Shen Zhaomu emerged from the environmental simulation chamber only half an hour later.
Outside, a group of scientific researchers had gathered, engrossed in their note-taking and hushed conversations.
Shen Zhaomu approached one of them and asked, “What’s going on?”
The scientist who had been disturbed turned to him with a look of impatience, but his attitude immediately changed for the better upon seeing it was Shen Zhaomu.
“Here’s the situation. Twenty-three minutes ago, the dragon whales exhibited unusual behavior. They all descended to the bottom of the chamber, their heart rates dropped by one-third, their tails drooped, and their fins slanted to the side. This is a clear sign of extreme fear. However, it’s summertime, and their hormone levels should be high enough to prevent them from feeling fear of any sort. There should be nothing here that could threaten them.”
Beside him, another person was jubilantly celebrating.
“This is unique experimental data! Make sure to record and analyze it meticulously. It could determine who receives the bonus this year!”
Shen Zhaomu wasn’t directly involved in this matter, so he turned to find Long Shiyu, only to discover that Long Shiyu had dozed off again.
…He’d dozed off yet again.
Shen Zhaomu knew dragons’ habits well, and Long Shiyu was definitely exceptional at the art of sleeping. He could nod off at any time, and when he did, he would truly be knocked out.
Dragons possessed keen intuition and could easily detect threats. However, Long Shiyu very obviously lacked vigilance, and would likely meet his doom in a few days if he was left on a deserted planet.
Ultimately, this was all due to his weak bloodline.
Shen Zhaomu approached him, and Long Shiyu gradually roused from his nap, yawning widely.
From the room behind him emerged the chief dispatcher, a tall woman in her forties or fifties. The bright light glinting off her work badge, which bore the name Xia Yaqin.
Xia Yaqin brushed back her long hair, looked at Long Shiyu assessingly, and hesitated for a moment.
Then, a trace of sharp mockery flickered in her eyes as she remarked, “Heh, I was wondering why you’d suddenly get yourself a lover who can’t do anything. After seeing his appearance, I get it now…”
Her sentence was cut short by Shen Zhaomu’s disapproving glare.
It took Xia Yaqin only half a second to regain her composure and smile, saying, “Let’s not dwell on this. You rarely return here. Won’t you visit the chairman?”
“No, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow.”
“What a workaholic.” Xia Yaqin twirled the ends of her hair and turned slightly towards Long Shiyu.
“Shiyu… your name is Shiyu, right?”
Long Shiyu nodded.
The ID card Shen Zhaomu had given to Long Shiyu bore the name “Shiyu.” His race was human, and his place of birth was a remote, small planet. As for his age, Shen Zhaomu had struggled for a while and finally settled on twenty one based on Long Shiyu’s appearance.
Either way, apart from his photo and gender, everything else was fabricated.
Xia Yaqin abruptly extended her hand and pinched Long Shiyu’s cheek.
“You’re pretty cute,” she said. “Just don’t cause trouble for our Mr. Shen when you’re out. You probably don’t understand this, but the occupation of hunter isn’t something we can take lightly.”
She gestured towards the environmental simulation room. “I don’t intend to frighten you, but dragon whales can tear you apart in an instant. They aren’t even at the top of the ocean’s food chain. You can imagine how fierce other creatures are.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Obcu Vtlse gfqilfv, “…Yt.”
Po tlr wfwbgs rfgnfv tlw gluta, vgjubc ktjifr kfgf delaf vfilmlber.
“Gbc’a yf abb oglutafcfv ktfc atf alwf mbwfr,” Wlj Tjdlc gfjrregfv, tfg tjcv tlvlcu tfg rwlif. Lbivlcu j rajmx bo vbmewfcar, rtf vfqjgafv ugjmfoeiis.
Snfgs bearajcvlcu tecafg kjr ulnfc j mbwobgajyif qijmf bo gfrlvfcmf ja atf jrrbmljalbc’r tfjvdejgafgr. Cr j vjhhilcu, fwfgulcu rajg, Vtfc Itjbwe’r tbwf kjr jr bqeifca jr j wlcljaegf qjijmf.
Upon entering, Long Shiyu instinctively opened the refrigerator.
It was empty.
Long Shiyu maintained a stoic expression, but Shen Zhaomu could sense his immediate disappointment.
Shen Zhaomu suggested, “There’s a restaurant nearby; just go there and use my card.”
Long Shiyu’s eyes lit up. “How much can I spend?”
“As much as you’d like.”
Shen Zhaomu hung up his coat and handed his card to Long Shiyu. “Just make sure not to cause any trouble and don’t bother me. You can take a stroll around.”
Shen Zhaomu wasn’t concerned that Long Shiyu might harm anyone. This was the Hunter Association’s headquarters, a place teeming with formidable individuals. What threat could a dragon with an inferior bloodline pose? He’d likely be apprehended as soon as he breathed fire.
Furthermore, Shen Zhaomu had placed a spiritual imprint on Long Shiyu.
In addition to marking his location, the spiritual imprint ensured that Shen Zhaomu could detect and halt any aggressive actions Long Shiyu planned to make. Since Long Shiyu had no spiritual power, this imprint was foolproof.
Once Shen Zhaomu entered his room, he began examining the information provided by Xia Yaqin.
It was all about exotic creatures. The information was dense and intricate, analyzing potential scenarios in great detail. The scientific jargon employed by the bald professors in the research department was hypnotically dull. Even with Shen Zhaomu’s patience, it took some effort to review it all.
Beneath the stack of documents lay a thick envelope.
Shen Zhaomu thought someone had written to him, but when he opened it, he found numerous colorful envelopes cascading out.
They were all love letters.
Without access to Shen Zhaomu’s contact information, admirers opted to express their affections in this traditional manner. After all, everyone knew that Shen Zhaomu was handsome and single.
The partner of the youngest chief hunter-to-be.
It was something amazing and worth bragging about. Their love would be blessed by all of the galaxies’ inhabitants.
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
He had previously advised Xia Yaqin not to accept or forward any such letters regardless of whether they came from those within the Hunter’s Association or from the general public, but she was known for her independent streak and rarely heeded his words.
Without opening a single letter, he stashed them all away in the bottom drawer, which was already brimming with similar letters.
After devoting several more hours to studying the information, Shen Zhaomu massaged his temples.
His terminal chimed. Upon picking up, his friend’s slightly anxious voice sounded on the other end.
“You brought a friend with you, didn’t you? Qin Shi told me there was a brawl at the restaurant, and your friend was involved. You should go check it out!”
It took less than a minute for Shen Zhaomu to reach the restaurant. Only upon arrival did he realize that Long Shiyu wasn’t the one embroiled in the fight.
To be precise, it was an argument between the young scions of two prominent families that escalated into a full-fledged brawl that engulfed the entire restaurant. Hunter fights were always vicious affairs, and there was a blazing fire in the restaurant. Flashes of lightning would also sporadically appear. Hunters generally hailed from influential families and possessed great talent, and not many wanted to cause trouble, so they had refrained from participating directly and were awaiting the arrival of security.
His friend’s had yet to hang up. “Wait, Brother Shen, don’t enter yet…”
This level of confrontation was beyond Long Shiyu’s capacity to handle.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Shen Zhaomu responded without a single expression on his face, ending the call before plunging into the chaotic fray—
An ancient oil lamp swayed gently and hovered in the air beside him.
The next second, numerous golden streaks of light emanated from the lamp.
They were blazing flames with fiery tails trailing behind them. They instantly extinguished the blazing fire in the restaurant and destroyed the lightning bolts. Rays of light descended like a golden flurry of snowflakes.
The restaurant seemed to have turned into a fantastical snow-covered wonderland, momentarily silencing the commotion. The forceful suppression of everyone’s spiritual powers left them standing in a daze.
The first to regain his senses among the fighters was one of the young scions. The corners of his mouth had no sooner begun to twitch when he was kicked by Shen Zhaomu, sending him crashing into a corner, dazed and incapacitated for a while.
The restaurant was huge, and Shen Zhaomu had to turn a corner before he could see Long Shiyu.
The fires had just been extinguished, leaving scorched floors and a lingering acrid odor. Long Shiyu was silently huddling in a corner, seemingly terrified.
Shen Zhaomu’s eyes narrowed. He picked up the pace and approached, only to see…
Long Shiyu, who was weak, helpless, and pitiful… was eating noodles.
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
Shen Zhaomu: “……”
He approached Long Shiyu.
Long Shiyu gazed up at him, a hard-boiled egg held between his chopsticks.
Shen Zhaomu stared at him.
Long Shiyu stared back.
After a moment’s hesitation, Long Shiyu offered, “Do… Do you want to eat my boiled egg?”
He was obviously reluctant to part with the egg.
“…It’s fine, you can eat it,” Shen Zhaomu replied.
He offhandedly sat down beside Long Shiyu and watched the young man continue to savor his noodles. After half a minute, Shen Zhaomu could no longer contain his curiosity. “Are you aware that this place caught on fire?”
Long Shiyu immediately became vigilant. “I didn’t start it.”
Shen Zhaomu sighed. “…I know it wasn’t you, but didn’t you think about leaving the restaurant?”
“I thought they wouldn’t hit me anyway.”
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
He gave up trying to persuade Long Shiyu.
“Just promise me that next time you’re in a similar situation, you’ll leave quickly.” Shen Zhaomu didn’t want his captive prey to croak just like that.
Long Shiyu nodded while continuing to enjoy his noodles. Shen Zhaomu had no idea if he had actually taken his words to heart.
He waited patiently for Long Shiyu to finish his meal before escorting him back.
The guards had already detained all the brawlers, and repair and cleaning robots were diligently restoring the place. A portion of the restaurant was already looking brand new.
For some reason, there was a much-larger-than-usual crowd gathering to watch the commotion. Just as they were dispersing, they spotted Shen Zhaomu emerging.
Long Shiyu followed right behind.
Dragons were inherently beautiful creatures. Decades ago, there had been a time when nobles took delight in owning them, relishing the sight of these former overlords of the cosmos being reduced to playthings — even though such acts were in clear violation of interstellar anti-slavery laws.
Even among dragons, Long Shiyu was especially handsome. His eyes, in particular, were striking—bright, clear, with a subtle upturn at the corners. When he tilted his head, one would be able to see a golden, polarized sheen, as if liquid gold had been poured into them, making his eyes unforgettable in the minds of anyone who had seen them.
This exceptional appearance instantly caught the attention of everyone at the club, and everyone knew that Shen Zhaomu kept a person by his side.
After hearing that Long Shiyu wasn’t even a hunter and had no strengths to speak of, the speculations of his relationship with Shen Zhaomu instantly took a turn for the romantic.
The friend rushed over and pulled Shen Zhaomu aside to whisper, “Do you have any idea who was involved in the brawl? You’ve gone overboard in how you handled things.”
Shen Zhaomu’s mental strength reached an unimaginable level. The merciless suppression had caused serious injury to all present. Not only would they need to take several days of rest, they also suffered from symptoms akin to a concussion—dizziness, ringing in the ears, and delayed reactions.
When the troublemakers had been taken away, they were all in a dazed state. The young scion who had been kicked by Shen Zhaomu was carried off while vomiting.
“It’s none of my concern,” Shen Zhaomu replied.
His friend appeared anxious, pulling him aside and whispering, “I know you’re not usually afraid, but there was someone from a family with ties to the Interstellar Supervisory Department. It’s the guy you kicked. If not for that, someone would have intervened before you did.”
“So what?” Shen Zhaomu raised an eyebrow, as though discussing the pleasant weather.
He bid his acquaintance farewell and departed with Long Shiyu. Along the way, he noticed that Long Shiyu was still looking around.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Zhaomu inquired.
“…I’m still a little hungry,” Long Shiyu admitted.
Shen Zhaomu checked the transactions in his terminal. “You’ve already eaten eight bowls of noodles.”
Long Shiyu: “Sob.”
The young man cast his eyes downward and followed Shen Zhaomu quietly.
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
Ten minutes later, Long Shiyu followed Shen Zhaomu back with a mountain of snacks in his arms.
Hungry, hungry, hungry…hahahaha… Thanks for the translation 🤣❤️🤣❤️
Lol Shen Zhaomu sure is weak to Long Shiyu. Can’t wait for the day he finds out the weak dragon isn’t as weak as he thought, and by that time, he’ll probably already be too taken by Shiyu to hunt him 😆
His little sob awwww~~ no wonder shen zhaomu has such a soft spot for our poor hungry dragon lord ☺
A glutton Dragon Lord~ So cuteeee awww
Delicious? No wonder that poor dragon whale terrified at the sight of its natural predator kekeke…
And Shiyu keeps eating his noodle amidst the fire makes me think of a meme 😂
So cute
Since I start reading I can only see a small, weak and pitfall ‘LORD Dragon’ X handsome dragon hunter hehe nice match