“Beep—beep—beep-beep—”
“He's awake! Yu Jin is awake!”
The moment his consciousness returned, the first thing he heard was the beeping of a cardiac monitor, followed closely by the sound of footsteps growing clearer.
Yu Jin opened his eyes and saw several familiar figures among the crowd gathering around him.
Every member of Squad 172 was present, along with a stranger who looked to be their safety officer.
Surprisingly, Director Mei was there too.
Squad 172 saluted Director Mei, their complex smiles carrying a hint of condolences.
“Fortunately, we did not fail our mission.”
Director Mei patted the shoulders of the Squad 172 members hard, thanking them one by one before finally turning to Yu Jin, her face deeply moved.
“Good boy, it's all in the past now. Welcome home.”
Yu Jin's heart tightened. Glancing around out of the corner of his eye, he confirmed he was still amidst the ruins of Qingniao Street.
The tragedy from two days ago still loomed over the neighborhood, yet after only a single day, he had attracted another Nightmare Disaster.
He felt somewhat self-reproachful.
“I've caused trouble for everyone. I didn't expect...”
“No, the one who caused trouble for everyone isn't you—it's that beast Xia Jie!”
Director Mei cut Yu Jin off, her gaze instantly becoming sharp.
“I know this has been a massive blow to you, but pull yourself together as soon as possible. The investigation team has a lot of work to do, and this matter is far from over. People cannot stop moving forward because of grief—especially not us. Otherwise, who else will protect Haicheng?”
Being swift and decisive was a good thing, but being too swift and decisive could seem somewhat cold and unfeeling.
Considering what Yu Jin had experienced in the dream, Pineapple Head wanted to step forward and say a few words to get Yu Jin some rest. However, before he could open his mouth, someone pressed a hand onto his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw who it was and gasped in surprise, “Boss?”
The person Pineapple Head called "Boss" was tall and thin, with stubble on his face, messy shoulder-length hair, and an unkempt appearance. He wore a wrinkled dress shirt and trousers, his eyes clouded with a hazy mist, looking like he had just woken up from a hangover.
He shook his head at Pineapple Head and made a shushing gesture.
Understanding the signal, Pineapple Head stayed where he was.
Before long, Director Mei finished comforting Yu Jin and walked toward them again, speaking in a stern, harsh tone to the Boss standing behind him:
“Li Ji, I know Squad 6 belongs to you, and it must not feel good to lose the soldiers under your command. But a full day has passed, and there is still no news of that escaping beast. How have you been performing your duties as the person in charge of the Eastern District? If you're short on hands, you are more than welcome to apply to the Bureau and have me recalled from the Post-Disaster Investigation Team. If your people can't find him, I'll go search for him myself!”
“...”
Director Mei's fiery voice thoroughly startled the surrounding people. They exchanged glances, and not a single person dared to speak up.
The Post-Disaster Investigation Team operated under a single-leader system, while the Special Operations Group used a district-leader system. Logically, Director Mei's position was equivalent to that of the Eastern District's person in charge. There was no difference in rank, nor did one report to the other. Even if she threw a temper tantrum, she shouldn't have been lecturing Li Ji like a misbehaving grandchild.
Yet lecture him she did, and Li Ji made no attempt to argue, keeping his head lowered as he silently took the scolding.
Some members of the Special Response Squads nearby couldn't bear to watch and wanted to speak up for their boss, but Li Ji shot them a look that shut them down.
After a brief silence, he looked up at Director Mei and said, “Teacher Mei, I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, but Haicheng currently has more than just Xia Jie to deal with. The Disciples of Eternal Night have been growing increasingly active lately. According to our latest intelligence, a disaster potentially beyond Haicheng's imagination is quietly drawing near, and we are doing everything we can to stop it. But please rest assured, I will not lose sight of one for the other. The blood debt of the Post-Disaster Investigation Team must be paid in blood.”
Director Mei paused. Saying nothing more, she turned and left with a cold face, leaving behind only a single sentence:
“I am not your teacher. Your teacher was unlucky and died a long time ago.”
“...”
The surrounding people couldn't understand their relationship and were filled with questions. Those in the know explained in hushed whispers:
“Director Mei's late husband was the boss's teacher. After his death, Director Mei also mentored the boss for a period of time. Her daughter and son-in-law were also comrades-in-arms with the boss, and both later made the ultimate sacrifice. Only then was Director Mei recalled back to the Post-Disaster Investigation Team by the higher-ups. So it's only right for the boss to call Director Mei his teacher.”
“But if she's his teacher, why is Director Mei so fierce toward him?”
“She didn't use to be like this. It was only after Teacher left that... Sigh, she isn't actually fierce with the boss either; she just can't let go of the knot in her heart. She wants to return, yet she cannot.”
Li Ji sighed, gesturing downward to the surrounding crowd to put the matter to rest.
He approached Yu Jin. Looking at Yu Jin, who had already sat up, he asked with a smile, “How are you feeling?”
Yu Jin knew this was the person in charge of the Eastern District, and losing Squad 6 must have been incredibly painful for him as well. Not knowing what else to say, he could only offer repeated apologies.
Li Ji waved his hand.
“The Nightmare Disaster came uninvited. You didn't attract it on purpose, so there is no need to apologize. Get some good rest and don't think too much for now. Leave the rest to us. Teacher Mei... you know Director Mei's temperament. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although she keeps harping on work, the ones she actually cares about most are people. She is only using work as an excuse, hoping you'll emerge from the shadow of grief as soon as possible. Still, she is right. Get well soon. People will always leave. You'll get used to it eventually. I look forward to the day we collaborate again. I'm off.”
Before his voice even faded, he was already gone.
Yu Jin felt a blur before his eyes, and the person in charge of the Eastern District vanished without a trace.
Their mission complete, the Special Response Squad members greeted Yu Jin before packing up and leaving.
The scene was cleared up in an orderly fashion, and before long, Yu Jin was transferred to a hospital care ward.
Tang Yaoting arrived the next day.
On the day of the disaster with Investigation Group 4, he had sat frozen amidst the ruins just like Yu Jin. However, he didn't possess Yu Jin's mental fortitude, and shortly after nightfall, physically and mentally exhausted, he had fallen fast asleep.
It could be said that the Nightmare Disaster had descended accompanied by Tang Yaoting's snoring.
Fortunately, this Nightmare Disaster was of a low class, so it did not drag Tang Yaoting into the dream.
The moment the Bureau detected the descent of the Nightmare Disaster, they had forcibly removed Tang Yaoting from the scene and forbidden him from handling anything related to Qingniao Street again.
A Nightmare Disaster was not a television drama; the Bureau could not tolerate a Nightmare Disaster descending again and again over the same incident!
Thus, the Tang Yaoting Yu Jin had seen in the dream was merely a projection of his own subconscious, though his personality differed none from the real-world Tang Yaoting.
Bold, reckless, and carefree.
In the ward, Tang Yaoting lay on the hospital bed, watching Yu Jin sit by the bedside peeling fruit.
For every piece Yu Jin sliced, Tang Yaoting would snatch it, shouting as he ate:
“I read Squad 172's report. They said you fought that beast surnamed Xia all by yourself in the dream. Sigh, they shouldn't have dragged me away. If I had entered the dream too, maybe the two of us brothers could have joined forces and slain that bastard Xia in the dream.”
“...”
Yu Jin said nothing, silently continuing to slice the fruit.
Tang Yaoting was a bit worried about Yu Jin's current state. After thinking about it for a long while, he finally decided to persuade him.
“Yu Jin, stop slicing. I can't keep up with eating them.”
“...”
Yu Jin's eyelids twitched violently. He snapped, “Which one of us just survived a Nightmare Disaster?”
“Isn't it you?”
“Oh, so it was me. Here I was looking at you lying on the bed, thinking it was you.”
Tang Yaoting understood the sarcasm, but he didn't show any shame at all as he retorted:
“Look at what you're saying. We're brothers—it doesn't matter who's the one lying down. I wanted to come over last night, but they wouldn't let me in, saying you needed to rest. I was so worried I barely slept a wink. Looking at your complexion, you must have slept pretty well last night, so it's only fair that you let me lie down for a bit. But seriously, stop slicing. Eating too much fruit before sleeping isn't good.”
“...”
Yu Jin threw down the fruit and the knife, ignoring Tang Yaoting as he stared blankly out the window in silence.
Tang Yaoting found a comfortable position, pulled up the blanket, and muttered:
“I can't hold out any longer. I'm going to sleep for a bit. When I wake up, I want to hear about our master plan for revenge. They don't understand you, but don't I? I know you're a smart kid; you've definitely already figured out how to track down that piece of trash. Old Zhang was so close to retirement, Sister Li's daughter just got married, and Xiao Shen had only just had his twentieth birthday... They're gone, and it hurts me too. I wish I could have died in their place. They were all more useful than me... more useful...”
As he spoke, Tang Yaoting began to sob.
He buried his head under the blanket and cried for a while, then poked his head back out, staring at Yu Jin with bloodshot eyes, and asked word by word:
“We're going to find that piece of trash, right?”
With an unreadable expression, Yu Jin offered an “Mm.”
“We will.”
“Zzz... zzz...” Breathing heavily, Tang Yaoting fell fast asleep in an instant, finally at ease.
Accustomed to this, Yu Jin shook his head with a bitter chuckle. He then looked down at his own wrist, rubbing the spot where his wound had torn open in the dream, his gaze filled with resolve.
“We definitely will. I promise.”
...
Rate on N.U.
