RITAAB 56

Chapter 56 [o(￣︶￣)o]

Xia Liansheng knew where Qin Jiulin was at the moment, but it wasn’t the right time for him to go looking for him. Each squad had their own missions to attend to.

It seemed that his plan would have to wait until they carried out the joint mission later. He hoped that Qin Jiulin wouldn’t be taken away by that Liu Zhongyuan…

Xie Sihan wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt like Xia Liansheng had taken a wrong turn earlier. Fortunately, he quickly corrected himself, perhaps it was just her imagination.

Cheng Tianxiang had already flown ahead, so they had to speed up from behind to avoid falling behind too much. If they were too far away when unexpected situations arose, they might not be able to respond in time.

Especially Xie Sihan, who still had lingering fears from the previous incident. If possible, she really wanted to shout and ask Cheng Tianxiang not to fly so fast and leave them so far behind.

Fortunately, Cheng Tianxiang flew back from ahead, looking like nothing had happened. Xie Sihan breathed a sigh of relief, and the three of them continued on their way. They probably arrived at the mission location in the afternoon.

Xia Liansheng and the others transformed into human form and found a safe place to gather and discuss how to carry out the mission. Even if Xia Liansheng was in a hurry, he couldn’t make decisions on his own.

Such a mission required the cooperation of all three people.

Xia Liansheng sighed, “If we could speak freely after transforming into beast form, Cheng Tianxiang could inform us of any situations or changes she observes from above, making it safer.”

Xie Sihan said, “Who wouldn’t want that? But none of us can speak after transforming into beast form, it’s just how it is. It would be great if we could do it in the future.”

Cheng Tianxiang pouted, “I also think it would be convenient to speak, but it’s not possible. But maybe in the future? Since we can all transform into beasts now, maybe even more miraculous things will happen!”

Xia Liansheng thought about the changes that would occur in the future with the transformation of humans to beasts, nodding, “Yes, it will definitely happen.”

After all, he… of course, knew that in the future, beastmen would evolve the ability to speak after transforming into beast form. But it would still take some time to reach that point, so they had to wait.

He estimated that they would have to wait several more months, but he couldn’t guess the specifics. After all, he only had a rough idea of the plot’s direction, and he had no knowledge of the specifics.

Especially now, how could he make Qin Jiulin return to his side? He pondered over it but didn’t know what to do because Qin Jiulin’s current behavior was beyond his control.

Xie Sihan said, “Captain? Xia Captain?!”

Xia Liansheng snapped back, “Sorry, continue. I got a little distracted just now.”

Cheng Tianxiang blinked her eyes, “Wow, if you get distracted during a battle, Captain Xia, you might get into trouble. We might not even be able to give you a proper burial, considering that those monsters would devour you.”

Xie Sihan said, “Tianxiang, don’t talk nonsense, let’s continue discussing the mission.”

While they were each carrying out their respective tasks, back at the military camp, Duan Qiufeng was still trying to establish a connection with Qin Jiuzhen. Qin Jiuzhen was initially reluctant to have any relationship with this person, but…

Duan Qiufeng came looking for him again, and they happened to run into each other during lunchtime. However… the number of coincidental encounters was too frequent to be considered mere chance.

Duan Qiufeng said, “What a coincidence, you’re here for lunch too. By the way, we often have lunch at the same time.”

Wasn’t lunchtime always at this time? Qin Jiuzhen couldn’t help but feel speechless, but he nodded with a touch of awkwardness on his face, “Yes, it’s indeed quite a coincidence.”

Duan Qiufeng may have noticed his nervousness, so he moved his seat a bit further away. Qin Jiuzhen relaxed a little, saying, “No problem, let’s eat. I’m really hungry.”

Duan Qiufeng nodded, “Alright, let’s eat. Oh, by the way, I don’t know if later…”

Qin Jiuzhen was a bit surprised. What did he want to invite him to do?

Duan Qiufeng paused in his speech and instead started eating slowly, “Let’s talk about it later.”

Qin Jiuzhen disliked people who only spoke halfway, but he couldn’t directly ask him. Well, it didn’t matter anyway. It had nothing to do with him, whether he spoke or not.

After finishing the meal, as Qin Jiuzhen was leaving, he suddenly remembered what Xia Liansheng had told him before. So he decided to slow down a bit and see if Duan Qiufeng would catch up.

As a result, Duan Qiufeng did catch up.

Duan Qiufeng walked a few steps quickly and reached Qin Jiuzhen’s side, “You’re walking quite slowly.”

Qin Jiuzhen suddenly quickened his pace, and Duan Qiufeng looked at him with a wry smile, “Oh, never mind, I won’t say it. I didn’t mean it on purpose.”

Qin Jiuzhen reluctantly slowed down his pace, “Do you have a question?”

Duan Qiufeng said, “No, I… I don’t mean anything else. I just think you’re someone I have a good impression of and I want to be friends with you. Ah! I don’t mean that I like you, so please don’t misunderstand me.”

Qin Jiuzhen asked, “Be friends with me? Really?”

Duan Qiufeng, “Yeah, I’ve been here for so long and haven’t found anyone to talk to. Moreover, the people who brought me and my wife here are regular beastmen. We only have a familiar relationship with them, so we don’t know anything most of the time…”

Qin Jiuzhen, “What do you want to know from me?”

Duan Qiufeng smiled, “I heard that you have an acquaintance who is a beastman of a different species beastman. He brought you and your family to the military camp for protection. I… I didn’t think much about it, I just wanted to know if he tells you anything? Like when will the military take over the urban area?”

Qin Jiuzhen sighed with relief, “So, you wanted to find out about that!”

Duan Qiufeng, “Yes.”

Finding out about that was fake, but this excuse was indeed useful.

Qin Jiuzhen “Well, he does tell me a few things, but I only know the general idea. I don’t really understand the specifics since it involves some military secrets.”

Duan Qiufeng nodded quickly, “I understand, I understand!”

Qin Jiuzhen, “Actually, he didn’t explain it in great detail. He just mentioned that most of the capable soldiers from the military camp are sent out on missions to clean up the urban area of half-beastmen and animals.”

“He also mentioned that a small part of the streets and neighborhoods near the suburbs has already been successfully taken over. Have you noticed? Some of the soldiers stationed in the military camp have left; they actually went there to station first.”

Duan Qiufeng had indeed noticed that there were fewer people in the military camp, “I did notice that, but I didn’t think much of it. So… does that mean we’ll be able to live in the urban area this year?”

“And even if we don’t live in the military camp, we’ll be very safe!”

Seeing how happy Duan Qiufeng looked, Qin Jiuzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He established a good relationship with Duan Qiufeng and indirectly told him about the variant beatman…

He hoped that Duan Qiufeng and his so-called wife really had a deep bond, enough for Duan Qiufeng to make such a big sacrifice for her. He also hoped that there wouldn’t be any problems with his own plan with Liansheng.

Qin Jiuzhen, “You always talk about your wife, but I haven’t seen her yet.”

Duan Qiufeng had already established a closer connection with Qin Jiuzhen. If their connection was severed because his wife was suspected to be fake, what would he do?

“Oh, speaking of that, it’s my fault. It’s time to introduce you to my wife. Come on, she’s right up ahead. She’s really beautiful! Once you see her, don’t you dare compete with me!”

Qin Jiuzhen wanted to say that he wasn’t interested in women, but Duan Qiufeng walked quickly and left him behind. He had no choice but to speed up and catch up.

Duan Qiufeng led him to his tent, “Qinglan!”

Qinglan, who had just come out of the tent, turned around and saw him. “Duan ge, you’re back? Have you eaten?”

Duan Qiufeng replied, “Yes, I’ve finished eating. You can go eat now. Oh, by the way, this is Qin Jiuzhen, the person I mentioned to you before. I realized that I hadn’t introduced you two yet, so I brought him over for you to meet.”

Duan Qiufeng then said to Qin Jiuzhen, “This is my wife, Qinglan. You can just call her Sister Qinglan.”

Qin Jiuzhen looked at the woman who greeted him with a gentle smile and nodded slightly. “Hello, Sister Qinglan.”

Qinglan smiled and replied, “Hello, Qin Jiuzhen… Can I call you Jiuzhen? It feels too formal to use your full name.”

Qin Jiuzhen frowned slightly, but ultimately agreed, “Sure.”

Qinglan quickly headed towards the dining area, and Qin Jiuzhen realized something. “Do you take turns to eat? Why?”

Duan Qiufeng explained, “What other reason could there be? We have belongings in the tent, and we’re afraid that if we go out to eat together, someone might come and take everything.”

Qin Jiuzhen blinked in surprise. “How could someone do such a thing?”

Duan Qiufeng chuckled and said, “It’s not something that would happen where you live. But it’s different here.”

Qin Jiuzhen asked, “What do you mean?”

Duan Qiufeng elaborated, “Where you live, your family and friends are brought by a variant beastman. The numbers are small, and the place is closer to the inner boundary of the military camp, so there are more soldiers on guard.”

“But where my wife and I live is more chaotic. It’s all relatives and friends brought by regular beastmen. With more people, things can get messy. And the location is in the middle, with more soldiers if you go closer to the inside, so no one would dare to touch anything. And if you go closer to the outskirts, there are more patrols, so no one would cause trouble either.”

“The most dangerous place is the middle. If you’re not careful, things can get stolen. If something goes missing, the military camp won’t resupply us. So my wife and I can only resort to this method.”

Qin Jiuzhen found it strange. “Don’t the regular beastmen who brought you here take care of you?”

To be honest, Duan Qiufeng was also puzzled. They were indeed not being taken care of, but they were still provided with a place to live here, even though it wasn’t necessary to bring them along in the first place.

Duan Qiufeng had no idea that Wang Boming and Lin Yuze brought them here because of a certain woman they had a connection with. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have cared about the lives of this group of people.

Duan Qiufeng replied, “It’s already good enough that they brought us here. We don’t dare to ask for more. After all, we don’t have much of a relationship with them. Bringing us here was purely out of humanitarianism.”

Qin Jiuzhen: “So that’s how it is? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely let you know if there’s any news. You shouldn’t be concerned.”

Duan Qiufeng expressed his gratitude and sighed, “Ah…”

Qin Jiuzhen was thinking about how to steer the conversation towards Qi Yu when Duan Qiufeng sighed. “What’s on your mind?”

Duan Qiufeng replied, “Actually… my wife Qinglan has a younger brother who is a beastman. He’s currently serving in the beastman squad in the military camp.”

Qin Jiuzhen blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that Duan Qiufeng would bring up Qi Yu on his own, which was a good sign for their relationship.

“In that case, it shouldn’t matter for you to stay in the military camp, right? By the way, shouldn’t you be given a better place to live? The area where I live is definitely safer, and at least you won’t have to take turns to eat.”

Duan Qiufeng responded, “But her brother no longer recognizes her as his sister.”

Qin Jiuzhen suddenly thought of his own brother. “Really? That’s a coincidence! I’m in the same situation!”

Duan Qiufeng asked, “What happened?”

Qin Jiuzhen explained, “My brother is also a beastman, but he had a falling out with our family and stopped caring about me, my parents, and even our grandparents. We’re able to live where we are now because of my brother’s boyfriend…”

“His boyfriend is also a beastman, and he took on the responsibility of protecting us. He’s been protecting us since the beginning. But now my brother wants to break up with him and abandon us, and I don’t know why.”

Duan Qiufeng commented, “I didn’t expect your luck to be so bad. But life is unpredictable. Maybe he has some hidden troubles?”

Qin Jiuzhen replied, “Maybe he feels that our parents favored me in the past?”

Duan Qiufeng said, “You’re the younger brother, so it’s only natural for parents to favor the younger child.”

Qin Jiuzhen added, “Everyone thinks it’s not a problem, but my brother might feel resentful. Now I’m also worried that if my brother really breaks up with his boyfriend, we’ll be kicked out.”

Duan Qiufeng agreed, “That’s true. If they do break up, his boyfriend won’t continue to protect you. Perhaps he’ll find a new partner.”

Qin Jiuzhen couldn’t help but think that he could be that new partner… No, wait, all along, he has been his brother’s partner! No one else!

Duan Qiufeng said, “Don’t panic. Wait for some time. If the military takes over the city in the future, we might have a safe life even if the military camp doesn’t take care of us.”

Qin Jiuzhen smiled in relief and replied, “Yes, you’re right…”

Duan Qiufeng added, “By the way, your brother’s name is Qin Jiulin, right? My wife’s brother is in the same team. It’s really a coincidence. His name is Qi Yu.”

Qin Jiuzhen: “Qi Yu… I know, the beast form is like a snow owl, it’s quite large, and I feel envious just looking at it.”

Duan Qiufeng: “Absolutely!”

Qin Jiuzhen: “But I’ve only seen it from a distance, never up close. I wish I could get closer… I can’t help but look forward to it…”

Duan Qiufeng: “Touch its feathers? Well, that might be a bit difficult.”

What do you mean by “difficult”? It’s simply impossible!

Qin Jiuzhen: “I know, but even if it’s not a beastman, if it’s just a regular beastman individual like a snow owl, they would still be valued by the military camp! They highly regard individuals who can fly.”

Duan Qiufeng certainly knew that. Wang Boming and Lin Yuze, two regular beastman individuals, clearly, Lin Yuze, who can transform into a pigeon, is more valued and is accompanied by a powerful team.

Meanwhile, Wang Boming’s red fox isn’t as highly regarded because its combat abilities are similar to those of a domestic cat or dog. He may feel quite unbalanced right now.

After all, back in the villa area, Wang Boming was mainly responsible for hunting and had the highest status, while Lin Yuze was just his assistant. But when they arrived at the military camp…

Duan Qiufeng: “Yeah, a snow owl… that would be so great. I wish I could become a variant beastman individual too.”

Qin Jiuzhen: “I also want to become a beastman individual. I wonder if the ability can be inherited or stolen…”

Duan Qiufeng’s expression turned cold, “What did you say?”

Qin Jiuzhen suddenly froze, “Huh? What did I just say?”

Duan Qiufeng: “You said inheritance and stealing? What exactly are you talking about?”

Qin Jiuzhen felt like he had hit a detonation point. He stood up with an unpleasant expression and turned to leave, “I didn’t say anything, don’t ask me! I don’t know anything, don’t follow me!”

Duan Qiufeng initially wanted to catch up and ask in detail, but Qin Jiuzhen is someone who lives near the inner part of the military camp. If he were to chase after him recklessly, it could cause problems.

Even though Qin Jiuzhen had walked far enough that he couldn’t be seen anymore, his mind kept replaying the words he unintentionally said earlier.

Can the abilities of a beastman individual be stolen? Can they be inherited?

Is it possible? Is it possible?

Is it really possible?

If it’s really possible, then wouldn’t I also have a chance to become a beastman?

He didn’t dare to imagine becoming a different kind of beastman, but becoming a regular beastman should be possible, right? How would one go about it? Just kill them? That doesn’t seem possible, and besides, someone like me couldn’t possibly kill a beastman, right?

So what should I do? Killing them directly is not an option, what about other methods… like killing and eating them?

Just the thought of that scene made Duan Qiufeng feel… he definitely couldn’t do it in a short amount of time. After all, all the beastmen he could see and come into contact with were under military control. It was good enough if he could just catch a glimpse from afar, and he still wanted to get close and kill them?

So no matter what ideas he had, he could only wait… until he moved into the city. By then, there would definitely be beastmen who wouldn’t want to join the military, and he could come out on his own. That would be his chance.

Qin Jiuzhen returned to his tent with a pounding heart. When he said those words just now, he subconsciously wondered if Duan Qiufeng would suspect that he did it on purpose.

That’s why he hurriedly walked away and didn’t even confirm Duan Qiufeng’s expression or demeanor. He angrily punched his pillow twice.

But now is not the time to be discouraged. Let’s wait and see tomorrow. Maybe Duan Qiufeng will come looking for him tomorrow?

“Xiao Zhen… my good grandson… Xiao Zhen?”

Qin Jiuzhen recognized his grandmother’s voice. “Grandma?”

Grandma said, “My good grandson, come over here. Grandma has something to tell you.”

Qin Jiuzhen got up and walked to where his grandmother and grandmother slept. As soon as he walked in, he smelled a strong and strange odor inside, but there was no way around it. After all, there was no ventilation inside.

Qin Jiuzhen said, “Grandma, just tell me directly if there’s something.”

Grandma said, “Oh, I don’t know what’s happening now. It seems like my legs can move. Help me up and see. If I can walk, it won’t trouble you to take care of us two old folks all the time.”

Qin Jiuzhen helped her slowly sit up. “Grandma, don’t say that!”

When he supported his grandmother, that strange smell became even stronger, and he showed a twisted expression where his grandmother and grandmother couldn’t see. This smell…

Fortunately, in the end, his grandmother really stood up. With his support, she walked outside the tent. “I can really walk now, I can really walk!”

Although she was still walking unsteadily, it looked promising. In another two days, she should be able to walk freely. “Grandma, that’s great! You can finally walk, and you can come out and get some fresh air!”

Grandma smiled and said, “Yes, the air outside is refreshing. It’s so stuffy inside, we’ve been suffocating for so many days, and there’s no place to open the windows inside.”

Qin Jiuzhen had his grandmother sit on a nearby rock. “Grandma, please sit for a while. I’ll go inside and check on Grandma.”

Not long after, Qin Jiuzhen helped Grandma walk out as well. The two elderly sat together and rested, chatting as if they were reluctant to leave the fresh air outside.

After all, inside… not to say it smelled bad, but the odor was peculiar.

Qin Jiuzhen sat nearby, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he looked at his hands. It’s so uncomfortable… I really want to wash my hands, to take a bath. I feel a bit dirty.

Just then, Qin Shanzhou and Yao Meimei returned from their meal. When they saw the two elderly sitting outside, they were momentarily stunned.

Qin Jiuzhen hurried over. “Mom, Dad, Grandma and grandpa can both get out of bed and walk now. They will take care of themselves from now on!”

Qin Shanzhou, in front of the elderly, wouldn’t directly say anything unpleasant. He simply replied coldly, “Got it.”

Yao Meimei also gave a cold glance and silently followed Qin Shanzhou into the tent.

Of course, when they usually said unpleasant things, they didn’t control their volume. Even if they didn’t say it to their faces, the two elderly could still hear it, and very clearly at that.

Now that they’re not saying it in front of them, does that mean everything they said before doesn’t exist?

Qin Jiuzhen looked at the sky outside. “Grandma, Grandpa, are you hungry? I’ll go get food for you. I forgot to bring the lunch boxes when I went to eat earlier.”

“Go ahead, go ahead, good child. Bring back plenty,” Grandma replied.

Qin Jiuzhen took the lunch boxes and left. What surprised him was that he encountered Duan Qiufeng again on the way back to get food. So soon… what should he do?

Duan Qiufeng was also a bit surprised. “You…”