Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 37: Midnight Visit

After the official announcement of Zhu Yanchen’s death, Yi Ning’s work increased several folds.

He simply set up a bunk bed in his office and lived there. Zhu Yanchen’s death completely disrupted his campaign rhythm—his supporters thought he was sure to win, so the momentum plummeted. However, Zhu Yanchen’s father, Zhu Sheng, had been making constant moves recently, which showed that the Zhu family clearly had no intention of giving up the leadership position.

The Tang family worked behind the scenes to manage their connections, while the Xia family watched from the sidelines. With all this going on, Marshal Yi Ning simply felt exhausted.

Initially, he just wanted everyone to have a better life, but now, having seen many dirty things, the only thing that could sustain him was this belief. Yi Ning made himself a cup of coffee and continued to work on the towering stacks of documents.

It had to be said that Dong Lao and Ai Xiaoxiao, who were arranged by Zhu Yanchen, were indeed useful and saved him a lot of trouble. However, those two people inherited Zhu Yanchen’s will and tended to keep the synths in a defensive position, unwilling to advance the purification process quickly. Even when he assigned a reconnaissance mission to the Blackbirds, Ai Xiaoxiao looked at him with raised eyebrows for a long time.

The daily maintenance cost of the synths remained unchanged, but since their focus right now was more defensive, the purification efficiency was much lower. However, compared to other urgent problems, Yi Ning could bear this loss.

The burden on the medical system was increasing, and the social security issue had yet to be resolved. In order to stimulate the economy and turn the tide, he had to launch the production plan for the synths as soon as possible.

Where was the research report from the research institute? Oh, right, to prevent players from seeing them, confidential documents were only sent through light screens…

Yi Ning was so tired that his limbs felt like lead. He struggled to go through the pile of documents, considering whether to go get a glass of iced water.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Yi Ning frowned. It was now after three in the morning, and he couldn’t think of anyone who would come to visit. However, since the bodyguards had let them in, there shouldn’t be any problems—he just hoped it wasn’t someone from the Tang family. He really didn’t want to talk about those messy issues.

However, once he saw who the unexpected guest was, Yi Ning suddenly became three times more alert.

Luo Duan was standing outside the door with several drink cans in his hand. Though he had wrapped many bandages around his body, he still had a gentle and polite demeanor.

“Bitter Rain?” Yi Ning asked uncertainly.

In principle, “players” and “NPCs” weren’t prohibited from engaging in private interactions in <Erosion>. After all, this was the real world, and a complete ban wasn’t realistic. They couldn’t keep it airtight, so they quietly separated the two groups and tried to ensure that players’ communication was only through people from the United Government.

Luo Duan smiled at him. “I have insomnia, so I’m just out for a stroll. Can I come in, sir? I brought some ice soda.”

“Sorry, I still have work to do.” Yi Ning took a deep breath and didn’t invite him in.

“Ah.” Luo Duan didn’t seem very surprised. “I just wanted to talk about the recent task arrangements for Groundwater. That’s a legitimate issue, right?”

Yi Ning pondered for a moment, then stepped aside, letting Luo Duan pass. Since it was related to work, he could change his mindset, and that could wake him up a bit.

However, as Luo Duan passed him, Yi Ning felt a certain coldness. It was a fleeting feeling. As Marshal Yi wiped his face, he thought it probably came from the drinks.

The drinks were refreshing, and Luo Duan did indeed just talk about work. It was clear that he had put a lot of thought into it and his ideas were quite reasonable. Yi Ning gradually lost his drowsiness, and the topic gradually shifted from Groundwater to all players’ views regarding the recent “plot”.

“Zhu Sheng would choose someone from the Xia family. With the death of Zhu Yanchen, the Xia family’s position is uncertain. Zhu Sheng isn’t someone who’s obsessed with bloodlines. Besides, there aren’t many outstanding people in the Zhu family currently. If he chooses a godson from the Xia family to support, he… Well, given Zhu Sheng’s personality, even if he does something more excessive, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Unlike Shu Jun from the Blackbirds, Luo Duan was clearly interested in the “game plot”. It was obvious that he had done a lot of research. The two of them chatted smoothly, and when Yi Ning came back to his senses, it was nearly 5 in the morning.

“…Since you’ve been promoted to this position, you shouldn’t be easily abandoned. Zhu Sheng hasn’t decided on a new candidate yet, so this period of time is the most precious for you. But I think you also know that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be awake at this hour.”

Luo Duan’s voice was very gentle and soothing to the ear. He walked to the pile of documents, bent over, and picked up a few that had fallen to the ground.

“Marshal Yi, as a subordinate, I still have to remind you…”

Luo Duan paused. There was a little more subtle emotion in his voice.

“…to take care of yourself.”

After speaking, his severely injured body wobbled, but Luo Duan reacted quickly and immediately reached out to the edge of the table for support—although this action caused the mountain of documents on the table to scatter all over the floor by the impact.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Luo Duan smiled and began to bend over to pick them up again. “It seems that I’m also tired. Let’s stop here for today. The topic of medical care was quite interesting. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

A water column full of tranquilizer quietly rose up and entered Yi Ning’s drink can.

“You should go back first. When the sun rises, I’ll ask my assistant to help me tidy up.” Yi Ning looked at the bandages on Luo Duan’s body, drank the last bit of his drink, and helped him up.

Luo Duan hooked his lips. “Good night, Marshal Yi.”

Yi Ning thought he really should take a rest. Once he relaxed, drowsiness quickly hit him. He still had four hours of sleep before work officially started at 9.

The heavy door closed behind Luo Duan.

He reached out his hand, and another water column retracted into his palm. Its end hooked onto Yi Ning’s access card, then retracted. A matchbox-sized card lay quietly in his hand.

The hallway was filled with thick darkness, and something cold and eerie crept out of his pores and coiled around his neck, vibrating at an ominous frequency.

“Let me… help you…” The voice pressed against his neck. Its tone was strange, as if mixed with male and female, young and old voices, randomly spliced together.

“No.” Luo Duan didn’t turn back.

He still had four hours before Yi Ning woke up. He had acquired many keys, and if possible, he hoped he wouldn’t have to use the Marshal-level authority.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped.

Using his water skills to remain hidden, Luo Duan easily evaded the cameras and snuck into the lower levels of the command center. He had just planned to continue his infiltration when the cold sensation around his neck started again.

“Someone’s coming,” it emphasized in that strange voice. “Someone’s coming.”

Although he didn’t want to engage with this thing, Luo Duan quietly hid himself.

Two figures appeared at the end of the hallway, heading underground before he did. Luo Duan frowned—judging from their movements, those two were definitely not staff members here.

…Who?

At this moment, Shu Jun was feeling uncomfortable all over.

In order to let his large Erosion Swamp enter the command center, Zhu Yanchen managed to turn off the purification defenses for a few seconds with the assistance of Dong Lao. However, military-grade purifiers had tremendous power, and even if the defenses were only set up on the outside of the building, Shu Jun still felt uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he didn’t bring Monday with him. Otherwise, he didn’t know what kind of miserable howl it would make. But now it was in the hands of Ai Xiaoxiao, so the situation was probably not much better.

Hundreds of military-grade purifiers were crazily running that it made Shu Jun want to vomit.

“Endure a little longer,” Zhu Yanchen said in a low voice as he placed a hand on his back.

With the alarm system’s access, their path was unimpeded. Their destination was clear—the bottom level of the command center was usually the synthetic human production workshop, while the very bottom controlled the system that managed “the truth”.

Given that Zhu Yanchen wasn’t a boss with any human touch, the atmosphere of the four-person meeting was as it was. The other two were obviously more interested in Shu Jun than Zhu Yanchen, making Shu Jun feel a little uneasy. However, the situation was made clear enough.

Originally, Zhu Yanchen’s plan was simple—Dong Lao and Ai Xiaoxiao would ask the synths to focus on defense, and at the same time, the Old Fourth would spread the news of Erosion Swamps with sentiency. When public opinion was riled up, records from the ruins of X City would be released. No matter what, ripples would certainly be created.

Even if people couldn’t immediately stop using the player system, synthetic human production would inevitably be affected. Zhu Yanchen had already foreseen his own death, and he had only wanted to be a fuse, blowing the problem to the surface.

But he didn’t die.

The situation was a bit awkward now—Marshal Zhu had planned every step, even calculated his death date. He never wanted to be the leader in the first place, so he never managed his image. His reputation among the people was terrible. Even if he stood on top of the command center and performed a public resurrection from the void, he probably wouldn’t win the election that followed.

Not to mention that Zhu Sheng was still in power. Even if Zhu Yanchen managed to win the position of leader by sheer luck, Zhu Sheng could still sideline him.

During the discussion, Dong Lao rolled his eyes, while Ai Xiaoxiao looked at Zhu Yanchen with a smile that could be interpreted as “he” on the left side of her face and “deserves it” on the right side.

“What if we give the evidence directly to Zhu Sheng?” Shu Jun didn’t know much about politics, so he could only ask questions based on intuition.

“It won’t work,” Dong Lao said in a hoarse voice. “X City’s intelligence only proves the existence of an ‘Erosion Swamp affected by synths’. This system has been running for two hundred years, and there’s only been one case discovered. Zhu Yanchen’s judgment is correct. At most, this evidence can only serve as a spark to ignite public opinion and make some people take notice of this matter.”

“If you were Zhu Sheng, and you had a plan that had a 95% chance of greatly advancing society and benefiting yourself, and a 5% chance of causing a major disaster, of which there’s only been one in two hundred years, what would you choose? This is why Zhu Yanchen initially focused on public opinion, which would force the United Government to investigate.”

“This old man is just being long-winded,” Ai Xiaoxiao said as she took a sip of tea. “In short, if you want to liberate synthetic humans and investigate the Erosion Swamp to your heart’s content, you must quickly control the United Government. And to obtain the United Government, both Yi Ning and Zhu Sheng are unavoidable enemies.”

Dong Lao gave Ai Xiaoxiao a sideways glance, who glanced back contemptuously, emitting a faint scent of gunpowder in the air.

Haa…

Shu Jun didn’t want to recall any more. Thinking about all these political problems made his stomach twitch again. He didn’t know if it was the discomfort of his body, but he sensed a faint trace of the same kind—that breath was faintly discernible, far away, and disappeared like smoke as they went deeper.

How strange.

However, since they had all arrived here, it wouldn’t be appropriate to suddenly change their goal. Regardless, the focus was on preparing for the NPC mission that was about to come. Shu Jun withdrew his suspicious gaze and followed Zhu Yanchen deeper underground.

In a dark corner, a strand of erosion dripped slowly. It pulled itself thin and followed the two of them quietly.

“Soon…”

It murmured to Shu Jun back.

“It’s almost… mature… How great.”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 36: Hole in the Brain

Shu Jun looked at Monday and suddenly thought of a dog wailing at the entrance of the pet hospital.

With him watching, Monday didn’t dare attack Ai Xiaoxiao. It tried to move in the opposite direction, sucked up more water, and wriggled out of the cloth strip, coiling into a slippery lump on the ground and clinging to the floor.

Throughout the whole process, it kept screaming miserably, but Ai Xiaoxiao wasn’t scared by the noise. Instead, she hummed and took a shovel from the tool cabinet and skillfully shoveled up Monday.

“Your sword has quite the personality,” she commented nonchalantly while putting Monday into an isolation bucket.

Monday, seeing that throwing a tantrum was ineffective, trembled inside the bucket, causing it to rattle on the floor.

Shu Jun: “……” Why is there a shovel in the consultation room? But looking at how skillfully Ai Xiaoxiao handled it, he didn’t dare ask.

The underground space was much larger than the one above ground, but the lighting was bluish and a bit creepy. Ai Xiaoxiao filled three liquid tanks and turned to Shu Jun and Zhu Yanchen. “Take your clothes off.”

Shu Jun: “?!”

“You can leave your underwear on. The inside is an isolation fluid that won’t mix with the erosion substance allowing me to facilitate a full body scan.” Ai Xiaoxiao glanced at Shu Jun and lifted the isolation bucket, pouring Monday into one of the tanks. Monday tried to coil up into a ball, but the inside of the isolation bucket was extremely smooth, so it could only sulkily fall into the liquid.

As soon as Monday fell into the tank, several metal arms stretched out, forcibly twisting it back into the shape of a sword and wedging it at the bottom of the tank. Monday looked like it wanted to curse but only sprayed out a string of fine bubbles. Ai Xiaoxiao put the lid on the tank, letting Monday squirm around inside.

“Uh…” Shu Jun was a bit flustered. Whether in the so-called “real world” or on this side, they only had same-sex doctors.

Standing in front of him was a person of similar age who was of the opposite sex, so he couldn’t help but be a bit shy and somewhat embarrassed.

“Don’t mind me. After all, I am a doctor—I’ve seen everything from eight-year-olds to eighty-year-olds.” Ai Xiaoxiao seemed to sense his concerns and waved her hand casually, then looked at Zhu Yanchen. “And you, surnamed Zhu, what’s the matter? I’ve dissected your organs a hundred and eighty times. Hurry up and take your clothes off.”

Yes, there was an experienced person here too. Desperate times call for desperate measures*. Shu Jun quickly shifted his gaze and stayed still, pretending to be a serious student.

*While dead companions will not perish, it’s impossible to maintain poverty forever (死道友不死贫道，能拖一时是一时) Idiom referring to when one’s situation is difficult it’s still possible to survive and overcome challengers for a short time, but having trustworthy companions can be helpful in tough times. || In this context, he’s basically saying, the challenge is tough, but at least there’s an experienced person here with him (Zhu Yanchen) which could allow him to delay a bit more.

Zhu Yanchen glanced at Shu Jun, walked to the edge of the liquid tank, and began to take off his clothes one by one.

As expected of a marshal, even taking off his clothes had a sense of formality. Most of the time, this man kept himself tightly wrapped up, even buttoning up the top button of his pajamas. Shu Jun had only seen him naked once before, but at that time he had just rescued him and was in a daze, unable to even count how many heads this man had.

Without the dense scars covering him, his well-built physique was fully exposed. Zhu Yanchen had the advantage of size and a slightly more muscular waistline than Shu Jun. He was originally pale-skinned, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, and now looked like a warm marble statue.

Good physique. Shu Jun occupational disease came out—after all these matters were resolved, perhaps the two of them could spar in close combat.

His heartbeat seemed a little fast, probably due to the excitement brought on by said occupational disease. Shu Jun withdrew his gaze and looked at Ai Xiaoxiao again.

“Well, the recovery is very good. The blood indicators are also fine. I’ll take a look at the bones and internal organs later.” Ai Xiaoxiao’s response was calm, as if the person in front of her was just a bag of meat.

With someone taking the lead, Shu Jun relaxed a bit. He quickly stripped himself naked and plopped into the liquid tank, splashing a considerable amount of water.

The liquid in the tank was cold and sticky, like frozen oil, though his treatment was much better than Monday’s. He could at least expose half of his head so he could hear and speak. The two of them lay side by side, like two human specimens.

“It’s not just about immunity to erosion.” Ai Xiaoxiao looked at the real-time scan of Zhu Yanchen, speaking in a tone so low that it sounded like she was talking to herself. “Last month, I just cut out a lesion in your liver. You should have only a quarter of your liver left, but it’s all grown back now.”

She pondered for a moment, her eyes flashing.

“The internal organs and bones are normal, and there are no surgical scars. Good, remember to give me some tissue samples later… Wait, your heart rate is a bit fast. Are you nervous? It’s okay if Mr. Shu’s heart rate is fast, but it’s not your first time.”

Shu Jun unconsciously turned his head and glanced at his friend, surnamed Zhu, who was close at hand.

“Why is it even faster now? Alright then. Mr. Zhu, you can come out now. I’ll check your heart later when I’m done with Mr. Shu.”

“So fast?” Shu Jun asked hopefully, feeling cold all over from being soaked in the liquid.

“He’s a human, and you’re not. You’ll need at least two hours. Go and take a look at the other side first.” Ai Xiaoxiao threw a large towel to Zhu Yanchen. “Wipe yourself and go outside to wait. You’re just getting in the way here.”

After speaking, she glanced meaningfully at the old man beside her.

The old man coughed. Zhu Yanchen changed his clothes and walked to Shu Jun’s liquid tank, speaking very seriously, “I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll try my best.” Shu Jun responded dryly, while Ai Xiaoxiao was enthusiastically wiping a pair of large pliers, seemingly quite impatient.

“Dong Lao, let’s go.” As the conversation partner changed, Zhu Yanchen’s tone became noticeably more mechanical.

“Finally it’s quiet.” After the two left the room, Ai Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. “Next, I need to ask you some questions. You must answer me truthfully, understand?”

It seemed that this woman deliberately sent those two away. Indeed, one-on-one questioning was the least likely to be interfered with.

“Your physical condition is similar to what I expected—the situation with the Erosion Swamp is stable, the fusion degree is high, and there are no adverse reactions. You don’t need to worry about health problems. However, there is one thing that I am concerned about.”

She tapped the device next to her, and a screen showing Shu Jun’s face appeared. “This is your brain.”

Shu Jun looked at the scan image in confusion.

“Before introducing you to other Erosion Swamps, did Zhu Yanchen do anything to you?”

There were many things. Shu Jun reminisced about the oral examination, intimidation, and handcuffs when they first met. But since the doctor had displayed his brain scan, Shu Jun could guess what she wanted to hear. “Brain shock?”

“Tell me about it.”

“He told me the truth, and I forgot it all, like I was drunk or on sedatives. Then he gave me a few shots, we went to the body processing center, and then he did it again…”

“What else? Any details you remember.”

“It’s hard to describe. When I’m with him, I feel like a lot of things are familiar to me—I can’t help but trust him and want to protect him.” Since Zhu Yanchen wasn’t present, Shu Jun spoke freely, saying whatever came to mind. “I also remember some things from the ‘past’, but I didn’t have any impressions of those things before, and I’m not sure how I remember them now.”

Ai Xiaoxiao stood up and walked around the liquid tank, occasionally glancing at the scan results of Shu Jun’s brain.

“In your memory, what kind of relationship do you have with him?”

“…Friends?” It probably counted, as his memory in this regard had not yet been restored.

“It seems like you’re more than just friends.” Ai Xiaoxiao stopped walking and leaned her hands against the edge of the tank. “I’ve been wondering why he gave you two brain shocks before introducing you to the other Erosion Swamps, but now I understand.”

Shu Jun perked up. “What do you mean?”

Zhu Yanchen never explained these things to him. Later, when they were both in good health and their relationship had improved, he didn’t ask again.

“See, there’s a hole in your brain that’s slowly healing.” Ai Xiaoxiao pointed to the image on the screen.

“I’m trying to figure out how to explain this. When faced with unbearable pain, the brain will choose to close off certain memories. Do you know this?”

“Yeah.”

“In order to prevent you from realizing the truth, foreign brain fragments were implanted into your brain… Once these fragments recognize specific information, they immediately stimulate the defense mechanism and force you to forget. That’s the basic principle.”

“So?” Shu Jun was getting confused.

“If it were me, I would have taken you directly to the body processing center and not said a word about the truth of the world. If I did that, the Erosion Swamp inside you would treat that foreign brain fragment as part of ‘you’ and solidify and protect it.”

“It would exist forever, and you would never know the truth. For Zhu Yanchen, that would have been more efficient and convenient for controlling you. But he still induced a brain shock.”

Shu Jun looked at Ai Xiaoxiao blankly.

Ai Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes. “In other words, he gave you a vaccine in advance—a brain shock that would cause you pain, and the Erosion Swamp would recognize that piece of brain tissue as ‘harmful’. They wouldn’t protect it anymore and would instead erode it. Doing it again during the fusion process would be even more effective… Your situation is special—just surviving is pretty good, yet he was quite thoughtful.”

Shu Jun’s emotions became complicated, and he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

“Anyway, without the influence of that foreign brain fragment, your brain will gradually return to its natural state. In this process, occasional headaches or remembering repressed memories are normal phenomena.”

Ai Xiaoxiao continued, in a good mood. “Interesting. He mentioned this before, and I was always considering surgical methods, but I never thought about it from the perspective of erosion. Hmm, it’s a brilliant approach.”

“Is there a way to remember faster?”

“What?”

“A way to remember the past faster?” Shu Jun stared at the dim ceiling.

“I don’t know. In this regard, Zhu Yanchen is better than me. I’ll give him the test results later.” After getting the answer she wanted, Ai Xiaoxiao became nonchalant again. “Turn over first and let me check your spine.”

Outside the door.

“So, that’s Shu Jun?” Xia Liang’s clear voice emerged from the old man’s mouth, no longer disguising her voice, which made the scene quite weird.

“Yes.”

Xia Liang let out a meaningful “Hmm” and changed the subject. “I have seen the chip you asked Ai Xiaoxiao to give me. The program inside has been installed in the command center. As long as I cooperate from the outside, you have the authority to control the alarm system for three hours.”

“Mm.”

“However, during this operation, I discovered an interesting thing. Do you remember Luo Duan, the captain of Groundwater? He is now recovering in the command center. According to Ai Xiaoxiao’s report, he applied for the indoor training room that hasn’t been used for thousands of years and injured himself.”

Zhu Yanchen frowned but didn’t respond this time.

“No matter what you want to do by infiltrating the command center, be careful. You two aren’t the only ones who want to ‘do something’.”

The author has something to say:

The Marshal wanted to save Shu Ge from the beginning, no doubt about it √

Shu Ge, you will have the opportunity to engage in ♂ melee ♂ combat! Believe me!

Kinky Thoughts:

Trust and believe that we get ♂ x ♂ action.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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.

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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Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 34: Countdown

Lord Hou’s surname was Hou. At first, he wasn’t part of the Old Fourth. When he was young, he did manual labor in the city and saved up enough to buy a small house with his wife. Life was comfortable back then, and everyone called him “Hou Ge” with a smile.

But things changed.

As he got older, he couldn’t do manual labor anymore, and his wife fell ill and never recovered. They never had children, and they wondered if it was due to the effects of the erosion. The government didn’t abandon them, but they only received a fixed amount of erosion purification medicine and a subsidy just enough to get by each month.

If the elderly couple didn’t have any illness or misfortune, these resources would have been enough to sustain them. But if they got sick with something else, they would have to rely on luck. Medical resources were scarce, and even if the illness was caused by erosion, the hospital might only offer partial exemptions. Moreover, as people got older, they became more susceptible to illnesses. Apart from obvious signs of external erosion, people could hardly explain what was wrong, and they had to pay for medical expenses themselves.

The elderly couple worked hard all their lives, and all their savings went towards medical treatment.

Lord Hou sold his furniture and his house, but he still couldn’t fill that bottomless pit. He decided to take a risk and went to the edge of the erosion zone, hoping to trade his life for some extra resources. But he was too old, and even the risk-taking groups wouldn’t take him.

That was when the Old Fourth approached him.

They offered a salary to elderly people like him to manage these types of settlements.

The settlement had its share of desperadoes. With incidents of arson and murder being common, people couldn’t do business with peace of mind. After the Old Fourth rose to power, although the people in charge were all elderly, the young people didn’t dare offend the Old Fourth, allowing the settlements to become more peaceful.

The salary wasn’t high, but Lord Hou had the advantage of living a long life and being shrewd. After staying in the settlement for a long time, he became a middleman and was able to hold onto his wife’s life.

Lord Hou was content with his current situation. Living in the settlement brought him peace of mind. The money bag from the Old Fourth swelled, but his own salary was purely superficial. However, compared to the days when he couldn’t even afford to drink soup, Lord Hou was quite satisfied with the status quo.

Although some people were curious about the boss behind the Old Fourth, Lord Hou wasn’t interested. Whether it was the government or the black market, as long as he could get soup to drink, he didn’t care and would mind his own business to live longer.

Lord Hou’s philosophy applied to other matters as well. Some ruffians were really annoying, and he had tried to deal with them before, but in the end, he suffered a loss. It was easy to advise the righteous, but it was difficult to deal with the unscrupulous. If there was no other way, as long as the young people in the settlement didn’t cause any fatalities, he would usually let them off after giving them a beating.

This time was no exception.

He recognized the two young men who were pinned to the ground; they were brothers who knew how to play by the Old Fourth’s rules and were quite capable at it, while the other two were strangers, most likely newcomers. Lord Hou walked through the crowd and stood in front of the four.

“Stop making trouble, okay?” he said. “Do you see the line at the edge of the morning market? If you want to risk your life, go outside. The Old Fourth isn’t here to be taken advantage of. Wu Da and Wu Er, did you cause trouble again? Apologize to them quickly.”

The two brothers, held down by Zhu Yanchen, snickered. Wu Da, who had shot Shu Jun, sneered at him, “Yeah, we’re really sorry.”

Then he quickly turned to Lord Hou and said, “You see, we’ve already been beaten up. We promise not to mess with these two anymore, okay?”

Same old story.

Lord Hou waved his hand irritably. “Harmony brings wealth. As for you two, I see that your injuries aren’t too severe so let’s just call it even and forget about it.”

This type of conversation usually had a 50-60% success rate. If the other party was still unwilling, Lou Hou didn’t mind using some resources to settle things.

“Gray Claw.” The young man with a shoulder injury sheathed his sword and reached out his hand. Lord Hou didn’t react immediately and hesitated before shaking his hand.

Not bad. The young man’s voice was clear and pleasant, and he even introduced himself, so he must be a reasonable person.

“…So we can continue fighting after we cross that line, right?” The young man continued to smile.

Lord Hou: “…”

It seemed that this young man with strange hair color had quite a temper.

“No, no.” Lord Hou leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Young man, those two scoundrels know how to take advantage of others and have some unsavory friends in this area. There are only the two of you, so you’re at a disadvantage. If you cross that line, even the Old Fourth won’t be able to protect you, and there won’t be anyone to reason with. How about this. I’ll give you two some compensation, and you can just consider it as being bitten by a dog…”

As if guessing Lord Hou’s intentions, Wu Da and Wu Er got up from the ground with an expression of undisguised satisfaction. Seeing such villains act so disgustingly and unscrupulously, the onlookers booed and jeered.

“Thank you, but it’s not necessary.” The young man’s voice carried a hint of amusement.

After speaking, he walked over to his companion and said something in a low voice before inserting his sword into the ground.

“As the Old Fourth said, we’ll go over there and fight.” The mechanical arrow was embedded deeply into his flesh, but the white-haired young man didn’t seem to care. “I’m enough on my own, but you can bring as many people as you want. How about it? Dare to come?”

Wu Da and Wu Er were stunned. Even if they had a bad reputation, they couldn’t lose face. People despised thugs, but they wouldn’t actively provoke them. But if they were regarded as cowards, their lives wouldn’t be easy. If they admitted their defeat in public, their reputation would be tarnished, and their cronies would probably abandon them.

They had specifically learned that Yu Jin’s companions were newcomers, which was why they had made such a move. They didn’t expect the newcomer to be so reckless.

“We can bring as many as we want? Don’t cry and beg for mercy later. Lao Er*, wait here. I’ll go call some people.”

*Term use for younger brother or second in command.

“Everyone has it tough. If we cause trouble here, the Old Fourth won’t be happy. You better think it over.” Wu Er focused on playing the good cop while occasionally glancing at Zhu Yanchen.

“My friend won’t help. Don’t worry.” Shu Jun saw through his little tricks.

Wu Er forced a laugh and stopped talking.

The morning market was already the busiest place in the settlement, and as more people gathered to watch the show, the scene became more chaotic. Lord Hou sighed, realizing that things were going to get ugly and he didn’t have the energy to deal with it anymore, he simply stepped aside.

As a result, Wu Da brought back fourteen people. Even though the locals knew he was a crook, the buzz of discussion was still loud.

Lord Hou once again sighed and lamented that the situation wouldn’t end well. Before he could finish his breath, the companion of the young man with white hair walked up to him.

“Why don’t you go persuade him or try another approach? This won’t end well.” Lord Hou spoke first, thinking that the person had come to mediate.

The man shook his head, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a small metal badge. The antiquated and delicate silver metal badge had a blue gem embedded on the front, exuding a sense of preciousness that was out of place in this area.

The “IV” brand on the badge was quite striking.

Lord Hou had just taken a deep breath, but it got stuck in his throat, turning into a weird sound like a whistle. He recognized the badge. The last time he saw this thing was five or six years ago, when he was “recruited” by the Old Fourth. Anyone with this badge was either a valued guest of the Old Fourth or a high-level cadre.

Oh, Wu Da and Wu Er kicked the wrong iron plate*. He thought blankly.

*Idiom referring to running into an unexpected or more formidable opponent. It implies that the person thought they could take advantage of the other party but instead encountered someone who was more capable and stronger.

“Smoke,” the man introduced himself succinctly. “This group of people shouldn’t be strangers to playing with fire. Report any unusual incidents to me, whether it be a recruitment task, business dealings, or everyday disputes.”

Lord Hou straightened his body, half worried about not fulfilling his responsibilities, and half relieved. “Yes!”

Not far away, Shu Jun had already lifted his greatsword.

Although Wu Da’s bones were injured, he stubbornly gestured with his gun, afraid of being looked down upon. His group of cronies had all sorts of weapons and were rushing towards Shu Jun with disorganized movements that were lacking in technique.

In front of the public eye, abilities couldn’t be used, let alone the peculiarities of the Erosion Swamp. Thus, pure combat skills were what were needed.

And this was what he wanted.

Just the two of them couldn’t overturn the overall situation, so they had to fight for their share from the wolf’s mouth. The first step was establishing dominance.

On one side were the local thugs who bullied and dominated the settlement; on the other was a warrior who had been risking his life for ten years. Despite being outnumbered, even though the wind was still, Shu Jun still seemed to be dancing on air. Wrapped in white cloth, his greatsword sliced through the air as he combined strength with momentum. The greatsword seemed to become a feather, elegantly twirling in the air, inevitably colliding with a target on each trajectory.

Onlookers began to whistle, and some even cheered with cries of “Gray Claw”.

Shu Jun moved like a phantom—constant shots of bullets, throwing darts, and arrows… not a single succeeded in wounding him. Wu Da emptied two magazines of bullets, and sweat was already beading on his forehead. His opponent didn’t seem human. The oppressive feeling was as if he were an evil spirit. Even though his opponent was wearing a mask, he could still feel a heavy sense of fighting spirit and some kind of strange anger from him.

In front of that greatsword, his henchmen were like fallen leaves swept away by the wind, writhing and falling to the ground. Wu Da hadn’t even had time to turn around and run away before the greatsword struck his abdomen. He was thrown into the mud, and it took him a while to stop tumbling. He then fell to the ground, vomiting in the muddy water.

Shu Jun lifted the sword up and down, passing over the broken, black tree stump, and plunged the sword deeply into the wet, muddy ground. Then he lightly jumped, landing steadily on the handguard of the sword, without getting any mud on him.

He crouched like a wild beast on the sword, looking down at Wu Da from above.

‘We’re done for.’ Were the words that filled Wu Da’s mind. He simply closed his eyes and buried his face in the muddy ground. Wu Er saw that the situation wasn’t good and had already run away without a trace.

It was the first time the audience had witnessed a serious battle. Cheers and applause broke out one after another. Having achieved his objective, Shu Jun didn’t say anything and just put the sword away, walking back to Zhu Yanchen.

“Let’s go back.” Zhu Yanchen was still staring at the arrow behind Shu Jie. “Your wound needs treatment, and there’s something I need to tell you.”

“How convenient. I have something to tell you too.” Shu Jie clicked his tongue.

Seeing that the Wu brothers had suffered a loss, Lord Hou happily followed behind Zhu Yanchen, not hiding his joy.

He didn’t need to say much; this action alone was enough to explain everything. Lord Hou had worked for the Old Fourth for quite some time and wasn’t at the bottom of the hierarchy. The person he was now respectfully following must be someone from the Old Fourth, and his status couldn’t be low either. 

It had been calm here for several years, and finally, a new and interesting person had arrived.

Having watched a great show, everyone dispersed happily.

“Gray Claw” and “Smoke”… It seemed that this settlement was about to change.

Zhu Yanchen didn’t have a habit of bossing around old people, and the inn was quite far away from the tavern, so he let Lord Hou go back first. With an injury on his back, Shu Jun carried his sword on his shoulder and didn’t say a word all the way.

“You go first.”

“You go first.”

As they entered the hotel room, they almost simultaneously spoke up.

The next moment, they both said at the same time, “I’ll go first.”

Zhu Yanchen: “…”

Shu Jun finally relaxed his expression. He took off his shirt to make it easier to deal with his injury and took the initiative to sit on the chair. “A’Yan, you first. That old man looks like he’s in a good mood. How did your negotiations go?”

Zhu Yanchen pursed his lips and looked at Shu Jun for a while without hiding anything. “I’m the founder of the Old Fourth and have proof of their high-level status. They won’t trouble us anymore.”

Shu Jun didn’t have much of an idea about the Old Fourth, thinking of them only as local bosses in the neutral zone. He choked a little. “You’re doing so many things at the same time—have you ever slept these years? I thought when you said, ‘uniting people on the fringe areas,’ you meant starting from scratch. My god…”

Zhu Yanchen obviously had no intention of elaborating on his struggle. He picked up the medical tray and began to examine the arrow that had sunk into Shu Jun’s flesh. “Let’s not talk about that now. What did you want to say just now?”

Shu Jun stiffened his face. “Oh, actually, I’m the big boss of the Erosion Swamps.”

Zhu Yanchen’s hand slipped, and the tray almost fell to the ground.

Shu Jun laughed out loud. “Just kidding, just kidding. The atmosphere needs to be lively first. After all, what I want to say isn’t very good—I’m going to join your ‘gloomy future association’.'”

“In the battle just now, I clearly felt the desire for destruction.”

Shu Jun’ voice became serious and his tone turned sharper. “I don’t want to hide it from you. I really don’t care about humans. I have my own hatred and the impulse to vent it. But the killing intent and hatred just now were definitely not mine—now I think it might have come from ‘intelligence’ obtained from Sweet Edge.”

“A’Yan, when you were making deductions earlier, you always treated sentient Erosion Swamps as ordinary creatures trying to survive. Now it seems you were a bit optimistic.”

If sentient Erosion Swamps were treated as common intelligent life, they would be wary of humans only because humans had a means of purification and could pose a threat to their survival—under this premise, the sentient Erosion Swamps would hold hostility towards humans and synths. But their methods wouldn’t be too extreme, so there was a possibility of a conservative defense.

“If I hadn’t met you and my physical condition hadn’t stabilized, I would have been eroded alone like Sweet Edge… I’m sure even if I remained myself, hatred would be the emotion that would sustain me until the end.”

“The Erosion Swamps are very simple. They only care about the result. What if they consider ‘hatred’ as a powerful human emotion?”

In the eyes of the Erosion Swamp, the insane hatred that desired to destroy everything was just “high-quality intelligence” that benefited survival. So they would preserve this impulse, share it among themselves, and make it a part of their instinct—hatred would drive them to attack actively, never stopping until the “enemy” was completely destroyed.

Their remaining time may be even shorter than expected.

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