IRCDM Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Date – I Don’t Like Men

If the Eastern Third District is a gathering place for the human base’s violence and crime, then the Eastern Fourth District is filled with desire and poverty. They are like inseparable conjoined twins, chaotic and dirty, fighting each other, yet also huddling together.

Here, aerial lanes are scarce, and even ordinary robots and hovercraft are rarely seen. The tall buildings lining the streets are dilapidated and gray, with exposed steel bars and wall bricks. Narrow alleys run between the buildings, crisscrossed by clotheslines. Electric wires tangle haphazardly like a spider’s failed web. The ground is full of potholes, with puddles and moss everywhere. Rusty parts are dragged around by stray cats, and vagrants huddle in the corners of garbage heaps, trying to scavenge their dinner.

Lights are on in the building windows. Some people lean out, smoking and chatting, while others are watering flowers. More and more people with various appearances are appearing on the streets. Further away, the shantytowns that stretch as far as the eye can see gradually light up with dim lights, and a distant and blurred clamor can be heard.

It is completely different from the cold and empty streets of the Third District.

Liang Huan observed his surroundings, his gaze falling on a heavily made-up man under a street lamp. He had shoulder-length hair, wore many earrings, and was dressed in a cut-short fishing net-like garment. His shorts barely covered his buttocks. Seeing Liang Huan look over, he took the cigarette out of his mouth, leaned on the lamppost, turned around, and raised his waist at him. Then, he turned his head, lifted the fishing net, and licked his lips.

Liang Huan: “!”

Li Yao, unfazed, took out a wad of something from his pocket and threw it at the man, hitting him squarely on the back of the head.

The man, in pain, was about to curse, but he noticed the paper money at his feet. He was overjoyed and, seeing that Li Yao had no intention of coming over, grabbed the money and ran, not forgetting to throw them both a flying kiss.

“Your little lover?” Liang Huan watched the man run into the alley.

“Don’t know him,” Li Yao said lazily. “Just afraid you’d be dragged in by a goblin and drained dry.”

Liang Huan smiled: “They can’t beat me.”

“These people have all sorts of tricks, be careful not to fall for them.” Li Yao patted his face gloatingly. “Especially with a face like yours.”

Li Yao was indeed not lying. They walked for a long time and still couldn’t get out of this street. The men and women who approached had all kinds of styles and were especially interested in Liang Huan, even willing to pay him for a night of passion.

Fortunately, Li Yao enjoyed throwing money around. The mercenaries’ ferocity and generosity made many people dare not entangle them further.

“Such a good temper, anyone else would have gone berserk by now.” Li Yao teased, “Why not teach them a lesson?”

“If they weren’t forced by life, no one would be willing to do this kind of thing,” Liang Huan said softly.

Li Yao looked at him in surprise.

“Am I wrong?” Liang Huan raised an eyebrow.

Li Yao glanced at him: “Many of these people come from the slums. Some families owe debts, some have a bunch of children to raise, and some are tricked or sold here. Most of them don’t meet the standards for mental power and physical ability, they can’t do ordinary jobs, and going to the outer district is a dead end.”

But they are still struggling to survive.

Liang Huan said: “Doesn’t the Administrative Court care?”

“The Administrative Court of the Fourth District just had internal strife a while ago, and half of them died.” Li Yao scoffed, “The Eastern District base has a total of seven districts, and the Administrative Courts are relatively independent. If they don’t hurry up and clean up, the other districts will probably take advantage of the situation.”

“What about the military?” Liang Huan didn’t understand.

“The military is responsible for providing military protection to the entire base, but their main area of activity is the outer district. Collecting more resources to ensure that the entire human population can continue to survive is their main task. Resources outside are limited, but not only does the Eastern District need them, but the Western, Northern, and Central districts are all frantically snatching them.” Li Yao said, “The military has no energy to care about abandoned places like this.”

Liang Huan disagreed: “Humanity’s future is bleak, shouldn’t they discuss countermeasures together?”

Li Yao took a deep look at him and smiled: “They’ve already discussed it. They all know that if humanity continues to stay on the ground, there’s only a dead end. Ten years ago, each district sent its most elite troops to form a joint fleet to enter space, the destination being a planet outside the First Star System that is highly similar to Blue Star, but it failed. They couldn’t even get out of the central domain of the First Star System. Each district was severely damaged and had no ability to form another fleet in the short term, and the radiation value is getting higher year by year. The energy of the dome overhead will run out sooner or later.”

“The countdown to the planet’s destruction hangs over humanity’s head. Pessimists and those who want to stay are the mainstream. Now it’s just the idea of living one more day. Naturally, they grab as many resources as they can,” Li Yao spread his hands. “Anyway, everyone will die together sooner or later.”

The so-called East, West, North, and South Four Districts and the Eastern Third and Fourth Districts here are essentially no different. It’s just humanity deceiving itself before its demise.

Liang Huan met his gaze: “You’re talking about the Dawn Project.”

“The Dawn Project is humanity’s last hope. Even if it fails, there should be a reason,” Li Yao smiled indifferently, but his eyes were filled with a dark grayness. He raised his finger and pointed to himself, “I’m the only one who came back alive. Everyone is waiting for me to give them an answer, whether good or bad.”

The narrow road became more and more cramped, the humid air was sultry and sticky, and the shadows of the surrounding tall buildings layered on Li Yao, making the grayness in his eyes even dimmer.

“My living to come back is a mistake in itself.” Li Yao laughed self-deprecatingly, “Besides, I don’t remember anything.”

Liang Huan was stunned: “Don’t remember?”

“I have no memory of anything about the Dawn Project.” Li Yao tugged at the chain on his wrist, “So you don’t need to waste your time on me.”

Liang Huan lowered his eyes to look at the little black dragon under his wrist.

“If you’re just trying to cure your sensory dysfunction, with your ability, you can enter the military, and they can provide you with enough special medicines. You can even go to the Dawn Group. The researchers there are far more capable than you imagine, and a complete cure through genetic modification may not be impossible.” Li Yao sighed, “No need to keep chasing after me. Killing the Transparent Species last time was purely accidental. There are many mercenaries more powerful than me.”

Liang Huan smiled: “You’re saying so much just to leave me?”

Li Yao was silent for a moment: “We’re not on the same path at all. I have a hard time just living myself. I’m not as great as you think.”

“When I was in Northern Liang, there were three countries outside, and to eliminate them, I used many methods.” Liang Huan said, “One of those countries was called Eastern Chen. Their soldiers were good at fighting, and even my most elite troops were repeatedly defeated. Later, I got a general who led 50,000 elite soldiers like a hot knife through butter, winning victory after victory, but in one deep desert expedition, the entire army was wiped out, and only he desperately returned to the capital, saying that he had been set up by the enemy, and the 50,000 troops were ambushed in batches in the desert.”

Li Yao frowned.

“All the ministers, including me, didn’t believe it. How could no one survive out of 50,000 people? The court and the public were filled with complaints, and they all believed that he had colluded with Eastern Chen and betrayed the country.” Liang Huan looked at him, as if looking through him at that good general, “He refused to admit it even to death, but after many investigations, there was no result, and all the evidence pointed to him. So, under pressure from all sides, and also to appease the people, I ignored my teacher’s advice and ordered him to be executed.”

Li Yao frowned even deeper.

“Later, after several years, Eastern Chen was destroyed, and the truth finally came to light. At the beginning, a strange general of Eastern Chen used the desert terrain to trap 50,000 troops in batches in an underground ancient city during a sandstorm, sealing off the exits and exhausting them to death. That general was deliberately released to disrupt my army’s morale.” Liang Huan said calmly, “He was vindicated, and I wrongly killed a good general and wasrevile by the world, but the dead cannot be brought back to life. This is one of the biggest regrets of my life.”

“Sometimes the truth may not conform to reason or logic, and may even sound absurd.”

Li Yao said: “Addicted to making up stories?”

“Just treat it as something I made up,” Liang Huan said with a smile, gripping the chain in his hand and pulling the person towards him. “I don’t care who controlled this body before or who it worked for. I won’t be controlled by anyone. It’s just that seeing you in a difficult situation, I can’t help but feel compassion and want to give you a hand, so that you don’t follow in the footsteps of the person in the story.”

Li Yao: “You’re very free?”

“Indeed, very free,” Liang Huan said with a smile. “There aren’t many fun people in the world, and you’re one of them.”

Li Yao finally understood that the two of them were talking at cross-purposes. Liang Huan was simply like a sticky cotton swab, once he got on, he couldn’t be shaken off, and hitting him didn’t relieve the anger, purely annoying and upsetting.

Neither of them could convince the other, so they could only temporarily shake hands and make peace.

“Before, my ID card was transferred to the Eastern Third District. In theory, the military chip should be uniformly canceled and handed over to the Administrative Court for safekeeping,” Li Yao said. “I came here to find Ling Zao to find out who took the chip. What are you looking for Ling Zao for?”

“To talk to him about cooperation. Ling Xuan can’t come forward because of her identity, and others aren’t suitable.” Liang Huan was very helpless, “But the visiting letter hasn’t been answered for several days. He’s been staying here for a while, lingering, so I had to come myself.”

Li Yao scoffed: “No wonder you’re dressed so saucy, be careful of being taken a fancy to.”

“With you here, there’s no need to worry about that kind of problem.” Liang Huan walked side by side with him, “Besides, since Ling Zao can be in charge of the Administrative Court of the Third District, he shouldn’t be soConfused.”

Li Yao laughed gloatingly: “Then you’ve really underestimated humanity’s bottom line.”

Liang Huan didn’t commit.

Li Yao paused and couldn’t help but ask: “Did you really order the execution of that general?”

Liang Huan looked at him with a slight smile.

Li Yao’s scalp went numb instantly, and he asked vigilantly: “What are you smiling at?”

“Since you’re so curious about my affairs, then I’ll slowly tell you later,” Liang Huan said with satisfaction.

Li Yao lightly scoffed: “Don’t say it, never mind. When your disoder ends, you won’t remember even if you want to say it.”

Liang Huan’s smile deepened: “Are you afraid that I’ll forget you?”

Li Yao said in disbelief: “How did you come to that conclusion?”

He grabbed the man and skillfully sent away the man next to him who wanted to stick to Liang Huan. As a result, the next second he was hugged by another scantily clad man: “Handsome guy, want to play? I’m not short of money, I’m short of you.”

Li Yao shook off his arm and said coldly: “No need, I don’t like men.”

The other person glanced at Liang Huan, obviously not believing him, and said ambiguously: “You don’t like men, but you still play so wild?”

Li Yao looked at the exposed chain, his mouth twitched slightly, and then he looked at Liang Huan maliciously: “Then you have to ask him.”

The man said enthusiastically: “Sir, if you don’t mind, can I play with your little pet? I think he’ll carry out any of your orders.”

Liang Huan raised an eyebrow: “Pet?”

The man covered his mouth and smiled: “Could it be a little slave?”

Before he could finish laughing, he was kicked into the trash can next to him.

“Don’t engage in these feudal systems in the New Era.” Liang Huan patted the dust off his hands and said earnestly to him, “If it doesn’t work out, you can come to the Black Market. Many shops are short of people and are hiring.”

“If you don’t want to play, you don’t want to play, why are you hitting people?” The man cried with a bruised nose and a swollen face, “Is the Black Market better than here! Wouldn’t I die even worse if I went in!”

Liang Huan left a virtual light screen business card on the trash can: “If you’re ever desperate in the future, you can try it.”

He and Li Yao soon walked away. The man who had been beaten cried and wiped away his tears, looking at the business card and hesitating for a few seconds. He finally raised his wrist and used the chip to receive the business card.

Li Yao tugged at the chain on his hand: “Are you planning to see Ling Zao like this?”

Liang Huan grabbed his shaking hand, felt the special buckle on the chain, and pressed it lightly. The chain fell off in response, turned into a bracelet, and returned to Liang Huan’s hand.

“Did you modify it?” Li Yao asked.

Liang Huan said without changing his expression: “I don’t understand these things. I asked Yue Hang to help me modify it. There are too many permissions for this bracelet, and I can’t use many of them.”

“Nonsense, this is my thing.” Li Yao said with a bad face, “You use a new one, and give this back to me.”

He grabbed Liang Huan’s wrist, and Liang Huan didn’t dodge, but just said: “What’s given to me is mine, and the same goes for people.”

Li Yao: “… Tsk.”

He threw away Liang Huan’s hand, and Liang Huan followed behind him unhurriedly: “I’m only looking for Ling Zao as a passing trip. If you still want to run, I’ll definitely keep you company to the end.”

Li Yao rummaged through his pocket and threw him a mini treatment device.

Liang Huan held the small thing and looked at Li Yao in confusion: “Grenade?”

“Treatment device.” Li Yao was already used to his lack of modern technology knowledge, even though Liang Huan could always pretend to be impeccable in front of others, “Treat the injury on your arm.”

Liang Huan looked for the switch for a while and looked up at him.

Li Yao said with malicious intentions: “Aren’t you very smart?”

Liang Huan said: “I’ve never seen this thing.”

Li Yao took the treatment device, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and roughly rolled up his sleeve. The fabric was already stuck in the wound. Liang Huan frowned in pain, and Li Yao gloated: “You dare to jump out of a car at high altitude without any training. Why don’t you use the little tentacles of aDifferent?”

“I’m not anDifferent.” Liang Huan lowered his eyes and saw him buckle the treatment device on his arm, “Even if I am, it should be a majestic big tentacle.”

“Fuck.” Li Yao couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Liang Huan neatly rolled his sleeves up to his elbows: “Ling Zao can’t run away here. Li Yao, I’m a little hungry.”

Li Yao said: “Eat an energy bar.”

“That thing is expensive and unpalatable, and seriously violates human nature.” Liang Huan looked at him accusingly.

“…” Li Yao couldn’t refute.

Li Yao seemed to be very familiar with every area of the Eastern District base, taking Liang Huan through the chaotic streets and alleys and into a restaurant hidden in the alley.

It was lunchtime now. Although the outside was dilapidated, the inside was clean and tidy. A few scattered diners were talking in low voices, which was relatively quiet.

Li Yao habitually chose a corner seat by the window, where he could have a panoramic view of the inside and outside of the store. Liang Huan sat opposite him. It would be a while before the food was ready, and the two were speechless.

After all, they had fought each other not long ago, almost killing each other. Even now, they were at odds, with countless conspiracies and tricks between them. It had been a long time since the two of them had sat down peacefully for a meal like this. It was clear that when they lived in the mercenary dormitory before, as long as Li Yao wasn’t on a mission, they ate together three meals a day, and sometimes they wouldn’t talk, but it wasn’t like now, with a bit of inexplicable and subtle awkwardness.

Li Yao reached out to Liang Huan: “Let me see the bracelet.”

Liang Huan glanced at him and placed the bracelet in his hand. Li Yao fiddled with it for a while, then reached out again. Liang Huan didn’t understand, and he cleared his throat: “Give me your hand.”

Liang Huan placed his hand in his palm, and Li Yao grabbed his finger and pressed it on the bracelet. After pressing it, he didn’t let go. Liang Huan looked at the bracelet and asked, “Do I need to press it again?”

“Many permissions haven’t been opened for you.” Li Yao held his hand casually, quickly operating the interface with one hand, and then changed another finger to press on it.

Liang Huan glanced at the dense data. The table was very narrow. He was being pulled by the hand and his body leaned forward slightly. His knees were touching Li Yao’s knees. He was a little uncomfortable, so he simply separated his legs a little and staggered them with him. Now it became his legs touching his legs, and the body temperatures of both sides easily penetrated the combat pants and thin dress pants.

Li Yao lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.

“Is there a problem with the data?” Liang Huan asked.

“No.” Li Yao decisively deleted the program modified by Yue Hang and the added buckle, and then pressed his finger on it twice, “The programs inside are all set up. If you mess with it, it’s easy for other forms to have problems. Besides, this thing is convenient to use at best. In order to facilitate form transformation, a lot of parts have been removed, and many functions are not as good as the actual object in a single form. Don’t rely on it too much.”

“I know.” Liang Huan said.

Li Yao clicked his tongue and looked at him a little unhappily: “That broken buckle just now couldn’t lock me at all. If I didn’t feel sorry for my things, I would have twisted it off for you. That is, I’m not going to argue with you, understand?”

Liang Huan smiled: “Understood, you voluntarily stayed by my side.”

Li Yao slammed the thing on his wrist unhappily, leaned back with his arms crossed: “Stop being sentimental here.”

It happened to be time for the food, and Liang Huan politely thanked the waiter, and the other party suddenly smiled and happily placed the drink intimately next to him: “Guest, this is a drink we gave you as a gift, I wish you a pleasant meal.”

Li Yao knocked on the table: “I’ve come to your place no less than ten or eight times, why haven’t you ever given me a drink?”

The other party glanced at the mercenary badge on his clothes, gave a dry laugh, and ran away with the plate.

Li Yao raised his hand and took the drink in front of him and placed it in front of himself: “Repair fee.”

Liang Huan was in a good mood, and even tasted some flavor from the not-so-delicious food: “Did you often come here before?”

Li Yao was burying his head in his food, and without raising his head, he said: “I couldn’t get tasks from the outer district when I first entered the mercenary base. I used to come here often for a while.”

Liang Huan picked out the meat and vegetables that he didn’t like from his plate and put them in his plate. Li Yao was probably very hungry, and didn’t take the opportunity to mock him. He stuffed it into his mouth and ate it.

Liang Huan ate the remaining vegetables slowly and methodically: “What kind of tasks were they?”

“Helping to drive away persistent customers, helping children find their fathers, taking people to escape to the Black Market… I could take on all kinds of tasks.” Li Yao still felt lingering fear when he thought about it, “Many people can’t reason with you. No matter men or women, they scratch you at every turn. You can’t come out without three or five marks on your face after doing a task.”

Liang Huan thought about that scene and couldn’t help but laugh.

Li Yao took a sip of his drink and stared at him: “You still look pretty good when you smile.”

Liang Huan slowly flattened the corners of his mouth.

“Is being an emperor fun?” Li Yao reached out his chopsticks and took the biggest piece of meat from his plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

Liang Huan recalled carefully: “I don’t remember clearly.”

Li Yao was a little surprised: “Has your brain been blown up too?”

Liang Huan had never told anyone about these things, and for a moment he didn’t know where to start. He thought for a while and said: “I ascended the throne at the age of six, and for more than ten years after that, I never left the palace. Every day, in addition to going to court, I would follow my teacher and the regent to learn how to handle state affairs, and I would also have to set aside an hour every day to practice martial arts. I simply had no time to play.”

Li Yao looked at him pitifully: “Is the palace big? Like it’s shown in TV dramas? Didn’t you have a study partner?”

“It felt very big when I was young, but later I lived in it for more than 30 years, and I couldn’t walk through every palace.” Liang Huan said, feeling as if it were another world, but fortunately this was not Northern Liang, and he didn’t have to worry too much, “At first, there were a few study partners, and I liked one of them very much, but when I was seven years old, he almost cut off my neck. The regent was furious and sent them all away.”

“Seven years old?” Li Yao was shocked.

“It’s really hard to believe that a seven-year-old child was trained to be sent to my side with ulterior motives.” Liang Huan sneered, “I personally sent him on his way. The more people like you, the more dangerous they will be.”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” Li Yao said jokingly, “For example, your concubines?”

Liang Huan raised his eyes to look at him: “I never took any concubines.”

Li Yao became interested: “You’re a dignified emperor, but you don’t even have a concubine. Aren’t you afraid that the ministers will rebel if you can’t produce a crown prince?”

“I chose the crown prince from a collateral line a long time ago,” Liang Huan said, “I’m not interested in women.”

Li Yao raised an eyebrow: “So you like men.”

“I don’t like men either.” Liang Huan’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and he lowered his head to eat, “Eat.”

Li Yao smiled maliciously: “Then you’re not very normal. Do you have any unspeakable little secrets?”

“No,” Liang Huan said expressionlessly, “What, are you so interested in my harem, so concerned?”

Li Yao rarely caught him with his pants down, and smiled ambiguously: “Your Majesty, you wouldn’t be… impotent, would you?”

Liang Huan gave him a cool look: “You can try.”

Li Yao smiled slightly while eating, and suddenly moved his knee forward. Liang Huan reacted extremely quickly, immediately clamping his leg. The two men’s thighs were tightly pressed together, and the drink on the table shook slightly.

Li Yao hummed and laughed: “Guilty conscience.”

“It’s not impossible for you to cripple me with this strength,” Liang Huan said calmly.

The fabric was squeezed into layers of wrinkles, and Li Yao shook his knee lazily: “Let go, you’re openly acting like a hooligan and taking advantage of me, do you want to be shameless as an emperor?”

“The most I’ve beenscold by people is for being shameless,” Liang Huan said with a smile, “What kind of emperor would I be if I cared about face?”

Li Yao looked at him for two seconds, raised an eyebrow and said: “Your ears are red.”

Liang Huan said without changing his expression: “You’re hurting me.”

“You’re hurting my knee,” Li Yao continued.

…

…

The two men were silent and stalemated for a few seconds, and released their legs at the same time.

“Eat!” Li Yao stabbed the meat in the plate fiercely.

Liang Huan laughed happily.