“Don’t… don’t bite there, that part is fatty, it’s greasy…”
Lin Wan mumbled in her sleep, smacking her lips twice, clutching the corner of the blanket tightly.
Clearly, she was dreaming about the braised pork she hadn’t had enough of.
Morning sunlight seeped through the yellowed curtains of the guesthouse, landing right on her eyelids.
Half-asleep, Lin Wan rolled over and instinctively wrapped her arms and legs around a warm, hard “big pillow.”
【Hm? This pillow is pretty good—self-heating function too? Just a bit hard, kind of uncomfortable.】
【But this texture… why does it feel like a washboard? Or a slightly flexible washboard?】
Her hands began to explore the “washboard,” even shamelessly pinching it twice.
“Had enough touching yet?”
A deep, hoarse male voice, clearly restrained, exploded above her head.
Lin Wan suddenly opened her eyes.
What entered her vision was a stretch of bronze skin, tight muscle lines rising and falling with his breathing, even faint scars visible on it—wild, masculine, and intensely oppressive.
And above it all was Qin Zhan’s face, black as the bottom of a pot.
At that moment, she was clinging to him like a koala, one leg arrogantly draped across his waist and abdomen.
As for Tangtang—the “human divider” between them—she had long since rolled off to the end of the bed and was sleeping sprawled out, blowing little snot bubbles.
【OH SHIT!】
The sleepiness in Lin Wan’s mind vanished instantly. She jolted backward like she had been electrocuted, slamming her back into the bed frame.
“Ow!” She rubbed her back, eyes darting around.
【This… this is awkward. Did I just sexually harass a superior officer in my sleep?】
【No, wait—I’m his nominal fiancée. Touching him a bit… that’s not illegal, right?】
【Besides, with his… cough… condition, I was basically doing a humanitarian health check.】
Qin Zhan took a deep breath, the veins on his temple throbbing violently.
It was early morning, peak physiological vitality—and this woman had been touching and hugging him all night. His body’s natural reaction had already kicked in.
Yet his brain was still forced to absorb this nonsense about “humanitarian care.”
Without saying a word, he got out of bed.
His movements were smooth, but his walking posture was slightly stiff, his back clearly showing an air of retreating escape.
Lin Wan watched his back and continued mentally:
【Tsk, running that fast—definitely guilty.】
【Just as I thought, guys who don’t work in that department usually don’t have much morning desire. Poor thing… so young and already like this…】
Bang.
The bathroom door slammed shut hard, like it was about to break the frame.
Ten minutes later, Qin Zhan came out, wrapped in steam.
He had already changed into his training uniform, every button meticulously fastened.
Even the top button was done up, exuding an aura of “do not approach.”
“Get ready. We’re going to the hospital,” he said briefly.
Lin Wan was helping Tangtang put on her altered military outfit when she froze.
“Go to the hospital? Did Lin Xue die?”
【If she died, do I get to buy firecrackers to celebrate?】
The corner of Qin Zhan’s mouth twitched.
“No. She’s alive. Director Lu just called. The badge from last night has been analyzed and there’s a major issue.”
“She’s awake and demanding to see us. Says she has something important to confess.”
His gaze sharpened.
“And this matter involves ‘Hawkeye.’ Military security has already stepped in.”
Lin Wan paused mid-motion.
【Hawkeye? That terrorist organization involved in attacks and tomb robbing?】
【Wow, Lin Xue really leveled up—she went from petty relative to suspected spy overnight?】
【This gossip just got serious. I have to go see it live.】
They quickly ate soy milk and fried dough sticks at a street stall.
Lin Wan not only ate messily herself, but also casually shoved the fattest dough stick into Qin Zhan’s bowl.
Calling it “balancing nutrition,” which nearly made him flip the bowl over her head.
The jeep sped forward and soon reached the military general hospital.
The isolation ward was surrounded by layers of armed guards.
The air smelled strongly of disinfectant, mixed with a heavy sense of impending storm.
Director Lu Wenbo removed his mask, revealing a tired but stern face.
He looked at Qin Zhan, then deeply at Lin Wan behind him.
“Commander Qin, a word.”
He pulled Qin Zhan aside and lowered his voice:
“The toxin in that badge has been analyzed.”
“It’s a mutated corpse fungus from ancient tombs.”
“More importantly, the symbol on it is indeed the mark of a core member of Hawkeye.”
“The patient inside is very agitated.”
“We managed to save her leg, but it’s severely necrotic. She’ll have permanent mobility issues.”
“She insists she’s innocent—and claims you abandoned her and forced her to steal the item.”
Qin Zhan’s expression turned icy.
“Let her dream on.”
Lu Wenbo sighed.
“She also seems to be holding something tightly, refusing to let go, saying she must see you before revealing it. She calls it a Qin family heirloom.”
At this moment, Lin Wan stood at the other end of the corridor with Tangtang, pretending to look at posters while clearly eavesdropping.
【Qin family heirloom?】
【What could Lin Xue possibly have? Besides that cursed badge, maybe that broken watch?】
【The book mentioned her father was a grave robber. So these so-called heirlooms are probably all stolen from corpses.】
【If Qin Zhan dares to take it, he’s asking for bad luck.】
Qin Zhan paused slightly.
A broken watch? Taken from corpses?
He turned and strode toward the isolation ward.
“Open the door.”
Inside, Lin Xue sat disheveled on the bed, her injured leg wrapped like a mummy and suspended in the air.
Her face was pale, lips cracked, but her eyes burned with madness.
“Brother Qin Zhan! You’re finally here!”
Her voice was hoarse and tearful.
“You have to save me! They’re calling me a spy! I’m innocent! That badge was picked up—I mean, it was Lin Wan! Lin Wan gave it to me!”
Even now, she was still trying to shift blame onto Lin Wan.
Lin Wan followed behind leisurely, hands in pockets, watching the drama unfold.
“Lin Xue, you can’t just say whatever you want. I only arrived yesterday—when would I have had time to plant a spy badge on you?”
Lin Xue glared at her with hatred. If looks could kill, Lin Wan would already be full of holes.
“It was you! You’re jealous that I grew up with Brother Qin Zhan! You want me dead so you can take the position of commander’s wife!”
Taking a deep breath, Lin Xue seemed to make a decision.
She tremblingly pulled something from her inner pocket, wrapped in layers of cloth.
“Brother Qin Zhan, I know you don’t believe me. But you must recognize this, right?”
She slowly unwrapped it, revealing a yellowed, rusted pocket watch.
Qin Zhan’s pupils shrank slightly.
He recognized it.
It was his grandfather’s most treasured item, said to have been lost on the battlefield.
“How is this in your hands?” Lin Xue saw his reaction and grew confident.
“This is what Grandpa Qin left for my father!”
“He said whoever holds this watch can make one request of the Qin family!”
“Now I demand you fulfill it!”
“I want you to immediately break off your engagement with this jinx—and marry me! Only then will I be safe as the commander’s wife!”
The ward fell silent.
Even the doctors looked at each other, stunned by the sudden twist.
Qin Zhan stared at the watch, his expression unreadable.
If it truly was his grandfather’s relic, this was troublesome.
At that moment, Lin Wan suddenly stepped forward and sniffed lightly.
【Hmm… that smell is strong.】
【Even from two meters away I can smell earth and rot. Is her nose broken?】
Her system interface instantly analyzed it.
[Item: Late Qing–Republic of China gilt pocket watch]
[Origin: mass grave on the west side of the city; burial object from an unknown warlord’s tomb]
[Status: heavily contaminated]
[Residue: mercury vapor + high-concentration yin mold spores]
Lin Wan couldn’t help smirking slightly.
【Grandpa Qin didn’t lose this watch—it was pawned to a shop during the war to save a comrade. The shop owner later died, and it was buried in a mass grave.】
【Lin Xue’s father probably dug it out of a corpse pile.】
【Buried for decades, soaked in corpse energy and mercury. Whoever treats this as treasure is basically courting death.】
【Tsk tsk… Lin Xue, do your hands feel itchy yet? Like ants crawling in your bones?】
Qin Zhan’s hand, which was about to reach for the watch, jerked back as if electrocuted.
He subtly stepped back—and even pulled Lu Wenbo back with him.
Too obvious.
Lin Xue froze.
“Brother Qin Zhan… what do you mean? You despise me?”
She grew more emotional, shaking the watch.
“You can’t deny this! This is Grandpa Qin’s token! Come take it! Look at it!”
Qin Zhan didn’t move. His eyes were cold, as if looking at a dead person.
“Look at your own hand first,” he said calmly.
“My hand? What about it?”
Lin Xue instinctively looked down.
The next second, a piercing scream almost lifted the hospital roof.
“Aaaaah! My hand! What happened to my hand?!”
The hand holding the watch had turned an eerie purplish-black at a visible speed.
It wasn’t just a bruise—it looked like something dark was crawling beneath the skin.
Yellowish blisters began to form at her fingertips, disgusting and alarming.
“It itches! It hurts!”
Lin Xue desperately tried to shake off the watch, but it felt as if it had fused with her flesh.
As she struggled, the rust on the watch cut her palm.
Black blood instantly gushed out.