Part 2
Duan Ke didn’t notice at all and said to Qin Huai, “I’m in a taxi.”
“Oh.” Qin Huai dragged out the ending note a bit longer than usual. “Not coming home to accompany your boyfriend so late? Where are you going?”
Duan Ke replied solemnly, “Do you know what I ate tonight?”
Qin Huai paused on the other end, laughing silently.
The little guy’s way of changing the subject is truly un-human, quite stiff.
But he played along: “Don’t know. What did you eat?”
The ride took nearly half an hour, which wasn’t short.
But when Duan Ke heard “Arriving at destination,” he was startled to realize he and Qin Huai had chatted about Takoyaki for so long.
He still had so many interesting things he hadn’t finished saying.
“Brother, I’m getting off soon.” Duan Ke couldn’t hide the regret in his tone. “Talk more when I get home.”
“Alright. But I already know—Takoyaki is a great food that can be recorded in human history.”
Qin Huai said, “Give your boyfriend some time to master it, and you can eat it anytime at home in the future.”
Duan Ke spoke very softly the whole time; Qin Huai barely heard clearly.
Amused by Qin Huai’s words, Duan Ke shrank into the back seat, covering his mouth and trembling with laughter, deep dimples appearing.
The car stopped. Duan Ke thanked the driver.
Standing by the roadside, the remote outskirts were empty. The cold night wind blew his hair up, carrying a desolate chill.
Duan Ke stared at the dark, heavy building not far away. The massive unknown made his heart beat fast—both fear and excitement.
Holding the phone, Duan Ke intended to hang up. But he couldn’t resist, licked his lips lightly, and hesitated to speak.
“Actually… I’m going into the Bureau soon.” Duan Ke said, “I’m at the entrance.”
“…Is that so.”
Qin Huai seemed to chuckle on the other end. “My baby is so brave.”
“Need help?” The boyfriend was very considerate. “I’m free right now.”
“No need.” Duan Ke was very serious, sounding like he was educating an ignorant person. “The Bureau is really dangerous… You just wait for me at home; I’ll be back very soon.”
“Really don’t want me to come find you?” Qin Huai seemed very worried. “What if I can help?”
“No… You’re not allowed to come! Understood?”
“Alright, I understand. Then I’ll wait for you at home.”
“Be careful of that bad guy.” There was a hint of a smile in Qin Huai’s voice. “Make sure not to get caught.”
After Duan Ke promised repeatedly that he would be careful and that he was now very capable of fighting—one punch could send three Inquisitors flying—Qin Huai finally seemed reassured and hung up.
Duan Ke delayed no longer.
Heracles had said the shift change at the Bureau was between 12:00 AM and 1:00 AM. At this node, supervision would be looser—a relatively safe timing.
Duan Ke was small and very agile.
He released his long tail to maintain balance. The figure lightly flipped over the Bureau’s dense wire fence and entered the hall from the back door.
Everything seemed smooth. Occasionally, a few patrolling soldiers walked by talking, but no one noticed the figure flashing past.
Duan Ke had memorized the diagram; he knew the location of the Archives.
Heracles had said that with the strength of an S-rank monster, what one truly had to be careful of wasn’t discovery by soldiers, but being tracked by the Bureau’s security system. This system was the foundation of the Bureau. It had eyes all over the city; the vast majority of monsters lived under its surveillance without knowing.
Strangely, it had been nearly seven minutes since Duan Ke broke in, yet he hadn’t even seen a shadow of the system.
What’s going on? Is it going too smoothly?
Even though his current strength was indeed very high, Duan Ke inexplicably felt something was fishy.
But there was no time to hesitate; taking the data quickly meant victory.
Tensing his small face, he tapped his fine white toes lightly, released the pipe on the ceiling with his tail, and landed on the ground.
A closed door appeared in front of Duan Ke. This was the location of the Archives mentioned on the map, and the door plate style matched.
Duan Ke tapped the door lightly with his tail, extremely cautious.
No abnormality at all.
Footsteps sounded not far away; patrolling soldiers seemed to be approaching. Duan Ke hesitated no longer. Gritting his teeth, he reached out to push the door.
The instant his fingertips touched the door, crimson alarm lights flashed throughout the Bureau, dyeing Duan Ke’s vision from cool white to blood red.
Piercing sirens resounded through the long night. Duan Ke’s blood ran cold; he froze on the spot.
[Warning, S-rank monster intrusion!]
A cold mechanical female voice sounded from the ceiling.
Duan Ke panicked for a moment but quickly stabilized his mind. He couldn’t hide now.
Since I’m here, I have to get the data no matter what. The Bureau will definitely strengthen defenses later; missing this time, I won’t have another chance to break in.
Duan Ke took two steps forward, wanting to force his way in, but was grabbed by the waist by a cold hand.
Duan Ke’s eyes trembled as he looked at the ground. Unknowingly, his shadow had intimately overlapped with another person’s. That person was much taller than him; Duan Ke barely reached his chest.
The person behind Duan Ke leaned in, chest pressing against Duan Ke’s back—also cold.
Duan Ke’s shoulder bumped against a hard object.
In extreme tension, people miss obvious flaws but can figure out minor details.
Duan Ke associated it with the Inquisitor’s attire from that meeting years ago. He nearly fainted.
Duan Ke’s brain went numb, cold sweat instantly seeping from his forehead.
The person behind him let out a soft sigh, unsure if it was regret or pleasure. Duan Ke wanted to turn back, but his chin was gripped tight by a gloved hand with a force hard to break free from.
Duan Ke’s mind went blank, completely failing to notice any strangeness about the person beside him. His tail was poised to strike, winding behind the Inquisitor.
If, if this person has even a slight thought of hurting me…
I’ll kill him.
Duan Ke gritted his teeth, his throat almost tasting bitter.
He waited uneasily for the Inquisitor’s next move, guessing the Inquisitor would draw a gun or a knife to deal him a fatal blow.
…But Duan Ke didn’t wait for a gun.
His vision went black; a soft piece of fabric was put over his face, blinding him.
The action was forceful, yet the intensity could be called gentle, leaving Duan Ke completely unable to figure out what this person wanted to do, utterly confused.
Duan Ke touched the eye mask on his face blankly, hesitating, “You…”
Before he could finish, he let out a startled scream. Duan Ke’s body was lifted into the air. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the Inquisitor’s neck, fingertips touching the stiff military fabric on the man.
This… this person…
Carried him up??
Duan Ke was completely dumbfounded, mouth half-open. The person holding him seemed to laugh pleasantly again, slapping Duan Ke’s narrow waist as if telling him to be good.
“Don’t take it off,” the Inquisitor’s voice sounded distorted. “Or else… hmm-hmph.”
Duan Ke went stiff as a board, not daring to move. His attention was completely scattered by this sentence, his little head spinning madly trying to parse what this lunatic was hinting at.
Does “hmm-hmph” mean severe torture or being torn to pieces??
Duan Ke felt himself being carried. The sound of military boots hitting the ground was distinct, echoing in the empty corridor. Occasionally, there were two strange gasps of surprise, followed by apologies like, “Sorry Sir, didn’t mean to offend you.”
Was it because they saw the Inquisitor holding someone that these soldiers were scared?
Duan Ke let his imagination run wild all the way. The alarm had stopped, seemingly turned off by the Inquisitor. The sound of a door opening, then closing.
Duan Ke’s toes touched the ground again. The man held his waist, leaned close to his ear, lips grazing Duan Ke’s earlobe slightly.
“Count to ten, then take off the mask,” he said. “I’ll be watching you.”
Duan Ke nodded hurriedly, not daring to move much, his tail obediently wrapped around his own wrist.
The Inquisitor seemed to laugh again, as if unable to stop.
Is it that funny??? So hateful, this person!!
Duan Ke really didn’t understand; everything tonight was absurd beyond belief. The man finally stopped teasing him. The sound of boots rang out again—door opening, then closing.
Remembering the man’s words, Duan Ke silently counted to ten.
He took off the eye mask. Slowly looked around.
There was no one nearby. Duan Ke kept his tail erect for alert, rare aggression in his round almond eyes, but his target had vanished.
Duan Ke spun around twice, utterly bewildered. He glanced at a huge screen in the center of the room, freezing on the spot, staring at it in astonishment.
This was the Bureau’s database, and it was already open.
〓 Author’s Note 〓 To prevent Wifey from recognizing him, this is the first princess carry [Pigeon]. 【Small Theater】 One day after marriage, Duan Ke was washed clean by Qin Huai, and the two hugged, ready to sleep. Duan Ke (opening eyes suddenly): Where were you when I called you back then? Qin Huai: …At the Bureau, wearing a voice changer. Qin Huai: Wifey, I… Qin Huai was swept off the bed by a tail.
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