Chapter 114 – Too Idealistic
Novel Title: 龙血 (Dragon Blood)
Author：水千丞 (Shui Qian Cheng)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 单鸣 (Shan Ming -MC), 沈长泽 (Shen Changze -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“What do you mean by this? Are you looking down on me?”
“Mr. Mauri, you have misunderstood. This anti-stress vest is only to protect your important internal organs from being hurt. It is light and close-fitting. It will not affect your actions. In order to prevent accidental injuries, please wear it before simulating a battle with Crow.”
Ayer turned his head away with a gloomy face, “I won’t.”
Tang Tingzhi frowned and said, “Mr. Mauri, you are too stubborn. Why do you always fuss over little things?”
Ayer scoffed. He then said angrily: “Who cares about this? Why should I wear such unlucky things? I might not be able to defeat a Dragon Blood Man. But I don’t need to shrink into a protective shell to fight one. You don’t underestimate the mercenaries of the ‘Peregrine Falcon’.”
Tang Tingzhi held up the vest in front of his face, “How about you help us test our new armoured vest?”
“No.”
“Mr. Mauri, I really don’t want you to get hurt.”
Ayer raised his eyebrows questioningly, “Oh? Why don’t you want me to get hurt?”
Tang Tingzhi is a person who will seriously think about every question and answer it. This is because in his opinion, all the questions in this world that can startle him are worth exploring in his life. In order to save his time, he will try his best to answer every question. For this particular question, after thinking about it, he gave his most sincere answer, “Because I like your hair very much. I wonder if you get hurt, will your hair colour become dull? I like the current shining golden colour.”
Ayer’s face changed almost instantly. A hint of embarrassment flashed in his eyes.
All the other people watching the excitement standing next to him suppressed their laughter. In their eyes, this beautiful young Chinese man had brought his weirdness to the highest level. They were really curious to know what was in his head.
Ayer immediately disregarded his embarrassment. Instead, he showed a playboy-like frivolous expression towards Tang Tingzhi, “You idiot. Do you know what it means to keep praising my hair?”
Tang Tingzhi thought about it and said honestly again, “Isn’t your hair worthy of praise? There are many blonde-haired colleagues in our lab. But none of their hair shines brighter than yours.”
Ayer stretched out his slender fingers and pinched Tang Tingzhi’s chin. He said savagely, “It means you want to go out with me!”
“Hahahahaha.” Everyone couldn’t help laughing. Some of them even thumped the table with laughter.
Surprise flashed in Tang Tingzhi’s eyes. He then turned his face to look at Shen Changze and Shan Ming. These two people are Asian but they have been with these foreigners all year round. They should understand the differences between Chinese and Western cultures better. So Tang Tingzhi asked, “Really?”
Shan Ming smiled and nodded, “That’s right.”
Shen Changze smiled but said nothing. Although it is not nice for this group of people to tease Tang Tingzhi, it is obvious that all the researchers are curious to see how this serious person who usually has no other expression on his face will react. Scientific research is very boring. Especially for those who stayed hundreds of metres underground where they can’t see the sun or smell the fragrance of flowers. So when they can get a little entertainment, they all hope that this drama will end slowly.
Tang Tingzhi blinked and justified himself: “I didn’t think about going out with you. I just hope that you can put on this vest and perform the battle simulation.”
Ayer narrowed his eyes and said, “I will wear it if you go out on a date with me.”
Tang Tingzhi asked, “What are we going to do on a date?”
“We will do a lot of things that you have absolutely no idea about.”
Tang Tingzhi said as a-matter-of-factly, “It’s impossible for me not to obtain multiple points of knowledge about something. The possibility of this is too small. I know more about this universe compared to all of you combined. How could it be that there’s ‘a lot’ of things that I ‘absolutely’ have no idea about?”
Ayer slightly alternated his fingers. He felt the smooth touch of the skin from between his lower fingertips. He then said persuasively, “If you don’t believe me, try going out with me.”
Tang Tingzhi looked into Ayer’s blue eyes full of bewitching power. He was slightly taken aback. He then agreed bluntly, “Okay.”
The members of the ‘Peregrine Falcon’ couldn’t take it anymore. Lily laughed so loud that her boobs trembled wildly. It caused the eyes of those rigid scientific researchers to pop out.
Huang Ying finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He waved his hands awkwardly, “Colonel Sir, you can’t just agree casually to this.” In his eyes, foreigners are very open and chaotic. Moreover, this Ayer looks frivolous so who knows if he really wants to do something indecent to the colonel.
Tang Tingzhi gently moved his face away. It released the grip of Ayer’s hand on his chin, “It’s okay. We must have the spirit to delve into the fields that are unfamiliar to you… 0621, please find the information about the social custom of ‘dating’. Hand me a copy of the research report.” He raised the vest in his hand, “Mr. Mauri, can you wear this now?”
Ayer stood up and stretched out his hands. Tang Tingzhi put the vest over his arm but Ayer suddenly lowered his head. He put his lips against Tang Tingzhi’s ear and said softly, “Actually, I also like your jet-black hair.”
When Ayer and Crow were fighting, all the scientific researchers outside the laboratory were tracking their routine data such as blood pressure, pulse, speed, strength, and such. This data is to be used to better utilise the ability of the Dragon Blood Man and also to find further shortcomings of the Dragon Blood Man. For the development of more effective armour and weapons, such simulated combat experiments are carried out here every day.
Shen Changze and Shan Ming also went into the laboratory to practise for a while. They had to admit that the physical gap between the two was getting bigger. Shan Ming is thirty-two years old this year. He is at the peak of his physical strength. But he can’t keep up with Shen Changze’s speed and strength at all, even in the human state. This made Shan Ming feel somewhat frustrated.
After Shan Ming felt tired, he retreated and told Shen Changze that he wanted to go out sightseeing since it was boring to stay underground all day.
He guessed that Tang Tingzhi would not let them out. So he could only ask of this to Shen Changze.
Sure enough, Shen Changze’s expression was somewhat looking troubled. But he quickly agreed, saying that he would apply for it first. He then let Shan Ming go back to change his clothes.
Half an hour later, Shen Changze came back and took him out.
When they went out, they got on the nuclear vehicle. When they came to the hall, Shan Ming was put on a special helmet and a corset by two armed men. These things instantly deprived people of vision, hearing and sense of direction.
It’s boring when you can’t see or hear. Shan Ming can only lean on Shen Changze. To relieve him, Shen Changze rubs his fingers and sometimes writes numbers on the palm of his hand, which tells him how much longer it’ll take.
Shan Ming simply fell asleep.
About an hour later, the car stopped, and the restraints on his body were released. He opened his eyes and saw that they were already beside the Beijing Expressway. The military off-road vehicle dropped them off at the toll booth and left them with an unrestricted vehicle. It is just a normal Hongqi car.
Shan Ming took a deep breath of the cool air. Looking at the grey sky of Beijing, he felt a strange feeling in his heart.
Shen Changze drove the car into a residential area on the third ring road. They then switched to another car in the underground parking lot.
Shan Ming asked, “Will there be people monitoring us?”
“Yeah. It’s very annoying.” Shen Changze scanned the entire car with a tester to confirm that no bugs were installed. He then sat in with Shan Ming.
Shen Changze asked, “Baba, where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know. It’s my first time here. Why don’t we go shopping?”
“Okay.” Shen Changze started to drive around the city. During the rush hour, they found a place to have a meal first. But when the traffic was less heavy, they continued to drive around.
Shan Ming asked him in the car, “I don’t seem to get what kind of relationship you have with the government now.”
Shen Changze thought for a while, “It’s a reciprocal relationship. I stayed underground for the first three years and never came out. They didn’t let me go out because I always wanted to find you. Later, I was able to restrain myself and formed a stable relationship with them. Although I have a military rank, I am not completely under their control. I only need to cooperate with them when there are complex tasks or to complete special experiments. My other times are free.”
“Then what did they give you in return for that?”
“They’ll make sure that you and I are safe.”
“Me and you?”
“That’s right. More than ten years ago in Yunnan, you accidentally faced a Dragon Blood Man who had just evolved successfully but couldn’t control himself. You killed him. At that time, the government kept trying to get rid of you for the sake of keeping national secrets. But they couldn’t find the right opportunity. Tang Tingzhi and I have persuaded the people above to cooperate with you instead of being hostile to you.”
Shan Ming nodded, “If you really want to trouble us, we will accompany you until the end. After all, if they didn’t mess around with their own experiment, Lin Qiang wouldn’t have died.”
“That was purely an accident. No one wants to see it happen.”
Shan Ming turned his head to look at the bright neon lights outside the window. He was silent for a while. He then asked, “What’s the fuss about ensuring your safety then?”
“There are too many people trying to grab me for my blood.” Shen Changze sneered, “House was invited to China and he stayed with me in the laboratory for several months to cooperate with our research. But he always wanted to take me away. He said he could take me back to the United States and bring you over to the United States for us to meet. I don’t know if I believe him or not. But I really wanted to go out at the time. So we planned a secret operation together but Tang Tingzhi found out. He executed House as a spy. Political things are very complicated and I don’t know how the United States communicates with China regarding this. In short, House was brought back to the US but now House has been banned from entering China. Except for House, the other people who were after me are Tang Jingzhi, who escaped from prison. And him… my father. Everyone is threatening my safety. Now there are spies saying that Russia and Germany have also obtained dragon blood samples and the dragon blood experiment is an increasingly difficult secret to keep. Sooner or later there will be big problems. For my shelter, anywhere else is not as good as my own country.”
“Yes. You should stay in China.”
Shen Changze parked the car on the side of the road and looked at Shan Ming seriously, “Baba, I hope you can stay with me and leave the ‘Peregrine Falcon’. You can’t be a mercenary all your life.”
“Actually, I intend to be a mercenary for the rest of my life.” Shan Ming said calmly, “Changze, you must know that people like us cannot live a normal life.”
Living in the cruel battlefield intertwined with blood and death all year round, he had witnessed all kinds of unimaginable hell in his life. He had also seen all kinds of faces people have. Indifference, bloodthirst, impatience, lack of moral sense, excessive stress response, habitual use of violence to solve problems, and treating everyone around them as imaginary enemies threatening their lives. He knew it all too well. Once he returns to a normal and orderly society, all these problems will seem nonexistent but they’re still there.
In the face of brutal wars, even those soldiers who retreat from the battlefield are by no means unaffected. They generally suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder to varying degrees, which is why the vast majority of soldiers who return from the battlefield need psychological treatment before they can re-adapt to a peaceful society. This group of mercenaries has been with the most ferocious enemy and the worst environment all year round. They are wary of everyone and everything around them. They are likely to habitually attack things that pose a threat to them. It is extremely dangerous for such people to wander in a peaceful society. They themselves will feel fear and loss.
Why do some soldiers only know how to fight all their lives? It’s not that they don’t have the intelligence to do the work that ordinary people do, but they couldn’t adapt to the life of ordinary people. For Shan Ming, and for most of the members of ‘Peregrine Falcon’, they can only find a sense of belonging on the battlefield. They feel safe only by being with their comrades in arms and fall asleep with a gun or a knife in their hands.
Therefore, Shan Ming could not stay in China with Shen Changze. He could neither live an ordinary life nor be restrained by the government. There was no place for him here.
Shen Changze’s slender fingers tapped on the steering wheel. It’s not that he didn’t think that Shan Ming would answer this way. But his desire to be with Shan Ming was too strong. He just wanted to keep Shan Ming by his side, even if it meant he was tied up to him. But when it really came down to him needing to be decisive about keeping him through that method, he couldn’t help but hesitate.
He was only fifteen years old when he left ‘Peregrine Falcon’. At that time, his ‘battlefield side effects’ were already very serious. He was habitually hostile to everyone around him and attacked those who dared to approach him. He couldn’t sleep, had nightmares all night, and often dreaming of splattered blood and broken pieces of flesh. It was as if he was still surrounded by enemies. He received medication and psychotherapy for half a year before he gradually adapted to his status in an orderly society. If it was Shan Ming, he didn’t know how many years it would take to heal his psychological trauma. Besides, Shan Ming never planned to live an ordinary life. He only wants to live on the battlefield and die on the battlefield in the end.
Shen Changze once thought that Shan Ming’s not loving him would be the biggest obstacle between them. But now he gradually realised that Shan Ming’s nature would be the biggest obstacle between them.
Shan Ming will not give up the life that makes him feel at ease and that is familiar for him. Once Shan Ming is separated from the world of mercenaries, he will probably go crazy because he would feel misplaced.
Shen Changze’s ideal warm and beautiful life is too much idealistic for the both of them.
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☝🏻Chinese Brand Hongqi H9 car. Dunno in this story which Hongqi they meant though.
Next update: 2023.–.–(*TBA)
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