Chapter 201

As Tianshu was still reeling from being called “dear,” his lips were gently touched.

In just one day, the commander of District One had fallen to being captured, imprisoned, and whipped, yet Tianshu remained calm. After his lips were lightly touched, his entire mental strength trembled, and he instinctively projected a mental barrier.

The moment the mental barrier popped out, the person who kissed him was sent flying.

Tianshu was startled and instinctively made another choice.

The mental barrier securely caught the person flying backward.

The person leaned against his mental barrier, seemingly expecting to be unharmed, and smiled faintly, “So aggressive?”

Despite the wounds on his back slightly tearing from using his mental strength, Tianshu endured the pain and did not retract the barrier. He said softly, “Commander, this is rather rude, isn’t it?”

“You have no standing to tell me that.”

In various small worlds, this person had persistently pursued him, never letting go.

Honestly, reversing their roles felt quite different.

Tianshu frowned slightly, “Have we… met before?”

The other’s attitude made Tianshu suspect they had some interaction he wasn’t aware of.

“What do you think?”

Mo Yin was ambiguous, his expression suggestive, determined to remain a mystery.

Tianshu’s expression stiffened, struggling to maintain his composure.

Mo Yin raised his hand, lightly touching Tianshu’s mental barrier.

As the mental barrier trembled and retracted, Mo Yin stood up straight. After scanning Tianshu’s face, Tianshu grew increasingly nervous under his scrutiny.

In front of this District Nine commander, Tianshu felt both mentally and physically weakened. The meaning in the other’s gaze, whether harsh or playful, was beyond his control to interpret. He felt utterly exposed in Mo Yin’s presence.

Negotiation was undoubtedly the best way to solve problems in Tianshu’s view.

Rashly starting a war would plunge the entire alliance into chaos, which was not what he wanted.

Tianshu was confident he could persuade everyone. Mo Yin was clearly outside his plans, but looking from another angle, this might be Mo Yin’s brilliance. However, Tianshu also believed Mo Yin wasn’t just being mysterious for no reason; he might genuinely be purely insane.

Making a madman rational was beyond even the gods.

He could only find a way to control this rampaging wild horse by finding the reins to hold him tight.

Tianshu stopped thinking further to avoid giving himself away. The rest would have to rely on instinct.

Mo Yin’s eyes sparkled as he observed some interesting traces on Tianshu’s face.

Those traces flickered and vanished quickly. Tianshu relaxed his aura, moved his left arm, and looked up for help, “My back still hurts.”

Mo Yin smiled, “Let it hurt; a captive should feel pain.”

Tianshu said, “District Four has no army; the reaction might be slow, but there should be action by tomorrow at the latest.”

“So?”

“We came to form an alliance,” Tianshu said sincerely, “and are willing to accept new ideas.”

Mo Yin reached out, and Tianshu resisted the urge to turn his face away, thinking Mo Yin would pinch his chin. Instead, Mo Yin pinched his cheek and patted it lightly, “Flexible and quick to react, very good.”

Tianshu’s expression was complicated.

Who said violence and cunning couldn’t coexist?

He had met his real match.

Strangely, why hadn’t this person left a special impression on him before?

“Do you know why I called you here?” Mo Yin’s hand paused on Tianshu’s cheek. He leaned down, his nose lightly touching Tianshu’s forehead, his breath warm on Tianshu’s hair, “It’s to do something rude to you.”

His words, clearly teasing yet carrying a cold undertone, made Tianshu’s palms clench slightly, “A commander shouldn’t lack such targets.”

“I want you.”

The cold words, devoid of any hint of flirtation, struck heavily against Tianshu’s chest.

At this utterly humiliating moment, Tianshu’s ears gradually turned red.

Mo Yin saw his flushed ears, and the curve of his lips grew more pleased.

Tianshu remained silent for a long time, not even moving a muscle.

To prevent unexpected events, whenever he left District One, he would use his mental power to leave an emergency button. If anything went wrong, activating the button would display an emergency alert over the entire District One. He could already foresee the chaos that would ensue.

As for District Four, judging by the demeanor of their commander, it was clear what kind of enforcement District it was. Even if they noticed an incident at the border, they wouldn’t take any effective measures.

Between Districts, there had always been a non-interference policy, and the adjudicator had not responded to this situation. He and Charlie were essentially isolated and without support.

For natural humans, “sex” itself wasn’t a big deal. Adult natural humans would undergo gene matching, and reproduction was a behavior praised throughout the enforcement Districts. As a commander, many would lead by example and undergo gene matching first.

Tianshu’s orientation meant he couldn’t contribute to the alliance’s reproduction efforts, skipping this step entirely.

He had never thought or planned for this aspect.

From the moment he stepped into District Nine, nothing had gone according to his plan.

In just a few seconds, Tianshu had come up with countless reasons to compromise.

The most logical choice after weighing the pros and cons.

The rough scent of metal and sand kept wafting by his side. Tianshu slowly adjusted his breathing, “If you insist, Commander, we can give it a try.”

Mo Yin immediately laughed, his breath stirring Tianshu’s hair. As their eyes met, Mo Yin said, “You look like you’re about to be executed.”

“Really?” Tianshu also smiled, “I’m just anxious about this sudden appreciation.”

“Who said I appreciate you?”

Mo Yin moved his hand from Tianshu’s cheek, straightened up, and said, “And didn’t I just say? I don’t like you smiling like that.”

Tianshu continued to smile, “I’m sorry I can’t win your favor, Commander.”

“Are you getting angry with me?”

Tianshu couldn’t fathom Mo Yin’s thoughts at all. Mo Yin’s smiling face seemed to look at him indulgently.

That uncomfortable feeling returned.

There was no doubt they didn’t know each other, nor could there have been any significant moments Mo Yin remembered that he didn’t. Mo Yin’s strange and contradictory attitude was because he saw someone else’s shadow in Tianshu.

Tianshu said, “I hope we can have a proper conversation as commanders.”

Mo Yin shook his head, “I refuse.”

“Why?”

“You’re no longer the commander of District One; you’re my captive now,” Mo Yin raised his hand, pinching the top of his right glove with his left fingers and pulling it off, revealing his nearly pale skin, a side effect of the mutation. He lazily glanced at Tianshu, “If you behave well, you could also be my pet.”

*

The disturbance at District Four’s border spread throughout District Four. The Speaker arrived at the border by aircraft, finding a scene of devastation, with the land’s surface heavily damaged and no remains left. Residents nearby reported hearing loud noises and seeing golden fireballs from their windows.

“Like the sun,” they said.

The Speaker was completely puzzled, exchanging glances with several accompanying members of parliament.

They opened their mental barriers for secret communication, unable to understand the traces resembling a planetary collision.

Logically, this should be reported to the District’s commander.

But the commander had recently announced a vacation—Charlie didn’t want the people of District Four to know he had “colluded” with the commander of District One.

“Mark this area and wait for the commander’s return to make a decision.”

That was the final decision.

District One had no reaction at all. Natural humans were a highly self-centered species. The more prosperous the enforcement District, the more autonomous and civilized it was. To most natural humans in the District, the commander’s presence was almost entirely ignored.

Unless disaster struck, no one remembered the strongest mental power holder of the enforcement District.

“I think we’re doomed.”

“We’re going to die here, really, I’m sure of it. After you left yesterday, this place was dead silent. Despite so many prisoners being locked up, I shouted for a long time and no one responded. They’re all like walking corpses. Soon, we’ll become like them. I can’t believe there’s still a place like this prison in this day and age…”

Charlie grabbed the bars and shouted, “Hey! Are you all dead?!”

His frenzied question echoed down the corridor, and the only reply was his own voice.

Charlie turned back, spreading his hands towards Tianshu, “You see?”

Tianshu was fiddling with his fingers.

Since returning to the cell, Charlie had been chattering non-stop. Natural humans who lost their mental power became exceptionally neurotic. The stronger the mental power, the more intense the reaction to such a situation. It felt like falling from heaven to hell.

Tianshu looked up, pressing his palm down slightly, “Stay calm.”

Charlie rushed over and squatted down, “You have a backup plan, don’t you? You’re not the type to go all in. I know that.”

Tianshu didn’t answer his question. Instead, he presented a guess that made Charlie even more desperate, “The outside world probably doesn’t know what’s happened.”

“Who would have thought such a madman existed in this godforsaken place?!”

Charlie said irritably.

If he could travel back in time, he would go back three days and obediently stay in District Four as its commander, rather than be impulsively swayed by Tianshu’s stirring words to come here and negotiate with a madman.

“Charlie,” Tianshu’s tone remained calm, “have you ever seen someone very similar to me?”

The topic shifted too quickly, almost causing Charlie to miss it, “What?”

Tianshu stared into Charlie’s eyes, “Someone similar to me, in either body or mental power, or just giving you the same feeling.”

“Heaven, at this moment, you still want me to praise your uniqueness?”

Tianshu’s gaze moved towards the darkness divided by metal bars. His expression distant, he said, “There must be.”

Natural humans had almost no concept of family anymore. Newborns were uniformly managed. If curious about their genes, they could check public records.

Tianshu had looked up his parents but never checked for siblings with similar gene sequences.

Did something happen between someone and that commander?

The other person’s alternating cruelty and warmth were too strange. Tianshu was also completely inexperienced in this area and never thought he would face such a dilemma.

Footsteps echoed again in the corridor, sounding overlapped and staggered.

Charlie rushed forward.

Tianshu slowly stood up as well.

The wound on his back still hadn’t been treated. Because of his prolonged silence, Mo Yin had someone send him back to the cell directly.

“Hey, commander,” Charlie called into the darkness, “you’re human too. Shouldn’t you tell us what you really want?!”

Tianshu covered his arm and moved aside, also looking into the darkness.

Soon, the person in the darkness appeared before them.

Leading the group was a stern young man in a military uniform. Behind him, two other young men in military uniforms were dragging someone towards their cell.

Charlie’s mouth dropped open, staring at the “prisoner” being restrained.

It was the commander of District Eight, Taimi.

Taimi clearly saw Charlie too.

Both their faces and eyes showed similar shock.

Three commanders were locked in the same cell.

A deathly silence enveloped them, and none of them spoke.

“DangDang—”

The metal bars were struck.

The three of them turned towards the source of the sound.

The leading officer slightly raised his chin, looking in Tianshu’s direction, and said flatly, “The commander asked if you have considered his proposal.”

Charlie suddenly looked at Tianshu.

Proposal? What proposal? Tianshu hadn’t mentioned anything when he came back yesterday.

The commander from District Eight also looked at Tianshu, his voice extremely hoarse, “How long have you been trapped?”

“A few days,” Charlie quickly answered.

“Were you also tricked here?”

“No, we walked right into the trap ourselves.”

Charlie sneered angrily.

“What exactly is he trying to do? Is he planning to capture all the commanders?!”

Charlie shouted as he looked at the officer standing outside the cell.

The officer, like his commander, showed no expression. His lightly mutated brown eyes were fixed on Tianshu. Seeing no response from Tianshu, he disdainfully curled his lips and turned to leave.

Just as his figure was about to disappear into the darkness, a steady voice finally rang out from behind him.

“Wait.”