“There sure are a lot of monsters in this world.”
Had I... been noticed?
Hidden in the lining of Evans’s clothes, Ren Yi unconsciously shrank his size.
But strangely, Sword-man didn't seem to have any intention of exposing him. That always unreliable-looking fellow left right after saying those words.
He had absolutely no intention of exposing him on the spot or snitching to Pops.
Evans was also shaken by those words. He stared intently at Sword-man’s disappearing back before frowning and returning to the room.
This small shack was not big, and its furnishings were extremely simple.
Inside, there was only an iron-frame bed and a set of discarded table and chairs. A dim wall lamp in the corner emitted a weak yellow light, casting Evans’s long, narrow shadow on the wall.
However, in the next moment, an indescribable sense of oppression burst forth.
The originally long, narrow shadow suddenly began to expand and grow, tearing and deforming until it completely blocked the light.
Viscous black liquid gushed out from Evans’s body, filling the entire room in the blink of an eye.
The liquid squirmed like a living thing, climbing up the walls, covering the ceiling, and sealing every single crack.
The entire small shack became a locked room completely sealed off by the black liquid.
Ren Yi found himself inside a hollow bubble. Immediately after, a dark mass was thrown in.
It was Wu Erhun. As soon as it entered, it continued to carry out its grand mission of playing dead, shrinking on the floor without moving a muscle.
“Inside the stomach is the safest,” Evans’s voice echoed from all directions, somewhat muffled, carrying a strange resonance. “To prevent anyone from eavesdropping.”
Ren Yi took a moment to adjust to this sealed space. It was pitch-black all around, but there was a faint glimmer of light, probably left intentionally by Evans.
The black liquid flowed slowly around the two of them, like a living barrier.
Evans’s voice sounded again, his tone somewhat serious:
“Did that guy discover you?”
Ren Yi gathered his thoughts. Sword-man’s attitude was indeed a bit strange. Logically speaking, given his strength, discovering a peeper shouldn't elicit that kind of reaction.
“Judging by his meaning, he probably sensed some abnormality. Of course, it's also possible he was just using those words to probe you.”
“However,” Ren Yi paused, “even if he noticed, he can't lift the influence.”
The black liquid trembled slightly, as if letting out a sigh of relief.
“That's good,” Evans said.
“But Sword-man’s attitude is a bit strange,” Ren Yi said.
“How so?”
“He didn't seem to have any intention of exposing this,” Ren Yi said, recalling the information from their brief conversation just now.
“And I get the feeling that this guy's mindset doesn't completely align with Pops's methods and his attitude toward you.”
Inside this hollow space, silence lasted for a moment. The black liquid stopped flowing, as if in thought.
Then Evans’s voice came, carrying a clear hesitation: “Are you saying... Sword-man and Pops don't see eye to eye?”
“Did you misinterpret things?” Without waiting for Ren Yi to answer, he added.
“He came over specifically just to tell me those things... Though he said I could give Pops a beating, he probably actually wanted to ease the tension between us.”
“They seemed to have a pretty good relationship to me.”
Ren Yi’s white mist phantom swayed twice, as if shaking his head.
He could understand Evans’s confusion. Although this black blob’s way of thinking was already shifting toward humans, there was still a barrier with certain things.
“They are on the same side, there's no doubt about that. Sword-man indeed cares about Pops,” Ren Yi said. “But...”
He thought for a moment on how to phrase it.
“Humans, you see... sometimes when they are good to you and care about you, it doesn't necessarily mean they will always go along with what you want.”
The black liquid began to surge again.
“Alright,” Evans’s reply came quickly.
With his rather limited social experience, it seemed a bit hard to understand, so he simply accepted this explanation without reservation.
“Since you put it that way, I'll keep an extra eye out to pay attention to him in the future.”
Ren Yi did not continue this topic, instead silently observing the flow of the surrounding liquid.
Only when the blackness completely stopped surging did he speak: “Are you sure you want to cooperate with them as Pops said?”
Another silence.
Then came a sigh, even though the entity making the sound had no lungs at all.
“I don't really have much of a choice either,” Evans said, his tone carrying a strange sort of calm acceptance.
“To tell you the truth, falling from the moon really hurt.”
“I'd rather not go through that again.”
Ren Yi was taken aback for a moment, and then he laughed.
It was truly strange; the laughter of two non-human creatures, one black and one white, echoed within this space.
“You just don't want to fall from the moon again?” Ren Yi stopped laughing and continued to ask.
“Beating the guy who dropped the nuke to death for revenge, as well as reconstructing the tribe, are of course also top priorities,” Evans’s answer was crisp and direct.
Hearing this, Ren Yi grew somewhat curious.
He leaned against the black wall behind him; the liquid was soft and actually quite comfortable.
He tilted his head to look at this being composed of blackness.
If defined from the perspective of the Sky Eye Organization, Evans was probably a semi-liquid, semi-intelligent creature. He could normally disguise himself in human form, but if he completely let go, he was just a pool of talking black mud.
But at this moment, he was conversing with him in a blurry human form, even mimicking facial expressions.
...Though he wasn't mimicking very carefully; those facial features often squirmed in weird ways.
“To be honest,” Ren Yi spoke, “judging by your look, those things don't seem that important to you.”
“Which things?”
“Like...” Ren Yi weighed his words, “reconstructing the tribe. At least, it doesn't seem to weigh heavily in your judgment. I can feel it.”
Evans didn't answer immediately.
Ren Yi continued, since he had already opened his mouth, he might as well pour out all the questions in his heart. “I'm actually quite curious about your psychology.”
A wild non-human creature living in human society might seem somewhat similar on the surface to a cub raised in the Alliance, but in reality, it was a completely different story.
Perhaps one could see the early influence of Alliance education here?
Thinking of this, Ren Yi couldn't help but chuckle.
What would this be? 《Research on the Indirect Impact of Alliance Social Forms on the Mental Health of Cubs》?
Evans’s black surface rippled, as if he were also laughing.
“Thank you,” he suddenly said.
“For what?”
“Thank you for caring about me during the negotiation back then.” The face simulated by the black liquid smiled, but quickly returned to a calm expression.
“However, your understanding of me comes from your external observation of me, which is a bit one-sided.”
“Let me tell you a few things, and you'll understand.”
Ren Yi swayed slightly. “Go ahead.”
“S-099 loses control at the beginning of every month. The same goes for me,” Evans’s voice was as calm as if he were reading a report.
“The tribe is very small. Anyone's disappearance is enough to draw attention.”
“What would you think about an outsider tribal member who disappears on a regular schedule every single month?”
Ren Yi was stunned.
“Could it be—”
“So,” Evans interrupted him, his voice devoid of much emotion. “The Tribal Chief, he knew.”
The black liquid surged a few more times, as if organizing his thoughts.
“He knew I wasn't human, and he might have even guessed that I was the so-called Stomach of Glat.”
He continued, each word very steady.
“I don't deny that he was good to me, but unfortunately, such a short and uneventful time spent together is probably not enough for a human to develop a truly sincere affection for another species.”
Ren Yi didn't speak. It seemed that saying anything at this moment was inappropriate.
Evans didn't give him a chance to speak either.
“So, I will seek revenge, and I will try to save him. This is to repay his kindness for taking me in.”
“Whatever schemes he was actually running, all of that has passed with his death.”
“If we really can create a New Era, I won't preserve this memory of me for him.”
Hearing this, Ren Yi looked Evans up and down.
However, in his heart, he completely agreed.
These words sounded cold, but in a way, this was the most logical way to handle it.
Just now, he had been slightly troubled. The bond of infinite resurrection was not a good thing for Evans.
It was like a tattoo that could never be washed off, branded onto the soul. Fortunately, Evans didn't have the slightest hesitation about it.
“So, Pops said one thing that was very right.” Evans’s voice suddenly became a bit lighter, as if shaking off some heavy burden.
“After the New Era, I will also welcome true ‘freedom’.”
Rate on N.U.
