Eli stood before them, encased from head to toe in armor, with only his eyes visible.
Specially designed handcuffs, shackles, and a neck collar restricted his abilities in every way.
Upon closer inspection, Wuning realized it wasn’t armor but more like a terrifying instrument of torture, weighing heavily on Eli’s body.
“This…” she exclaimed, both shocked and angry. “I wasn’t even seriously injured! Did it have to go this far?”
“The military takes punishments like this very seriously. You still don’t understand how important a Medic capable of mental power guidance is to the Polluted,” Sanchez explained earnestly.
“No punishment is too severe. If there weren’t so few Polluted, the death penalty might even be an option.”
Wuning was stunned. “But he didn’t mean to!”
“…Don’t be angry. Now, it’s up to you whether to remove them or not,” Sanchez sighed softly once again at the girl’s kindness.
“Of course, remove them,” Wuning replied without hesitation.
Eli had kept his eyes lowered since entering.
These past few days, he had nearly torn his own soul apart.
He was an unforgivable sinner.
After realizing he had hurt Wuning, Eli’s once frenzied and distorted mental landscape suddenly shattered.
Like lightning and fire striking down a mountain, countless heavy boulders crashed down, gouging deep, bloody pits in his heart.
Extreme bitterness and despair filled every corner of his being.
Amid this agony, he couldn’t help but recall, over and over, the feelings Wuning had given him.
Joy, lightness, warmth, sweetness…
Eli, oh Eli, you thought you might receive gentle solace, but you destroyed it with your own hands!
He completely lost his will. After his companions took Wuning to the hospital, he stumbled to the military headquarters in a daze, reported his crime, and willingly donned the restraints.
Even though the other side of the armor was covered in dense spikes, and the handcuffs and other devices suppressed his self-healing abilities.
He hadn’t wanted to participate in the mission, even considering leaving Squad 191.
But Bo Yin rejected his request and brought him along.
“Why?” Eli couldn’t help but ask on the way.
They must hate him to death.
“Because she kept asking where you were,” Bo Yin replied simply.
For a moment, Eli felt a flicker of happiness, followed by even deeper despair and pain.
He didn’t deserve it at all.
So when Wuning demanded the restraints be removed, Eli shook his head in refusal. “No.”
“This isn’t your place to give orders,” Cook said coldly.
“If you don’t remove them, are you planning to stand here and bleed to death? You’ll scare her,” Garnet retorted, pointing to the blood dripping steadily on the floor.
Then he muttered, “Though I’d love to collect your blood-drained corpse.”
Wuning walked over and slapped Garnet. “Don’t say things like that, and don’t do such things to your companions.”
Garnet rubbed the spot on his waist where he’d been slapped, feeling a slight itch.
“Hurry up and remove them,” Wuning urged.
She frowned as she watched.
It was strange. In the infinite flow world, she had seen far bloodier scenes than this, yet none had moved her much.
Perhaps it was because, back then, she was an NPC herself, and she knew those bleeding were NPCs too.
They were all just strings of pre-programmed data.
Now, it was different. She could no longer see these world characters as mere data.
Bo Yin removed the restraints and tossed them aside.
Eli, covered in blood, was revealed.
He now looked no different from someone fished out of a pool of blood.
His dark red long hair was tangled and matted, clinging to the sides of his face, staining the only exposed pale skin crimson.
Wuning unexpectedly caught sight of Eli’s face.
She never imagined it would be under such circumstances.
Eli had stubbornly refused to lift his head, but it was useless against Wuning—the height difference allowed her to see everything clearly.
Among Squad 191, Eli had the most slender build, with an elegant and upright posture that matched his delicate, handsome face.
He would have been striking whether as a man or a woman.
But both sides of Eli’s cheeks were branded with an X-shaped Marking.
Or perhaps the perpetrator simply wanted to make a cross.
The scars were hideous, brutally marring his face, giving it a grotesque yet captivating appearance.
Wuning immediately thought of characters like ghost brides or ghost grooms.
This dark red all over was no different from a wedding dress.
Eli remained dazed, letting the girl stand before him and finish her inspection, only belatedly realizing that he wasn’t wearing his mask due to his punishment. His pupils contracted sharply, and he hurriedly raised his arm to cover his face.
But in his haste, he accidentally splattered blood all over Wuning, even on her face.
Wuning: “!!”
“Look what you’ve done!” Garnet instantly scooped Wuning up by the waist and lifted her high into the air.
Wuning’s head thumped against the ceiling once again.
She hung helplessly in Garnet’s grip.
These damn tall people!
For the first time, Eli didn’t retort against his companions. He frantically covered his face, desperately activating his newly restored healing ability to stop the bleeding.
Sanchez disdainfully wiped the blood off Wuning’s face. “Poor little lamb.”
“But she looks even better covered in blood~”
“Don’t say such scary things!” Wuning raised her hand and thumped him on the head.
This height was just perfect.
A moment later, both Wuning and Eli were cleaned up, sitting face to face.
The others had been chased out by Wuning.
Eli had come directly from the military department without any personal belongings, so he had no mask.
He tried to borrow one from his companions, but no one lent him one, and he was met with cold mockery instead.
Cook slowly pushed Eli into the room, feigning comfort. “It’s fine, she won’t mind.”
Ha! Not minding didn’t mean she wouldn’t be afraid.
Cook was very grateful for his foresight in not ruining his own face.
So even after entering the room, Eli continued to cover his face, using his hair.
Wuning watched him for a few seconds, thought for a moment, then went to her travel bag, took out a training T-shirt, tore it open, and handed it to Eli.
“If you’re uncomfortable, you can use this to cover up temporarily. It’s clean.”
Eli snatched it away in a flash, turned his back, wrapped the T-shirt below his eyes, looped it twice around, and tied it tightly at the back of his neck.
“Wait, your hair.” Wuning stopped Eli’s hands as he was about to tie the knot, went over, and helped him pull his long hair out from under the T-shirt before securing it.
Eli quickly glanced at the girl.
Then he nervously adjusted his hair.
He must look absolutely hideous now. How despairing.
Wuning looked left and right, pulled out her sidearm, and offered it. “No mirror, but you can use this to check?”
She could tell Eli cared about his appearance because his hair was always neat, shiny, and smooth—something that must be hard to maintain.
Eli didn’t take the gun, and his hair-adjusting movements froze.
Wuning tilted her head to look at him, tentatively stepping closer to the man, her voice soft. “Or, would you like to see yourself in my eyes?”
After saying this, Wuning mentally applauded herself.
That was a pretty good line! Write it down! Hurry up and write it down!
Too bad the System isn’t here.
Otherwise, it would definitely praise her for actually knowing how to say sweet nothings.
Among the X-Agents, Wuning ranked last in emotional feedback values and first in average emotional stability.
For a while, many Hosts were reincarnated capybaras, and the System had even suspected Wuning.
But genetic testing confirmed she was undeniably human.
Eli could no longer restrain his emotions.
He carried Wuning to the edge of the bed and sat her down, kneeling between her legs. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her, hot tears streaming down his face.
“Don’t be afraid of me, I beg you, don’t despise me.”
He choked back sobs, his long, beautiful eyes glistening with tears, the corners trailing a vivid, damp red.
He looked even more like a male ghost now than before.
“I’m not afraid of you. At least, I won’t be afraid of you until the next time you accidentally hurt me.” Wuning gently stroked his cheek.
Then she realized that probably wasn’t the best way to comfort someone.
Oh well, the truth isn’t always pleasant to hear.
Sure enough, Eli began breathing rapidly. He grabbed the gun nearby, placed it in the girl’s hand, and pressed it against his own neck. “Don’t forgive me. Punish me however you like.”
Wuning thought for a moment and asked seriously, “If I slap you, would you find it pleasurable or painful?”
Eli blinked, and teardrops like pearls rolled down his cheeks.
He leaned in closer, pitiful yet earnest, as if genuinely considering the question. “I’d have to be slapped first to know.”