Chapter 89: Silent Frost Domain Continued

Chapter 89 The Dead Silent Frozen Domain · Continued

Since Shen Ji wouldn't come down, Li Zhiyan had no choice but to climb the wall himself, step by step to Shen Ji’s side.

Shen Ji simply watched him approach, his pale eyes betraying neither welcome nor rejection.

He gazed indifferently at Li Zhiyan’s advance, like a gardener idly tending to flowers and plants.

Li Zhiyan finally reached him and sat down. Seeing that Shen Ji didn’t move away, he soundlessly inched closer until they were pressed completely together.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Li Zhiyan asked him.

Shen Ji didn’t even look at him, replying calmly, "Hungry."

"How much do you need to eat to feel full?" Li Zhiyan reached out his hand, and a butterfly landed on his wrist. He offered his wrist to Shen Ji. "Want it?"

Shen Ji stared at the butterfly on Li Zhiyan’s wrist, narrowing his eyes slightly. A flash of red flickered in his gaze, and he felt an itch in his teeth.

Like a teething child, he wanted to bite down on something to relieve the urge.

He reached out and seized the butterfly on Li Zhiyan’s wrist.

Just as Li Zhiyan thought he was about to stuff it into his mouth, Shen Ji merely raised his hand to eye level. He opened his palm, and the butterfly fluttered its wings in his hand.

Shen Ji watched the butterfly in his palm, its image reflected beautifully in his eyes.

He said he was hungry, yet there was no appetite in his gaze.

"Not Hui as in wisdom," Shen Ji said, gazing at the butterfly. "It’s Hui as in filth, the Hui of impurity."

Li Zhiyan was taken aback. He was somewhat surprised.

Shen Ji was an exceedingly confident person. His confidence and freedom allowed him to remain true to himself even in this world. He was a sharp journalist and a top student at school—his literary grades must have been excellent, which was why he could always parry Li Zhiyan’s probing remarks.

Even before he and Shen Ji had acknowledged their connection, Li Zhiyan had already liked him. They bantered and teased each other, becoming very good friends.

Now, Li Zhiyan couldn’t help but ponder the meaning behind Shen Ji’s choice of name.

Not Hui as in wisdom, but Hui as in filth?

"Why?" Li Zhiyan finally asked. "You..."

Shen Ji looked at him curiously. "You’re looking at me strangely."

"No humans gave me a name, so I named myself. I decided to give myself a truly remarkable name! I want to be the leader of all species!"

"Did you know? Filth means the same as pollution. So, filth = pollution. My name is Hui, and I am Pollution!"

Li Zhiyan: "..."

"..."

Who was it that said Shen Ji was serious, steady, and dependable?!

This was like a person naming themselves "Human" because they had no name, but since "Human" was too specific, they switched to calling themselves "Primate" or "Top of the Food Chain."

"Isn’t this name exceptionally grand!"

"Yes," Li Zhiyan nodded earnestly. "It’s a perspective even I hadn’t considered. Truly magnificent."

"Maybe I should change my name too. How about 'Insect'?"

"...Li Zhiyan, don’t encourage him! One is abstract enough—if there are two of you, the heavens might fall!"

Shen Ji looked at him. "Butterfly, is your name Li Zhiyan?"

"What? Do you remember me now?" Li Zhiyan chatted with Shen Ji as if indulging a child, even softening his tone.

Shen Ji shook his head. "A strange voice said your name is Li Zhiyan."

"Really?" Li Zhiyan didn’t think much of it. In his view, Shen Ji’s current state was unstable, and nothing he said could be fully trusted.

He had a slight suspicion about Shen Ji’s current condition.

Previously, he had fallen into a deep slumber due to the diary’s influence because, ten years ago, he was still in his cocoon. In other words, his state had regressed to what it was a decade ago.

It was very likely that Shen Ji had also returned to his state from ten years ago.

Was this what Shen Ji was like a decade ago?

"I know you," Shen Ji said suddenly. "Li Zhiyan, the S-Class Mutant from the Pollution Prevention Center."

"I’ve been to Moth Valley and saw the cocoon you left behind." Shen Ji’s tone was casual, as though he were stating something horrifying in the most ordinary way. "A pollutant disguising itself as a human to infiltrate human society. If I report you, you’ll immediately be viewed with hostility by humans."

This was the first time Li Zhiyan had heard such words from Shen Ji.

But upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

Shen Ji was never some gentle, harmless, kind-hearted person. He merely pretended to be one. In truth, he was full of mischievous whims and sly intentions.

It was these little mischievous quirks that made him seem so vibrant and full of life.

The only difference now was that he was openly displaying these quirks.

So Li Zhiyan chuckled lightly. "Do you think the Pollution Prevention Center would believe you? You’re a terrifying S-Class Pollutant, while I’m an S-Class Mutant who has saved countless lives."

Shen Ji raised his hand. "I have evidence!"

"Well, then, I suppose from now on, we’ll have to scavenge for garbage together to survive."

Shen Ji retorted, "I’m not scavenging for garbage!"

"Then you’ll have to scavenge for garbage to support me. Because of your report, I’ll have no home left—you’ll have to take responsibility!"

Shen Ji let out a soft tsk and ignored Li Zhiyan, muttering something under his breath too quietly to discern.

His long black hair hung down the wall, and his strikingly handsome face, now devoid of glasses, looked exceptionally cool and fierce. His pale eyes, paired with the coldness in his gaze, gave off an extreme, unhinged villainous vibe—if one ignored his earlier foolish antics.

But Shen Ji was still Shen Ji.

He would only threaten verbally, never actually doing anything to harm others.

Thinking this, Li Zhiyan directly embraced him. Caught off guard, Shen Ji found himself wrapped in Li Zhiyan’s arms.

"You’re so adorable," Li Zhiyan murmured while holding him.

Shen Ji: "..."

The fierce little mushroom expressed dissatisfaction—how could this be called adorable?!

Once he'd held on long enough, Li Zhiyan finally spoke, "So... you ate the Diary?"

"I don't know." Even if he hadn't known what the Diary was before, Shen Ji now also understood.

"Maybe I ate it."

Shen Ji wracked his memory for a moment, then answered uncertainly, "Or maybe it escaped."

Li Zhiyan stood up and surveyed the surroundings of Puppet City, assessing the level of pollution. Finally, his gaze fell on Wu Chi, who was huddled in a corner.

"Captain Wu," Li Zhiyan asked him, "what is your Talent?"

Wu Chi gazed at Li Zhiyan, hesitating for a few seconds before replying, "Absolute Concealment."

Li Zhiyan knew of this Talent.

The Pollution Prevention Center had compiled records of all the Talents of mutants. Even though Li Zhiyan often slacked off and disliked reading, he was familiar with all S-Class and most A-level Talents, including this one.

The A-level Talent "Absolute Concealment" could conceal the presence of those being protected during its activation, making them undetectable to pollutants. It also blocked pollution, preventing those under its effect from being further affected by the surrounding contamination. Mutants with this Talent were once considered rescue-type mutants on par with S-Class, and it was even speculated that they might be promoted to S-Class in the future.

Until one day, an accident caused this A-level mutant to suffer a mental breakdown, and he vanished without a trace.

So he was actually in X City all along.

"Can you protect these people?" Li Zhiyan asked him. "These victims can't be affected by the pollution any further, and with them here, it’ll be difficult for me to use my abilities."

"You should be able to maintain it until we deal with the *Diary*."

Wu Chi stared at him for a long time before finally speaking, "So *you* are Captain Li?"

"Then, who is he…"

Wu Chi glanced hesitantly at Li Zhiyan, then at Shen Ji beside him.

He was completely confused now.

The person who had earlier claimed to be 'Li Zhiyan' was now acting strangely, clearly showing signs of out-of-control pollution. He wasn’t Li Zhiyan—the one beside him was. But Li Zhiyan didn’t seem to mind his identity being impersonated at all, and the nameplate on the other person’s jacket earlier had indeed read 'Li Zhiyan.'

What was their relationship?

Why were they doing this?

"Sorry, swapping identities was a move born of necessity. There are some issues we can’t explain."

Li Zhiyan defended Shen Ji, "But he is a very important colleague of mine. You can trust him."

…Trusted?

"I understand." Wu Chi still didn’t fully understand, but he chose to believe. His mental state was very fragile, and he worried that his doubts might be influenced by pollutants. So, he would follow orders—whatever Li Zhiyan said, he would believe.

He staggered to his feet and walked toward the group of unconscious people across the way.

With every step, he could feel a squirming sensation under his feet. Those black things were alive, covering the entirety of Puppet City. He even felt like the things under his feet were stabbing his ankles angrily because he had stepped on them.

He made his way to the survivors and looked up at the two people on the wall.

Especially Shen Ji.

That person’s pale, pupil-less eyes were devoid of emotion, calmly meeting his gaze.

He instinctively lowered his head and looked away, then began using his Talent, completely encircling the people behind him.

The moment his Talent took effect, he saw Li Zhiyan leap down from the wall. As soon as he landed, black thread-like substances crawled up his pants, exuding a predatory aura, like snakes lying in wait for their prey.

Li Zhiyan spread his arms, and in the next moment, blue butterflies appeared in the air, dancing gracefully. But soon, the butterflies turned into flames, and blue fire began burning out of thin air.

It was a magnificent blaze.

The blue flames consumed everything around them. Buildings were set ablaze, and blue firelight was everywhere.

Even the sky began to darken, and a light rain started to fall. But the rain couldn’t extinguish the fire; instead, it made the flames burn even more fiercely.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from within the flames.

Wu Chi looked in the direction of the sound. A stalactite-formed person was screaming and struggling in the fire, rolling around desperately to put out the flames but only watching as the fire grew larger and larger.

Wu Chi remembered him.

He was a member of the X City Guard Team and one of the first to be polluted. Like Wu Chi, he had been transferred to X City for mental recovery but had never been able to move on. When the pollution struck, he became a puppet of the pollutants.

More stalactite people were burned, screaming as they turned to ash.

Shen Ji remained seated on the wall, legs crossed, watching the blue flames burning around him. The fire reflected in his pale, pupil-less eyes.

"Any thoughts?" the system asked. "As the protagonist, his abilities are quite decent."

Shen Ji watched Li Zhiyan for a few seconds before saying, "He looks delicious."

"..."

"Is 'delicious' the only way you evaluate people?"

"You’re delicious too."

"...Thanks for the review."

After the intense burning, the entire Puppet City began to collapse, including the wall Shen Ji was sitting on.

As the wall disintegrated, Shen Ji drifted lightly to the ground. He calmly sat down again and began playing with the mushrooms on the ground.

With the disappearance of Puppet City, the entire world began to change. Li Zhiyan saw a pitch-black sky. He pulled out his phone and checked the time—it was already 9:30 PM. There were no stars or moon in the sky, as if blocked by dark clouds.

Only within the massive fissure flickered tiny points of light. Upon closer inspection, they were skeletons that had fallen into the crevice.

Countless skeletons made the place resemble a mass grave. The wind blew, and the skeletons emitted faint, mournful whimpers.

"It was like this last time too."

Shen Ji said, "Thinking about it, it makes sense. Puppet City has lasted ten years. Beneath it lie the remains of ten cities’ worth of people."

"Li Zhiyan," Shen Ji continued, "if you burn it a little longer, maybe it’ll take even more time for it to revive."

/

Li Zhiyan and Shen Ji were missing for a full day and night. The Pollution Prevention Center was frantic with worry, but Li Qingan said there was no need to concern themselves.

If two S-Class mutants couldn’t handle the incident, sending more people would be useless.

Zhou Ye was clacking away on his phone keyboard, sharing what he'd learned with others.

"NotACat: So it seems persistence really pays off. The captain really managed to win him over."

"Falling Petals: Oh, not necessarily. I think Doctor Shen is sending mixed signals. He might have some feelings for our captain, but he really has a thing against the guard team. The chances of him joining us are pretty low."

"Falling Petals: Master Qin, what do you think?"

"I Control My Fate, Not Heaven: I just did a reading for the captain and Doctor Shen. The signs are quite extraordinary."

"I Control My Fate, Not Heaven: You know I've done readings for them before, right? Their romantic connection was very fragile; I even felt it was a forced bond. Now I've done another reading, and somehow this romantic line is even more twisted than before."

"I'm Not a Cat: How so?"

"I Control My Fate, Not Heaven: Flames, darkness, testing... Huh? Then after that, it's all smooth sailing? Really bright?"

Zhou Ye wanted to ask more, but at that moment, he suddenly looked up. The next instant, a burst of blue flames erupted in the eastern part of X City. The flames spread rapidly, forming a continuous strip like a string of lights. Everyone present recognized it immediately.

This was Li Zhiyan's flame.

Li Qingan's wings snapped open with a whoosh.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Zhou Ye grabbed her wings, pulling out several feathers. "Sister Li! If you fly over, you'll get burned!"

"The boss's fire doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. It burns any pollution, and mutants are targets too."

Li Qingan tsked. "Then let's get closer first."

"Everyone, avoid the flames! Search for survivors while ensuring your safety!"

On the other side, Li Zhiyan had already confirmed that there were no pollutants in the entire original rift.

It seemed that while he was trapped in the memories, Shen Ji had confronted the diary and devoured it, which led to his current unstable state.

Perhaps once the pollution was digested, Shen Ji would return to normal.

Feeling a bit regretful that he wouldn't be able to see this version of Shen Ji after he changed back, Li Zhiyan decided to take out his phone and snap some pics of Shen Ji.

The blue flames illuminated half the sky, casting a clear light on Shen Ji, with his long black hair and cold expression.

"Look here," Li Zhiyan said.

Shen Ji turned to him, and Li Zhiyan pressed the shutter. With a click, Shen Ji's figure was captured in the camera. But the next moment, a black hypha stabbed into Li Zhiyan's wrist. Pain made him let go, and the hypha caught his falling phone.

The hyphae huffed and puffed as they carried the phone to Shen Ji.

Li Zhiyan followed. "If you want to see, I can just give it to you."

Shen Ji ignored him, holding Li Zhiyan's phone and scrolling through its contents.

The photo he had just taken was truly unflattering. The blue flames made Shen Ji look extremely bizarre, almost ghostly.

He disdainfully deleted the photo and swiped to the next one, where he saw a strange picture.

A small white jade mushroom, labeled "Shen Ji," looked utterly bewildered in the photo. Shen Ji could even sense the mushroom's confusion. Scrolling further, he found a photo of himself with Li Zhiyan.

They were very close, with Li Zhiyan almost clinging to him. Yet, he seemed quite indulgent, even tilting his head toward Li Zhiyan.

Black eyes and short black hair, with a tenderness in his gaze that belonged to a human.

Ambiguous? Was it ambiguous?

A word humans loved to use, appearing many times in books, representing emotions.

Shen Ji threw the phone back to Li Zhiyan and turned to run toward the cliff, soon crouching at the edge.

Li Zhiyan couldn't understand Shen Ji's logic or what he intended to do. He could no longer decipher Shen Ji's thoughts.

Poor butterfly.

So he walked over to Shen Ji, crouched down beside him, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Hungry," Shen Ji said. "I want to eat something."

"Didn't you eat the diary?"

"S-class pollutants can't be devoured," Shen Ji said, staring at the bottom of the rift. "Its essence has returned here, waiting for the next resurrection."

"I'm hungry, but it doesn't taste very good."

Li Zhiyan followed his gaze to the bottom of the rift. "Raising a small mushroom is quite troublesome."

"It needs appropriate sunlight, moisture, and a steady supply of pollution to keep the small mushroom nourished."

"Sigh," Li Zhiyan sighed. "If all else fails, you can just eat me."

Shen Ji turned to look at him, his pale eyes showing no emotion. He just stared. Just as Li Zhiyan was about to ask what he was looking at, Shen Ji reached out.

His hand went to Li Zhiyan's hair, stroking it gently, then he plucked something from behind Li Zhiyan's ear.

It was a blue butterfly, its wings still burning with flames.

Shen Ji stuffed the burning blue butterfly into his mouth.

Li Zhiyan was startled.

Although Shen Ji often ate his butterflies, those were pure condensations of pollution. They had no aggressiveness unless Li Zhiyan willed it. But these flames were something fierce, capable of burning any pollution, whether pollutants or mutants.

So when he burned pollution, he always kept his colleagues away.

But now, Shen Ji was directly eating a butterfly with flames.

Instinctively, Li Zhiyan reached out to pry open his mouth and retrieve the butterfly. His fingers pressed against Shen Ji's lips, but Shen Ji dodged, causing Li Zhiyan's fingers to repeatedly brush against his lips.

Finally, Shen Ji got fed up. He grabbed Li Zhiyan's hand and opened his mouth to show him.

Crimson lips and a pink tongue, with a hint of blue flame burning between them, as if a butterfly perched on his tongue.

It was a profoundly subtle feeling. That touch of red and blue made Li Zhiyan's mind go blank, losing all awareness.

By the time Li Zhiyan came to his senses, he was already kissing Shen Ji. There was a slight burning sensation and a taste of blood in his mouth, making the kiss even more intense.

Shen Ji frowned and pushed him away.

Li Zhiyan took a deep breath. They were too close, each able to see themselves in the other's eyes.

He wanted to apologize. In front of Shen Ji, he always found it hard to control himself because love was something uncontrollable. Shen Ji always looked at him with that gaze—seemingly desireless yet seductive. How could someone blend aloofness and deliberateness so perfectly?

So, Li Zhiyan was certain: Shen Ji was also to blame!

"You bit me," Shen Ji said.

Li Zhiyan was slow to react. Bit him? Bit what?

Before Li Zhiyan could get a word out, Shen Ji grabbed his wrist. In Li Zhiyan's line of sight, Shen Ji pressed his wrist to his lips and bit down hard.

A jolt of sharp pain shot through him, and pale blue blood seeped down from the corner of Shen Ji's lips.

The contamination surged out with the blood, greedily devoured by the other man.

It was a terrible yet intoxicating scene.

Li Zhiyan wrenched his wrist back. He paid no mind to the wound; all his attention was fixed on Shen Ji, who was licking the blood off his fingers.

"Does it taste good?" Li Zhiyan asked him.

Shen Ji didn't look up or answer, but his expression said it all.

Li Zhiyan's pale blue eyes seemed to catch fire, too, the flames of desire burning through him, pushing him to do something he couldn't take back.

He wanted to kiss, to feel skin against skin, to have sex.

His mind was completely consumed by these thoughts. He had been a romantic all his life, but this was the first time such raw, straightforward desire had taken over.

But he couldn't do it.

Shen Ji wasn't in his right mind; he wasn't himself. Taking advantage of someone in such a state was the worst choice.

Li Zhiyan let out a soft sigh. He reached out and tugged gently at the hem of Shen Ji's clothes, asking quietly, "Still hungry?"

Shen Ji still didn't answer. He just yawned and prepared to sleep right where he was.

Curling up into a ball, the countless black hyphae around him gathered and condensed into numerous small mushrooms of varying sizes, guarding Shen Ji in the center like sentinels. Li Zhiyan didn’t let Shen Ji lie in the middle; instead, he reached out, picked him up, and held him close, letting Shen Ji lean entirely against his chest.

Holding the now full and fast-asleep Shen Ji in his arms, breathing in his faint, clean scent, Li Zhiyan nearly gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Someday, someday..."