Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"How could you move the colonel away again?" Boss Xiao boomed as he entered the shop.

At that moment, An Zhe had just sat up from his bed. Rubbing his eyes, he whispered, "I can't sleep well with him beside me."

"You're quite picky," Boss Xiao said, coming over to rattle his head forcefully. "Didn't you still manage to sleep with a human head by your side a few days ago?"

An Zhe didn't respond. He buried his head back into the covers and refused to come out.

A head was a head, but Lu Fen was Lu Fen. As an Other who had been repeatedly bothered by the Judges, there was no need for a reason to be afraid of this person.

Boss Xiao taunted, "Your salary's being deducted, then."

An Zhe had no choice but to poke his head out from under the covers once more and slowly draped a coat around himself.

Boss Xiao's tone turned playful again. "Forget about flirting with mercenaries. Just work hard for me, alright?"

"Why?" asked An Zhe.

"Boss Xiao didn't say that yesterday," An Zhe pointed out.

"Your little demeanor, tsk, it won't do," Boss Xiao said. "Those mercenary ruffians, they'll bully you."

"Why would they bully me?" An Zhe asked.

"Just for the fun of it," Boss Xiao replied.

With that, he rapped An Zhe's head again.

An Zhe furrowed his brow; he felt that Boss Xiao had just been bullying him.

But there was nothing he could do; he was now like a parasite, reliant on Boss Xiao's salary - so he obediently got up to wash and prepare for the day's work.

Today marked the thirtieth day of crafting the doll, which meant that by tonight at the latest, they had to complete it and deliver it.

Boss Xiao had finished the torso and limbs ten days ago - mainly with An Zhe's assistance while he supervised. After that, he selected an authentic prop from the shop's inventory to integrate with the doll. Lastly, through the black market, he managed to acquire a strikingly realistic black uniform to dress the doll in. Now, the Judge doll possessed a flawless body, lacking only its head.

At this moment, An Zhe held the doll's head, inspecting the direction of the hair he had meticulously planted himself. Meanwhile, Boss Xiao fired up the hot-melt furnace. With one hand, he stirred a translucent gel in a small white pot, and with the other, he dripped green dye into it. The dye initially formed a dark green cluster in the pot, but soon extended countless delicate tendrils outward, spreading evenly with each stir. The gel turned a pale green, then gradually deepened in color. Having finished checking the hair, An Zhe found himself with nothing else to do and began observing the evolving hue, simultaneously recalling the shade of Lu Fen's eyes.

In the light, it was a cold green, reminiscent of winter ice that had captured the hue of a frozen leaf, and whenever An Zhe met that gaze, he felt himself growing chilled.

Yet in the dimness of night, Lu Fen's eyes took on a deep, inky green, like a secretive lake hidden within the darkness, concealing untold mysteries.

As he pondered, he closely observed the color, recognizing it as identical to the memory of those eyes. "That's perfect," he said.

Boss Xiao smiled, extinguishing the hot melt furnace. "You have a keen eye."

An Zhe remained silent, passing the mold to Boss Xiao. The semi-transparent gel was poured into a spherical mold to cool and solidify before being embedded into the sclera. With both eyes in place, the job was done.

Next came the task of adjusting the joints and refining the details of the face. It was seven o'clock by the time they finished. An Zhe gazed at the doll, who returned the stare. He felt that it was now an exact replica of the colonel.

The lifelike doll, folded at its joints, was placed into a suitcase. Boss Xiao clapped his hands and said, "Time for delivery. I'll ask Jin Sen to do it. He's cheap."

—Jin Sen was the young man in black who had sold the phone and passed on the data about the Judicator to Boss Xiao.

However, despite repeated attempts, Boss Xiao's communication remained unanswered.

Boss Xiao's brows furrowed. "What's going on?"

"Did they discover us?" He then tried calling Hubbard, but the voice on the other end said, "The person you're trying to reach has left the base. Please leave a message."

Boss Xiao turned to the tablet on the worktable and swiftly deleted all the photos. He told An Zhe, "Something doesn't feel right. Get rid of the goods quickly. Nothing else matters tonight. Come with me to make the delivery."

Thus, An Zhe found himself in District 6, which he hadn't set foot in for a month.

In Building 13, Unit 4, Room 312 of District 6 was where their employer resided. The box was heavy, so An Zhe and Boss Xiao took turns carrying it up the stairs to the third floor. Unlike Building 117 where An Zhe used to live, Building 13 was populated solely by women. Along the way, An Zhe encountered several of them. Most had short hair, tall statures, and sharp facial features. Seeing them, An Zhe couldn't help but think of Du Sai.

Du Sai was a very unique woman. She was tall, but slimmer than any female An Zhe had ever seen. At the same time, her chest was more ample than others. Her body had an unusual softness due to this slender fullness, a kind of softness that was rare even in the underground levels.

Meanwhile, he noticed Boss Xiao openly sizing up the women they passed. Finally, Boss Xiao commented, "There's no second Du Sai."

An Zhe remained silent, gently knocking on Door 12. "Hello, we're here to deliver goods."

No one answered.

An Zhe knocked a little louder. "Hello, we've come to deliver."

Still, no one answered the door.

Shopkeeper Xiao took a step forward and rapped on the door with his fist. "Is anyone there? Delivery for basement level three."

Silence ensued.

Amidst the quiet, footsteps approached from behind them. An Zhe turned to see a middle-aged woman in gray clothes. He greeted her, "Hello, are you Resident 12?"

The woman shook her head and looked at the door. "You're looking for her?"

"Yes," An Zhe replied. "She ordered something, and we've come to deliver it."

Her face was expressionless as her gaze shifted to the box Shopkeeper Xiao was holding. "What's inside?"

"It's a high-end item, we can't disclose any more details," Shopkeeper Xiao said. "Is she not here? When will she return?"

The woman stared at him, her lips tightly pressed together. For a moment, she didn't speak.

Shopkeeper Xiao grew impatient. "She—"

As soon as she spoke, the woman said, "She's dead. Didn't you know?"

The atmosphere instantly fell silent.

"Dead?" After a brief lull, Boss Xiao's voice rose in pitch. "Then who will pay me the remainder of my fee?"

The woman tugged at the corners of her mouth, a smile that wasn't quite a smile. She replied, "The executioner took her life. You can ask him to settle the payment."

Boss Xiao was momentarily speechless, like a duck with its neck squeezed.

An Zhe, however, froze abruptly.

He looked at the woman and asked, "What's her name?"

It seemed as if the woman hadn't heard his question. She turned around, raised her hand, and swiped her ID card to unlock the door across from them before entering. Just before the door closed from the inside, two simple syllables echoed through.

"Du Sai."

Once again, An Zhe saw Du Sai's gaze on Lu Fen before she died. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. There was a silence at Boss Xiao's end too. After a long while, he let out an exasperated sigh and said with a laugh, "Do you have any idea how much this job was worth?"

An Zhe: "I have no idea."

"Higher than the Hubbard deal," Boss Xiao gazed at the suitcase on the floor with half-lidded eyes, speaking leisurely. "She's played around with so many men, but I never expected her to have genuine feelings for one."

An Zhe replied, "Du Sai said that the Judge saved her once."

"Silly," Boss Xiao sighed and shook his head. "Someone like the Judge, if he rescued her, it would be because he wanted to kill an alien. She's been living off men since she was young, she's not some innocent girl. How could she not understand that? It's not worth it."

An Zhe remained silent.

He didn't understand why Du Sai would like Lu Fen either. But — compared to others, Lu Fen was indeed different in some way. He just couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was.

After a long while, Boss Xiao said, "Now that the person is gone, what about the goods? We can't just abandon them. If they're discovered, the Court of Judgment will definitely come after me."

An Zhe suggested, "Should we bring them back to the shop?"

"Absolutely not," Boss Xiao shook his head. "Jin Sen is suddenly uncontactable, I'm afraid something might've happened."

As he spoke, he looked at An Zhe as if he had just remembered something. "Didn't you say your family lives in District 6 too?"

He weighed the box in his hands. "You don't live there either, so you don't have to worry about being seen. Here's what we'll do: you take the goods back tonight and store them at your place. Let it sit for a few days. If no one comes looking, then we can find someone else to take over."

An Zhe asked, "What about you?"

Boss Xiao looked down at his watch and frowned. "I need to head back. It's the last bus."

An Zhe pondered and deemed the plan feasible. Since he didn't live at home, the doll could be temporarily locked up there.

Boss Xiao patted his shoulder. "You can do it."

With that, the man hurried off to catch his bus.

It turned out An Zhe couldn't handle it.

District 6 was a circular area, and Buildings 13 and 117 weren't too far apart – this was why Boss Xiao felt at ease letting him take the item home. However, the doll was solid and quite heavy; An Zhe dragged the enormous box at a snail's pace, struggling to make his way through the streets. By the time he reached Building 117, night had fallen, cloaking everything in darkness. The outlines of the structures were only visible by the Aurora's faint glow.

Standing at the entrance of the building, contemplating having to lug the box up five flights of stairs, An Zhe felt hopeless – the thing was truly burdensome.

In his despair, An Zhe spun on his heels, turning away from the dark stairwell. He decided to take a break for a while.

A hot breath suddenly whispered behind him, and he was abruptly embraced from behind.

"An Ze!"

It was Joshua's voice.

"I saw you through the window and rushed down immediately," Joshua said, holding him tightly. "Where did you go? Why are you back only now? Why didn't you tell me? I've been looking for you."

He caught his breath and continued, "You're not allowed to leave again. Where did you go?"

Shop Owner Xiao was right. Joshua treated An Ze as his personal possession.

So An Zhe replied calmly, "Please let go."

Instead of releasing him, Joshua drew his arms even closer.

"Are you angry with me?" Joshua asked.

Before An Zhe could respond, he added, "I was wrong. I apologize, any way you want me to, An Ze. I love you."

An Zhe: "..."

It seemed that Boss Xiao was right again. He truly did want to sleep with An Ze.

"Thanks," An Zhe said. "I already have someone."

"Are you really angry?" Joshua smiled. "When you're upset, you like to provoke me on purpose."

An Zhe was genuinely annoyed by this human. He struggled, but Joshua forcefully turned him around. "Look at me, An Ze."

"Bam!"

A gunshot echoed.

Joshua jolted, instinctively releasing An Zhe and scanning their surroundings.

An Zhe also followed the sound, spotting a figure standing in the shadows of the dark buildings. This person had just fired a shot into the sky and was now walking over, gun in hand. Tall and slender, it was a figure he was extremely familiar with.

Only military personnel were legally allowed to carry firearms within the city.

Within the military's various departments, there was only one type of individual who could pull the trigger at will.

An Zhe thought to himself that he seemed to have stumbled upon another one of the Judges' city patrols – what a coincidence.

Before he had time to ponder this further, he heard Lu Fen's familiar voice: "Who is this?"

An Zhe replied, "A neighbor."

Lu Fen walked up to him.

At such close proximity, anyone could tell that this was the Judge in question.

An Zhe felt Joshua stiffen beside him.

"AD4117, my communication code," said Lu Fen with an air of nonchalance. "Next time something like this happens, if you're willing to contact me, I'll have him arrested for sexual harassment."

Looking up at Lu Fen, An Zhe took a moment to process what was happening. But considering that this man was a colonel in the military, it did seem that maintaining law and order within the city was indeed part of his duty.

He responded, "Alright."

- He sensed Joshua stiffen even more behind him.

Yet, An Zhe had no more energy to concern himself with Joshua's reaction.

Because Lu Fen's hand was gently resting on the handle of the suitcase.

He spoke casually, "Need help carrying it up?"