Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 67: One Touch

Until the two of them sat down at the Longevity Tavern, Zhu Yanchen still hadn’t reacted. He would occasionally glance at Shu Jun, and every time he shifted his gaze away, it was as if Shu Jun would evaporate on the spot.

Shu Jun felt like laughing, but the bittersweet emotions prevented him from doing so—

He understood Zhu Yanchen too well. Sixteen years had passed, but his A’Yan’s essence remained unchanged.

Zhu Yanchen always liked to anticipate the worst possible outcomes. When they discussed tactics back then, Shu Jun had asked about his motives, and his response was simple.

[To prepare myself mentally in advance, so that when things really happen, I won’t collapse.] The young Zhu Yanchen had answered in this manner.

Until this day, Marshal Zhu must have considered every negative development. He must have thought about dying alone, about being powerless to save himself and watching his friend die before his eyes, and maybe even about breaking down in reality and turning against him.

If Shu Jun had chosen to destroy everything like Luo Duan, in the end, they would have inevitably faced each other on the battlefield.

When they first started working together, as a qualified leader, Shu Jun naturally had similar considerations. But now, with his memories restored, whenever he thought of the silent weeping Smoke from back then, he softened immediately.

What kind of emotions was Marshal Zhu pondering all this with?

Judging from his current reaction, Zhu Yanchen had most likely prepared himself for the worst psychologically, only to be caught off guard and fed a candy, leaving him dazed.

As for Zhu Yanchen’s feelings, Shu Jun never doubted them, nor did he feel the need to question them—once he regained his memories, their bond was already deep enough, and if Zhu Yanchen wanted to strengthen their cooperation, they could continue to develop their friendship. Unless Zhu Yanchen’s mind had been eaten away by the Erosion Swamp, he wouldn’t come up with such a cunning idea at this tense stage.

Since they were mutually attracted and Shu Jun knew that Zhu Yanchen tended to overthink, he chose to cut off his wild thoughts in one go. It was better to prevent him from suppressing his emotions further and becoming negative in unnecessary places.

‘You like to overthink, don’t you?’ Shu Jun thought to himself. Zhu Yanchen must be well aware that even if he could kiss him due to the “confusion after memory restoration”, his acting skills wouldn’t be enough to carry himself through the whole act—they had already gone straight to bed together, and physiological reactions didn’t lie.

Thinking about last night, Shu Jun’s throat felt a bit dry, so he slowly sipped his porridge.

As he peeled off Zhu Yanchen’s uniform with his claws, Zhu Yanchen’s gaze slid over him, trying to find any traces of reluctance, but naturally, he found none.

Once he was certain there was no reluctance, Marshal Zhu, who had been repressed for so long, erupted like a long-dormant volcano. His desire was too intense, and Shu Jun was almost startled. He had thought Zhu Yanchen would have a more detached and restrained demeanor, considering it was obviously his first time, and he should know when to stop, but unexpectedly, his actions became more and more intense.

Shu Jun could tell that Zhu Yanchen particularly enjoyed his response to his actions. Each gentle kiss would exchange for more intense movements combined with a sudden acceleration of heartbeats and breaths. In the end, Zhu Yanchen tightened his grip on Shu Jun’s hand and held him tightly in his embrace. Then, as usual, he lightly kissed the top of his head.

The two of them slept in each other’s arms, and there seemed to be a strange magnetic force between their bodies. Once their body temperatures connected, it was difficult to separate them again.

A dreamless night.

Now that he was no longer human, a bit of body soreness wasn’t much of a problem. Shu Jun was quite satisfied with the results of last night’s operation. But to his surprise, as the night passed, Marshal Zhu had a stern face and a gaze filled with self-doubt, as if saying, “I definitely didn’t get enough sleep.”

Realizing this, Shu Jun found Zhu Yanchen looking at him again.

“What’s so interesting behind my mask?” Shu Jun toyed with the pickled vegetables with his chopsticks. “If you don’t eat soon, your porridge will get cold.”

“Mm.”

Hearing this uncertain “mm,” Shu Jun chuckled. He poked a plump little steamed bun with his chopsticks and stuffed it into Zhu Yanchen’s mouth. “Hurry up and adjust your state. The people from the Old Fourth will be here soon. If you keep up this appearance, they might think I poisoned you.”

Zhu Yanchen carefully chewed the steamed bun.

“A’Yan.” Shu Jun finished his porridge and sighed. “You should accept reality too—I like you too. Is it so hard to accept that?”

“It’s going too smoothly.” Zhu Yanchen swallowed the steamed bun and responded seriously. “I have some concerns.”

“Concerned that I’m tricking you?”

“No, I’ve just never been this happy before.” Zhu Yanchen murmured. “I’m afraid something will happen…”

He forcibly swallowed the second half of his sentence and started eating the steamed bun again. Despite wearing a mask, Shu Jun couldn’t help but cover his face.

Alright, Marshal Zhu hadn’t thought about the nature of their relationship again. It was just that this person had experienced so much hardship. Just as he made it past one bend, he started to doubt and worry again—as if accepting happiness would bring about misfortune.

Shu Jun gritted his teeth and wished the war would end the next second.

“Stop doubting, or I’ll perform ‘choking on a steamed bun’ for you later.” Shu Jun responded with a sinister tone, stood up, and grabbed another basket of steamed buns.

The Longevity Tavern was even livelier than before. With the construction of the underground base, the people from the Old Fourth came more frequently. The flow of people increased, and business in this remote place gradually improved. It happened to be the time when Y City was cracking down on the Old Fourth, so their caravans began to spread to the surrounding areas, so the locals had no suspicions.

Unfortunately, this lively atmosphere wouldn’t last long.

After yesterday’s unrest, the command center would definitely send troops to various settlements. The movement of merchants would certainly be affected, and it would be even more difficult to carry out large-scale operations in the name of the Old Fourth.

After the sweet moments, they would have to face the bitter reality. Shu Jun’s mouth drooped as soon as he left the tavern. On the other hand, Zhu Yanchen returned to his normal state and took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

“What’s this?” Shu Jun unfolded it and saw it filled with codes and names.

“It’s my summary from yesterday. I noted down players who have a calm personality, are less easily provoked, and have some command authority,” Zhu Yanchen said in a deep voice. “You can make use of this for today’s operation.”

Shu Jun had a good idea in his mind, but Zhu Yanchen’s list was more comprehensive than his own as a player.

“…How do you even know all of this?”

“I remember each and every person. If you’re unsure, you can come and ask me.”

“No, I mean, just relying on combat…” I can’t see any of this intelligence.

“I worked with Dr. Ai and created a device that can invade the player system. Do you remember? Before the Reunion Festival started, you helped suppress a group of ‘goods’. They were synthetic humans that Dr. Ai rescued, and they used that device to connect to the player system… to continue living ‘over there’. At that time, time was limited, so she probably didn’t have time to explain.”

No, knowing Dr. Ai’s personality, she might not have wanted to explain at all. Shu Jun only saw a huge cargo box and a bunch of demands. She even got angry when the box was bumped, let alone opening it for him to see.

She allocated an area in the underground base as a clinic, and the door was tightly locked. Shu Jun himself couldn’t even enter, let alone the people who came to work in the settlement. Now thinking back, perhaps those synthetic humans and the device were all inside.

“You contacted me using that device?” Shu Jun understood. “No wonder you could simulate chat content in advance.”

“That device took many years to perfect before it could safely transmit information. Initially, when it was completed, I could only observe from the outside.” Zhu Yanchen nodded. “For this group of players, I watched as they joined their squad.”

“I see.” Shu Jun raised an eyebrow. “Did you happen to watch me more?”

Zhu Yanchen’s ears, visible outside the mask, turned slightly red. He solemnly admitted, “Yes.”

…When he couldn’t bear it any longer, he would indeed go and check on his friend on the other side. Although they were close yet far, seeing that person alive and well gave him the strength to continue.

“Anyway, you’ve been a great help.” Shu Jun didn’t tease him further when Zhu Yanchen fell into his thoughts. Instead, he carefully put away the paper. “Thanks a lot, Chief Strategist.”

He took a step closer and kissed Zhu Yanchen’s mask. The latter was shocked for a few seconds before catching up with him.

Y City.

“Why did you bring him back again?” Yi Ning’s assistant exclaimed. “Isn’t that the captain of Groundwater? Zhu Lao is now determined to exterminate the synthetic humans, yet you brought him into the city. It’s like walking into the firing line…”

“He’s useful.” Yi Ning flipped through the documents in his hand.

“But that’s not the kind of usefulness I’m talking about.” Yi Ning put down the documents and raised his eyes. “Since Luo Duan is so single-mindedly following me, I want to see what his motives are. He might be involved with the cloaked figure that appeared at that time.”

“But…”

“The purifiers in this area have doubled recently, and the erosion level in the water is low. His abilities have been weakened by more than half, and I can handle him.” Yi Ning started reading the documents again. “You all just act clueless and keep an eye on him. Be careful not to leak any information.”

“What if it’s fine?” The assistant was sweating nervously. “Hiding a synthetic human is going against orders.”

“If it’s fine, then I have to protect him even more,” Yi Ning said. “Groundwater is the second-ranked large-scale squad, and Luo Duan carries great prestige. Keeping him in my hands gives us negotiation leverage when the synthetic humans come knocking.”

He took a sip of tea, his expression turning cold. “With Zhu Sheng as a target in front, I don’t want to directly confront those synthetic humans.”

The young assistant’s expression suddenly became lively. “Marshal Yi, although I respect you, I will never betray humanity. Once the synthetic humans turn against us, they won’t hesitate just because we return a hostage. In the face of danger, we should stand united!”

After speaking, he was about to turn and leave, motivated by righteousness.

“Come back!” Yi Ning sighed helplessly, opened the display screen, and projected a map.

The assistant, seeing that Yi Ning didn’t reach for his gun, hesitantly moved back.

“This is Y City.” Yi Ning pointed to a small area on the map the size of an egg.

Scattered around Y City were dozens of settlements. Compared to the huge Y City, the settlements were as small as peas, with the largest being no bigger than peanuts. Further out were military strongholds the size of rice grains.

“Y City is one of the achievements of humanity over the past 200 years. If I remember correctly, it’s a fusion of six cities.” Yi Ning casually pointed to a corner of the map. “See those small cities? They’re Y-1, Y-2. There are even more further away. During the process of merging cities, some abandoned areas are left behind, as well as citizens with limited capabilities. They gradually form settlements. Job opportunities are limited, and those people can’t survive in the city, so they can only live in areas with less erosion… For the slowly forming city, they are the ‘residue’.”

“I remember all of this.” The assistant nodded obediently, and his earlier enthusiasm faded away. He usually didn’t participate in tactical discussions, but he had some vague impressions of these things.

“The synthetic humans want to destroy humanity, so they must start with Y City. If they destroy the brain of Y City, the still-forming small cities will collapse on their own. Thirty thousand people aren’t a small number, but the population of Y City is in the tens of millions. They can’t swallow it all at once. Zhu Sheng’s plan is obvious; he will definitely mobilize the surrounding settlements as the first line of defense—to exhaust the synthetic humans in the first wave, giving Y City more time to prepare and minimize the losses.”

The assistant was also promoted by Yi Ning from a settlement, and upon hearing this, he fell silent.

“With things having reached this point, these synthetic humans must be dealt with. I understand that.”

Yi Ning lowered his voice. “There are many ways to handle them. For example, let them return to the strongholds as usual and give them euthanasia while in sleep. Or divide them and offer surrender. There will always be people willing to accept reality rather than perish… Zhu Sheng, on the other hand, will choose the most extreme method. Yes, his approach is the ‘safest’, but the settlements will inevitably be sacrificed.”

“I understand. Now that the synthetic humans have escaped, they definitely won’t go to the strongholds. Are you… using Luo Duan to pretend to surrender a portion of them?” the assistant asked.

“Yes, Zhu Sheng has his own way, and I have mine.”

“I’m sorry, I acted impulsively earlier…”

“It’s alright.”

Neither of them noticed a weak black thread crawling through the cracks in the wall, winding through the pipes, and returning to Luo Duan outside the several rooms.

Although the purifiers had weakened the erosion in his body, he still retained his adept eavesdropping abilities.

…To some extent, Luo Duan and Yi Ning had an understanding. Luo Duan’s mouth curled into a smile as he rubbed the erosion thread in his hand.

Yi Ning didn’t disappoint him, after all.

The author has something to say:

Actually, if Shu Ge hadn’t met Marshal Zhu, he would have undoubtedly become the boss who would destroy the world. Come to think of it, Marshal Zhu created a route that was like time travel with his own strength (?

Shu Ge also abducted the most powerful talent in the human camp early…