Moon Theory (ABO)Ch76 - protocol, not followed

The black dagger cleanly slices off a large portion of his flesh.

Yang Rong did not hesitate one bit to slash at his arm to remove the beetle. His movements were so swift that not a single soldier had prepared – or noticed, until the colonel’s forearm starts pouring out blood. Before anyone can step up to help, Yang Rong immediately squashes the beetle with his shoes, grinding its shell to dust on the ground. 5xPQVk

Behind him, Yoo Seok lights up a bundle of matches and throws them onto the corpse, setting the remaining beetles on fire. The area is smoked up even more and the dense smog still pillows behind them, sending ashes their way. The air smells putrid.

“—Ahh! Colonel!” Jae is the first to approach him with a frightened expression. “Colonel Yang! Hurry inside the vehicle for treatment—y-you’re bleeding out badly! How do you feel, what about the radiation, your veins are turning blue, is it poisonous, what will you—”

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Yang Rong holds out a palm to stop the bumbling young soldier. “I was only distracted for a bit.”

Whether or not the colonel feels pain is uncertain, but miraculously, as Yang Rong rotates his mangled left arm, the bleeding clots. At a speed visible to the naked eye, the skin of his forearm closes up in a chillingly unnatural way, condensing into a firm carapace. The layer covers the entirety of his wound and to the appall of those around him, the carapace seems to travel further up his arm. tVN4FQ

The color of it is an earthy brown, highlighted orange from the flames in front, and the shape of it – scaly and rugged – is nothing a human should have. Slowly, Colonel Yang raises his head. He doesn’t speak, however, and merely stares back at First Unit’s shocked faces.

“…” Li Jiayun breaks the silence, her voice unsteady as she speaks. “Colonel Yang, your arm…?”

Jae also looks conflicted – and his hands are trembling by the holster of his pistol.

Yoo Seok is more pensive than shocked, though he cannot get a word in before a bullet – fired nearby – crackles through the air, slamming into Colonel Yang’s body.

Yang Rong had swerved a crisp moment before impact, but the bullet still lodges itself into his upper left arm – a few inches more and it’d pierce straight through his heart. The strange ironlike fibrils are still not enough to protect every layer of his skin, and the scales on his arm are steeped in blood.

The colonel involuntarily buckles from the pain – he still feels pain now, apparently, even when his eyes are unwavering. Green irises are specked with red in the center and his pupils look chillingly dilated. As he stumbles forward, a side of his mask loosens to reveal a pair of thinned lips.

Then, unexpectedly, Yang Rong curves his lips into a sardonic smirk. He removes the mask completely, tosses it onto the floor and turns to stare at the soldier who’d fired the shot.

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.

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The soldier, the one they’d saved, falters before him. Interestingly, Colonel Yang exudes more pressure even when unarmed, his entire countenance unfazed in front of the several guns pointed at him. The 101^st Unit are hesitant in their actions, but it is their sense of justice that prevails.

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“In adherence to section 1.2 of the moral conduct code,” the soldier says (with only a bit of disconcertment, his rifle unsteady in his hands). “Any infected persons or suspects thereof are to be put down. Colonel Yang, the infection has spread too far into your body and from critical… preliminary analysis… you cannot be saved. It is within regulations to…”

He trails off, though the implication is perfectly clear. One of his companions, another unnamed soldier (the colonel hadn’t bothered to address him either), takes a small step forward. OtRK08

“Wait,” the man says. “It doesn’t add up. The infection on your arm. Those scales, they’re not from the beetle. The colonel hadn’t suffered any other field injuries today. If it isn’t as it seems, Colonel Yang, military protocol requires for a genetic screening. I will relay the information to Command, so if you would come with us—”

Colonel Yang cuts him off with a chilling gaze – he doesn’t need to speak, for his aura is that of frost. His left arm is bleeding out again, the layer of bone and mineral cracking where the bullet is embedded. The sleeves of his shirt are half torn apart, and the colonel should not be sightly whatsoever, but he has particularly, hauntingly handsome features.

With steady strides, he moves past the encirclement. The soldiers part for his way, though their rifles are still pointed at his head.

“Colonel Yang,” one of them says. “There will be no consequences if you allow yourself to be monitored. This situation is inevitable. It is only protocol that we contain you. We are all comrades-in-arms despite your status, and it will only be more difficult if you delay the process any longer.” Llvg2F

“—You shot at him without confirmation,” Li Jiayun refutes strongly. It’s a rare moment that the young female soldier would raise her voice at anyone. Although she is shocked by the turn of events, Li Jiayun is hellbent on defending her commander. “If you are uncertain he’s been infected, then put your weapons away.”

Jae agrees wholeheartedly despite not being able to keep up with the sudden turn of events. “…I don’t exactly know what’s going on, but Colonel Yang must have his reasons…”

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“He is certainly infected,” the soldier says unrelentingly. “Regardless if the shot were a misfire, it is within reason. It is also within established protocol to—”

“What protocol?” Jae interrupts him. His lips must be pursed underneath her mask, and he steps forward to make a point. “Then it is also protocol to follow the colonel’s orders. Colonel Yang is of higher standing and should dictate what goes on in the battlefield.” gMzdKW

The soldier frowns and tries to repeat himself again, “It is correct that Colonel Yang is of higher standing, but… Please excuse my way of speech, but I must also raise the subject of the colonel’s handle of a recently posted commission. I am aware it is not in my business to pry. However, Colonel Yang has not responded to summons nor comms. Furthermore, he has been accused of… certain treason. There have been no reported whereabouts of the hybrid anomaly that he—”

“—If you are aware it isn’t your business,” Yang Rong cuts off coldly. The pressure is crushing when he looks at the man – just a brief flicker of his eyes before turning back again, as if the colonel doesn’t want to waste another second on him. “Then do not pry.”

Before he heads inside the First Unit’s vehicle, Yang Rong is met again with gunfire – neither of the shots intend to harm him, but the threat is imminent. Smoke rises from the muddied ground, the bullet shells dropping dangerously close to his boots.

“We apologize for the rudeness, Colonel Yang,” one of the soldiers say (with renewed confidence, too, as his companions step forward to aid). “But until we can confirm your level of radioactivity, you mustn’t leave the area unsupervised.” TxSdsg

Yang Rong lets out a low chuckle. “Incredibly ironic.”

“…Ironic? Colonel Yang, we are merely following—”

“I was only speaking to myself,” Yang Rong says uncaringly. “There was a certain… stray cat that I was slated to capture. It is ironic the tables have turned and now, the weapons are pointed at me.”

The soldier gives a look of confusion. He doesn’t need to reply, however, when Colonel Yang’s gaze turns even colder. Fiery smoke billows in the background, but the area in which the colonel stands is dipped in sheets of ice, and the air is suffocatingly thin. u87L9U

“Unfortunately, I cannot follow along yet.” Yang Rong’s words are laced in imminent threat as well – and his hand is anchored on the hilt of his rifle. Dangerously. “Perhaps next time. I made a certain promise.”

The tension is bloodcurdling, but before any more escalation, Yoo Seok steps in between the two sides. His face is masked, and his eyes show little emotion, unreadable to anyone else sans the First Unit.

“I will detain Colonel Yang inside the vehicle,” the black-haired man says as he pulls out a rope from his backpack. No emotion when he continues, “There should be no objections to bind him for the time being.”

“—Hyung,” Jae tries to say, “what are you trying to—” ZaEbTS

“Indeed, the colonel is infected and therefore needs to be contained,” Yoo Seok says without a pause. “The First Unit will heed the conduct code and put in him isolation. If his symptoms are benign, we will send him to the Nexus for genetic testing. If he displays any signs of aggression, he will be shot on the spot – unless there is a defense otherwise.”

As he speaks, Yoo Seok maneuvers himself so his frame blocks the colonel’s. The soldiers around them are too hesitant to shoot, and some have already lowered their rifles to pull out their transceivers.

Yang Rong gives Yoo Seok a look – green eyes meet dark brown, unspoken emotions returned in kind.

No words exchanged, and the situation is one hundred percent baffling. It seems, however, that the two men understands every implication. vNTORx

And then suddenly, without warning, the colonel grabs and knocks the younger man down on the floor. On the other side, Li Jiayun, also aware of the implications, acts quickly and discreetly as well. She tosses a smoke grenade to hide the two young men from view. To the eyes of outsiders, the scene looks to be a violent brawl.

“Colonel Yang!” someone shouts out. “Please follow the code of conduct!”

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Turning a deaf ear to the chaos around him, Yang Rong gets up from the floor and immediately flings the vehicle door open. He climbs inside and starts the engine promptly.

Jae takes advantage of the stall as well to toss another smoke. The coordination is hasty, but it still gives enough time for Yang Rong to shift gears and switch on a lever. In just a second, the vehicle windows are rolled up in a layer of aluminum and the wheels too are covered by a sort of armory. He doesn’t wait for the firing squad nor does he care that the valley road is engulfed in miles of flames. Wd380k

Pillows of smoke mix with soot and black particles in the air, obscuring vision past two meters. The scene is likely chaotic outside, but Yang Rong doesn’t bat an eye as he cranks up the accelerator. Before he drives away, Yoo Seok taps on the window. The young man lowers his mask and gives a small smirk that may be considered a smile – it’s the most expression ever seen on that perpetually stoic face.

“Section 1.2 of the moral conduct code—I’ve never heard of it.” Yoo Seok waves him away with a flick of his fingers. “I don’t read manuals, Colonel Yang, and neither does the First Unit care for such trivial things. Whether you are infected or whether your illicit lover is infected, none of us are attached to protocol. Perhaps you should reevaluate your priorities before returning to the field—if you return to the field. I believe you and he are due for a long talk.”

“…” Yang Rong rolls down the window just enough for his eyes to be in view. The fiery background adds to the pensiveness of his gaze, and he gives a single nod. “Thanks.”

The vehicle drifts harshly on muddied soil before speeding away out of sight. kDmuen

Author’s rambling: aaaaaaAAAA i’m so tired i nearly forgot today was upload date, so i had to speedily edit… if you notice any mistakes in any previous/current/future chapters, please let me know ! ♥♥