CH 106

Notice Temporarily unedited, read at your own risk

G Province was a coastal province with mild weather year-round and a very developed economy. Its big cities were a good place to live in.

Shi Jin has never been there, either in his previous life or in this life. After he finished scuffling with Gua Two, he saw that the exhaustion on Gua One’s face, as if the man finally could relax a little after a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Sensibly refraining from continuing the previous topic, he pulled out a map and asked Lian Jun, “G Province isn’t small, and there are five or six well-developed cities. Which are we going to live in?”

Lian Jun shook his head. “We won’t live here, we’ll live on the island.”

“The island?” Shi Jin repeated, surprised. His gaze moved to Formosa on the map, and he frowned. “Are we going straight to Formosa as an advance party?”

“No.” Lian Jun reached out, Shi Jin’s gaze following his finger, and lightly tapped on an island near an important port city in G Province. “This one. There’s Annihilation’s branch here, so it’s safer.”

Shi Jin nodded with understanding. As he was about to put away the map, a thought hit him. “Wait, but what about the officials? Are they going to live there too? Wouldn’t that be bad?”

Lian Jun helped him fold the map. “The official personnel won’t go with us,” he replied. “They will follow Gua Three, Gua Five, and the rest, and live in Z city which is the city closest to the island. Only you and I will live on the island.”

“Just me and you? What about Gua One and Gua Two? ” Shi Jin continued to ask.

“They have work to do and won’t stay with us all the time,” Lian Jun explained, taking Shi Jin’s hand and squeezing it gently. “Don’t worry, the island is safe. Once we’re there, I’ll arrange for Mr. Feng to continue to give you classes. I have also hired a special teacher to compile the courses of the police academy and make a detailed study plan for you. You should follow it and study properly—you mustn’t fall behind in your classes.”

Classes?! Even here, he still had to attend classes?

Shi Jin’s eyes widened, and he snapped his head to the side to stare at his lover. Just as he opened his mouth to howl, he was stopped by Lian Jun’s words: “The student’s job is to study. Shi Jin, I’m waiting for the day you can stand on your own and protect me.”

Xiao Si followed with, < JinJin, Darling has full confidence in you. You have to be a man of your word. >

Shi Jin’s spirit of a low-achieving student and lazy person was banished by his lover and his child (?) as soon as it appeared. He thought of the future he wanted to have with Lian Jun and of the burden Lian Jun was carrying, and swallowed the words in his throat. Silently enduring the pain of having to do college all over again, he nodded obediently, replying, “Okay… I’ll study properly.”

Lian Jun smiled and leaned over to reward him with a kiss.

The car rushed from the G Province’s capital to Z city, and then directly drove onto a medium-sized ferry docked in the port. The ferry then carried both the vehicle and its passengers to the island opposite.

“This is quite convenient,” Shi Jin exclaimed like a country bumpkin, sitting in the car and looking at the ferry deck and the sea beyond the fence.

“We could have flown directly to the island by helicopter,” Gua Two said, leaning back in his seat. “But this time, it’s a secret that Jun-shao came to G Province, so we have to be as low-key as possible.”

A secret? Shi Jin immediately looked at Lian Jun, curiosity apparent on his face.

Noticing his gaze, Lian Jun put down the tablet and explained, “The authorities didn’t really hide their intention to clean up Tarantula, so the larger organizations that have some contacts all caught wind of the news. However, they don’t know that the government secretly asked us to help—they’ll work in the open while we’ll work covertly. This is an advantage we need to maintain, so before the situation is solved, my whereabouts should be kept secret.”

So it’s like this.

Shi Jin nodded to show he understood. He looked at Gua Two, then leaned closer to Lian Jun and whispered in his ear, “Can we have a chat after we arrive on the island?” He still had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he’d rather not have Gua Two answer them—that guy was too annoying.

Feeling the warm breath on his ear, Lian Jun turned his head and looked at Shi Jin’s face next to his. Taking advantage of its closeness, he kissed the younger man’s eyes and hummed affirmatively.

Shi Jin closed his eyes to receive the kiss, then instinctively glanced at Lian Jun, just to catch the affectionate gaze that also showed a certain kind of longing. His breath caught; his heart suddenly thumping, he slumped back against his seat and covered his face with the map of G Province.

Not, not good… Was his question ambiguous? Did Lian Jun misunderstand that it was… that it was an invitation? But even if he did, so what? He and Lian Jun were lovers, there would be nothing wrong even if he meant to mean that!

Justified, he sat upright, lowered the map, and looked at Lian Jun. Seeing that he picked up the tablet and was reading documents, Shi Jin’s fluttering mood fell with a thud. He collapsed on the backseat, putting his head on Lian Jun’s lap, and stretched out his hand to cover the tablet screen. “Do those documents look better than me?” he asked, pouting. Obviously, how the plot had been supposed to go was ‘a romantic reunion of lovers,’ but it turned into everyone discussing business. Now that they finally finished, Lian Jun actually began to nonchalantly read files instead of talking to him.

Shi Jin felt neglected. Containing indignation, he prepared to fight for favor with the documents.

Lian Jun grabbed the hand covering the tablet and moved both it and the tablet aside to look down at him.

Shi Jin stared back, bracing himself. If Lian Jun started reprimanding him, he would either ostentatiously ignore him, or he would, he would…

At this point, he became a little confused. He had never thrown a tantrum or made unreasonable trouble; he had no idea how to act “willful” to attract his lover’s attention when the other person ignored him.

What’s more, what if he overdid it and upset Lian Jun? Lian Jun was under enough pressure already, he shouldn’t add to his burden.

Suddenly, a shadow enveloped him, and he felt Lian Jun’s breath close. Returning to his senses, Shi Jin looked at Lian Jun’s face hovering a few centimeters above his own. He swallowed instinctively, all thoughts vacating his mind in an instant.

“I’ve tried my best to endure. You’ve asked for this,” Lian Jun whispered, touching Shi Jin’s face. He stretched his arm to confine the young man’s head on his lap, then bowed down. First, he kissed his forehead, then his eyebrows, eyes, the bridge of his nose…

Lian Jun’s upper body pressing Shi Jin down blocked most of the light, and his lover’s warm breath surrounded him. He stared, wide-eyed, and the only thing existing in his vision was Lian Jun kissing him earnestly with half-closed eyes. His heartbeat sped up and his lips quivered; unable to stop himself, he grasped Lian Jun’s arm and raised his head.

Their lips met, pressing against each other. After a brief position readjustment, they deepened their connection.

Shi Jin could feel Lian Jun’s eagerness from the ferocity of the kiss. It seemed as if the other man snatched away all the air little by little, making Shi Jin feel dizzy and breathless.

It was a long time until Lian Jun finally pulled away. He caressed Shi Jin’s blushing cheeks and wiped the wetness on his lips, saying hoarsely, “Be good, Gua One and Gua Two are still here. Wait until we’re on the island, okay?”

BOOM.

Shi Jin’s mind, confused by desire, suddenly became completely sober. He remembered that right now, he and Lian Jun weren’t staying alone in a separate space, but were in a car together with other people. This time, the car they rode was relatively large, with three rows of seats. The driver naturally occupied the driver’s seat, with the front passenger seat empty. Gua One and Gua Two sat in the first row in the rear compartment, and he and Lian Jun sat in the last row. The partition was only between the driver’s row and the rear compartment; even if it was raised, it wouldn’t separate them from Gua One and Gua Two.

Dammit. Did the two of them see him and Lian Jun kissing just now?

He stiffly turned his head towards the first passenger row. Both Gua One and Gua Two were conspicuously wearing earphones and concentrating their whole attention on their tablets, appearing oblivious to the outside world.

Aren’t you guys too obvious… Desperate, Shi Jin looked at Lian Jun.

“So, are you still going to make trouble?” Lian Jun pinched the teenager’s cheek.

Shi Jin covered his face with his hands and rubbed hard. “No, thank you.”

Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!

They arrived on the island without any trouble and drove to a seaside villa on the southern shore. Unexpectedly, Gua Six was also there.

“Because this branch is close to Tarantula’s headquarters, it shouldn’t be too conspicuous, so it’s not very big and has less staff. I was worried that Jun-shao wouldn’t be comfortable living here, so I came over first to arrange things,” Gua Six explained. He looked Shi Jin over, smiling at him. “You look taller and stronger, Shi-shao. It seems that you’ve been doing well for the past six months.”

Shi Jin had a very good impression of Gua Six. He was happy to see him and even gave him a hug.

Gua Six returned the hug and patted him on the back. “Within at least three blocks from the villa, all the residents are our people, so you don’t have to worry about safety. When you’re free, you can stroll around the island to relax,” he said with a smile.

‘Within at least three blocks’? ‘This branch is not very big’? ‘Less staff’?

Shi Jin’s expression stiffened. He released Gua Six and glanced back at Lian Jun, who was giving directions to Gua One and the others, then raised a hand to wipe his face. It had already been a year since he joined Annihilation, but it seemed his understanding of Annihilation was still very superficial.

If you’re seeing this notice, you’re reading this chapter on pirate site – the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.

Gua One and Gua Two left after sending Lian Jun to the villa, saying that they had work to do.

Shi Jin watched them leave, then pushed Lian Jun’s wheelchair inside and the two took a tour of the villa.

Taking into account Lian Jun’s condition, Gua Six specially moved their bedroom to the first floor.

The master bedroom on the first floor was large, warmly decorated, and comfortable. It also had a great view, and the side facing the sea had been fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows the whole length of the wall. Outside the windows, there was a large wooden veranda, from which a raised wooden walkway led to a private beach.

Sure enough—if you have money, you can do whatever you want.

Shi Jin stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the beautiful scenery outside. Suddenly, a shadow appeared, then a pair of arms tightened around his waist and his body fell back into a familiar embrace.

“What do you want to eat for dinner?” Lian Jun asked in his ear.

Shi Jin looked down at the hands wandering around his waist, then turned his head to glance at Lian Jun. “What’s going on with Snake Fang and Meridian Gate? You still haven’t explained it to me.”

Lian Jun’s movements paused. Seeing that Shi Jin was asking seriously, he reluctantly let the younger man’s shirt fall down. “Is now really the time you want to talk about this?”

“You promised me that you would have a chat with me when we arrived at the island. You have to keep your word,” Shi Jin said, deliberately obtuse. He pulled down Lian Jun’s hand and held it, turning around to glance at the clock hanging on the wall. Looking as if he had just realized what time it was, he said, “It’s already this late. Hurry up, we need to go eat. You didn’t take a nap today—you must eat dinner on time and turn in to bed early.”

If there was anything that could make Shi Jin regain his reason quickly, it was definitely Lian Jun’s health, and everything else had to give way to it. Who cared about a romantic reunion—what was the most important was stuffing his lover full of food!

Pulled along, Lian Jun felt both funny and warm as he watched Shi Jin’s serious appearance. He heaved a sigh, temporarily abandoning the idea of pushing his lover onto the bed, and hugged him instead, fondly stroking his back.

During dinner, Lian Jun explained to Shi Jin in detail the current situation of all the top echelon organizations.

After Nine Eagles and Phantom left the stage, there remained five organizations big and powerful enough to be counted among the top echelon: Annihilation, Tarantula, Snake Fang, Meridian Gate, and Epoch. There were also several quasi-top echelon organizations, but they all chose one of the five to attach themselves to or cooperate with, so there was no need to discuss them separately.

Annihilation, Tarantula, and Meridian Gate were all old, long-established organizations with deep foundations. Epoch and Snake Fang snatched the opportunity to develop when several early top-echelon organizations were destroyed, so their foundation was slightly shallower.

In the years when Nine Eagles was frenziedly developing and expanding, Meridian Gate went through a change of leaders, Epoch was undergoing internal reorganization, and there was an ongoing power struggle between the upper ranks of Snake Fang. Because of this, the three organizations had no capability to suppress Nine Eagles’ growth. By the time they finally had the energy to spare, Nine Eagles had already become strong enough to be nearly on par with Annihilation, and couldn’t be easily shaken.

In these circumstances, all three leaders made the same choice—to lie low and watch Nine Eagles and Annihilation fight, hoping that they’d destroy each other.

Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!

Jump a few years to the present: Nine Eagles provoked Annihilation, and the two sides went to war. Nine Eagles and Phantom exhausted all their resources and collapsed. Yet, despite Nine Eagles’ all-out attack, Annihilation was unaffected and remained firmly seated at the top, its power intact and without any gap, like a solid block of steel.

No matter the reason why Annihilation moved against Nine Eagles and Phantom joining in to lend a hand, all the smarter people in the underworld inferred one thing from this conflict: Annihilation was too strong. Even though Nine Eagles seemed to be equal in strength, the result was that it was defeated miserably, without hurting Annihilation in the slightest.

The existence of such a powerful force wasn’t bad, provided that its loyalties lie completely with the underworld. However, this organization’s attitude had always been ambiguous, aloof, and cold. When dealing with other organizations, it didn’t bother with courtesies, and it also had connections with the authorities.

It was an entity strong enough to be a king and lead all existences towards prosperity, but not only it refused to take the throne, it even allied itself with the enemy to oppress them instead. Annihilation couldn’t stay—this was the common thought in the minds of all the leaders of large organizations.

Snake Fang, Meridian Gate, and Epoch were finally unable to sit still. No longer dormant, they started actively developing. Snake Fang was particularly conspicuous—it desperately tried to seize the markets previously belonging to Nine Eagles and Phantom and absorb their businesses and other resources. It was also pulling other organizations over to its side, trying to amass power and influence.

“They will inevitably forge an alliance,” Lian Jun said, then paused because Shi Jin listened with such rapt attention that he forgot all about the food. He reached out and gently knocked on the teenager’s forehead, then gestured towards the table. Once Shi Jin began to eat again, he continued, “But how will they forge it, what form will it take, exactly what course of action should they choose, and what should they make their relationship with the government after Annihilation is destroyed—should they directly oppose it or nominate another organization to act as a liaison between it and the underworld? These factors will determine whether they can successfully form an alliance and who they will form an alliance with.”

Now, Shi Jin more or less got the picture. Recalling what Gua One and Gua Two said during the car ride, he stopped eating and asked, “And you think that Meridian Gate and Epoch prefer Tarantula to Snake Fang and would rather ally with it?”

Lian Jun nodded. “Exactly.” Seeing that Shi Jin didn’t have much interest in dinner, he guessed that he wasn’t very hungry now since they had a late lunch on the plane. As such, he stopped forcing him to eat and poured him a glass of water, then continued, “Compared with Snake Fang, Tarantula is older, has a deeper foundation, and its leader’s character is more steady and reliable, making it a much better cooperation partner. Snake Fang seems to be powerful now, but it expanded so quickly that it must be internally unstable. Moreover, it had just recovered from heavy infighting among the upper-rank members. Basically, it’s full of holes, which could potentially cause a lot of trouble for its partners. Meng Qing, the leader of Meridian Gate, and Qi Yun, the leader of Epoch, are both smart people—they’re not likely to be drawn in by Snake Fang.”

Shi Jin frowned. “But Tarantula is being targeted by the government and its future is uncertain…”

“Which is why I’ve said that Meridian Gate and Epoch came here to test the waters.” Lian Jun raised three fingers and continued, “No one expected Tarantula to be targeted by the authorities. From Meridian Gate and Epoch’s viewpoint, they have three options right now: choose Snake Fang, choose Tarantula, or choose neither. Their final choice will be determined by Tarantula and Snake Fang’s respective performances during this crisis and their outcome. If Tarantula can survive the joint offensive by the government and Snake Fang, who would’ve wanted to miss out on such a powerful ally? If Tarantula is destroyed and Snake Fang’s performance is brilliant enough, demonstrating sufficient strength and reliability, then it wouldn’t be a bad choice to use it. If both Tarantula and Snake Fang perform poorly, in order to avoid inviting trouble, Meridian Gate and the Epoch will definitely quickly retreat and form an alliance alone. No matter how they choose, they won’t let themselves suffer a loss.”

With this explanation, Shi Jin finally figured out the brutal relationship between the powerful underworld organizations. “Meridian Gate and Epoch’s attitude is really condescending—they’re like VIPs at a banquet, waiting for the dishes to be served and then choosing the one that looks the best, while all the work and trouble is someone else’s…”

“To sit on a mountain and watch the tigers fight is also a kind of skill.” Lian Jun tapped on the wheelchair’s armrest, then brought the conversation back to the previous topic. “What we need to do now is to help Tarantula defend without the officials noticing it, to prod Meridian Gate and Epoch to ally themselves with Tarantula, and to inflict serious damage on Snake Fang.”

“To inflict serious damage on Snake Fang? Will it be difficult?” Shi Jin asked, a little worried.

“Not really. In fact, the outcome of this conflict all depends on the government, and the government’s attitude is influenced by us. We just have to make the officials realize that rather than Tarantula, it’s Snake Fang that’s more dangerous and needs to be suppressed, and our current predicament will be easily solved.”

As Shi Jin pondered this, his expression relaxed. “What if Meridian Gate and Epoch have misgivings about Tarantula because it had been targeted by the authorities and they choose not to ally with it, only with each other? Then Tarantula will find itself standing all alone.”

Lian Jun moved the wheelchair over to his side and took the chopsticks out of his hand. “This won’t happen. If Tarantula survives, Meridian Gate and Epoch will definitely choose to ally with it. Don’t forget, their opponent is me—if they don’t gather more strength, they will have no chance of winning.”

Shi Jin looked at his lover’s face, radiating confidence and strength, and a burst of heat spread in his chest. Leaning against Lian Jun, he asked, “We finished eating, so should we go wash up and turn in for the night?”

Lian Jun glanced at him, then suddenly got up from his wheelchair and leaned over him.

Due to his internal body clock having been adjusted to the military schedule, Shi Jin woke up at 6 a.m. sharp despite going to sleep very late.

The room was dim and the curtains were all drawn. He lay for a moment, staring in a daze at the unfamiliar ceiling. A bit more awake, he instinctively reached out towards the other side of the bed, only to find nothing. Surprised, he turned to look and discovered that Lian Jun was not in the bed, and a vague murmur of conversation was coming from outside the French window.

Was it Lian Jun? Who was he talking to, Gua Six?

He rubbed his face to wake himself up, then casually grabbed Lian Jun’s Chinese robe and put it on. Carelessly tying the belt so the key parts would be covered, he got out of the bed and walked towards the French window, blocked by the curtains.

“You came here at the crack of dawn just to curse at me?”

“Why can’t I curse at you? I even want to give you a beating. You brat, don’t tell me you don’t know why I’m in such big trouble all of a sudden.”

“Keep your voice down.”

“Why? You have a lover stashed inside? What about Shi Jin? You got tired of playing with that kid and threw him away—”

Jangle.

Shi Jin pulled the curtains open and saw Lian Jun and Lu Shan outside, Lu Shan standing and Lian Jun sitting in the wheelchair. He opened the French window and went out to the veranda, saying helplessly, “Aunt Lu, the one Lian Jun has stashed inside is me. Why are you here, did something happen? Have you had breakfast yet?”

Startled by Shi Jin’s sudden appearance, Lu Shan stared at him with wide eyes, then looked him up and down several times. Her gaze swept over his tanned skin and loosely tied robe, which obviously belonged to Lian Jun, finally stopping at the hickeys on his collarbone and neck, and she let out a whistle.

“Wow, it seems that last night was pretty intense,” she ridiculed, wriggling her eyebrows meaningfully, then turned to glare at Lian Jun. “No wonder you didn’t let me into the room and told me to keep my voice down. You stinky boy, I’m in such a miserable situation because of you and you’re enjoying yourself here. Did you feed your conscience to the dogs?”

Ignoring her, Lian Jun got up from the wheelchair and walked over to Shi Jin to help him tidy up the robe. After giving him several glances, he said, “Looks very good.”

Flustered by Lu Shan’s teasing, Shi Jin hurried to make his appearance more decent. Occupied with that, he failed to understand Lian Jun’s meaning. “What looks good?” he asked.

“You. You look good in this,” Lian Jun replied, carefully tying his belt. Finished, he looked him up and down, and smiled. “It really looks very good. Let’s make a few of these for you next time.” The originally austere and elegant robe, when put on Shi Jin’s buff and tanned body, inexplicably made him look wild and free-spirited.

Very handsome, and very alluring.

Shi Jin, embarrassed by the compliment, tugged at his collar. “Really? I thought this kind of clothes wouldn’t suit me at all.”

“No, it looks great,” Lian Jun wasn’t stingy with praise.

“Hello, I’m still here!” Lu Shan slammed her hand on the table angrily, unable to stand watching any longer. “Can you two lovebirds hold back a little?! I have a knife to my throat and you ignore me and start flirting! Are you still human?!”

Translator’s Notes:

“To sit on a mountain and watch the tigers fight” (坐山觀虎鬥) – Chinese proverb that means to watch in safety whilst others fight then reap the rewards when both sides are exhausted. Here’s the story behind it.

Translator: Eques

Editor: –

Eques:

Hi there, guys. I’m sorry for missing the last two updates – real life had demands.

<(＿　＿)>

(Omg, I owe several chapters already. I really don’t know when I’ll translate all of them… )

—

I was asked about the translation of “little bastard,” aka what Rong Zhouzhong calls Shi Jin. It’s a literal translation of 小兔崽子. I guess those of you who read the MTL might’ve been confused since, for some reason, Google Translate translates (or at least used to translate) it as “little bunny,” which sounds much cuter.  Technically, it does mean “a little baby rabbit” but, uh, it’s about as nice as calling someone “a female dog” in English, if you know what I’m getting at.

During the Qing dynasty, “rabbits” referred to male prostitutes or male favorites and “little rabbits” to catamites. Now, it’s just a general insult term for someone younger than yourself.

It’s not necessarily derogatory (depending on the context), but make no mistake: it might be a kind of Rong Zhouzhong’s pet name for Shi Jin now, but in the beginning, he used it in a derogatory meaning.

Edit by Velvet: some sources cite that the original meaning is ‘bastard’ as in an illegitimate child.

Used to describe children whose parents (either one) are prostitutes.

The English equivalent, I think, is ‘son of a b*tch’? When used in this context is quite derogatory to Chinese people, it is one thing to scold a person, another thing to involve a person’s parents.