Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Although Jie Linyuan always pursued humanity and freedom, he had to admit, since the day he was sold to the lab by his parents, underwent mechanical modifications, and received training in killing, he became a human-shaped weapon, born for slaughter.

The mechanical war god within him was not like those bullies who only showed off their strength among the refugees; his every move was aimed at incapacitating his opponents in one strike, leaving no room for resistance.

If it wasn't for Xia Yangyan's intervention, the entire motley crew on the deserted island would have been sent to the netherworld.

It was apparent that this ragtag team was used to strutting around in Zone G. After Jie Linyuan knocked everyone down effortlessly, someone even started clapping and cheering for him. A few scruffy young men boldly kicked those lying on the ground, adding insult to injury, before being scolded away by Xia Yangyan.

"You're too impulsive. Even if Zone G is chaotic, as long as we're in the Southern Camp, there are laws and regulations to follow," Xia Yangyan said sternly, grabbing Jie Linyuan's sleeve. "If you had actually killed someone today, I would have had to arrest you."

"They won't die; I know my own strength," Jie Linyuan replied, shaking his right hand, where the skin at the joints had split from hitting too hard, revealing crimson blood and raw flesh. If he had really wanted them dead, he wouldn't have used his right hand from the start.

"What a load of crap!" Xia Yangyan almost cursed out loud. Looking at the half-dead, disfigured people on the ground and seeing Jie Linyuan contacting the head of Patrol Group G through the walkie-talkie, he turned away, hands on hips, muttering softly, "Mechanical beings are different from real people, going berserk at the drop of a hat... no wonder they need a control command..."

Jie Linyuan's hand froze mid-massage, and the walkie-talkie crackled with static, the signal terribly poor. His long silver hair, tied behind his ear, fell over his shoulder like a cascading curtain of water, casting a constricting and somber shadow, concealing his expression at that moment.

When Xia Yangyan looked up again, he saw Jie Linyuan's gentle and harmless smile. "The leader said it's no big deal as long as no one's dead, and told me to continue patrolling."

"..." In an era where human life is as trivial as weeds, what more could Xia Yangyan say? He waved his hand, "Come on, let's get that wound treated."

……

The two arrived at a low house made of mud and bricks, fronted by a weathered wooden board nailed to the wall. Scrawled on it with colored chalk in a crooked script were the words "Liu Ge's Pharmacy." Xia Yangyan, familiar with the place, bent down to enter, greeted with a smile, and asked the owner for some iodine and gauze.

Xie Linyuan paused outside the door, hesitating to enter immediately after noticing something.

Next to the pharmacy was a dark, narrow alley where two scantily clad women leaned against the white wall at the entrance, lazily yawning and provocatively swaying their hips.

Sensing Xie Linyuan's gaze, one woman instinctively threw him a flirtatious look but knew well that such a dignified and handsome man was not likely to be their customer.

"Xie Linyuan?" Xia Yangyan emerged with iodine and a roll of gauze, "What are you looking at?"

"…Nothing." Xie Linyuan turned to approach him, but at that moment, a commotion erupted from deep within the alley, with sounds of cursing and chasing growing louder towards the exit.

Both Xie Linyuan and Xia Yangyan's attention were drawn by the noise, as were the women leaning against the wall, who also looked towards the source of the sound.

A girl, seemingly no older than eleven or twelve, was running barefoot down the alley. She wore an oversized white shirt that hindered her movement at the knees. With unkempt hair, a gaunt face, and swollen bruises on her arms and legs, she had comically smeared lipstick and eyeshadow on her face.

The moment she saw Xie Linyuan, her eyes brightened as if she had found her target, and she headed straight for him.

Behind her, a furious man with a thick wooden stick was in hot pursuit, cursing loudly about "bitches" and "sluts" who dared to run away, threatening to beat her to death.

"Catch her!" he shouted to the women at the door. Reluctantly obeying, they made a half-hearted attempt to stop the fleeing girl, who deftly dodged and continued her beeline towards Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan watched the drama unfold silently, neither advancing nor retreating, just standing still. Before he could react, Xia Yangyan stepped forward, flashing his badge representing the official employment team, and shouted, "What's going on here!"

The girl seized the opportunity to hide behind him, panting heavily, then cautiously grabbed the hem of Xia Yangyan's clothes, peeking out timidly.

"Eh, officer..." the previously aggressive man instantly became meek, retracting his stick and saying with a forced smile, "This is, this is my daughter, just disciplining her..."

Xia Yangyan could tell at a glance the relationship between these people. District G was chaotic, rife with prostitution that the officials couldn't fully control, often turning a blind eye.

But now, this sordid affair had been thrust upon him, and there was no ignoring it. Xia Yangyan frowned deeply, squatted down, and asked the dirty girl, "Little sister, don't be scared. Answer me truthfully, is he your father?"

The girl shook her head decisively, her voice clear, "I don't know him!"

"Hey, little slut..." The man began to curse but halted under Xia Yangyan's stern gaze, switching to a fawning smile. "Officer, she's really my daughter, Xiao Mei, eleven years old this year."

"Humph," Xia Yangyan scoffed coldly, "Using your daughter for prostitution, what a great father you are."

The girl's eyes appeared especially large on her emaciated face, a result of chronic malnutrition. She blinked her black eyes and quietly listened to the adults' conversation, looking up.

Xie Linyuan glanced nervously at the girl, his right eyelid twitching uncontrollably, the sense of unease in his heart intensifying.

The man, realizing his deception was exposed, dropped the act and sneered, "What, you fancy her? One low-grade meal ticket and she'll serve you. Same price for a high-ranking official from a big employment team – pay up or don't get in the way of me disciplining my daughter."

"You..."

Before Xia Yangyan could retort, a figure stepped in front, handing two survival currency notes to the man, effectively silencing his vulgar rant.

Xie Linyuan, with his hand still bearing traces of blood, asked indifferently, "Is this enough?"

The man's nostrils flared with excitement as he snatched the currency, nodding vigorously, "Enough, enough, Xiao Mei, make sure to serve these two officers well, no more running away. Serve them well and you'll get candy when you come back."

He then callously left his daughter with the two tall strangers, humming a tune as he disappeared back into the alley.

After the man left, Xia Yangyan looked at Xie Linyuan as if he were a fool: "Wow, two survival points, you're quite generous."

Xie Linyuan didn't respond to his teasing, just silently turned his head, glancing at the girl again. She too looked up at him at that moment, their eyes meeting, her empty black pupils unsettling him.

Xia Yangyan, unable to see the girl's face, felt unnerved under Xie Linyuan's sinister gaze, quickly shielding her behind him: "What are you doing? You're not really thinking of soliciting her, are you?"

"Of course not," Xie Linyuan replied expressionlessly, his eyes on the bruises marring the girl's arms and legs, "Use the iodine and gauze for her. I don't need it."

"She might need more than this," Xia Yangyan said, holding the girl's shoulder and turning to take her into Liu Ge's Pharmacy.

As the shopkeeper fetched the medicine, Xia Yangyan, leaning against the counter, noticed Xie Linyuan's pale complexion, realizing his mistake: "Right, you have a beauty by your side, accustomed to high standards. You wouldn't be interested in this kind of vulgar beauty."

"…" Xie Linyuan glanced at him, too weary to respond.

Xia Yangyan, feeling awkward, picked up the iodine and cotton balls and turned to call the girl to sit down obediently.

The slim little girl hopped onto a high stool, her toes barely touching the footrest. She silently raised her arm to accept Xia Yangyan's service. Half-squatting and applying ointment with tweezers, Xia Yangyan couldn't bear it any longer: "Z, you take over. I'm going to find a wet cloth to wash her face. It's painted so garishly, it's making me nauseous."

Girl: "..."

Having said that, Xiayang Yan shoved the tweezers into Jie Lin Yuan's hand, calling out to the boss to take him to the back door for a towel, basin, and clean water.

For a moment, the dim, cramped earthen house was left with only the girl and Jie Lin Yuan.

The girl, seated on a swivel chair, curiously swung her legs and spun the round stool, turning half circles to the left and right.

Jie Lin Yuan, tall and nearly level with the ceiling, took a slow step forward, blocking the already scarce sunlight. His shadow completely enveloped the girl. He towered over and gazed down at this peculiar girl, placing the tweezers on the counter, his tone icy: "Having fun?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl, absorbed in her play, abruptly ceased her childish antics. Her large, unsettling eyes once again lifted, staring straight at Jie Lin Yuan.

Then, a hint of defiance and provocation, utterly unbecoming of a pitiable girl, curled at the corners of her lips.

"You've noticed?" the girl asked with a smile, "When did you notice, and how?"

A surge of intense anger abruptly rose in Jie Lin Yuan's heart, a fiery blaze that just as quickly extinguished, leaving only a trail of ashes and a deep sense of powerlessness. Clenching his teeth, he questioned hoarsely, "Do you have too much energy, leeching off people for fun? You think my words are just hot air, don’t you?"

"It's boring... Besides, when did I not listen to you?" the girl—Wu Yin—swung her legs again on the chair, her voice clear, "You told me not to use a bionic body in Area G, so I switched to a different host. Isn't that okay?"

"Is it so hard for you to just stay home and play games?" Jie Lin Yuan grew increasingly irritated, the unexpected uncertainty making him restless. Wu Yin's whimsical and reckless nature always put him in a passive and out-of-control state. He said sarcastically, "You insist on coming when I told you not to. Is it fun? Getting beaten, chased, treated like a child prostitute. Is it? Do you think everyone outside is living a good life? In dire straits..."

"Z." Wu Yin suddenly interrupted him coldly.

Just this single syllable instantly silenced Jie Lin Yuan. He realized something, his pupils constricted, his overheated brain cooled in an instant, chilling from his heels to his fingertips.

——He had discovered it.

Black spider-like veins abruptly surfaced on Jie Linyuan's face, bulging and pulsating like a heartbeat, emphasizing their presence. Above his heart, it felt as if a worm was crawling and gnawing between his flesh. Simultaneously, a layer of blurry blood mist covered his right eye, rendering him nearly blind.

Jie Linyuan, who had always been composed even in front of a military base's Chief Marshal, finally felt a genuine chill in his heart. Clutching his chest, he growled towards the front, "Wu Yin!"

A calm and gentle voice responded, "I'm here."

Wu Yin propped herself up with her hands, legs dangling, her gaze eerily soft and gentle to an extreme, "Why did that man call you Z? How does he know your identity?"

“……”

Before Jie Linyuan could speak, he emphasized again, "Think carefully before you answer, I'll only give you one chance to explain."