TTAETSC Chapter 17: Finding a Pleasant Surprise

Translator: Deyonna

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The bathroom was very spacious, but it only had a half-opened louver window, making it somewhat dim.

Due to the location of the wooden cabin on a hillside, there was no running water. The bathroom only had a large water container, which was filled with about half a container of water. Next to it, a red plastic water pipe was brought in from outside the wall, with its opening blocked by a small wooden stick.

Ye Yunfan was familiar with this setup.

Because when he was a child, he lived in a small mountain village where people relied on spring water for drinking. Fortunately, the spring was located uphill, so they could bury a plastic pipe to bring the water down, eliminating the exhaustion of carrying buckets of water.

Sure enough, Yuan Ye reached out and pulled out the small wooden stick. However, the water didn't immediately flow out of the pipe. The young man didn't pay much attention to it. He held the pipe to his lips, positioned it over his mouth, and sucked the pipe opening. Then he released it and placed it in the small wooden basin on the side.

After a few seconds, clear and slightly cool spring water began to flow slowly from the pipe opening.

Yuan Ye placed the little octopus into the water.

The spring water was cool, with a subtle and barely noticeable sweetness, much cleaner than the salty and fishy seawater.

The little octopus felt so comfortable that its whole body became soft.

At this moment, he once again confirmed that he was indeed not an ordinary octopus because typically, octopuses that live in saltwater cannot survive in freshwater.

Not to mention, he could breathe effortlessly on land without any obstacles.

The young man stared at the "little jellyfish" for a while, watching the little creature comfortably soaking in the water, unfolding like a blooming flower bud, and then he stood up.

He walked to the side and began to undress.

Yuan Ye turned his back to Ye Yunfan and first took off his black coat.

Then he removed the crisscrossed leather suspenders that were fastened around his waist and back. Normally, a gun holster would be attached to it, but since Yuan Ye didn't use a gun, there was only a sheath for a dagger hanging from it.

However, the small dagger inside had already been stolen by the little octopus last night and ended up being shattered in the mouth of the small monster king. So at this moment, the leather sheath was empty inside.

Right now, the bathroom suddenly became very quiet.

After all, one cool brother doesn't like to talk, and one baby octopus can't speak. So for a while, in this damp and narrow space, there was only the faint sound of water and the rustling sound of clothes being removed, intertwining with each other.

Ye Yunfan submerged himself in the water and looked up, once again seeing the black metal collar around Yuan Ye's neck.

The collar was positioned perfectly between the Adam's apple and the collarbone, about the width of a finger. Despite being made of metal, it was not bulky. On the contrary, it was small, delicate, finely crafted, and had a great sense of quality.

The surface of the collar faintly revealed some silver runes that were intricately carved, exuding an exquisite and mysterious aura. It carried a hint of asceticism in its design.

Oh, he actually likes wearing this kind of accessory?

Ye Yunfan wasn't being prejudiced or discriminatory, he was just surprised. After all, Yuan Ye didn't seem like someone who paid much attention to his appearance.

The little octopus stared at it for a few seconds, not knowing why, but it felt like this thing was more than just a simple and delicate accessory.

Thump—

The crumpled shirt was discarded by its owner and thrown onto the ground. The once pristine white fabric was now stained pink with blood, rendering it unwearable in the future.

Then, the white gloves were also taken off by their owner and neatly placed on the side.

The young man's hands were also good-looking, but Ye Yunfan's attention was focused on Yuan Ye's right hand. In contrast to the excessively pale left hand, which had lost a lot of blood, the other right hand seemed a little too rosy.

But in Ye Yunfan's memory, Yuan Ye hadn't really used his right hand for anything since waking up, except for the inexplicable touch on his tentacle earlier.

Forget it, it's not a big deal.

The little octopus quickly dismissed these thoughts, and he emerged half of his head out of the basin, separating from the hazy barrier of the water's surface. His two round, unblinking, gleaming blue eyes silently stared at Yuan Ye.

Due to the small size of the baby octopus, he sees everyone as giants, so he can't visually estimate how tall Yuan Ye actually is.

However, with the reference of Jon, middle-aged sentinel Larry, and the other investigating soldiers they encountered on the way, Ye Yunfan speculates that Yuan Ye's height is approximately between 1.75 meters and 1.80 meters.

But one thing that can be certain is that Yuan Ye has a well-proportioned figure.

Ye Yunfan used to work as a game designer, and he also specialized in studying character modeling. Therefore, even by the most stringent standards for evaluating virtual characters, this is still a body of great aesthetic value.

Slender limbs, tall and straight figure, and muscles that are evenly toned and firm.

At this moment, the interlaced light and shadow shrouded the young man's back, silently tracing the smooth and graceful contours of his body.

At first glance, this body doesn't resemble that of a soldier with exceptional strength, but rather evokes the image of a gifted dancer.

However, there are several already coagulated wounds crisscrossing the bare skin, and the icy white complexion makes the vivid redness even more striking, adding a touch of exquisite beauty with a hint of cruelty.

Click.

The subtle sound snapped the little octopus back to reality, and he realized that it was the sound of a belt being unbuckled. Immediately, he consciously averted his gaze and flipped over, diving into the bottom of the basin.

Flattening himself, he looked up at the ceiling.

Although they were both males and Yuan Ye didn't seem to mind, Ye Yunfan didn't have a habit of peeking at others while they were bathing.

Moreover, Yuan Ye appeared to be just the age of a university freshman, while Ye Yunfan, who was already a mature working individual, was likely six or seven years older than Yuan Ye.

Ye Yunfan was once the oldest among the children in the village, and he had the best academic performance. He had also received a lot of favor from others, so he consciously took care of his younger brothers and sisters.

After leaving the mountain, he became accustomed to showing more gentleness and patience towards younger generations.

So now, Ye Yunfan habitually labels Yuan Ye as his younger brother.

He lifted the small tentacle that had just been used to feed water to the young man and examined it. The bite marks on it had disappeared, but the lingering sensation of being sucked, licked, and bitten still faintly remained.

Ye Yunfan suppressed the subtle sense of oddness in his heart and decided not to dwell on it anymore.

—Forget it.

It's normal for children to bite.

Splash…

The cold water was poured over the young man's head, and the flush on his face began to fade gradually.

The antipyretics that were injected into the veins earlier have started to take effect.

Yuan Ye was not surprised by this. His recovery ability was extremely strong, even comparable to some mutants with extraordinary physical strength.

Those fatal injuries that would be lethal to ordinary people would only require Yuan Ye to rest for a few days. If combined with medication, the healing process would be even faster.

This is also why Yuan Ye has the confidence to give up the treatment cabin. Moreover, because he has committed serious crimes and killed some innocent people, he believes that saving more lives is the only way to redeem himself.

[Go and explore the outside world, Yuan Ye.]

[Perhaps you will encounter some pleasant surprises.]

The voice of Everiel, his psychologist, echoed in his ears once again.

The young man suddenly opened his eyes, and large droplets of water fell from the tips of his long eyelashes. He lowered his head and looked at the gruesome wound on his chest.

This wound was left when Yuan Ye saved Old Xu, which is why the old man is so grateful to him and has allowed him to live in this cabin without rent.

Actually, it was originally offered as a gift, but Yuan Ye declined it.

Because the otherworldly creature that injured Yuan Ye had corrosive and toxic properties, the wound took a long time to heal. In the end, they had to remove the rotten flesh and stitch it up with a needle and thread, taking care of it slowly.

But now, the wound that couldn't heal unexpectedly started to show signs of improvement. And the reason behind this change is the thin layer of transparent semi-solid substance on the wound.

That is what formed after the mucus of the "little jellyfish" solidified.

Yuan Ye turned his head and glanced at the small wooden basin next to him, where a pink octagonal cake was spread out at the bottom of the basin.

Since the invasion of the otherworldly plane, the old world has shattered and collapsed. The majority of animals and plants have been contaminated, some transforming into otherworldly creatures, while others have undergone evolution.

Perhaps this "little jellyfish" that he found is a special evolved species.

Perhaps it is the "pleasant surprise" that Everiel mentioned.

Yuan Ye fixed his gaze on the little octopus for a few seconds, then raised the corners of his mouth in a small arc.

At this moment, the heart-shaped red marks on his cheeks had faded, giving the appearance of two cute dimples.

Clearly, the usually cold Commander Yuan Ye was now in a very good mood.

Twenty minutes later, the sound of water gradually ceased.

The entire bathroom was now filled with the refreshing and clean scent of soap. The patches of light that fell on the floor became even more dazzling, and the water in the basin shimmered with sparkling reflections.

Ye Yunfan closed his eyes comfortably and once again heard the rustling sound of fabrics.

—It’s Yuan Ye getting dressed.

Soon, the faint rustling sound came to a stop.

—He's finished getting dressed.

The little octopus finally floated up from the bottom of the basin, poking out half of his head to look over. Yuan Ye had changed into a clean gray cotton shirt. It was unknown whether it was due to the octopus crawling into his chest twice that he was now wearing a white turtleneck underneath.

The gaze of the little octopus fell onto the youth's hands, and sure enough, the latter had put on a new pair of white gloves.

Ye Yunfan: "......" How obsessed is this guy with gloves?

Yuan Ye carefully cleaned his long knife and then skillfully used the back of the knife to lift the "little jellyfish" from the basin.

He leveled it and then took it out.

At this moment, the little octopus had no intention of resisting, and allowed the other person to bring him in, wash him clean, and then carry him out again.

Although Ye Yunfan didn't quite understand why Yuan Ye was so insistent on using the long knife to carry him and even liked to treat him as a knife ornament.

Perhaps Yuan Ye's true love is this knife?

Hmm, if that's the case, then everything made sense.

The little octopus nodded secretly with deep understanding.

Yuan Ye carried his "little jellyfish" around the room and found a clean plate.

He gently placed the little octopus from the knife onto the edge of the plate and said in a flat tone.

"Stay here for now.”

Ye Yunfan looked at the calm, heterochromatic eyes of the young man, and then looked at the clean white porcelain plate in front of him, wondering what the other person was trying to do.

[So ugly, so flat.]

[This thing is so ugly.]

[No pretty jar!]

[Want jar! Jar!]

The little tentacles protested one after another.

Knock, knock—

Just then, there was a knock on the door from outside.

This time, it was not a knock on the window, but a knock on the door.

"Commander Yuan Ye, I am Chen Xinyue a B-level investigator from the special investigation team of the investigation army, seventh team, with an ID number of 5108033045.”

Ye Yunfan heard the woman's voice outside as she provided a long string of attributives. Although he didn't fully understand the specific meanings of some of the words, he could understand that she was clearly and precisely stating her identity.

The little octopus looked up at Yuan Ye, hesitated for a moment, and then jumped onto the plate. It was only at this moment that Yuan Ye put away the knife and turned to look at the door, but did not immediately open it.

"I am not a commander."

The current Yuan Ye doesn't hold any official position. To be precise, he could only be considered an ordinary folk, hunting otherworldly creatures.

The reason why Yuan Ye didn't correct Jon earlier was because he didn't want to pay attention to the new recruit investigator he had just met by chance.

"Alright, Mr. Yuan Ye."

The woman complied readily, her tone respectful.

"Regarding your achievement in killing the king creature last night, I have already reported it to the royal court according to the procedures. However, there are still some details that need to be discussed with you in person."

Ye Yunfan noticed that when Chen Xinyue mentioned the royal court, Yuan Ye clearly hesitated for a moment.

After a brief silence, the door of the wooden house opened from the inside.

"Come in."

The tone of the young man remained as cold as ever.

Then Ye Yunfan once again saw Captain Chen, whom he had previously encountered underwater. Compared to Yuan Ye, who had already freshened up, Chen Xinyue and Jon behind him appeared to be in a sorry state.

Especially the former. Her face was deathly pale, her breath weak, and her eyes cloudy. It was evident that she was exhausted and worn out after suffering serious injuries.

Jon held the medicine box, looking a bit embarrassed, while Chen Xinyue seemed unconcerned. She remained composed, displaying proper etiquette.

"Apologies for disturbing."

Captain Chen had originally intended to get straight to the point, but when her gaze fell upon the little octopus on the plate on the table, her expression visibly froze.

This subtle change in expression immediately made Ye Yunfan nervous because it was evident that Chen Xinyue's current reaction represented her recognition of him from their previous encounter in the sea.

In that case, she must also be aware of the relentless pursuit of those otherworldly creatures towards him.

"Mr. Yuan Ye, it’s... something you picked up from the sea?"

Although it should have been a question, Chen Xinyue used an affirmative tone. Yuan Ye did not answer, and his tone was quite impolite.

"So, this is the detail you want to discuss with me?"

"...Of course not."

Chen Xinyue keenly sensed Yuan Ye's rejection and displeasure with this topic.

"It's just that when we discovered the 'door' at that time, this little jellyfish was nearby…"

Before the woman could finish her sentence, Ye Yunfan suddenly trembled violently.

Because she also referred to him as a jellyfish.

If it were just Yuan Ye and Jon, Ye Yunfan could have dismissed it as them being too young or lacking in knowledge, leading to misidentification.

But Chen Xinyue was different. As a captain, she appeared very experienced and composed, making it highly unlikely for her to make such a mistake of racial misidentification.

So there was only one possibility: in the eyes of humans in this world, he really was a jellyfish!

"......"

Ye Yunfan suddenly felt his mind becoming a bit chaotic.

At this moment, Yuan Ye listened to all the details of Chen Xinyue's encounter with the "little jellyfish" underwater, but he didn't have any particular reaction. He simply said.

"It is just an ordinary evolved species, nothing more."

The difference between otherworldly creatures and an evolved species is quite clear. The former possesses strong aggression and a desire to slaughter, with an abnormal craving for flesh, while evolved species are the opposite.

They are simply native plants and animals on Earth that have evolved, nothing more.

Seeing this, Chen Xinyue decided not to continue this subject. Although she still had some doubts about Ye Yunfan, there were more important matters at hand now.

"Mr. Yuan Ye, you personally killed the king creature last night. You must have noticed that it was not fully matured, but hatched prematurely and was greatly mutilated."

Yuan Ye nodded. "En."

Generally speaking, the normal metamorphosis of an otherworldly plane is quite lengthy. First, it releases otherworldly creatures and a large amount of contamination. Then, these otherworldly creatures scatter around and engage in frenzied killing, devouring flesh and blood. After that, they return to the otherworldly plane and use the plundered flesh and blood to nurture and hatch the king creature.

This metamorphosis period is the longest stage, and the successfully hatched king creature is essentially the strongest among the otherworldly creatures in terms of combat power, vitality, intelligence, and size.

In short, the king creature is undoubtedly the most special and strongest among all otherworldly creatures.

That is also the reason why everyone, including Yuan Ye, initially misidentified the king creature.

And it is quite evident that this king creature had not fully developed and is a deformed premature birth.

Yuan Ye is clearly aware of the abnormalities, but as a decontamination official with the sole duty of killing the king creature, the investigation, research, and handling of the aftermath are the responsibilities of the investigating officials.

Moreover, he has just fought fiercely all night and is heavily injured. Even if he wants to report the anomalies, he currently lacks the appropriate identity and authority to do so.

So as an ordinary otherworldly creature hunter, Yuan Ye's only duty now is to cooperate with the inquiries of the investigating official, Chen Xinyue.

"At that time, the monsters that were originally crashing into the lighthouse suddenly went mad and dived underwater. I felt something was wrong, so I followed them down and from a distance, I saw you killed the king creature."

Chen Xinyue's tone became heavy.

"After you left, I took the opportunity to collect and retrieve the remains of the king creature."

The previously quiet and inconspicuous little octopus suddenly startled, then immediately became excited.

Holy shit!

Originally, he was feeling extremely regretful about missing out on a big meal, but he never expected that Captain Chen had managed to retrieve all of it!!!

—He still has his food!!!

[Food! Food!]

[Want to eat! Want to eat food!]

The little tentacles immediately became elated and excited.

Immediately, Ye Yunfan also quickly realized something—

Hold on, is that little monster the king creature?

Actually, the responsibility of recovering the remains was originally the duty of the decontamination officials. They are responsible for killing the king creature and bringing back the remains to the Royal Court Academy of Science to aid in research.

However, Yuan Ye was no longer a decontamination official, and at that time, his strength was exhausted and support had already arrived. Therefore, he gave up on retrieving the remains that had been washed away by the water current.

"So your main point?"

Yuan Ye's tone was flat. He turned around, took out a scissor and a sewing kit from the cabinet.

Hold on, a sewing kit?

Ye Yunfan still couldn't understand Yuan Ye’s actions. He supported his head with his tentacles and watched the young man seriously choose the color of the thread.

Yuan Ye was well aware that everything Chen Xinyue had said earlier was just a prelude. Otherwise, if that was all there was to it, she wouldn't have come to him but would have directly handed over the king creature's remains to headquarters.

—This is indeed a great achievement.

It is enough for her to be promoted from a B-level commanding officer to an A-level commanding officer.

Chen Xinyue looked at the calm expression on the young man's face and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. She had only heard rumors about this chief decontamination official before, but now that she had seen him in person, she realized that he was not just an empty-headed butcher.

"I originally intended to follow the procedure and hand it over."

Chen Xinyue paused for a moment and continued.

"But when everyone misidentified the king creature, Bard’s team, who came to support, had never even seen the appearance of the king creature. Yet, as soon as they arrived, they immediately concluded that it was an underdeveloped king creature."

"En."

Yuan Ye took out the freshly washed black leather gloves and compared the finger parts one by one with the tentacles of the little octopus.

Although Chen Xinyue was not sure what Yuan Ye was trying to do, she continued to speak earnestly.

"Moreover, even before completely eliminating the threat of otherworldly creatures, Bard issued a command to retrieve the body at all costs. And when they discovered that I had taken the body ahead of them, they quickly surrounded the clinic in secret."

At this point, Chen Xinyue recounted once again how she had set up a trap with Jon by pretending to deliver the medicine.

The curly-haired puppy listened with a blank expression, only realizing belatedly that he had unknowingly participated in such an important and secretive plan.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ye finally looked up and met her gaze. Chen Xinyue's eyes did not waver, and her voice was firm and resolute.

"So I suspect that the attack of the king creature on the supply station this time had human intervention."

As soon as her words fell, the entire room fell into a deathly stillness.

Jon, though not particularly intelligent, understood the otherworldly plane’s metamorphosis and the hatching of king creatures. He knew that these were not things that could be controlled by human intervention.

If the captain's speculation was true, then the danger and importance of this incident would undoubtedly escalate to the highest level.

Although Ye Yunfan severely lacked knowledge of this world, he was well aware of how despicable and grave it was to artificially create a terrorist attack and massacre.

If it weren't for Yuan Ye being here at that time, more than two thousand people in the supply station would have been killed in the massacre last night.

"......"

After a long silence, Yuan Ye cut off the tips of the two little fingers of the gloves and then began to skillfully and quickly thread the needle.

The young man’s tone was indifferent. "Assuming that the facts are as you have speculated, then you should not have left the man with a severed arm alone in the clinic."

Chen Xinyue suddenly froze.

"What..."

She blurted out, but abruptly stopped herself.

Ye Yunfan turned his head to look at the woman and silently supplemented the unspoken implication behind Yuan Ye's words.

Because the other party seems to have been exposed, and your probing has also alerted the enemy. If there is indeed a mastermind behind the scenes, the other party’s best course of action now would be to strike from both sides*.

*to attack one problem from two angles at the same time

For example, while continuing to search for the body of the king creature, first gather some leverage that can threaten those who have known the truth. If that doesn't work, they might resort to directly killing to silence them, cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots.

Chen Xinyue froze for a good while, but immediately after this, she suddenly managed to react.

After a night of intense fighting, coupled with her severe injuries and the mental strain of devising strategies and probing, her body was already completely overloaded. As a result, her groggy brain actually failed to grasp the importance of this matter!

"Tha...thank you so much. I think I should leave now!"

The woman's face turned extremely ugly. After speaking in a haste, she immediately got up in panic and stumbled out of the room.

"Captain—"

Jon still had a silly and confused look on his face. He didn't totally understand the cryptic conversation between the two, but he still followed the captain and chased after her.

Yuan Ye didn't look at the woman's embarrassed and panic-stricken figure, but instead focused wholeheartedly on his work. After a few minutes, he reached out and turned the plate on the table in half a circle, causing the "little jellyfish" who had turned to look at the door to look at him instead.

"Here, try these."

Saying that, he bent down and bit off the thread, pushing the modified pair of black "little shoes" in front of the little octopus.

Ah?

Ye Yunfan snapped back to reality, and he looked at the shoe-shaped finger cots in front of him, and suddenly froze in place.

Wait a minute, this can't be right.

The little octopus's blue eyes suddenly widened, looking up at the Yuan Ye with a hint of disbelief.

This guy actually took the time to make a pair of shoes for him while discussing such important and urgent matters with Chen Xinyue???

☰