IRCDM Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Nightmare, the Next Meal is Here

The well-fed and satisfied Emperor was very pleased.

Jinbao toddled over on its short legs to clear the table. Li Yao was momentarily blinded by its golden exterior: “What is this thing?”

“Hello, my name is Jinbao.” Jinbao, with its panda face, greeted him politely. “Respected Mr. Li Yao, you have been set as Jinbao’s second master. You may command Jinbao at any time. Reminder: Mr. Liang Huan purchased Jinbao, so Jinbao must first listen to its master, then to you.”

Li Yao poked Jinbao’s virtually furry face.

This thing looked like an artificial idiot.

“High-end robots are too expensive, so I just got a used one.” Liang Huan stroked Jinbao’s head. “When I have money in the future, I’ll get you a new skin.”

Jinbao smiled, its eyes crinkling into crescents. “Happy, thank you, Master.”

The little robot began to do housework even more vigorously than before.

Li Yao: “…”

Liang Huan drank his tea, smiling as he looked at him: “Li Yao, I–”

Li Yao’s scalp tingled. He grabbed the blanket next to him and threw it over Liang Huan’s head, climbing onto his own folding bed, leaving Liang Huan with only a cold back view: “I want to take a nap now.”

Liang Huan pulled off the blanket and sighed softly.

No respect, unrestrained.

Jinbao opened its belly, indicating for him to look at the spirit power relaxant inside. As a somewhat malfunctioning old-model intelligent robot, it also had to use refrigeration to preserve these medicines. Jinbao expressed that it really didn’t like it.

Liang Huan closed the lid expressionlessly and glanced at Li Yao lying on the bed.

Three days until the Mercenary Competition.

Li Yao didn’t sleep well. Liang Huan was meditating on the bed, practicing his skills, when he heard a muffled groan, suppressed and restrained. He opened his eyes and saw Li Yao’s face was pale, his brows furrowed, and his body was spasming unnaturally. He bit his teeth tightly as if he was enduring some great pain.

“Li Yao?” Liang Huan called out to him, but he didn’t respond.

Seeing his body spasming more and more violently, Jinbao couldn’t climb onto the bed and paced anxiously on the ground. Liang Huan got up and felt Li Yao’s pulse.

Having been sick for a long time, he becomes a doctor. Liang Huan understood some medical skills. Li Yao’s pulse was chaotic, extremely weak, as if he had suffered some serious injury, and his meridians were blocked. Liang Huan was a little surprised.

He hadn’t died like this.

“Li Yao.” Liang Huan patted his face and found his jaw tense. He glanced around, picked out a clean cloth, pried open his jaw, and forced it in. He helped him up, pressed down on his three major acupoints, pressed his thumb on the back of his neck, and injected internal force slowly downward. Immediately afterward, he felt a reckless surge of spirit power. Jinbao made a rapid sound: “Warning, warning! Human spirit power disorder detected, please seek medical attention immediately! Please seek medical attention immediately! Dialing emergency service–”

Liang Huan directly cut off Jinbao’s power supply, retaining only the refrigeration function. He slowly took out a few silver needles and stabbed them into Li Yao’s fingers. Filthy black blood instantly stained the snow-white sheets.

Li Yao’s body was no longer excessively tense. Liang Huan was chilled by the cold sweat on his back, wanting to let go of him with some disgust, when the person leaning on him slowly opened his eyes.

“Li Yao?” Liang Huan took the cloth out of his mouth. “Are you feeling better?”

Li Yao’s expression was dazed, his gaze seemingly unable to focus. He pushed Liang Huan away, walked towards the opposite cabinet, and threw the clutter all over the floor. He found a bottle without any labels, bit the nozzle, and took a sip before turning around and looking at Liang Huan with a gloomy expression.

Liang Huan met his gaze with a calm expression.

“What did you see just now?” Li Yao’s voice was a little hoarse.

Liang Huan said, “You seem to have had a nightmare.”

“…No matter what you see, keep your mouth shut.” Li Yao’s attitude was bad.

Liang Huan raised his eyebrows. This was the first time he had seen Li Yao so wary and prickly. After all, most of the time, Li Yao’s temper was still pretty good.

He said, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this.”

He agreed so readily that Li Yao was a little dazed. He pinched his eyebrows hard and sat directly on the ground, clutching the bottle in his hand.

It had been a long time since he had relapsed. Perhaps it was because he had rashly used his spirit power last night. The bizarre dreams and tragic reality intertwined, and the familiar feeling of near-death made him feel powerless and irritable. Every old wound on his body began to scream, and his soul seemed to be violently torn apart by countless hands. He even smelled the burnt smell of mecha and the stench of corpses.

‘…Li Yao, the military has officially started your interrogation plan…’

‘…You cannot step out of the interrogation room until you have fully confessed…’

‘…Li Yao, who exactly leaked the final coordinates?’

The sound of an explosion suddenly woke him up.

The shattered pieces of the spray bottle scattered all over the floor, and bright red blood gurgled out. He stared blankly at the palm pierced by the shards and clenched his fist hard.

However, the next second, an even greater force pried open his fist. Someone pulled out the shards and placed the treatment device on his wrist. The dull pain and dizziness of the treatment made him frown unhappily.

“I also often had nightmares when I was young.” Someone said to him seriously, “Nightmares are all fake, and reality is sometimes more terrible than nightmares. Li Yao, do you want a cigarette?”

Someone lit a cigarette and handed it to his mouth.

Li Yao bit it, grabbed that hand, and pulled the person in front of him.

Liang Huan was caught off guard and staggered, kneeling on the carpet. Then, an icy cold hand caressed his cheek. Just as he was about to break free, the cigarette was stuffed into his mouth, and the pungent smell of smoke assaulted him. Liang Huan turned his head and coughed violently. The lit cigarette fell on the carpet and was twisted out by hand.

Li Yao leaned against the cabinet and smiled at him, his sharp eyebrows and eyes a little blurry in the smoke.

Liang Huan frowned, just about to speak, when Li Yao suddenly leaned in, forcing him to lean back slightly. They were too close, as if he would kiss him in the next second. Liang Huan didn’t continue to retreat, but Li Yao first turned his head away, leaned close to his ear, and said in a hoarse voice: “Mind your own business, believe it or not, I’ll kill you?”

The heat made Liang Huan’s ears tingle slightly. He moved uncomfortably and replied calmly: “I don’t believe it.”

Li Yao raised his head and stared at him meaningfully: “You will regret it.”

Liang Huan said: “I never do things that will make me regret.”

Li Yao laughed hard. His blood-stained hand rested on the back of Liang Huan’s neck. Suddenly, he leaned closer again. Liang Huan’s palm subconsciously gathered internal force, but Li Yao suddenly released his strength and fell directly into his arms.

Warm lips grazed his earlobe. Liang Huan was stunned for several seconds before helping him up.

Something was… strange.

—

The next morning, Li Yao woke up on time, his head splitting.

Liang Huan sat on the carpet, slowly drinking tea: “Awake?”

“Yeah.” Li Yao responded, sat up, and rubbed his throbbing temples. He glanced at the time. “Did I sleep for so long?”

Liang Huan turned to look at him: “Do you remember what happened last night?”

“…I don’t remember.” Li Yao got out of bed, saw him still staring at him, and sneered, “What, could it be that I slept with you?”

Liang Huan said: “If you don’t remember, then forget it.”

Jinbao had already cleaned the room, and Li Yao’s hand had also been repaired by the treatment device. He washed up in a hurry and was about to leave.

As a result, Liang Huan followed behind him.

“What are you doing?” Li Yao grabbed the doorknob, preventing him from going out.

“I’m going to the Outer District with you.” Liang Huan said, “You already agreed.”

Li Yao frowned: “When did I agree?”

Liang Huan said with confidence: “When you ‘slept’ with me last night.”

“I…” Li Yao swallowed the swear word, gritted his teeth, and smiled, “Do you even have any shame? Don’t you have any awareness of being an emperor?”

“The New Era of Humanity has no feudal imperial system.” Liang Huan glanced at him inexplicably, “Pedantic.”

He slapped Li Yao’s hand away and walked straight out the door.

Li Yao looked at his swollen hand and reasonably suspected that this guy was retaliating. He was both angry and amused, put his hands in his pockets, and followed Liang Huan onto the hovercar: “If you get eaten by zombies in the Outer District, I won’t collect your corpse.”

“Why not heteromorphs?” Liang Huan raised his eyelids and stared at the back of his head. The brain marrow of a special-grade heteromorph can inhibit functional diseases. Can the brain marrow of a special-grade human do the same?

“If you encounter a heteromorph in the Outer District, it won’t be painful at all. With your level,” Li Yao turned around and snapped his fingers at him, “Boom—you’ll turn into a pool of blood mist and die quickly.”

“You don’t need to deliberately scare me.” Liang Huan saw the faint smile on the corner of his mouth. “Even if you don’t take me, I will find other mercenaries to take me. Your intranet has announcements for recruiting followers.”

“Your husband is here, who else do you want to take you?” Li Yao hooked his neck affectionately and patted his face ambiguously.

Liang Huan pushed away his claws, and he put them on again stubbornly: “Be honest, the things you find in the Outer District aren’t good, let’s cultivate some feelings first.”

Liang Huan frowned: “What do you mean?”

“The Outer District has no legal or moral constraints, and you can just grab people.” Li Yao crossed his legs and lightly hooked his chin provocatively. “With your S-grade face and C-grade stamina, going out is like fat meat in a wolf’s mouth. Remember to act like you’re mine, my people won’t dare to touch you.”

Liang Huan said: “Have you ever been robbed?”

Li Yao laughed arrogantly, resting his arm on the back of the chair: “They all want to kneel down and call me daddy when they see me, unless they’re tired of living.”

The grass on the graves of those who dared to attack him would be three meters tall by now.

“Being blinded by beauty might still happen.” Liang Huan glanced at him.

“…” Li Yao gritted his teeth, “Do you want to die too?”

“Why? We’re already husband and husband.” Liang Huan was inexplicable.

“Fake!” Li Yao slapped him on the back of the head, saw his black face, and rubbed it for him, “I have no feelings for men.”

Liang Huan disdained: “I have no feelings for you either.”

Li Yao messed up his hair, and Liang Huan hadn’t even finished tidying it when he was taken out of the car.

The car door opened, and a group of mercenaries outside peeked over, immediately causing a burst of jeering.

“Yo, Brother Li, bringing your wife out to play?”

“Hello, Brother Li! Are you taking me on a mission today?”

“Brother Li, take me with you, I promise not to cause you any trouble!”

“Brother Li, I have A+ spirit power, taking me won’t be a loss!”

“Brother Li…”

A group of people gathered around, and Li Yao hugged Liang Huan tightly, blocking the crowd: “Get away from me, my team is full.”

The mercenaries immediately made disappointed noises. After all, Li Yao’s combat power was obvious, and he was also experienced in going outside. The death rate of the team he led had always been notoriously low on the list. Following him meant safety was guaranteed, and at least they wouldn’t be pushed out to be cannon fodder for no reason.

“Why pretend? A C-grade spirit power waste isn’t worth them rushing so much.” The bald man next to him sneered.

“He’s a waste, but he’s still stronger than you.” A woman with hime cut hair sat on the hood of the car, biting a cigarette and smiling at Li Yao. Her bright features and beautiful figure also attracted a lot of attention. Many people wanted to go up and chat, but after those people saw her code, they ran away with green faces.

“Sister Jiang, is Li Yao very powerful?” The yellow-haired man next to her asked.

“He ranks first on the Mercenary Points Ranking, which means that he has killed the most heteromorphs and zombies in the East District in the Outer District for at least the past three years, and the collected materials have the highest comprehensive value.” The bald man said.

“Did I ask you?” The yellow-haired man snorted.

“Zhang Cun, am I being too nice to you?!” The bald man said angrily.

“Qi Qiang, that’s enough.” Jiang Chudong spat out a mouthful of smoke, “Pack up, count the people, let’s prepare to set off.”

Li Yao seemed to notice her gaze and looked over coldly. Jiang Chudong smiled charmingly at him and kissed him in the air.

Liang Huan followed his gaze and looked over: “The woman you like?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Li Yao’s face turned green.

“She’s very beautiful.” Liang Huan took another look, and the next second his eyes were covered.

The leather gloves on his face were a little uncomfortable. Liang Huan pulled his hand away, and Li Yao turned his head around and said in a vicious tone: “What are you looking at? You won’t even know how you die.”

Liang Huan looked at him with a smile: “Don’t worry, I think you’re better looking.”

Li Yao chuckled lazily and put his arm around him: “You’d better still be able to laugh after you get out of the gate.”

Liang Huan remained noncommittal.

Li Yao took him to a modified off-road vehicle and pulled open the car door: “Come on, let’s get to know each other, these are the teammates we’re going on a mission with today.”