Chapter 59: The Devil’s Sacrifice (09p2)
Freed, Yu Jiao sat up and rubbed her wrists. “Since we’re partners, shouldn’t Dr. Helan show some sincerity?”
Helan Duo got straight to the point. “What do you want?”
“You broke my communicator. They will definitely be suspicious—I request to observe experiment [Z0] up close. I need to report to Nie Hongshen.”
Yu Jiao looked at him directly.
Helan Duo agreed without much thought. “Come with me.”
Helan Duo led Yu Jiao to one of the inner rooms of the lab. The decoration was similar to the outer room, but there was no huge glass wall, only a small, pond-like pool of still water.
“This is a special observation room. It can meet your request for close contact with [Z0].”
Helan Duo stood at the control panel and typed in a command. The next moment, a very high-frequency sound was emitted.
Helan Duo stood there properly, like a diligent service worker, and then, in a pretentious manner, called out to her, “Madam,”
“Please forgive me. This guy has a bad temper. After all, it’s an unthinking beast. To prevent you from being torn to shreds by it in a frenzy, I have to watch over you here.”
And to watch me openly.
Yu Jiao finished his sentence for him.
The pool began to bubble and surge. Yu Jiao composed herself.
A dark shadow appeared under the water, and then, the aquatic monster silently emerged, like a water ghost, only revealing a pair of dark blue, beast-like eyes, staring at Yu Jiao without blinking. Its fins and spines, which were exposed to the air, were rising and falling, as if it were breathing.
Yu Jiao smelled a pleasant, sea-salty scent.
Without the glass wall, the visual impact was like a tidal wave, rushing towards her.
The monster first bared its teeth at Helan Duo threateningly, then hesitated for two seconds, then suddenly wagged its tail and swam towards the edge of the pool. It clung to the low railing and looked at Yu Jiao, who was standing far away, with a longing expression.
A thought stirred in Yu Jiao’s mind. She boldly walked towards it.
—Nothing ventured, nothing gained? Besides, Helan Duo won’t let me die.
Seeing this, the monster couldn’t help but wag its large tail, like a puppy, waiting to be claimed by its master.
Yu Jiao stood outside the railing and squatted down, so that she was at eye level with it.
The monster reached its claw through the gap in the railing. It was shining with a sharp, cold light and looked extremely dangerous, but Yu Jiao didn’t flinch, wanting to see its intention.
There, it carefully retracted its sharp claws and, with its webbed fingers, scooped up a strand of Yu Jiao’s long hair. It looked at the hair, then at Yu Jiao, its expression a little puzzled and anxious.
It opened its lips and made a hoarse, babbling sound.
Helan Duo, who was standing not far away, paused, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“What?”
Yu Jiao tried her best to make out its meaning and leaned in closer.
“…Sss… sss… yee… yee… yoo… yue… yue!”
As if it hadn’t used its vocal cords in a long time, it enunciated the words very unskillfully.
“Yue?” Yu Jiao was confused. “Are you saying your name is Yue?”
As her words fell, she heard a soft laugh from behind her.
Yu Jiao turned her head and saw Helan Duo holding a fist to his lips, suppressing a strange smile, his long eyelashes lowered, and he muttered, “What a brainless beast…”
The monster suddenly froze and twitched its nose.
—The wound on Yu Jiao’s neck had not yet healed.
With all the movement, the wound had opened a little, and a small bead of blood was oozing out. The scent of blood was seeping into its nose and gills.
“Hiss!”
The monster’s face instantly changed. It suddenly became ferocious, and its fins all stood on end.
Yu Jiao had a bad feeling. Before she could retreat, it grabbed her and pulled her down, almost making her fall into the water.
Its sharp, fanged mouth was at the side of her neck.
The beast’s hot breath washed over her, as if it were about to bite through her neck the next moment… However, the next instant, only a warm, wet, soft thing brushed past, as if it had licked away a drop of blood.
At the same time, Helan Duo reacted quickly. When the monster “attacked,” he had already quickly tapped the control panel twice.
Before Yu Jiao could react, she was drenched in water.
—[Z0] had quickly left with a flick of its tail. This time, it did not make a sound when it was electrocuted.
“It seems you’ve been rejected by it.”
Helan Duo’s voice was a little surprised, and a little teasing. He watched with a smile as the drenched Yu Jiao climbed up from the ground.
Yu Jiao wiped the water from her face with a blank expression and retorted coolly, “Compared to me, this guy clearly hates you more.”
.
Though Yu Jiao was drenched in water, she had gained a lot from this trip:
Not only had she obtained some information about experiment [Z0], but the system notifications had also been ringing nonstop, finally stopping at:
【Main Quest: Uncover the secrets hidden by the cult and survive (Progress: 26%)】
It was time to leave.
The lab was fully equipped. Yu Jiao took a shower and, after drying herself, reluctantly changed into the uniform Helan Duo kept here. Because of their size difference, the uniform that fit him was a size too big for her, and it was loose and sloppy.
During this time, Helan Duo was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking over experimental data. He suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He glanced over and didn’t look away for a long time.
Yu Jiao had washed away her married woman’s attire. Now, with her semi-dry long hair, her plain face was flushed from the hot water. She was rolling up her long sleeves as she walked over.
“I have to go back. Is there another memorial service this afternoon? Is it the same as yesterday?”
Helan Duo pushed up his glasses, his tone sincere. “Madam, I admire you even more. To be so unfamiliar with the basic rules of this world and yet still be alive.”
Yu Jiao: “?”
It was Yu Fenghe who said it. A seven-day wedding.
Seeing her frown in confusion, Helan Duo couldn’t help but smile. He stood up and walked over, explaining, “Wood, metal, earth, fire, water. One day is a sun day, the next is a dark day, alternating. Weddings and funerals are generally held on sun days. On dark days, all entertainment is forbidden. One must rest, reunite, and pray.”
“Today is a wood dark day. The holy communion prayer will be held at the Tree of Life ritual ground at noon.”
As his words fell, Helan Duo had already gotten close.
His tall figure blocked the incandescent light, casting a silk-net-like shadow. A pair of affectionate eyes, glistening and bright, gently fell on her face.
“Madam, if you go out like this, you will be misunderstood.”
Yu Jiao raised an eyebrow and leaned against the examination table, asking with a composed air, “Are you worried that people will get the wrong idea, or are you already getting the wrong idea yourself?”
Helan Duo lowered his head, braced his arms on either side of Yu Jiao, and leaned in closer. Just as their breaths were about to mingle, he smiled faintly, his long arms wrapped around her back. He grabbed the ties of her clothes and tied them properly for her.
After tidying her clothes, Helan Duo took a half-step back and smiled like an elegant fox.
“It’s clearly the Madam who is always getting the wrong idea.”
Yu Jiao pouted, pushed him away, and was about to leave, but the fox called out, “Madam, wait. I’ll help you enter your biological information. Then you can come in at any time.”
Yu Jiao paused and looked at him with suspicion.
…He’s up to no good, isn’t he?
Helan Duo’s face had a flawless smile. “After all, you are not only my partner now, but also my experiment.”
…
In the end, Yu Jiao still let Helan Duo use her biological information.
The moment Yu Jiao left the lab, Fu Sheng came up to her. Seeing that she was alright, Fu Sheng let out a slight sigh of relief. Then Fu Sheng noticed her unusual clothes… Yu Jiao was sure that in Fu Sheng’s closed mechanical eyes, she had caught a glimpse of an emotion similar to a pupil earthquake.
But now was clearly not a good time to talk—
eleven’s characteristic baritone sounded, “Madam, the Jiao family will be attending this afternoon’s holy communion ceremony.”
Yu Jiao had now shed the indulgent, loose state she had been in in the lab and was once again in a cautious, analytical, and Oscar-winning actress mode.
…The fact that eleven had specially informed her meant that this Jiao family was very unusual.
“The Jiao family?” Yu Jiao said. “What are they coming for?”
Her tone was light and breezy, but her delicate brow was slightly furrowed. A look of concern and difficulty.
eleven did not answer immediately, but paused for a moment.
Yu Jiao looked over and saw the flashing blue light above her head.
Yu Jiao was both surprised by its human-like pause, as if it were choosing its words, and a little anxious about her own probing question—Was it wrong to ask that?
Fortunately, eleven did not remain silent for long. It answered, “Lady Jiao Hongyue is Mr. Yu Fenghe’s first wife.”
“…”
“After Lady Jiao’s sudden death, the Jiao family and the Yu family gradually grew distant… They should be here to pay their last respects to Mr. Yu.”
Then why didn’t they come yesterday?
Yu Jiao suppressed the question in her heart. She nodded and prepared to return to her room to prepare for the so-called holy communion, according to eleven’s dressing suggestions.
No matter what the Jiao family’s intention was, she would deal with it as it came.
“…”
After turning the last corridor, Yu Jiao saw a submissive guard standing outside her door.
The guard bowed and looked up. Yu Jiao was surprised to find that this guard did not have any extra mechanical parts on his face, but a pair of strange-looking mechanical ears.
Twisted, ferocious, like two small human faces.
Yu Jiao looked back at Fu Sheng and saw her shake her head with a heavy expression, indicating that she did not know what was going on.
Eleven timely explained, “Because the maid beside you had an aberration yesterday, I received an order this morning to assign the death warriors that Mr. Yu personally trained to be your personal guards for your protection.”
Yu Jiao frowned. “Whose order?”
“…”
eleven: “It was a divine descent, Madam.”
“…”
Yu Jiao met the guard’s dark, heavy eyes… She struggled to look away and looked up at the flashing blue light. “Explain.”
eleven: “Mr. Yu had set it up for me before he died. Special, high-level commands are to be treated as a divine descent, not to be ignored, not to be disobeyed, not to be resisted.”
It’s obvious who’s behind this.
Yu Jiao gritted her teeth. “Thanks a lot.”
Before Yu Jiao entered the room, she paused. “So this guy has to follow me every step of the way?”
“Yes, Madam.”
Yu Jiao snorted. “Though I am a widow, I am also a woman. Is this appropriate?”
Yu Jiao was annoyed, but she had no intention of making things difficult for an AI butler who was just following orders. She just glared at the ordinary-looking, expressionless guard. “Open the door. Do I have to teach you?”
The guard lowered his head and pushed the door open. With a sour look on her face, Yu Jiao had just walked in when a sharp red light flashed before her, rushing towards her face. Just as she was about to dodge, two cold hands seized her shoulders.
Yu Jiao watched with wide eyes as the red light nimbly entered her eye socket.
It was a thin, blood-red vine… Yu Fenghe!
—Even someone as vigilant as Yu Jiao had not expected Yu Fenghe to attack again and again.
The guard who had been working with Yu Fenghe was still shifting the blame. “Madam, be careful! There’s a residual aberrant tissue!”
The guard pretended to be protecting Yu Jiao and crushed the so-called “aberrant tissue” on the ground.
The ambushed Yu Jiao felt the world spin, and her entire vision turned blood red.
Fu Sheng nervously supported her, and her questioning voice became distant and blurry. “Madam? Are you alright? Where are you uncomfortable?”
Yu Jiao shook her head, but she couldn’t shake off the hazy, blood-red illusion.
In fact, it was getting stronger—
The floor became soft and sank, the walls were wet, bulging flesh, and the sound of a huge, heavy heartbeat was deafening.
Even Fu Sheng began to fester in her eyes, like the aberrated Ruo Meng from last night.
Suddenly, a faint whisper sounded in her ear. It seemed to be saying:
“Stay… away… from… them… point…”
“…Yuan… Duo… Shen… away…”
“…Far… point… not… close… not allowed…”
The blue veins on the wall began to move, forming a line of clear text:
[Stay away from them stay away from them stay away from them]
[Stay away from Yuan Cang Helan Duo Nie Hongshen]
[Don’t get close to them don’t get close!]
Yu Jiao: “…”
In the unspeakable mental pollution, Yu Jiao curled her lip and sneered.
—He’s getting anxious.
Is it because he saw her overly intimate interactions with Yuan Cang, Nie Hongshen, and Helan Duo?
If she didn’t know that Yu Fenghe was utterly disgusted with her, she would have almost thought he was some kind of cuckolded, enraged husband.