RHWHEG -Chapter 49 Equally Rotten

Just like that, Yu Qunqing carried a bucket of honey, a person, a gun, and a queen bee as he quickly fled the scene. Behind them, the invisible lizard had already torn open the hive, golden honey pouring out like molten gold. The creature feasted greedily as the black hive bees fell into chaos.

They moved through another passage and arrived in an area resembling an apartment complex.

Lin Luyi was the first to ask, “Why did you bring this giant bee along? Shouldn’t we cut it open now and take out the disaster stone?”

The queen bee seemed to sense the danger and buzzed clumsily to a corner, attaching itself to the wall.

Yu Qunqing handed the gun to Sun Min, hoping he could repair it for Dong Changxin to use. Then he said, “The queen bee doesn’t have any combat ability—and it’s quite useful.”

Dong Changxin’s face turned pale. “I get it. The queen bee can give birth to worker bees, and the worker bees can continuously produce disaster stones. That way we’ll have an endless supply of them…” She looked at Yu Qunqing, her eyes practically shouting: You terrible capitalist!

Sun Min nodded. “That’s exactly the kind of thing Brother Yu would think of.”

“This type of disaster only has stones on the queen bee,” She Lulang explained for Yu Qunqing. As for whether Yu Qunqing had really been thinking that, there was no need to say.

“I need to correct your misunderstanding,” Yu Qunqing said righteously. “The queen bee carries a royal chamber—it’s actually a storage space. The black hive bees can secrete honey out of thin air because they use that space.”

Dong Changxin’s eyes lit up. “We finally have an apocalypse-essential storage ability!” She was clearly tired of hauling ammo boxes everywhere.

“What if its offspring come after us for revenge?” Sun Min worried aloud.

“I still don’t know how to use the storage space,” Yu Qunqing admitted. He only knew that the Sanctuary utilized the black hive bees’ storage ability. For now, it was enough to have stolen the queen bee—he’d figure out the rest later. “Since it voluntarily left its hive, that means it abdicated. The worker bees will elect a new queen, so it’s no longer connected to them,” he added, answering Sun Min’s concern.

Beside him, She Lulang suddenly realized—Yu Qunqing had never been to the Sanctuary. He shouldn’t have known that.

“Ah—so much pain…” The human they had rescued finally woke up. “Who are you? Are you here to save me?”

Yu Qunqing nodded casually. “We’re the Sixth Sub-Squad of Action Team A, from outside the Sanctuary. We found you here and, according to the Sanctuary’s Mutual Aid Principle for Humans, we provided emergency assistance. How are you feeling now?”

The Sanctuary’s Mutual Aid Principle for Humans…

She Lulang heard that familiar bureaucratic phrasing again.

The rescued man took a good look at Yu Qunqing’s face—and immediately turned pale with terror. His pupils contracted, and he scrambled backward. “It’s you! The S-class wanted criminal! You damned human traitor! And—She Lulang? You’re here too?! The Sanctuary will never let you go!”

It had been a long time since anyone had thrown that title—human traitor—in his face. Yu Qunqing froze for several seconds, his brain pierced by a needle of shock.

She Lulang’s black bird blocked Yu Qunqing’s line of sight, then transformed into a hand that grabbed the man by his collar and slammed him hard against the wall.

Thud!

A crisp crack echoed. Blood streaked down the wall as the man howled in pain.

The black bird reformed into She Lulang, his expression ice-cold, showing not a trace of pity. He said flatly to his teammates, “Once we’ve gotten basic information out of him, I won’t let him live.”

It was the first time Lin Luyi and the others had seen such ruthlessness from She Lulang. They instinctively turned to Yu Qunqing.

But the rescued man shouted defiantly, “I’ll never mistake you! You two demons—the wanted posters describe you perfectly! I’ll never tell you anything. I’d rather die to the disasters than fall into your hands!”

Dong Changxin snapped, “We saved you, remember?”

“You must have ulterior motives. For all I know, this is your fault to begin with!” he spat back. “I’ll tell Captain Jiang about this—then all of you will be executed!”

At the mention of execution ground, She Lulang’s fury deepened.

Lin Luyi dragged the queen bee over. “Go, little bee—sting him to death!” But when he lifted the bee up, he realized it didn’t have a stinger, so he could only give up with a sigh.

“So it’s about the wanted posters—must’ve been from that subway incident,” Yu Qunqing muttered, piecing things together. He tried to pull She Lulang back, but She Lulang sidestepped, eyes cold as a serpent’s. “You want to let him go?”

Sun Min and the others stiffened. They’d never killed another human before—only monsters and disasters. Despite their thirst for revenge, they’d maintained a shred of humanity. And Yu Qunqing, as their leader, had always encouraged that. She Lulang’s merciless intent clearly clashed with their beliefs.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Yu Qunqing.

He stepped closer to She Lulang, placing both hands on his shoulders. “Let’s calm down first.”

When She Lulang tried to retreat, Yu Qunqing pressed him back against the wall. “Leave this to me.”

The closeness between them made She Lulang’s rage tilt toward another, more dangerous emotion.

“I’ll handle this,” Yu Qunqing told the others. He grabbed the rescued man by the leg and dragged him into a narrow side room.

Lin Luyi frowned. “What’s there we can’t see?”

Yu Qunqing said mildly, “Children shouldn’t watch.”

Sun Min suddenly had a bad feeling. “Let’s just… stay out here.”

But Lin Luyi still dragged him over to peek.

Three minutes later, the three younger members came out obediently, sitting outside with their knees up, pretending not to hear the screams echoing from within.

Lin Luyi tried to distract them. “Look, I found something—queen bees don’t have stingers!”

The group eagerly admired the queen bee’s beautiful wings.

Fifteen minutes later, Yu Qunqing and She Lulang emerged. She Lulang looked perfectly calm. Yu Qunqing, however, meticulously cleaned the stains off himself—so thoroughly it was unsettling.

Seeing the time he’d spent, Yu Qunqing thought wryly: My interrogation skills have really gone downhill. He couldn’t help but feel the bitter irony—his first time using torture in this life had been on a human from the Sanctuary.

She Lulang whispered softly, not wanting the others to hear, “Next time, leave that to me.” His voice carried an unnerving tenderness.

“Don’t joke,” Yu Qunqing replied. “I have a better sense of proportion.” Then he asked, “Why were you so angry, anyway?”

She Lulang said flatly, “If I were truly angry, he’d already be dead. I’m very calm.”

Yu Qunqing, though speaking as if to advise him, was really explaining technique: “People seek to live, not to die. You have to give them a sliver of hope—then they’ll tell you everything.”

“I don’t need to know that much,” She Lulang said quietly. His expression was almost devout, like a believer offering himself to a god. “Whoever harbors malice doesn’t deserve to live. I don’t fear retribution, and I have no moral shackles. You don’t need to bear it all.”

Yu Qunqing finished wiping away the last trace of blood.

They left the still-breathing man behind. His distress signal was still flashing—maybe he’d survive, or maybe he’d die anyway. Who could say?

They moved to another sector, leaving the man far behind. None of the three younger members looked back—they weren’t children anymore. Some things didn’t need to be said aloud.

Yu Qunqing summarized what he’d learned through interrogation: “He’s from Captain Jiang Qiwen’s squad in the Sanctuary. Jiang Qiwen… is a bastard. Leave him to me when we meet.”

He added casually, “The Sanctuary sent 148 people to hunt an H-class disaster—the Klein Bottle. They’ve failed twice already, and the Klein Bottle escaped. They’re now searching this area.”

Sun Min frowned. “Then we need to be careful of that disaster too.”

“Because of the subway incident, She Lulang and I are on their wanted list. The Sanctuary sees us as enemies. After they’re done hunting the Klein Bottle, they’ll attack our community—with far more people than 148. The leader is still Jiang Qiwen.”

Lin Luyi smirked. “Great. Consistency, clarity, and a definite target.”

Yu Qunqing nodded. “Our community’s small, so we’ll have to strike first. I plan to locate the Klein Bottle before them, mess up their plan, and then take out Jiang Qiwen. Is that clear enough?”

Dong Changxin replied, “Crystal clear!”

Yu Qunqing glanced at She Lulang and suddenly remembered something painful. “One more thing… I have a younger brother—he’s in their squad. I’ll go after him alone.”

Just thinking of that clingy, love-obsessed man-child made Yu Qunqing want to drown them both in a pond. Why do people like that even exist?!

Without hesitation, She Lulang said, “I’ll go with you.” He couldn’t stand the thought of Yu Qunqing being away for even a little while.

Lin Luyi frowned. “Didn’t you say before you didn’t have any family?”

Yu Qunqing spread his hands. “I’m just as surprised as you. Turns out he’s come back from the dead.”