EM Chapter 3. Aftermath

The submachine gun had been tossed to the ground. Song Feng leaned against the tree, breathing shallowly. Putting the condom on a man who had completely lost his mind had taken real effort, and now his back was soaked with sweat. Earlier, he had even naively imagined finishing the job with just his hand, but after a couple of strokes, he’d been shoved hard against the tree and gave up resisting entirely.

Xiao Mingxuan’s breaths came rough and fast. His body was overwhelmed by raw instinct. He couldn’t hold back any longer and plunged in hard.

A low sound escaped Song Feng’s throat. Even though he’d mentally prepared himself, the sudden intrusion made his hand clench tightly against the bark. The heat and pain hit all at once.

Xiao Mingxuan felt like he’d crashed straight into paradise. A guttural groan escaped his throat. The scent, the feeling, pulled him deeper, made him greedy for more. He gripped Song Feng’s waist and began to thrust, every movement hitting deep and hard.

Song Feng was on the verge of tears now. He bit down on his lip and trembling. This was karma, plain and simple. And to top it off, the condom he’d grabbed in a rush was a ribbed one. Damn. It hurt like hell.

By now, Xiao Mingxuan couldn’t tell if the person before him was male, female, beautiful, or plain. All he saw was the striking pale skin of the nape set against black hair and a dark shirt. He leaned in and bit down, teeth grinding on the flesh.

The sensation burst down Song Feng’s spine like a surge of electricity. His skin prickled, and he shuddered. Then he began to struggle. “Let the hell go, bastard!”

Xiao Mingxuan pinned him and bit down again. But the more Song Feng struggled, the more tension he could feel building beneath the skin. He finally let go and focused entirely on ravaging the meal in front of him.

Song Feng’s breath came shallow, the pain numbing as it dragged on. He kept darting glances around, wary of any sudden threat. His fists stayed clenched, holding out for this ordeal to end quickly.

Xiao Mingxuan would later try many times to recall the details of that day, but each attempt ended in failure. It was as if one moment he had been thinking about how to stay on his feet long enough to reach the rendezvous point, and the next, he had already fucked the man. Everything in between was a complete blur.

He stared blankly at the figure standing with his back to him, at the mottled marks on his neck. His gaze dropped, landing on where their bodies were still joined, and on the blood trickling down the inside of his thighs. His first instinct was to grab the submachine gun on the ground and track the lunatic by the trail of blood, pin him down, and empty five minutes’ worth of bullets into him.

What the hell was in that drug? Why didn’t he pass out when the effects wore off? Why didn’t he black out? He should’ve lost consciousness the moment it ended. That way, he could have at least kept lying to himself. But now what?

Song Feng noticed the man behind him had stopped. He waited, but nothing happened. He turned around. Xiao Mingxuan was staring at him, completely dazed, unable to say a word.

“The drug wore off? You didn’t pass out?”

Xiao Mingxuan gave a stiff nod. Honestly, if he could’ve, he really would’ve preferred to pass out.

Song Feng’s expression instantly changed. His eyes were full of rage and disbelief as he growled, “Then why the fuck are you still inside?!”

Xiao Mingxuan snapped back to reality, hurriedly pulled out, and when he looked down, he froze again.

Where the hell did the condom come from?

He stared blankly at the man. This guy… brought something like that with him on a mission?

Song Feng bent down with some difficulty to pull his pants back on. Every now and then, the movement tugged at his injury, making him suck in a sharp breath from the pain. After fastening his belt, he picked up the submachine gun and looked up at the man in front of him. He had always lived recklessly and had never suffered this kind of humiliation before. Being forcibly fucked by a stranger while unable to fight back left a bitter taste in his mouth. But he knew, rationally, that he had made the right call. Besides, the man truly wasn’t at fault. So he forced himself to swallow the anger.

Xiao Mingxuan had been standing there the entire time, watching him. As his nerves slowly settled, he instinctively braced for a punch, fully expecting the man to explode. But after a pause, Song Feng simply pointed and said, “You’re still hanging out.”

“…”

Xiao Mingxuan froze for a second, then quickly looked down. He yanked off the condom and threw it aside, shoved his cock back into his pants, and zipped up. His palm brushed some blood on the condom in the process. When he looked up again, his expression had gone stiff.

Song Feng ignored him, glanced at the time, took out a device and fiddled with it, then turned to walk ahead. “Let’s go. This way.”

Xiao Mingxuan’s lips moved slightly, but in the end, he followed.

Neither of them spoke for a while. The air grew awkwardly quiet. Song Feng didn’t want to talk, and Xiao Mingxuan didn’t know what to say. Even if it was the drug that had made him lose control, he had still hurt someone. After a long silence, he finally said, “I’m sorry…”

Whether due to his identity or his personality, those words almost never left his mouth. But right now, he truly meant it.

Song Feng gave a faint hum in response. Xiao Mingxuan watched his back, and his eyes drifted down. Noticing the stiffness in Song Feng’s movements, he instinctively stepped forward.

Song Feng turned to look at him. His gaze still carried its usual laziness and hint of roguish charm, but now, there was also a touch of coldness. Which was understandable. The fact that he wasn’t spitting fire already said a lot.

Xiao Mingxuan suddenly noticed just how beautiful this man’s eyes were. He softened his voice. “Let me carry you.”

Song Feng stiffened. He forced the words through clenched teeth. “No need.”

His eyes were filled with bitterness. Xiao Mingxuan stood silently for a moment, then reached out his arm and said, “If you’re angry, bite me.”

The pain came instantly. He held still and didn’t flinch until Song Feng let go. Then he looked down at the bite mark on his arm. “Didn’t bleed.”

“No shit. Who knows if you’ve got HIV or something? What if I get infected?”

“…”

Song Feng felt a little better and kept walking, though now and then he would draw in a sharp breath, sounding pitiful. Xiao Mingxuan couldn’t stand it. “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?”

“No.”

Xiao Mingxuan sighed. “Why are you so damn stubborn?”

Song Feng shot him a glare. “If you carry me, I’ll have to spread my legs. That wound’s guaranteed to tear open. You want me even more miserable?”

“…It might not tear. Maybe it’ll hurt a bit at first, but it’ll pass. Still better than walking.”

“Then how about this. You let me fuck you now, and I’ll carry you. Let’s see if it hurts or not. If it doesn’t tear and doesn’t hurt, I’ll let you carry me.”

“…Weren’t you just afraid I might have HIV?”

“You let me fuck you once, and even if you do, I’ll accept it.”

Xiao Mingxuan immediately shut his mouth.

Song Feng shot him a sideways glance. “I’m seriously pissed off right now. You’d better stay quiet, or I really will shoot you in the head.”

“You won’t,” Xiao Mingxuan replied with certainty. From the beginning, the man hadn’t resisted, and afterward, he hadn’t thrown a punch in anger either. Instead, he kept heading for the rendezvous point. That showed how rational he was. He wasn’t someone who’d lose control that easily.

Song Feng snorted without agreeing or denying it.

The two fell silent again. But after their earlier spat, the atmosphere no longer felt quite so awkward. The forest path was rough. Xiao Mingxuan tried several times to reach out and help him, only to be subtly avoided each time. In the end, he gave up.

Song Feng could feel his condition worsening. He glanced around and noticed a river nearby. Looking further along the riverbank, he could make out a small clearing up ahead. He tapped the comms device in his ear. “Ran into some trouble. Come pick us up. I’ll send the coordinates. Yeah, that’s it.”

Xiao Mingxuan was also surveying the terrain. Hearing Song Feng’s words, he understood what the man had in mind and quietly followed him toward the clearing. The area around them was unusually quiet. He instinctively wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he realized there was nothing worth saying. This man wasn’t like the men and women he’d once played along with in his charades. He didn’t need sweet words, didn’t care for money or comfort, and didn’t even seek concern. In this situation, silence really was the only choice.

Song Feng finally reached the clearing and began setting up a device. Xiao Mingxuan stood nearby, watching him, quietly guessing at his identity. When Song Feng finished, he looked up and suddenly asked, “Got a smoke?”

Xiao Mingxuan paused, then quickly reached into his pocket. “Yeah.”

Song Feng extended a hand, and when the man leaned in to light it for him, he hesitated for a second but didn’t pull away. Taking a drag, he slowly exhaled and said, “If this hadn’t been a mission, you’d be dead by now.”

“I know.”

“So there’s no need for you to feel guilty. If it had been someone else, I still would’ve done the same.”

Xiao Mingxuan raised an eyebrow, but the man didn’t look at him again. He stood alone by the riverbank, quietly smoking. The lines of his profile were strikingly sharp. Xiao Mingxuan stared for a moment, suddenly curious about what this man really looked like.

Song Feng noticed the gaze and turned his head. “What?”

Xiao Mingxuan hesitated before asking, “What’s your name?” If possible, he wanted to find a way to repay him later, even if it had to be done in secret.

Song Feng paused, then gave a faint smile. “I think it’s best if we don’t know each other’s names or identities. That way, we avoid unnecessary trouble. Don’t you agree?”

Xiao Mingxuan fell silent. The man had already drawn the line. What else could he say? In the end, all he could do was treat today as nothing more than an accident… or perhaps more accurately, a nightmare.

Song Feng took the final drag of his cigarette. “Was it your little lover who drugged you?”

“His name is Fu Shanming. He’s from Malaysia. And he’s not my…” Xiao Mingxuan abruptly cut himself off, realizing there was no need to explain. Fortunately, Song Feng didn’t care for the second half of the sentence. He simply murmured, “Fu Shanming…” repeating the name under his breath. There was no point in settling the score with the man beside him. But finding that bastard and making him pay was something he could absolutely do.

The distant roar of helicopter blades grew louder, stirring the surrounding trees until they rustled wildly. Xiao Mingxuan took a few steps back and watched as two helicopters descended slowly. The cabin door on the lead chopper opened, and someone jumped out, sprinting toward Song Feng.

“Boss! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Song Feng said calmly as he stepped past him and climbed aboard.

The man followed close behind, but just as he was about to step inside, he caught sight of the marks on the back of Song Feng’s neck. His mouth fell open. He stared at Song Feng, then turned his gaze to Xiao Mingxuan, clearly at a loss for words.

Song Feng glanced sideways at him. “Want to stay here?”

The man jolted back to his senses and straightened up immediately, fixing his gaze forward and trailing closely behind as they boarded the helicopter.

Another man stepped out of the second helicopter. His hair was cropped short, and although his uniform was identical to the others, Xiao Mingxuan could immediately tell he was a soldier. So not everyone in that team was like ‘him.’

The soldier gestured for him to board the second helicopter. Xiao Mingxuan knew this was the moment they would go their separate ways. He didn’t move right away. Instead, he stood still and watched the man walk farther and farther away. Just as the man was about to step onto the helicopter, he seemed to freeze for a brief second, then climbed in without ever looking back or letting anyone help him.

Xiao Mingxuan frowned slightly. That man didn’t seem like a soldier, but he must belong to some organization. With all those injuries… was he really going to be okay? Was he the type to stubbornly refuse medical care? He thought it over and felt that the man didn’t strike him as someone who would neglect his own condition. That brought him a bit of comfort, and he followed the soldier into the helicopter.

He rested during the flight. Upon arriving at his destination, he was taken straight into surgery, where the artificial skin on his face was removed. It wasn’t anything as magical as the face-swapping in martial arts dramas. They had only adjusted the contours of his face and features slightly, then changed his hairstyle. That alone was enough to make him look like an entirely different person.

With his original appearance restored, he underwent a full physical examination. Everything checked out. It seemed Fu Shanming had at least used a clean needle.

He had completed his mission beautifully, and with some time off ahead, he found himself occasionally thinking about that man. After all, it was a mess he had created. He wondered how he was doing now. Had his injuries healed?

From what he could tell, the man wasn’t a soldier. Most likely, he worked for national security.

So… should he ask around?