“What do you mean?”
Zong Lin’s crimson pupils stared straight at Zhu Wu You.
Due to his agitation, his abilities were restlessly flowing on the surface of his body, causing disturbances in the surrounding space.
Zhu Wu You wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and said, “This invasion of the aliens mobilized almost all the hidden stakes that have been planted in the city for years. Initially, I thought they were like me, knowing about the appearance of the ‘Savior,’ so they were willing to do anything to come and kill.”
“But soon I realized I was wrong. Their real target is not the savior, but your partner, Shen Jie. Why?” Zhu Wu You looked at Zong Lin with inquiring eyes.
This question had crossed his mind just now.
Zong Lin remained silent for a moment and said, “He is my lover. Taking him away is like taking away my heart.”
Zhu Wu You looked at the white-haired man in front of him. As both were Rank Two ability users, the strongest spear and shield in the city, he and Zong Lin had known each other for many years.
When he first saw Zong Lin, the latter was still a teenager, emotionally indifferent like a robot without a heartbeat, obeying orders to wield his spear and hunt down aliens without showing any personal interests, whether in things or people.
And now, the word “heart” naturally slipped out of his mouth, as if it were only natural.
Zhu Wu You couldn’t help but cough violently again and said, “Yes. In the previous attacks on your partner, they probably indeed wanted to induce you to lose control and fall into corruption with his death. But this time is different; their actions are too big. Even the ostentatious attack on the Savior is just a cover. They are determined to take Shen Jie away at all costs, yet they didn’t attempt to kill him as before. Why?”
Without waiting for Zong Lin to answer, Zhu Wu You said slowly, “Unless Shen Jie is now more important in the eyes of the aliens than the Savior is to us humans.”
As he spoke, he lifted his long, blood-stained sleeve, and a black talisman held between his fingertips ignited, turning into wisps of blue smoke that spiraled upward, then formed into a misty mirror, revealing images—none other than the scene of the conversation between the alien and Shen Jie after Qi Chu lost his sight due to the glue, captured within.
In the image, the alien possessing Qi Xiu Yun’s body kneeled before Shen Jie, addressing him as “Your Highness.”
Subsequently, Shen Jie was bound by blood threads and respectfully wheeled away by the alien.
Watching the scene in the mist, Zong Lin clenched his spear tightly.
“Aliens wouldn’t just call a human ‘Your Highness’ for no reason. I believe he must be the human vessel chosen by the Alien King,” Zhu Wu You said. “We both know about the existence of the Alien King. If it really comes into the world, it will bring about terrible disasters—far more terrifying than what we’re facing now.”
“And your partner, will eventually turn into the greatest enemy of humanity. Even so, do you still insist on saving him?”
Zong Lin closed his eyes for a moment, repeating, “He is my beloved.”
His beloved, undoubtedly a human, he never questioned that. Shen Jie would smile at him, snuggle up to him, tenderly wrap his arms around his shoulders, and embrace and kiss him gently.
Regardless of any “Your Highness”, any “Alien King”, or any so-called destiny, it wouldn’t be Shen Jie’s own intention.
The thought of his gentle and vulnerable lover being forcibly taken away by an alien made him uncontrollably angry.
How terrified must Shen Jie be now, trapped among the aliens?
And yet, once again, he failed to protect him, letting him fall into danger.
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.
Ibcu Olc rajafv olgwis, “P klii rjnf tlw.”
Ciatbeut Ite Qe Tbe jcalmlqjafv tlr mtblmf, tf mbeivc’a tfiq yea rlut.
“Lf tjr cbk yffc ajxfc jkjs ys atf jilfcr, jcv la’r tlutis ilxfis atja tf tjr yffc obgmlyis lcofmafv jcv ygjlckjrtfv. Snfc lo sbe olcv tlw, tf wjs cb ibcufg yf atf qfgrbc sbe xcfk,” Ite Qe Tbe rjlv, qjerlcu obg j wbwfca. “Yo mbegrf, sbe mjc mbcrlvfg atlr jr j qgfmjealbcjgs wfjregf P’w ulnlcu sbe lc jvnjcmf. Dea lo sbe kjca ab rjnf tlw, sbe wera yf qrsmtbibulmjiis qgfqjgfv obg atlr.”
“Later, when the rescue special forces gather for this operation, I will use my abilities to predict his current location. He is now hidden by the aliens, and with ‘that person’ there, once I attempt to probe, I will surely be counter-attacked.”
He coughed a few times, this time bringing up some blood clots and organ fragments, which he casually wiped away with his sleeve. “My current condition… It will take some time to recover after the counter-attack. The city will temporarily lose my protection and will be unable to resist attacks from the ‘Fate’ aliens, entering an emergency state of readiness. However, you don’t need to worry about these things for now. Shi Chen has promised me that he will handle it and buy time for you.”
“Your task is to bring the person back as soon as possible, no matter the cost, along with the special forces team,” Zhu Wu You said. “In my opinion, it’s better to control the danger in our own hands than to let the aliens have the upper hand.”
—-
Temple of the Aliens.
“…King…”
A drop of human blood fell on Wu Yan’s forehead. Soon, the omnipresent terrifying power of space forcibly kneaded the blood into his soul bit by bit.
It felt like a gap being seared into his body by a branding iron, accompanied by excruciating pain driving the aliens mad.
“Ugh… No…”
Wu Yan’s body trembled violently, flesh and blood shifting out of place as if on the verge of collapse.
Finally, that drop of blood sank into the deepest core of its soul, leaving an indelible imprint.
The overwhelming terror that had enveloped the area receded like the tide.
The human body’s mutation also came to a halt.
Shen Jie lowered his head and saw that his hand, which had only grown a few scales moments ago, was now covered with fine scales. These scales were thin, transparent, resilient, and soft, shimmering with colorful phosphorescence. They were not unattractive; in fact, they looked somewhat dreamy.
This was not the direction of his inherent mutation.
It was more like the appearance he had taken on under the influence of the other’s mutation consciousness in the Pale Nightmare created by Zong Lin.
【He should like this.】
Before the faint voice drifted away, it said to him.
Shen Jie remained silent.
He was considering the aftermath. Even if Zong Lin’s subconscious liked it, seeing him in this state in reality probably wouldn’t bring any joy.
His infection value was now too high, probably exceeding 95. According to city standards, he couldn’t even enter the city gates now; he’d be sent straight to the nitrogen chamber.
Although the “Feather of Creation” could clear foreign contaminants, its effectiveness in alleviating his current condition was uncertain.
“System.”
The system remained silent, as if shut down.
Shen Jie called out twice more, but the system didn’t respond, so he stopped calling it.
He was generally patient in dealing with most things. Considering the decent relationship he had developed with the system over the past few days, and the practicality of the independent exoskeleton and the “Feather of Creation,” he decided to give it a little buffer time. Even if it didn’t speak today or tomorrow, it couldn’t hold its breath for a lifetime.
Wu Yan crawled on the ground.
He trembled and gasped violently in intense pain. Just when he managed to calm down a bit and was about to say something, he was stomped on again, colliding with the ground and making a sound of hard objects hitting.
“When you haven’t received orders in the future, keep your mouth shut,” Shen Jie said.
“I don’t like the sound of dogs barking.”
Wu Yan wanted to respond, but dared not make a sound. His head was being stepped on, his face rubbing against the ground, and flesh and blood fragments flew everywhere.
He suspected that Shen Jie probably wanted to grind his face until it was as flat as a mask.
Having been an alien for so many years, he had never experienced such humiliation.
He had always been the one giving orders to other aliens, never imagining that he would one day be pressed to the ground and rubbed by someone.
But he dared not resist.
His soul had been completely controlled by the other party. With just a thought, Shen Jie could make his soul collapse and disappear forever in this world.
The terrifying aura belonging to the “King” still made him tremble deeply.
Thinking about the recent “attacks” and “abductions” he attempted on Shen Jie, Wu Yan trembled, thinking that if the King wanted to grind his face flat, so be it.
If that could help alleviate his anger even a little bit.
Even if he had to do it himself.
—-
Temple corridor.
After being pulled out by the Repairer, Xiao Qing curled up against a pillar, trembling like a small cabbage, occasionally lifting his head and looking eagerly in the direction of the closed door.
Unable to bear seeing him like this, the Repairer took out a roll of bandages to cover Xiao Qing’s exposed skin, but as soon as he wrapped him up, it caught fire.
After some thought, he replaced the bandages with heat-resistant aluminum foil. However, the fire not only did not go out but also emitted a more enticing smell of roasted meat, so he had to give up.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the corridor.
A young man with blond hair, blue eyes, and a handsome, sunny appearance, dressed in a white knight’s uniform, briskly walked over.
Repairer: “You’ve changed your shell again. What name are you going by this time?”
The newcomer was none other than the “Eye of the Unborn.”
Because its previous body was blown to pieces, it switched to a new body.
At this moment, he flashed a bright smile, revealing his white teeth. “You can call me Hein.”
The Repairer nodded his antennae. “Hello, Hein.”
“Is he ready inside?” Hein asked. “The backup knights have already assembled outside, waiting eagerly to meet our esteemed young highness.”
The Repairer replied, “Not yet, let’s wait a bit longer. The initial baptism takes time.”
So Hein stood by the door, holding a silver tray steadily in his hands. On the tray was a goblet filled with blood-red liquid, steaming gently.
As time passed, amidst anxious anticipation, the tightly closed doors finally opened.
Their highness was wheeled out from inside.
He had shed his previously blood-stained clothes and was now dressed in garments carefully prepared for him.
“Your Highness!” exclaimed a few people in surprise.
Hein presented the tray with a smile.
“Your Highness must be thirsty after such a long bath. This is a specially prepared drink for you,” Hein said, gesturing towards the beverage.
Shen Jie glanced at the drink. The viscous blood-red liquid emitted a strong smell of blood and an exotic fragrance, not something favorable for humans. If he had honestly bathed in the pool of bloodweed flowers, he might have liked it.
Behind him, Wu Yan, wearing a mask, quickly snatched the drink.
Hein tilted his head in confusion. “?”
Wu Yan struggled to maintain a steady voice and said, “Your Highness prefers chilled drinks. I’ll add some ice, please wait.”
When the drink was respectfully handed back to Shen Jie by Wu Yan, it looked the same in color and appearance as before. Ice cubes were added, along with a touch of trickery.
Shen Jie slowly took a sip.
Hmm, tomato juice.
Still very fresh.
Thanks for the chapter. Love a strong MC.
Ty for the chapter!!!
(^^)
Whoops. You’ve gone and upset your king. Good luck with that
Lightning a candle for Wu Yan ╥﹏╥, poor dude. But his loyalty and dedication is awe-inspiring~
Thanks for the chapter