The large, steel doors slide open. It is the only opening in the dome-shaped surface, leading inside a place vastly different than the outside. The dichotomy is night and day – while the slums is a wasteland, the city is a densely packed maze. At the entrance reveals a tunnel-like corridor that tapers to the main civilian section.
Bright fluorescent lights shine on the two young men as they soon as they enter.
Panels surround them in all directions, flashing harsh glints of steel. There are cameras that peek out the corners. Their bodies are mirrored in every degree and even their boots are reflected off the paneled ground. The sensors – small black devices placed on the wall – blink rapidly in red. In a matter of seconds, blaring beeps and rings are heard. The empty corridor reverberates the sounds even louder.
Yang Rong clicks his tongue. “Fuck. Turn it off.”
“I can’t,” Shi Luo sighs. “It doesn’t matter, Yang Rong. Just follow my cue and don’t mess around.”
“Mess around? When have I ever—”
The doctor walks toward the second entrance, presses several buttons on the door panel, and waits for the intercom to light up green. “Shi Luo, laboratory six. I’ve come alongside Colonel Yang Rong, Unit One,” he speaks curtly. “There are several lab specimens I want sent to the sorting facility. Requesting authorization to enter the city.”
The screening process is long – flashes of red overtake the corridor, and another series of buzzes sound out.
“Ground penetrating radar,” Shi Luo explains as they stand in wait. “They’ve upgraded the systems recently. We’d have to issue a new set of blocker cards to bypass authorization now.”
“How irritating.”
“And whose fault was it to carelessly breach the Nordak cryobank?” Shi Luo gives the colonel an unamused look. “Security measures have gotten more stringent since then.”
An automated response comes from the speaker overhead. “Abnormal readings detected. Abnormal readings detected.” The voice repeats it twice before triggering another reply. “Deploying border patrol unit 6108. Deploying border patrol unit 6108.”
Not even five seconds after, the entrance door slides open. In comes a group of navy-clad men – or women as well, though it’s hard to tell from the protective gear that covers them fully. They’re equipped with masks, and they’re carrying heavy assault rifles.
“Raise your hands,” one of the men orders. “Be prepared for a genetic screening. If the readings are above ten percent, your entry will be prohibited.”
“There is no need,” Shi Luo replies. He waves a hand at Yang Rong. “This is Colonel Yang whose radioactive readings fluctuate between ten to twenty percent. The Nexus has granted special permission for his entry, and I am in charge of his case. Connect me with the terminal.”
The man weighs his words and then nods. He pulls out a square-shaped device, speaks a few curt words, and then almost immediately afterward, the mechanical voice comes through.
“SC-001315 Shi Luo. SX-001288 Yang Rong. Data confirmed. Entry permitted.”
The blaring sirens are disabled. The two of them are led inside.
“The specimens are outside the entry point,” Shi Luo says to the patrol unit. “Please inform the deliverers to handle with care and transport them to repository C.”
They’ve now entered the city. Containing a population nearing four hundred thousand, the streets and corners are lit up even after dark. Ahead of them are dome-shaped shelters, hard cement buildings, square facilities – all things reminiscent of pre-doomsday Earth. The architecture is quite minimal, and the colors are lackluster slate grays.
“…A strange feeling,” Yang Rong comments as he stares into the distance, looking up at the dark skies. “The lights are different than in my memories. What were they called…? I don’t see them as clearly. And there’s an odd covering over the skies. I’m seeing interesting colors.”
“Auroras. We’re further from Earth’s magnetic poles,” Shi Luo informs. Already, he’s started to make his way forward, walking down the streets in a practiced fashion. “And your retinas are more evolved to see magnetic frequencies. Mutated variants are more sensitive to dipole shifts.”
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.
The doctor looks up, squints a bit, and frowns. He licks his lips and seems to ponder it some. “…I suppose I can see them more clearly than before as well.”
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Someone bumps into Shi Luo purposefully. She’s an omega woman – her pheromones are very telling. “Would this gentleman care to enter?” she says demurely, brushing back a lock of brown hair. “Sixty for a full package, an additional twenty for overnight, ten per extra hour… but a complimentary service in the morning just for you, handsome.”
Shi Luo laughs politely and only tells her, “Thank you. Perhaps another time.”
Smitten, the woman giggles and then turns to the companion next to him. “And what about this—oh my!” Her eyes brighten in recognition. “If it isn’t Colonel Yang! I’ll lower the price for a return customer, especially for a stunning hulk like you. How about it? Would you purchase the full package this time?”
“…” Yang Rong coughs slightly. “No, I’ve… I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
“Oh?” She laughs sweetly. “To think the active Colonel would be so shy. No matter, sweetheart. You’re way more brazen in bed from what I can re—”
“Don’t say anymore,” Yang Rong says, holding up a hand in grief. “My partner is clingy, alright? Don’t say anymore. Don’t bring up a shameful past.”
The woman whistles and taps him once on the forehead. “Look at you, Yang Rong…! A year since I’ve seen you and already you’ve settled down… Surely it’s a temporary commitment? One among a three-mile line of ‘lovers’?”
“It isn’t,” he replies righteously. “I’ve reached enlightenment.”
And yet, when the beautiful woman walks away giggling, Yang Rong stares extra long at the hostel. It is only with a nudge from a very displeased Shi Luo that he jolts upward. The doctor gives him a very long look… to which Yang Rong unfruitfully defends himself.
He says, “…I wasn’t thinking anything improper. I was only thinking of several other activities that Noah and I—fuck, look, Shi Luo, I have strong sexual needs—”
“Improper regardless,” Shi Luo informs him. “Stop dawdling, Yang Rong, and focus on the task at hand.”
“What?” Yang Rong says as he takes large strides down the street. “I am very focused.”
Or so is what Yang Rong said, but his eyes are narrowed and blazed. Another person accidentally bumps into him, and Yang Rong is immediately agitated.
“What?!” he yells out, grabbing the person by the collar and hoisting them two feet into the air. “What is it now?! I’m not interested! I said I’m taken! I’m… I’m fucking married! I’m a faithful husband, alright?!”
The person he verbally (and probably physically) assaults is a young boy with black hair and equally as dark eyes. Very familiar, as is his stoic expression, his gaze drilling deep into Yang Rong’s disturbed soul.
“…” Yang Rong clears his throat and puts him back down on the ground. “Little kid, what brings you here?”
“It has been a while, Colonel Yang.” The boy, Ming Tang, nods at him. “Congratulations on your marriage.”
“…” Yang Rong replies, “Thanks.”
Shi Luo interjects and goes straight into business. “Ming Tang, you’ve come. As I’ve instructed earlier, head into repository C with my assistant. Make sure Xie—Noah is sent safely.” He reaches into his pocket and takes out a golden badge. “Take this. If there are any problems, inform them you’ve been sent by me.”
The encounter is brief – the boy nods, takes the badge and walks off. While Yang Rong is still in a state of nonrecovery, Shi Luo strikes him on the back of his shoulder (purposefully close to his healing wound) and beckons for him to hurry.
Finally, after some minutes more, they arrive in the city center and stand right in front of a tall building entirely encased in concrete, strengthened with steel bars. Next to the closed entrance is a rectangular device – also made of steel.
“…Fingerprint?” Yang Rong frowns. “Voice authorization as well. Certainly, the security has gotten more stringent.”
Shi Luo places his palm on the rectangular frame and speaks lowly into the intercom. “Shi Luo. Requesting access to the tenth floor.”
The device lights up green. The same mechanical voice sounds out, “Confirmed.”
Yang Rong does the same. “Yang Rong. Access to the tenth floor.”
“Confirmed.”
The door slides open.
Inside looks just as dreary as out – a slated building, lifeless even though it’s lit by white fluorescents. The design is as expected for any government building. To the side are security guards wearing the same navy-blue uniform as all the patrol guards, their faces all covered under a valved mask. The security really is stringent, for it takes another five minutes of thorough body examination before the two are allowed into the elevator.
Yang Rong leans against the elevator wall, his expression stoic. When the colonel keeps his mouth shut, he really is the epitome of poise – his stature calm and collected, his eyes sharp and cognizant. Despite being bedridden an hour prior, he displays no weaknesses. Only the small peek of bandages shows any signs of injury – but even then, Yang Rong hides it roguishly.
They reach the tenth floor, head down a hallway, and it is another two screenings later that they arrive inside a conference room. There are guards that surround the entire area as well – all of the same uniformed patrol blazoned on every corner of the room. The environment is less than friendly.
By the roundtable, over twenty individuals have already gathered. They’re all high-ranking officials and if their uniforms don’t denote their status, then their stern, no-nonsense expressions do. There’s an ongoing discussion. A few snippets are overheard.
“The shipment batch is much larger than usual. The contents may be of interest to the science division…”
“The retrieval operation is headed by…”
“And in relation to the embryo results from the last—”
Upon the two young men’s entry, all conversations stop. The atmosphere becomes suddenly, incredibly stifling.
Shi Luo gives a polite smile in greeting as he takes an empty seat. Yang Rong straightforwardly ignores all the eyes on him and similarly grabs a seat next to Shi Luo. Everyone else leaves at least a five-meter distance between them. Conversation doesn’t start until the intermediary taps the table twice.
“We are still awaiting General Xie,” the man says. “For the sake of time, we will continue without his showing. Dr. Shi, Colonel Yang, a pleasure to have you here.”
“You may skip the formalities,” Shi Luo says politely. “I am also on a time constraint.”
A snort comes from a middle-aged man to the right. He’s dressed to the nines in a suit and a perfectly knotted tie, but even his attire doesn’t hide his sloven personality. He sneers. “Once again, the all-important Doctor Shi is late to a formal meeting. And how shameless of you to say you’re on a time constraint!”
“A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Huang,” Shi Luo replies amicably, giving an attractive smile. “Although your fixation on me is much flattering, I regret to inform you’re far from my ideal. Please, if you may, I’d like to keep to more professional conversations in the workplace.”
Before the other can retort, the officiator rings a table bell. “Keep all private conversations to a minimum, Dr. Shi, Mr. Huang.” The man is strict, not allowing the talk to stray. He looks ahead, stares straight at the uninterested Yang Rong, and says, “Let us begin with Colonel Yang’s statement. There are several pressing questions – some of which you are aware of, we presume.”
“Beginning with an interrogation already?” Yang Rong smirks slowly. “Well, go ahead.”
“The first concern is your infection. Dr. Shi has given affirmation that the possibility of airborne transmission is near zero,” the speaker says. “However, the radiation is still inert in your body. You’ve hidden your symptoms in the line of duty, marking one account of protocol breach. Military personnel are to report any and every abnormality. As such, you are liable for arrest.”
The officiator continues, “The second offense is your neglect in the cryobank incident. Five hundred thousand pounds of genetic material have been lost, sixty thousand unrecoverable samples, three thousand preserved embryos.”
“The third offense, major, is directly abandoning duty. You have not provided your whereabouts for two weeks after disappearance. The fourth offense, extreme, is suspected homicide. You have blocked communications and—”
“It’d be best for you save your breath,” Yang Rong interrupts. “If you were to link my every action, the allegations would be unending.”
“The fifth offense,” the speaker continues, “is that you are suspected of hiding codename XX-001, the Nexus’ first wanted hybrid. Colonel Yang Rong, we require multiple explanations from you. What is 001 and your relation with it?”
“I fail to understand ‘what’ it is that you are referring to,” the colonel replies, leaning back against his seat. His posture indicates apathy and yet, there’s brewing tension in his form.
“We’d like for you to cooperate in the investigation. You are aware of the hybrid’s worth to humankind, Colonel Yang.”
“The hybrid…” Yang Rong chuckles lowly. “He is only a runaway stray, worth more to me than to humankind.”
“Colonel—”
“Colonel Yang is retired,” Yang Rong interrupts. “I believe I’ve made it clear I want no relations with the military.”
“You—”
“—It is useless to talk to him,” another person cuts in. The speaker is Huang, the same man who’d instigated a fight with Shi Luo. He slaps a hand on the table (much to the chagrin of the people around him) and stands up for attention. Huang has the same sneer on his face when he says, “I’m telling you all that this Yang right here is sleeping with it. How else would you explain his sudden infection? Illicit relations with a hybrid! And an omega too—you’ve seen the way that pretty little thing looks. Why don’t we have Yang tell us more? Have you knocked it up yet? How does it feel to—”
Yang Rong ruthlessly kicks the side of the table, propelling the entire one-thousand-pound thing to the other side, purposefully hitting the middle-aged man’s torso. It is simply unfortunate that several others are caught in the conflict as well – not like Yang Rong cares a bit for their wellbeing.
Immediately, the security guards rush forward, their weapons equipped, their rifles pointed toward Yang Rong. The meeting officials collectively move backward, eyeing the colonel warily. Yang Rong kicks the table again – this time, snapping apart a leg and toppling it over.
“I’ve only agreed to join this meeting out of courtesy,” he says coldly. “Do not go overboard.”
Huang abruptly stands up, his face reddening in anger. He spews one insult after another, all professionalism tossed out in the face of anger. “Lock him up! Lock the bastard up! He’s infected!”
“Then you should be sure to lock me up properly,” Yang Rong says as he stands up, already preparing to end the conversation. “Else I’d break away easily.”
dum dum theater:
yang rong: rong-ge is a faithful husband!
yang rong: rong-ge is a family man!
noah: were you looking at that woman’s chest?
yang rong: …
noah: how many others have you slept with?
yang rong: .
lmao poor ming tang 😂
thanks for the chapter~
ming tang was a very good sport about it 😭 he even gave his full support and congratulations
ming tang 😂😂 anyway dont just kick him yr, beat him! how dare he talk abt your love like that 😠😠😠
yr’s past have been busted 😗😗😂
-director’s cut-
noah: how many others have you slept with
yang rong: .
yang rong: baby, there is no one else
yang rong: it is only you.
PLEASE IM CRACKING 😂😂
Yes, Noah… stab YR more… ahahahahahaha, until he become your faithful ‘slave’.
Another note… there will always be a superior/colleague like that at workplace huh…
another another note… between YR and Noah; which side is more clingy than the other?
noah is the clingier one (surprising?!)
argh! those military men calling Noah “it.” now whose fault is it that they even know about Noah?? GENERAL XIE?! right? when he raided the building. writes name down
thanks for the chapter <3
general xieeee come and solve the problems you created 🚔
Hope this Huang guy loses one or two limbs in the near future..
it’s ok he’s so minor of a character that his death may be off-screen too
Lmao.. 😂
Thanks for the chapter..
Little Ming Tang~ back but for how long 😔
And would YR care to transform this “meeting” into a bloodbath? 🔪
ming tang gets his own little ending too 🤧
General Xie, where are you? Come and shoulder the blame for all this mess because, after all, you’re the root cause of all these. Hurry! Come and I promise I’ll try to forgive you.
Thanks for the chapter. ♡
👁👄👁 i wonder what’s a proper ending for general xie…
Kick him harder YR! As a faithful and married family man you have to defend your little kitten!
Thanks for the chapter!
that’s right, family man yang rong must prove his husband status 🔪
Thanks for the new chapter!!!!
thank you for readingg 💕
Did I infer this right?
Yang Rong definitely has his sexual needs which has probably not been fulfilled for months. Although he has his desires and his previous go-to hostel in front of him, yet he still chose to remind himself that he’s faithful and wants to stay loyal to Noah, and that right there is love.
Or am I reading too much into this? Somebody tell me 😂
yr has been fighting in the frontlines so he hasnt a chance to go back to the city and quell yr jr.
his first thought when he found noah in that snowy mountain was “1000/10 would definitely bang”
💀 (though at this point theyre already dating and if yr is thinking of
getting it down with other people, noah will slap him to the moon)
but yes i like your explanation more, let’s go with that one and pretend yr is a good faithful man
“I’ve reached enlightenment.” HAHAHA oh, Yang Rong, you absolute clown. I love you! (Also, please kick Huang where it hurts next!!!) Also, I love Ming Tang. Sweet, expressionless child.
i finally gave the boy the screentime he deserves 😭 too bad it’s near the end of the novel IM SORRY MING TANG
Gah, Don`t slander my Rong ge, hes turned over a leaf, okay!!!??
Also, Rong-ge you absolute playboy lmaooo, though now I’m glad your loyalty only lies with Noah. AND MING TANG, YOU’RE BACK. I’ve missed you, in the duration you were gone, and the duration I haven’t been reading. It was too short T^T but it’s okay… I’m happy to see you anyway…!!
I also, I’m ready to throw hands. At. That. (insert words not okay to comment) Huang, you little– I’m RaGinggG how dare they talk bout Noah like that. HOW DARE YOU CALL NOAH AN IT???!
On the one hand, I do want that Huang person to have his procreative parts kicked into non-functionality. On the other hand, I really don’t want YR to get locked up–at least not separately from Noah…