Due to the incident with the lunchtime address, a seed of suspicion was planted in Xu Ye’s mind. Over the next two or three days, he couldn’t help but feel that something was off about everything.
Why does the captain always like to hold Jiang Tong on his lap and tell him not to squirm?
Why does the captain always enjoy pinching Jiang Tong’s waist, not content with pinching through his clothes and even having to slip inside, saying how slender he is?
Why does the captain play with Jiang Tong’s fingers absentmindedly when lost in thought, saying how tiny they are?
Why does the captain, even when there’s enough sleeping bags, come up with a lousy excuse to sleep next to Jiang Tong?
Why does the captain’s gaze wander when Jiang Tong undresses and wipes himself down, with a suspicious blush on his face?
Why, why, why?
…It’s not…as he’s thinking…right?
Isn’t the captain infatuated with that mutant who looks a lot like Jiang Tong? The one in the cool trench coat and gloves, who also saved their whole team’s lives… Could it be that the strong camaraderie they displayed during that astonishing push through the zombie horde was all fake?
Could it be that… the captain’s unrequited feelings towards that mutant led to a long period of desolation and disappointment, gradually turning into a twisted obsession, and then shifting his focus onto Jiang Tong as a sort of substitute to nurture?
Or perhaps… Jiang Tong is the real focal point, and that mutant was just a temporary stand-in during the captain’s wait for Jiang Tong to grow up?
Xu Ye realized that if he continued to speculate recklessly, he might end up being the one with twisted thoughts. After hesitating for a while, he took advantage of a quiet afternoon to hint to Yao Wuque, “Wuque, what do you think about the relationship between the captain and Jiang Tong?”
“Seems pretty good,” Yao Wuque leaned against the car door, casually doing Sudoku, “A caring father and a filial son.”
“Haven’t you noticed anything else?”
“What else could there be? The crown prince trying to usurp the throne? I’m a hundred percent in favor of that, as long as Jiang Tong succeeds.”
Xu Ye completely felt that he had been overthinking things, and he never expected that asking Yao Wuque about such matters would yield any meaningful answers. Over the next two or three days, everything started to look pleasing to Xu Ye again.
The captain let Jiang Tong lie on his lap for a nap, a display of fatherly love; the captain pinched Jiang Tong’s cheeks, an expression of fatherly affection; the captain hugged Jiang Tong as he slept, embodying fatherly care; the captain asked Jiang Tong to rub his temples, showing a sense of fatherly…
Fatherly, my foot!
Xu Ye had hemorrhoids. Just now, he avoided people and hid in a corner to insert a hemorrhoid suppository. While waiting for the suppository to melt, he watched as Jiang Tong circled around Jiang Huan, who was bending down to wash his face. Then, strangely, Jiang Tong touched his chest and asked, “What’s the story behind these?”
Jiang Huan paused for a moment, then wiped the water off his face, half-squatting down as he asked, “What are you referring to, bigger or smaller?”
“It’s quite fitting.” Jiang Tong opened his hand again and pinched Jiang Huan’s left chest. Jiang Huan didn’t make any attempt to stop him. When Jiang Tong’s fingers reached the spot where Jiang Huan’s heartbeat could be felt, he slightly pursed his lips, revealing a very suggestive expression.
Jiang Tong chuckled, and then he lightly flicked his fingernail over that spot where Jiang Huan’s heartbeat was, before picking up a towel and saying, “Keep working out and maintain it.”
Xu Ye：“…”
With a resounding explosion in his mind, Xu Ye was left with paper-like blankness. He stood there dumbfounded, unable to move. It was only after the two of them left that he realized he had been so shocked that he had forgotten to breathe.
If Yao Wuque were standing here, he would definitely decide to pretend he hadn’t seen anything within three seconds, and then continue eating, drinking, and doing Sudoku; if it were Zhong Yin, as a die-hard fan of Jiang Huan, she might even cheer on the captain, her moral compass completely obliterated.
But unfortunately, it happened to be Xu Ye who accidentally found himself here, the upright and righteous soldier Xu Ye. After a night of intense internal struggle, he couldn’t help but find the captain when it was just getting light outside. He said with a serious tone, “Captain, Jiang Tong… he’s only 11 years old.”
Jiang Huan felt quite puzzled by this seemingly random statement. He turned to look at Shen Shanwu, who was yawning not far away. “Not necessarily. I set his age myself. To be precise, he should be between ten and fourteen years old.”
To think you’re now attempting to blur the age, just to make Jiang Tong ‘come of age’ sooner?! Xu Ye lamented, “Captain, you shouldn’t be so obstinate.”
“…” Jiang Huan furrowed his brows, “Lieutenant Xu, what are you talking about?”
Xu Ye sighed, “Captain, did you, after encountering that mutant again, realize that the person was quite different from the ideal image you had in mind? Besides appearance, they had no other qualities. And because you couldn’t accept such a huge discrepancy, you transferred your affections and wanted to create a lover completely according to your own preferences… Or perhaps you still think that young and tender grass is more palatable, so…”
“Lieutenant, are you not awake yet?”
“I saw it all! Last night while I was washing up!” Xu Ye was heartbroken, “Captain, Jiang Tong is still young, he hasn’t developed the right moral and ethical principles yet. How can you bear to lay your hands on him, to extend your sinister grasp? If he comes to understand right from wrong in the future, he might hate you!”
“…” Jiang Huan’s expression shifted from confusion to realization and quickly back to indifference, “You’ve misunderstood.”
“How can I misunderstand this?” Xu Ye exclaimed angrily, “You, you actually had that kind of conversation with a child!”
“What conversation?”
“Just… talking about whether he’s big or small, and even letting him touch you.”
“That’s because Jiang Tong said he wants to develop chest muscles like mine when he grows up,” Jiang Huan explained with an unwavering tone, “I’m a man, so what’s the big deal if he touches my chest?”
After a night’s reflection, Xu Ye, whose memories were beginning to blur, was perplexed by Jiang Huan’s serious explanation. After all, the captain’s image had always been illustrious and grand, so Xu Ye began to consider whether his own thoughts were skewed, causing him to see everything in a twisted light.
Yes, what’s the big deal if a man is touched on the chest? There are plenty of cases where men bare their chests or expose their chests.
“Lieutenant Xu, I hope you’ll focus your thoughts on more important matters in the future and refrain from overthinking or spreading baseless rumors,” Jiang Huan said coldly, “I can overlook this incident for now, but if there’s a next time, I won’t be so lenient.”
Xu Ye: “…”
After Xu Ye, who was questioning the meaning of life, quietly left, Jiang Huan walked back to Shen Shanwu’s side in silence. He saw the mischievous guy covering his face and laughing uncontrollably. Angrily, Jiang Huan asked, “You could hear from such a distance, and you didn’t notice there was someone in the corner yesterday?”
Shen Shanwu suppressed his laughter and innocently replied, “I can’t always have my hearing turned up so high. Wouldn’t it make my head spin if I were bombarded with all sorts of noises?”
“…”
“Besides, who’s the one who can’t help but get handsy?” Shen Shanwu wiggled his fingers, “Xu Ye probably had suspicions for a while now. I wonder, when a certain captain reprimanded his subordinate, confidently justified himself with words, was his conscience really clear?”
Jiang Huan: “…”
Well, he was actually quite guilty, even feeling sorry for Lieutenant Xu.
In any case, Jiang Huan, who had to maintain his image, became more restrained in the following two days of the journey. He stared eagerly as Shen Shanwu sat next to him, reading a book, swinging his legs, biting his fingers—everything visible but out of reach, making Jiang Huan feel quite itchy inside.
The representatives from the coastal base arrived in Wuyou City earlier, still nearly ten days away from the day of the conference. However, this didn’t mean that the representatives could wander freely within the city. Ever since Jiang Huan checked into the hotel prepared for the conference, visitors came in a constant stream, leaving him with little breathing room.
Fortunately, the iron-willed Jiang Huan had long grown accustomed to such situations. After a night’s rest, he didn’t return to the hotel except for sleeping.
As for Shen Shanwu, he spent the first day playing cards with Yao Wuque in the room, showcasing his skills as a gambling master. He left Yao Wuque impressed and inspired to practice his card skills diligently, so he wouldn’t embarrass himself by playing a lousy hand in front of onlookers again.
The next day, he spent another day boredly exploring the area around the hotel, familiarizing himself with the surroundings. A day later, he reverted to his original appearance, changed his clothes, put on a mask, and sneaked out onto the streets.
Wuyou City was also a base with extreme wealth disparity. However, due to its significant wealth, the outer city was relatively impoverished, but not to an extreme extent. People in the inner city could scrape by, making use of what little they had.
It was a trading-oriented base, with vendors lining the streets. Underneath it all, a thriving black market operated secretly. Often, mutants who lacked certain items would exchange unique goods that regular civilians couldn’t obtain in the black market of Wuyou City.
For instance, the Executioner’s generator, piles of gaming cards, or even Milk Tea’s cosmetics. There were also some unspeakable collections and radiation-proof flasks that mutants often found handy.
In his pocket, Shen Shanwu had a stack of “pocket money” that Jiang Huan had forcefully handed him, a substantial amount that allowed him to spend freely for the past few days. Shen Shanwu himself didn’t have many desires or special hobbies, so after wandering around for a few days, he ended up using the money to buy food.
As the evening approached, a suddenly lit place caught Shen Shanwu’s attention. Curious, he walked over and unsurprisingly saw the three flashy characters “Song and Dance Hall,” shining brightly and captivatingly.
Beautiful men and women were dressed extravagantly, standing at the entrance and smiling as they tried to attract customers. It wasn’t like those TV dramas where they waved handkerchiefs and called out to potential patrons. Instead, they stood quietly, and coupled with the grand decor of the song and dance hall itself, someone who couldn’t read might even think it was some high-end establishment.
Seeing a young person wearing a mask lingering at the entrance, the nearest staff member from the song and dance hall quickly approached. It happened to be a pair of twins with similar appearances, a man in a white suit and a woman in a fitted evening gown. Their smiles were elegant and gracious as they softly inquired if Shen Shanwu wanted to come in and have a seat.
Truly living up to the official name of the song and dance hall, the ambiance was quite high-class. The main reason Shen Shanwu halted his steps was that he recalled Wolf Dog he had fooled around with these past few days who had gone missing. Due to the dwindling nail supply, Shen Shanwu hadn’t dared to summon him recently. With boredom striking today and Jiang Huan being a busy person who wouldn’t return until late at night, Shen Shanwu thought, why not try his luck by entering the song and dance hall, hoping to meet some other mutants.
“Sure.” Shen Shanwu nodded and took out two bills from his pocket, handing them as a tip to the twins. The twins both displayed a practiced and proper smile, and after accepting the money, they positioned themselves on either side of Shen Shanwu, welcoming him into the song and dance hall.
At the forefront of the hall was a stage, where a beautiful woman was singing a lyrical song. A large area in front was reserved for guests to dance, and in the dimly lit corners, a multitude of visitors were enjoying drinks and merriment.
Inside the hall, the lights were vibrant, and an air of extravagance prevailed. Eleven years after the disaster, wealth had been reaccumulated and piled up, leading to the emergence of many places that didn’t seem like they would exist in a post-apocalyptic world.
Upon entering, Shen Shanwu realized that if the Wolf Dog was really involved in prostitution, he wouldn’t be able to find the person in the main hall.
The twins presented him with a mask adorned with splendid feathers, indicating that if he didn’t want to be recognized, he could wear it. Shen Shanwu found the mask too flashy but held it quietly in his hand.
Often, the connections among mutants were just this serendipitous. After taking only a couple of steps inside, Shen Shanwu keenly spotted the back of the CEO. The man who had come for a serious meeting was now indulging himself at the bar, showing a different side of “seriousness.” Mutants were indeed a group with a penchant for fine alcohol, gambling, and pleasure—never lacking in any aspect.
Shen Shanwu promptly dismissed the twins who were explaining the entertainment options within the nightclub and confidently made his way towards the CEO. As he drew closer, he noticed that besides the CEO, the bar was occupied by Wolf Dog, the Manager, the Middle Schooler, and Milk Tea—forming a quite complete group.
Five mutants sat in a row, all wearing fancy feathered masks on their faces. The Middle Schooler was leaning on the table, seemingly engrossed in something, while Milk Tea was gently patting his back.
“Hey,” Shen Shanwu casually greeted as he approached. The Wolf Dog’s eyes lit up as he saw him and quickly stood up, pushing Shen Shanwu into the seat next to the middle schooler. “You and him, both scholars, one a university student and the other a middle schooler. Comfort this kid quickly.”
“What happened?” Shen Shanwu had initially thought that this group of adults might have tricked the young boy into drinking, making him sick from it.
“He lost in an argument,” the Manager succinctly explained. The Middle Schooler immediately stood up in anger, protesting, “I clearly won!”
The Manager rolled his eyes. “You beat him up. Apart from us, there’s hardly anyone you can’t beat right now. You could make him call you daddy if you wanted.”
“Why did you fight?” Shen Shanwu asked. The Middle Schooler lowered his head and refused to speak. Milk Tea answered for him, “They’re protesting on the streets, saying the five major bases should unite to exterminate mutants. They claim mutants are the leaders of the zombies, responsible for the apocalypse, and they even accuse them of killing their family members. They say mutants are plotting something terrifying, and humans must strike first.”
Such statements are really common. Shen Shanwu nodded. “Did the middle schooler argue with them? Why didn’t you stop him?”
“This young guy’s got too much fire in his belly. He’s quicker to react than anyone else. We couldn’t hold him back.”
“Middle schooler, you don’t need to engage with these provocations in the future. Only those high-level leaders who are ignorant of the mutants’ true situation would go to war with mutants.”
“So, are we just going to let them continue misunderstanding? Is there really no other way? Just explain the probabilities of zombies and mutations clearly. I believe there are many rational people who can understand the importance of killing zombies,” the Middle Schooler protested, feeling wronged. “I don’t want to keep living in the shadows, hiding and dodging. I want to stand proudly beside Uncle in the open.”
“It’s a long and difficult journey, and unfortunately, we still don’t know how to proceed. So we’ve chosen the simplest way of coexistence, evasion, avoiding any direct interaction,” Shen Shanwu explained. “Compared to humans, mutants are a minority, the more powerful side. If the two must live together, mutants have to tightly constrain themselves by rules and regulations, constantly facing suppression, until humans realize that mutants hold superior strength, they possess dominance, only then can they feel secure.”
“But it’s a pity, we don’t want to tie the rope around our necks and hand the other end to humans,” Shen Shanwu looked at the Middle Schooler, “Mutants have a nature of freedom, and I believe you wouldn’t want that either.”
“…” The Middle Schooler didn’t quite understand. “W-What do you mean? Why should living together mean being restrained?”
“Let me give you a simple example. Say you openly reveal your identity as a mutant. You’re intellectually sound and physically healthy, and everyone knows you’re Tao Han’s nephew. But if you want to openly live with him in the base, you’ll have to sign a contract with the humans, committing to never harm them. Any conflicts that arise will be your responsibility, even if it’s a setup, and you’ll have to regularly help eliminate zombies without compensation. Otherwise, they won’t let you in. Would you sign that contract?”
“Continuing from there, the higher-ups issue another order. They say you have to regularly donate blood for human experiments. If you don’t, Tao Han’s salary gets reduced, he loses his housing, and they lead others to discriminate against him. Would you donate?”
“…”
“Then, for Tao Han’s sake, you agree to donate. But at this point, the higher-ups issue another order. The Executioner once brutally harmed a hundred of our fellow mutants, and his crimes are unforgivable. They tell you to go kill the Executioner, or else they’ll execute Tao Han as punishment. Would you kill?”
“…”
“Tao Han is your vulnerability, your shackle. If you openly stand with him, it’s like handing over the rope. Are you willing?”
The Middle Schooler fell completely silent. But just as Shen Shanwu thought he wouldn’t discuss the matter further, the student suddenly looked up and said firmly, “I will find a way, maybe it will take some time, but I’m sure I’ll find a way for mutants to appear openly before everyone.”
“…” Upon hearing this, Shen Shanwu was initially taken aback, but then he burst into laughter. The CEO was also smiling; after all, he too wished to fulfill his duties as a father and accompany his son.
The Wolf Dog and the Manager ruffled the Middle Schooler’s hair, while Milk Tea clenched her fist and said, “That’s the spirit. We’ll be waiting for the day you achieve it, little brother.”
The author has something to say:
Huan: What! They went into the hall?! And even entered while embracing each other?!
35: …Rumors are harmful.
Support me on ko-fi ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ
