Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Wu Yin's lifelong disdain was memorizing these convoluted experimental subject codes, evident from his insistence on renaming the Black Knight at the Smoke Signal Shelter from MTHC1 to "Ugly Dog."

"Another Z, why not another N?" he asked amusingly. "Does the northern camp have N-series subjects?"

Seeing Jie Linyuan genuinely pondering, Wu Yin suddenly sensed an amusing opportunity.

He seemed to understand, this was "jealousy." Jie Linyuan felt dissatisfied because Wu Yin appeared to have an intimate and special relationship with an unknown person. This jealousy clouded his judgment, leading him to act out of character.

If someone other than Wu Yin had carved the letter into their flesh, Jie Linyuan might not have lost his composure so completely.

But this person was Wu Yin, who had once been so naive about love that he could be easily deceived. It wouldn't be surprising if anything outrageous happened to him.

Was it just about making Wu Yin carve a Z on his wrist? Jie Linyuan thought arrogantly, believing that with the right manipulative intent, he could even make Wu Yin carve his Z1932 code into more private areas.

……

Wait a second.

Damn, if the letter on Wu Yin's wrist truly signifies a Z-series semi-mechanical subject, could the remaining numbers actually be carved somewhere even more intimate?

“……”

As Jie Linyuan became increasingly agitated and furious, Wu Yin, on the other hand, was comprehensively understanding jealousy-related emotions, making sense of them all. Naturally, he suddenly grasped the intention behind Jie Linyuan's earlier cryptic words.

It was simply because he was inexperienced and overwhelmed by a barrage of new and unfamiliar emotions that he hadn't realized how deliberate Jie Linyuan's actions were.

Jie Linyuan was a complex creature, Wu Yin knew all too well. How could a nobody from the Beast Kingdom, who hadn't made a lasting impression, capture Jie Linyuan's favor?

Although infuriated by the incessant cryptic remarks at that time, Wu Yin couldn't bring himself to blame Jie Linyuan.

Because watching him now, driven mad by jealousy, displaying anger, anxiety, tension, and revealing his true, wildly fierce nature, was simply too entertaining!

Wu Yin took an interest in Jie Linyuan's current expression, wondering if this was the fierce, twisted visage he bore while tasting jealousy's ugly flavor on their way to the hospital.

Being ensnared by a possessive beast, encircled by sharp teeth and claws within its domain, was a truly exquisite sensation.

However, having read many books lately, Wu Yin learned a term, "moderation." After all, his jealous thoughts all seemed to have made their way into criminal law; considering Jie Linyuan's severity, the punishments he imagined were certainly no less severe than any sentence.

So, Wu Yin calmly extended his hand, playfully pinching the ruby earring on Jie Linyuan's earlobe, then leaned in to whisper, "Jie Linyuan, is it possible the person who used this bionic body before wasn't me, and Z was a message left to me by that person?"

Jie Linyuan hadn't dismissed this possibility, but he couldn't help but assume the worst. However, reassured by Wu Yin's promise, he relaxed, dispelling the madness in his mind, softening his gaze and voice, "Did all of you, the sixty Jiazi experimental subjects, use the same bionic bodies during training?"

"Not sure, maybe," Wu Yin said, pressing a hand against his chest to feel the strong heartbeat, "In my memory, I've only used this type of bionic body."

"Then how are you sure this is your body?" Jie Linyuan asked. "You all used the same bionic bodies, and you're missing a part of your memory. Perhaps you're merely a borrower, and the real owner is one of your brothers. Or, maybe all sixty of you are borrowers, and this body represents the trophy of your successful parasitic experiment."

"I don't like your speculation," Wu Yin was somewhat displeased. Jie Linyuan's words made him feel very insecure, not knowing his own origin or destination, and the thought that even the only thing supposedly his was false overwhelmed him with genuine panic.

Therefore, Wu Yin could only reaffirm with conviction, "This is my body."

"Hmm," Jie Linyuan didn't argue, "I understand."

He had his own judgments about the truth but would no longer voice such speculations in front of Wu Yin. After all, Jie Linyuan didn't care whether Wu Yin was indeed a thief of another's body.

If he says it's his, then it's his.

Although that's what Jie Linyuan thought, the notion 'the body might have another owner' still led him to indulge in speculation, stuffing various character types into Wu Yin's body, trying to sketch the perfect lover he envisioned.

Wu Yin's character flaws were numerous and easily listed, but his appearance was exactly to Jie Linyuan's liking. The idea of freely crafting the soul inside this body was indeed an exhilarating prospect.

Jie Linyuan considered rationally; initially, he was only interested in Wu Yin's face, gradually accepting his personality over time. He wondered if he would still be as emotionally influenced by a mere letter if this body housed a different soul.

……

Before leaving the hospital, Jie Linyuan made a special trip to retrieve Director Liu's daughter, Liu Shu, as a favor in return for their payment. Alone in the wilderness, Liu Shu was very cautious and well-hidden. Jie Linyuan exerted much effort to clear the obstacles she piled at the door and even received a blow from the startled Liu Shu — the wooden stick broke upon hitting his left arm, scraping the coating on his mechanical arm.

This made Wu Yin "heartachingly" happy, promptly concocting an excuse to swindle seven or eight ear clips from Liu Shu.

In the apocalypse, these pieces of jewelry were nothing but junk. Liu Shu kept them solely because they were her own creations, precious to her. In other words, these items held value only in her hands, offering purely sentimental worth.

Seeing that Wu Yin was a friend of Jie Linyuan and had a special fondness for these pieces, Liu Shu decided to give him all the jewelry she had in her backpack—a thick beige cloth bag filled with various gold, silver, and gemstone ornaments, each neatly packed in small plastic bags.

Wu Yin was very much pleased.

He picked out a sparkling ring and slipped it onto his pinky, lifting his hand to admire the gem's color under the sunlight, satisfied.

"I like it a lot," he said. "I'll bring you milk and jerky tomorrow."

Who else would trade food for a bunch of worthless rocks in the apocalypse? Liu Shu couldn't help feeling that the scene resembled... a fortunate woman who, by misfortune, met a dragon fond of jewels. She devoutly offered her tributes and received an enviable reward in return.

Wu Yin indeed resembled a greedily insatiable dragon, sitting on his throne in the rear seat provided by his cyclist knight. On the way back to the Beast Kingdom, he adorned himself with ten rings, lamenting not having enough fingers, and draped three necklaces of varying sizes around his neck, even fitting bracelets around his ankles when his wrists ran out of space. From afar, he gleamed brilliantly; up close, he sparkled, looking like a foolish son of a wealthy family from any distance.

"Why didn't you say earlier you liked these things... Next time I see something nice, I'll collect it for you," Jie Linyuan pedaled methodically, his mechanical cat ears and tail reappearing, making biomimetic movements as programmed. Wu Yin grabbed his tail, winding a hair tie around it, then clipped another ear clip onto his cat ears.

Jie Linyuan shook his cat ears uncomfortably: "...Are you treating me like your doll, playing house?"

"What's playing house?"

"...Playing house," Jie Linyuan turned away with a sly smile, mischievously explaining, "is a role-playing game where we form a family in the game, I play the husband, and you play my wife."

"Ah..." Wu Yin seemed completely unaware of the trap in Jie Linyuan's words.

"Care to call me 'husband' and let me hear it?"

Wu Yin removed the ruby earring from his earlobe, tossing it up and down, feeling the blood gradually rush back to his left ear, turning it red. His expression suddenly changed, his smile brimming with aggressiveness: "Jie Linyuan—do you take me for a fool, believing whatever you say? Expecting me to call you 'husband'?"

Caught in his sinister intentions, Jie Linyuan showed no shame, casually laughing off: "Well, if you won't call me that, so be it..."

Wu Yin was no longer the naive little parasite who used to get taken advantage of without understanding anything. Swiftly, he aimed precisely at Jie Linyuan's weakest spot, skillfully triggering a reaction that had not yet been fully suppressed, and then, repeating his old trick, clipped the ruby earring back on.

He got exactly what he wished for, seeing Jie Linyuan's complexion turn red all the way to his neck, the bicycle wobbling dangerously in a twisted 'Z' on the road, nearly resulting in a disastrous crash.

"Wu Yin!" Xie Linyuan reached out to take it off but was stopped by Wu Yin.

"Consider this a punishment for teasing me," he said. "You must keep it on all the way to the Beast Kingdom."

He really has evolved; Xie Linyuan finally felt it real—he even knew I was teasing him!

Books, they do more harm than good.

Xie Linyuan finally understood why those ancient rulers wanted to control the populace's knowledge; once enlightenment begins, overturning the regime is only a matter of time.

Behind them, Marshall and Ian, having borrowed bicycles from the hospital, huffed and puffed along. Further back were Edmund's minions, one of whom was carrying the still unconscious Edmund.

This group, both fearful and reassured by Wu Yin and Xie Linyuan, especially after witnessing the bald boss effortlessly dispatch three zombies rushing at them without even dismounting his bike. Thus, they maintained a safe distance, eagerly following.

Two hours later, the group finally saw the entrance to the subway station, all letting out a sigh of relief at the end of their long ordeal.

At the entrance, Lion Brother Vick and Goat Sister Frida had been arguing all afternoon. If Edmund, Ian, and the others didn't return soon, another round of quarreling was about to erupt.

Suddenly, Monkey Uncle excitedly squeaked, shouting, "They're back!"

Quicker than Vick and Frida, His Highness and the handsome little guy perched on his head, a mutated animal and a mutated plant, sprang to life like dry branches in winter, gleefully flying towards the newcomers.

His Highness tried to leap into Wu Yin's arms but completely forgot his current weight, plunging Wu Yin to the ground from his bike and thoroughly covering him, wagging his tail rapidly.

Wu Yin: "..."

Golden Retriever—Master master master, oh, my dear master!

Border Collie—Master, why have you changed again? How many faces do you have?

As for the handsome little guy... it happily landed on Ian's face, rubbing its fur joyously several times, then haughtily complained about how he didn't come to pick it up, making it tumble and roll in the wind for a long time.

Complaining as it did, it suddenly felt... something was off with this sheep scent???