Vicious Cannon Fodder? No, He’s a Darling Wife! - Chapter 2

“I was too scared to resist…”

….

The base enforced a strict curfew; roaming the streets past midnight was forbidden. Even so, humanity could never quite kick the habit of seeking pleasure. By six in the evening, the bar street on the base’s outskirts was already teeming with people.

Inside a club, the music was a deafening roar, and the dancers on stage were a blur of high-octane energy. Amidst the frantic strobe lights, every emotion was dialed up to a fever pitch.

A tall man with deep, indifferent features pushed through the boisterous crowd. Ignoring the gazes—some awestruck, some wary, he walked straight ahead. A few young boys on the hunt for a target brightened up and moved in with graceful, light steps to surround him.

“Let go.”

Qu Zhilan coldly brushed off the boys who tried to cling to him. His face was a mask of frost as he headed for the back exit. The boys weren’t easily discouraged, but before they could give chase, they froze in terror.

Following behind Qu Zhilan were several hulking men, dragging a blood-drenched man with a buzz cut like a dead weight toward the back door.

“Where is the key to the armory?” Qu Zhilan demanded, pinning the man against the wall with one hand around his throat.

The scrawny man shook his head in terror, his voice cracking. “Brother Qu… Brother… the key, I don’t have it! This is a misunderstanding!”

“There’s an extra ten thousand points in your account that wasn’t there before,” Qu Zhilan stated flatly. With a flick of his wrist, a gleaming dagger was pressed against the man’s trembling Adam’s apple.

The man turned ghost-white. Within seconds, he caved. “It’s… it’s with the Guild Leader’s wife!” he stammered.

Qu Zhilan’s eyes narrowed. After a long pause, he spat out two syllables: “Yuan Su?”

Tears and snot streaming down his face, the man nodded frantically. “Yes, yes! I gave it to him! I just needed the money, I didn’t mean to betray the guild… Anyway, he’s family with the Leader, it’s safest with him! Brother Qu, please spare me this once! I’ll never do it again!”

The man had been part of the team that left the base to gather supplies. He had sticky fingers and had planned to steal the key, sell off some supplies, and sneak the key back, but then Qin Zhao had died unexpectedly.

Now that his secret was out, and knowing Qu Zhilan’s interrogation methods, he had no choice but to tell the truth.

An underlying standing nearby said gruffly, “Brother Qu, Yuan Su went to the military headquarters this afternoon. Word is he was looking for Chu Wenhe.”

Qu Zhilan straightened up, his dark eyes looking down at the man with chilling disdain. He let out a faint, sharp curl of his lip. “Clean this up.”

Without a backward glance, he strode away.

A shrill, piercing scream rang out, quickly swallowed by the thumping bass of the club’s music.

Yuan Su got the armory key, and he proactively contacted Chu Wenhe this afternoon…

A storm brewed in Qu Zhilan’s dark eyes. His expression was cold and somber. Thinking of Qin Zhao’s sudden death, his knuckles cracked as he balled his hands into fists.

Anyone with betrayal in their heart had no place in the guild.

Specifically, he suspected that Qin Zhao’s death was linked to Yuan Su.

Armed with suspicion and lethal intent, Qu Zhilan arrived at Yuan Su’s residence and hammered on the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Open up.”

He waited for a long time, but there was no sign of the door opening. Qu Zhilan had seen the lights on from downstairs was he being ignored on purpose?

The man knocked again, harder this time, his voice a warning. “I know you’re in there, Yuan Su.”

Small sounds came from inside. A moment later, there was a beep-beep as the electronic lock disengaged. Warm light spilled out from the crack in the door.

The first thing Qu Zhilan saw was a pair of amber eyes, clear as glass. They were glaring at him, but there was no bite to the look; it was so soft it felt more like a provocation.

In that instant, it felt as if the air had filled with invisible downy feathers, brushing against his skin and leaving a trail of soft, tingling itches.

The youth’s pale fingertips gripped the edge of the door. His slightly long black hair looked soft and lustrous. He watched the man with guarded eyes.

“Can you knock a little more gently?”

The words were meant as a reproach, but his voice carried a distinct tremor. His eyes were rimmed with red, and his dark lashes seemed damp with unshed tears, as if he had just been crying.

Coming from him, the accusation felt… strangely intimate, like a lover’s pout.

The unexpected scene caused Qu Zhilan’s fury to stall in his chest, trapped in a restless, uncomfortable limbo. He opened his mouth instinctively, and the pressure in his chest found a vent in two blunt, cold words:

“My apologies.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Qu Zhilan froze in place.

Yuan Su didn’t notice the man’s internal struggle. He accepted the apology readily, his tone softening as he stepped aside to let the man in. “Is something the matter?”

Qu Zhilan silently scanned the youth. From his height, he could easily see the delicate skin on the back of Yuan Su’s neck. His black hair made that skin look exceptionally white, like curdled milk, and it seemed to carry a faint, suggestive fragrance.

His most vulnerable spot was exposed, completely unguarded.

Oblivious, Yuan Su went to the wet bar to pour a glass of warm water—for himself.

He took a sip to steady his nerves. He had been scared witless by the aggressive knocking, but luckily the System had intervened, informing him that the man at the door was the Protagonist Bottom, Qu Zhilan.

Yuan Su had let out a sigh of relief, but he clearly relaxed too soon. Once Qu Zhilan entered the room, Yuan Su caught the sharp, metallic scent of blood.

Shifting his gaze, he saw the smears of blood on the man’s long, elegant fingers.

Blood?

Looking closer, Yuan Su realized there were faint bloodstains on the man’s clothes as well.

Qu Zhilan was wearing a black tactical uniform. The thin fabric clung to his firm, athletic physique, highlighting a silhouette that was both sharp and undeniably sexy.

However, the man’s eyes were as cold as an icy pond, giving off an aura of being unapproachable and difficult to communicate with. Anyone initially attracted to his striking looks would be driven away by his formidable, distant presence.

Noticing Yuan Su’s gaze, Qu Zhilan raised his hand, intentionally turning his palm to show the crimson staining his pale fingers.

He asked, “Are you afraid?”

Is he trying to intimidate me?

Without looking up, Yuan Su pointed toward the bathroom. “Go wash your hands. They’re dirty.”

The youth’s tone was so matter-of-fact, as if it were only natural for Qu Zhilan to obey him. That nonchalant, scolding tone sparked a sudden, heart-thumping irritation in the man.

His dark, narrow eyes locked onto Yuan Su. Suppressing the strange sensation in his chest, Qu Zhilan’s tall frame suddenly loomed closer. “Where is the key?”

Startled, Yuan Su took two steps back to maintain his distance. He answered decisively, “I’m not giving it to you.”

His slippers made a frantic patter-patter against the floor. The sound was abrupt and sharp, causing the newly heightened tension to take on a bizarrely different note during the brief standoff.

Qu Zhilan remained silent for a moment before getting straight to the point. “Why did you meet with Chu Wenhe in private?”

Yuan Su was stunned for a few seconds before the realization hit him. He looked at the man in disbelief. “You’re spying on me?”

“The intention was protection.”

Qu Zhilan didn’t deny it, instead offering a high-sounding excuse. “After all, Qin Zhao is dead. As the Vice President of the guild and his brother, I have an obligation to look after his widow.”

His cold eyes remained fixed on Yuan Su, searching for any sign of guilt or a flickering conscience. But that exquisite, refined face was currently filled only with shock and anger. His full, crimson lips were bitten redder than before, and his pale cheeks were dusted with a faint pink from the surge of emotion.

He was beautiful.

—So beautiful it was becoming a distraction to Qu Zhilan’s train of thought.

Qu Zhilan lowered his lashes and looked away, his voice deepening. “Answer me.”

The glass in Yuan Su’s hand trembled. He hadn’t come up with a cover story yet, so his voice came out a bit soft. “Don’t be so mean to me…”

It was a complaining tone, filled with dissatisfaction and a hint of timidity. But to Qu Zhilan’s ears, that soft, harmless voice sounded exactly like he was acting spoiled and coaxing him.

Qu Zhilan choked on his words. He had no reason or obligation to indulge this person, yet his tense jaw relaxed involuntarily.

He took a deep breath, wondering if there was some kind of intoxicating incense in the room making his head spin.

Letting out an impatient click of his tongue, he spoke again. “Keeping that key will only invite unwanted attention and put you in danger. Hand it over to me for safekeeping.”

“No,” Yuan Su refused flatly.

The corner of Qu Zhilan’s mouth curled into a mocking sneer. “Have you already handed the key over to Chu Wenhe?” he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

The gaze from those sharp, hawk-like eyes made Yuan Su’s scalp tingle with apprehension. His legs went weak, he truly lacked a backbone.

He’s so scary.

The base had a strict policy against the private stockpiling of military-grade weaponry. Any weapons acquired outside the base had to be surrendered; failure to do so meant exile and being blacklisted from every military-run sanctuary.

Consequently, the Hunter’s Guild kept its armories outside the perimeter. Transporting a massive haul of weapons was difficult and nearly impossible to do discreetly—it was better to leave them in the wild. After all, mutated beasts couldn’t exactly fire rifles.

In this wasteland, food and weapons were the ultimate currency.

Yuan Su understood the stakes perfectly. He couldn’t possibly admit that “he” had met Chu Wenhe with the intention of defecting.

“I didn’t give it to him,” Yuan Su denied. “I only told them the general location of the armory.”

The man’s voice turned glacial, stating each word with heavy emphasis: “So, you chose to betray the guild.”

The original host had indeed planned to do exactly that.

Yuan Su’s mind raced. He knew that if he couldn’t resolve a conflict, his best bet was to divert it.

In the next heartbeat, Qu Zhilan watched as Yuan Su—who had been bristling like a startled cat a moment ago—suddenly softened. He lowered his head, his dark hair looking impossibly soft.

“I… I didn’t betray the guild.”

The youth’s slender shoulders curled inward. He bit his lip in visible distress. “It was Chu Wenhe who approached me first. He pressured me… he tried to force me to be his…”

Yuan Su cut himself off.

The silence stretched, and Qu Zhilan felt his heart tighten, hanging in suspense as he waited for the rest of the sentence.

Qu Zhilan let out a sharp click of his tongue. “Spit it out.”

The corners of Yuan Su’s eyes flushed crimson. His long lashes trembled as a layer of mist clouded his gaze. Looking as though he were at the very limit of his shame, his red lips parted to let out two words: “…His lover.”

Qu Zhilan’s arms, hanging at his sides, went rigid. His muscles tensed instinctively. Those two words hit him like a heavy mallet, yet they also felt like a rogue hand plucking at the strings of a harp.

To make him a lover…

That bizarre sensation pooled in his chest once more, thick as smoke, swirling into his lungs with every breath.

“I was so scared… I didn’t dare resist…”

When Yuan Su looked up again, tears had already dampened his lashes and stained his pale cheeks. His lips, bitten red and slightly swollen, trembled with the sound of a muffled, aggrieved sob.

His amber eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, were bright and clear. The youth took a hesitant few steps forward, gazing at Qu Zhilan through a blur of tears as he choked out an explanation.

“I didn’t mean to betray the guild… or you.”

Didn’t mean to… betray you…

Those five words echoed in the man’s mind, over and over.

It was a simple declaration of loyalty, so why did it sound so suggestive? Why did it feel so heavy with an atmosphere he couldn’t name?

Yet Yuan Su seemed completely oblivious to the ambiguity of his words. His tearful breaths were weak and pitiable, like a tiny kitten that had been severely mistreated.

He was visibly fragile, visibly innocent. the kind of creature that demanded to be cradled in one’s palms.

The moment that thought surfaced, a vein throbbed at Qu Zhilan’s temple. Pushed to his limit, he spoke in a voice that sounded hoarse, almost sickly: “Get away from me.”

His gaze was like a fish sensing the scent of bait, utterly beyond his control as it remained fixed on Yuan Su.

Yuan Su wanted nothing more than to comply. Seeing that he had achieved his goal, he retreated without a hint of lingering attachment.

He sniffled, his voice sounding thick and nasal. “I won’t give you the key… If I have nothing in my hands, how long could I possibly survive in this base?”

The original host’s character left much to be desired, and his past behavior within the base had been controversial, to say the least. He had offended many people. Previously, he had a husband to shield him, but now, that umbrella was gone.

A youth without protection was nothing more than delicious prey. The moment he was exposed to the public eye, he would attract countless ill-intentioned predators.

“The guild members don’t like me, and they certainly won’t help me. I know you all hate me… you just never said it to my face out of respect for my husband…”

Qu Zhilan said nothing, because it was true. No one in the guild liked Yuan Su, viewing him as a delicate, useless vase who couldn’t lift or carry a thing.

“I won’t give the key to anyone,” Yuan Su said, catching his breath. He lowered the hand he’d used to wipe his tears. His thin eyelids were rubbed raw, and his long, dark lashes were clumped together by the moisture. The tip of his nose and his pale cheeks were flushed a deep rose—like translucent white porcelain. He was breathtakingly beautiful in his fragility.

Fixing his clear eyes stubbornly on Qu Zhilan, he said seriously: “Consider it my husband’s last memento.”

….

Night had fully draped itself over the world. The streetlights weren’t bright enough to reach the upper floors of the apartment complex.

But in the shadows where the light failed, an unstable, shifting dark mass suddenly crawled up to the glass window of the seventh floor.

The night was pitch black, and the two people inside noticed nothing.

A pair of eerie, violet-blue eyes pressed against the glass, watching the slender, beautiful youth inside with a gaze that was both freezing and burning with intensity.

“Mine…”

“Wife…”

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