhu Yanchen slightly bent over and stood behind him, and Shu Jun could feel the heat wrapping around his back. The skin that was in contact with the palm was getting hotter and hotter, and due to some unnamed tension, his flesh and blood gradually turned into wood while he was wedged into the air.

The two of them slept on the same bed, and Shu Jun usually quickly fell asleep, so he didn’t feel any awkward tension. If he had talked about his feelings, he even felt that he accepted them too easily—as if they should have slept together from the beginning.

Before, he could still joke with himself in his heart and make fun of that half-dead romantic seedling. But now, the other person’s body temperature seeped into his skin like poison, and he didn’t know what to do.

Shu Jun wasn’t a person who disliked physical contact. Whether it was everyday communication or combat, he was used to physical contact with the same sex—in fact, they had even done underwater combat training. Shu Jun was particularly good at underwater throat locking, and every time he made a move, both the contact area and time were more exaggerated than it was now.

He had never been this restrained before.

However, physical reactions didn’t lie. At the moment he was as stiff as a frozen octopus and just as hard as Monday.

Zhu Yanchen was still gently treating the wound, and his hand didn’t move away. Shu Jun wished he would be a little rougher so he wouldn’t be distracted. Unable to help it, he stared at a scratch on the table as his heartbeat thumped against his eardrums.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” Marshal Zhu noticed his abnormality and paused for a moment. The mechanical arrow had already been removed by him and lay bloody in the tray.

“No.” Shu Jun squeezed the word out of his throat.

“Then I’ll start stitching.” Zhu Yanchen nodded, leaned his face a little closer, and his breath brushed past the sensitive wound.

My god. Shu Jun silently lamented in his heart. His brain couldn’t fit any more question marks.

“Also,” Marshal Zhu still wasn’t going to let him go, “You mentioned your own hatred just now… If you don’t mind, you can talk to me like you used to.”

‘This sentence sounded a bit stiff. Perhaps my stiffness infected Zhu Yanchen,’ Shu Jun thought weakly.

Unfortunately, he guessed wrong. Marshal Zhu’s stiffness was purely self-inflicted.

Just now was the first time he saw Shu Jun’s combat against a person. Previously, they only hunted mutant beasts. At that time, Shu Jun was relaxed and it was more like “hunting” than “fighting”. But just now, that person became serious, with an aura like an awakened beast.

Shu Jun’s last look at Wu Da might not have been noticed by Wu Da himself, but Zhu Yanchen saw it clearly. Apart from the abnormal hatred, that gaze was full of sharp arrogance and a killing intent that could devour people.

Zhu Yanchen wasn’t familiar with this kind of Shu Jun. The instinct of confrontation between someone strong secretly surprised him and made him hot-blooded. However, when they returned to the room, the sharp blade turned into flowing water, and the person turned around without any defense, revealing his wound to him.

Zhu Yanchen had long been accustomed to this kind of scene. Shu Jun himself may not have noticed—the trust he unconsciously gave him was definitely more than he imagined.

The past and present were intertwined, and the person in front of him made him feel confused.

Zhu Yanchen stretched out his hand and touched the smooth and warm skin of the other party, carefully treating the wound. The dangerous toxin combined with vitality surged under that skin, and he was well aware of this. This kind of contradiction fascinated him. Feeling the other’s breath and warmth caused small sparks to bounce on his nerves.

This morning, when Shu Jun leaned over to look at the data, Zhu Yanchen had already felt that attraction, like being swept into a hot vortex.

He wanted more, and part of his greed belonged to “touch”.

…But this shouldn’t be an impulse between friends. Zhu Yanchen lowered his gaze and focused on the wound. When his thoughts calmed down, his words slipped out of his mouth on their own.

“You can talk to me like you used to.”

“Okay,” Shu Jun replied.

Zhu Yanchen couldn’t see his expression; only the back of his head. Under the dim light, his gray-white hair shimmered with a beautiful glow.

Finally, the wound was stitched. Zhu Yanchen stood up straight and left behind warm and sticky air.

Over the next few days, the settlement underwent some changes. The Old Fourth received direct orders from above, so Lord Hou was no longer responsible for maintaining security patrols. He was transferred to manage the business instead. Yu Jin was officially recruited into the Old Fourth to manage the order of the settlement.

The Old Fourth also added a few new rules, which visibly reduced the amount of trouble in the settlement. Hearing that the enemy had become the true boss, Wu Da and Wu Er fled overnight. As catalysts for these changes, “Gray Claw” and “Smoke” also gained some notoriety.

Unfortunately, the notice to register in Y City had arrived, and they could no longer take advantage of the situation.

The treatment for temporary NPC recruits wasn’t as good as that for players, so the three of them had to sit in a semi-open truck compartment. Yu Jin’s eyes kept slipping towards Zhu Yanchen, and it was easy for Shu Jun to guess what was bothering him—as a senior member of the Old Fourth, “Smoke” couldn’t possibly lack money, yet he had specially come to participate in an NPC mission, which was absolutely suspicious.

However, it wasn’t a good idea to ask too directly. One could easily offend someone unintentionally, but it seemed Yu Jin was suffocating.

“For intelligence.” Zhu Yanchen spoke up, feeling the piercing gaze on him. “That’s a new area, and there may be relics to be discovered. The people below can’t be relied on, so I have to go personally. A team of players is also more professional than ordinary bodyguards.”

It seemed that he had already come up with an excuse. Shu Jun smiled wryly.

“Of course, and Gray Claw is worth ten men.” Yu Jin chuckled. “By the way, can we still call you Smoke? Will it be inconvenient or…”

After all, Yu Jin lived on the fringe area, so Shu Jun understood the implied context.

To enter Y City through normal channels was very strict. It would take a lot of effort just to get a fixed travel pass. Not mentioning Shu Jun, Zhu Yanchen would definitely not be able to conceal his identity.

However, temporary NPC recruits were different. They were brought in directly by the military, and the official display screens had positioning capabilities. Since they couldn’t go to sensitive areas and wouldn’t stay in the city for too long, entry checks for these people wouldn’t be too strict; usually just a brief greeting with the military leader.

There were many senior members of the Old Fourth who didn’t like to reveal their whereabouts. Seeing Yu Jin’s reaction, it was probably because he thought they were underground operatives specializing in dangerous activities.

“Just call me as usual.” Zhu Yanchen turned his head and looked towards the high walls of Y City.

“Do you guys have any plans later? We rarely get to come to the city, and we can stay for a good half day.” Yu Jin ruffled his fluorescent yellow hair. “I plan to go to the commercial district to take a look. There’s nothing good to buy in the settlement.”

“We plan to find a pharmacy. Gray Claw needs to have his body checked.”

After all, they couldn’t control Yu Jin’s movements. If they were caught lying, it would only make them more suspicious, so Zhu Yanchen spoke honestly.

“Hey, Ai’s Clinic is pretty good. We could take Gray Claw there later and then buy supplies. I know a good weapons shop—”

“I’m accompanying him,” Zhu Yanchen continued.

Shu Jun: “……” This was too direct. Even if Mr. Marshal fabricated an illness for him, it wasn’t like he was unable to walk on his own, and they weren’t kids who needed to hold hands to find a bathroom, so all this just sounded more suspicious.

After a few seconds of silence, Yu Jin suddenly realized what he meant and spoke with an ambiguous tone. “Oh, I see. Sorry for disturbing you two.”

Shu Jun covered his face with his hand and let out a sigh. Meanwhile, Marshal Shu continued to gaze out the window, apparently not intending to clarify the misunderstanding.

‘Pragmatists are truly scary,’ Shu Jun thought silently.

Ai’s Clinic wasn’t difficult to find. It stood in the busiest part of the city, with a characterful exterior that was more like a haunted house than a clinic. At this moment, a sign hung outside the door that read: [Closed today. Consultation fees are doubled.] written in blood red letters, which only added to the eerie ambiance.

Zhu Yanchen pushed open the door boldly and went inside.

There was no one in the clinic’s lobby, and the lights were off, with trash piled up in the corner. A faint light was shining through the corridor, so the two of them turned into the small examination room that was lit up, where there were only two people inside.

“You’re here.” The girl in white, who was chewing on a lollipop, spoke ambiguously. “Congratulations on your resurrection.”

As she spoke, she broke the candy into pieces with a crisp sound and locked the door to the examination room. The old man standing beside her remained silent and kept staring at Shu Jun.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Ai Xiaoxiao.” The girl in white reached out her hand to shake hands with Shu Jun. “Follow me.”

Shu Jun glanced around the room. The small examination room was less than ten square meters, and he couldn’t imagine where they could go.

Ai Xiaoxiao chuckled and kicked the table next to the window twice. The table creaked and slowly moved away, revealing a staircase leading underground. “It’s time for a comprehensive check-up, Mr. Erosion Swamp.”

She then glanced at the sword behind Shu Jun and tapped through the cloth directly poking Monday’s exposed brain. “And this little thing.”

Monday immediately screamed “No—” which resounded through the room.

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The author has something to say:

Monday: No! (I worked hard for the organization, I was stepped on during the battle, and now I want to have a word with the boss…)

Even your boss needs to have a physical examination.

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