Boom——
Explosion sound at entire village resounds, sky-rushing firelight turns mountain forest red, mountain wind blows flame rapidly burns, surrounding everywhere are severed limbs and mutilated bodies, everywhere scarlet and twisted faces, hideous and terrifying sneers interspersed in sad helpless wailing, interweaving into a song like a hell on earth.
Thin and gaunt body kneeling sitting on ground, entire body stained completely with blood, behind him setting sun gives him a blood-colored silhouette, a desolate killing vastness meaning pervades, he lowers head, motionless.
One hand lifts his chin, gently wipes away flowing blood on his face, gentle like a voice in clouds by his ear from far approaching near sounds, murmuring, with dreamlike tender affection.
“Kill him, Shen Yue.”
“Go kill him.”
Surrounding noisy chaotic jeering sounds densely following:
“Hee hee hee hee, kill him.”
“Kill him, Shen Yue.”
“Kill him!”
In front person stands up extends toward him one hand:
“Kill him, you can go home.”
“……Return to my side.”
He looks up, slowly extends a hand covered in blood into the palm in front:
“Yes, Father.”
……
Shen Yue opens sore and dry eyes, consciousness returns to body after half a day pain only then from slow nerves stabs into brain, his entire body very painful, feels like being pierced by ten thousand arrows, he painfully breathes out a few breaths wanting to get up but finds himself unable to move.
Following his movements comes sound of chains sliding, he kneeling on ground, both hands pulled high above head bound by chains, iron chains hanging from ceiling, doesn’t know for how long already been hanging.
The right arm pierced by a wooden spike and the broken ribs bring wave-like pain with every breath. Something seems to be worn on the neck, a suppression collar. The suppressor is inserted into the gland, bringing a burning pain. He is still wearing his original clothes. Blood and muddy water are mixed together. His long hair sticks to his back, sticky and damp, like a swan that has fallen into a marsh.
Shen Yue breathes weakly. In fact, he has been having a fever. His cheeks are burning hot, but he feels very cold. The cold invades his bone marrow through every pore. He shivers so much that his teeth chatter. Every exhaled breath is heavy.
He rests for a while, barely gathering a bit of strength, then uses his fingers to feel for the iron ring locking his wrist, trying to free himself. His right arm, if left hanging like this, will soon be ruined.
He struggles for a long time but cannot undo it. He closes his eyes to catch his breath when suddenly he hears a faint cold laugh.
In the darkness, this sudden sound startles Shen Yue so much that his entire body bristles. He looks forward and realizes that not far away sits a person. He had probably been sitting there all along, silently watching him from unconsciousness to awakening.
Shen Yue looks at that silhouette in the darkness. A flickering, rippling light passes through his eyes. He unconsciously bites his lip.
That person raises a hand, and the room’s light turns on. The sudden light pains Shen Yue’s eyes. Tears mist over his eyes, and he instinctively closes them.
The moment the light comes on, he also knows where he is, the confinement room at the NSMS Headquarters Southern Base.
“It seems you were having so much fun outside that you don’t even recognize the equipment here… But that’s right, after all, seven years have passed. The interrogation department’s equipment has been replaced generation after generation. It’s very normal that you don’t recognize it.”
“Am I right, Division Chief Shen?”
That person sits on a chair, right leg crossed over left leg, one hand propping up his chin. On his wrist is a black watch. His other hand is playing with a dagger, exactly the one Shen Yue used to kill the mercenary.
He is very calm and leisurely, even faintly carrying a hint of a smile. This sitting posture looks casual but is full of a sense of dominance over everything. Behind him stand two alphas, wearing black military uniforms, standing straight, both with expressionless faces.
Shen Yue does not answer. He merely glances at the short dagger spinning in the person’s palm, then lowers his head, tightly curling his fingers.
“Don’t want to talk to me?”
That person tilts his head to look at him. After a long while, he lets out a laugh. He puts his right leg down and slowly stands up.
His stature is extremely tall. Taking two steps, he stands before Shen Yue. His tall body casts a thick, deep shadow, enveloping Shen Yue entirely in the shadow forged by him. Kneeling, Shen Yue only reaches up to the man’s thigh. At such a close distance, Shen Yue can smell the faint ambergris pheromones on him, carrying a male’s deep, rich hormones lingering at the tip of his nose, causing Shen Yue to tremble uncontrollably.
“Afraid of me?” That person says, seeing him trembling badly.
“Since you’re so afraid, then who gave you the courage to betray me?”
He grabs Shen Yue’s hair and lifts the person up. Shen Yue’s ankles and knees are both locked by iron rings fastened to the ground. With this grab, his scalp is pulled painfully. His pale face lifts up. That familiar face, which has become more mature and handsome after seven years apart, appears before his eyes. Shen Yue looks at that handsome face, which carries a hidden anger, and finally cannot help but speak:
“Junzhu, don’t.”
Ren Junzhu lets out a sneer, looking at him with tightly furrowed brows and says: “Does it hurt? I forgot about Division Chief Shen’s body, the constitution that doubles pain. What, on your lover’s bed, do you also cry out in pain like this?”
“Did you cry? How does his skill compare to mine… Judging by your performance, it seems he is better. Why don’t you call him over so we two can compete? I want to see just how capable he is to make you bold enough to [1]“Put a green hat on someone” is a Chinese cultural idiom meaning to cheat on a partner (especially a husband), making them a cuckold. It’s not literal—it’s a symbolic expression tied to … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2373640_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2373640_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });put a green hat on me.”
Ren Junzhu’s face carries a smile, but the smile does not reach his eyes. He does not emit pheromones to deliberately suppress, yet merely through his actions he forces the person to be completely unable to breathe.
“What’s even more ridiculous is that the gland blood test shows you are an alpha. You disguised yourself as an omega to get close to me… Watching me, [2]“老子” (lǎozi) is a rough, arrogant, and informal way of saying “I” or “me” in Chinese. It is often used by someone who is angry, boastful, or asserting … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2373640_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2373640_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });your father, being played around by you, you must have been very pleased, right?” Ren Junzhu’s smile deepens.
His dark, heavy pupils stare intently at Shen Yue’s pained face:
“Also, what do you call that lover, ‘Father’? You truly make me see you in a new light. You act innocent in my bed, yet act slutty and moan in his bed. What, you like this kind of taboo relationship? Then what should a child born from that call you, ‘Mom’ or ‘Brother’? Even if it’s bloodline awakening, ancient chaos—”
“Don’t say it anymore…” Shen Yue continuously shakes his head, murmuring in sorrow:
“Don’t say it anymore…”
“No… I really don’t…”
Ren Junzhu narrows his eyes and looks at him for a while, then releases his hand.
Shen Yue falls down. The chains make a “creak creak” sound. He hangs his head low, his complexion already no different from a dead person’s.
Ren Junzhu looks down at him from above, watching him sway as his upper body is hung up, bent over and continuously coughing. His dirty, damp clothes outline an extremely gaunt body. The butterfly bones on his back protrude distinctly and are heaving violently.
The air suddenly becomes silent. The sound of a needle dropping is clearly audible. The two alphas stand with their hands behind their backs, their posture unchanged, not saying a single word. In the confinement room, only Shen Yue’s restrained breathing sounds remain.
After a long while, Shen Yue speaks: “He… is my foster father. He and I don’t have—”
“Does it matter, Shen Yue?” Ren Junzhu’s black pupils are sharp as knives. “The fact that you betrayed Headquarters and betrayed me is the truth. He is the legitimate spouse, and I am your lover.”
Shen Yue presses his lips tightly, his face deathly pale. He understands that no matter how he answers this question, it will only anger Ren Junzhu and will never satisfy him. The confinement room falls silent again. Shen Yue chokes up a little, gathers his courage, and under the cold gaze, slowly speaks: “That child…”
“……Is he alright?”
The person in front does not answer, only lifts his eyelids and looks down at him with indifference. Ninety-nine percent of the people in this world do not fall within his gaze, they would not arouse any of his interest. And those who do fall within his gaze are even more dangerous. When talking to someone, he locks onto their pupils like a beast eyeing its prey, without any sense of embarrassment whatsoever. Shen Yue has never been able to hold his gaze for too long. That gaze is too aggressive, piercing through flesh and bone marrow, directly penetrating the soul.
Now that gaze is even more terrifying. Shen Yue trembles with fear, but still wants to know about that child of his. He forces himself to lift his gaze and meet his eyes:
“Is he… is he my……”
Ren Junzhu laughs. His laughter is deep and cold, making his face appear even more hard and evil-looking. Shen Yue immediately falls silent.
“How touching that you still remember. That little brat was too useless. Sent him to lure people, but instead of luring a few, he got himself caught. Had to trouble me to fish him out.”
Shen Yue’s eyes widen in disbelief: “How could you use him as bait to lure mercenaries? There are two S-rank alphas among them.”
“Why can’t I?”
“He is your child.” Shen Yue’s face is full of sorrow.
Ren Junzhu doesn’t care at all. His words are even more ruthless: “If he didn’t look so much like me, and paternity tests can’t be faked, I would still think you had your lover’s seed and made me take responsibility. With your guts, you probably could have done that too.”
Like a slap fiercely striking the face, inside his heart it feels like being pierced by ten thousand needles, blood draining through the holes. This is even more painful than the physical pain. Shen Yue bites his lips in humiliation, speaking with great difficulty:
“Don’t say that about him… Don’t say that……”
“What exactly… happened to him?”
Ren Junzhu: “Right arm crushed fracture, left temple depressed compressing the intracranial nerves. He will be disabled for life and turn into an idiot.”
Shen Yue is greatly shocked and urgently says: “Impossible, how could this be? You are lying to me.”
Ren Junzhu says in a deep voice: “Would I need to lie to you?”
The situation at that time was too dangerous. Shen Yue himself was in very poor physical condition. When he saw that child, his mind was heavily struck and he couldn’t react in time. Now looking back, when he held that child, he indeed was covered in blood.
That was an S-rank alpha. How could a seven-year-old child who hasn’t even differentiated yet possibly win against him?
Shen Yue closes his eyes. His teeth bite through his lip flesh, and blood spills out. He cannot feel any pain, only feels heart-wrenching pain, wishing he could bear all of this himself.
“How could you… do that to him?”
Ren Junzhu looks at the bloodstain flowing past his jaw and says mockingly: “Why can’t I? The moment he was born, you threw him on the ground like trash right in front of me. Now who are you putting on an act for?”
Shen Yue cannot speak, trembling violently.
Because Ren Junzhu, what he says is the truth.
He abandoned that child.
After a while, a weak voice sounds: “That child… what is his name?”
“No name.” Ren Junzhu says: “He is used as a tool. What need is there for a name? If he had a name, it would be something like ‘Trash.’ Anyway, no one wants him. And don’t even think about acknowledging him. If you dare to admit your relationship with him, I will slaughter him right in front of you.”
An alpha signals to Ren Junzhu. Without waiting for Shen Yue to respond, Ren Junzhu continues: “Shen Yue, you betrayed Headquarters and fled overseas, and now you have been arrested and brought back. Headquarters has activated the highest-rank supervision and interrogation order. You have caused the deaths of so many people, you cannot escape the death penalty. You’d better endure your remaining days properly and wait for the verdict.”
After speaking, Ren Junzhu turns to leave. Just as he is about to go out the door, Shen Yue calls out to him.
“Junzhu……”
“I will accept all judgments from Headquarters. It’s just… you have hatred, take it out on me. Don’t hurt him anymore.”
Ren Junzhu turns his head slightly. His dark eyes gleam with a forceful, ominous light: “Is that so? Then in these final few days, you’d better be able to keep me entertained.”
“The more entertained I am, the more that little brat might barely get by a little better.”
His tall figure disappears by the door. The iron door is slammed shut. The confinement room becomes dark again. In the thick, deep, impenetrable darkness, Shen Yue’s eyes slowly close. A single blood-red teardrop falls from the corner of his eye, rolling past a pearl-like tear mole, and splashes onto the ground, breaking into fragments like a flower.
References[+]