The Scum Shou's Survival GuideChapter 71

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“Will you betray me like he did?” Cossen gazed into Ye Ming’s eyes. bfijHJ

Ye Ming was a little bit dazed. Their noses were nearly touching, and he could even see his reflection past the gloom in Cossen’s eyes…In those dark red eyes, there seemed faintly to be a heavy, oppressive sorrow and helplessness, but perhaps it was a hallucination; when he looked more closely, he could only see ice-cold indifference.

Ye Ming stared at him, dazed, before finally gradually snapping out of it. His eyes were bright and limpid as he earnestly said, “I will never betray you.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Maybe you don’t love me now, and maybe you even hate me…but there’s one thing in my heart that’ll never change: I’ll never betray you or humanity ever again. This is why I came back.

Cossen looked intently at the earnest, dedicated expression of the young man in front of him, and the determined light in those purple eyes. His words seemed to come from the bottom of his heart and contain the utmost sincerity, making one unwittingly want to believe him. s3gdjk

He reached out a hand, his fingertips gently brushing against Ye Ming’s face.

Did you know? I really truly want to believe in you once more…

Will you disappoint me again this time? 

Cossen closed his eyes, then opened them again. Now there were no emotions to be seen in his eyes; they were back to being as cold and unfathomable as they usually were. His thin lips parted slightly. “Remember what you said, Corporal Kevin.”

m6 OZQ

………………

Cossen took Ye Ming once more, but this time was different from the previous two times. It was extraordinarily gentle, and afterwards, he held Ye Ming in his arms. He sucked on his earlobe, the tip of his tongue tracing gently across it, and Ye Ming trembled involuntarily.

The redness on Ye Ming’s face had yet to dissipate. His violet eyes were lowered and covered in a sheen of wetness, like pretty gemstones bathed in early morning dew. He had already run out of strength to move, but even if he still had the energy, he wouldn’t be able to resist against Cossen; he was currently only a low-ranking soldier.

His flushed face was set in an expression of compliance and silent endurance. fRq8kE

Cossen gazed at the side of his face with a trace of tenderness and said, “You don’t need to go to training this afternoon.”

Ye Ming’s eyelashes quivered. There was a look of surprise and alarm in his eyes. Hoarsely, he said, “But…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to send you back. I just think that as my orderly, you should focus more on servicing me instead of wasting too much time and energy on training,” Cossen said lightly.

He paused and then said meaningfully, “If you want to fight the alien beasts, fighting on the frontlines isn’t the only way. With your physical aptitude…it might be difficult for you to reach that goal in a short time. I’ll consider arranging something more suitable for you. You just need to listen to my orders.” KJV2rS

Initially, Ye Ming had been worried that Cossen had discovered his identity or was planning on sending him back because he was dissatisfied with him. As long as Cossen was still willing to keep him, it didn’t matter to Ye Ming at all whether or not he trained. He was only pretending anyway.

His goal was to expose Roy.

Ye Ming said, “Yes, I understand.”

Cossen looked pleased. He looked at him intently for a moment, then said, “You can go wash up now.” Lk75HY

Ye Ming struggled to his feet, got dressed, and left.

After that day, Cossen really did exempt Ye Ming from his training. Every day, he brought Ye Ming along with him and showed great interest in and affection for him, and they often became intimate right inside the command room.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Ye Ming also began to have more and more freedom to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted, just as if he were Cossen’s trusted aide.

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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[Ye Ming: Ah, I’m finally free from training! Much thanks to marshal dada’s magnanimity. I’m so happy inside I simply can’t put it into words 5555]

[888: Hehe…]

[Ye Ming: Keke is really getting gentler and gentler. I’m liking him more and more, yingyingying]

[888: …] xBAULa

[Ye Ming: Life is so beautiful~]

[888: …You don’t seem worried about Roy at all?]

[Ye Ming: Why would I worry about him? There’s nothing to fear about that little spicy chicken. It matters a lot that our information isn’t equal. Not only does he not know my identity, he also doesn’t know that Cossen knows my identity. Anything he does will be pointless.]

[Ye Ming: My name’s been so blackened it can’t possibly get any blacker. The barefoot don’t fear those who wear shoes, and when you provoke someone, you’d best not provoke those who don’t fear death. To provoke someone like me, who’s both barefoot and doesn’t fear death, he’s really, really out of luck. And speaking of, he’s the one who gave me this black pot ^_^] 7XnQ0I

[888: That actually does make a little bit of sense.]

[888: So you’re going to wait for him to set you up?]

[Ye Ming: He just wants to set me up by revealing that I’m an infected, but that’s pointless because Cossen already knew that. But anyway, I’m not planning on waiting around for him to set me up. I’ll just go ahead and spare him from having to do something so pointless~]

[888: Then you’re planning on setting him up?] 4fcMmH

[Ye Ming: Bingo! Isn’t Cossen pretending to like and trust me just so he can keep testing me? He created so many opportunities for me; it’d be too much of a waste if I didn’t make use of any of them. I’ve decided to do as he wants and conveniently drag Roy down with me.]

[888: Oh? I have to remind you that the consequences will be very serious.]

[Ye Ming: Ge, you won’t abandon me, right (づ ̄3 ̄)づ]

[888: Hehehe] mmp, he really wanted to abandon him. He thought about abandoning him every day! zWX59M

A few days later, after a meeting, Cossen brought Ye Ming back to his command room.

He seemed to be in a pretty good mood today. He drew open the curtains and let the sunlight shine into the room. He squinted slightly, and then his dark red eyes slowly looked toward Ye Ming, who was standing by the door.

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The young man was standing straight. Despite Cossen acting so intimate with him, Ye Ming didn’t let it get to his head at all, and he didn’t have the slightest intention of currying favor with him. No matter when it was or where they were, he behaved extremely well, and there wasn’t a problem to be found with him.

Cossen’s eyes darkened. He gently patted his leg. NPcIUX

At that, Ye Ming immediately flushed faintly. He hesitated for a moment, and then pursed his lips and walked over, sitting stiffly in Cossen’s lap. It originally should have been a very suggestive position, but because of his ramrod-straight back and careful, meticulous actions, it instead seemed as unexciting as marching training.

Cossen gazed at Ye Ming’s face.

The sunlight spilled across Ye Ming’s face, casting a soft, golden glow on his smooth, pale skin…Cossen suddenly couldn’t suppress his urges. He wrapped one hand around Ye Ming’s waist and unbuttoned the top button of Ye Ming’s collar with the other. Then he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to his neck.

Ye Ming could feel the heat of Cossen’s palm. A slightly cold kiss landed on his neck—it tickled and tingled, and his face flushed even redder. px3u1k

He could clearly sense that Cossen’s attitude toward him was becoming gentler and gentler, just like…how he used to treat him in the past. This realization made Ye Ming feel both guilty and pained. The guilt was because it was him who had turned his back on this person…but being used as his own substitute and treated so cursorily also made him sad.

But in all honesty, none of this really mattered…

Because he’d come back only to expose Roy, not to win over Cossen’s love again. Their identities had foreordained that they could not be together.

Ye Ming thought for a long time about how he could convince Cossen that Roy was the traitor. He considered many different possibilities and concluded that no matter what he did, Cossen wouldn’t believe him. 1rupcf

He would never believe his words again. He wouldn’t believe an infected’s words, because every infected would rather die than side with humans…

There was probably only one thing he could do…

Cossen could tell Ye Ming was distracted and bit his neck a little unhappily. Then he pressed him onto his work table, bowed his head, and kissed him again, slowly biting and rubbing those soft lips as punishment for his distraction.

Ye Ming felt a pain in his lips and was forced to snap out of it and look at Cossen. His eyes contained a look of innocence, terribly captivating… OiuQUW

Cossen’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. At that moment, he couldn’t think of anything except that he wanted to ferociously take this person until he sobbed and begged, until Cossen was the only one he saw.

He was just about to take off Ye Ming’s clothes when his communications device made a noise.

For the first time, Cossen found the sound of the communications device annoying. He paused for a few seconds before finally reaching for it. Brody had sent him some information. Cossen looked at it and soon schooled his expression. He got up from atop Ye Ming and said in a deep voice, “I’m leaving for a bit. Wait here for me.”

Then he turned around and walked out. 80epZc

Ye Ming watched Cossen’s departing figure. He sat up on the table, slowly buttoned up his disheveled collar, and straightened his uniform.

The door in front of him was shut tight. He was the only one here. There couldn’t be any better opportunity.

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The look in Ye Ming’s eyes gradually became determined. Right now, Cossen trusted him again, which was why he’d left him here alone. He was getting more and more careless about him…But I’m sorry, I’m about to disappoint you again.

Because I can’t think of any way to make you believe me, so I might as well let you continue to not believe me. GyfIpe

Ye Ming got off the table and turned around to face it. He was very familiar with the layout of Cossen’s office. After all, he used to often come in and out of here, discussing all sorts of military affairs and plans with Cossen.

He opened the drawers in a practiced way, rummaging through them, and found Cossen’s storage device used to save confidential information. He inserted it into his own communications device.

The storage device was encrypted, but Ye Ming expertly manipulated the program, quickly cracked the outer defense, and then sent the data to Roy through an encrypted channel.

He was very careful as he sent it, erasing all of his tracks on the network. Although it was true he wanted to pass the blame to Roy, if he were too obvious, Cossen would definitely realize that he was purposefully framing Roy. So he had to pretend to be very careful, as if he didn’t want to be discovered. K0yTDI

But despite this, he left behind a tiny loophole to be safe, and to ensure that Cossen could trace where the data had gone and that the confidential information wouldn’t actually be leaked. It was just that this loophole was very well hidden and would require some time to be discovered.

After Ye Ming was done, he put the storage device back exactly where he found it, and then carefully closed the drawer back up, leaving it only a millimeter off from its original position.

Now, he had done everything he could, and he just had to wait for Cossen to find out. He would definitely be able to connect the clues Ye Ming had left behind to Roy.

He wanted Roy to be absolutely unable to explain himself, even if he had one hundred mouths! HjcPks

………………

Cossen received Brody’s message and left Ye Ming to head for the recreational plaza. Here, there were many restaurants, coffee shops, and entertainment venues, meant to entertain the soldiers. Brody was waiting for him at a booth in one of the coffee shops. This was a personal meeting between them.

Right now, they weren’t superior and subordinate, just friends.

Cossen knew more or less why Brody wanted to meet with him. He walked inside with a concentrated expression. G okhL

Brody was already waiting for him. Today he was dressed casually, and his icy blue eyes contained complicated emotions. Quietly, he said, “You’re here.”

Cossen came up to him and sat down, slowly saying, “What did you want to tell me?”

Brody looked at him. “Have you made any headway with Harvey recently?”

Cossen hesitated for a moment, then said, “Not yet. He’s been behaving totally normally.” F8B2g5

Brody pursed his lips. A faint, stifled look of discontent appeared in his eyes. He said, “Recently, you’ve been treating him better and better. You also exempted him from training with me, and you constantly keep him by your side. You’ve even slept with him many times…”

A look of unease flitted through Cossen’s eyes before quickly disappearing, he said, “This is just to fool him, to make him think he’s won my trust. Blindly beating him down like we did before didn’t yield any results, but using kindness and harshness in combination might. I think appropriately changing our methods might be a good way to break through his defense.”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

But this time, Brody didn’t agree with Cossen as easily. Instead, he looked straight into his eyes and carefully said, “Is that all you’re really thinking? Can you swear to the countless departed souls and to His Highness Saen in heaven that you haven’t become even a little bit softhearted?”

Cossen opened his mouth but didn’t say anything in the end. KPyViS

Brody’s eyes became sad and pained, with a trace of unspoken disappointment. “It’s not that I don’t understand your feelings. I used to like him a lot too. But that affection isn’t enough to erase the wrongs he committed. I’m constantly thinking of those who died…and my deceased little brother…so I told myself that to be softhearted to this traitor is to be cruel to those who loved and should’ve protected. That’s why I have to make my choice.”

“You should understand that the most.”

Cossen paled slightly and tightly clenched his fists. Brody’s condemnation pitilessly exposed the unspeakable, despicable feelings deep within him. He had no choice but to admit it. Despite constantly making all sorts of excuses to keep Ye Ming by his side under a guise of rationality, despite being sure that he wouldn’t give Ye Ming another chance to betray him…it was true he’d gotten softhearted. He, who’d always been most steadfast, had actually wavered.

He’d even spinelessly thought about…how great it would be if Ye Ming weren’t the traitor. ADTWLv

Now, Brody’s condemnation made him feel ashamed and unable to show his face.

Cossen closed his eyes, pained. After a long time, he let out a breath. “You’re right. Please give me a little more time…One month. If after one more month, there’s still nothing, I’ll definitely hold myself accountable.”

Brody stared intently at Cossen and said, “Alright.”

Cossen’s fists clenched in front of him. When he’d said those words, he couldn’t help but once again envision Ye Ming’s face—this time, he didn’t have blond hair and blue eyes. Instead, he was a gentle young man with black hair and purple eyes, looking toward him with a pure and honest gaze. His cheeks were flushed from shyness…When he looked at you, it made you feel as if you were being enveloped in the most brilliant, gentle light in the world… IQGFD

He wanted to keep him by his side forever, but he couldn’t.

He owed an explanation to those three hundred million innocent civilians and tens of millions of soldiers who’d died in the destruction of Fort Frederick.

Cossen slowly stood up. This simple action seemed to use up all of his strength. He said, “I’ll go back first—” Halfway through his sentence, the communications device on his wrist suddenly lit up a glaring red.

Cossen’s expression changed abruptly. Shock flashed in his eyes, only to be immediately covered up by sorrow and despair…Finally, only boundless pain remained. yxTdQU

He wouldn’t have to wait another month before making a decision, he thought.

Because this person had betrayed him again.


beansprout: i like how the first line of this chapter was “‘Will you betray me like he did?’” and the last line was “Because this person had betrayed him again.” it’s kinda circular ^o^

konswa: Today at work I learned about my company’s code of conduct, which Cossen would have violated ten thousand times over, yknow, as he was violating Harvey ten thousand times over. Sexual harassment, worker abuse, conflict of interest, confidentiality, escalating suspicious activity to appropriate authorities, rIsK mAnaGeMent (use protection man all Xicks needed to do was saddle Kevin with stds) UXK4TP

Translator's Note

5 is pronounced “wu,” so this is like “wuwuwuwu”

Translator's Note

I.e. the barefoot (those who have nothing) have nothing to lose and aren’t afraid of doing a lot of things that others (who have careers, family, reputations, etc. at stake) would be afraid of doing.

Translator's Note

I.e. the blame

Translator's Note

恩威并施; kind of like using force but also being gentle to someone in order to get to them. There’s a similar notion behind the whole good cop/bad cop thing.

Leave a Comment

18 comments

  1. Thanks for the chapter …. but this time I don’t agree with ye ming’s method to draw Roy out cuz literally he could use another method to avoid suspicion ah well he needed that suspicion to harbour feelings of painful love n parting with Cossen but maaa still @_@ 😬💖

  2. The notes help me comprehend the plot and characters better. Thanks for the updates, fighting.

  3. Lmaooo, I died reading your translator notes. Thanks so much for your hard work!

  4. lmao laughing at the STDs thing. i’m lowkey missing Xicks, will there be any tentacle play ;w;

  5. Ai.. This one ar… Im reading 2 series that both a torture to my heart.. All scum gong, scum shou.. Im going to take a break. Please recommend me a happy sweet crisis free, no bloody slaughter story for me..

  6. Agree with you on the STD part, especially the fact that he put dildo in his ass and wnt through hellish training until it’s all bloody…

  7. I had exams, you see. Been having a hard time remembering what to write, cause all I can remember is 300 MILLION CIVILIANS AND 60 MILLION SOLDIERS-