TTAETSC Chapter 23.2 - Critical Question

Translator: Deyonna

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"Ah... I..."

Suddenly the focus of everyone's gaze, Hu Changchuan inwardly complained. He just wanted to keep his head down and go with the flow. Now that the king creature was dead, as long as they sent the corpse back to the research institute in the Main City, everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, Chen Xinyue and Yuan Ye were determined to get to the bottom of this, and the suspect turned out to be a good friend he had made while stationed at the sentinel tower.

The decontamination officers are rotated every three years, but military investigators are not; they are usually stationed in one area all year round.

So Hu Changchuan befriended Liang Kun. First, he felt Liang was a decent person. Second, Liang was the local boss in this area. Hu Changchuan wanted a good relationship with him, so it would be convenient if he worked in this place in the future.

In the end, the two of them would probably have ended up working together, if the king creature's invasion hadn't happened, and if Yuan Ye's arrival and Hu Changchuan's ambush on the way hadn't got in the way.

"I... I think that although Team Leader Liang violated regulations, the mission was urgent, so his actions were somewhat understandable. I've known him for three years, and his subordinates all have enough to eat and wear. Even those who have retired or are disabled are all doing quite well."

As he said this, Hu Changchuan suddenly changed the subject.

"But! This still violates the regulations. If Captain Chen feels it's necessary, you can file a request for punishment. As for me, I-I'm just a lowly third-class decontamination officer, not part of your investigation corps' system, so I'd rather not get involved."

These few words, light as a feather, offend no one, yet they distance him from the matter. At the same time, they hint at Yuan Ye's identity.

He's not even a decontamination officer anymore. Even with formidable strength, his identity is simply that of a civilian otherworldly creature hunter. Let alone use the investigation corps' regulations to try Liang Kun.

This uncle in floral underpants…

Ye Yunfan inwardly sighed, "How cunning."

Hold on!

Just then, a fleeting thought crossed Ye Yunfan's mind.

[Although this sum of money is not small, it's a dead person's money. Laozi won't take a single penny of it.]

[I've known him for three years. His subordinates all have enough to eat and wear. Even those who have retired or are disabled, they're all doing quite well.]

Together, the two people's words let Ye Yunfan reconstruct a new image of Liang Kun.

What if he wasn't doing it for the money, but for the people?

Besides, when He Li looked at those identity tags earlier, his involuntary reaction of choking up didn't seem like an act.

The retired veterans and disabled soldiers have no source of income, but perhaps they have families to support. So did they violate regulations and join the emergency rescue team, using their frail bodies to secure a high death gratuity for their families?

Although it makes some sense, it barely holds together.

Ye Yunfan's head hurt from all the thinking.

The most agonizing part was that no matter how many guesses he had, he couldn't say them out loud, and he couldn't find any conclusive evidence either.

Knock, knock!

Just then, a messenger hurriedly knocked on the door.

"Team Leader, we just received a reply from the royal court."

"Come in."

Liang Kun's expression grew solemn as he stood up from his chair.

The signal tower is under maintenance, but to restore communication as quickly as possible, they have set up a temporary tower using five signal vehicles.

Although they cannot contact the Main City directly, they can keep stable communication with the nearest sentinel tower, which relays reports to the royal court.

This is how Chen Xinyue had reported to headquarters and the royal court earlier.

But her report only emphasized two traits of the king creature: high intelligence and incomplete development. It did not mention any suspicion of artificial inducement.

Even these two points are enough to draw the attention of the Main City.

The messenger seemed to have run over in a hurry. He took a few short breaths before starting to read the message.

"This is the message from the royal court: First, Yuan Ye promptly killed the king creature, which is a great contribution and should be rewarded. The banishment order is lifted ahead of schedule, and you are to be recalled to the Main City."

After the messenger read the first paragraph, Chen Xinyue's tight brow loosened, as if she were somewhat relieved.

Ye Yunfan felt both happy for Yuan Ye and somewhat nervous, because it meant he would soon follow the other back to humanity's true headquarters.

The more people there are, the more conflicts are likely to arise. Besides, Yuan Ye's identity and character also seem to be potential sources of trouble.

Sigh.

The little octopus sighed.

Liang Kun listened expressionlessly. He glanced at the messenger.

"Continue reading."

"Yes."

The messenger seemed somewhat afraid of him and obediently read the second paragraph quickly.

"At the same time, third-class decontamination officer Hu Changchuan and B-level investigation officer Chen Xinyue, along with her team members, are ordered to escort the king creature's corpse to the otherworldly creatures' research institute as quickly as possible. Please receive the order and depart immediately."

"Ah?"

Hu Changchuan was surprised.

In fact, under normal procedure, after a killing mission like this succeeds, the decontamination officer who killed the king creature and the military investigators who took part should be formed into a special escort team to return to the Main City.

Depending on the security and importance of the mission, the escort team is usually between five and twenty people.

But in Chen Xinyue's team, only Jon was left.

But it's also possible the royal court isn't aware of this situation.

That isn't what puzzles Hu Changchuan most, since in rare cases, reducing the escort is done to speed things up.

What puzzled him most was—

Why had the royal court lifted the banishment order and recalled Yuan Ye, yet not had him take part in the escort mission? From the two orders just given, the royal court seems to be placing great importance on the king creature's attack.

Hu Changchuan glanced at Yuan Ye, then quickly looked away from the other man's indifferent eyes.

Really strange…

For a moment, many questions flashed through his mind, but the royal court's decision was not something a nobody like himself could question. In the end, Hu Changchuan still chose to play dumb, as if he had noticed nothing.

But Chen Xinyue didn't hide her surprise. She had the same doubts as Hu Changchuan.

Yuan Ye had no objections, because he had anticipated this long ago.

Her Majesty the Queen had not killed him, but had issued a banishment order instead. So once the order ended, he would be summoned back to the royal court.

It was only a matter of time. As for whether to take part in the escort mission, he did not care.

After all, the order did not prohibit him from taking part.

The little octopus looked at Yuan Ye, but the latter's expression remained unchanged, as if he were listening to someone else's business.

Liang Kun sat back down in the chair, his expression relaxed.

"Since the order is urgent, please depart immediately. Since we've all been through this crisis together, I will arrange a vehicle and provide supplies for your journey."

He Li, on the side, visibly relaxed. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his pale complexion slowly turning rosy.

"Okay, okay, okay, thank you very much."

Hu Changchuan, seeing the matter could finally be glossed over, felt greatly relieved.

The stupefied Jon felt a little happy to see the chaotic situation finally coming to an end and to know he could go to the Main City right away.

But he was used to watching his captain's face, and he found that she not only didn't look happy, but appeared gloomy.

And so the curly-haired puppy's upturned lips drooped.

Yuan Ye glanced at Liang Kun, then turned and left, his movements neat and tidy, without any reluctance.

The little octopus lay softly curled up in the young man's palm. He was surprised by Yuan Ye's sudden departure and couldn't guess where he was going.

"Without a solid grasp of the facts or any evidence, staying there is only a waste of time."

Ye Yunfan looked blank, only belatedly realizing that Yuan Ye's words had been an explanation for him.

So where are we going now?

After that lengthy question, the little octopus simply tilted his head and used a tentacle to form a question mark.

In fact, he didn't expect the other party to understand him. But the next second, Ye Yunfan heard Yuan Ye say:

"Go back to the temporary clinic."

When he had met Chen Xinyue at the clinic, she had told him about the triangular-eyed man.

But at the time, the triangular-eyed man had been hit directly by Chen Xinyue's car and was half-dead, so a statement was out of the question.

And then Jon brought Hu Changchuan back.

The events kept coming one after another, and there was no time to ask questions.

Now that there was no evidence, rather than keep arguing with those two at the station, Yuan Ye thought it better to try a new direction for a breakthrough.

But the little octopus was stunned by Yuan Ye's answer.

Eh?

He understood???

He actually understood?!

How did this guy suddenly become enlightened?

The little octopus felt gratified and a bit excited. His tentacles, which could sense emotions, immediately started treading around the young man's soft palm.

Yuan Ye's fast-paced steps slowed. He pursed his lips, and his throat twitched slightly as he tried hard to suppress a strange sensation in his body.

He looked down at the little tentacles treading back and forth, and for some unknown reason, he suddenly recalled something that had happened earlier…

The next second, the young man spoke up in a serious tone.

"From now on, you're not allowed to randomly climb into other people's bodies."

Ah?

The little octopus abruptly paused.

He had just been wondering why Yuan Ye wanted to go back to the temporary clinic when the other party jumped to a new subject so suddenly that he couldn't react for a while.

When the "little jellyfish" didn't nod, Yuan Ye's expression turned cold at once.

"Do you like that woman?"

Ye Yunfan was even more puzzled. He felt Yuan Ye's question was strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

It's just... a bit like the questioning of a lover.

Lover?

This word felt very strange and unfamiliar.

Ye Yunfan had never had a girlfriend. After all, he came from a poor background, and he didn't want to hold anyone back before he succeeded in his career.

So love was basically never something he had to think about.

But Ye Yunfan thought it over seriously, and he decided the "like" in Yuan Ye's question couldn't possibly mean romantic love.

Who would ask such a question of a little octopus?

It must just be liking, the same as ordinary admiration.

But Ye Yunfan really does admire Chen Xinyue. After all, she is intelligent, capable, resourceful, and brave, and as a captain, she is very responsible.

Thinking about it, the little octopus nodded.

"..."

Yuan Ye, who had been walking briskly, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He was silent for a moment, then squatted down and placed the beautiful pink octopus on the dusty ground.

Ye Yunfan: "?"

What is he up to now?

The little octopus obediently stood still, raised his head in confusion, looked toward Yuan Ye, and waited for an explanation.

But at that moment, the young man reached out and pushed the confused little octopus toward the station.

"Here, she's still inside. Go find her."

Plop!

The little octopus didn't react in time and fell face-first onto the ground, getting dirty and covered in dust.

It was like strawberry jelly that had fallen into cocoa powder.

[So dirty, so dirty!]

[Pooh, pooh, pooh!]

[Stinky, stinky! Stinky, stinky!]

The little tentacles squealed in disgust.

Ye Yunfan was dumbfounded: "...???"

A few seconds later, the little octopus got up with a face full of dust and confusion.

The little pink face instantly turned into a little black face.

He wore a puzzled, helpless look on his little black face as he turned his head in search of Yuan Ye, only to see the young man's indifferent departing figure.

Yuan Ye walked even faster than before, without looking back once, holding his knife as if he were in a hurry to kill someone.

Ye Yunfan: "..."

What's going on?

Why would he go find Chen Xinyue???

He isn't even familiar with Chen Xinyue!!!

The dusty little octopus stood still for a long time before slowly coming to his senses.

That's right! Yuan Ye is an awkward guy with no friends. So, with a cute pet, he must value it very much. Both his sense of friendship and his sense of pet ownership come with a desire for exclusivity.

So by this reasoning, he had just answered a life-threatening question.

And it's still a duck's egg* answer.

*Zero point

Ye Yunfan: "..."

At this thought, the little octopus sprang up and quickly caught up.

☰