Forbidden Zone Rose - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Xie Yi’s Embrace is Very Hot, Very Tight.

Xie Yi’s embrace was very hot and very tight.

His breathing was also deep and heavy, like the exhalations of some kind of beast. Because the two were pressed so closely together, and Xie Yi’s powerful knuckles were cupping the back of Su Zhi’s head to press him against his chest, every breath hit Su Zhi’s neck with a searing heat.

It almost gave him the illusion of being roughly licked.

Xie Yi’s strength was immense; using just the arm spanning across his lower back, he practically lifted Su Zhi entirely, forcing him into a posture where he had no ability to resist and was compelled to press tight against him.

Su Zhi’s legs felt a bit weak.

Half of it was due to the shock of the recent accident, and the other half was because the distance between them had severely crossed the line.

After the age of ten, not even his parents had held him this way.

This kind of intimacy—as if he were being embedded into another person’s body—was simply too much; every cell in his body wanted to curl up.

Su Zhi’s body temperature leaned toward the cooler side. Held by Xie Yi like this, he felt as if he had become a small ice cube about to be licked until he melted.

Are Alpha body temperatures always this high? Su Zhi had never been in such close contact with one and didn’t know much about it.

Su Zhi really wanted to run, but he knew now was not the time to care about such things.

A secondary collapse could happen in the mine tunnel at any moment. Although he was being a bit forceful, Xie Yi had simply chosen a posture that was convenient for protecting him. In a moment of crisis, one couldn’t afford to be so particular; it was impossible to worry about such details.

If Su Zhi were left to move freely, he might hold them back.

Su Zhi was very self-aware of his own capabilities.

The difference in physical stamina between him and Xie Yi was indeed massive. During the few seconds when the accident occurred, he’d had no chance to react at all. If Xie Yi hadn’t pulled him away in time, he might currently be buried under a heap of rubble and ruins.

Now he was perfectly fine, while Xie Yi was injured.

In the gaps between breaths, Su Zhi tried his best to ask: “Where were you hurt? Is it serious?”

Because his head was pressed against the man’s chest, even Su Zhi’s speech was soft, worried that if his movements were too large, his mouth might accidentally brush against something.

For some reason, Xie Yi had become exceptionally silent ever since the tunnel collapsed.

His breathing was heavy, as if he were trying his utmost to suppress something. After a few seconds passed in the darkness, he answered in a hoarse voice: “Not serious. Just a minor injury.”

Su Zhi was very worried: “Should we hide further inside? Given the current situation, how do we notify the outside world?”

“Mhm,” Xie Yi said, “There is an automatic monitoring system that will sound an alarm… the people at the camp should already be on their way to rescue us.”

Only then did Su Zhi feel a bit more relieved.

After the mine collapsed, it was pitch black within his range of vision. He couldn’t see the extent of Xie Yi’s injuries and was afraid that if they waited too long, he wouldn’t get treatment.

Once the sound of rolling stones had completely stopped, Xie Yi held him and retreated deeper into the mine tunnel.

The pitch-black space was very quiet, with no light. Su Zhi couldn’t see the expression on Xie Yi’s face; he could only sense from their physical contact that the man’s heartbeat was slightly fast.

He imagined Xie Yi’s expression should be similar to usual—stern and calm—perhaps with a slight frown due to the crisis.

In reality, Su Zhi was a bit uneasy.

He didn’t know if it was a human instinct to fear the dark, but since a moment ago, he constantly felt as though something was peeping at them. Fortunately, Xie Yi was by his side, protecting him the whole time. Although the distance was too close, he had to admit that such tight protection did give Su Zhi some sense of security.

It was lucky that the darkness obscured Su Zhi’s vision; otherwise, he would have discovered that the peeping gaze originated from the very protector he relied on.

The man’s gaze was locked firmly on him, ceaselessly scanning the fair side of the neck forced into view, the thin but not quite scrawny shoulders, and the body that was trembling slightly because it was unaccustomed to being held yet forcing itself to be submissive.

The black pupils fell greedily upon the Beta in his arms.

There wasn’t a trace of expression on his face. Between his cold, dark features, only indifference and danger remained. Occasionally, a glint of light would flash in his eyes, only to be swallowed up quickly.

If gazes could manifest into substance, Su Zhi would have already been licked over several times.

An Enigma’s five senses are far more enhanced than those of an ordinary Alpha; they have the ability to see in the dark. The pitch-black mine tunnel was like level ground in his eyes, and every tiny reaction of the person in his arms was laid bare.

With an Enigma’s reaction speed, he originally shouldn’t have been injured at all. It was only because he was too excited while pulling the person into his arms that he was a beat too slow and got scraped.

The rising heartbeat was not due to worry over the crisis.

It was pure, unadulterated interest.

In the quiet, dark space, there were only the footsteps of two people and their interlaced breathing.

Step by step, Xie Yi carried Su Zhi deeper into the darkness.

If a third person were present at this moment, they would clearly be able to see it.

—That was the movement of a predator carrying its prey back to its nest.

Xie Yi took him deep into the mine tunnel for a long time.

So long that Su Zhi vaguely felt the distance was perhaps too great—what if the rescuers arrived and couldn’t find them?

After enduring it for a while, Su Zhi finally couldn’t help himself: “Mr. Xie, wait a moment. Can you… let go a little?”

He said with difficulty: “I… can’t… breathe very well.”

“…”

“Sorry.”

The force restraining him finally loosened slightly. Su Zhi’s feet touched the ground, finally giving him the steady feeling of being on the floor.

However, the man did not let go completely; his hand even remained on the back of Su Zhi’s neck, though it had changed into a loose, protective hold.

The moment Su Zhi tried to flee, he could be pulled back instantly.

Su Zhi took a deep breath, finally recovering from the lack of oxygen.

They were already far from the collapse site. As the intense sense of crisis faded, Su Zhi realized a beat late that something was wrong with Xie Yi.

Xie Yi seemed to be keeping too tight a watch on him.

Su Zhi hesitated for a moment, not trying to leave the man’s embrace, and asked: “Are you feeling unwell?”

He suspected Xie Yi was having a stress response.

Because of pheromone fluctuations, Alphas are prone to stress responses triggered by strong hormones when facing a crisis or intense emotional upheaval, leading them to behave in exaggerated ways.

Xie Yi’s compulsive protection was very likely a result of being stressed.

Su Zhi’s profession was related to Alpha pheromones, so he was very clear about these things.

Compared to Alphas who would perform all sorts of extreme behaviors, Xie Yi’s reaction—simply wanting to hold him—was already very restrained.

Xie Yi’s voice remained very deep, carrying an emotion Su Zhi didn’t understand: “Mhm, a little bit.”

Su Zhi was still a bit dazed, vaguely feeling like something was off, but he felt he should do something.

He thought for a moment, suppressed his embarrassment, and hugged the tall figure back. He said in a small voice: “It’s okay. We’re already far away from where the cave-in happened.”

Su Zhi had never done such a thing to comfort someone; he had very few references. He tried hard to recall the “warm pets” segments he had seen on TV and imitated a master stroking an uneasy, large wolfhound, his slender fingers clumsily patting the man’s tight-muscled back.

Su Zhi didn’t know that his actions were no different from a sheep entering a tiger’s mouth—the targeted prey jumping into the pot voluntarily. He racked his brain to use every social skill he had learned in his life to comfort him: “Just hold on a little longer. The rescuers should be here soon.”

The location of the collapse was poor; at a conventional speed, it would take six or seven hours to break through.

But Captain Zhou ordered every Alpha in the camp to mobilize. Even if they had to take suppressants to force themselves, they joined the rescue. It took only two hours, using a speed that could be called the limit, to dig out the collapsed area.

Xu Bing: “Is this a bit of an exaggeration?”

Based on the clues at the scene, the two hadn’t suffered any serious injuries. There was only a small amount of blood, and it belonged to Xie Yi; this amount of bleeding was nothing to an Alpha.

Captain Zhou didn’t answer. He simply picked out a few Alphas with good stamina and told everyone to prepare their weapons and follow behind him.

“I will walk in front. You stay twenty meters behind me. If I tell you to run, you leave immediately and call the police.”

Xu Bing: “??” What exactly is going on?

The two who had taken refuge had walked deep into the mine tunnel. The further Captain Zhou walked, the more tensed his heart became.

He tried to keep his footsteps as light as possible, but after a turn, he unexpectedly came face-to-face with the tall figure.

Captain Zhou instantly raised his gun, with the safety already off, and aimed it at the man’s head.

If it were anyone else, having a gun suddenly pointed at their head would likely result in an instinctive state of wariness.

But the person he was pointing at seemed completely unable to see the danger; not a single ripple was produced in his pitch-black eyes.

It wasn’t a lack of sensation, but rather a lack of care.

Even a firearm could not easily restrict his movements; it was the indifference brought by absolute power.

This expression—

That night twenty years ago surfaced in Captain Zhou’s mind again.

Just as the alarm bells were ringing in his head, another figure moved out from behind Xie Yi.

It was the Beta.

Su Zhi’s fair cheeks were stained with dust from the tunnel collapse, but fortunately, there were no bruises or scars. His clothes were wrinkled all over, as if he had been ruthlessly trampled by a massive force, yet they were not torn.

Aside from appearing a bit dazed, there wasn’t a single injury on his body.

Except for a large hand with distinct knuckles and bulging veins gripping his waist with extreme possessiveness, everything looked perfectly normal.

Su Zhi: “Huh?”

Su Zhi’s eyes went wide. He didn’t know why this exploration team captain was pointing a gun at them. His brain stalled, and for a moment, he didn’t dare to speak.

Separated by him, the two were in a quiet standoff.

Su Zhi’s back was toward Xie Yi, so he couldn’t see it—the thickness in the man’s eyes behind him almost manifested into substance the moment Su Zhi left his control and appeared before others.

For a split second, Captain Zhou thought Xie Yi was going to do something.

For instance, snapping him and his weapon together, eliminating him—this potential competitor, every breathing person of the opposite sex—from the sight of his partner.

Captain Zhou was certain that, for a moment, he read that intention in the man’s eyes.

But in the end, the man did nothing. He simply released his grip on Su Zhi’s waist, pushed the Beta forward a little, and said in a hoarse voice: “Take him away.”

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