TTAETSC Chapter 19.2 - Got Caught!

Translator: Deyonna

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Chen Xinyue stood up and left the ward that had once filled her with hope. She walked through the room, now changed beyond recognition by the explosion.

Of course, the expensive, precious treatment cabin had been destroyed in the explosion too.

Chen Xinyue felt deep regret.

If Old Man Xu saw this, he would probably be so heartbroken he could barely breathe.

She truly felt sorry for his hometown.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips. If she survived and had a future ahead of her, she would try to buy a new treatment cabin to make it up to Old Man Xu's hometown.

Captain Chen always moved with brisk, decisive efficiency. This time, though, on the walk of less than ten meters from the door to that familiar spot on the floor, she moved like a lifeless corpse.

Chen Xinyue knelt on one knee, opened the hidden compartment in the floor, and took out a metal medicine box.

Her scarred hands gently stroked the box's smooth surface. Hidden in the floor, it had come through completely unharmed, without a single scratch.

But all eight of her team members had died for this very thing.

At that moment, Chen Xinyue began to doubt her own dedication and long-held beliefs.

Had everything she had done really been worth it?

Captain Chen couldn't help wondering—

If she had refused this temporary assignment in the first place, they would all have returned safely to the Main City long ago.

If she hadn't ordered the whole team to desperately distract the king creature last night, they could have escaped.

If she hadn't gone to retrieve the king creature's body from the sea, Wang Yuan might not have died either.

Even now, her life and Jon's still hung in the balance, with no telling when they might meet their end.

Was all of this really worth it?

Was her order really the right decision?

Chen Xinyue closed her eyes and held the cold medicine box tightly to her chest. Her fingers trembled with exertion, and her back shook.

"..."

At that moment, it felt as if the whole world had fallen silent.

No one could answer Chen Xinyue.

Except herself.

After a long silence, the woman suddenly opened her eyes. She stood up swiftly, clutching the box, and strode out.

As Chen Xinyue walked out of the clinic, she happened to run into Yuan Ye dragging a corpse. It hadn't been slashed by a knife; a gunshot had blown its head off.

Chen Xinyue was startled, even a little astonished.

According to rumors, this once mighty and unparalleled decontamination officer was supposed to be skilled only with knives, not guns.

But she didn't ask. She only bowed her head slightly in respect and said in a hoarse voice,

"You've come."

"Mm."

Yuan Ye tossed the corpse toward Jon. The curly-haired puppy instinctively caught it, only to realize it was a corpse with a headshot.

Last night had exposed Jon to countless corpses, but it was his first time being splattered with the brain matter of a headless one.

The curly-haired puppy's face immediately crumpled, his stomach churning as if he were about to vomit any second.

At that moment, the heterochromatic-eyed youth glanced at him indifferently and said coldly,

"That corpse is an important clue. You made the mess, you clean it."

"Ugh... Wu."

Jon clamped a hand over his mouth and, surprisingly, managed to swallow the urge to vomit.

The little octopus perched on the youth's shoulder silently turned his head away. He felt a bit nauseated too, so he quickly cleansed his eyes by looking at Yuan Ye's profile.

Yuan Ye glanced at Chen Xinyue, who stood to one side holding a medicine box, and remarked casually,

"This isn't the place to talk."

With that, he started toward the mountain. Jon stood there, still covering his mouth, looking at Chen Xinyue, who quickly caught on and gestured for him to follow at once.

So the aggrieved curly-haired puppy could only haul the corpse like a hardworking, obedient laborer and trudge along behind them.

By the time they arrived at the wooden house, it was already pitch black outside.

"You can take the body away for examination."

Performing autopsies was also part of an investigator's duties.

"All right."

Chen Xinyue had no objections. She looked at Yuan Ye, seated on a stool, and began to choose her words carefully.

But Yuan Ye got straight to the point.

"If I'm not mistaken, you want to use this achievement to get my banishment order lifted and my position as a decontamination officer restored, then have me report this to the royal court and request a thorough investigation."

"Yes."

Chen Xinyue nodded without hesitation.

"But the credit for killing the king creature is yours, not mine. I'm not helping you. I'm asking for your help."

Coming from Chen Xinyue, a mere B-level investigator, her words carried little weight.

Moreover, a report from her to the royal court would only be passed to the peripheral communications department and go through multiple layers of review. It could easily be suppressed by people with ulterior motives.

But if Yuan Ye, a decontamination officer, made the request, it would carry far more weight.

He wouldn't be reporting to the investigation corps headquarters. He could bypass it and report directly to the decontamination officers' organization, or even to the Queen herself.

Since a king creature had appeared in this case, the royal court was certain to send a decontamination officer. Still, Chen Xinyue trusted only Yuan Ye. In the single day since they'd met, she had already placed complete trust in this powerful, terrifying young man.

Besides, if those people could manipulate gifted individuals into killing her, Chen Xinyue had every reason to believe that some decontamination officers might not be clean.

Just then, the woman suddenly bowed without warning, at a full ninety degrees.

"All of my team members... except Jon, sacrificed themselves last night. I understand that protecting the people and sacrificing for the fate of mankind is an investigator's duty and responsibility."

"But if this case is as I suspect, then they were murdered!"

"I want the truth, and I want justice for them! I beg you, help me."

Jon was stunned for a moment, but quickly followed the captain's lead and bowed at ninety degrees too, echoing loudly,

"I beg you!"

Yuan Ye fell silent and didn't answer right away.

Ye Yunfan was actually very curious. He had suspected Yuan Ye had an extraordinary identity, but he had never expected him to be a decontamination officer.

Although Ye Yunfan didn't fully understand what a decontamination officer was, he could easily tell from the reactions and reverence of those around him that the position carried high status and considerable combat prowess.

He just didn't know what mistake Yuan Ye had made to be hit with the so-called banishment order and stripped of his position.

After a long silence, the young man finally spoke.

"This mission's merit may get the banishment order lifted, but I can't regain my status as a decontamination officer."

Chen Xinyue raised her head slightly, uneasy, because she wasn't sure of Yuan Ye's intentions, whether he was offering to help or not.

"Then what do you mean..."

Yuan Ye thought it over seriously, and a familiar name came to mind.

"But I can find someone to help you with this. She's better at handling this kind of thing than I am."

Chen Xinyue was a bit surprised and looked up sharply, but Jon beside her was even more excited. His eyes lit up, and he spoke quickly.

"Is... is it your friend? Thank you so much!"

Friend?

Ye Yunfan looked at the young man curiously. Although he thought Yuan Ye was a gentle, kindhearted good kid, his outward appearance, words, and actions were admittedly quite awkward. He didn't seem like someone who made friends easily.

Sure enough, Yuan Ye lifted his eyelids and glanced indifferently at Jon, saying coldly,

"I have no friends."

Jon immediately choked: "..."

Yuan Ye's handsome, cool face took on a slightly reminiscent look, and he added,

"When I was in the Main City, most people were afraid of me, and a few weren't afraid but still disliked me."

—Sure enough.

The little octopus shook his head and sighed inwardly.

Chen Xinyue's initially joyful expression turned somewhat worried. She clearly believed Yuan Ye, given the poor reputation this gifted decontamination officer had in the rumors.

She probed cautiously. "Then who are you going to look for...?"

"Of course, the one who dislikes me the most."

Yuan Ye's tone was matter-of-fact.

After all, those who were afraid of him were mostly weak, in both ability and background. Those who disliked him, on the other hand, at least had something to show for themselves.

After that, the whole room fell silent.

At that moment, Jon began to doubt whether his new idol sincerely wanted to help his captain.

Who could say whether the person who disliked you most would be willing to help? Would they really not make things worse*, or stab you in the back?

*to be more of a hindrance than a help

Finally, Chen Xinyue broke the awkward silence. She decided not to press the matter. After all, Yuan Ye had already agreed to help.

"Thank you again."

She bowed once more.

Ye Yunfan studied Chen Xinyue. She looked twenty-seven or twenty-eight, though her life of hardship and constant danger probably made her look older than she really was.

Yet Chen Xinyue could still keep her reason and courage in such a terrible situation. Ye Yunfan couldn't deny this woman's strength and resilience.

He didn't know what she had gone through to become the person she was today.

"It's already late. I won't disturb you any longer."

Chen Xinyue glanced at her watch and stood up.

"Our team's car is parked nearby. We can make do with it for one night."

As an experienced, cautious investigator, she never put all her eggs in one basket, so her team's cars were parked separately, one of them in the mountains.

"However this—"

As she spoke, Chen Xinyue pushed the metal medicine box containing the king creature's remains toward Yuan Ye.

"Please keep it here for now."

"Mm."

The young man answered indifferently, with no intention of asking her to stay the night or eat.

Chen Xinyue left a wireless communicator on the table. More precisely, a walkie-talkie.

"The supply station's signal tower is broken, so this will have to do for now."

"Mm."

Yuan Ye nodded casually and waved a hand, as if in a hurry.

So Chen Xinyue said nothing more and left quickly with Jon.

Click.

The door closed.

Yuan Ye turned to the "little jellyfish" and asked,

"Hungry?"

The little octopus glanced at his sharply depleted stamina and nodded eagerly, his eyes full of anticipation.

—Mm, mm!

"Okay. I'll go cook now."

With that, the ruthless, composed Yuan Ye stood up, found an apron, and tied it on with effortless ease.

...Ah?

Ye Yunfan was stunned.

Cook?

This guy could actually cook???

Ye Yunfan suddenly felt that Yuan Ye's whole persona was all over the place.

When they first met, he had thought Yuan Ye was a cold, emotionless shark. Later, he found out Yuan Ye was just a socially awkward kid who was bad at expressing himself.

And now he could sew clothes and cook too?

☰