Chapter 5: He Swallowed Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s Blood!

In Chu Shen’s eyes, the last shred of human clarity strained his nerves.

He had lived a life on the edge for ten years.

For him, injuries were commonplace.

So was contact with human blood.

Ever since Chu Shen, as a human, died during his final assassination mission a decade ago, he had been reborn drenched in blood.

He had killed, drunk blood, and done everything an Altered was supposed to do in the Polar Domain.

At this moment, if he didn’t heal his wounds, there was no chance of escaping the Commandery.

He shouldn’t refuse the blood offered to him.

Moreover, he was in his Vulnerable Period, and the Enigm pheromone contained in the fresh blood held a fatal allure for him.

Yet in Chu Shen’s blurred vision, the cold silver gleam of the Coalition Badge and Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s features overlapped before his eyes.

He couldn’t drink this blood!

He couldn’t shatter his last vestige of pride under the glow of the Coalition Badge, under the gaze of the emblem in Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s hand.

Nor could he lose the dignity that belonged to a human and turn into a bloodthirsty monster in front of Qu Zhuzhu Qing.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing had exhausted his last ounce of patience.

The young commander’s expression was stern, his impatience evident as he used his uninjured hand to grip Chu Shen’s jaw, forcing his mouth open.

His bleeding palm was pressed firmly into Chu Shen’s mouth.

Chu Shen’s slightly parted lips trembled, afraid to clamp down.

The metallic-tasting blood dripped down, slipping between his lips and teeth, and he instinctively wanted to swallow.

But at the very moment he was about to swallow the blood, Chu Shen desperately tightened his throat, fighting with all his might to hold that final line of defense!

He must not drink Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s blood!

A faint, muffled whimper escaped Chu Shen’s lips, like a plea.

Begging Qu Zhuzhu Qing not to save him.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing studied Chu Shen, whose gaze was already unfocused, a clear look of confusion in his eyes.

He had seen many injured, dying Altered who instinctively craved blood.

This instinct was uncontrollable, mindless.

Like a drowning person unable to resist gasping for air, even if they didn’t want to crave blood, they couldn’t help it.

Yet the Altered before him, already on the brink of death from torture, could still suppress his instinct and resist human blood.

Why resist?

The blood of an Enigma should be an excellent restorative for them, something rare and hard to come by.

Even if Chong You were only considering a way out of his predicament, there was no reason to refuse.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s expression remained cold as he scrutinized the pain in Chu Shen’s eyes.

This man was about to die.

But he hadn’t yet obtained the information he wanted.

“You don’t have the right to die until you’ve revealed what you know,” Qu Zhuzhu Qing said coldly.

He clenched his injured hand tighter, ensuring a steady stream of blood dripped into Chu Shen’s mouth, then abruptly withdrew his hand and gripped Chu Shen’s throat, marked with red bruises.

A violent, blood-choked cough forced an involuntary reflex from Chu Shen.

Half the blood was coughed up, but half was swallowed…

The warm, fresh blood slid down his throat, and as it was absorbed, his wounds began to heal at a rate several times faster than that of an ordinary human.

The Kynam Agarwood pheromone intertwined with the Sandalwood Pheromone within his body.

Though it wasn’t a mark, it brought an unusual sense of fulfillment.

Chu Shen’s nerves, strained for far too long, finally relaxed at this moment, making him want to drown in the fresh sweetness of the blood and the crisp clarity of the pheromone.

But it was only a fleeting instant.

The next moment, as his consciousness returned, Chu Shen sharply recalled everything that had just happened.

He had swallowed Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s blood!

His eyes, gradually regaining clarity, slowly closed in anguish, the overwhelming despair veiled as tears spilled uncontrollably.

It seemed that drinking this mouthful of blood was more despairing to him than death itself.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing scrutinized the pain in Chu Shen’s eyes, as if understanding his wish to die rather than swallow that blood.

But Qu Zhuzhu Qing merely thought he was enduring torture.

“When your Polar Domain rears humans, I’ve never seen them grant a quick death,” Qu Zhuzhu Qing sneered coldly, turning to bandage the wound on his palm.

The Polar Domain reared humans to obtain fresh blood.

They wouldn’t kill them outright, but would repeatedly draw blood repeatedly, until the last drop of value was exhausted.

Those who were reared couldn’t even wish for death.

Just like Chu Shen now.

“Especially you, Chong You,” Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s venomous gaze fell upon Chu Shen. “In the cases handled by the Commandery, you must be implicated in eighty or a hundred, right? How dare you hope for an easy death?”

Chu Shen lacked the courage to open his eyes.

Neither Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s hate-filled gaze nor the pallid glow of the Coalition Badge was something he could bear…

In the prolonged silence, Chu Shen could feel killing intent slowly gathering.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing would never let him off!

Yet just as Chu Shen trembled slightly under the accumulating fear, the interrogation room door suddenly knocked.

“Commander Qu, Mr. Qi is looking for you. He says the thing you wanted has results.”

Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s raging fury toward the Altered vanished in an instant.

His breath seemed to hitch for a beat, the ice in his eyes replaced by a flicker of emotion.

He glanced back at Chu Shen once more.

His gaze was profoundly complex.

Then he turned and walked out of the interrogation room.

The look in his eyes after turning was different from the earlier coldness it was mingled with endless longing, carrying an illusory softness and warmth.

As he passed his adjutant Meng Tongshang, who had been waiting outside all along, his steps slowed slightly.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s adjutant was a Beta, also quite young, with a defiant expression.

But only when looking at Qu Zhuzhu Qing did his eyes fill with admiration.

“Keep watch over him. Don’t let him die,” Qu Zhuzhu Qing said, carefully tucking the pocket watch from his palm into his pocket.

Meng Tongshang nodded vigorously.

He had fought alongside Qu Zhuzhu Qing all the way to this day.

So, he could also tell from Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s expression that his mood had improved considerably from before.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing only turned cold-blooded like a madman when facing those Altered anyone who crossed him would meet a terrible end.

But ordinarily, he was quite easy to get along with.

Only after confirming that Qu Zhuzhu Qing had detached himself from the hatred toward the Altered did Meng Tongshang cautiously lean in.

“Commander Qu, tomorrow, I…” Meng Tongshang stammered.

Qu Zhuzhu Qing stopped and glanced at him, understanding dawning in his heart.

“Tomorrow is Xiao Xuan’s birthday, right? Take the day off to spend it with him. If I’m free tomorrow evening, I’ll come over for dinner too.” Qu Zhuzhu Qing said coldly before heading toward the corridor.

Meng Tongshang’s eyes lit up, his admiration for Qu Zhuzhu Qing growing yet to another degree.

Meng Xuan was his son, just over two years old.

Sometimes when his partner didn’t have time to care for the child, he had no choice but to bring the toddler to the Commandery.

This little bundle who couldn’t even speak clearly was the only one who dared climb onto Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s shoulders regardless of whether he was angry or not.

After all, aside from when facing the Altered where his ferocity could make one’s heart tremble, Qu Zhuzhu Qing was generally quite a gentle person in daily life.

After leaving the interrogation room, Qu Zhuzhu Qing’s expression had softened considerably.

He walked briskly toward the adjacent research institute.

What he had previously asked Qi Wei to investigate for him was Chu Shen’s past records!

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Zephyr Yizelle

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