The tourist life seemed to have no difference from being at home.
Every morning, Jiang Que would get up, slowly walk to the breakfast shop with Shen Tazhi, and then, depending on the weather, they would take a stroll around the surroundings, solving the problem of lunch along the way. If it was hot, they would just nestle at home for the whole afternoon, then consider dinner later.
Even though they said they wouldn’t go out, in just a short week, he and Shen Tazhi had already visited two old streets, seen a garden, and bought various miscellaneous souvenirs.
By the end of the week, the scab on Shen Tazhi’s arm had completely fallen off. At this point, Jiang Que had no reason to continue preventing Shen Tazhi from cooking. Shen Tazhi decided to buy some seasonal vegetables to occasionally prepare meals at home.
It was precisely at this moment that Du Lulu called.
Jiang Que was frowning, not very skilled at selecting green beans for Shen Tazhi. When he heard his phone ring, he instinctively used his tentacle to lift the phone, ready to silence it.
It must be a spam call… Huh?
Just as Jiang Que was about to press the phone off after seeing the caller ID, he stopped his tentacle in time.
Du Lulu? Why was she calling him? What was her motive this time?
He handed the phone to Shen Tazhi, saying, “Shen Tazhi, Du Lulu is calling me. Should I answer?”
“Go ahead.” Shen Tazhi was marinating meat and, after a glance, said, “Didn’t you promise to assist the Anomaly Investigation Department? Maybe they need your help.”
Jiang Que then remembered the commitment he had made earlier on.
It wasn’t entirely his fault; the Anomaly Investigation Department had been unusually quiet for the past half month. Normally, even if Du Lulu didn’t come to class, she would send him a few messages, trying to get information out of him.
However, ever since he signed the contract, Du Lulu hadn’t contacted him.
In the first week, Jiang Que could still recall the existence of the Anomaly Investigation Department, but as the days passed while traveling with Shen Tazhi, he gradually forgot.
While his memory was good, there were few things that could truly hold his attention. Currently, only Shen Tazhi and matters related to Shen Tazhi held that “honor”.
Clearly, the Anomaly Investigation Department was not within this scope.
After recalling, Jiang Que no longer hesitated and answered the call, putting it on speakerphone. “Hello? Is there something you need my help with?”
“Jiang Que?” Du Lulu on the other end seemed surprised that he answered right away, her voice filled with delight.
“You actually remembered our contract. That’s wonderful. Are you free right now?”
Jiang Que glanced at the half-selected green beans in front of him and thought for a moment before saying, “I should be busy? I need to help Shen Tazhi with the green beans for lunch. Is there something urgent?”
There was an eerie silence from the other end for a moment, then Jiang Que heard Du Lulu take several deep breaths before continuing, “It’s nothing… You, you go ahead. I’ll call you back in ten minutes, is that okay?”
“Okay.” Jiang Que hung up without giving Du Lulu a chance to say another word.
Turning around, he saw Shen Tazhi smiling with a slight tremor.
Jiang Que was puzzled. “What’s so funny just now?”
Shen Tazhi waved his hand, trying to suppress his laughter as he thought about Du Lulu’s likely expression upon hearing Jiang Que’s “busy” was about selecting green beans.
He managed to stifle his laughter and said, “Nothing, you don’t need to help. You should make your call first. What if the Anomaly Investigation Department truly needs you urgently?”
“Okay.”
Setting down the green beans, Jiang Que naturally used his tentacle to wrap around Shen Tazhi and led him out of the kitchen.
“Hmm?” Shen Tazhi looked puzzled.
Jiang Que said confidently, “I want you to come with me. I’ve always accompanied you during your work.”
Shen Tazhi chuckled, “Alright, I’ll come with you.”
They went directly to the study room Shen Tazhi usually used for work.
Initially, Jiang Que had planned to call Du Lulu directly, but then he thought that the Anomaly Investigation Department was likely just asking him to help read human emotions. Instead of calling, he decided to quickly resolve the situation via video call. He switched to WeChat and dialed a video call to Du Lulu.
After a few seconds of a black screen, the call connected. Before Jiang Que could speak, he was startled by Du Lulu’s tearful eyes.
“Why… why are you crying?” Jiang Que was taken aback.
Her voice had been normal just a moment ago, hadn’t it? Could it be because he hung up that she was crying?
“Why is it a video call?!”
Du Lulu was also surprised, and the video shook for a moment before turning completely black.
It seemed Du Lulu had dropped her phone out of shock.
After a while, the phone was picked up, but instead of facing Du Lulu’s face, it was pointing towards a gray sofa.
Jiang Que didn’t know what was happening, so he remained silent and turned to look at Shen Tazhi for a moment. Seeing the same confusion in Shen Tazhi’s eyes, Jiang Que continued to focus on the phone screen.
Well, it seemed Shen Tazhi was also in the dark about the situation.
If Du Lulu was reacting so strongly, did something major happen overnight at the Anomaly Investigation Department?
Hmm… it was unlikely that something went wrong at the department, so could it be related to Xi Jing?
As Jiang Que pondered why Du Lulu was so upset, she finally spoke on the other end, “Jiang Que, the Anomaly Investigation Department needs your help. Are you willing?”
Seeing her own tear-stained face directly on the screen, Du Lulu stopped pretending and her voice was filled with exhaustion.
Jiang Que didn’t immediately agree and asked with a furrowed brow, “What happened?”
There was silence from the other end.
After several minutes had passed, Jiang Que heard Du Lulu say, “It’s about Team Leader Xi Jing and Team Leader Duan Yasu. They have completely lost contact in the Abyss.”
“Completely lost contact?” Jiang Que was even more puzzled.
He had already informed Du Lulu about Xi Jing’s situation and had speculated from her responses and other hints that within the Anomaly Investigation Department, Xi Jing and Duan Yasu’s team was in a state of “missing in action”.
But how did they suddenly completely lose contact now?
At that moment, Shen Tazhi beside him suddenly spoke up, “Have they still not transmitted any signals to the surface?”
The video on the other end shook for a moment, then Du Lulu’s face appeared. She looked surprised as she stared at Shen Tazhi. “How do you know?”
Jiang Que also looked at Shen Tazhi in confusion.
What signals? What had Shen Tazhi done behind his back with the Anomaly Investigation Department?
Facing Jiang Que’s gaze, Shen Tazhi sighed and rubbed his head, “It’s not anything important. Just a small signal transmitter.”
“This signal transmitter can bypass all obstacles and directly send signals to the headquarters of the Anomaly Investigation Department. When I went down to the Abyss for my safety, they had me bring it along. I only used it to ensure my safety at the beginning and to notify them when I was leaving at the end. I returned it to them after coming out.”
After explaining to Jiang Que, Shen Tazhi looked back at Du Lulu and said, “They should have taken it with them when they went to the Abyss, right?”
Du Lulu nodded with red eyes, “They did. We always bring it on missions. If they were safe, they should have sent a signal back last week.”
“But that’s not the main point. Because the team leaders have forgotten to report their safety before, the Anomaly Investigation Department can detect the vital signs of each person. The director saw that they were fine and didn’t take any major action. He just sent a message asking the team what was going on.”
“Yesterday, the director received a reply.”
Concerned about the Abyss, Jiang Que was also interested and inquired, “What was the reply?”
Du Lulu paused deliberately, “In the reply, it said: ‘The matters in the Abyss have been investigated, and the documents will be sent to your mailbox in a week. If all goes well, the issue of the apocalypse will be resolved in a week. You don’t need to send people to the Abyss anymore; we have enough people. Similar emails have been sent to their superiors in various countries. If possible, please send someone to the northwest after confirming the accuracy of the investigation documents to clean up the remains of us and our predecessors.'”
A moment of silence followed.
Jiang Que didn’t know how to react at first, but Shen Tazhi was the first to respond, “Various countries? Besides the Anomaly Investigation Department and the Qishan Sect, are there others in the Abyss?”
“Yes.” Du Lulu nodded, “It involves humans. The Anomaly Investigation Department immediately held a joint meeting with the supernatural organizations of various countries upon receiving the news. Each country sent elite squads. Xi Jing was the overall leader of this operation. The director just informed me of this.”
Shen Tazhi nodded and fell silent.
He hadn’t really been following the progress of the Abyss, as it was beyond his abilities. Now, hearing that the teams sent there seemed to have discovered the truth and, for unknown reasons, were sacrificing themselves to prevent the apocalypse, Shen Tazhi didn’t know what to say.
It was only now that Jiang Que reacted.
The message from Xi Jing was too cryptic. After thinking for several minutes, he realized that Xi Jing was saying they had found the truth, and to prevent the apocalypse, they would sacrifice themselves before heading to the northwest.
But—
Jiang Que asked blankly, “So, why are you contacting me? Do you want me to help save Xi Jing and the others?”
Ignoring the fact that he didn’t have the ability, even if he could save these people, wouldn’t it be futile in preventing the inevitable arrival of the apocalypse?
“No,” Du Lulu shook her head repeatedly. “I’m not asking you to save them. I know this puts you in a difficult position.”
“It’s to send me there. I applied with the Chief to go to the Abyss in the northwest. Regardless of what the chiefs are doing, I don’t want to be left alone. I want to be with them.”
“The Chief sent a message inquiring, and the other chiefs said it’s okay for me to go, that there won’t be much danger. The Chief approved it and even gave me an additional spot, allowing me to choose someone to accompany me on the journey. That’s why I thought of you.”
Du Lulu spoke softer and softer, “Because I feel like you probably want to earn some money… You are very familiar with the Abyss, and the chiefs have guaranteed that it won’t be dangerous. Sending me to the Abyss should be simple for you.”
She knew Jiang Que could easily guess what she was thinking, so she didn’t hide it and continued, “Of course, there is also a selfish aspect. You are talented and knowledgeable, and I trust you. It’s better to ask you than to randomly find someone unfamiliar.”
“It’s okay if you don’t agree. I just wanted to ask you. The information I shared was approved by the director, as he said you had delayed the arrival of the end of days by over ten years with your actions in the Abyss. You have the right to know, so don’t feel pressured.”
Jiang Que remained silent, looking at Shen Tazhi.
In truth, he didn’t mind escorting Du Lulu back to the Abyss.
He could tell that Du Lulu wasn’t lying, and regardless of Xi Jing’s or Du Lulu’s explanation, unless he actively sought danger, there wouldn’t be anything threatening to him in the Abyss.
At the same time, he didn’t see the need to make this trip. Honestly, human affairs had nothing to do with him. If he couldn’t prevent the apocalypse, it didn’t matter. He could protect Shen Tazhi well even during the apocalypse. Resolving it would be better, but he and Shen Tazhi could continue living their peaceful lives.
He was just a monster after all, no need to feel guilty towards humans.
Jiang Que withdrew his gaze from Shen Tazhi’s face.
To the surprise of everyone present, he responded lightly, “Sure, when do we leave?”
“It’s okay, I already knew you would refuse… Huh?”
Du Lulu stopped midway, looking at Jiang Que in disbelief, even Shen Tazhi was astonished.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jiang Que leaned on Shen Tazhi’s shoulder. “I’m just escorting you. You’re my teacher, and we can consider each other friends. I should help you.”
Even Ye Bingli would seek revenge for Su Mo, so helping Du Lulu was not a big deal.
Of course, the most important thing was—
Jiang Que raised his hand and gently touched Shen Tazhi’s face, whispering, “Gege, don’t be sad. Let’s go see what’s going on.”
Shen Tazhi was surprised, “I…”
He paused, then smiled wryly, “I really can’t hide anything from you.”
He had indeed felt a moment of sadness with Du Lulu earlier, not out of unprincipled sympathy, but rather a normal human emotion of empathy.
He thought of Jiang Que, the Jiang Que from the previous life.
On that occasion, Jiang Que also noticed something, but he didn’t say anything to anyone. Instead, he chose to quietly disappear into the Abyss.
Even though he knew that everything wouldn’t repeat itself, Shen Tazhi couldn’t help but feel a sharp pain in his heart.
No one could remain calm in the face of the death of someone they cared about.
Jiang Que nodded and proudly wrapped his tentacle around Shen Tazhi. “You can’t hide any emotions from me. Don’t be sad. Let’s go together and see. Maybe I can save them?”
He could disregard humans, ignore the slight bond with Du Lulu, but he couldn’t abandon Shen Tazhi.
Shen Tazhi had clearly been upset by the deaths of others, and at the same time, he was faintly curious about the truth of the Abyss. Jiang Que also wanted to know, so accompanying Du Lulu to see made sense.
Shen Tazhi lightly patted his head as he chuckled. Jiang Que complained, “Stop patting me. I won’t grow taller if you keep doing that. I still haven’t caught up to your height.”
Since discovering that he had grown taller, Jiang Que had been particularly concerned about his height, making sure to drink a glass of milk every night.
Shen Tazhi had been puzzled by this for a while: Wasn’t he upset a few days ago about growing taller and not being able to be held by him anymore? How did he suddenly start hoping to grow taller now?
Still confused, Shen Tazhi could only helplessly pat Jiang Que’s shoulder. “Okay, I won’t pat your head anymore. Let’s hope you grow taller quickly.”
On the other end of the video call, Du Lulu… her tears had dried up in the wind.
Can these two be a little less affectionate when the situation calls for it?!
However, after half a month, seeing this familiar scene again, Du Lulu unexpectedly felt a somewhat annoying sense of emotion.
She looked at the watch she had given Jiang Que and Shen Tazhi, and couldn’t help but smile, “Thank you, Jiang Que.”
The Anomaly Investigation Department, the chiefs, and all the members working together towards a goal, even at the cost of their lives, just to ensure that ordinary people could live happily and peacefully.
What a good child Jiang Que was.
May he and Shen Tazhi continue to be happy together.
Due to the tight schedule, they arranged to meet Du Lulu at the edge of the Northwestern Desert the next day. After a few more instructions from Du Lulu, they ended the video call.
After closing the video, Shen Tazhi looked at Jiang Que with some concern, “Are you really okay?”
“No problem,” Jiang Que replied. “The barrier that trapped me in the Abyss has already been undone by you, hasn’t it? Even if the apocalypse suddenly arrives, it would at most be extreme cold disasters or something similar. Such a disaster would only threaten you humans, not me. I can protect you.”
“It’s more about you…”
Jiang Que stood up from his chair, moved closer to Shen Tazhi, and asked, “Are you okay?”
Shen Tazhi was taken aback, “Huh?”
“Returning to the Abyss, are you okay?” Jiang Que repeated.
“Every time I mentioned the topic of me returning to the Abyss, your reaction was quite intense. I guess it’s related to the previous life, but you refuse to tell me more about what happened in the previous life,” Jiang Que said, concerned.
“Is it really okay for you to go back like this?”
Jiang Que recalled Shen Tazhi’s strong emotional reaction in the car last time and began to worry that his decision just now might have been hasty.
“It’s okay.”
Shen Tazhi lowered his gaze, as if explaining to Jiang Que and himself, “It’s completely different from the previous life now. You wouldn’t suddenly leave me alone to sacrifice yourself, right?”
“Of course not,” Jiang Que frowned, showing a look of disbelief. “I died alone in the previous life? Was I really that selfless?”
This was the first time he had heard Shen Tazhi mention how he died in the previous life. Jiang Que found it increasingly absurd. “How is that possible? Why would I leave you alone to die? I don’t want to be separated from you.”
Shen Tazhi looked at him and smiled after a while, “Alright, we won’t be separated this time.”
But Jiang Que was still not satisfied. He shook Shen Tazhi’s arm and said, “Don’t just say that. Keep talking about what happened in the previous life. Do you know why I had to die?”
Shen Tazhi shook his head, “I don’t know. You never explained anything to me back then.”
This was troublesome.
Jiang Que hissed and fell into deep thought, trying to understand the mindset of his past self.
After much consideration, he could only come up with one answer, “It must be because in the previous life, I didn’t like you. Otherwise, why would I die alone?”
“Ah, not like me?” Shen Tazhi teased with a playful expression, “So in the previous life, you didn’t like me, and yet I fell for you at the moment of your death.”
Jiang Que glared at Shen Tazhi, “You know that’s not what I meant. How can you blame me for something from the previous life, you villain.”
Shen Tazhi chuckled as he smoothed down Jiang Que’s tentacle, but Jiang Que deftly lifted his tentacle out of reach.
Shen Tazhi surrendered, “Okay, my bad. I won’t tease you anymore.”
Standing up, Shen Tazhi suggested, “Shall we continue making lunch? We still need to eat, right?”
Annoyed by Shen Tazhi’s attempts to change the subject, Jiang Que thought to himself how cunning Shen Tazhi could be.
However, since it was their first time cooking here and seeing the partially prepared ingredients in the kitchen, Jiang Que decided not to stay mad at Shen Tazhi.
Returning to the kitchen to select green beans, Jiang Que skipped over the previous topic and asked instead, “Should we drive ourselves tomorrow?”
Public transportation required security checks, and with the crowds, even if Jiang Que managed to pass through security, accidents could easily happen. Therefore, they hadn’t considered public transportation for this trip. But with the urgent time frame, Jiang Que wasn’t sure if they had time to drive themselves.
Shen Tazhi agreed, “Yes. Let’s bring everything from here. I’ll book a room at a hotel near the desert to use as a base. After dropping Du Lulu off at the Abyss, we can either return directly or rest at the hotel, whichever is more convenient.”
“Okay.”
With no objections from Jiang Que, they had already decided to stay until September and then leave after enjoying the hairy crabs.
After finishing handling the vegetables, Jiang Que absentmindedly picked up his phone to search for how long it would take to get from their current location to the northwest, preparing in advance.
Looking at the search result of “21 hours” on his phone, Jiang Que fell into deep thought.
It would be a whole day in the car, and they had to arrive tomorrow. Was Shen Tazhi planning to leave soon?
Jiang Que pulled Shen Tazhi and asked, “Do we have a driver this time?”
Shen Tazhi paused for a moment and smiled, “Yes, but not a driver, a pilot. We will be taking a helicopter directly this time. Don’t worry, I won’t be driving alone.”
“By the way, this helicopter was originally prepared for the apocalypse. There will be earthquakes in the early stages, making land travel difficult. This time, don’t stress out too much. Even if the world doesn’t resolve the end of days, it’s okay. After I was reborn, I acquired a large amount of supplies. With providing information about the apocalypse, even if natural disasters strike, we can cooperate with the country first with the supplies and information. Without Shen Liushi this time, life won’t be too bad after the apocalypse.”
Jiang Que was surprised, “How come you prepared so much in advance and never told me?”
“Because the apocalypse hasn’t arrived yet,” Shen Tazhi chuckled, “There’s no need to make you worry ahead of time. It’s not too late to discuss it when it’s almost here, just like now.”
How did he end up being taken care of by Shen Tazhi without even realizing it?
Jiang Que felt a bit deflated, thinking he finally had the chance to take care of Shen Tazhi for once.
However, his emotions were fleeting, and in no time, he found himself standing beside the stove, curiously watching Shen Tazhi effortlessly cooking.
Although he had seen it countless times before, Jiang Que still found Shen Tazhi wearing an apron, skillfully cooking in the kitchen, quite attractive. Especially considering he hadn’t seen Shen Tazhi cook in the past two weeks.
With his broad shoulders and narrow waist, the apron tied behind his back, Jiang Que couldn’t resist and reached out to untie the bow on Shen Tazhi’s back.
As the apron dropped slightly, Shen Tazhi turned his head and chuckled, “Stop messing around.”
It wasn’t just messing around; he really felt like taking off Shen Tazhi’s apron.
Jiang Que toyed with his fingertips, tactfully deciding not to voice that thought, just quietly admiring Shen Tazhi’s profile.
Hmm… his mating season seemed to be in about two weeks, right around when they should be back from the northwest.
He had a whole week to convince Shen Tazhi to wear an apron, right? It should be okay, right…?
Shen Tazhi never had the heart to refuse him.
