Chapter 38: Don’t love me too much
Yu Yan brought his fingers together to cover 012’s eyes, which were filled with blatant desire. He then pinched 012’s face, pushing it a little farther away.
“Don’t come over,” Yu Yan warned, feeling the restless force below his hand.
It felt like a starving ghost’s reincarnation—was this being loved? It felt more like being eaten!
He moved to the side and wrapped his cloak around his face to cover half of it.
The cloak pressed against his nose carried a faint scent, something like fragrant twigs.
Seeing him hiding in his cloak, 012 made subtle movements to sniff the scent. His originally restrained steps involuntarily moved forward again.
Suddenly, Yu Yan was enveloped along with the cloak: “…”
His clinginess hadn’t changed at all.
The rear of the car was hard; leaning against it wasn’t as comfortable as leaning on the little bird bat. Yu Yan struggled a bit, then just let it be.
After a while, when Yu Yan was nearly falling asleep, his head suddenly bumped backward. “Hey, it’s about time to switch shifts. Wake someone up to take over.”
“I’m going back to the car to sleep,” he yawned.
012, who had buried his head in Yu Yan’s neck, raised his head.
The human partner had specifically come to keep him company during the night watch, and was worried about him being ostracized or b*llied by other humans.
But “Yin Hui” was a hunter who had completed many tasks, and in those tasks, several of his ill-intentioned peers had been killed, and his employers had been left with only one breath.
He was naturally adapted to the harsh and dangerous laws of the outer district.
His human partner should have known this, yet still worried about him.
“Here, I’m giving your cloak back.”
Yu Yan took off the cloak and threw it onto 012’s head, then walked a few steps, got into the car, and shut the door in one smooth motion.
Inside the car, although it seemed like Guide Li was asleep, he was actually listening intently to the sounds outside. He turned over and made a slight snoring sound as if pretending to be asleep.
012, holding his cloak, went to the front of another car and woke up the two guards who were sleeping soundly.
The two guards got out of the car, shivering from the cold wind outside, cursed a few times, and turned to see the person who had woken them up got into a car that didn’t belong to their convoy.
012 entered the car, and the front seat occupants, Da Tou and Xiao Fei, glanced at him but didn’t say anything. Guide Li suddenly became quiet, and the snoring stopped.
Yu Yan lay in the back row with his eyes closed. 012 sat on the floor, resting his head on Yu Yan’s chest.
Yu Yan, after giving a firm rub to the little bird bat’s head resting on his chest, said helplessly, “I really admire you.”
He sat up and made some space on the already cramped seat.
“Come sit here.”
012 sat beside him, pulled him down to lie on his lap, and covered him with the cloak.
The heavy, warm human partner’s body temperature and familiar scent filled the narrow space, making 012 feel content.
With his eyes closed, Yu Yan suddenly spoke, “Stop messing with my hair. Human hair is quite fragile, and you don’t want me to become bald too soon, do you?”
A short, sudden laugh was heard from somewhere inside the car.
…
In the morning, 012 got out of the car, ignoring the curious and astonished looks from everyone in the convoy.
Yu Yan, while sitting in the car and rubbing his neck, received an invitation from Boss Huang to have breakfast in his RV.
Boss Huang’s RV had a spacious interior, with separate rooms for resting, a dining area, and a small bar where meals could be prepared.
Boss Huang, dressed more elaborately than the day before, sat at the dining table with an array of dishes laid out, making for a very sumptuous breakfast.
“Mr. Yu, come and try some. The conditions might be a bit rudimentary out here, and I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience. Next time you come to my house, I’ll make sure to give you a proper welcome,” Boss Huang said, cheerfully shaking a glass of red wine.
Yu Yan sat opposite him, exchanging a few superficial pleasantries.
Boss Huang asked, “I saw Yin Hui get out of Mr. Yu’s car earlier. Do you know Yin Hui?”
Yu Yan replied calmly, “No, I don’t. The guide I hired was introduced by the owner of the Rose Bar. They seemed to know each other, so Yin Hui must have been looking for him.”
Boss Huang nodded repeatedly, “I see.”
“Speaking of Yin Hui, I’m curious,” Yu Yan pretended to be puzzled. “I noticed that all the bodyguards hired by Boss Huang are human. Why would you specifically hire a mutant? Is it because he’s particularly skilled?”
Boss Huang suddenly smiled with a meaningful expression, “Whether he’s skilled or not doesn’t matter. What’s important is that he’s a mutant, and he also looks quite good.”
Yu Yan’s gaze shifted slightly, and he leaned back in his chair with a smile, “So, Boss Huang also has an interest in high-level mutants. No wonder you received an invitation from the owner of the Rainbow Cage Manor.”
“Ah, Mr. Yu, you’ve misunderstood me,” Boss Huang said, fixing his gaze on him. “I don’t have that kind of preference. Compared to non-human beings, I certainly prefer people. I’m very fond of someone like you.”
His gaze was suggestive, and he deliberately placed his hand on the table, brushing against Yu Yan’s hand.
Yu Yan: …
Yu Yan began to wonder why, in his previous world, most people who were interested in him were women, while here, the ones showing interest were mostly men.
What was even more concerning was the implication in Boss Huang’s words.
It seemed that Boss Huang wasn’t interested in 012’s abilities but was more focused on his appearance and his identity as a mutant.
Considering their destination, Rainbow Cage Manor, where the owner, Mr. Song, was known for collecting beautiful mutants, it was hard not to make troubling associations.
Yesterday, Yu Yan had sent Da Tou and Xiao Fei to gather information from the bodyguards in the convoy and learned that they were hired from the same hunter guild, with 012 being the only one hired separately.
But Boss Huang didn’t seem to need him that much, as he hadn’t shown much reliance on him during the journey.
Yu Yan found this odd and decided to test the waters today.
“So,” Yu Yan leaned closer to Boss Huang, feigning a troubled expression and whispering, “Is he a gift prepared by Boss Huang? What should I do? I haven’t prepared any mutants. I won’t be able to enter the manor, will I?”
Boss Huang also spoke in a low voice, “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely take you along. Mr. Song at Rainbow Cage Manor is looking forward to Yin Hui. When he’s satisfied and happy, he’s very generous. You’ll see when the time comes.”
It sounded like this wasn’t just Boss Huang’s idea but might also be orchestrated by the owner of Rainbow Cage Manor, who had placed an order and had Boss Huang lure the person in.
But regardless, their intentions were clearly not good.
When Yu Yan got off the RV, he was still smiling, but once back in his own vehicle, his expression turned neutral.
“Da Tou, Xiao Fei, I need your help with something,” Yu Yan called the two bodyguards.
At noon, the bodyguards gathered for lunch again. Da Tou and Xiao Fei became the most popular as they generously distributed filtered cigarettes, which were expensive in the Underground City.
Except for two who were not used to smoking and set the cigarettes aside, and two who were on close protection duty in Boss Huang’s RV, everyone else smoked.
Of course, 012 was once again excluded.
Yu Yan went to have lunch with Boss Huang in his RV. As they were enjoying their meal and chatting, Boss Huang suddenly collapsed, rolling his eyes.
“Boss!” Boss Huang’s loyal assistant exclaimed.
Yu Yan quickly stepped forward, saying, “I’m a doctor. Let me check his condition.”
The assistant was initially intimidated by Yu Yan’s skilled and confident actions. The two close protection bodyguards, seeing this, also hesitated and stood guard with their guns.
Suddenly, the assistant looked behind the two bodyguards, eyes widening and mouth opening to shout.
The two bodyguards also sensed something was wrong and turned around with their guns—
“Bang!”
The two bodyguards had their heads knocked together forcefully, and their guns were kicked away.
Anyone who had felt 012’s strength would know that these two were knocked out instantly.
The assistant finally managed to shout, “Watch out!”
He had barely gotten the warning out when he reached for the gun in his waistband and felt a sharp pain in his arm. The next thing he knew, he was pinned to the ground by Yu Yan.
Hearing the commotion, a group of bodyguards tried to run over to help, but after taking a few steps, they felt their legs go weak and their steps unsteady.
Yu Yan had laced the cigarettes with a lab-specific knockout drug. It could incapacitate even a mutant like 012, let alone humans.
The two who hadn’t smoked the dr*g-laced cigarettes were also subdued by Da Tou and Xiao Fei.
“Who are you? What do you want? Are you sent by our boss’s rival? We can pay you!” the assistant cried out in panic.
Seeing 012 standing by, he exclaimed, “You’re all in this together? Is this a setup?”
Yu Yan bound him and tossed him aside, saying, “Don’t be the first to complain.”
“Didn’t your boss make an agreement with Mr. Song to lure Yin Hui over? Doing this kind of thing has consequences, and look, here they are.”
“It’s a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding. We can go back to the Underground City right now. We won’t go to Rainbow Cage Manor!” The assistant, seeing Boss Huang lying on the ground and starting to foam at the mouth, was terrified.
Yu Yan replied, “Go back to the Underground City? That’s not possible. I need to visit Rainbow Cage Manor.”
The assistant hurriedly said, “Then you definitely can’t kill us. Mr. Song’s people know my boss. If he dies, you won’t be able to get into the manor!”
Yu Yan smiled, “Don’t worry, I have a way.”
As long as Boss Huang stayed lying down, he could just claim that Huang had suddenly fallen ill on the way. Getting into the manor would still be possible.
Before long, the convoy set off again, missing one assistant and Boss Huang’s two loyal bodyguards.
The remaining bodyguards, hired merely for money, lacked the resolve to sacrifice themselves for their boss. With their strength drained and weapons lost, they all chose to cooperate.
Yu Yan sat inside Boss Huang’s RV, using a syringe to administer a shot to Boss Huang, ensuring he would remain unconscious for the next three days and wouldn’t be easily awakened.
Before coming to the Underground City, Yu Yan had prepared not only the energy gun on his hip but also other “weapons” more suited to his profession.
Sometimes, they were indeed more useful than energy guns.
012 sat beside him, watching Yu Yan’s actions with a cold expression and a burning gaze.
Yu Yan glanced back and noticed that his affection level had increased by 1.
Yu Yan: …You really shouldn’t love me this much.
After a brief exchange of looks, 012 said, “You want to protect me.”
For him, a dozen humans were not a threat. He didn’t know Boss Huang’s plans but wasn’t afraid. After all, such things weren’t new to him. He had handled them before and could do so again.
But his human partner wanted to protect him.
Yu Yan finished with the syringe and the medication packet. “Don’t get all happy there. I’m heading to Rainbow Cage Manor later. Think about whether you want to come.”
“Of course, I will protect you,” 012 said.
Yu Yan looked at him and tried to scare him: “There’s a p*rvert there who’s eyeing you—are you afraid?”
012 calmly asked, “So if I were to rip off his head this time, you wouldn’t want it either?”
Yu Yan, deceived by the appearance of the little bird bat, finally remembered how this guy had once fiercely removed Zhou Xiangcheng’s head and tried to present it as a gift.
Yu Yan: Forget I said anything.
As they neared Rainbow Cage Manor, they encountered a minor mishap.
A ragged child suddenly emerged from the roadside, falling by the RV and making a weak, pitiful cry for help.
Yu Yan got out of the car and helped the child up, discovering that it was actually a high-level mutant with two rabbit ears hanging from its head. The child had pink, moist eyes and a pretty, cute appearance.
“Can you give me something to eat? I’m so hungry,” the little rabbit said pitifully.
Yu Yan assessed the child’s pale skin beneath its tattered clothes and smiled, asking Da Tou to bring a can of food.
“Here, two cans. Is that enough?”
The little rabbit hugged the cans and looked at him gratefully. “You’re so kind. I’m lost here. Can you take me with you?”
“No, little rabbit,” Yu Yan said with a smile as he got back into the car and had the convoy continue moving forward.
The little rabbit chased after the vehicle for a few steps but was sprayed with exhaust fumes, forced to watch as the convoy drove away.
The innocent, cute expression on the little rabbit’s face instantly faded.
From behind a nearby tree emerged a child wearing a hat, with a cat tail flicking behind them. The child had wheat-colored skin and an impatient, rebellious demeanor.
“Xiao Hong, how did you fail?” The child spoke, revealing two missing teeth.
“I don’t know. Isn’t it said that Boss Huang is a lech*rous and greedy man? How come he didn’t take me away, even though I’m such a pretty mutant?” The little rabbit spat in disgust. “How unlucky!”
“I couldn’t see clearly from far away. Was the person who got out of the car Boss Huang?” The toothless cat child asked.
“You know I can’t tell the difference. To me, all humans look the same!” The little rabbit rolled its eyes.
The cat child jumped up and down in frustration. “So what now? Without anyone to take us in, how are we going to get into Rainbow Cage Manor?”
The little rabbit sneered. “What else can we do? Find the next unlucky person! I refuse to believe we can’t get in. …Xiao Wei, stay hidden and watch for my signal. If I find someone inside, you’ll act accordingly.”
