Fortunately, Jiang Huan hadn’t become so twisted as to have someone monitor him while he used the bathroom. After locking the restroom door, Shen Shanwu quickly opened his backpack, which he hadn’t let out of his sight for a second, took out a black fingernail from a glass vial, tapped it a few times, and placed it on the floor.
The mutant, Wolfdog, silently “grew” out from the bathroom floor tiles. He opened his black-red eyes, looked around, and before he could say a word, Shen Shanwu, standing on the toilet seat, covered his mouth.
Shen Shanwu pointed to the door and then shook his head.
“???” Wolfdog’s brows furrowed in confusion, forming a knot. After listening to the sounds outside the door for a moment, he gauged the number of people in the lobby. Then, with a wild grin, he lifted his right hand and made a throat-slashing gesture, full of raw ferocity, suggesting—did Shen Shanwu need his Big brother Wolfdog to take care of the group of weaklings outside?
Shen Shanwu quickly shook his head, then took out pen and paper from his bag and wrote: “The people outside are from the Shanhai Unit of the Coastal Base.”
“When I was at school looking up information on the CEO’s son, I ran into their captain, and then their captain suddenly decided to adopt me.”
Wolfdog’s brow knitted so tightly it looked like a butterfly knot, his entire face forming a big “WHY?”
“I’m not sure why either, but do you know who their captain is?”
On a new line, Shen Shanwu wrote: “Jiang Huan.”
Jiang Huan? Wolfdog mouthed silently. After a moment of recollection, he finally grasped the somewhat complicated name from his memory. He took the pen and wrote: “Wasn’t he that guy who used to follow you around a few years ago?”
Shen Shanwu nodded, only to see the Wolfdog continue writing: “The white-eyed wolf1ungrateful, right?”
“….” Shen Shanwu’s expression fell slightly. He took back the pen and replied, “It’s not that extreme.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “Don’t talk about him like that.”
Wolfdog shrugged, indicating he didn’t mind either way. “So why does he suddenly want to adopt you?”
Shen Shanwu shook his head, indicating he had no idea. Wolfdog rested his chin on his hand, letting his thoughts wander, and after a few seconds, he seemed to piece together a logic: “With your face right now, anyone could see the resemblance to the adult you, and Jiang…”
Wolfdog hesitated, then opted for the easier route, writing in pinyin: “Jiang Huan insists on adopting a kid who looks so much like you. It’s clearly a form of revenge, making someone with your face call him ‘Dad’ to ease the grudge in his heart.”
“???” Shen Shanwu was not having it. “Why would he need revenge on me? Was I bad to him back then?”
He thought back carefully to his interactions with young Jiang Huan and was surprised to recall only scenes of Jiang Huan tearfully mistreated by him. Back then, with everyone else turning their backs on Jiang Huan, Shen Shanwu was the only person he could rely on. So, Jiang Huan would end up choking back his tears, still coming to Shen Shanwu—the very one who bullied him—for comfort.
It actually did seem like this could be revenge… Shen Shanwu felt a sudden, inexplicable guilt.
“So what will you do?” Wolfdog wrote. Shen Shanwu shook off his guilt and replied, “I plan to stay and go with him to the Coastal Base.”
After all, he had accepted a shrimp from him; he couldn’t just eat and run.
But calling him “Dad”? Absolutely not. That was a line he wouldn’t cross.
Wolfdog was—well, absolutely envious: “Damn! I want to get into the Coastal Base too! I want to hang out openly with humans! I’m so, so, so bored!”
Shen Shanwu chuckled. “First, you’d have to work on tearing up the Non-Interference Treaty between Mutants and Humans.”
That jab struck right to the heart, and Wolfdog snatched the pen, ready to argue, when suddenly Xiaowen’s voice came from outside the door: “Jiang Tong? Are you still not done?”
“Softie!” Wolfdog shamefully melted, while Shen Shanwu tilted his head back and called out, “Almost!” He then quickly scribbled on the paper: “I’ll find a way to get your birthday gift out, but I need a favor first! They’re bound to investigate me, so go to the outer district of the Central Alliance and make me an orphan identity.”
Wolfdog was stunned. “How am I supposed to do that?!”
Shen Shanwu: “Good luck!”
Finishing his note, Shen Shanwu ruthlessly stowed the pen and paper back into his bag, zipped it up, and pressed the toilet flush. Wolfdog, furious, raised his right middle finger in defiance as his body disintegrated from his left hand down, as though some invisible force were rapidly draining away his flesh and blood, leaving only a resolute, upright middle finger—a final testament to his defiance.
Just as Shen Shanwu opened the bathroom door, the middle finger vanished completely, leaving no trace, not even the faintest unfamiliar scent.
Outside, Xiaowen, Zhong Yin, and Yao Wuque stood guard. From the way they were poised, it was clear that if Shen Shanwu had stayed inside a moment longer, the three of them would have burst in without hesitation.
“Tch, why didn’t you try running away?” Yao Wuque grumbled, his face sour. Shen Shanwu glanced at him, as if suddenly remembering something, and called out brightly, “Hey, big brother! Did you finish your two hundred push-ups? Want me to stand by and help you count?”
“Pfft…” Someone in the lobby couldn’t hold back a laugh, making Yao Wuque shout furiously, “What are you laughing at?!”
“Yao Wuque.”
Jiang Huan’s stern voice made Yao Wuque immediately drop his bravado. Tail between his legs, he pleaded, “Captain, we just finished eating…”
“Then rest for half an hour, and after that, go and accept your punishment with Zhong Yin.”
“…Understood.”
After speaking, Jiang Huan turned his gaze to Shen Shanwu and beckoned him over. Shen Shanwu walked over without hesitation. The lieutenant, standing nearby, pulled a tape measure from his pocket, instructing Shen Shanwu to set his bag down so he could measure his height and body dimensions.
“Don’t touch my bag,” Shen Shanwu warned again. The more he emphasized it, the more curious everyone became about its contents—though no one dared to act on that curiosity with the captain present.
Once the measurements were done, the lieutenant took the data to arrange for Shen Shanwu’s attire. Jiang Huan, who had an afternoon meeting with the Central Alliance leaders, didn’t stay long. He put his mask back on and left the villa, but not before reminding Xiao Wen to take good care of Jiang Tong.
To take (keep) good (a close) care (eye on) him.
Yao Wuque gritted his teeth, insisting that he would definitely help keep an eye on the troublesome kid. However, he quickly turned around only to find Shen Shanwu pressing him down to do push-ups. Midway through, his unsympathetic teammates criticized his form, adding three thick dictionaries onto his waist.
“Jiang Tong.” Xiaowen cheerfully sat down beside Shen Shanwu. “We’re heading back to the Coastal Base first thing tomorrow morning. There aren’t many rooms in the villa, so I set up a small bed in Wuque’s room for you. Is it okay if you sleep there for the night?”
Shen Shanwu was busy surveying the various exits and the locations of the cameras in the villa. He casually nodded in response, “Sure.”
“Jiang Tong is such a good boy~”
“…There’s no need to talk to me like I’m a child.”
“But you are a child, aren’t you?” Xiaowen’s smile deepened, finding Jiang Tong’s little adult act quite amusing.
In the following hours, Shen Shanwu first explored the entire villa from top to bottom. Then, he lay down on the swing bed and peacefully dozed away the entire afternoon, making things easier for both himself and those keeping an eye on him.
In fact, mutants didn’t actually need to sleep. However, since they neither needed to eat nor rest, their days were incredibly dull and hard to endure. Shen Shanwu ended up sleeping more now than when he was still human.
Boredom truly is a relentless adversary; if it weren’t for the sheer monotony, Shen Shanwu would never have risked agreeing to be adopted by Jiang Huan.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the lieutenant hurried back to the villa, burdened with bags of all sizes. He called Jiang Tong over to try on clothes and took one last chance to probe: “I went to the outer district during the day to see what you had at home, so I brought some things along.”
Shen Shanwu zipped up his jacket. Even after adjusting the hood, it was still a bit too large. When he put it on, only his delicate chin was visible. The lieutenant couldn’t see his eyes, but he could catch a glimpse of his pale lips curving into a faint, sardonic smile. “I have a home?”
“…” The lieutenant fell silent for a moment. After a while, he firmly patted Shen Shanwu’s shoulder. “Now you do.”
Jiang Tong’s reaction was almost identical to the information he had gathered from those underage delinquents in the outer district. In the afternoon, he had handed over the photos he had taken secretly, and the gang leader had sneered upon glancing at them. “Oh, him? I know him. He’s still alive, huh?”
The lieutenant asked where this person lived, and the delinquents laughed uproariously, each chiming in to say that a bunch of orphans like them from the outer district couldn’t possibly have homes. Everything they owned was carried on their backs, and they slept wherever they could at night.
Just before leaving, the lieutenant noticed that one of the little delinquents had a half-exposed cake packaging sticking out of his pants pocket. That was definitely not something you’d find in the outer district. He pointed at the kid, frowning as he asked, “Where did that cake come from?”
The little delinquent instantly panicked, his eyes darting as he took a step back. However, the gang leader, seasoned in such confrontations, scoffed and replied, “What? If we don’t steal or rob, how do we survive here? You going to arrest us? Go ahead; I’ve been ready to give up on life for a long time!”
“…” Everything they said seemed reasonable, and the lieutenant couldn’t find any faults. He reported the information he had gathered back to the captain remotely. Before long, the captain replied with a simple acknowledgment, and then there was no further response.
After the lieutenant left, Wolfdog, his face obscured by a hood, emerged from behind the wall and tossed the remaining half bag of egg cakes to the little delinquents. He also rewarded them with two bottles of juice he had initially planned to keep for himself. The gang leader’s face lit up with joy, and they didn’t even bother to plan how to eat; they stuffed as much as they could into their stomachs, thinking, “Drink up tonight; let’s get drunk while we can.”
Previously, Wolfdog had only reminded them that someone might come around with photos and ask if they recognized anyone, and they should say they did. Yet, these little ones had taken it upon themselves to act, and they did so quite well. It seemed that talent could be found everywhere at the grassroots level.
After eight o’clock, the sky had turned pitch black, and Jiang Huan finally arrived, carrying a delicate rechargeable lantern. The temperature outside had plummeted from a daytime high of 35°C to just 10°C. The team members hurried to greet him as he entered, taking his cloak and gloves and offering him a warm towel to wipe his face and hands. Xiaowen brought out the dinner she had kept warm, peeling back the plastic wrap while complaining, “The Central Alliance is really something. They clearly knew we were set to depart early tomorrow, yet they still dragged the captain into a meeting that lasted this long.”
Jiang Huan didn’t sit down at the table immediately; instead, he shook off the chill from his body in front of the heater. Once his temperature came up, he asked, “How’s Jiang Tong doing?”
“He’s been very well-behaved,” Xiaowen replied. “He read for a while this afternoon, then fell asleep on the swing bed. After dinner, he followed Wuque to wash his feet and then went to bed… but he didn’t eat much for dinner. Maybe kids his age just don’t eat a lot?”
“…I’ll go check on him.” Jiang Huan quickly walked up the stairs. “You all should get some rest early.”
“Okay, Captain. Just leave your bowl on the table after you finish eating; I’ll wash it in the morning.”
“Mm.” Before his words could fully settle, Jiang Huan had already ascended the stairs in three quick steps. He reached Wuque’s room, knocked on the door, and then pushed it open directly.
Inside the room, Yao Wuque was quietly playing Sudoku against the headboard when Jiang Huan suddenly walked in, startling him. “Captain—”
Jiang Huan pressed his index finger to his lips, making a silent gesture for him to be quiet. Yao Wuque nodded and mouthed, “He’s asleep.”
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A long, long time later,
Shen Shanwu leaned close to Jiang Huan’s ear and chuckled softly, “…Dad.”
The once fragmented breaths instantly became more pronounced and ragged.
