EDEH Chapter 86

Sang Jue seemed to see humanity restored to peace and prosperity, with future generations visiting this manor with curiosity or reverence, placing flowers before each columbarium wall.

 

But now, only descendants in even more dire circumstances came to take refuge, with monsters outside eyeing them hungrily, hissing and striking against the thick steel plates underground, making dull rumbling sounds.

 

Everyone came back to their senses, their eye sockets unknowingly swelling red, temples throbbing, veins at their foreheads seeming about to burst from under their skin, their hearts filled with an indescribable gas, so full they were about to explode.

 

A deviant clenched his fists and suddenly turned around.

 

“Mu Ping! Where are you going!?”

 

“I’m going to blow these fucking monsters to kingdom come!!”

 

Sang Jue remembered this person. Over the past few days, he had always fought with all his might, but was always dismissive of human higher-ups, including Huo Yanji.

 

He didn’t trust any higher-ups, especially after the Dawn Plan was exposed, believing that in the eyes of the upper echelons, there were only interests, and they didn’t consider the people’s lives as lives at all.

 

Bao Cang shouted angrily: “Old Ping, come back!!”

 

“District J can fall—but not this manor.”

 

Mu Ping seemed not to hear, his back to everyone, rushing straight for the door. At the same time, his body manifested thick, long dark purple tentacles, stepping onto that cracked earth, heading straight for the densest concentration of antlions.

 

After the spiritual pillar of the past collapsed, he had found new faith before death.

 

This was fortunate.

 

There were many whirlpool traps covered by mud nearby. The flexible tentacles wrapped around all the grenades, following the force of the traps as they fell, striking straight underground: “Bang—!!!”

 

Several people who had rushed to the door were blown back by the tremendous blast wave, shattered earth scattered everywhere, and a full seven or eight antlion corpses were thrown out, blown to pieces.

 

“…” There was a ringing in their ears.

 

But that was the extent of it.

 

The antlions behind were still churning in the soil, trying to attack, but were slowed down by the ruins and their companions’ corpses.

 

Bao Cang couldn’t afford to grieve, immediately rushing over and shouting: “Close the door!!”

 

The manor gate was also very heavy, but after pushing it once, it triggered the closing system and began to slowly shut. A few seconds later, the electronic access lock made a click sound, and Mu Ping’s corpse and the antlion swarm were both blocked outside.

 

“There seems to be steel plates underneath, but I’m not sure if they’re the same type as those outside the city walls.” Bao Cang panted, saying: “Don’t know how long they can hold.”

 

Others gritted their teeth: “Even if we die, we must defend this place!”

 

“That’s perfect, we can be buried directly here.”

 

“Haha, I think that works!”

 

Everyone laughed with red eyes, bloodshot veins filling their eye whites, muscles tensed to the extreme.

 

While they could still barely control their emotions and joke around, some had already seen familiar names and couldn’t contain their emotions, leaning against the wall and crying loudly.

 

It was a rough man, scruffy with stubble, looking very disheveled with a dejected aura.

 

He knelt before the wall, tears the size of beans falling freely to the ground, crying until he couldn’t breathe: “I, I—”

 

“Old Cao?” Someone came forward to look, reading the names on the wall: “Xuan Yao, Job… Fang Suo? Isn’t this your…”

 

His chest heaved violently, sobbing deeply: “My, my good brother.”

 

Bao Cang: “His first love.”

 

Sang Jue said: “The human he liked.”

 

All three spoke simultaneously.

 

Old Cao, who was crying with snot and tears, became even rougher, glaring back: “Shut your fucking mouths!”

 

Bao Cang shrugged, making a gesture to seal his lips.

 

The little evil dragon’s nose was never wrong.

 

Sang Jue pursed his lips: “Liars have ugly faces.”

 

“Hahahahahaha…”

 

The atmosphere suddenly lightened, and someone nearby teased: “Not your first love dying so many years ago and you’re still this sad?”

 

Old Cao took a deep breath, got up and touched the raised names on the wall. Every stroke, every dash, every groove made his heart ache.

 

So thoughtful – even birth dates to death dates were carved in the small corners.

 

Although there were no ashes, although from birth to death, they could only be placed in such a small space not even the size of a palm, at least traces were left.

 

Old Cao shook his head: “He joined the army back then, said he would definitely achieve merit and get a military rank… but died in a mission within two months.”

 

When the Dawn Plan was exposed, his first thought was that his former brother’s sacrifice wasn’t worth it.

 

Now looking at this manor carved with the names of sacrificed people, the anger in his heart seemed to suddenly dissipate, his tense nerves snapping just like that.

 

It wasn’t completely worthless.

 

Someone still remembered these dead people, didn’t ignore their sacrifice.

 

“What do we do now? Just the few of us probably can’t defend this place.”

 

Bao Cang looked at the tightly closed gate, outside there were still banging sounds coming from underground. He turned back to everyone: “We don’t have many grenades left, fighting with our lives is meaningless. Even if we all die here, we can’t stop the antlion swarm outside.”

 

“Don’t tell us we’re not defending anymore?”

 

“Defend, of course we must defend.” Bao Cang said: “This land belongs to General Huo. He was able to insert steel plates underground, which means he considered protecting this place as much as possible even in disaster. There should be an armory in the manor. Everyone scatter and look for it, just leave a small part to guard here.”

 

Sang Jue remained silent throughout, watching everyone transform from initial shock to firm determination to defend this place to the death.

 

He couldn’t quite understand the feeling of wanting to guard a bunch of dead people’s names even unto death. But thinking of how Huo Yanji had lived in such a place for so many years, his heart felt a kind of vague blockage.

 

Sang Jue knew that humans usually didn’t live in cemeteries.

 

Bao Cang walked to the side, avoiding the crowd and calling to him: “Sang Jue, have you been here before?”

 

“No.” Sang Jue said sullenly: “I live in the general’s apartment… but before I came, he never went back to the apartment.”

 

Originally thinking that if Sang Jue had been here before, he should know where the armory was.

 

Bao Cang tugged at his lips: “Then let’s look together?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Sang Jue carried his bag, walking in the corridor between the columbarium walls, as if Huo Yanji’s figure was ahead, back turned to him, spine straight, solemn and indifferent.

 

But his blood was hot, not at all as cold as his appearance suggested – Sang Jue had felt it.

 

Sang Jue really liked lying in Huo Yanji’s arms, feeling his steadily beating heart beneath his chest, and the warm blood flow under his skin. This would make the dragon warm too, making the whole dragon comfortable and content.

 

He had a strange feeling, as if he was following Huo Yanji’s figure, walking the path he had walked, experiencing his feelings.

 

But it was still difficult, just as the strong find it hard to empathize with the weak, those with vested interests find it hard to empathize with the exploited, and evil dragons find it hard to empathize with humans.

 

But that was the human he fancied, so he could try a little harder.

 

Sang Jue also wanted to bring Huo Yanji back to show the doctor, then proudly tell the doctor: “I chose the best male as my wife.”

 

This proved he was excellent too, otherwise why would Ji Ji like him? Very logical, no problem.

 

Sang Jue’s thoughts took eighteen turns around the mountain road before finally stopping at missing Huo Yanji.

 

Calculating the distance, he could return tonight. Then he would have Ji Ji properly touch his tail, hair, and… hmm.

 

Walking to the end of the long path, he could see a narrow freshwater lake, clear and clean.

 

By the lake was a two-story small house. Compared to the entire manor, its footprint was extremely small, far from the rumored golden splendor. It was just ordinary brown-red stone bricks, ordinary wooden beams, ordinary interior, not even painted walls.

 

It sat in the center of the manor, looking particularly lonely.

 

Surrounded by dead souls, only Huo Yanji was alive, like a lonely tomb keeper.

 

Did he usually talk to the dead?

 

Sang Jue didn’t know.

 

He looked at this house, pursed his lips, and said: “My heart is swollen and about to explode.”

 

007 said in his mind: [Hearts don’t explode, maybe you’re feeling heartache.]

 

Sang Jue asked: “Heartache for Ji Ji?”

 

007 said: [Yes.]

 

Sang Jue said: “But he’s not injured and hasn’t died, so why would I feel heartache?”

 

AI also found it difficult to systematically answer this question, only giving a general answer: “When the body is injured it hurts, when emotions are hurt the heart hurts, and this will make those who care about him feel heartache.”

 

Sang Jue thought about it and said frankly: “Then I feel heartache for Ji Ji.”

 

007 didn’t say anything more.

 

The armory did exist, but it was small and also required authorization.

 

They were about to force it open, and just as they hit it once, they heard two crackling sounds of electricity, and the lock clicked open.

 

Everyone who had expected it to be difficult looked at each other: “That simple?”

 

Sang Jue and 007, who had hidden their contributions, said nothing. Yang Chen said with half mockery: “After all, the general isn’t doing unspeakable things in the manor like the rumors say, so naturally there’s no need for excessive protection.”

 

Everyone had different thoughts.

 

A brother who had been following Bao Cang turned away: “If I can still see the general alive, I’ll do my best to apologize.”

 

He had contributed quite a bit to slandering Huo Yanji before.

 

When he said this, he also glanced at Sang Jue.

 

Several people around Bao Cang had all seen Sang Jue and knew about his relationship with Huo Yanji, but they all tacitly didn’t make a big deal of it, pretending not to know each other well.

 

However, the contents of the armory disappointed them. Apart from a few grenades, there were no special weapons, mostly some discontinued firearms with high collectible value but no practical significance.

 

Someone enviously touched them and joked: “Didn’t expect General Huo to like collecting too.”

 

Bao Cang’s expression was grave: “Just these few grenades probably won’t be enough, we need to contact the military.”

 

Everyone was somewhat uneasy: “Would they be willing to come defend a manor with no practical value?”

 

Bao Cang paused: “I know recent events have made everyone wary and not very trusting of those in high positions now, but we have to believe that good leaders exist, otherwise living in suspicion would be too exhausting.”

 

“I think General Huo is very good! Consider me previously blinded by pig fat, having blind eyes!!”

 

“Yes… honestly speaking, after General Huo took office as Supreme Executive, the city’s security really improved a lot – just that curfew system made it so we can’t drink at night.”

 

“Drinking less won’t kill you.”

 

Everyone whispered among themselves. After patrolling around, Bao Cang found a communications station with military channels, but it also required authorization.

 

Bao Cang fiddled with it for a while, looking at the red X on the screen and the sixty-second red warning countdown, he looked helplessly at Sang Jue: “You…”

 

Sang Jue quietly pursed his lips. Having 007 operate this again would seem very suspicious.

 

He had no particular feelings about helping these people, but this was the manor Huo Yanji had spent over ten years building, something Ji Ji wanted to protect.

 

So he took out the black access card Huo Yanji had given him before leaving, and pressed it against the sensor on the communications station.

 

“Authentication successful. General, welcome home.”

 

Everyone: “…”

 

First, Sang Jue definitely wasn’t General Huo. Although not everyone had seen Huo Yanji, this was too different from the rumored appearance and height.

 

Second, if it wasn’t Huo Yanji himself, but someone close enough to have his access card, it seemed only the recently rumored “little lover” fit.

 

The little lover was excessively delicate, not masculine, but not overly soft either, with porcelain white skin, beautiful deep eye sockets, and two clear black eyes embedded within.

 

When the machine welcomed Huo Yanji home, his ears moved, catching the name of his beloved, his eyes instantly curved, his lips lifting slightly in a restrained smile.

 

In that instant, he came alive, no longer like the terrifying tranquility when he shot people these past days, but with a pure and innocent allure.

 

Setting aside past prejudices, they thought – if it were me, I couldn’t resist either.

 

With such a little lover, it was no wonder General Huo was devoted to him.

 

**

 

 

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