Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Tang Xun'an took Lu Yan's finger into his mouth.

Lu Yan didn't keep pets, but he was surprisingly popular with strays. Whenever he passed the large flower bed outside the hospital, three or four cats would inevitably wind themselves around his legs.

In a small act of imitation, Lu Yan would sometimes try scratching a stray kitten under the chin or petting its head.

The little creature would always roll over, belly up, in delight. Some would even nuzzle and lick his fingers with affectionate little laps.

A cat's tongue was rough with tiny barbs.

Lu Yan hadn't expected Tang Xun'an's mouth to feel the same. The sensation sent a ticklish shiver straight to his fingertips.

A focus returned to Tang Xun'an's golden eyes.

An aura of Time spread from him. The vines binding him withered instantly, crumbling into dusty ash.

Even a being as dull-witted as the Great Banyan sensed that something was terribly wrong.

"You are a believer! How can this be?" Its voice trembled with shock. "You bear the Holy One's Mark!"

Lu Yan offered a shrug. "To be honest, our Holy One has long desired to be king of all pollutants. But this world has too many high-level ones, hindering his plans. So, my Lord entered into a cooperation with humanity, signed a Peaceful Coexistence Accord—you're merely the first step in eliminating his rivals."

The Great Banyan's fury was absolute. "He learned betrayal from those ugly humans!"

A massive branch, thick as a beam, whipped toward Lu Yan.

It never reached him. A flash of blade-light severed it mid-air.

Sap the color of blood sprayed from the clean-cut stump.

Tang Xun'an unfurled his draconic wings, placing himself squarely between Lu Yan and the tree. "Get back. Find cover. But stay where I can see you."

This place was still too dangerous for Lu Yan. Remaining in the open meant becoming collateral damage.

The Holy One's Mark had lost its effect, but straying too far risked attracting other predators.

……

……

The P-City Pollution Disease Control Center finally received the long-awaited distress signals.

The backlog from just two days was staggering, enough to chill the heart. Many were sent by the training assistants.

The two A-Class Awakened stationed in P-City sprang into action, entering the botanical gardens to assist in evacuating trainees. Countless pollutants had escaped their enclosures. With contamination values hovering around three or four thousand, they weren't individually powerful, but their sheer numbers made them a relentless nuisance.

The hiding spot Lu Yan chose for himself was a small pond.

His scanner showed it was clear of pollutants. The pond was just the right size—he could even swim a few strokes if he wanted.

Water flowed in through the gill slits near his ears and out again. Breathing here felt no different from breathing air.

And natural water tasted far better than the treated stuff from headquarters.

At the system's insistent urging, Lu Yan poked half his head above the surface to watch the distant battle.

[Look at how others fight. Then look at yourself.]

Tang Xun'an's combat style resembled something from a CG film brimming with violent artistry.

The Great Banyan was massive, its life force tenacious.

Hundreds, then thousands of blackened roots erupted from the soil around it, each tipped with a venomous, needle-sharp thorn.

It refused to believe this human, with a lesion rate of 97%, could continue using his talent so recklessly!

But Tang Xun'an did.

Branch after branch was shorn away. A carpet of green leaves fell, withering into yellow mud within half a minute.

The banyan roared, "You leave me no choice!"

Its root system ran deeper than anyone imagined, stretching beneath nearly all of P-City.

It hadn't wanted to use this final weapon. When it was just a tree, even though bothersome humans sometimes carved into its bark, the garden staff would water it and chase away pests. It had been fond of them.

But Tang Xun'an's blade was death itself. The power of Time clinging to each strike steadily drained its vitality.

It had gained wisdom and life. It did not want to die.

The entire city of P shook as if seized by an earthquake.

In the middle of streets, stubborn roots heaved upward, shattering asphalt. They moved with purpose, snatching the nearest pedestrian.

[Talent - Life Extraction]

The ordinary person was swiftly assimilated, becoming part of the tree like a dried piece of bark fused to the trunk.

"What… what is this?!"

Screams tore through the air as people fled in panic.

The earth cracked. Buildings crumbled. Cars collided. The city drowned in a chorus of cries.

A researcher standing atop a high-rise watched it all, his eyes suddenly vacant. "Professor… is this the future we hoped for?"

He stepped off the ledge.

……

……

The aura of the dying Great Banyan suddenly swelled, growing stronger.

Tang Xun'an could guess what had happened. His expression turned grim.

"You deserve death."

A translucent, yellowish flame ignited along the edge of his blade.

This was the added power of the dragon bone—Dragon's Breath.

It was an ability Tang Xun'an hadn't used in a very long time.

The last time he'd unleashed it, the violent aftereffects had consumed him.

It remained a nightmare he was unwilling to revisit.

The blade fell upon the main trunk. The impact released a metallic shriek, as if hewing solid steel.

A section of the trunk simply vaporized under the intense heat.

Tang Xun'an did not strike again. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. With a trembling hand, he retrieved a sedative from his uniform's inner lining and lit a cigarette.

The Great Banyan vomited a torrent of crimson sap. Its wooden face contorted grotesquely as it howled at the sky, "Holy One! You treacherous pollutant! To turn your coat and side with humans! My spores will carry this news on the wind to every corner of the world!"

With a final, ground-shaking crash, the Great Banyan fell.

Every mushroom within the botanical gardens simultaneously released its spores in an explosive burst. The concentration was so dense, for a moment, it seemed to rain white.

The wind picked up, carrying the tiny particles toward rivers and mountains.

After this final outburst, every mushroom in the garden withered instantly, devoid of all life.

Far away, slumbering in his divine kingdom, the Holy One sneezed inexplicably in his dream.

The sound of helicopter rotors thrummed in the sky above.

Tang Xun'an's vision was washed in red. A human-shaped silhouette wavered into view, walking toward him.

He could smell it was Lu Yan. The last person he wanted to see right now.

He raised his blade horizontally between them, a low growl ripping from his throat. "Don't come closer."

Please.

*

The operation and final exercise proved more devastating than anyone anticipated.

29 trainees dead. 11 critically injured. 3 assistants dead. 1 senior researcher lost to suicide.

In P-City, over 700 dead, 1300 wounded.

Experimental Subject 07 was missing.

Clearly, something had gone terribly, inexplicably wrong in the process.

Headquarters was furious. That very day, Gong Weibin, the current director of the First Research Institute, was "invited for tea" at the bureau.

The investigation continued.

After returning to his academy dorm, Lu Yan didn't see Tang Xun'an again. The man was likely buried in after-action reports.

Lu Yan's final tally came to 53.7 trainee points. Converted to contribution points, that was fifty-three thousand and seven hundred.

Overnight wealth didn't even begin to cover it.

Fearing the reminder would be too painful, headquarters scrapped the graduation ceremony. A memorial service was held instead.

On Saturday afternoon, Lu Yan wheeled his suitcase out, ready to return to his hometown in K-City.

Zhou Qiming had mentioned he was in A-City and could give him a ride.

As Lu Yan waited, the long-absent Instructor Tang stepped out of another vehicle.

It was early July, the heat oppressive, yet he still wore his immaculate black uniform. Even the silver cross on his inner tie lay perfectly straight.

He walked over to Lu Yan. "Heading back to K-City?"

Lu Yan nodded. "Mhm."

Getting an A-City residency permit was notoriously difficult, after all.

He still had to go to S-City to buy that school district apartment for Director Hu's grandson.

An awkward silence settled between them.

Over a week apart had doused any fleeting heat with cold reality.

Lu Yan admitted to himself he'd entertained certain… thoughts about Tang Xun'an. But those were about the version who would grumble softly, who would obediently raise his tail, who would nuzzle into his arms.

Not this man standing meters away, radiating an impenetrable distance.

And this Tang Xun'an would likely never again, like he had at nineteen, wrap his tail around him or bury his face against his chest.

Lu Yan suddenly asked, "Did the things in the dream really happen?"

Tang Xun'an's gaze dropped. His voice was low. "They happened. But in reality, you weren't there."

The agonizing pain after the transplant surgery, the terror of being treated as a monster—in the real world, he had endured it all alone.

"What happened to Professor Qiao in the end?"

"His lover saved him. And in the final moment, it was Professor Qiao who protected me."

Otherwise, he might have been voted out of existence.

Tang Xun'an held nothing back.

Lu Yan considered this, then said, "I'll keep it secret."

"I…"

Tang Xun'an started to say something more, but a loud, insistent honk erupted from the roadside.

Lu Yan turned. Zhou Qiming was behind the wheel of a garish pink convertible, leaning on the horn.

"Yanyan! I'm here to pick you up!"

With a flourish, Zhou Qiming unfurled a large banner with red background and white characters.

— [CONGRATULATIONS TO MY HUSBAND LU YAN ON GRADUATING WITH TOP SCORES!]

Behind him, the detective and Chen Shier simultaneously set off party poppers, filling the air with a sudden, festive shower of confetti.

Lu Yan: "…"

System: [Pfft. Well then. It seems your first crush is ending before it even began.]

Tang Xian'an's face, usually so impassive, now held a flicker of stunned disbelief.

He looked at Lu Yan, searching for an answer. Lu Yan just turned his head away, avoiding his gaze.

Tang Xian'an wasn't stupid. He already knew.

His hand tightened around the hilt of his blade, his lips pressing into a thin line. "…I have work. I won't see you off."

He didn't wait for a reply. He turned and walked away.

His steps were uncharacteristically hurried. Like a retreat.

System: [It's a movie for three but I can never have a name~~~~]

"Shut up," Lu Yan muttered, a flare of irritation in his voice.

After all, what happened in the dream was fake.

[The dream was fake, but the feelings were real.] The system sighed. [I heard dragons have two of those things. Don't you even want to try?]

"Not at all, thanks." Lu Yan's reply was flat. "And they don't. That's just a rumor."

The system's tone shifted to one of pure shock. [How do you know that better than I do?!]

Lu Yan ignored it and walked over to Zhou Qimeng. "What is this about?" He pointed at the word 'Husband' on the banner.

"Where I'm from," Zhou Qimeng declared without a hint of shame, "sisters all call each other 'husband'! What, you want me to call you 'wife'? I could do that too."

Lu Yan: "…"

He felt a strong urge to hit something.

"Got a problem with it?"

Lu Yan: "…No."

Zhou Qimeng, playing the gentleman, opened the car door with a flourish. "Come on, big brother's taking you out for a feast! By the way, who were you talking to just now? Looked tall and handsome."

As he spoke, Zhou Qimeng's eyes instinctively drifted upward, above Lu Yan's head.

Thanks to his Virtual World talent, everyone in his vision came with a title floating over them, visible once he got close enough.

A second later, he yanked off his sunglasses, unable to stop himself. "Holy shit! What the hell did you do during this training?!"

A person's title could change, but usually, they only had one.

Lu Yan now had two. And one of them was the rarest gold-tier!

[Dragon Tamer]

[Cult Buster (Novice)]

The last time Zhou Qimeng had seen a gold title was back at the main headquarters in City A, when he'd brushed past Tang Xian'an.

He thought back.

If he remembered right, Tang Xian'an's title had been… [Dragon of Despair]??*