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| Descend from the Stars (STARS) |
"You like me like this," Xu Dan stated with certainty. "So, brother prefers humans who look like this."
...No one would dislike a human who looked like this.
Xu Rongchuan inhaled slowly, forcing his gaze away from that mesmerizingly beautiful face. "Put some clothes on first," he said.
Xu Dan blinked innocently. "I don't have any clothes. Can I wear yours?"
Resigned, Xu Rongchuan headed back to the master bedroom to fetch clothes from the wardrobe. Xu Dan followed closely behind, each step causing the freshly acquired male human features to sway slightly, like a newly grown, disobedient tail. Xu Rongchuan couldn't help but glance at it occasionally, until he finally couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed a set of loungewear and tossed it to Xu Dan.
"From now on, I'll treat you as a human," he said while staring at the ceiling to avoid looking at the little monster. "I'll call you 'Xu Dan' and use 'he' as your pronoun. You need to adapt to human society as quickly as possible, understand? The first rule of being human: don't expose your body in front of others. Remember that."
Xu Dan rustled as he put on the clothes, muttering, "Brother isn't 'others.'"
"I am," Xu Rongchuan said sincerely. "You'll understand later."
Once Xu Dan was mostly dressed, Xu Rongchuan finally looked back—only to see a stunning figure standing in the middle of his bedroom, wearing a T-shirt with a cartoon duck, thermal leggings, barefoot, and awkwardly tugging at the too-tight crotch.
"Hmm... Why didn't you give me those pants? Brother is wearing them properly," Xu Dan pointed out, gesturing toward that area.
Xu Rongchuan's ears turned red. "..."
He dug out a clean pair of underwear and looser sweatpants from the wardrobe, threw them at Xu Dan, then turned and strode out of the bedroom. "Once you're dressed, rest and sleep. Get used to human routines early. Goodnight."
The bedroom door slammed shut with a bang.
Xu Dan held the pants, staring blankly at the door before shaking his head in disappointment...
After finishing his workout and showering, Xu Rongchuan returned to his bedroom to sleep. Since Xu Dan had taken the master bedroom, he had to settle for the guest room.
With the lights off, the house was plunged into darkness and silence.
Xu Rongchuan slipped under the covers, but the moment he closed his eyes, the image of that blood-red, tentacle-covered Pupil-less Eyes crawling out of the kitchen resurfaced. He tried meditating, slowly pushing those thoughts away, and gradually drifted toward sleep.
The guest room window was small, but he had left a slight gap for ventilation before bed. Xu Dan clung to the exterior wall of the 16th floor, pressing against the window crack and carefully counting Xu Rongchuan's heartbeat until it steadied into a slow, even rhythm. Then, like a boneless creature, he slithered silently into the bedroom and shifting back into human form before slipping under Xu Rongchuan's blanket.
Warm... fragrant... Mother. Xu Dan closed his eyes in contentment, even forgetting to maintain his human form—his pupils turned red, and a series of inaudible high-frequency sounds escaped his throat.
Blood is... such a beautiful red...
His belly must be even softer than imagined...
So thirsty...
His "hand" unconsciously reached toward Xu Rongchuan's stomach—but in the next instant, the air shifted. A sharp dagger pressed against his neck, its glint illuminating Xu Rongchuan's eyes, which burned with lethal intent.
Xu Dan's eyes quickly turned amber as he smiled happily. "Brother."
Xu Rongchuan stared at him, trying to see through his disguised skin all the way to the monster's heart beneath.
"What do you want?" The dagger remained pressed against his skin.
Yet Xu Dan fearlessly leaned forward, the sharp blade immediately slicing open his throat. Realistic red blood flowed out but still healing even as it spilled. "I want to sleep with brother."
Xu Rongchuan frowned at the healing wound and slightly withdrew the dagger. "Don't you feel pain?"
"It hurts, but because brother did it, it doesn't hurt anymore," he said, gazing at him with a self-satisfied smile. "Do you want me to hurt more?" Then he took Xu Rongchuan's hand—dagger and all—and moved it before his own eyes. Those were beautiful amber eyes, like gemstones, gleaming clearly under the dagger's glint. "Stab here. This will hurt. Be gentle, okay? It really will hurt."
The corner of Xu Rongchuan's mouth twitched, but in the end, he put the dagger away.
Xu Dan grew even happier, wrapping his limbs around him like tentacles with his face showing an infatuated expression as he murmured words that sounded like no human language. After half a minute, seeing that Xu Rongchuan hadn't gouged out his eyes, his boldness grew. Carefully, he extended his tongue, licking Xu Rongchuan's face and ears like a small animal.
Sweet...
So sweet, so fragrant...
So thirsty...
Xu Rongchuan had had enough. With all his strength, he kicked him off the bed. "Go sleep in the master bedroom!"
Xu Dan tumbled to the floor but soon climbed back onto the bed, embracing him just as tightly as before. "I'm sorry, don't be angry... I'll study hard on how to be human and sleep properly. Brother, let me stay here."
He would soften. Xu Dan thought. He always softened easily.
Xu Rongchuan was at his wit's end, constantly reminding himself that this creature had been born less than a week ago and might still be psychologically weaning. Thanks to years of experience wrangling his younger brother, he successfully suppressed his urge to explode. Giving up on further struggle, he closed his eyes and said stiffly, "If you disturb my sleep again, get out."
Xu Dan grinned victoriously where he couldn't see. "Okay, brother. Goodnight."
He placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Xu Rongchuan's brow twitched, but he forced himself to endure it and go back to sleep.
Xu Dan indeed settled down, so quiet that not even his breathing or heartbeat could be heard. If not for his body still maintaining a human-like 37-degree temperature, he might as well have been inanimate. Xu Rongchuan expected insomnia but surprisingly fell asleep quickly and sleeping soundly until dawn...
Bizarre.
Unbelievable.
Irrational.
I actually spent the night sharing a bed with a monster whose head I once blew half off.
Xu Rongchuan rubbed his temples, struggling to come to terms with this fact. He was supposed to be the legitimate captain of the Sixth Division, responsible for supervising a legitimate S+-level high-risk Anomalous Object—so why did it feel like he was babysitting a preschooler?
Today was Xu Dan's first day at work. In the few seconds he was questioning his life, he was already surrounded by everyone. Alice, with her eyes wide behind sunglasses, was touching Xu Dan all over while exclaiming, "So handsome, so human-like!"
Su Dongxia lifted Alice with one hand before pressing her face into her own ample D-cup chest, pouting jealously, "Am I not pretty enough?"
Alice giggled as her 1.5-meter frame clinging to the 1.8-meter-tall Su Dongxia like a koala. "Sister is the prettiest!"
Xu Rongchuan coughed and began introducing Xu Dan to everyone. "This is Alice, our Sixth Division's genius mixed-race girl. Her eyes can see things ordinary humans can't. Now that you're here, she's no longer the youngest sister in Sixth Division. You should call her 'jie jie' (older sister)."
Xu Dan, dressed in a new suit bought by Xu Rongchuan, stood tall and handsome, a far cry from his clingy demeanor at home. He nodded slightly with a polite smile. "Hello, Alice."
"Hi!" Alice adjusted her sunglasses. "Can I call you Xiao Dan? If the captain bullies you, just tell me."
Xu Dan smiled. "Sure."
Xu Rongchuan turned to Su Dongxia. "This is the deputy captain of Sixth Division. You can call her Sister Xia. She's been with Pangu the longest, like me, coming from a special forces background with extensive combat experience. If I'm not around, you can ask her anything you're unsure about."
Xu Dan obediently said, "Sister Xia."
Su Dongxia, almost as tall as him, squeezed his arm muscles approvingly. "Finally, Sixth Division gets a decent newcomer."
"And this," Xu Rongchuan patted Du Ruo, "is Dr. Du, Pangu's chief scientist, the intellectual. You've probably met him in the Containment Unit."
Du Ruo extended his hand seriously for a handshake. Remembering his own fractured right palm, Xu Rongchuan frowned and about to swat Du Ruo's hand away, but Xu Dan had already grasped it firmly before shaking it properly. "Hello, Dr. Du."
Du Ruo smiled warmly and handed Xu Dan his newly made ID card. "How are you adjusting to Pangu?"
Xu Dan glanced at Xu Rongchuan, his amber eyes like gently rippling water. "Brother has taught me many human things. I'm adjusting well and very happy."
Du Ruo said, "Your Captain Xu is the toughest on the outside but softest on the inside here. Whenever Sixth Division gets a newcomer, as long as he's not on a mission, he dotes on them like treasure. Unfortunately, his special constitution means he can't take newcomers on missions. Now that you're here, maybe he won't feel so lonely anymore."
"You should already know that we're called Pangu, with members divided into three main branches: combat, research, and logistics. First and Sixth Divisions are combat units. Besides handling field operations and mysterious incidents, we're also responsible for overseeing registered Anomalous Objects and making limited use of them. I belong to the research branch, which is further divided into researchers and developers. You've met many researchers already, and you've indirectly interacted with developers," Du Ruo pointed to the collar around Xu Dan's neck. "This was made by the developers and Xiao Bai, the captain of Second Division."
"The Logistics Division primarily provides us with logistical support, many of whom are family members of our personnel. You'll have the chance to interact with them later."
With that, the introduction to Pangu concluded. Finally, Du Ruo gave Xu Dan a deep look and said, "Welcome to Pangu."
Alice smiled: "Welcome to Pangu."
Su Dongxia patted his shoulder: "Welcome to Pangu."
Xu Dan curled his lips, touched by a strange, unfamiliar feeling beyond his comprehension. He instinctively looked at Xu Rongchuan, his eyes filled with anticipation, hoping he would say something too.
Xu Rongchuan reached out and ruffled his hair: "Even though I blew off half your head on our first meeting and later voted against you, now that you're officially my teammate, let bygones be bygones. Welcome to Pangu's Sixth Division."
Xu Dan happily narrowed his eyes, opened his arms, and hugged his captain tightly: "Thank you, everyone. I'll work hard."
Xu Rongchuan returned the embrace and even giving him an encouraging pat on the back twice.
The first Anomalous Object member in Pangu's history nuzzled against him like an overgrown puppy.
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