Chapter 105 - Domesticated Pet
translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
The lights in the laboratory were dim.
Wu Jin woke up all of a sudden, and a tube of physical recovery agent and a gla.s.s of water were pushed into his hands.
“Trust and subconscious rea.s.surance.” Researcher Song looked down at the report that had just been generated, “For Brother Wei, it’s a good sign that the detected fluctuations have fallen close to below the safety threshold.”
Wu Jin quickly swallowed down the recovery agent and breathed a sigh of relief.
Researcher Song looked at Wu Jin, “Bringing him out requires an opportunity.”
“Coming out of the subconscious requires an environment of extreme stress––provided that Brother Wei trusts you absolutely.”
A doc.u.ment was handed over to Wu Jin.
It was only a short 12 pages, but it detailed the layout of the R-Code Base, the personnel structure, and several important timelines. The materials showed a deep familiarity with the base and had clearly been compiled in a hurry, like a quick search through one’s memories––
Wu Jin subconsciously looked towards Mao Dongqing.
Mao Dongqing nodded slightly and thanked him solemnly, “A modest effort.”
A quarter of an hour later, Wu Jin entered the machine again.
Waiting for the high stress opportunity would take time, and before that, it was necessary to stabilize the youth’s trust in him, otherwise known as––becoming his pet.
The world flipped, and Wu Jin’s pupils shrank when it cleared up again.
He was standing in the open s.p.a.ce near the instructor’s residence at the R-Code Base, nearly half a hill away from the dormitory he’d been in last night. Thick black smog obscured his view.
He wasn’t by the big boss’s side.
Wu Jin froze, then pumped his legs to run back.
The noise of the electric current in his head crackled, and the communication channel with the outside world connected. Researcher Song inquired anxiously about his status, but the connection cut in and out. “Little Witch, do you see Brother Wei… The fluctuations in the readings just pulled away from the threshold again. Something’s wrong… You need to find Brother Wei…”
The pa.s.sage of time in the subconscious didn’t match up with reality. It had only been two hours in real life, but the time in the subconscious had shifted from midnight to noon. Wu Jin pa.s.sed through the black smog that choked the nose, covering his left rib from the pain of the sprint, his breath almost exploding in his chest all the way until he neared the dormitories––
The bedroom was empty, and the door was unlocked. The quilt that should have been meticulously folded was tossed about in disorder, and the cupboard had been left open.
The training clothing and pillows were in the same state.
It wasn’t like someone had broken in. It was more like the big boss had been searching for something obstinately.
From last night until now, there was only one thing that was missing.
Wu Jin felt like he’d entered an ice house.
He gritted his teeth and rushed out of the bedroom again. He quickly contacted Researcher Song, “Will the subconscious fill in the gaps for me?”
Researcher Song gave a very definite answer and suddenly seemed to realize something.
Wu Jin clenched his fists, “Brother Wei… he has no sense of security inside his own subconscious.”
He should have thought of it a long time ago, he should have known––the big boss from 10 years later slept in a bed equipped with enough guns to rival an armory. The origins of this psychological defense came from the R-Code Base.
No sense of security. Anything tucked into his quilt or in his arms could disappear at any time.
However, it was Wu Jin who’d disappeared this time.
Wu Jin hadn’t been kidnapped; he’d ‘walked off’ by himself, then appeared near the ‘more powerful’ instructor residences two kilometers away.
This was nothing less than a stabbing betrayal.
Wu Jin pursed his lips, his heart beating fiercely. He searched from one dorm to another, and countless strange, surprised, twisted, and crazy faces flashed by. Those who hadn’t been transformed pointed and whispered, and those who had been transformed were delirious and frothing at the mouth as they laughed at him.
At the edge of the training field, two 15 or 16 year old youths were excitedly comparing something. They noticed Wu Jin with a glance and tried to avoid him with their tails between their legs.
These two youths were part of the group that had fought with them yesterday. They’d been robbed of their weapons and vouchers by Wu Jin and Wei Shi and had starved all night, and now when they saw Wu Jin coming straight at them with his sleeves rolled up, revealing a knife without a word, they could feel a headache coming on directly.
Where had this fierce monster come from? He looked a full head shorter than them, and he didn’t give many threats––
Wu Jin hadn’t even started when one of them immediately shouted, “No, don’t! If you want to talk, let’s talk! … Who, who are you looking for? Wei Shi? He, he…. I heard that he was wandering around the iron gate from midnight until morning…”
Wu Jin’s eyelids twitched. The iron gate was where he’d appeared yesterday.
The youth hurriedly added, “k2026; Just now, the instructor came to ask about volunteers for further transformation, and Wei Shi directly signed up for the second transformationk2026;”
Wu Jin’s breath stalled, and the electric current buzzing in his ear seemed to stutter, “Where.”
“Building CL04…”
Wu Jin turned around and ran.
At the furthest point of his consciousness, Mao Dongqing, who was guiding him through the R-Code Base, blurted out, “That’s not right, it’s not time for Brother Wei’s second transformation yet––”
‘Genetic transformation’ was the thing that brought twisted glory to those in the R-Code Base, and it was the only way for the genetically modified to rise up in rank. Wu Jin’s eyes swept over the smoke-covered base, where victims fought and bullied each other with the goading of other victims. Each youth who chose to sign the transformation agreement was driven by different internal causes.
Some wanted to be superior to others, while others wanted to be able to fill their stomachs. Others wanted to be able to walk out of the base, while some wanted access to more difficult training. The big boss had applied for the second transformation ahead of time––
Wu Jin was incredibly upset, and he spoke in a m.u.f.fled voice, “He wants to become stronger faster.”
CL04 appeared in his field of vision. Wu Jin cut off the communication and took a deep breath before opening up the door. The smooth marble floor and light colored training grounds were one grade above yesterday’s rough training ground.
This was a training ground that only the teenagers who were about to undergo transformation could enter.
It was R-Code Base’s way of rewarding ‘spontaneous and heroic transformations’.
Wu Jin didn’t have the access chip and could only slide along the huge gla.s.s windows one by one, finally stopping at a place.
The shooting training room.
Wei Shi stood with his side facing him, his training clothing stripped down to his vest. Sweat slid along the youth’s slightly gaunt back, and he frowned as he held up an old hand gun.
He wasn’t holding the gun skillfully, and it was clearly a little funny––if he was on the Crosson Show now, even the number one F-level trainee from the compet.i.tion would probably laugh at the Wei Shi from this time. He was facing a small low-tech projection screen and trying to adjust his shooting posture.
Wu Jin splayed himself on the window and was almost completely fascinated by this youth.
After signing the transformation agreement, this was the first time that the base had allowed Wei Shi to hold a gun. He was obviously green and inexperienced, but every action dripped straight into Wu Jin’s heart.
Plop, plop.
An entire flattened Wu Jin stuck himself to the bright floor to ceiling gla.s.s, knocking hard at the window.
Wei Shi paused. It seemed that he couldn’t quite believe his eyes as he finally turned his face to sweep his gaze coldly in Wu Jin’s direction.
He then turned around indifferently and continued to fiddle with his gun, but the trajectory that had been closing in on the target once again fell out of alignment due to a slight shake in his arms.
The big boss was angry.
Wu Jin continued to bang on the window, using all his strength to mouth the words and gesture chaotically––Wei Shi! Wei, Wei Shi!
Wei Shi ignored him and even changed directions.
Wu Jin hurriedly and shamelessly pasted himself on another surface of the gla.s.s, apologizing pitifully through the gla.s.s.
Wei Shi was indignant and furious. His field of vision was distorted from the transformation, and the cold wind with the black fog had blown in from the middle of the night until early in the morning. He’d searched the entire base in the cold wind and stubbornly waited outside the iron gate until sunrise––
The youth coldly turned his head away.
The noon sun moved from one side of the sky to the other. Wu Jin had changed and pressed himself up against almost every part of the gla.s.s.
When Wei Shi retrieved his gun, he saw that the little shortie was still stuck to the window and had pitifully withered in the sun. It was just like a piece of b.u.t.terscotch candy that had been roasted, giving off a fragrant milk scent beneath the sun.
Seeing that the big boss’s training was over, Wu Jin cheered up and bounced up, finding the strength to peel himself off the gla.s.s. However, he was also worried that the big boss wouldn’t see him, so his little chubby hands raised up high and tried to form a heart.
Wei Shi finally opened the door to the training room.
Wu Jin dragged his smoking body behind him to try and catch up, his words a little sticky, “Wei Shi!”
When the big boss’s pace quickened, Wu Jin caught up again, “Wei, Wei Shi… I was wrong…”
The big boss looked back, but his gaze was cold.
Wu Jin was stupefied for two seconds and was almost unable to control his panic, but his short legs continued to keep up. Wei Shi didn’t say a word, so Wu Jin just followed behind him in a daze, going wherever he went.
He followed the big boss through the noisy training grounds, then went with him to trade for goods and materials, keeping watch to the side. The big boss went to the canteen for dinner––
In the R-Code Base, food and any supplies all needed to be traded for with vouchers. Wu Jin had stuffed all of his green cards back into the big boss’s drawers before he disappeared, and he couldn’t go sit at the tables without food. He could only silently go and find a corner to crouch in pitifully.
Wei Shi’s hand paused as it lifted up the chopsticks.
Wu Jin shrank into his corner again, the sharp intuition that small animals had instantly sounding out an alert––the big boss seemed to be even angrier than before.
Wu Jin subconsciously opened his eyes wide and hid himself in the shadows. He tried to show that he was smart, didn’t occupy s.p.a.ce, and didn’t eat… a whole series of harmless images, all in the hopes that the big boss would pick him up again.
Wei Shi ate very quickly. A few minutes later, the bowl was set down heavily on the table, and he turned around and left indifferently.
At the bottom corner of the plastic bowl was a splotch of green––
Wu Jin’s heart rate soared, and he s.n.a.t.c.hed up the green card with his hand.
R-Code Base materials exchange card, 1.
A standard meal.
Placed at this angle, only the Wu Jin who was growing mushrooms in the corner would be able to see it.
The small round face suddenly raised up, and Wu Jin couldn’t help giggling. He quickly put the green coupon away and rushed in the direction the big boss had disappeared in––
On the side of the canteen, at the edge of the woods, Wei Shi finally looked at him.
The big boss stood straight in the shade of a tree, but his young but heroic outline was clearly etched out in the light and shadows. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, and for a moment, Wu Jin almost thought that he was looking at the Wei Shi from 10 years later.
The light in his eyes was burning, and the angle of his thin lips was cold and hard.
Like a knife that had just been drawn out of its sheath.
Wu Jin obediently walked up to him and was just about to explain––
His shoulder was suddenly pressed down by a huge force, and his neck and collarbone were clamped down on by Wei Shi. Beneath the shadows, Wu Jin was caught off guard, yet his small curls still stupidly floated upwards until he reacted and realized that this wasn’t a kiss, but an interrogation.
The actions of the big boss were consistent with that of 10 years later. He was quick, accurate, and cruel, but the execution of his actions was far from the familiar maturity they would gain one day.
Wei Shi’s expression was tense, and he spoke in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “Who exactly are you.”
Wu Jin was forced up against the cold tree trunk behind him. His neck was red, and his reasoning was rapidly draining away, “Zone B, Zone B for genetically modified…”
Zone B was for non-combat transformation. This was the reason that Mao Dongqing had given Wu Jin.
Wei Shi: “Where did you go last night.”
Wu Jin answered pitifully, “Back to Zone B to get my things, but the road was closed on the way back…”
The zones of the base weren’t connected together, and only occasionally would an instructor open up a path. This answer didn’t go against common sense. As for whether or not the road was actually closed––if Wei Shi was subconsciously willing to believe Wu Jin, then logic would kick in to automatically complete the excuse. If he didn’t trust him, then no excuse would work.
Wu Jin stared closely into the big boss’s eyes. The pupils that didn’t reflect light were brewing with a storm, all the way until his own figure could be seen inside.
Wei Shi was expressionless, “Why didn’t you tell me when you left.”
Wu Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The big boss had chosen to believe him.
Wu Jin whispered, “I was afraid to wake you up.”
The little shortie rubbed tentatively against the hand the youth was using to hold him down. It seemed as though his most vulnerable throat could be cut off with just a small amount of force. The little intimidating move he’d used was already enough to create delicate red marks, and the little shortie’s eyes were damp as he looked at him.
Not only was he short, he was also stupid.
Wei Shi’s gaze was deep, but he was also at a bit of a loss. He only remembered after a delay that he needed to maintain his aura and establish his authority in front of the little shortie.
The youth narrowed his eyes and stated, “Stand properly.”
Wu Jin stood up with a swish.
Wei Shi commanded, “I will only say it once. No hiding or running away in front of me. If I find out––” He flexed his fingers, and his knuckles cracked.
Wu Jin’s eyes widened. Wei Shi counted for a few seconds until confirming that the shortie had been frightened enough before saying coldly, “I will s.n.a.t.c.h you back.” He added fiercely, “You can’t run away. I have a gun.”
Wu Jin froze.
Wei Shi’s slightly childish eyebrows turned haughty again, but Wu Jin, who was familiar with the youth’s micro-expressions, could tell that he was nervous.
“Just now,” He started, “In the shooting range, you saw it. That gun is mine. You can’t run away.”
In the R-Code Base, nothing was more precious than a gun. Wu Jin’s eyelashes trembled slightly. The big boss must have spent a lot in order to obtain that gun.
Wei Shi saw him frown, and his heart tightened. Yet, he was also afraid to scare him off. Although the little shortie could fight in groups, he looked very timid. He pretended that he didn’t care and said, “For my part, I will deal with those who bully you. Hey, do you understand?”
n.o.body would want this kind of little fool. Only he would pay such a high price to domesticate him!
Wu Jin nodded, nodded, nodded, and repeated back to the big boss, “No hiding, no running away…”
Wei Shi was satisfied and continued to press him against the tree to extort more confessions.
“What were the donors for your genetic modifications?”
Wu Jin quickly made use of the words he’d prepared, “Snow leopard! The type of little leopard that’s white, spotted, and nimble!”
The pressure from Wei Shi’s aura was very heavy. It was obvious that Wei Shi’s subconscious didn’t accept that as the correct answer.
Wu Jin added nervously, “There’s also a little bit of ancient Pterosaur genes…”
Wei Shi looked at him expressionlessly, “Don’t hide.”
Wu Jin was going crazy, but he could only try to add tentatively, “There’s, there’s also rabbit…”
Wei Shi made a sound of acknowledgement. The answer had finally pa.s.sed.
Wu Jin: “……” You just want to shoot at rabbits with your gun!
Unexpectedly, the big boss tossed out an epic question in the next second, “What kind of rabbit.”
Wu Jin stuttered, “It’s probably an ordinary, white rabbit…”
The big boss made another indifferent sound, then said slowly, “The canteen has that. They don’t stew it well.”
Wu Jin: “……” What does that have to do with me!
Wei Shi: “What was the direction for your transformation?”
Wu Jin tried to come up with something, “Non-combat, art type… Sing-singing, mainly folk songs, with a little bit of pop.”
Wei Shi ordered, “Sing.”
Wu Jin was forced to sing the entire Crosson Show theme song before finally dispelling the big boss’s doubts.
Wei Shi nodded, “No wonder you were left outside the gate. Really useless.”
Wu Jin hurried to agree, but was taken by surprise when the big boss pulled at him again. Now that Wei Shi had finished scaring Wu Jin, he was ready to seal the deal. “Hey.”
Wu Jin lifted his small round face and looked at him.
Wei Shi’s fingers tightened slightly. The youth’s slender hands didn’t carry the calluses of 10 years later, and he wasn’t very skilled at arranging for people to do things. He pointed at himself and gestured for the little shortie to do something.
Wu Jin was confused.
Wei Shi urged him, “Show me your loyalty––”
Wu Jin made a sound of realization and happily stretched his head over. The youth was much taller than he was, his face taut from his bluff, but he deliberately controlled his strength when he held Wu Jin’s collar, like a child with a bag of candy that could easily be spilled. Wu Jin felt both warm and full of heartache, and he subconsciously stood up on tiptoes, raising up his face…
Wei Shi stiffened.
He didn’t hear the expected ‘big brother’, but his face was slightly wet––
The place where a small peck had landed felt like it was on fire.
The youth suddenly flushed red.
Juurensha: Awwww little WS, how can you resist the small cute Little Witch even if he just disappeared in the middle of the night? And haahaha, Little Witch has to try sticking ptresaur genes in even if it doesn’t make sense.
xiin: he just doesn’t wanna admit that he’s actually a rabbit…