CH 20

Chapter 20

Two more days passed, and Qin Jiulin felt that he was completely fine. He had no discomfort no matter how he moved. In that case…

His gaze fell on Liu Zhongyuan, who was lying on the sofa, playing with his fingers out of boredom. Liu Zhongyuan slightly paused, then looked at Qin Jiulin with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?”

Qin Jiulin’s lips curled up. “I’m almost fully recovered.”

The meaning behind his words was clear: Once I’m better, you can leave.

Liu Zhongyuan’s expression immediately became incredulous. “Jiulin, are you just going to use me and then discard me? Or is it because my cooking isn’t good enough? You want to chase me away?”

Qin Jiulin looked at his serious yet shameless appearance, veins popping on his forehead. He lowered his voice and smiled. “Then why do you want to stay?”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Well, I have nowhere else to go, and you’re alone. Why don’t we team up? This way, we can survive better together. You’re satisfied with my cooking, right?”

Qin Jiulin thought about the dishes Liu Zhongyuan made and nodded slightly. “Indeed, your cooking is good.”

Liu Zhongyuan continued to make his case. “I also keep the house clean, don’t I?”

Qin Jiulin looked at their tidy and clean home and nodded again. “Indeed, you’re a good cleaner.”

Liu Zhongyuan added, “I’m also strong. If we team up, I won’t be a burden to you!”

Qin Jiulin felt that if they teamed up, he might be the one slowing them down. But why did this person want to stay so badly?

Liu Zhongyuan couldn’t possibly have memories from their past lives, and his liking for himself was also from their past life. Could it be love at first sight?

Both of them had been reborn once, and the first time they met… It should have been the morning he came over, right? Could it be love at first sight?

No, wait. Qin Jiulin suddenly remembered that their first encounter seemed to have been that night in the forest, when he was nearly strangled by Liu Zhongyuan and had to transform into human form in an emergency.

Could it have been love at first sight back then?

Qin Jiulin’s eyes had a strange expression as he looked at Liu Zhongyuan. Was he joking? That day, he… He transformed into human form out of necessity, but it couldn’t possibly be at that moment…

He wasn’t wearing any clothes back then. Love at first sight when he was naked? Could this person have a serious illness? It seems that Qin Jiulin’s understanding of this person from their past life was a bit one-sided.

Liu Zhongyuan felt that Qin Jiulin’s gaze was off. “Um… What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with me?”

Qin Jiulin took a deep breath. “We had no interaction before, and we only met for the first time a few days ago. But you seem familiar with me.”

Liu Zhongyuan smiled and said, “Indeed, we didn’t have any interaction before, but… we are both variant beastment. Perhaps there is an inexplicable attraction between us?”

Qin Jiulin tilted his head, full of question marks. What kind of logic was this?

Liu Zhongyuan explained, “The reasoning is simple. Strong individuals are usually attracted to other strong individuals.”

Qin Jiulin was speechless. Was this person confessing so soon in this life?

“I can’t defeat you,” Qin Jiulin said.

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “That’s not important. What matters is that you are strong, and I am strong too. We are both beastmen. That’s enough.”

Qin Jiulin asked, “So you mean we should join forces?”

Liu Zhongyuan nodded. “Yes, I received information earlier. It will take some time for the military to consolidate internally. Once they’re done, they will come to the city first to restore order.”

Qin Jiulin interrupted, “Wait, where did you get this information? Is communication still possible now?”

Liu Zhongyuan explained, “I encountered some military personnel in the city before. They knew I was a variant beastman and wanted to recruit me. But it was chaotic at that time, and one of them gave me a communication device before leaving. However, the communication is unreliable, so the information I have might not be accurate.”

Qin Jiulin asked, “So you’re saying the military is not in the city right now?”

Liu Zhongyuan shook his head. “They’re not.”

Qin Jiulin didn’t want to inquire about the reasons or know why. After all, everyone had their own difficulties. The military’s half-beastmen were even more difficult to deal with, stronger and more ferocious. This was beyond doubt.

“So, if we form a team now, are we going to join the military later?”

Qin Jiulin didn’t really want to join the military. Joining the military meant responsibility and burdens, as well as countless missions. What he disliked the most was the hierarchical relationships within the military.

It was not that he thought it was a bad thing, but he disliked being constantly ordered around during combat, being told what to do and what not to do, where to go and where not to go.

Especially in his past life, when he lived in, his status as a variant beastman received preferential treatment, so he knew a lot of information that others didn’t.

For example, there were some brainless fools among the higher-ups in the military, with little actual strength. They didn’t understand anything but loved to give orders, completely disregarding the difficulty and casualties involved.

As long as they issued orders, if there were high casualties, it meant the people they sent were too weak. If the mission failed, it meant they were trash. Only when the mission succeeded were they considered competent commanders.

Of course, not everyone in the military was like that. Such individuals were a minority. But he still didn’t want to join the military. Being a free variant beastman was what he desired the most.

Qin Jiulin asked, “Did you join the military?”

Liu Zhongyuan shook his head. “No, why would I join the military? I definitely wouldn’t be willing. If it were another military, maybe, but definitely not the one in the city.”

Qin Jiulin questioned, “Oh? What do you mean?”

Liu Zhongyuan smiled and remained silent, just staring at him intently.

Qin Jiulin raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Alright, let’s temporarily form a team. But if you do something I can’t accept in the future, don’t make me ask. You’ll have to leave on your own.”

Liu Zhongyuan clapped his hands. “No problem!”

Qin Jiulin asked, “So, why can’t we join the military in the Demon City?”

Liu Zhongyuan spoke in a hushed tone, as if someone might overhear.

“The Marshal of the military near the Demon City is someone who unconditionally protects his family. He may have been somewhat restrained in the past, but now…”

He didn’t say it too explicitly, but Qin Jiulin immediately recalled it. He hadn’t experienced that situation in his past life, so he wasn’t clear about it.

However, not being clear about something doesn’t mean he didn’t know related information. It’s just that if it didn’t concern him, he couldn’t be bothered to remember. But now, with Liu Zhongyuan’s reminder, he finally recalled it.

In his past life, the Marshal who controlled the military in the Demon City did seem to be very biased and favored his own son. However, his son was just an ordinary person, and those below him questioned his suitability for the high position.

In the end, those who questioned him…

At first, nothing happened to them, but as time went on, one after another, they disappeared. It wasn’t that they vanished or went missing, but they died during missions.

There was no evidence whatsoever to prove that someone had tampered with them. After all, their comrades witnessed their deaths during missions. Qin Jiulin had only casually heard others mention it, and he wasn’t sure if someone really had done something.

Qin Jiulin said, “But no matter what, beastmen are important. Even if there is favoritism, they can’t scheme against beastmen to death, right?”

Liu Zhongyuan blinked. “I don’t know about that… I’ve only heard about it.”

Qin Jiulin said, “Never mind, let’s forget about it. We won’t join when the time comes. We’ll just choose and undertake missions directly from the military, ensuring there are no mistakes.”

Liu Zhongyuan grinned. “Don’t worry, the military hasn’t even finished its internal integration. They don’t have the time to come looking for us.”

Qin Jiulin asked, “How long will that take? A month?”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Maybe a month, maybe two months. Who knows?”

Qin Jiulin said, “In a month, they might be able to rescue many people. But if it’s two months or even longer, there won’t be many survivors left.”

After all, beastmen are very sensitive to the scent of living beings. When they are hungry, they may attack their own kind or even animals nearby.

When the city is filled with the strong smell of blood, it becomes a stimulus for beastmen. They may go crazy not only when they are hungry but also when they are full, looking for prey to fight against.

Liu Zhongyuan asked, “What are you thinking?”

Qin Jiulin shook his head. “Nothing, I’m just saying that for now, we just need to wait, right?”

Liu Zhongyuan nodded. “Yes, the military also has beastmen, and they are powerful.”

Qin Jiulin said, “That’s good.”

Liu Zhongyuan asked, “By the way, are you hungry? Since you’re feeling better, shall we go out together to find some prey?”

Qin Jiulin looked at the darkening sky outside, realizing that it was almost evening. It seemed that in another half an hour, it would be dark. Liu Zhongyuan had timed it well.

“Sure, let’s go out for a walk.”

Liu Zhongyuan started undressing, and Qin Jiulin raised an eyebrow. He silently turned his gaze away when he saw Liu Zhongyuan undressing, leaving only… When Liu Zhongyuan’s hand reached…

Qin Jiulin averted his eyes without a word. Although it was a bit embarrassing to look, he couldn’t help but admit that Liu Zhongyuan had a really good physique!

Qin Jiulin himself was 1.8 meters tall, and this Liu Zhongyuan was about half a head taller than him, at least 1.9 meters! It was truly enviable.

After Liu Zhongyuan finished undressing, he stared at Qin Jiulin’s back while he wasn’t looking. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Qin Jiulin casually replied, and only when he heard the sound of the door opening did he relax. He then took off his own clothes and casually threw them on the sofa in the living room.

By the time he went outside, there was no one to be seen, only a huge snake coiled up in the courtyard. Every time Qin Jiulin saw the giant snake that Liu Zhongyuan transformed into, he couldn’t help but feel amazed. It was like a cheat given by the heavens—truly unfair advantage.

Little did he know that in the eyes of others, he himself was also on the side of unfair advantage.

Liu Zhongyuan watched as Qin Jiulin gradually transformed into a black and red striped giant tiger. The snake stuck out his tongue and made two hissing sounds, indicating that they could go.