Eaten Ch.156

Chapter 156: Elysium Squad Recruitment

“…”

“It’s even an English name,” the female person in charge said awkwardly, rubbing her hands together. “If I’d known, I would’ve asked my daughter to come. I can’t understand a word of it.”

Yang Xiaoyun speared a piece of shrimp with his chopsticks and said, “Why don’t we go take a look after we finish eating?”

“Go where?” The two people in charge looked completely confused.

“To the lake where you’re raising the crayfish.”

The male person in charge revealed an expression as unpleasant as if he’d just swallowed something foul. A jumble of emotions flickered across his face—fear and unease, but also gratitude and being moved. Overall, though, there was more fear than anything else.

“It’s not really a lake. We used to raise them in rice paddies and ponds. It only became a lake after the apocalypse. If you want to see places like that, they’re everywhere once you leave the base. You probably saw quite a few on your way here.”

“I’ll have my son go with you. After I finish eating, I still need to go check on the wounded.”

Wu Heng sat there with lifeless eyes for a long time, listening to the people at the table chat just as long. He’d eaten so much he could barely get up from his chair.

X and Shukui were even worse—their vision was swimming from overeating. Bases like Qianzhou, which not only didn’t lack food but actually had a surplus, were already rare.

The people at the table had just happened to be talking about this.

“At first, everyone thought it was a good thing. In other places, people are starving to death every day, selling their sons and daughters for a single flatbread. But here, we have more food than we can finish. Thanks to these crayfish, we even attracted quite a few ability users from other bases.”

“But now they’ve become a full-blown disaster. Sigh.”

Lin Mengzhi slapped the table. “How can we let crayfish run rampant like this?” His face was flushed red from eating. “Let’s go wipe them out right now!”

“Eat every single one of them,” Xue Qi said lazily, propping his chin on his hand.

“For justice, for humanity,” Lin Mengzhi declared.

“You should rest for a night first and set out tomorrow,” the female person in charge suggested. “Crayfish hide during the day and come out at night. It’s best to investigate their situation during the daytime.”

“Then can you even rest at night?” Yang Xiaoyun asked, noticing that everyone from Qianzhou Base present had dark circles under their eyes.

“We’re working in shifts right now—three rotations. Two shifts at night, one during the day. The crayfish are much less aggressive in the daytime,” the male person in charge explained.

The two leaders insisted everyone just call them Old Li and Old Liu, saying they didn’t like being put up on a pedestal.

“I used to run a roadside food stall. If you start calling me ‘boss’ or ‘chief,’ I really can’t take it,” the man said as he nudged his son and daughter forward. “There’s a saying: a person’s fate is decided at birth. Someone destined to accomplish great things— even if he’s just a loach—can’t be trampled to death no matter how many feet step on him. But if someone’s born with a commoner’s fate and insists on wearing a dragon robe, who knows, he might even suffer backlash for it. I’d like to live a few more years, so I won’t bother with all that empty show.”

After a few more rounds of modest back-and-forth, the man pointed to the two young people on his left and said:

“Here, this is my youngest son, and this is my second daughter. Tomorrow they’ll take you around outside. I’ve also got an eldest son, but he’s busy at the moment—you probably won’t get to see him anytime soon.”

“My name’s Li Nian. This is my older sister, Li Pingguo,” the bespectacled boy introduced himself, gesturing to the girl beside him.

The saying “sons take after their mothers, daughters after their fathers” was perfectly embodied in these siblings.

Li Nian’s looks were ordinary, but his round face and constantly smiling eyes made him seem warm and approachable at a glance.

Li Pingguo, on the other hand, had delicate features and a refined face shape, yet she lacked her brother’s open and easygoing air. When she heard her name, she merely pressed her lips together slightly at everyone—a quiet form of greeting.

“Then I’ll take you to our base’s guesthouse now,” Li Nian said to Wen Yuan. He stood up from his chair, then suddenly slapped his forehead. “Ah—I almost forgot to ask. Did you all eat enough?”

“We’re good, we’re good, completely full,” Yang Xiaoyun said, patting Wang Ruixiang on the shoulder. “Old Wang, let’s head out.”

Wang Ruixiang braced himself against the table and hauled himself up from the chair, then picked up his glasses and put them on. “I have to say, it’s really been a long time since I’ve slept in a proper bed.”

“Our base’s guesthouse is actually pretty decent,” Li Nian said. “People from nearby bases drop by every so often to stay for a while and help us clear out the crayfish.”

One by one, the people seated around the table thanked Old Li and Old Liu for their hospitality, wiped their hands and mouths, and stood up. Li Nian turned briskly and headed toward the dining hall exit.

Li Pingguo hesitated, then called out to him, “Li Nian, wait. Let the guests get themselves together first before leaving.”

Li Nian smiled at her. “Big sister really is more thoughtful.”

Although he verbally agreed with her, he didn’t actually slow down. He continued walking toward the dining hall doors. Only when he realized no one was following did he turn around in confusion.

Li Nian had assumed Wen Yuan was the leader of the group—his bearing and presence even more imposing than the decisive, powerful ability users Li Nian had seen before. But when he looked over, Wen Yuan’s gaze was fixed on a corner of the dining table.

Although everyone else had stood up, they were lingering in small clusters, clearly waiting for someone.

“Got you,” came a helpless sigh from that empty corner. A young man crawled out from under the table, holding a plump bird that had eaten itself into a daze.

“Let’s go,” Wen Yuan finally said. Only then did the others start moving.

Li Nian’s eyes shifted slightly, thoughtful.

…

“The guesthouse has hot water from seven to eleven at night. Electricity is supplied twenty-four hours a day. If you have any problems, you can speak to the service desk on the first floor,” Li Nian explained as he led them inside. “Though the old man in charge of the desk has a pretty strange temper. Most of the time, whatever the issue is, he’ll just tell you to make do.”

“This used to be a hotel—part of a national chain,” Li Nian explained. “After the apocalypse, natural disasters caused quite a bit of damage. It wasn’t until recently that we fully repaired it. See? Most of the facilities inside are basically back to normal.”

Mo Zhaohong nodded. “The reconstruction’s pretty well done.”

“Of course,” Li Nian grinned so widely his eyes nearly disappeared. “When everyone works together, you can accomplish anything.”

“Your rooms are all on the second floor, it’s more convenient going up and down. If there’s anything inconvenient and you don’t want to go to the service desk…” Li Nian paused, then suddenly looked at the usually silent Li Pingguo. “…you can find my sister.”

Li Pingguo, suddenly called out, startled and lifted her head. “Ah—y-yes, you can find me. I’m staying at the guesthouse tonight.”

Wu Heng disliked socializing. After taking his key, he opened the door and went straight into his room, Shukui following behind him with his tail swishing.

“Um—um, please wait!” A very nervous female voice rang out in the hallway. Li Pingguo reacted quickly, pushing open the door that was about to close. From outside, she reminded him, “Please don’t let your pet get on the bed. It’s very inconvenient for us to wash and dry the bedding right now.”

“Okay,” Wu Heng nodded.

Only then did Li Pingguo close the door with relief.

Not long after, Lin Mengzhi slipped inside, looking sneaky. “A’Heng, I think I’d feel safer sharing a room with you. Lately, everyone I look at seems gay.”

Wu Heng took off his coat. “I kind of feel the same.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of’? You are. But you already have Xie Chongyi—you’re definitely not going to make a move on me, right?”

“Not necessarily.”

“I don’t believe you. We’re brothers. If anything were going to happen between us, it would’ve happened already. Would there even be room for that Xie Chongyi?” Lin Mengzhi was extremely confident about this as he flopped down on the single bed near the door.

“Not necessarily.”

An odd silence filled the room.

Finally, Lin Mengzhi sprang up from the bed. “A’Heng, let me see your butt. I want to check what’s different between yours and mine.”

Wu Heng was bending down to take off his jeans. He shot a glance at Lin Mengzhi, who was charging toward him in excitement, then sped up and darted into the bathroom with something very much like an escape.

Left outside the door, Lin Mengzhi twisted around to inspect himself. “I’m really curious, how does that thing even fit in there?”

“You don’t even like guys. Why are you so curious?” Wu Heng’s voice was muffled by the door. The sound of running water soon followed, making him even harder to hear.

“I’m just concerned about you, okay?” Lin Mengzhi replied righteously, then threw himself onto the single sofa by the window.

No one answered from the bathroom. Wu Heng had presumably started washing up.

Knock, knock.

“Lin Mengzhi, can I come in~?”

Lin Mengzhi ran to open the door. Standing outside was Xue Qi, who blinked at him. “Do you want to know who Pu Fei’s bed partner is?”

“!”

Lin Mengzhi glanced left and right down the hallway and immediately dragged Xue Qi into the room.

Xue Qi turned around. “I only know one of them, though. I heard it from my brother.”

“Who is it?” Lin Mengzhi asked.

“Wen Yuan.”

“Holy crap! No way! Be honest, did Xue Shen divine that with tarot cards or something?” Lin Mengzhi was full of disbelief.

“Captain Wen looks so upright and serious. Forget men, even women don’t seem like they’d match him. He looks like he was born to go with guns and bullets. You two brothers have to be messing with me.”

“Why would I mess with you?” Xue Qi kicked off his slippers and jumped onto Lin Mengzhi’s bed. “Pu Fei is twenty-six this year. He’s an excellent sniper. My brother said he graduated top of his class from some elite warzone unit and was assigned under Wen Yuan. And then the two of them… you know.”

Lin Mengzhi braced both hands on the end of the bed, utterly incredulous. “That’s Wen Yuan we’re talking about! I swear, Wen Yuan looks like he doesn’t even have a sex drive at all!”

“That’s even less likely,” Xue Qi shook his head. “I actually think it’s pretty normal. Think about it—out of their whole group, isn’t Captain Jiang the only woman? The rest are all men. Sooner or later they’re going to have those kinds of needs. Doing it solo all the time gets boring.”

“Hooking up with guys is fun?” Lin Mengzhi shot back bluntly.

Xue Qi pondered seriously for a while. “Let’s ask Wu Heng.”

The two of them squatted side by side by the bathroom door, waiting for Wu Heng to come out—while continuing their enthusiastic discussion of Pu Fei’s private life.

“But I’ve never seen Wen Yuan act particularly close with anyone. Is your information even reliable?” Lin Mengzhi asked skeptically.

“My brother’s info is definitely reliable,” Xue Qi insisted. “Besides, Pu Fei said it was just a stable physical relationship. That means just bed partners. Once they’re out of bed, everyone goes back to their proper roles. If they were all clingy outside the bedroom too, that wouldn’t be bed partners—that’d be dating.”

“Then who are the other two?”

“The other two are just my brother’s guesses. One might be Wang Ruixiang, the other might be Feng Yu.”

“Holy crap, Captain Wang? He totally gives off ‘my middle-aged uncle’ vibes—super old-school. Xue Shen definitely used tarot cards for that one.”

Xue Qi hated hearing anyone question Xue Shen. He pursed his lips unhappily. “Fine. Then I won’t say anymore.”

“Hey, hey, say it, say it. Xue Shen is amazingly accurate, okay? So who’s Feng Yu? I don’t even remember that person.”

“Feng Yu is on Captain Jiang Xun’s team. Along with Lin Jie, they’re considered volunteers. My brother told me both Feng Yu and Lin Jie were rescued by Pu Fei during missions, so Feng Yu is pretty likely.”

“Why couldn’t it be Lin Jie? Wait—who’s Lin Jie again?”

“You got separated from us back at Shenjian, so it’s normal that you don’t know Lin Jie,” Xue Qi said. “Lin Jie’s a water-type ability user like my brother. And the reason he’s not likely? He’s childish. Objectively childish. My brother says he spends his free time watching cartoons. And I mean cartoons—like the kind that are super popular with little kids. Things like Journey to the West, Boonie Bears, SpongeBob SquarePants, Fruity Robo, Black Cat Detective, Teletubbies, Cute Chicken Squad, Calabash Brothers, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf… Do you really think Pu Fei would, uh, get into bed with someone that childish?”

Lin Mengzhi collapsed onto the floor. “At this point, what even is impossible?”

“Just put Lin Jie and Feng Yu next to each other and you’ll understand why Lin Jie’s unlikely. I swear he looks like he hasn’t even been weaned yet.”

“Terrifying.”

“Thrilling!”

The two boys looked at each other and spoke in unison—though their feelings were completely opposite.

Wu Heng came out of the bathroom with steam still rising faintly from his hair. When he opened the door, the two of them were already sprawled on the floor. Lin Mengzhi was in the middle of trying to recruit Xue Qi into his Elysium Squad—a group that had collapsed halfway through after Du Yaoyuan’s death.

“Dou Lu’s not here. As long as you join, I’ll appoint you vice leader on the spot!”

Wu Heng walked past them as if he saw nothing.

Xue Qi suddenly scrambled upright and dropped to one knee dramatically. “I still remember the Elysium Squad’s motto. Do you?”

“What motto?” Lin Mengzhi had completely forgotten.

Xue Qi fixed him with a steady gaze. “One thought to heaven, one thought to hell. Be my pawn, uphold justice.”

Wu Heng sat quietly by the window. His damp hair was rapidly drying under the influence of his ability. He said nothing. He knew Lin Mengzhi was exactly the type to fall for this kind of thing.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a look of heartfelt excitement spread across Lin Mengzhi’s face.

“Deal! From now on, you, Xue Qi, are the vice leader of our squad!”

The squad now had a grand total of two members.

With the Elysium Squad officially re-established, the two “leaders” clearly still had plenty to discuss. After giving Wu Heng a perfunctory goodbye, they rushed out of the room, declaring they were going to recruit new members and expand their ranks.

Wu Heng, meanwhile, lay down under the covers once his hair had fully dried.

No matter how you looked at it, the conditions inside the base were far better than sleeping out in the wilderness. The mattress was flat, the bed was soft, and the room was dry.

The boy had a habit of pulling the blanket over his head whenever he slept. This time was no different. Especially after a comfortable hot shower, he gathered all the warmth radiating from his body beneath the covers, unwilling to let it escape.

Normally, he didn’t feel hot sleeping like this—plants had plenty of ways to breathe. But tonight, for some reason, his body was burning. Sweat dampened his back, and his ears and fingers were the hottest of all.

With a sigh, Wu Heng pushed the blanket down. He raised his left hand. The ring was still there, perfectly normal—no melting into liquid, no turning into some creature clinging to his finger.

From behind him, a long-fingered hand traced along his arm, slid over his wrist, then covered the back of his hand. Fingers slipped between his, interlocking before pressing down.

Breath, hot as magma, brushed against the back of his neck. The heat made Wu Heng stifle a groan, his body shuddering uncontrollably.

In the next moment, he was pulled tightly into an embrace, firmly restrained. Lips and teeth pressed against the back of his neck. Teeth parted and bit into the soft flesh there.

After a few bites, the sharp pain dulled. The person behind him seemed to have vented some of his frustration. Yet when he finally spoke, resentment still laced his voice.

“I waited for you in Hanzhou for sixteen hours and thirty-five minutes. And you took a detour behind my back to eat crayfish?”

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