This is a storyline of a dark version of Jiang Que, an “if” derivation from the main content, unrelated to the main text, and will not affect the main storyline.
It can be seen as another possible scenario in a parallel world.
“Jiang Que, this is the Shen Group.”
Xi Jing sat in the car of the Anomaly Investigation Department, casting a complex look at the young man behind him.
Just yesterday, the Anomaly Investigation Department received a special energy fluctuation from the monitoring point in the northwest desert, and the energy fluctuation was getting stronger.
The northwest desert, where R-021 was contained by a mysterious force.
Considering the danger of R-021, the Anomaly Investigation Department sent him and Duan Yasu to investigate what was happening. Xi Jing thought it would be a routine mission to deal with containment subjects as usual.
Until he followed the energy fluctuation into the depths—
He saw a pale-skinned, black-haired young man drawing a magic circle on the ground. The boy had nothing to use as a “pen,” so he directly bit his finger, expressionless, and drew with blood on the ground.
He seemed to feel no pain, as the wound would clot, and he would bite it open again. As he drew, the white magic circle on the ground dimmed.
The energy fluctuation came from here.
His intentionally loud footsteps caught the attention of R-021, who nonchalantly raised his head, looking at him with those emotionless black eyes that didn’t belong to a human being, as if he had known of his arrival:
“You’re from the Anomaly Investigation Department?”
Xi Jing was surprised and cautiously nodded, while warily reaching into his pocket, ready to signal Duan Yasu who was lurking behind.
Then, he saw the beautiful young man in front of him smile lightly, as if speaking to himself, and stood up:
“Ah… it seems I arrived a bit early, but it doesn’t matter, I’m back.”
He smirked at Xi Jing, revealing an emotionless smile, “I have good news for you, the apocalypse is coming.”
Everything that happened afterward was beyond Xi Jing’s comprehension.
R-021, or Jiang Que, told him and Duan Yasu everything about Qishan Taoists, the prophesied future, the apocalypse, and the way to break the situation.
They both almost immediately remembered the strange and continuous natural disasters from a few days ago, promptly reporting this matter to Director Wu. Within half a day, Director Wu found the only two descendants of the Qishan Taoists mentioned by Jiang Que, Qi Qiu and Qi Qing, confirming the truth of Jiang Que’s words.
And that’s how the current situation unfolded:
Jiang Que went from being a containment subject to a distinguished guest of the Anomaly Investigation Department. They not only had to take this peculiar non-human creature back to the department but also had to fulfill all his requests as much as possible, as per the Director’s instructions.
And Jiang Que had only one request.
To take him to see Shen Tazhi.
“He will remember me. Even if he doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. I will make sure he never forgets in this lifetime.”
That’s what Jiang Que said at the time.
He often got lost in his own world while speaking, muttering to himself. Xi Jing found it challenging to communicate normally with Jiang Que, so he didn’t understand where this seemingly random statement came from.
Carrying a sense of confusion and unease, Xi Jing drove Jiang Que to the building of the Shen Group.
The promising young head of the Shen family was still working in the company. Xi Jing, with the mindset of at least trying to mediate if there was any conflict between Jiang Que and Shen Tazhi, temporarily waited with Jiang Que.
On one side was the influential presence of the capital, and on the other was the mysterious creature that needed to be won over from the abyss.
Xi Jing discreetly glanced at the eight wilted tentacles behind Jiang Que, silently adding to himself that the monster was somewhat weak.
In any case, he couldn’t afford to offend either side. He had to hold on to Jiang Que later; if things escalated, it wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Jiang Que noticed Xi Jing’s conflicted emotions and actions, understanding what Xi Jing was thinking but was too lazy to explain. He just let out a cold laugh, leaned against the glass window, and turned his head.
The air conditioning was on in the car, and the glass window felt cold against his forehead.
Jiang Que lowered his gaze, looking at his still unhealed fingers.
In the previous apocalypse, Shen Tazhi fell into the abyss, barely alive. Jiang Que saved him, and later, when Shen Tazhi was on the brink of death, he carried him up. He and Shen Tazhi saw a heap of bones from the Qishan Taoists, was forced into memories that should have been his, and learned about his past and the fate of having to use his life to activate the spell to travel back in time in this life.
When Jiang Que opened his eyes again, he saw Shen Tazhi looking at him thoughtfully and patting his head.
Shen Tazhi’s hand was warm, and Jiang Que didn’t understand why he suddenly touched him, tilting his head in confusion.
He was about to ask when he heard Shen Tazhi’s soft sigh:
“If this is fate…”
“It would be the same if I go, right? Que Que, I don’t want you to die.”
What fate? What does he mean by it’s the same if I go?
Jiang Que didn’t understand.
But then he saw Shen Tazhi starting to step back.
Jiang Que finally realized something was wrong. Ignoring the intense pain, he almost crawled a few steps before standing up in a sorry state.
“Shen Tazhi? What are you do—”
He couldn’t say that last word.
To Jiang Que’s disbelief, Shen Tazhi, in front of him, jumped back into the abyss.
What happened next felt like a dream.
Jiang Que went to find a ladder to descend back into the abyss and slowly, he remembered everything.
As time rewound, Jiang Que found himself back in the abyss1this should be akin to the rebirth of the main storyline. But since this time Shen Tazhi died before Jiang Que could sacrifice himself, Shen Tazhi is the one without memories of the time they shared together. He didn’t even know what time it was now. He only knew that Shen Tazhi had used his life to grant him a chance to go back.
In a daze, he couldn’t understand why Shen Tazhi had to do this. He didn’t grasp the meaning of Shen Tazhi’s final words and could only attribute it all to Shen Tazhi being frightened by the prophecies of the Taoists.
The elders said they were destined to meet, but Shen Tazhi might not want to meet him or have another life, so he tried to break the prophecy by activating the spell himself.
…Heh.
He didn’t know if Shen Tazhi remembered him after going back. The glass had warmed from his body heat. Jiang Que raised his head from the window, thinking indifferently that it didn’t matter if he wasn’t remembered.
After all, he was probably just a monster in Shen Tazhi’s eyes. Shen Tazhi was so impatient to break free from their bond by triggering the spell to travel back, but Jiang Que refused to comply.
He flashed a carefree smile in response to Xi Jing’s subtly worried gaze.
Just as Xi Jing was debating whether to offer some words of comfort to Jiang Que, encouraging him not to escalate things with Shen Tazhi, the glass door of the Shen Group opened.
Shen Tazhi, who received a call from Director Wu, walked out of the door with a sense of confusion and headed straight towards Xi Jing’s car after seeing it.
Xi Jing: !!
He sat up silently, ready to subdue Jiang Que at any moment.
Jiang Que also saw Shen Tazhi.
Unlike the disheveled appearance from the previous life, Shen Tazhi was now dressed neatly in a suit, walking towards the car in the sunlight.
Jiang Que still had traces of his own blood on him, wearing the long-sleeved shirt and pants that Qishan Taoists had given him when he brought him in, now slightly worn out.
If it weren’t for the apocalypse, if it weren’t for the natural disasters, perhaps they would never have crossed paths at all.
Such thoughts suddenly appeared in Jiang Que’s mind.
A sharp pain struck his heart, causing Jiang Que to purse his lips and hesitantly touch his chest.
It’s strange. Could there be some residual effects from the rebirth?
He pondered this briefly, not paying much attention to it, and instead turned his gaze towards Shen Tazhi, who had now reached the car door.
Shen Tazhi tapped on the car window, signaling for the person inside to unlock the door.
Xi Jing took a deep breath, slowly unlocking the door, already prepared to act.
At the moment the door was opened, Jiang Que directly reached out his tentacles, swiftly pulling Shen Tazhi into the car.
Shen Tazhi was thrown onto the back seat of the car, his menacing tentacles surrounding him, tightly protecting him and Jiang Que, preventing Xi Jing from having a chance to harm them.
Jiang Que sat there, looking down at Shen Tazhi, delicately adjusting Shen Tazhi’s chin with his slender and beautiful hand.
He carefully examined Shen Tazhi, revealing a smirk-like expression and slowly uttered:
“Shen Tazhi.”
Shen Tazhi’s hands were also bound, and he could only look up at the beautiful, non-human-like monster youth nervously, his muscles tensed:
“…Who are you?”
“Oh, you don’t remember me.” Jiang Que sighed disappointedly, lowering his gaze.
Immediately, he smiled again, “But it’s okay, I’ll make you remember.”
His hand moved from Shen Tazhi’s chin to his neck, first inexplicably tapping the other’s Adam’s apple with his fingertips.
The wound on his finger reopened, leaving a faint red mark on Shen Tazhi’s neck.
Shen Tazhi nervously swallowed.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, as if responding to an unexpected signal, Jiang Que suddenly exerted force, using his beautiful hands to grip Shen Tazhi’s neck.
“Uh…”
Shen Tazhi was choked, feeling the sensation of suffocation.
Instinctively, he tried to resist, but he was tightly bound all over. He couldn’t even muster the strength to raise his arms and could only futilely shake his head, trying to break free from that beautiful yet deadly grip.
With a sly smile, Jiang Que leaned in and asked by his ear, “Gege, remember now?”
Shen Tazhi had no idea what he was talking about. The instinct to survive made him struggle desperately, making “hehe” sounds, expressing pain and an inability to explain.
“Click.”
At that moment, the cold sound of a gun being cocked was heard. Xi Jing raised the gun and aimed it at Jiang Que.
“Jiang Que, as I’ve told you before, no matter what contributions you may have made, if you have intentions to harm humans, I will execute you on the spot.”
Jiang Que glanced at Xi Jing, realizing that he truly intended to kill him. He casually withdrew his hand.
But as his hand left, his tentacles once again wrapped around Shen Tazhi’s neck.
The tentacles slowly tightened like a noose, not with excessive force but enough to restrict Shen Tazhi’s breathing, trapping him in a painful and suffocating state.
Atrocious.
“Why would I hurt him?” Jiang Que looked at Xi Jing in astonishment.
Once again, he retreated into his own world. Ever since Shen Tazhi died in front of him, Jiang Que rarely listened to what others had to say.
He chuckled softly, murmuring, “I was just trying to make him remember me, wasn’t I often doing this in the previous life…”
He tightened his tentacles again, this time almost suffocating Shen Tazhi. Jiang Que urgently grabbed Shen Tazhi’s collar.
Although he said he didn’t care, he couldn’t help but ask again, “You still can’t remember me?”
Shen Tazhi’s limbs were already getting cold, his head buzzing from lack of oxygen, he couldn’t hear what Jiang Que was saying clearly.
“Jiang Que!” Xi Jing’s stern voice rang out, “Let go, he’ll die if you continue like this!”
The word “die” instantly struck a nerve with Jiang Que. He abruptly released his tentacles, responding in a panic, “He won’t die! I won’t allow him to die!”
Xi Jing was stunned.
Huh? Wasn’t Jiang Que here for revenge?
Was he planning to torture Shen Tazhi before letting him die?
Just as Xi Jing was uncertain, Jiang Que had already pulled Shen Tazhi up.
Having been in the abyss for so long, malnourished and deprived of sunlight, Jiang Que appeared gloomy and pale. He was also slightly shorter than Shen Tazhi, so when he sat up, he seemed somewhat diminished in presence.
Yet, Shen Tazhi, breathing in the fresh air, couldn’t help but shudder and lean back when he met Jiang Que’s gaze.
The emotionless, superior gaze of this monstrous being was truly terrifying.
“Are you afraid of me?” Jiang Que revealed a strange smile.
He shook his head, muttering to himself, “No, you can’t be afraid of me.”
His tentacles extended towards Shen Tazhi’s waist and abdomen.
“You have my eggs, you belong to me. According to the Taoists, you can’t be afraid of me, you have to be with me.”
Jiang Que’s words were a jumble, but they left everyone present stunned.
Shen Tazhi stared stiffly at his abdomen.
How did he not know when he acquired the eggs from this young man in front of him?
Xi Jing also stared dumbfounded at Shen Tazhi.
Huh? How did the situation suddenly turn into a game of cat and mouse between them?
“I’m sorry… but I really don’t know you. May I ask, why do you think that way?” Shen Tazhi’s expression was blank, asking in confusion.
“I’m Jiang Que,” Jiang Que corrected, displeased. “You used to call me Que Que.”
“Alright, Que Que.” Shen Tazhi was flexible and accommodating, going with the flow.
Jiang Que was satisfied, and the pressure of his tentacles around Shen Tazhi noticeably softened. Seeing that Shen Tazhi didn’t seem to have an answer, he cleared his throat and asked again:
“So… why do you think that way, Que Que?”
He awkwardly added the nickname suffix.
“That’s just how it is. The elders said we would meet, and in the previous life, you seemed to like me. You even told me stories and said you’d take me out,” Jiang Que explained, feeling a bit sad. He then remembered Shen Tazhi’s final act of jumping into the abyss and continued, “But in the end, you died, by suicide.”
He chuckled, saying, “I won’t give you a chance to die again, gege.”
Jiang Que’s words were all over the place, and Shen Tazhi only grasped the general idea. Meanwhile, Xi Jing stood nearby, dumbfounded.
Not only was this the first time he saw Jiang Que answering someone’s questions, but what about the previous life? Jiang Que never mentioned any of this to them before!
Shen Tazhi remained silent. He felt that the person most likely to cause his demise at the moment was the young man in front of him. However, he didn’t voice this thought and instead reassured Jiang Que, “I won’t die. I’m doing well now.”
“Now?” Jiang Que looked puzzled. “You mean the present without me?”
Before Shen Tazhi could answer, Jiang Que smiled and said, “No, I want you to be alive when you’re with me.”
Finally realizing something was off, Shen Tazhi asked, “Wait… what was our relationship in the last life?”
Innocently, Jiang Que raised his thickest tentacle and poked Shen Tazhi’s abdomen. “It was this kind of relationship.”
Shen Tazhi: ?
Xi Jing: ?
Seeing Shen Tazhi’s incredulous and evasive gaze, Jiang Que knew he hit the mark.
Shen Tazhi was the kind of person who would feel responsible even for saving a small cat. Once he understood their relationship, he wouldn’t easily let go.
Even though his rationality was wavering, Jiang Que was still adept at manipulating Shen Tazhi psychologically.
Lowering his gaze, as if feeling a bit sad, Jiang Que said, “Gege, you said you’d take me home… I won’t harm you, I just wanted you to remember.”
“Would you take me home? Our baby needs me too.”
Shen Tazhi’s expression had shifted from shock to near breaking point, trembling as he asked, “…Baby?”
“Yes,” Jiang Que cheerfully replied, “In the previous life, gege, you ate many of my eggs. You need to take responsibility for them.”
Xiao Que didn’t lie; Xiao Que always told the truth. It was Shen Tazhi’s misunderstanding.
So, he couldn’t blame Xiao Que later.
Xi Jing finally felt he had a grasp on the situation. His values were shaken by what he heard:
“So… you mean, in the previous life, you and Mr. Shen were together. Mr. Shen later died but was still carrying your… so you came to find him?”
Jiang Que neither nodded nor shook his head, just leaned on Shen Tazhi, looking pitifully innocent, and continued to ask him, “Can you, gege?”
The anger he felt from his rebirth, which had him choking Shen Tazhi, disappeared completely when he saw him in pain. Now, Jiang Que only wanted to get away from the view of the Anomaly Investigation Department.
Shen Tazhi then realized the situation. He looked at Jiang Que’s large, soft tentacles with numerous suckers and spikes and muttered, “If it’s true…”
“Of course it’s true. I know you have a younger brother named Shen Liushi, and your parents…” Jiang Que immediately recounted everything he knew from the previous life, and finally added in a low voice, “I also know that when you can’t help it, you like to bite your lip… mhm.”
His mouth was covered by Shen Tazhi.
Trembling, Shen Tazhi covered his face, “I understand… I’ll take you back first, let’s figure out what’s going on.”
Before Shen Tazhi arrived, Director Wu had briefed him on the situation. At first, he thought he was being targeted by some creature seeking revenge, but he never expected it was to find their offspring.
Those tentacles… could he really swallow them?
Shen Tazhi was lost in thought.
Regardless, as long as he knew Jiang Que harbored no intention to harm him, it was fine. Bringing Jiang Que home to stabilize the situation was a priority.
Recalling the various emergency weapons he had his assistant prepare at home, Shen Tazhi glanced at the human-like Jiang Que in front of him.
No matter what kind of creature it was, as long as it pierced the heart, it would hurt even if not fatal, right? The goal was to buy time to alert the Anomaly Investigation Department.
As he thought this, Shen Tazhi noticed the reddish-brown bloodstains on his collar.
Huh? When did he start bleeding?
Perplexed, he followed the faint blood trail downwards, eventually fixing his gaze on Jiang Que’s hand.
That delicate and beautiful hand had droplets of blood dripping from the fingertip of the index finger. The nail of that finger was almost halfway peeled back, the flesh of the fingertip nearly rotten. Shen Tazhi felt a faint pain in his own hand just from looking at it.
However, Jiang Que seemed completely unaffected, staring at him steadily, his exquisite face stubborn.
“You have to take me home. No matter what I do, you’re not allowed to die.”
Shen Tazhi didn’t respond. Tentatively, he touched Jiang Que’s hand and, seeing no strong reaction, carefully took his wrist and examined the wound on his finger.
Seeing the upturned nail, Shen Tazhi couldn’t help but inhale sharply. “How did this happen… Doesn’t it hurt?”
Jiang Que didn’t react at first, then realized Shen Tazhi was referring to the wound on his hand.
Compared to the lingering intermittent pain in his tentacles, this wound was nothing. Nevertheless, to elicit sympathy, Jiang Que pathetically said, “It hurts a lot, gege.”
He exaggerated the pain, although he truly didn’t feel any, but Xi Jing watched Shen Tazhi’s face with genuine concern.
“It’s okay. When we get home, I’ll disinfect and treat it, apply some medicine, and it’ll heal in no time,” Shen Tazhi reassured.
Jiang Que nodded in a falsely pitiful manner.
Xi Jing: …
He now believed that these two were lovers from a past life.
In Shen Tazhi’s villa.
*Click.*
The sound of the door locking echoed.
The villa was dimly lit. Shen Tazhi subconsciously turned on the lights, but upon noticing Jiang Que squinting uncomfortably, he turned them off again.
Bending down to find the first aid kit, Shen Tazhi said, “Find a place to sit for a while. I’ll apply some medicine for you. Please don’t move your hand for now.”
Jiang Que remained silent.
He was inspecting the house.
The villa wasn’t too large but was detached, surrounded by silence. Once the door was locked, it would be difficult for anyone to notice even if they didn’t leave for ten days or half a month.
Hmm… there was a door, probably leading to the basement.
His tentacles gradually spread out, beginning to explore the blind spots, contemplating the possibility of locking Shen Tazhi inside the villa.
Jiang Que’s thoughts were straightforward.
Shen Tazhi didn’t like him, didn’t remember him—none of that mattered. He just wanted Shen Tazhi to accompany him.
He could lock Shen Tazhi up, restrain him to the bed every day, preventing any suicidal thoughts or actions, feed him eggs daily, ensuring Shen Tazhi could never leave him.
Breaking a human’s will was simple. Jiang Que was confident that within a month of seclusion, he could completely break Shen Tazhi and mold him into what he desired.
The black tentacles climbed in the darkness. Some tentacles were already eager to capture their future prey and bring them back to the nest.
Shen Tazhi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately his hand passed over the wooden cabinet hidden under the first aid kit.
He sighed and, seeing that even though he was injured, Jiang Que didn’t react, still focusing intently on him, he reached out and patted the tentacle wrapped around him.
“Alright, stop it,” Shen Tazhi said as if nothing was amiss, taking a few steps forward.
He sat beside Jiang Que and softly said, “Does it hurt? Give me your hand. Let me take care of it first, we can talk about other things later.”
The tentacles remained still, and Jiang Que didn’t move, as if hesitating between two choices.
Shen Tazhi raised his hand, gently rubbing Jiang Que’s head.
“Que Que, give me your hand.”
The beautiful hand moved slightly, eventually landing on Shen Tazhi’s hand.
Shen Tazhi smiled, praising him, “Good boy.”
His waist tentacles also stopped moving, frozen in place, unsure of what to do next.
…Truly unexpectedly innocent.
