Chapter 28: Tang Cuo stood on the bright street, looking up at a giant shark cruising the city.
Xie Zijing touched his hair, his fingertips searching Qin Ge’s scalp. In the midst of being engulfed by kisses, Qin Ge suddenly trembled, as if Xie Zijing was touching his bones, his blood vessels, and all the nerves that should have been hidden deep within his skin.
The powerful sentinel was using kisses to draw out all the secrets buried deep in Qin Ge’s soul.
A scorching gust of pheromones swept through Qin Ge’s “sea area,” coercing him with unbridled possessiveness.
Xie Zijing licked his lips, intending to expand his territory through this kiss. His fingers slipped beneath Qin Ge’s collar, and finally, he touched the skin beneath Qin Ge’s clothing.
His lion suddenly let out a low growl. Immediately, Qin Ge’s expression changed, and he grabbed Xie Zijing’s wrist.
Xie Zijing: “Hmm?” He kissed Qin Ge’s hand in response.
Qin Ge: “Wait… Stop!”
Xie Zijing looked down at himself and Qin Ge, thinking it wasn’t the best time to stop.
“The rabbit has returned.” Qin Ge glanced at the Barbary lion, which was silently licking its paws. “Why is your lion biting its ear?”
Xie Zijing: “…”
Just when things were heating up, they were abruptly interrupted. Xie Zijing raised his fist and gestured toward the Barbary lion from a distance. The lion remained unfazed, and Qin Ge even thought it might have snorted coldly.
This was a habit of Xie Zijing’s lion. It faithfully mirrored its owner’s emotions, including Xie Zijing’s desires.
“You ruined my big job…” Xie Zijing scolded the lion, grabbing its mane. “I’ve told you many times, when you want to ‘bite’ another spirit animal because you like it, change it to ‘lick,’ understand?”
The Barbary lion remained motionless, finished grooming its paws, and started washing its face.
“Your fur isn’t even real, so is it necessary to wash?” Xie Zijing grabbed its golden mane. “Hello?”
“Doesn’t it listen to you?” Qin Ge, who had washed his face and returned, asked with forced composure.
Xie Zijing noticed that he had put on an aura that made him unapproachable once again. “Going back?” he asked.
“Going back,” Qin Ge scratched his head and, after a moment of hesitation, said laboriously, “What happened tonight, can you just treat it as a mistake we both made?”
“…You didn’t make a mistake,” Xie Zijing corrected him. “Back then, you must have wanted to…”
“It was just a purely physiological reaction!” Qin Ge quickly responded. “You should have studied the relevant content of sexual responses in ‘Sentinel General.'”
Xie Zijing looked at Qin Ge gloomily.
Qin Ge had just taken a few more suppressants with tap water in the bathroom. Due to the excessive use of suppressants, he felt that his speech had become awkward, making it difficult to express himself clearly. But at this moment, he couldn’t avoid saying what needed to be said.
“Indeed, the sexual response was sudden,” he recalled the tone of Gao Tianyue’s speech and tried to define this potentially uncontrollable situation as something no one would be happy to see with a straightforward approach, “but both you and I know how to suppress and handle sexual responses, so this was just an accident with no other meaning.”
“I don’t accept that.” Xie Zijing crossed his arms over his chest, his face appearing cold, as if he were disguised, yet it also seemed genuine because it was mixed with a sense of loss.
Damn it. Qin Ge desperately tried not to let his gaze fall on Xie Zijing’s opened zipper and exposed chest muscles.
He wouldn’t have paid attention to such things in the past, regardless of who the other person was. But Xie Zijing seemed to have flipped a dangerous switch. He even felt that if there were lights on Xie Zijing’s body, then all the lights had already turned on at this moment, emitting tempting predatory signals toward Qin Ge.
He should have bought the top-grade suppressants, even if they were expensive imported drugs not covered by medical insurance. Qin Ge wished he could leave immediately, but his feet were stuck not far from Xie Zijing, and he couldn’t move.
“Can you look at me now and say that you have no interest in me at all?” In contrast to Qin Ge’s awkwardness, Xie Zijing was surprisingly articulate. “You can’t. You clearly are interested in me, always thinking about my ‘sea area,’ and even willing to lend me a rabbit. If you’re interested, then let’s develop it! I completely don’t understand what you’re hesitating about. Aren’t sentinels and guides like this?”
Qin Ge stood there, dumbfounded.
Xie Zijing anxiously ran his fingers through his hair. “I really can’t understand why I liked you before.”
“I don’t want to be perfectionary like this!” Qin Ge said loudly. “If we… well, if something happened between us, I would only be driven by a purely sexual response. But you wouldn’t. Xie Zijing, you’ve said you like me. I can’t respond to your liking in such a casual way; that wouldn’t be fair to you.”
This time, it was Xie Zijing who was taken aback. “You’re so serious about this?”
Qin Ge: “…You mean to say that you’re not serious about liking me?”
Xie Zijing shouted, “I am!”
His frustration and disappointment were swept away, and the Barbary lion beside him wagged his tail again.
“…I didn’t expect you to care so much about what you said to me,” Xie Zijing scratched his temple and then his chin, “especially considering I’ve told you we’ve dated before, and you never believed me.”
“I still don’t believe it now,” Qin Ge immediately corrected.
“Fine, I accept your proposal,” Xie Zijing said. “So, will you still patrol my ‘sea area’?”
“If you keep closing the closet door, I won’t go in anymore; it’s pointless,” Qin Ge said, bowing his head to put on his shoes. His mind was gradually returning to normal. Qin Ge believed that Xie Zijing would welcome the idea of continuing to enter his “sea area” because, after all, they had slightly crossed a line tonight, and Xie Zijing would be willing to secure more opportunities to be alone with him.
…Damn it. He muttered to himself again.
Even he himself seemed to have no objection to the two of them being alone.
He bid farewell to Xie Zijing and opened the front door. Xie Zijing lay on the Barbary lion’s belly, watching Qin Ge as he shouted, “I’ll fix the closet lock.”
Qin Ge: “Let’s talk about it once you’ve fixed it.”
As he was about to close the door, Xie Zijing shouted, “Qin Ge!”
“Hmm?” Qin Ge poked his head back in.
Xie Zijing spread his arms and legs, lying down with the Barbary lion’s soft belly supporting his neck and head. “Nothing; I just wanted to shout.”
In his heart, Qin Ge cursed in countless ways, but politely and obediently, he said, “Alright, goodbye.”
The door closed, and Xie Zijing’s home returned to silence. He could hear the sound of the elevator doors opening and closing. Qin Ge had left, but the pheromones he had released in his excited state still lingered in the house, and the scent was far from weak. Xie Zijing felt like he was in contact with a rich and cold pheromone, yet it wasn’t repulsive.
It was as if it came from a distant mountain range, surging toward Xie Zijing from the other end of the starry night.
“…He’s really interesting, isn’t he?” Xie Zijing sought the lion’s opinion. “I’m like a wandering lion he can’t help but care about.”
The Barbary lion wagged his tail and hit Xie Zijing’s calf.
Xie Zijing shouted Qin Ge’s name again.
“When he was young, he must have been praised as very cute,” he began to mutter to himself. “Of course, he’s still very interesting… Oh my goodness.”
He patted his left chest, and when he turned to look out the floor-to-ceiling window, he saw his own expression at the moment. Suddenly, Xie Zijing didn’t want to create any more stories for the people on the other side of the lights. He tapped the glass with his fingers, and with each tap, he silently recited Qin Ge’s name.
To Xie Zijing, Qin Ge’s name was like a spell, like warm water. It continuously dripped, piercing through the ice and stirring up a refreshing night wind in his “sae area.”
Tang Cuo, who still couldn’t reach Xie Zijing and Qin Ge, left the convenience store in frustration. He could borrow a phone from a store clerk, but he couldn’t remember Xie Zijing and Qin Ge’s phone numbers.
But he didn’t want to wait any longer.
Calling the police wasn’t the best option. Bi Xingyi was Bi Fan’s guardian, and Bi Fan was a mentally ill patient, so Bi Xingyi had a duty to protect her and keep her away from anything or anyone that could potentially stimulate her—such as himself.
If only he could explore Bi Xingyi’s “sea area.” Tang Cuo crossed a small path, deciding to take a taxi from a nearby intersection to go directly to find Qin Ge. He was filled with a newfound sense of purpose and determination as a psychological adjustment department member.
Midway through the small path, the lights behind him suddenly went out with a flicker. Tang Cuo was startled and turned around quickly.
Someone was running toward him from behind. In the dimly lit alley, wet limbs were crawling up from the ground, and it looked like they were about to grab Tang Cuo’s ankle.
Tang Cuo turned and sprinted.
Bi Xingyi was fast too. He chased after Tang Cuo while shouting, and all Tang Cuo could faintly catch in the wind was something like “deceiving my sister.”
Tang Cuo hadn’t expected that the lie he had come up with to clear Bi Fan’s name would completely enrage Bi Xingyi.
The backpack on his back swung wildly, causing pain in his spine. He had intended to release the panda to help block, but it was too small, and it ended up lying on Tang Cuo’s backpack, increasing his burden several times over.
He was about to retract the panda when suddenly his backpack felt lighter.
The panda had been caught by the octopus’s tentacle. The unique water-resistant film on the surface of the aquatic spirt animal clung to the back of Tang Cuo’s head, and the odor nearly made Tang Cuo vomit. Even the water-resistant film was affected this way, indicating that Bi Xingyi’s spirit animal had likely undergone a significant transformation.
The captured panda transformed into smoke and was immediately submerged back into Tang Cuo. Taking advantage of this short gap, Tang Cuo took a few more steps forward. The alley had never seemed this long, and he kept kicking into obstacles in the darkness, stumbling, and rushing toward the light.
The alley was originally lit with lights and surveillance cameras, but one by one, they were shattered by Bi Xingyi. When Tang Cuo ran out of breath, his arms suddenly tightened around him. His backpack had been grabbed.
He didn’t even have a chance to make any defensive moves before the huge tentacle of the octopus grabbed his backpack and lifted it, slamming Tang Cuo against the wall.
Tang Cuo’s internal organs felt like they were shifting. As soon as he landed, he immediately grabbed various objects around him and threw them behind him. He didn’t dare look back, and he continued to crawl forward. But after a few steps, several small tentacles sneaked up from the ground and quickly entwined around Tang Cuo’s ankles.
The nauseating malice was unashamedly rolling in from behind.
Tang Cuo shouted for help but was immediately strangled by the tentacle around his neck.
It wasn’t malice; it was intent to kill.
The tentacles tightened more and more, making it increasingly difficult for Tang Cuo to breathe. At this moment, Bi Xingyi was still hidden in the darkness, out of Tang Cuo’s clear view, and only his octopus spirit animal continued to extend its tentacles, coiling around Tang Cuo’s body one by one.
Just as Tang Cuo was on the brink of suffocation, the tentacles suddenly went slack.
All the tentacles disappeared simultaneously. Tang Cuo fell to the ground, and the spirit animal’s foul-smelling mist surrounded him, but it quickly retreated into the darkness. His ears were ringing, and it took a while before he could hear the sounds from the outside world.
The air had never been so fresh, and it cut through Tang Cuo’s nasal passages and throat like a knife. He lay on the ground, panting heavily. He finally realized that the alley was quiet, and what had disappeared along with the killing intent and the octopus’s tentacles was Bi Xingyi, who had been chasing him.
What had happened? Had Bi Fan run into trouble? Tang Cuo tried to get up, but his body hurt too much. For no reason, he began to speculate whether his spine had been shattered into pieces during the impact just now, and he might have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, struggling with uneven road surfaces and stairs without accessible ramps, just like Bi Fan.
…And, it’s really so damn good to be alive. Tang Cuo even felt like crying a little.
But he didn’t cry.
To be precise, just as he was about to shed his first tear of relief after surviving, something that suddenly appeared in the sky attracted all of his attention.
It was a massive and ugly-looking shark.
It swam over the alley with its tail in the air, and the city’s neon lights illuminated the water-resistant film covering its body, giving it a shiny, watery cloak.
Tang Cuo stared in amazement.
The shark gracefully swam above the cluster of buildings, in stark contrast to its terrifying appearance.
Tang Cuo, enduring the soreness all over his body, quickly got up. He knew why the octopus had suddenly retreated and why Bi Xingyi had concealed himself. This shark, just by its size, was the natural enemy of most marine creatures.
He leaned on the wall, making his way out of the dark alley as quickly as possible.
It was a strange moment. Tang Cuo stood on the brightly lit street, looking up at the massive shark cruising through the city.
He followed the direction the shark was heading, passing over a footbridge and a zebra crossing, until a long, two-minute red light stopped him on this side of the road.
The giant shark continued to swim by, and every movement seemed to stir the late-night air, colored red by the streetlights.
Before the green light came on, it disappeared.
Tang Cuo sighed quietly. It seemed that he was the only one who had seen the giant shark and chased after it. It was late at night, and no one on the street had noticed that a massive creature had passed by overhead.
As he walked past the red and green lights with the crowd, Tang Cuo suddenly realized that the Crisis Management Office was not far away.
He followed the shark and, unexpectedly, returned to his workplace.
With a sense of silent gratitude and melancholy, Tang Cuo approached the reception room. After the old man quickly treated his exposed wounds, he rushed into the office building, heading straight for the Criminal Investigation Division that was still working overnight.
The next day, when Qin Ge arrived at the college entrance examination testing site, he was dismayed to find only students but no supervising teachers from Second Middle School.
The students’ registration forms and number cards were in Bi Xingyi’s hands, but he couldn’t get in touch with him.
Qin Ge, suppressing his annoyance, had Bai Xiaoyuan urge the school to quickly contact Bi Xingyi and reschedule the testing time for these students.
“Where’s Tang Cuo?” Qin Ge asked, “Why can’t I reach his phone?”
As soon as he said that, Tang Cuo came limping over. Qin Ge was taken aback, “What happened?”
Tang Cuo took a quick glance at the people around them and gave Qin Ge and Bai Xiaoyuan a meaningful look, “We’ll talk later.”
Because Tang Cuo was injured and refused to take a break, Qin Ge had to assign him tasks that didn’t require much physical effort. He immediately called Xie Zijing, who was on duty in the Adjustment Department.
Xie Zijing had no intention of meeting with Lu Qinglai at all. Qin Ge lowered his voice and used his own “rabbit” to threaten him, finally persuading the Buddha-like figure to come.
When Xie Zijing arrived, the sea area assessment had already begun. Bai Xiaoyuan, as the Sentinel, was responsible for maintaining order in the internal area, while Xie Zijing and Tang Cuo worked outside. Qin Ge had done his best to avoid the two of them meeting. Xie Zijing sat outside for a while and couldn’t sit still, so he said, “I’m going to check the situation.”
The waiting area for the sea area assessment was in a spacious conference center, and the actual assessment took place in a small meeting room that had been rearranged. Each room was assigned to Qin Ge, Lu Qinglai, and Qin Shuangshuang.
Xie Zijing looked for Qin Ge outside the small meeting room. He soon saw Qin Ge walking out with a few registration forms, handing them to a supervising teacher. He was about to greet Qin Ge when Lu Qinglai emerged immediately after.
Xie Zijing was startled and quickly dove and turned into a corner, making sure that Lu Qinglai wouldn’t see him.
He really didn’t want to greet his former mentor, who had once had high expectations of him, and inform him of how worthless he had become.
“Where are the students from Second Middle School?” Lu Qinglai asked while flipping through the student roster in his hands. “They were supposed to be in the first batch; why haven’t they shown up yet?”
Qin Ge explained the situation to Lu Qinglai, and Lu Qinglai raised an eyebrow and asked, “Bi Xingyi?”
“Do you know him Professor Lu?” Qin Ge asked.
“Not really, but I once conducted a sea area assessment for his employment. He only joined Second Middle School this year, right? At the time, Second Middle School had seven or eight new teachers, and they all came to me for assessments at New Hope Academy. He left a strong impression on me.”
Qin Ge was curious: “Why?”
“His spirit animal is an octopus,” Lu Qinglai said, extending his hand to simulate the movement of octopus tentacles, “Sentinels and guides with aquatic spirits are quite rare, at least among all my students. I can count fewer than five. Bi Xingyi’s spirit is very mature, but he doesn’t even know what category of octopus he possesses.”
Lu Qinglai appeared excited when talking about Bi Xingyi.
“And you know, octopuses have folded brain lobes that are very similar to humans. They are definitely one of the most intelligent animals on Earth, and they have a strong ability to sense danger and protect themselves. I was very interested when I saw a guide with an octopus as their spirit animal for the first time, so I paid a lot of attention to him. But he seemed uninterested in what I was talking about, focusing solely on his work, which left me feeling…”
I’m not interested in what you’re talking about either… Qin Ge repeatedly motioned for him to return to his own workspace. Lu Qinglai was not done yet and suggested having lunch together, eager to discuss the remarkable qualities of octopuses with him in detail.
“…you were chased by a giant octopus?” During lunch, both Bai Xiaoyuan and Qin Ge were taken aback by what Tang Cuo said. “A big, smelly octopus?”
Tang Cuo had slight scars on his face and could barely smile as he replied, “Yes.”
Bai Xiaoyuan gripped her chopsticks, took a moment, and finally said, “Is the reason the teacher didn’t show up today because he’s not mentally well? What about his sister?”
“His sister is fine; I’ve already ensured her protection,” Tang Cuo said in a hushed tone, and the three heads at the table leaned in close to listen. “Yesterday, I went to the Criminal Investigation Division to report the incident. The officer on duty happened to be Lei Chi. He said the Crisis Management Office doesn’t handle emergencies and told me to call 110 directly.”
Bai Xiaoyuan and Xie Zijing were listening intently.
“I told Lei Chi that he should help me this time, and in return, I’d give him your WeChat ID, Bai Xiaoyuan. He agreed, and then he helped me call a friend who works at the police station.”
Xie Zijing said, “Oh.”
Bai Xiaoyuan responded, “…Tang Cuo, do you have a death wish? I’ll take a sip of wine first, then release the sand cat to scratch you to death.”
Tang Cuo reminded her, “I gave him your alternative WeChat account that you used for business.”
Bai Xiaoyuan said, “Alright, continue.”
Lei Chi made the phone call to his friend only after hearing Tang Cuo’s story. After a brief discussion, Lei Chi handed the phone over to Tang Cuo, allowing him to explain the situation. Tang Cuo began by detailing the unusual behavior of Bi Xingyi and Bi Fan’s siblings and how Bi Xingyi had attacked him. The police officer on the other end of the line informed him that managing the relationship between the two siblings, as well as investigating Bi Fan’s mental condition, was a challenging task. Furthermore, if Bi Fan indeed had a mental disorder, the investigation would become even more complicated. Secondly, Bi Xingyi had incited his spirit animal to attack Tang Cuo in a public place, which potentially violated three to five Special Human laws and regulations. To initiate an investigation, the case file would need to be transferred between the local police station and the Crisis Management Office’s Criminal Investigation Division, which would take at least three days.
Time delays meant an increasing danger for Bi Fan.
Just when Tang Cuo felt disheartened, Lei Chi suggested, “You should report that you witnessed Bi Xingyi maliciously damaging public property.”
Upon hearing this suggestion, the police officer on the other end immediately laughed, “Wow, Lei Chi, you always come up with brilliant ideas.”
Tang Cuo’s report was accepted promptly. He stated that he had witnessed Bi Xingyi intentionally damaging public property, including streetlights and surveillance cameras. Therefore, there was no need to consider the special characteristics of patients with mental disorders. Under Lei Chi’s influence, soon after receiving the report, the local police officers went to Bi Fan’s house.
Xie Zijing pounded the table, saying, “Lei Chi is amazing. He is indeed the man I admire.”
Bai Xiaoyuan quipped, “If you like him so much, stop bothering Qin Ge.”
Xie Zijing replied, “No way. Lei Chi belongs to Comerade Bai.”
Bai Xiaoyuan gave him an annoyed look.
“When the police arrived, there was no one else in her house, so they smoothly transferred Bi Fan and had her admitted to the hospital,” Tang Cuo continued, wiping his nose. “They can’t disclose any other information to me for the time being.”
Bai Xiaoyuan rummaged in her bag for a while and pulled out a card.
“Tang Cuo, your physical fitness is terrible. You should work out. Take this card,” she handed it to Tang Cuo, speaking earnestly, “I haven’t been to this gym, but the owner gave me this month’s membership card. Give it a try. It’s near the office, not far away. After work, you can go jogging and lift weights.”
The card had a deep blue background with a design resembling the deep sea. Tang Cuo glanced at the name of the gym and focused on the logo in the corner of the card. It was the silhouette of a large fish.
“…But I find it so bothersome. After work, all I want to do is go home and play video games,” Tang Cuo complained.
“The gym’s trainers and members are all very attractive,” Bai Xiaoyuan’s tone was like that of a saleswoman trying to convince an elderly man with a hefty retirement fund to join their massage device business, “And it’s the only gym in our city that exclusively caters to Special Humans. Over 80% of the trainers and students are Sentinels or Guides, and most of them are single.”
Tang Cuo, who had never considered interspecies romance, had a glint in his eye, “Oh?”
He quickly accepted the gym card.
