After sending a message in advance to arrange the meeting, You Rulan set the rendezvous with Jiang Gelei and the others in an alley near Xianlin Street.
Nearby was a transfer point, the ground piled high with foam boxes and miscellaneous debris.
A few days ago, artificial rain had fallen here, its technical term was “regulated precipitation.” The place received no artificial light and the cardboard boxes had absorbed the dampness. A big yellow dog kept by a nearby resident had hidden a few bones underneath.
Jiang Gelei leaned against the wall on one foot, motionless, while Wei Lang fiddled idly with a keychain, making a clattering sound.
Ten minutes later, You Rulan appeared, a wooden box tucked beneath his loose coat.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said with a smile. “I brought the item.”
“Hand it over” Jiang Gelei said in a low voice.
You Rulan passed it to her.
“By the way, there’s something else,” You Rulan added, changing the subject. “I’ve recruited two helpers…”
He conveyed Lu Pei’s intention to join the organization and embellished the story of how he had obtained the target item. After some polishing, he said, “The two of them helped me a lot.”
“We don’t just take in anyone,” Jiang Gelei said coldly.
“Exactly, exactly!” Wei Lang chimed in.
“They killed Mammoth.”
Jiang Gelei: “…Oh?”
Wei Lang: “…Oh ho?”
“Why don’t you meet them first?” You Rulan said. “They’re in the car.”
Jiang Gelei relented. “Bring them over.”
The two continued waiting in the alley.
They each had their own expectations of the newcomers You Rulan had recommended.
A few minutes later, You Rulan brought them over and introduced them.
“Ruby. Yuan Que.”
A person’s gait and posture revealed much. Before Lu Pei and Yuan Que had even fully stopped, Jiang Gelei had already seen that the former wouldn’t be able to take a single punch from her, while the latter was someone worth paying closer attention to.
“Huh.” Wei Lang, on the other hand, noticed Lu Pei. “Have I seen you somewhere before?”
Lu Pei deflected lightly. “Where could that have been?”
Wei Lang stared at his face, suddenly recalling that day in the parking lot, bang, bang, bang, chaos everywhere and a white haired figure sitting coolly atop a car. For a moment, it had reminded him of his idol, Major General Lu but the person in front of him now had black hair, which left him confused.
Meanwhile, Jiang Gelei crossed her arms and scanned Yuan Que from head to toe. She stood at 170 cm yet still had to look up at him.
“Let’s spar a bit” Jiang Gelei said.
“Oh” Yuan Que replied.
She zipped her jacket all the way up and casually tossed it to Wei Lang. At the same time, her fist and a side kick came at him together!
Yuan Que twisted his body and evaded.
Jiang Gelei’s next attack followed immediately.
A low sweeping kick forced him to jump, followed by a swift straight punch aimed directly at his jaw.
The moves were simple. What wasn’t simple was Jiang Gelei’s astonishing speed. With her lighter body weight, she had a clear advantage in attack speed. Few opponents heavier than her could dodge without taking a hit,
Yet Yuan Que avoided it perfectly.
His movement was effortless, as if weightless, causing her strikes to miss entirely.
Stopping just short, Jiang Gelei withdrew her hand. Her calm expression suddenly turned vivid.
She recognized him, this was the one who had nearly killed her that night.
“You’re strong” Jiang Gelei said.
Yuan Que accepted the compliment. Since she was a woman, he politely refrained from saying “You’re weak.”
You Rulan added, “Yuan Que isn’t very talkative. Mammoth didn’t like that about him and made things difficult even when assigning tasks, so they couldn’t stand it anymore and want to join us.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Gelei said.
“Ruby has a more outgoing personality. They’re partners.”
Because of that, Jiang Gelei took another look at Lu Pei. Perhaps this pretty one wasn’t so simple either.
Before she could say “Shall we spar?”
Lu Pei, who had been crouching by a pile of cardboard boxes making “tsk tsk tsk” sounds trying to lure a cat, suddenly let out a shriek and jumped up.
“Waaahhh!! Yuan Que!! A rat!! There’s a rat!!! Why is it a rat!!!”
In an instant, Lu Pei darted behind Yuan Que faster than the rat itself, flailing his arms wildly. Even on flat ground, he nearly tripped, shouting:
“Yuan Que, quick, quick, kill it!”
“Oh” Yuan Que replied.
Jiang Gelei: “…”
She seemed to understand their division of roles now.
“The decision to let you join isn’t mine to make” Jiang Gelei said to the human shaped dinosaur and the beautiful vase. “The boss will be back tonight. Wait.”
“Alright,” Lu Pei said. “Is there a barbershop nearby?”
“Want a haircut? I’ll take you” Wei Lang volunteered.
Wei Lang eagerly took on the role of their guide, probably with the added intention of observing and keeping an eye on them. Lu Pei didn’t mind.
While waiting for their boss, there was nothing else to do anyway, might as well take a walk around.
The area around Xianlin Street was much better than near the mine.
Although the residential buildings were uniformly old, the shops were thriving. The convenience stores were well stocked, with display boards filled with trinkets children liked, followed by tobacco counters.
There weren’t many tall buildings in the underground district. The tallest artificial structure was the satellite launch center, standing like a stabilizing pillar at the very center of the region. In areas with good visibility, it could be seen from dozens of kilometers away.
Wei Lang brought them to a small shop.
“Here it is.”
Inside, there was only a middle aged man watching TV.
“What do you want done?” the man asked.
“Dye my hair” Lu Pei said. “Make it… gray black.”
Yuan Que showed a disapproving expression.
But he rarely tried to persuade anyone. After organizing his thoughts, he couldn’t even come up with an opening word. So he sat down on a nearby barber chair, carrying a subtle distaste at the idea of surface Dweller replacing his already unattractive light colored hair with an even worse color.
“A gradient” Lu Pei added. “From gray at the top to black at the ends.”
Living outside from now on and having offended Zhou Zu, he couldn’t keep his eye catching white hair. A mixed gradient would make it easier to conceal as new hair grew out.
On the TV, a legal education program was playing, with hosts explaining laws in a back and forth format.
“On December 18th, former Alliance Major General Lu Xun was transferred to Sinkport Prison in the underground district.”
“How exactly is the crime of endangering national security defined? What actions did Lu Xun take that led to his life sentence? In this episode, we’ve invited expert Mr. Bieber Wang to…”
Behind the host, a large screen displayed two comparison photos, one taken at the ceremony where he was awarded the rank of major general, the other a prison mugshot.
The TV resolution was poor yet even in such blurry images, Lu Xun’s gaze in both photos was sharp and piercing.
“Ah! A major general,” Wei Lang sighed. “Look at that sharp, upright expression. Who would dare say he betrayed the country? If looks could kill, he would’ve already sliced those damn politicians into dried meat.”
“Maybe he’s nearsighted, so he looks especially fierce when he’s not wearing glasses” Lu Pei said.
“Get lost, what do you know!” Wei Lang snapped.
In this story, the male lead’s halo shone brightly. Wei Lang was a fan of Lu Xun and even the barber was one of his supporters. The two chatted briefly about the program, their words filled with admiration and respect.
Yuan Que showed little interest and didn’t watch the TV. Lu Pei asked, “You don’t like Lu Xun, do you?”
“Who’s that?” Yuan Que replied.
“……..”
Lu Pei: “Just some guy rotting in prison.”
Wei Lang and the barber both shot him sharp glares!
“It’ll probably take another hour,” Lu Pei continued to Yuan Que. “If you’re bored, go take a walk somewhere.”
Yuan Que didn’t like wasting time. He ate as quickly as he drank water. Previously, when eating with Lu Pei, he would finish and leave immediately, tray in hand, leaving Lu Pei behind. For over a month, it had always been like that.
Later, when Brother Mammoth suspected them of betrayal, everyone ostracized them. To avoid being targeted if left alone, Yuan Que had been willing to stay seated with his empty plate a little longer, waiting for Lu Pei to finish.
That had been a special situation. Now that they were safe, that kind of treatment probably wouldn’t continue.
Yet Yuan Que said, “No need.”
Lu Pei thought he might be wary of Wei Lang but even after Wei Lang left for half an hour, Yuan Que still sat in the chair, seemingly staring at him in a daze, waiting solidly, his posture barely changed.
Yuan Que really was spacing out. For him, emptying his mind was a form of rest, a kind of meditation.
As usual, he focused on his breathing but his thoughts kept interrupting.
Who was the man from above’s husband?
When had they gotten married?
Did surface dwellers take their husband’s surname after marriage?
Where was that man? What did he look like?
…
Each time such thoughts surfaced, Yuan Que’s attempt to rest was interrupted once more.
Before he realized it, the hair dyeing was already finished.
Lu Pei’s white hair had turned into a gradient of gray fading into black. During this period, his hair had grown slightly longer; he hadn’t let the stylist trim it. Instead, he casually tugged at a small section himself and tied it into a thin little braid.
He admired himself in the mirror, clearly satisfied with his new look. In one light step, he jumped in front of Yuan Que. “What do you think?”
Yuan Que didn’t think much of it but seeing the smug satisfaction on the surface dweller’s face and to avoid unnecessary argument, he replied, “It’s alright.”
Lu Pei clicked his tongue. “Didn’t even look. So perfunctory. Honestly, just like my… never mind. Forget it.”
He didn’t say the pronoun aloud but Yuan Que immediately understood, he meant his husband.
That realization felt like a provocation. A dull, smoldering irritation flared instantly in Yuan Que’s chest, his mood darkening and showing plainly in the gloom settling over his face. It was as if he only needed a suitable target to lash out.
Mistaking it for impatience, Lu Pei hurriedly said, “I’m done with the dye. Let’s go eat.”
The two of them randomly picked a small nearby eatery. The food was quite good. Lu Pei secretly observed him and sensed that Yuan Que still seemed to be sulking.
“Next time… maybe I shouldn’t make him wait so long?” Lu Pei speculated.
To compensate for the wait, Lu Pei bought him a double flame lighter from a nearby craft stall.
For some reason, this only made Yuan Que more displeased. In a low, heavy voice, he said, “I don’t smoke.”
Lu Pei replied, “But it looks cool. Look, press here, then here, two flames. A lighter’s always useful to keep around, right?”
Yuan Que said flatly, “Don’t want it.”
Lu Pei insisted, “Other than you, I don’t know who else to give it to. Just take it.”
Yuan Que: “…”
He studied Lu Pei for a long moment, then finally tucked the lighter, meant only for him, into his pocket. “Fine.”
……….
The artificial sun panels used during winter shut down at 17:30. Dressed lightly, Lu Pei felt a bit cold. Not long after, Wei Lang found them and informed them to head to a nearby bar to meet the boss.
Echo Tavern.
There was still over half an hour before opening time according to the sign on the door. When Lu Pei pushed it open, only a sparse few people were inside. Among them was Jiang Gelei.
The moment he and Yuan Que stepped in, all eyes, openly or covertly, turned toward them.
“Welcome” said the middle aged man polishing a wine glass. “What would you like to drink?”
“Grape juice” Lu Pei said.
Yuan Que didn’t speak, so Lu Pei added, “Two grape juices.”
“Young people here really should drink less alcohol” the man remarked. “Take a seat.”
Wen Tiannan.
Also the head of a major organization but unlike Zhou Zu, who carried a handkerchief and wore a double breasted suit, his appearance was plain to the point of austerity. A loose hoodie, a sturdy back, he looked like a friendly older guy you might casually strike up a conversation with.
“Qiuge, get them some grape juice,” Wen Tiannan said to the young man behind him.
A few minutes later, the young man named Lin Qiuge brought over two glasses of purple liquid.
Lu Pei took a sip. Pure technology, no trace of anything natural.
“Thanks. It’s… a very unique flavor” Lu Pei said. “I’m Ruby. This is Yuan Que. Earlier, we…”
Clearly, within these past few hours, Wen Tiannan had already sent people to investigate them. Both sides understood this yet the formality of introductions still had to be observed.
Lin Qiuge seemed like a technical type, someone who didn’t often deal with people from all walks of life. While Lu Pei spoke, Qiuge busied himself behind the bar, his attempt to disguise his eavesdropping so obvious that it felt deliberate.
Moreover, Qiuge’s gaze kept drifting beneath the counter, as if something was hidden there.
After Lu Pei finished the necessary introduction, Wen Tiannan should have responded but instead, he ignored Lu Pei entirely and turned first to Yuan Que.
“Gelei says you’re strong.”
Yuan Que replied politely, “She’s not.”
Wen Tiannan didn’t take offense at all. He burst into hearty laughter.
Behind them, Jiang Gelei, who was drinking: “…”
“Perhaps Gelei would enjoy sparring with you.”
Only after saying this to Yuan Que did Wen Tiannan finally look at Lu Pei, the one responsible for communication.
His gaze lingered on Lu Pei for a few seconds. In a tone that was polite yet distant, he asked, “What do you think you’re good at?”
The deliberate shift in questioning order, the contrast in tone, subtle yet unmistakable. It conveyed a faint, calculated disdain with effortless precision.
But Lu Pei caught the scent of provocation.
Jiang Gelei’s evaluation of him must have been low. Wen Tiannan’s intentional slight was meant to bait him into proving himself, to draw out more information.
Old fox. Not flashy but far from harmless.
Lu Pei didn’t take the bait.
Instead, he immediately imitated the sharp, affected tone of a haughty noblewoman from memory. “As for me, I happen to be quite good at making friends.”
“Luckily, I met Yuan Que.”
He let out a tinkling laugh, resting a hand on Yuan Que’s arm and leaning his head lightly against him like a delicate bird. “If Yuan Que hadn’t dealt with the mammoth, I definitely wouldn’t have made it out.”
Yuan Que glanced at him but didn’t pull his arm away.
Wen Tiannan: “…”
Lin Qiuge: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
Aside from Wen Tiannan and Yuan Que, the others looked as if they had just witnessed something utterly shocking, their expressions twitching uncontrollably.
“For people in our line of work, being good at making friends is indeed an important strength,” Wen Tiannan said calmly.
He reached beneath the bar and took out a wooden box, the very one You Rulan had handed over to him.
The unremarkable box contained a high density cooling device. The moment it was opened, wisps of cold vapor drifted out.
Protected at the center was a vial of violet purple liquid.
“Do you know what this is?”
“To be honest, no,” Lu Pei said. “But it must be expensive.”
“This single vial is worth a fortune,” Wen Tiannan confirmed. “It goes by many names. A common one is ‘Dorota’ or ‘Forget Me Water.’ This is a highly concentrated base solution.”
So he’d guessed correctly.
Forget Me Water. Its scientific name was Seracibin, a medicinal sedative with hallucinogenic effects.
It had once been a controlled substance but over the past year or two, it had gradually become more accessible. With a prescription, it could be purchased at pharmacies. Among wealthy playboys, it often served as the grand finale at parties, fueling nights of reckless revelry.
Lu Pei concealed his disgust, maintaining a calm expression.
He noticed Lin Qiuge’s gaze had grown intense, fixed firmly on the vial.
Wen Tiannan toyed with the test tube. The violet liquid was thick, almost like slurry, its sediments drifting slowly. “Pharmaceutical companies rake in massive profits from it. Zhou Zu has been trying every means to steal the base solution, hoping to replicate it and produce it in bulk for local distribution.”
“However,” Wen Tiannan grinned, “this stuff won’t touch my territory.”
With a flick of his hand….
Crack!
The sharp sound rang out as the vial shattered, its precious contents splashing across the floor.
In that instant, Lin Qiuge’s expression collapsed, as if he himself had shattered along with it.
“I agree,” Lu Pei said. “It’s better if it disappears from the world entirely.”
He glanced at Yuan Que, signaling him to echo the stance against Forget Me Water.
Yuan Que caught his look. With a cold expression, he finally found an opportunity to ask, “What is this, exactly?”
Lu Pei: “……..”
Wen Tiannan laughed. “Better that you don’t know.”
Having gauged their attitudes, Wen Tiannan delivered his final words: “Gelei will arrange work for you.”
With that, he stood and left.
As his figure disappeared through the door, Lu Pei briefly explained the purpose of Forget Me Water to Yuan Que, pretending not to notice Lin Qiuge.
Sure enough, Lin Qiuge finally made his move.
He glanced around furtively, then pulled a soft tipped straw from his pocket and began drawing up the residual liquid from the floor.
Jiang Gelei walked up to the bar. “Little Bucktooth, wipe the floor. Not a single drop for him.”
“On it.”
Lin Qiuge wailed, “No, my samples, my samples!!”
…So he wasn’t drinking it, just crazed about experiments. Lu Pei relaxed.
Once Lin Qiuge was dragged away with nothing gained, Jiang Gelei turned to Yuan Que and Lu Pei. “You two, come with me.”
Jiang Gelei arranged lodging for them, a ten square meter room with bunk beds, an old desk and a plastic chair. It was fairly clean.
Compared to the conditions at the mine, it was already an upgrade. Having endured far worse, Lu Pei found it easy to be satisfied.
“You can drive, right?” Jiang Gelei asked.
“Yes,” Lu Pei answered.
“There’s work in three days. Get ready.” She wrote down a number. “The courier station provides one meal. You can go there for dinner. Handle the rest yourselves. If anything comes up, contact me.”
“Where did You Rulan go?” Lu Pei asked.
“Don’t know.”
“He reports directly to your boss? Doesn’t usually act with you?”
Sharp for a pretty face. Jiang Gelei avoided the question. “See you tomorrow.”
It was Lu Pei’s first time sleeping on a bunk bed. He’d only seen them before, so this felt novel.
“I’m taking the top bunk!”
“Oh,” Yuan Que said.
The room had an attached bathroom. After washing up, they prepared to sleep.
Lu Pei changed into the sleep pants he’d bought earlier that day, short, ending around mid thigh.
As he climbed the ladder, he felt a bit uneasy. One knee knocked lightly against the metal rung.
When he lifted his leg, the hem of his shorts rode up slightly, exposing the soft curve of his thigh, faintly tensed.
Yuan Que, on the lower bunk, had no choice but to take in the scene.
Since Lu Pei would move out of view soon, Yuan Que didn’t deliberately avert his gaze.
The knee that had pressed against the metal rung flushed red almost immediately. If it were held in a hand and spread open, it would probably look the same.
Surface dwellers were truly delicate.
At this point, Yuan Que should have, as usual, expressed his disdain and ended it there yet for some reason, he felt an inexplicable restlessness, a faint irritability stirring within him. Perhaps the room was too cramped, making it hard to breathe.
Lu Pei flopped down onto the bed, exhaling in relief. At last, this nerve wracking day came to an end in that very moment.
“Yuan Que, Yuan Que,” he called. “I’m really exhausted today.”
There was no response from the lower bunk.
Thinking he had already fallen asleep, Lu Pei leaned his head over the edge and looked down, only to find Yuan Que’s eyes open, his gaze unfocused, as if lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about?” Lu Pei asked.
“…Nothing,” Yuan Que replied.
He seemed to be in a bad mood again. After a moment’s consideration, Lu Pei said, “Go turn off the light. Wake me up at nine tomorrow.”
A rustling sound came from below. A few seconds later, there was a soft click, the light went out.
Still so obedient. Maybe that displeasure had just been his imagination.
Lu Pei drifted into sleep peacefully and had a night of good dreams.
………
The rumor that the two newcomers were a couple spread quickly along Xianlin Street.
Same sex relationships were legal within the Alliance but due to the low population, the authorities encouraged reproduction.
As a result, same sex marriage registration operated on a lottery queue system, securing one was even harder than winning a license plate in Nuan Yang Main City. At the same time, content related to same sex relationships was restricted on social platforms and in the media.
Because of this, a pair of same sex partners who made no effort to hide their closeness would inevitably draw attention.
In just half a day, Lu Pei had already turned down three separate attempts at gossip.
“I’m not… that kind of relationship with Yuan Que… we’re just really good friends… really, we’re not…”
He tried his best to explain yet the people he spoke to would always respond with that knowing, ambiguous expression, “Ah, I see.”
Lu Pei felt a twinge of regret. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have put on that performance at the tavern.
Some people paid attention to Lu Pei and Yuan Que out of curiosity. Others were assessing them.
Over the past few days, they had exchanged opinions in private.
Wei Lang: “Yuan Que’s endurance is incredible. It’s like he never gets tired.”