Moon Theory (ABO)Ch72 - guilty, just as charged

The gauze is tied meticulously.

Noah wakes up in extreme disorientation, his senses numbed, his throat parched. The ceiling above takes an extra minute to refocus, the blur of it colored in light sepia. Warm amber covers the entirety of the small room, yet all Noah registers is coldness. kjm2YR

The temperature is optimal. He is covered in a thick quilt and his forehead is draped with a towel. His body, too, is layered with enough bandages he may as well be wearing three additional shirts. In his lethargy, however, his hands are frost cold.

He is half in dream state without the slightest idea of where he is.

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He brings a hand to shakily massage his forehead. Even the slightest movements send searing pain down to his ribs and abdomen. He calculates briefly that it hadn’t been too long since he’d been unconscious – a week, perhaps, though his testimony is hardly reliable.

With a soft, breathless grunt, he hoists himself up to sitting position and the towel drops onto his lap. It’s warm. Very recently placed on him. Carefully, Noah reaches for a bottle of water on the bedstand. His… caretaker is certainly accommodating, even going as far as placing dozens of pill foils, painkillers, some strange unlabeled packets, more unknown substances and then there are the other, more familiar white bottles. His suppressants. 8xZlMG

The water trickles down his jaw when he drinks, and Noah once again affirms how inebriated he is. He takes small and tentative sips.

There is ringing in his ears and it takes a while for him to adjust to equilibrium.

If he focuses hard enough, he can hear a hushed conversation taking place some meters away, past the closed door of the room.

“—peculiarities reported in the soldier’s body cam.” A female voice he recognizes as Li Jiayun’s – interesting he is so acclimated, considering they’d met for less than a month. She continues to speak, her tone lowered in consideration. “The soldier is from General Xie’s platoon and held quite the status – it is precisely this that they looked into the odd matter of his death. There is a… commission issued. I am afraid that there is audio recorded at the time of the incident and… Colonel Yang, you’re under indictment.”

Colonel Yang’s voice is even more distinct. Noah thinks he can recognize the man from millions of others, and he can recognize that magnetism, that sotto voce from billions more.

“It is of no issue,” the man says with a timbre that travels even more poignantly in his dream state. Colder than usual. Or perhaps cold isn’t the correct term, but there is certain detachment. “Quell the gossip with a few words of appeasement.”

“Command is actively looking for—” Li Jiayun’s clothes rustle as she takes something out of her pocket. A memo pad, probably, one of those small ones she carries to jot down notes. She reads off it, “’A white-haired hybrid with human rationale. Presumed to be a Persian breed. Highly lethal and a high potential to be a radioactive threat. Last location to the east of District 39 by the Mura Woodlands one week since. Orders for immediate capture if found.’ Colonel Yang, the government has also caught onto your… relation with him.”

“They have yet to inquire me,” replies the man. Then, more quietly but just as resolutely, he continues, “Regardless, I have no relation with him.” bYDsny

There is drawn-out silence and then Li Jiayun says, “…Understood. I will report that the body cam is faulty from damage and—”

“—No,” Colonel Yang replies. “To make it simpler, you only need to mention that he has died, and they will not come looking.”

“What about you?” Li Jiayun hesitates to ask. “Surely you will be interrogated when we head back into the city. There will be a summit meeting in two weeks.”

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.

“Perhaps they may demote me,” he replies. “But I have hundreds of achievements to my name and there is little chance Command would strip me of my title.” tzCP1J

“Dea Jbibcfi…” Ktf ofwjif rbivlfg rbecvr vbkcmjra. “Pcmievlcu sbeg fjgilfg vfgfilmalbc bo veas, atf Mlgra Fcla lr cbk qilutafv klat yjv gfq. P yfilfnf beg rdejv klii yf rqila lcab vloofgfca vlnlrlbcr. Ajf, P yfilfnf, lr lcrajafv ab yf qjagbi qbilmf. Lf tjrc’a jmtlfnfwfcar ab rtbk bc atf ogbca ilcfr, ifa jibcf ab yf lc j oeiis oecvfv ecla. P yfilfnf Tbb Vfbx klii yf pblclcu j qijabbc.”

“Good,” Colonel Yang answers. “And you, Xiao-Yun, should also go elsewhere. I will pay for your father’s hospital fees so you may live a life away from the battlefield.”

There comes a long silence that seems even longer in Noah’s distortion. As he closes his eyes, he feels nausea coming in alongside a crippling headache, his surroundings spinning around him. The conversation starts up again but even more mutedly. Li Jiayun does a soft intake of breath – quite uncharacteristic of her to be so resigned.

“My father is dead,” she says, her voice steady. Plain and without much sentiment. “I was informed of his death two days ago, but I reckon he has passed for a long while.” x5nVD2

“I see,” comes the colonel’s simple response. “The loss is unfortunate.”

“…It is of no consequence,” Li Jiayun says softly. “There was little hope of recovery and my father was but a common civilian with average traits. A simple family man like him – this loss is not particularly detrimental to the Nexus.”

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“Then you are no longer bound to the military,” Colonel Yang says. “If preferred, I will grant you residency in the inner city.”

“…” Li Jiayun sounds downcast. “You are sending me away, Colonel Yang? I have pledged to stay alongside the First Unit.” 0BCubG

“A pledge made due to our extensive benefits,” he says. “And I will offer those same benefits to you even if you leave. Hence, there will be no reason for you to stay.”

“The reason—” The soldier pauses and then weighs her words heavily. If her face could be seen, Li Jiayun would be likely biting her lips, her eyebrows scrunched in distress. She whispers after a while, “…The reason is I’ve grown an attachment to you, Jae and Yoo Seok.”

“…” Another drawn-out moment of silence before Colonel Yang lets out a soft sigh. “Attachments are not logical, Xiao-Yun. I believe I have drilled that into your head since day one. Then, day three, when we lost thirty-eight soldiers in the Western Peninsula.”

“…Yet you recovered all thirty-eight of their name tags,” Li Jiayun says softly. “And shipped them out to their families if they had one. Colonel Yang, the reason you stopped recruitment for the First Unit is because you are opposed to losing more lives.” DX8amd

Colonel Yang doesn’t respond to that, and Li Jiayun could be heard leaving the vicinity. She’d probably bowed or saluted before her exit – Noah is also familiar with her prim mannerisms. When he thought the conversation had finally ended, Colonel Yang unexpectedly asks a question.

“Li Jiayun,” he calls out – not loudly, but enough for Noah to overhear without needing to focus. “As a leader, what sort of person am I?”

A reply comes from the end of the hallway, the redhead taking a moment to consider her words. “As a leader, you are nearly flawless. But as a person… you may be the opposite.” It is strange to hear such critique coming from her, a perfect soldier by the books. “Though as of recently, you’ve gotten more and more human. Perhaps… Colonel Yang, you can afford to be a little more… emotional?”

There is no response from Colonel Yang, and then Noah hears the soldier continuing her trek down the halls. When she’s out of earshot, silence overtakes the area again. It is unclear whether or not Colonel Yang is still standing outside by the door – he’d probably left, and Noah wouldn’t be able to hear his quiet footsteps anyway. zhXduF

Noah’s ears are ringing again and the pain by his stomach is growing unbearable. Belatedly, he wonders if he should lie down again, sleep a while longer or…

The sound of the door opening interrupts his thoughts.

Noah looks up to see Colonel Yang abruptly pausing by the entranceway, his entire stature stiff as stone and his expression… entirely tense. The broadness of his back is lit in amber candlelight and the deepness of his eyes, tossed with so much hesitance. There’s also a slight hint of trepidation – ironic, for this time, Noah is the one who remains expressionless before his gaze.

Time distorts in the most cliché of ways. Neither of them makes a sound. Yang Rong is looking at him but at the same time, those forest-green eyes are avoiding the duotone of his own. Noah merely stares straight ahead, his thoughts empty and his mind… unable to conjure anything sans that Colonel Yang had never looked so vulnerable in front of him. A9zmwH

And lamentably, Noah also conjures there is no hope for either of them. Colonel Yang, finally broken of his façade, is an entire series of uncertainty and Noah himself is a broken mess.

It is only unfortunate he harbors, very painstakingly, some attachment. It is only unfair he has mixed hatred with sorrow, distorting the lines so chaotically he has zero control over his own emotions.

“…” The first to snap out of reverie is the colonel who resolutely turns around and steps back outside. Words are left unspoken – and if in a more sensible state, Noah would find the silence more than welcome. He isn’t sure why he’s compelled to break inertia.

“Colonel Yang.” E4MXbw

His voice is so low and coarse, but the man hears it anyway. Yang Rong pauses in his steps but he doesn’t turn.

Noah asks, “How was the location found?”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

There’s an unspoken question here – one that translates plainly to ‘was it you, Colonel Yang?’

Yang Rong replies slowly, weighing each syllable, “There had been multiple reports of irregular activity in the area. Eyewitnesses – customers, slum residents and Nexus personnel alike – have mentioned seeing infectees who find their way to the shelter. Rumors spread quickly, and such a situation is… volatile.” cihwGb

“I’m aware,” Noah says, eerily emotionless. “It is a shelter functioning as a shop. A naïve dealing passed down to Allaire from her late father. Such a situation is inevitable, isn’t it?”

“…” Yang Rong doesn’t respond until some seconds later. “And as for your… acquaintance, General Xie has placed suspicions since a month prior.”

Noah asks, “Have you killed him?”

“…” Yang Rong shakes his head slowly. “No. But I hesitated.” 1j8Sn2

“Colonel Yang,” Noah says, “come hand me the painkillers.”

As if stuck in some mental narcosis, Colonel Yang very slowly turns and finally, Noah is no longer looking at the solemnness of the man’s back. He is, however, drawn to Yang Rong’s steady gait, his posture upright as per usual and his footsteps quiet but weighty.

He gets closer to the bedside and rummages through the dozens of pills, frowning at the lack of labels. He filters out several of them and then gets to the painkillers a minute later – Noah would admit to watching his reactions very closely, picking out every bit of fluster.

Colonel Yang shakes out two capsules and hands it to him with mild disconcertment. When Noah takes it, their hands brush very slightly. l0RTdm

Yang Rong frowns. “…You are so cold?”

Noah downs the pills and takes small sips of water. He replies later, “It is my natural body temperature.”

Then comes more silence. The tension is curdling but it seems Colonel Yang bears the brunt of it – Noah, after all, looks so preternaturally apathetic. It is odd for him to be less expressive than the alpha. Yang Rong licks his lips and is pressed to speak again.

“You are in the 39^th military base.” aR8utz

Noah simply hums in acknowledgement.

Yang Rong continues, “The boy, Ming Tang, has been escorted to the Nexus a week prior. His safe arrival was guaranteed under the protection of three squadrons.”

Another hum.

“…” Yang Rong’s brows furrow in distress. There are words that rest on the tip of his tongue, but it takes him an entire minute to say just one. “…Noah.” aZN9Vz

Hearing his name out of the colonel’s mouth is enough to send him in overdrive. It is the way he says it – so softly yet magnetically, lacking all oppression but drawing him in just the same. Confliction just about crushes him, but when Noah replies, he masks the fluctuation in his tone with pure indifference.

“What is it, Colonel Yang?”

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“Perhaps I should apologize,” the man says, lowering his volume to match the stillness of the night. “But I am only prone to making excuses.”

At least Noah tries to mask himself with pure indifference, but when he looks into a pair of murky green eyes, it gets increasingly harder to maintain his façade. His lashes quiver only the slightest bit (but even then, he’s afraid Colonel Yang is observant enough to see). dCsc T

He does keep his voice steady though. “Which part would you apologize for?”

“A multitude of things.”

Yang Rong is studying every twitch of his features, every tremble of his body – so it seems Noah isn’t well at hiding his emotions after all. The colonel’s next words cut raggedly in the dark and above all else, Noah doesn’t know if he should forgive.

“But in the simplest of terms, I am guilty of hurting you.” mOniPq