EDEH Chapter 49

“Deviant Code Article 15: Due to contamination hazards inherent in oneself, employment in urban drinking water, catering, medical and other industries is prohibited. For detailed breakdown, please turn to the third page from the end… *hic*.”

 

Sang Jue hiccupped.

 

The bathroom was full of splashing water sounds. Huo Yanji had been in there for twenty minutes. The bathroom door wasn’t tightly closed, with a crack showing, but no hot air was escaping.

 

Huo Yanji’s voice was low and hoarse through the crack: “Speak louder, don’t slack off.”

 

Sang Jue’s lips pressed into a straight line, his cheeks puffed like a blowfish.

 

His brain was muddled by alcohol, so he momentarily couldn’t figure out why he, a mighty evil dragon, was obediently reciting as punishment like a student listening to a teacher.

 

Ji Ji wasn’t a teacher, and he wasn’t a student.

 

But his mouth couldn’t keep up with his brain, so he honestly continued reading: “Deviant Code Article 16: In private, open spaces, deviants should actively maintain a safe distance of three meters or more from ordinary people.”

 

“Deviant Code Article 17: Ordinary residents have absolute self-defense rights against deviants. Deviants should not casually approach ordinary people, whose behavior may be viewed as dangerous acts like intended contamination. After repeated warnings prove ineffective, legitimate self-defense may be exercised.”

 

Sang Jue’s head swayed drowsily. These words strung together were like a hypnotic charm.

 

“Deviant Code Article 18: Sexual harassment behavior by deviants against ordinary residents does not apply to Supervision Code Article 31, and should be viewed as serious public security threatening behavior such as intended contamination, subject to severe punishment… In serious cases, where contamination acts have been committed against others—kissing, assault, etc.—direct execution may be considered depending on circumstances…”

 

…

 

Cold water poured over his body, the veins in his arms extremely taut.

 

Huo Yanji ran one hand over his forehead into his hair, the other gripping the thing that easily made… mistakes.

 

In the post-apocalyptic world, survival was the greatest challenge, with few recreational activities for entertainment.

 

People inevitably used simple, crude methods to solve spiritual emptiness—such as eating processed poisonous mushrooms to immerse in imaginary illusions, or unbridled sex.

 

In a state where everyone was wildly indulgent, Huo Yanji seemed particularly out of place.

 

He was ascetic, like a cold weapon, restrained to the extreme.

 

But after all, he wasn’t really a weapon. He had flesh and blood, naturally unable to be completely immune to sexual desire.

 

The reading voice in the room had stopped at some point. Huo Yanji glanced lightly but didn’t speak.

 

About five minutes later, the bathroom atmosphere had basically cleared.

 

Huo Yanji buttoned his shirt with one hand while pulling open the bathroom door, suddenly meeting a pair of curious eyes.

 

The little drunk wasn’t properly accepting punishment, but had somehow silently waited at the door.

 

Huo Yanji paused, asking flatly: “Finished reading the first chapter?”

 

“No.” Sang Jue stared at a certain place, then looked up and stated: “You’re in heat.”

 

Huo Yanji said: “Normal physiological response for males after being provoked.”

 

Sang Jue made a sound: “Who provoked you?”

 

Huo Yanji: “…”

 

Seeing him not answer, Sang Jue seemed to finally understand, obediently asking: “What did I do wrong to deserve punishment recitation?”

 

Huo Yanji said: “Seems you read the book but didn’t read it into your brain.”

 

Sang Jue gestured: “My brain is very small, can’t fit so many words.”

 

Huo Yanji walked to the bed and half-reclined, lazily lifting his eyes in indication: “Continue.”

 

Sang Jue put his hands behind his back, unhappily acting stubborn: “I don’t want to read anymore, I’m sleepy.”

 

Huo Yanji said meaningfully: “Now you’re sleepy? Weren’t you quite energetic just now?”

 

Sang Jue flopped onto the bed, looking up pitifully: “I’m really sleepy now.”

 

“…Sleep then.”

 

Sang Jue immediately climbed onto Huo Yanji, embracing him fully, his tail wrapped around one of Huo Yanji’s legs, contentedly closing his eyes: “I’m sleeping now.”

 

“…”

 

Huo Yanji gripped Sang Jue’s nape, forcing him to look up at him: “Deviant Code Article 16, recite it.”

 

Sang Jue recalled confusedly for a moment, then said: “In private, open spaces, deviants should actively maintain a safe distance of three meters or more from ordinary people…”

 

Huo Yanji asked: “What are you doing now?”

 

Sang Jue looked at him for a while, then said seriously: “Your bed isn’t three meters wide.”

 

His index and middle fingers held up Sang Jue’s chin. Huo Yanji laughed, but his expression was cold, more like laughing from anger.

 

“Your logic is quite clear? How come you were drunk and confused when you were poking around earlier?”

 

Probably because Sang Jue was usually a bit dull, so being drunk didn’t show much difference.

 

Sang Jue blinked, the tip of his tail wrapped around Huo Yanji’s leg trembling, looking particularly innocent.

 

“Did I poke your balls? Sorry.”

 

…

 

In the morning, Huo Yanji stood in front of the mirror, carefully fastening his cufflinks.

 

He was as meticulous as always, neat and solemn… except for the bite marks on his neck.

 

Sang Jue quietly poked his head in: “Are you angry?”

 

“Mm.”

 

Though he answered this way, Huo Yanji’s expression wasn’t different from usual.

 

Sang Jue extended an arm, offering a band-aid: “Here, to cover it up.”

 

Huo Yanji asked: “Where did you find this?”

 

Sang Jue: “The medicine box on top of the fridge.”

 

Huo Yanji took the band-aid, tore off both sides, and stuck it on Sang Jue’s forehead.

 

“?” Sang Jue asked questioningly, “I don’t need it.”

 

“You do.”

 

Using a band-aid to cover the bite marks on his Adam’s apple would be like putting up a signpost at a treasure location—obvious as day.

 

Sang Jue touched the foreign object on his head: “I don’t like having it stuck on.”

 

Wearing clothes was already restrictive enough, and now his forehead had something sticky on it too.

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “This is punishment.”

 

Sang Jue made a sound, his tail swishing behind him.

 

Huo Yanji glanced at him: “You start work at nine.”

 

Sang Jue looked at the time: “It’s only seven now.”

 

Huo Yanji said: “So you have two more hours of reading time.”

 

“…”

 

Sang Jue suddenly wasn’t so eager to sleep with Huo Yanji anymore.

 

Maybe he should find a new pillow, a new hand substitute for tail-petting.

 

Huo Yanji walked out of the bedroom, went to the fridge, took a sandwich for himself, and threw a bag to Sang Jue: “Pour your own milk if you want some, remember to study.”

 

Although the little evil dragon was reluctant about reading, when Huo Yanji was about to leave, he grabbed his clothes and instructed: “You should say, ‘I’m going out.'”

 

Huo Yanji’s eyebrows moved slightly. Sang Jue held on tight, looking like he wouldn’t let go unless he said it.

 

“I’m going out.”

 

Sang Jue’s mouth curved up happily: “Be careful on the road, come home early.”

 

Huo Yanji paused: “Mm.”

 

In the past, when the doctor went out, she would always say goodbye to Sang Jue first, and then Sang Jue would respond with “safe travels, come home early.”

 

Huo Yanji put on his gloves and said before opening the door: “Turn around.”

 

Sang Jue obediently turned around. The middle section of his tail was stroked twice, unconsciously lifting up and wrapping around Huo Yanji’s forearm.

 

“Alright, let go, I’m leaving.” Huo Yanji said flatly, “Pull up your pants properly.”

 

Sang Jue tugged at his waistband.

 

This couldn’t be blamed on him—the waistband could only sit below his tailbone, so it was normal for things to show.

 

Huo Yanji said coolly: “Do you act like this in front of others too?”

 

Barely clothed.

 

Sang Jue shook his head.

 

Back on his home planet, he was either completely human or directly transformed into an evil dragon. He rarely had a tail while in human form.

 

“From now on, we’ll both abstain from alcohol.” Huo Yanji opened the door, “I’ll check your reading progress in a few days. If you perform well, you can have gemstones.”

 

The door closed.

 

Sang Jue blinked. Actually, he wasn’t that short on gemstones now—when hungry, he could go to the rifts and catch humanoid creatures to eat. The substances in their bodies were also nourishing.

 

But he couldn’t leave the city casually, so for now he still had to rely on gemstones for food. Reading a bit wouldn’t be impossible.

 

But before reading, shouldn’t he reward himself?

 

Sang Jue looked at the four gemstones neatly arranged on the bar table.

 

Just eat one—Ji Ji probably wouldn’t notice.

 

…

 

In the corridor filled with solemn atmosphere, steady and proper footsteps came and went.

 

“General.”

 

“General.”

 

Huo Yanji nodded. In the office, Wei Lan, Colin, and Zhang Min had all arrived.

 

Hearing the door open, they all turned around: “Sir—”

 

Then their voices all froze.

 

Huo Yanji calmly returned to his desk, looking up coldly: “Did you come here to space out?”

 

Zhang Min was the first to react, moving his gaze away from those bite marks and smiling as usual: “Yu Ren’s body has been cremated. I checked the surveillance footage—he was stabbed to death while working at the lighthouse. Since the perpetrator was heavily covered up, we can’t determine if it was a deviant or an ordinary person.”

 

Zhang Min sent the video to Huo Yanji.

 

In the surveillance, Yu Ren was working as usual, receiving people who came to submit medals.

 

Deviants had difficulty finding work in the city, but since this lighthouse job mainly involved contact with deviants, and the maple leaf medal was exclusive to deviant soldiers, Yu Ren was qualified for it.

 

Even so, he had stood out from many competitors to get this ‘respectable’ job.

 

Huo Yanji pressed fast-forward.

 

Soon, a tall man appeared in the corner of the surveillance video, queuing normally like others, his face covered tightly with cloth.

 

When it was his turn, he exchanged a few words with Yu Ren, then suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed Yu Ren’s abdomen three or four times.

 

Yu Ren’s body slowly slid down, falling into the man’s arms.

 

Huo Yanji frowned slightly and watched it again.

 

Zhang Min said: “The killer seems very familiar with the city’s surveillance layout. After killing Yu Ren, he quickly fled. The last surveillance appearance was near General Huo Feng’s statue.”

 

Huo Yanji didn’t respond. He didn’t pay much attention to the contact between the two people in the surveillance, but instead carefully watched the footage of the killer queuing over and over again.

 

The office was very quiet, with only the sound of the surveillance video playing.

 

Colin on the side couldn’t help but look up, glancing at Huo Yanji’s neck. The bite marks were deep and blue-green; any harder and they would probably have drawn blood.

 

He seriously suspected that it was because someone got angry in bed that Sang Jue bit so hard.

 

Why couldn’t the commander exercise some restraint… Sang Jue was a deviant! Condoms weren’t foolproof either. What if things got too intense and it broke?

 

Wei Lan glanced at Colin’s twisted expression, then looked at Huo Yanji behind the desk with her calm expression, looking thoughtful.

 

After a moment, Huo Yanji paused the surveillance, his eyes darkening as he curved his fingers and lightly tapped the desk: “Left-handed…”

 

Zhang Min was stunned: “The killer stabbed with his right hand…”

 

He looked at the video carefully again and found that Huo Yanji was right.

 

Looking slowly and carefully, you could see that when the killer was queuing, both hands were in his pockets, and he always unconsciously reached out with his left hand first, then as if remembering something, quickly pulled it back into his pocket.

 

When initially communicating with Yu Ren, it was the same—the killer unconsciously grabbed Yu Ren’s wrist with his left hand.

 

The specific stabbing posture couldn’t be seen clearly, but after the killer fled and Yu Ren fell, the wound on his abdomen was clearly tilted to the right, and one stab had even slipped, only tearing his clothes.

 

Throughout the entire process, Yu Ren never resisted—whether he didn’t want to resist or was unable to resist was unclear.

 

Colin was also somewhat puzzled: “He’s also a deviant, so why didn’t he think to resist?”

 

Zhang Min hesitated for a moment: “Perhaps you’ve heard of the ‘human pet craze.'”

 

Huo Yanji paused.

 

No matter what era, there were always people who treated their own kind as entertainment objects, and the cruel post-apocalyptic world was no exception. When most people chose to evolve, they would select some powerful contamination genes, such as the tentacles from Rift No. 2.

 

But decades ago, when safe zone order was chaotic, some ‘cute pet’ series contamination genes somehow leaked out.

 

For example, genes from extinct cats and dogs—after fusion, one would have tails or ears. For example, mermaids—after fusion, there was only a 2% chance that legs would perfectly transform into fish tails.

 

There was also a type of pure white deviant bird; after fusing with its contamination genes, there was a chance of growing a pair of white wings. This type of deviant was jokingly called ‘angels.’

 

These deviants’ combat abilities were often not high, born purely from some people’s curiosity and evil desires.

 

If successful, they would become highly sought-after playthings. If they failed, they would be like Yu Ren, living their entire lives as low-level deviants under strange stares, without even the ability to protect themselves.

 

This gray industry chain continued until twelve years ago, when Bo Qing became an executive officer.

 

Bo Qing used only half a year to completely eliminate the ‘human pet craze’ that had been popular for decades from its source. He arrested twenty-seven researchers who trafficked contamination genes, completely wiped out underground black organizations, laying a good foundation for stable security in safe zones.

 

Everyone thought Bo Qing would become the next highest executive officer, but unexpectedly, half a year later, he became the target of a public trial.

 

Huo Yanji looked at the surveillance footage, lowering his eyes: “They knew each other.”

 

At first, the killer hadn’t handed over any medal, but Yu Ren still chatted with him for a while. Looking at their expressions magnified, it seemed like they were arguing, but their body language didn’t show wariness.

 

After being stabbed once, Yu Ren’s first reaction was to freeze, not to fight back or run away.

 

Wei Lan suddenly said: “Left-handedness isn’t that rare. There’s no need to deliberately hide it, unless the killer is someone with ‘status’ who’s afraid others might connect it to themselves.”

 

Huo Yanji nodded slightly, agreeing with her point: “What about the missing persons lists from other safe zones?”

 

Wei Lan said: “They’ve been submitted. Currently, District 8 has the most missing persons besides the main city—67 people have been counted, all suddenly lost contact without registering to leave the city. When District 12 submitted their list, they were obstructed by that district’s administrator.”

 

Although the Supervision Bureau served the safe zones, it was more often independent, directly answering to the highest executive officer.

 

In other words, for supervisors, no one’s orders could supersede Huo Yanji’s.

 

Huo Yanji said calmly: “Normal. With such a major incident, high-level involvement is impossible to avoid. First, make a note about District 12’s administrator.”

 

Wei Lan: “Yes.”

 

Huo Yanji: “As for—”

 

His voice stopped, his eyes suddenly deepening as he remembered that the governor had said the man who gave him the list of three thousand people was also left-handed.

 

Could it be that kidnapping residents who ‘failed genetic testing’ was also related to these low-level deviants who wanted to kill him?

 

If there really was a connection, did the high-level contribute to the low-level deviants’ plan to murder him?

 

Human high-level elites, wasteland rebels, unpopular low-level deviant groups in the city… the connection between these three was quite subtle.

 

Who wanted him dead?

 

Or rather, what did his existence obstruct?

 

Huo Yanji stood up, stroking his throat: “Colin and I are going to the lower district to find someone.”

 

“Yes.”

 

…

 

At the same time.

 

In the living room on the eleventh floor of a certain building, on an expensive sofa made of toad skin, coiled a black giant creature. From a distance, it looked like a mass of very textured black silk.

 

Until the giant creature suddenly stood up, with sharp horns on its head, it opened its mouth to grab the fire-red gemstone on the table. The huge biting force of its upper and lower jaws was more than the gemstone could withstand, and it crunched and shattered.

 

Finally having eaten the gemstone, Sang Jue was so happy that he couldn’t help but spread his demon-like black dragon wings and stretch comfortably: “Roar—!”

 

“Pfft.”

 

Hm? What sound?

 

The little evil dragon flew down from the sofa, his dark eyes turning in a circle, finally discovering the source of the sound—the sofa had been torn with a huge gash by his dragon wing scales.

 

His tail swung in alarm, but hit an obstacle. Another corner of the bar table broke off with a “crash” as it collapsed.

 

“…Roar?”

 

**

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