MCL CH7

Chapter 7: “Have we met before?…”

The current scene was undoubtedly a severe test of one’s cardiac fortitude.

It must be known that since Yan Xingzhou had entered the quarantine zone, not only had he not allowed a single speck of contaminant blood to touch his clothes, but his shoe soles were probably much cleaner than the action team’s uniforms, a testament to his severe mysophobia.

And now, because the others hadn’t reacted in time, the viscous liquid of unknown origin from this survivor had clearly stained Yan Xingzhou’s body. Although the sight of the two of them in the same frame was undoubtedly pleasing to the eye, it still made people extremely worried that in the next second, Yan Xingzhou would unceremoniously toss the person out of his arms.

Qi Xian, terrified that the survivor they had finally found would die not in the bloody maw of a contaminant but at the hands of their own people, spoke up and then waited nervously for Yan Xingzhou’s reaction. On the surface, he forced himself to remain calm, but in reality, a layer of frost had secretly condensed under his feet from the gathered force, just waiting for the moment Yan Xingzhou made a move so he could find the trajectory of the parabola and accurately catch the person.

[It’s him! I never thought your reunion would be so dramatic!]

In the silent scene, all eyes were fixed on the two of them. Only the voice in his head was stirring up trouble: [But don’t you worry. In your current state, he won’t recognize you.]

“…”

Lin Xi remained motionless, feigning weakness as he clung to the sleeve, clearly also pondering how to handle this disastrous scene. Hearing this, he asked in his mind, “Are you sure?”

[Of course, I’m sure.]

[After all, you’re already dead, hee hee.]

That’s good, then.

The weakly lowered eyelids slowly lifted. Everyone watched as the survivor, half-leaning on Yan Xingzhou, slowly swayed, then followed the direction of the voice from earlier and found Qi Xian’s position, as if seeing a glimmer of hope. “Captain Qi, it’s you…”

Yan Xingzhou silently watched the person in his arms stumble and break free, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

His hands were half-open, clearly with no intention of stopping him.

The sleeve that had just been tightly gripped was left with a messy wrinkle after being released. He glanced down at it, and was about to cooperatively take a step back when he happened to meet the other’s gaze as he stood up.

It was an unintentional glance, but his line of sight suddenly froze.

This survivor had been keeping his head down, preventing him from seeing his face. Now, at a glance, that pair of heterochromatic eyes, like a Persian cat’s, crashed into his field of vision without warning.

Such a pupil color, combined with a head of vibrant red hair, was obviously a bit too catchy for a human. And all this, in a state of weakness and covered in sweat, pushed the sense of brokenness to the extreme.

Red hair, heterochromatic eyes.

Although their appearances were worlds apart, in that instant, the image of that cold-faced, black-haired figure sealed deep in his memory flashed through his mind.

A subtle change flickered across Yan Xingzhou’s usually calm expression. The half-step he had been taking backward stopped in place.

His deep eyes glinted faintly. As the body pressed against him moved away, leaving a sudden emptiness in his arms, he suddenly reached out and, without a sound, pulled the person back.

Caught off guard, Lin Xi, who was just about to move away from this dangerous individual, was nonchalantly scooped back. “?”

The meaning of this action was far different from before.

After all, this time, it was Yan Xingzhou who had actively pulled the person into his arms.

This, this this this is…

Under the completely frozen air of the scene, the first reaction of the crowd was to wish they could poke out their own eyes on the spot to save themselves.

Qi Xian, who had just opened his arms ready to receive the wounded, was also petrified on the spot. “President Yan…?”

“The wounded is too severely injured, not suitable for excessive movement. The medical team is downstairs, right? I’ll just take him down myself.” Yan Xingzhou seemed completely oblivious to the crowd’s astonishment. He glanced at the person in his arms, and as he spoke, he had already taken off his jacket and draped it over Lin Xi.

Lin Xi: “…” Brother, what act are you putting on?

Yan Xingzhou clearly didn’t understand Lin Xi’s inner speechlessness.

He paid no mind to the blood staining his white shirt and, in front of everyone, scooped the person up by the waist. “Make way.”

Lin Xi: “…………”

“…”

The ability users of the action team and the security team, who were still blocking the corridor, were in a state of disarray in the wind. In an instant, with the most nimble movements of their lives, they lined up neatly on the side, making way. Each one of them stared at their noses, their noses at their hearts; no one dared to look at the back of the figure striding away.

It wasn’t until the footsteps gradually faded that everyone finally found their breath again.

They had still had some energy left after clearing out the contaminants along the way, but in just a short moment, their backs were all drenched in sweat.

They exchanged a look of lingering fear and all looked at Qi Xian. “Captain Qi, President Yan is…”

No one had ever seen Yan Xingzhou like this.

Not only did he take off his own jacket for someone else to use, he even personally took them downstairs, and more importantly—he carried them down!!!

“…”

The expression on Qi Xian’s face went through several complex changes. Finally, he said grimly, “Actually, objectively speaking, they do look quite compatible.”

The crowd on the scene: “Huh?”

On the way downstairs, Lin Xi kept his eyelids slightly lowered, weakly hanging onto Yan Xingzhou without much reaction.

This position was enough to press their bodies tightly together through the thin clothes. The sound of his heartbeat from his chest intertwined with the footsteps going downstairs. From this angle, a slight upward glance would catch the shadow of his chin. The man’s usually impeccably buttoned collar had been slightly opened in the chaos just now, faintly revealing a sexy collarbone.

He’s lost weight.

Lin Xi thought to himself, closed his eyes again, and confirmed with a certain unreliable contaminant, “He really won’t recognize me?”

[Although I have indeed made some misjudgments before, this time I am really, definitely, and positively sure!]

The voice in his mind swore a solemn oath: [On this point, I can bet the dignity of my King of Contaminants!]

After a thought, Lin Xi stated a fact: “But, you seem to have lost your dignity long ago.”

[…………]

Yan Xingzhou suddenly spoke, the slight vibration from his chest pulling Lin Xi’s attention back. “Awake?”

“…” Lin Xi’s eyes were tightly shut. After a few seconds of silence following those words, he first let out a breath as if in extreme discomfort, then spoke weakly, “Hah… yes.”

This movement made Yan Xingzhou look down again. “The medical team is waiting downstairs. When you get to the treatment area, they will give you the best treatment.”

Lin Xi: “Mm… thank you.”

Silence fell over them again.

Seeing the blasted-open entrance of the quarantine zone finally appear in his field of vision, Yan Xingzhou finally spoke, “I have a question.”

Lin Xi: “?”

Yan Xingzhou’s steps paused at the entrance. His voice, in the wind leaking in from outside, seemed to stretch out a bit. “Have we met before?”

As he asked this, he lowered his eyes slightly. The gaze that fell on Lin Xi’s face showed no emotion.

An out-of-the-blue sentence made Lin Xi’s closed eyelids move slightly.

He could, of course, feel Yan Xingzhou’s gaze. When he answered, his declarative tone was flat and calm. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, is that so,” Yan Xingzhou replied, his tone revealing not much emotion. After a subtle pause, he continued unhurriedly, “But just now, you seemed very surprised by my appearance.”

Lin Xi didn’t look at Yan Xingzhou’s expression, but even without looking, he could feel a dangerous aura that was enough to make one’s blood pressure drop.

However, this could not bring the slightest ripple to his heart.

The conversation with Yan Xingzhou just now was enough to put him at ease, because it was now certain—Yan Xingzhou had indeed not recognized him.

At least, there was no evidence to confirm it was him.

“I just thought the one who came to save me would be Captain Qi, so I was a little surprised.”

Lin Xi’s voice grew softer as he answered, as if he had quietly fallen asleep after being exhausted. “After all, when I was about to give up… I finally… escaped from death’s door…”

Yan Xingzhou wanted to say something more, but only heard the steady breathing of the person in his arms.

His gaze was fixed on that sleeping face. Under his undisguised, naked scrutiny, a faint ripple finally flashed.

The people outside noticed someone had come out and had already hurried over.

Ju Ze was in the lead. After seeing the scene before him, he was also stunned on the spot. His gaze was fixed on the figure in Yan Xingzhou’s arms, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly at the sight that completely broke his self-perception. “President, you are?”

By this time, the medical team had already arrived. Yan Xingzhou gently placed the person in his arms on the stretcher and watched as the group hurried onto the ambulance. It wasn’t until the vehicle’s rear view disappeared at the end of the road amidst the sirens that he withdrew his gaze. “Let’s go. The remaining matters in the quarantine zone can be left to Qi Xian to handle.”

After all, he had been through many storms with Yan Xingzhou. In a flash, Ju Ze had recovered his usual calm demeanor. He tactfully did not bring up the question from just now and directly changed the subject. “President, was there any gain from going in this time?”

Yan Xingzhou: “Perhaps.”

“Oh, actually it doesn’t matter if there was no gain. We can always wait for the next time—” Ju Ze habitually blurted out. After following him for a few more steps, he finally reacted. “Perhaps? President, was energy detected again?”

“Not sure.” Yan Xingzhou’s fingertips gently brushed over the black metal cube. “If it wasn’t an illusion, there was indeed a moment, but…”

Ju Ze: “But what?”

But, the source of this fluctuation didn’t seem to be the contaminant we thought it was.

Yan Xingzhou did not continue. He glanced at the end of the already sealed-off road, walked to the black sedan, opened the door, and got in. “Back to the Corporation.”

At the same time, in the ambulance that was speeding away, the medical staff were still busy due to the severe injuries of the wounded.

Lin Xi was originally pretending to be asleep. Now, lying on the bed and letting them treat his wounds, the voice in his mind sounded quite pleased: [See, this is the weight of the King of Contaminants’ dignity! I told you, with your current appearance, it’s impossible for him to recognize you!]

Lin Xi closed his eyes and chuckled lightly in his mind, “But he’s suspicious.”

He knew Yan Xingzhou too well. Every move that man had made just now was like an extremely dangerous signal, even if the point of suspicion wasn’t necessarily his identity.

[You call that kind of look suspicion?]

The voice, which had instantly risen, was filled with disbelief: [That scene just now was a classic hero-saves-the-damsel trope. With your Oscar-worthy acting that would make anyone’s heart ache with pity, the eye contact was full of affection, unable to stop, almost on the verge of explosive chemistry, having on-the-spot XX with that OO…]

After a long-winded speech, a certain contaminant finally ended his reverie: [Why are you silent? Shouldn’t you be scolding me for not using your human idioms correctly if I don’t know how?]

Lin Xi: “I’m thinking about something.”

[What is it?]

The wounds were treated, and the medical staff surrounding him also dispersed.

Lin Xi’s face was pale, his brow furrowed into a lock. “I’m thinking, Yan Xingzhou, why was he here?”

This man should have been at the United Administration headquarters, but just now, those people had called him “President Yan.”

In the three years since his death, what on earth had happened outside?

[Tch, what’s there to think about?]

Lin Xi was silent for a moment. “Indeed, it’s not like I’ll have anything to do with him for the time being anyway.”

As they spoke, the moving ambulance finally came to a stop.

Although his eyes were closed, Lin Xi could still feel the glaring light leaking in when the car door opened.

Have we arrived at another quarantine zone so quickly? That shouldn’t be right.

The stretcher was lifted again. Lin Xi was puzzled when he heard a medical staff member remind him as he got off the car, “We just received instructions from the captain. Be careful with the treatment later. We must cure him, otherwise our action team probably won’t be able to answer to President Yan.”

All the bustling stopped for a moment. Someone exclaimed in shock under the weight of the huge amount of information, “This is President Yan’s person?!”

Lin Xi, who had been pretending to be asleep, almost opened his eyes directly. “?”

What do you mean you can’t answer to him? When did he become Yan Xingzhou’s person???

The voice in his mind was full of schadenfreude: [Oh dear, oh dear, what are we going to do about this? It feels like you’ve already—got-ten in-vol-ved with that man!]

Lin Xi: “…………”

There’s no need to emphasize it to that extent.

Pro tip: no one will think you’re mute if you just shut up.