EDEH Chapter 45

[007 Diary Seventeen]

 

[I hope Huo Yanji’s existence can separate the little evil dragon from his dependence on the doctor, so he can live purely and happily forever.

 

I hope I never have to tell him that I am the mission executor… and he is just the doctor’s personal sentiment.

 

The doctor hopes he survives. Like me, he is an immortal existence who shouldn’t share the fate of humans.]

 

·

 

Half an hour later, Sang Jue stood in a small two-bedroom, one-living-room house.

 

The house was much larger than old Karl’s place, with walls that weren’t brick but covered with a layer of cement, clean and neat. In the middle of the living room was a gray leather sofa, behind which was a two-meter bar table, with a semi-open simple kitchen beside it that clearly had never been used.

 

Besides that, there was nothing else.

 

The little evil dragon’s mouth formed an “o” shape.

 

“You seem dissatisfied with this style.”

 

Sang Jue blinked many times: “The destitute style?”

 

“Not quite.” Huo Yanji said, “The sofa you’re sitting on is very expensive.”

 

It was a genuine leather sofa custom-made by the previous highest executive officer forty years ago after single-handedly killing a giant toad. At least a hundred buyers had expressed interest in collecting it, and the price had once been driven up to hundreds of thousands of coins.

 

Even in the apocalypse, there were still some people who liked collecting.

 

“Is it very expensive?”

 

“Its collectible value exceeds the sofa’s actual value.”

 

Sang Jue nodded and made a long “oh” sound.

 

He asked curiously: “But Colin said you have a manor. Don’t you usually live there?”

 

Huo Yanji wasn’t surprised by his question: “I usually live there, but—”

 

This was the first time Sang Jue heard Huo Yanji use this kind of transitional word that carried a somewhat difficult meaning.

 

He said considerately: “It’s okay if you don’t want to say. Friends have secrets too.”

 

Huo Yanji took off his gloves, washed his hands, then unbuttoned his overly neat cufflinks, came to the bar table to pour a glass of water, and drank a third of it before saying flatly: “It’s not really a secret, just that place isn’t suitable for guests.”

 

Sang Jue tilted his head in confusion.

 

However, at this moment, his confusion wasn’t very important because there was something more attention-grabbing.

 

Sang Jue said: “Can you take another sip?”

 

Huo Yanji glanced over, making a low humming sound from his throat: “Hmm?”

 

Sang Jue stared at him directly and added: “Take another sip of water.”

 

Huo Yanji asked: “Why?”

 

One was kneeling backwards on the sofa, the other standing behind the bar table, and they looked at each other for a long time.

 

Sang Jue just thought Huo Yanji looked good drinking water.

 

Huo Yanji had a tall, slender figure with perfect neck proportions. When drinking water, he had a habit of slightly lifting his chin, causing his neck to stretch and expose his bones and muscles, especially his Adam’s apple rolling up and down as he swallowed, very…

 

When the time came, he regretted reading so little.

 

Sang Jue couldn’t find a suitable adjective for the moment.

 

In any case, it was good-looking, very good-looking.

 

If Huo Yanji were an animal in nature, whether female or male, he would definitely be a very popular and sought-after object.

 

Sang Jue said: “Ji Ji—”

 

Huo Yanji’s eyelid twitched. He put down the water glass, took off his jacket, and said flatly: “I’m going to shower. Someone will bring food later.”

 

Sang Jue adjusted his gaze following his movement: “Why won’t you let me finish talking?”

 

Huo Yanji paused at the bedroom door: “Say what?”

 

Sang Jue said obediently: “Say you’re good-looking.”

 

“…Don’t run around, pay attention to the knocking.”

 

Huo Yanji walked into the bedroom, and there was a “click” sound, seemingly the sound of locking the door.

 

Sang Jue wasn’t angry at all, but rather pleased. When you wanted to say something, you had to say it out loud. You couldn’t hold it in, or it would make the dragon feel bad.

 

About twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the door.

 

Sang Jue quickly ran over and caught a familiar scent.

 

“Adjutant Zhang.”

 

Zhang Min was slightly stunned, then smiled: “Long time no see, Sang Jue.”

 

Sang Jue also said: “Long time no see.”

 

Zhang Min wore flannel gloves and walked to the bar table, removing the black cloth from the tray—

 

Besides various sandwiches, bottled water, and clean clothes prepared for Sang Jue, there were even four gemstones.

 

One of them was the black gemstone Sang Jue had seen in the mine cave at Rift No. 2, clear and beautiful.

 

Generally speaking, once black became transparent, it would develop toward gray, but this gemstone wasn’t like that. It still possessed the mystery of black while also giving people a strange sense of clarity.

 

Sang Jue unconsciously licked his lips: “Can I touch it?”

 

“Of course.” Zhang Min said, “This is a gift the commander prepared for you.”

 

“No.” Sang Jue picked up the black gemstone and looked up to admire it carefully, “This is my payment.”

 

“Payment?”

 

“Yes, Ji… because the general was injured, I was his caregiver for a week.” Sang Jue added, “One of them is compensation for forgiveness because he made me angry.”

 

Zhang Min was always very gentle. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end said nothing, then put the food and water in the refrigerator.

 

There was a faint sound of water from the bedroom. Zhang Min didn’t stay long and left with a smile: “Goodbye, Sang Jue.”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

Sang Jue held the gemstone and fell into thought.

 

Besides the black one, the other three were fire red with a hint of pale orange. You could tell they were unprocessed, still retaining their original edges.

 

They were so beautiful that Sang Jue couldn’t bear to eat them.

 

He played with the gemstones while making a call to Colin.

 

The other side answered quickly. Colin was breathing heavily and asked: “Sang Jue, what’s wrong?”

 

Sang Jue asked: “What are you doing?”

 

Colin said breathlessly: “Exercising.”

 

Sang Jue was curious: “What kind of exercise?”

 

Colin seemed to choke: “Don’t think dirty thoughts, I’m more loyal than a dog! I’m really exercising. Tomorrow I have to go to the Supervision Bureau for various tests including physical fitness, so I’m working out first to have an idea.”

 

Sang Jue didn’t understand what was wrong with exercising: “I didn’t think anything dirty.”

 

Colin: “…”

 

Sang Jue said: “You asked me to help you look at the general’s house as a reference.”

 

Colin replied: “Yeah?”

 

“I can see it now.” Sang Jue said honestly, “The general’s house has no reference value. It will make you never catch a mate.”

 

“…That bad? It can’t be that serious, right?” Colin thought for a moment and joked, “By your logic, wouldn’t the general be single for life?”

 

“No, he has money, a good-looking face and body, and also…” Sang Jue had wanted to say “and also me,” so he wouldn’t be that pitifully single.

 

But someday he would leave too. He had to return to the doctor’s side.

 

Colin asked: “And also what?”

 

Sang Jue quickly said: “Nothing, I’m hanging up, goodbye.”

 

The bedroom door behind him opened, and Huo Yanji walked out with faint water vapor: “Rest early. The bedding has been changed, and the blue toiletries are yours.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Sang Jue glanced around. This house didn’t have a second bedroom, only one main bedroom. The room Huo Yanji was heading to was a study.

 

“The study doesn’t have a bed.”

 

“The living room has a sofa.”

 

Sang Jue didn’t understand: “Is your bed small?”

 

Huo Yanji said: “2.2 meters.”

 

Sang Jue gestured: “That’s big, why don’t you sleep with me?”

 

Huo Yanji said: “Sang Jue—”

 

Sang Jue blinked: “Friends can sleep together, we’re the same gender, it’s no problem.”

 

Huo Yanji took out a new copy of “Deviant Code” from the study and threw it on the sofa, ruthlessly saying: “Finish reading it in three days.”

 

“…” Sang Jue muttered, “The code also says deviants shouldn’t contact ordinary people, but you often touch my tail, my hair, and sometimes we hold hands.”

 

“Thanks for the reminder, it won’t happen again?”

 

“No, you promised to always touch my tail.”

 

The flexible tail tip emerged from behind Sang Jue. He was persistent about this ‘hand substitute’ of Huo Yanji’s: “People at least can’t go back on their word.”

 

Huo Yanji walked over, stroking along the tail from middle to tip. Sang Jue sat cross-legged on the sofa, obediently letting himself be petted.

 

“Small exceptions are okay, but rules are rules.” Huo Yanji said, “Sang Jue, you should know that in safe zones, men with men and women with women becoming partners isn’t rare, so you need to maintain distance not only with the opposite gender, but also the same gender.”

 

Sang Jue already knew this from Colin, and his tail tip flicked unhappily.

 

Huo Yanji ran his fingers over the black scales: “Although there are many rumors outside, we ourselves don’t have an inappropriate relationship. If we really lay in the same bed and slept together, that would be inexplicable, understand?”

 

Sang Jue frowned slightly, his little brain spinning fast: “There are already rumors outside, what we do privately can’t change the outside rumors.”

 

As the saying goes, it takes one mouth to spread rumors, but broken legs to refute them.

 

Seeing Huo Yanji not answering, Sang Jue added for confirmation: “Right?”

 

“…Right.” Huo Yanji lifted his chin, handed him clean clothes, “Go shower, you sleep first.”

 

Sang Jue left the sofa, hesitantly looking at the gemstones on the bar table.

 

If he wanted to eat gemstones, he had to return to his evil dragon form, because human bodies couldn’t chew such hard substances. He’d better wait until Huo Yanji wasn’t home someday, then secretly eat one.

 

Sang Jue took off his clothes and walked under the shower, using the sound of water to cover his voice as he asked 007: “What should I do next?”

 

Huo Yanji probably wouldn’t leave the city for a while. He had to investigate those chaotic conspiracies and take over the commander position.

 

They wanted to work Ji Ji to death.

 

Sang Jue didn’t want to leave Huo Yanji’s side for too long, and couldn’t really go find a job.

 

But 007 gave the same answer as before: “You can do whatever you want to do.”

 

Sang Jue said: “But I came to execute a mission.”

 

007 seemed to pause, just for a second, but for an AI that never hesitated or wavered, it was still somewhat abnormal.

 

007 said: “In my and the doctor’s original estimation, when you landed, the humans on this planet would have already been destroyed by pollution disasters and meteors—”

 

Sang Jue lowered his head, saying quietly: “You and the doctor have another plan, don’t you?”

 

007 said: “Yes.”

 

Sang Jue didn’t ask what it was. He pursed his lips: “But now humans haven’t been destroyed, this is the task the doctor gave me…”

 

007 said: “Yes, in this situation, our task is relatively simple. But neither the doctor nor I want you to feel too much pressure. You just need to let things happen naturally, make contact with more high-level people, and fully understand the current state and order of human society, so we can conveniently deliver the resources in the spacecraft to the most suitable… person or group at the most appropriate time.”

 

Sang Jue fell silent.

 

He anxiously fidgeted with his fingers: “Actually this isn’t the whole task either. The doctor only told me part of it, right?”

 

007 answered: “Yes.”

 

The warm water flowed over his pale skin. For the first time, Sang Jue felt what humans called ‘unease’—or rather, the panic and discomfort brought by uncertainty about something.

 

He said quietly: “I just want to finish the mission quickly… and return to the doctor’s side.”

 

…

 

The unhappy Sang Jue lay in bed, tossing and turning, never waiting for Huo Yanji.

 

He simply slipped out of bed and went to the living room, only to find Huo Yanji leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed.

 

Liar.

 

Sang Jue moved to the sofa and crouched in front of Huo Yanji. The night was quiet, and cold broadcasts about the curfew beginning came from outside.

 

Huo Yanji’s face looked especially peaceful in the night, his steady breathing long and even, his well-defined fingers relaxed and hanging at his side.

 

After a while, Sang Jue thought he was moving very lightly as he squeezed onto the sofa, his tail naturally circling Huo Yanji’s waist, using Huo Yanji’s arm as a pillow and going to sleep.

 

He didn’t want to follow human friendship distances.

 

He was an evil dragon, and should act wantonly and do whatever he wanted.

 

Hmph.

 

After a long time, when the breathing in his arms gradually became lighter, Huo Yanji opened his eyes and looked down at the fluffy head at his neck.

 

After a while, he still stood up holding the person and returned to the 2.2-meter bed in the bedroom.

 

The cool tail still persistently circled his waist, unwilling to loosen even a bit.

 

**

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