Chapter 66: The Devil’s Sacrifice (16)
“You really are courting death.”
A strong arm was wrapped tightly around Yu Jiao’s waist.
She was like a fluttering feather, held at Chow Chow’s side as he flew rapidly between the tall buildings.
Chow Chow couldn’t help but scold her. “In that kind of situation, you should either watch the show from afar or run away. But you, you rushed up, courting death. Don’t you know that if I had been a step later, you would have been done for? And you even—”
Chow Chow stopped as if he had slammed on the brakes.
Yu Jiao stuck out her crimson tongue, a look of triumph on her face. “But I got his saliva and blood.”
“…”
Not noticing Chow Chow’s expression at all, Yu Jiao was in a good mood, shaking her head and kicking her legs, the corners of her eyes slightly curved, like a proud little cat.
—This was the first time since she had entered this instance that she had successfully crushed the arrogance of a high and mighty capture target.
Yu Jiao would remember the expression on Nie Hongshen’s face for the rest of her life!
And the thought of sneaking into the Divine Moon Moth, stealing confidential documents, and causing Nie Hongshen a great loss made Yu Jiao even more excited.
To hell with the capture, to hell with the mission! I don’t care about any of it! I’m just going to teach these bastards a lesson!
At this moment, Yu Jiao looked up at her accomplice. “Well? Take off your head. I want to kick a ball.”
Hearing her mention their joke of a bet, Chow Chow was so angry he laughed.
Chow Chow suddenly stopped and placed Yu Jiao on an aerial pipeline.
The insect wings behind him were hovering. Chow Chow braced his arms on either side of Yu Jiao, a cage-like posture. His sharp gaze was fixed on her.
“Is that the reason you kissed that guy?”
Yu Jiao raised an eyebrow. “And to get back at him. Doesn’t he have a thing about cleanliness? He must be disgusted to death now.”
Chow Chow’s gaze was dark. He suddenly said, “You’ve stored the biological information you collected, right?”
Yu Jiao thought he was questioning her ability and immediately lifted her small chin proudly. “Of course— Mmph!”
Before she could finish, her proud chin was suddenly seized by Chow Chow’s cold, hard, mechanical hand.
Chow Chow lowered his eyes, tilted his head, and kissed her.
In the distance, the festival square exploded with a brilliant daytime firework, dyeing the cold, tall buildings a reddish color.
Yu Jiao’s eyes flew open.
…
Yu Jiao had never thought that things would develop like this with Chow Chow.
In her eyes, Chow Chow was just an NPC in a game, or a temporary teammate she had randomly teamed up with.
After all, the system had already told her that there were only four capture targets in this world: Yuan Cang, Yu Fenghe, Nie Hongshen, and Helan Duo.
But Yu Jiao had to admit, in the short few sun hours they had spent together, she had indeed developed an irresistible trust and reliance on him.
At this moment, Yu Jiao’s mind was a rare blank.
“…”
Their lips and teeth were gently pressed together. Chow Chow’s kiss was like a spring tide, soft, gentle, and inescapable.
Yu Jiao did not refuse.
The tender flesh in her mouth was suddenly ground by something sharp. Yu Jiao let out a hiss.
The soft sound broke the ambiguous, surging atmosphere.
Chow Chow paused and slowly pulled away.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he was frozen in place.
The moment their gazes met, Chow Chow shot to his feet, his hand covering his lips, his fingers curled, his gaze shifting away. He said in a muffled voice, “I was just checking.”
Yu Jiao didn’t know what he was checking. She pressed her lips together and also answered in a muffled voice, “Oh.”
…
And so, the two of them returned to the settlement in silence.
***
At the same time
Divine Moon Moth Biotechnology Company
Yaoguang City Branch
On the top floor, in a rarely visited room, it was dim. Only a huge LCD screen was playing a lively scene of the festival.
The image was constantly zooming in, and finally, it froze on the face of the woman on the float, who was playing the saintess. She was so beautiful she was beyond compare, truly like a descended goddess, attracting countless dazed gazes.
The bright yet pale light of the screen outlined the rugged facial features of a person in the room, making them look sharp.
Nie Hongshen moved slightly, like a stiff insect, awakening from hibernation. He shook his wings and legs, about to go in search of the vitality of spring.
“…”
Nie Hongshen stared at the screen without blinking and lightly touched a button on the transparent panel next to the armrest of his wheelchair.
A holographic projection suddenly unfolded.
The “saintess” had descended.
She appeared in the center of the room, as if she were standing right in front of him, every detail vivid, and she was looking at him with a bright smile.
Nie Hongshen couldn’t bear to blink. He reached out and, with his fingertips, traced her silhouette in the air.
Just then, a cautious knock came at the door, breaking the fleeting, dream-like vision.
“Sir,” the assistant stood outside the door and said respectfully, “this lady who was chosen by the Wind and Moon Pavilion is very mysterious. We can’t find any detailed information about her. Including the man with her, there are no traces of him on the city’s star network.”
At this, the assistant paused. “The list must have been tampered with. The technicians are doing their best to trace the source.”
Seeing that there was no displeased question from inside, the assistant let out a silent sigh of relief and added, “The city’s surveillance cameras caught their figures as they were leaving—”
“Play it.”
A deep, cold command came from inside.
“Yes, sir!”
The assistant stood outside the door and immediately tapped the panel in his hand twice.
Inside the room, the holographic projection’s image suddenly changed—
The beautiful woman on the float disappeared and was replaced by a forest of tall buildings.
There, on a slender, glistening aerial pipeline, a tall man was spreading his dark, beautiful wings. His bare back muscles were tense, like a great blasphemy.
The man lowered his head and kissed her deeply.
—An arrogant mortal, plucking a holy flower from the peak of a high mountain.
The scene was as beautiful as a poster for a romantic movie.
And as piercing as a hateful theft scene in a movie.
***
After playing the surveillance footage, the assistant waited outside the door, his thoughts wandering, a hint of pity on his face.
—I don’t know how this woman offended the boss. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Based on past examples, she’ll probably be reduced to ashes.
Thump!
A grating, cracking sound suddenly came from inside.
The daydreaming assistant immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Like a long-dormant beast, opening its hunting eyes. A low, husky voice was suppressing a violent emotion—
“At all costs, find her.”
“…”
The assistant was covered in a cold sweat. “Yes, sir!”
“Wait.”
The unpredictable big boss paused, his voice softening. He added, “Don’t hurt her.”
***
Yu Jiao sneezed.
Chow Chow, who was walking in front of her, suddenly paused and, without looking back, took off his black robe and threw it to her. The large, soft garment covered her head.
After leaving the hot Yaoguang City, in the dark, cold desert, her light saintess’s gauze dress clearly could not retain her body heat.
Yu Jiao put on the black robe and looked up silently at the bare-chested man. Chow Chow had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his aura soaring. He was shyly blushing with a murderous air.
…Sigh.
The two of them walked one after the other on the rolling oasis. In the distance, they could see the smoke rising from the settlement.
Wisps and wisps, coiling and entangling. Like a tangled mess of thoughts.
Soon, they reached the walls.
The excited guards, upon seeing Chow Chow’s expression, froze in place.
The strange atmosphere between the two of them inevitably attracted everyone’s attention. An old woman took Yu Jiao’s arm and asked in a low voice, “Miss Yu, are you having a fight with our leader?”
Yu Jiao hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
The old woman: “Oh, you don’t have to hide it from me! I have sharp eyes. My husband used to fight with me like this. I’d get so annoyed at his sour face, I’d always wish he’d be carried away by a fallen creature! But when I really couldn’t see him—”
At this, the old woman’s eyes filled with tears, and she wiped them with the hem of her clothes.
“Oh, why am I talking about such depressing things? Our leader and you are both capable and blessed people. You’ll definitely live a long life, a long life!”
The old woman let out a long sigh:
“In this day and age… sigh! It’s not easy to live. You not only have to keep your loved one in your heart, but also in your eyes, on your lips, and in your hand, holding on tight… Cherish the person in front of you.”
“…”
Yu Jiao was silent, looking at the person in front of her.
Not far away, Chow Chow was being stopped by a dazed-looking guard. The guard couldn’t read the air and was holding a communication device up to him. “Boss, Base 27 has issued a yellow alert.”
Chow Chow frowned. “Alright, I know. I’ll be right there.”
Chow Chow had just returned from a mission and, without any rest, was about to rush to another one.
Seeing that the leader was about to leave, the surrounding residents and soldiers all gathered around, some handing him equipment, others giving him instructions. Chow Chow was so busy he had no time to spare, or rather, he was deliberately avoiding the gaze that was distracting him.
“…”
However, as Chow Chow passed by, his sleeve was softly tugged.
“What is a yellow alert?”
Yu Jiao asked.
Chow Chow’s jaw tightened for a moment, and he said vaguely, “It just means the settlement’s safety zone is shrinking. I need to go and maintain it.”
Yu Jiao looked up at him, her gaze clear, unblinking.
“I’ll go with you.”
…
This Base 27 was different from the previous oasis. It was a small island on the sea.
Surrounded by the churning black sea, it was small and lonely.
The waves were slowly eroding the edge of the island, and the reefs and green grass were cracking and withering at a visible rate.
After they arrived, Chow Chow entrusted Yu Jiao to the guards and, after repeatedly ordering her not to wander around, he hurried out of the settlement, his figure disappearing into the lush trees.
Of course, Yu Jiao would not listen to him.
—The more Chow Chow tried to hide it, the more she wanted to find out.
In a few moves, she had shaken off the guards. The moment she slipped out of the settlement’s walls, Yu Jiao smelled a faint, bloody scent.
Yu Jiao followed the scent to the edge of the island.
There, the filthy sky and the endless waves merged. Chow Chow was bathed in the desolate, dark light of the sunset, walking along the edge of the surging waves with one arm raised, like a sorrowful, solemn closing scene.
Crimson blood was dripping down, the only vibrant color in this dramatic scene.
In a wild, quiet moment, a woman’s cool, clear voice suddenly sounded:
“Is this your so-called yellow alert, your maintenance?”
Chow Chow’s figure froze. He turned sideways and hid his arm.
“…”
After his little move, he realized that it was a dead giveaway.
So Chow Chow let out a muffled “hmm” in response.
Chow Chow was filled with a strange guilt. He continued to “maintain” the settlement without looking back, and Yu Jiao followed him, not too far, not too close.
The two of them were like they were strolling on the beach, walking slowly.
“…”
Looking at his tall back, smelling the familiar, bloody scent, Yu Jiao’s gaze gradually grew distant. In a daze, a distant shadow flashed through her mind.
A shadow that was always waiting, restraining itself.
A silent, already vanished shadow.
—”You not only have to keep your loved one in your heart, but also in your eyes, on your lips, and in your hand, holding on tight… Cherish the person in front of you.”
It was too late.
But it didn’t matter…
A glint flashed in Yu Jiao’s eyes, and a thought stirred in her mind.
…
Soon, Chow Chow had finished his “maintenance” work.
The black, stinking waves finally stopped eroding the small island. Chow Chow lowered his head and wrapped a bandage around the wound on his wrist.
Because of the blood loss, his steps were a little unsteady. Because of the gaze behind him, Chow Chow gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit down, one knee propped up, looking very dashing. He left her a striking back, pretending to be deep in thought as he looked at the churning black sea.
A quiet shadow fell beside him, and then, a soft, light, and clear breath, with a strong presence, drifted over. Like a fog, from which one could not escape.
—She had sat down beside him.
…And she was staring at him without blinking.
Chow Chow said deeply, “…I need to think about something here. You go back and rest first.”
“Hmm?”
A sweet, fragrant breath drew near. Her soft shoulder and arm, as if she were unaware, pressed against Chow Chow’s stiff arm. She asked curiously, “What is it?”
Chow Chow: “…Resistance secrets. Don’t pry.”
A soft laugh, like the flapping of a butterfly’s wings.
“But I… love to dig up secrets.”
In the salty sea breeze, she was like a siren, luring a sailor. She brazenly leaned into Chow Chow’s hard embrace, forcing him to lower his head and meet her bewitching smile.
“I’ve heard your secret.”
Her slender, pale fingers were lightly tapping Chow Chow’s tense chest.
Feeling the drum-like beat beneath his hand and the undeniable “reef” at his side, Yu Jiao raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise.
“My respected Lord Chow Chow, why are you giving yourself away?”
Chow Chow immediately flushed red.
…
Yu Jiao had figured it out.
She, a dying person, had been lucky enough to enter this strange otome game and get a chance at a new life. It was like a pie, falling from the sky.
Every extra day she lived was a bonus.
Besides, she didn’t dislike him.
Since returning from Yaoguang City, the most important thing she had learned was—
“Live in the moment.”
Yu Jiao narrowed her eyes and smiled. Her arms were like strangling vines, entangling him so that he could not escape.
“What are you afraid of, Lord Chow Chow? I am your hostage, at your mercy.”