TTAETSC Chapter 31.1 - Two Flowers Blooming Together

Arc: Volume Two: Mankind's Main City · The Way Home

Chapter 31.1: Flowers Blooming Together

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

Meanwhile, Hu Changchuan was speeding along the open road. He had set off last night, hoping to buy more time.

Once he had dealt with the matters at the sentinel tower, he would catch up with Chen Xinyue's car.

At this time, the uncle in floral underpants had changed into a new outfit: a linen short-sleeved shirt and khaki pants. Without those indecent floral underpants, he finally looked much more reliable.

However, in contrast to the leisurely Captain Chen ahead, he was driving much faster. It could be said he had almost pressed the accelerator to the floor.

After Yuan Ye and Chen Xinyue left the station affairs office one after the other that day, Hu Changchuan and Liang Kun chatted for a while.

"What's the matter, Brother?" Team Leader Liang took a meaningful sip of water.

"So, you planned to just tidy up and send Captain Chen back like this?"

"What else can I do?"

Hu Changchuan said irritably, "The water is muddy and deep this time, Liang Kun. Haven't you realized it already? The title of decontamination officer may sound good, but I, Old Hu, was just a third-class officer. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you."

In this day and age, everyone is clamoring to get inside the Main City. Even if they can't get in, being closer is still good.

Therefore, supply stations located on the border of human territory are basically synonymous with barren, rundown villages.

Hu Changchuan, who was assigned to guard the T-12 sentinel tower here, held a relatively ordinary position in the organization.

"I know you just want stability, but the situation is different now. There are some things you can't avoid by pretending to be stupid."

*Hu Changchuan is saying this

Liang Kun smiled with narrowed eyes.

He had a rough, aggressive warrior's face, but his mind was extremely meticulous. Even when he wanted to remind someone of something, he hardly ever put a wrong foot in his words.*

*Leaving no room for criticism

"The royal court ordered you to send Captain Chen back. Whether you succeed in sending her back or not, you still have to report to the royal court, correct?"

"So, you need to carefully consider how to successfully send her back. Moreover, after her return, you should have something interesting to share with the higher-ups."

"..."

This time, Hu Changchuan didn't speak right away. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were carefully pondering something.

It was quite clear that the royal court had intended for him to escort Chen Xinyue back, binding him and Chen Xinyue together.

On the surface, the immediate priority was how to get the person back safely. There were certainly many dangers, and he might face many of them. But Liang Kun saw further than he did.

Even after safely delivering the person, Hu Changchuan still couldn't separate himself from this ordeal. As the decontamination officer stationed at the sentinel tower, he would need to write reports on this incident for the higher-ups.

This would include the fact that Hu Changchuan had encountered an attack by otherworldly creatures, which had delayed the support. That matter absolutely could not be concealed.

Moreover, this was not simply a king creature attack. There was an unknown force behind it. So a question mark would be placed over Hu Changchuan's delayed support.

Was it truly an accident, or was it intentional?

Perhaps the organization would decide to assess his loyalty. If it came to that, his job, his future, and even his life could spiral out of control.

He couldn't be certain, but it was highly probable that someone lurking in the shadows might try to make him a scapegoat.

So before returning to the royal court, Hu Changchuan needed an ace up his sleeve. At the very least, he needed to prove that he had truly encountered the attack by accident.

"Ai!"

Hu Changchuan was quite disgruntled.

In another half year, once his term of service was completed, he could naturally return to the Main City and receive a substantial salary, along with the corresponding subsidies.

But unfortunately, this had happened.

He had known it was highly suspicious to suddenly encounter an attack by otherworldly creatures, especially since his car had broken down just before it happened.

At that time, Hu Changchuan knew his car had definitely been tampered with.

However, after arriving at the supply station, he found the situation far more complicated and dangerous than he had imagined, so he didn't want to investigate in depth.

He didn't want to get involved in the affairs of those in high positions, so he pretended to be deaf and dumb, hoping to muddle through safely.

But as Liang Kun said, he couldn't muddle through this time.

So Hu Changchuan needed to uncover the suspicious details of the attack he had faced that night, in order to absolve himself of any suspicion.

Time was limited. He had to finish within two days.

For a moment, Hu Changchuan's thoughts raced.

Not long after, in the glaring midday sunlight, he could see the massive black tower in the distance.

Sentinels were patrolling in formation around it.

Screech—

Hu Changchuan drove through the station gate, slammed on the brakes, and got out of the car.

"Eh? Officer Hu?!"

The sentinel standing guard at the gate looked surprised.

"Weren't you supposed to be at the supply station for support? Why did you suddenly come back?"

"Oh, everything is fine there. But the royal court has ordered me to return to the Main City now. I thought there were still some things I needed to hand over to Wei Jing, so I came back."

According to the law, three decontamination officers are typically stationed at each giant sentinel tower. If any situation arises, one stays to guard while the other two depart to provide support.

But because the T-12 sentinel tower is so remote, with a sparse population and no significant industrial or agricultural areas, usually only two decontamination officers are stationed here.

Inwardly, Hu Changchuan was burning with impatience, but on the surface he still wore that cheerful expression, the kind that made people feel very familiar.

"Where is he?"

"Oh! So that's how it is."

The sentinel, completely oblivious to any abnormality, suddenly realized, but a moment later he frowned.

"But didn't Officer Wei go to find you? He said the supply station lost contact, and you also lost contact. Something major must have happened, so after seeking instructions from higher-ups, he immediately went to find you."

The sentinel was extremely confused. "You guys didn't run into each other?"

Hu Changchuan was flabbergasted.

"What—?!"

·

What?!

The little octopus looked at the small knife, which had been knocked away by the toothpick hundreds of times, and the whole octopus did not look too good.

It felt like using a racket worth thousands to play against an Olympic table tennis champion with a matchstick.*

*This roughly means that even with the best equipment, one cannot compete with someone truly powerful

—And then getting completely crushed.

In this kind of competition, of course losing was not surprising. But losing without any dignity as an octopus was also unacceptable!

Ye Yunfan fell silent: "..."

At that moment, Yuan Ye was quietly watching the "little jellyfish," which had failed yet again. It stood there blankly, as if unable to believe it had lost so easily once more.

Its round, blunt, triangular ears drooped on its head, and its big blue eyes were moist, as if it had been bullied and felt wronged.

Adorable yet miserable, it made the person looking take a second glance, as if their hearts had turned into a puddle of water.

This feeling was very strange, so strange that Yuan Ye subconsciously touched his chest to confirm his heart was still beating.

It was beating a little faster than usual.

But what surprised Yuan Ye was that the little guy only looked dejected for a brief moment. He didn't throw a tantrum or refuse to admit defeat. Instead, he quickly cheered up. Clattering in his two small shoes, he ran to the other end of the wooden board and picked up his tiny knife.

Ye Yunfan might have grumbled inwardly, but throughout the process he was not perfunctory and did not resist. Instead, he earnestly practiced and learned.

Given his physical constitution, he might be non-human, but he had no sharp claws, not even hard bones.

So getting a suitable sharp weapon for his baby octopus body was a good thing.

Moreover, if he knew how to use a knife, he might have stabbed that little monster from before to death. The two-headed strange bird from last night wouldn't have had any chance to fight back, either.

In any case, Ye Yunfan had always remembered what the old grandpa at the village entrance told him: the more skills you have, the more ways out you will have.

Having many skills doesn't burden the body, so learn them all, in case they come in handy one day.

So the little octopus made up his mind: since Yuan Ye was willing to teach, he would learn well. Even if his tiny knife was not as long as a finger, poking out an eyeball, stabbing into the fragile carotid artery, and cutting the Achilles tendon were still no problem.

Ye Yunfan nodded to himself, completely unaware that he had adapted well to the violence and bloodshed of this world, and had even started to think about problems in a different way.

After picking up the tiny knife, the little octopus ran back, clattering under Yuan Ye's watchful gaze.

Swoosh—!

It held up the tiny knife and once again aimed it at the toothpick in Yuan Ye's hand. Its moist blue eyes showed a determined expression, with a hint of feigned fierceness.

As if saying:

Come again!

"..."

Yuan Ye was slightly stunned.

He was indeed very skilled with knives, but in truth he had never studied or been taught by anyone. His body seemed to learn naturally after each battle.

So Yuan Ye didn't actually understand concepts like perseverance and determination, nor did he grasp the grand principle of persistence and unwavering resolve.

It was then that he suddenly thought of how he had repeatedly picked up the knife, time and time again.

"Mr. Yuan Ye."

Captain Chen's voice interrupted the young man's thoughts.

"We have entered the occupied area."

At the same time, she reached out and gently patted the sleeping Jon.

Occupied area?

The little octopus's ears instantly perked up.

He had heard Yuan Ye mention this word before, but Yuan Ye had only been asking Old Man Xu whether he had found many surgical knives in the occupied area, with no follow-up details.

However, Ye Yunfan could roughly guess what it meant from the word itself.

An occupied area originally referred to a region plundered and occupied by the enemy during war. In this period, it should mean an area that was once under human rule and then taken over by monsters, right?

The little octopus's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the car jolted, and even the light outside the window seemed to dim considerably.

"All right, let's stop here."

Yuan Ye put away his small stick.

The little octopus tilted his head.

Oh, that works too.

After all, it wasn't suitable to practice while it was so bumpy. So the little octopus also put his tiny knife back into the bag.

Yuan Ye watched it obediently lower its head, carefully put things away, and even gently pat the bag with its little tentacles, as if telling it, "You behave."

The whole action was simply indescribably adorable.

The next second, the little octopus felt the familiar touch above his head.

It was Yuan Ye's hand.

Of course, it was still separated by two layers of gloves.

The young man touched his head very lightly, just once, as if he were being sneaky.

The little octopus's itchy ear tips trembled, but he had no intention of dodging.

Yes, yes, yes, go on, touch, touch.

Ye Yunfan didn't mind at all. To maintain his adorable, cute octopus persona, he stretched out a tentacle to hook the other party's finger.

Proactively stretching his head out to be petted~

"..."

In that instant, Yuan Ye heard his own heart give a "thump."

That was probably an auditory hallucination, but it felt very real.

It should be real.

After all, Yuan Ye was well aware of how excellent his hearing was.

Phew…

He slowed his rapid heartbeat, then turned his wrist slightly, revealing the "little jellyfish" under his palm.

The next moment, the little guy climbed up naturally.

Ye Yunfan was placed back on Yuan Ye's shoulder, his exclusive spot.

"From now on, don't leave my side."

The young man tilted his head slightly and said softly.

The little octopus nodded earnestly, because he had caught the smell of food.

[Meat!]

[Meat! Lots of meat!]

[Ahhh, eat, eat, eat, eat!!!]

The little tentacles, which had been quiet just now, became particularly excited as soon as they entered the occupied area.

Ye Yunfan did not respond. He just stretched his head out and looked outside.

Since otherworldly creatures made up his main diet, this place was obviously very dangerous.

"Is this the occupied area?"

Jon woke up from his sleep. He was in better spirits than before, but his breath was still a little weak.

This was also Jon's first time entering the occupied area. He had always heard from others how dangerous it was.

Rumor had it that occupied areas were filled with all kinds of wonderful and strange traces of the old days, rare, precious resources, and, of course, the most common of all, terrifying and rampant otherworldly creatures.

The curly-haired puppy curiously opened his eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at the scene outside the window. The little octopus did the same, observing this so-called occupied area.

Clearly, this place was an abandoned city that had been reclaimed by nature.

The huge, dilapidated buildings stood as tall as mountains. Even if they were not measured by a little octopus but by ordinary humans, they were so massive that they instilled a sense of megalophobia.

They either lay completely overturned or stood towering and creaking, like silent giant tombstones, coldly watching the small off-road vehicle that had intruded.

Countless giant trees rose from the broken buildings, like skeletal remains protruding after a violent fracture. Their layers of canopy spread out with lush foliage, obscuring both the heavens above and the earth below.

Ye Yunfan was inwardly shocked, as if he were watching a documentary about an ancient tropical rainforest.

He wondered whether this scene was the result of the city's long neglect, or whether this flora had undergone the so-called evolution and transformed into colossal, peculiar forms.