MCL CH105

Chapter 105: “There’s something wrong with your body, isn’t there…”
 

“Still going to the Yan residence?” the driver asked.

“Mhm, going home.”

As Lin Xi answered, Yan Xingzhou, who had just arrived at the car door, glanced at him and then got in as well.

The vehicle sped along. On the road, intermittent convoys could be seen heading towards the seaside. Other than that, because the personnel in the urban area had all been evacuated, even the once prosperous and bustling city center had fallen into desolation.

Although N City was only a second-tier coastal city, no one would have thought just a short time ago that it would become so deserted in such a brief period.

No one in the car spoke. The driver, frequently glancing at the expressions of the two in the back through the rearview mirror, tactfully remained silent.

The car stopped at the gate of the Yan residence. As Lin Xi got out, he noticed the person behind him following his every step. He didn’t turn back until he had skillfully opened the door with the fingerprint lock. As the footsteps behind him approached, he spun around, yanked the person forward, and the surrounding light dimmed as the door closed again.

Lips and teeth intertwined.

In the dim corner, two figures pressed against each other. In a flash, only heavy breathing remained.

“Home?” In the gap between deep kisses, Yan Xingzhou’s low, hoarse voice carried a slight nasal tone. “You already consider this your home?”

“You know I’ve never been a stranger with you.” Lin Xi responded with a smile, his restless fingers on Yan Xingzhou’s face tightening slightly. “But you, I really didn’t expect this, great President Yan. To one day personally experience you doing something like leaving right after putting on your pants. So, how about this? I have one thing that’s not quite suitable for discussion right now, and one thing that’s very suitable. Why don’t you choose which one to talk about first?”

“…”

Yan Xingzhou was pinned in the dim corner by Lin Xi, his specific expression unclear. But pressed so close, he could feel his body tense for a moment. This subtle change was enough for Lin Xi to sense that, regarding the so-called “two things,” the man clearly didn’t want to talk about either.

In response, Lin Xi seemed very patient. After a few seconds of silence, he finally heard Yan Xingzhou speak, correcting him, “Those two seem to be the same thing.”

“I’m glad you’re always so self-aware when necessary, President Yan.” Lin Xi casually grabbed Yan Xingzhou’s tie and, holding it, strode towards the stairs. “The equipment delivered today was indeed very timely, perfectly solving the urgent problem at hand. However, the request for aid I sent out previously was to the Central Research Institute, but it was the Wanyuan Group that ended up delivering the equipment. It’s somewhat surprising. After all, a certain someone stopped me, afraid of getting involved with that Central Research Institute, only to turn around and secretly make a connection himself. It makes me very curious about what happened that could make you two ‘bury the hatchet’?”

Yan Xingzhou allowed Lin Xi to lead him upstairs, his gaze fixed on the back in front of him. “I gave the crystal core fragment to Shen Nanyang.”

[What—!?]

The voice that almost shot through the sky in his mind pierced his skull. Lin Xi, who had just stepped into the room, also stopped dead in his tracks at this seemingly unrelated reply.

He turned to look steadily at Yan Xingzhou. A constantly shifting light flashed in his eyes before he finally asked in a steady tone, “So, what was his condition for you to trade this crystal core fragment?”

[Hey, is that the point?!!]

[No matter what condition he gave, it was those people who tried every means to get my crystal core back then. How could you just hand it over so easily!]

[Who knows what those people want my crystal core for? Shouldn’t this be held as a trump card?]

[I specia—mmph, mmph mmph, damn you… Lin, Lin Xi, you only know how to bully… me…]

Too noisy.

Having successfully restored peace in his mind, Lin Xi looked up to meet Yan Xingzhou’s gaze.

Calamity had always wanted to regain its former power and had been coveting the crystal core fragment for more than a day or two. Although its current outburst was purely out of selfish motives, some of what it said was true. Shen Nanyang had gone to great lengths to arrange that siege back then to collect Calamity’s crystal core, obviously for some purpose. It was just that they still didn’t know what that specific purpose was.

For Yan Xingzhou to hand over the crystal core fragment now was undoubtedly a very risky and aggressive move. But this person always had his own intentions for everything he did, so at this moment, Lin Xi was focused on something else.

Yan Xingzhou clearly hadn’t expected this to be Lin Xi’s first question. “…That doesn’t seem to be the point.”

“No, for me, this is the thing I’m most curious about right now.” Lin Xi let out a laugh of unknown meaning. “After all, I really want to know what kind of condition could allow you to logically hand the crystal core fragment over to Professor Shen, without arousing any suspicion from him?”

Yan Xingzhou frowned slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly sensed a dense wave of contamination radiation rushing towards him. In an instant, a tangible and tight barrier sealed every corner of the room, tightly enclosing the two of them. “Do you know what you’re doing? N City is full of radiation monitoring equipment right now. Are you that certain you won’t be discovered?”

“With you here, I’m especially certain. And even if it is detected, the contamination radiation in N City has already exceeded the standard. This level alone won’t attract too much attention.” The color of Lin Xi’s mismatched pupils gradually deepened along with the contamination radiation he released. His non-human, vertical pupils narrowed slightly. “Compared to that, isn’t your problem even bigger? Haven’t you noticed? Your supernatural energy fluctuations are already in disarray.”

Yan Xingzhou: “…”

Lin Xi’s hand had already slowly rested on Yan Xingzhou’s shoulder, stroking its way up. “It seems you really thought you were hiding it well. But even if it’s controlled to be very faint, the energy fluctuations are still there. The current radiation level in N City doesn’t even cause much interference for ordinary supernatural users, yet the great President Yan is actually affected. It’s hard not to be curious. It seems I wasn’t overthinking it. I only strengthened the contamination radiation a little bit, and it’s already made your own energy difficult to control.”

“…I admit that when facing you, I’ve never had much self-control.” Yan Xingzhou paused for a few seconds with an unreadable expression before speaking again, clearly trying to regulate his breathing. He tried to grab Lin Xi’s hand but was dodged by the latter. The next moment, the buttons of his collar were slowly undone one by one, and he silently lowered his gaze. “As for the contamination radiation in N City, I felt it on my way here. Even if it’s not very strong yet, it’s a very dangerous thing for supernatural users to be in such an environment for a long time. If even supernatural users are like this, let alone ordinary people, if this situation can’t be dealt with, the entire environment will no longer be suitable for human survival. In that case…”

His words were cut short as his tie was loosened. He felt the softness covering his lips. Following Lin Xi’s forward momentum, he took a few steps back, and in a moment, they both tumbled onto the bed.

The surrounding contamination radiation had unknowingly grown even denser. By this time, Yan Xingzhou could also clearly feel the clamoring energy fluctuations within his body, as if being pulled by an invisible hand, ready to burst out at any moment.

His slightly chaotic breathing made him swallow the rest of his words. His muscles tensed at the sensation transmitted by their close contact. Finally, he squeezed out two words through his teeth, “…Lin, Xi?”

“Mhm, I’m listening.” Lin Xi didn’t look up, maliciously enjoying Yan Xingzhou’s struggle for self-control, as if it were a punishment. “Keep changing the subject. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you try so hard. Go on. Next, you can steer our conversation towards the Ark Project that I vetoed but was brought back up. Anyway, just say whatever you want to say. I have plenty of patience to wait for you to finish before we slowly discuss it.”

There was almost no emotion in his tone. If it weren’t for the continuously rising concentration of contamination radiation, it would have been just like the idle chatter of their usual meetings.

Yan Xingzhou swallowed the low groan that had risen to his throat and finally, slowly, closed his eyes. “I’m done talking.”

Lin Xi’s movements paused for a moment at those words.

A long silence fell around them, leaving only their intertwined, shallow breaths and heartbeats.

Feeling the warmth of the other’s body through their clothes, Lin Xi spoke slowly, “There’s something wrong with your body, isn’t there?”

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