Chapter 98: Return
The wind roared in the helicopter as An Yue and the others rushed to Xiang Er, draping a blanket over her torn clothes, their gazes fixed on the scene below.
None of them had ever witnessed anything like this.
A swarm of grotesque monsters, like ants to their queen, surged towards a single, massive figure at the center.
And that massive figure, wielding countless thick, dark red tentacles, grabbed the monsters, one by one, and pulled them into its body, its movements smooth and effortless, a gruesome feast.
And the monsters, no matter how large, how ferocious, were helpless against the tentacles, their screams and wails echoing as they were lifted, devoured, absorbed into the black, monstrous form.
An Yue and the others watched in stunned silence, a new recruit, his voice filled with awe, asking:
“What… is that?”
An Yue was about to answer when Xiang Er, her gaze fixed on the window below, suddenly spoke, her voice soft:
“That’s the Evil God, Akhe.”
Her voice was clear, steady, yet strangely gentle, as if filled with a dreamy affection.
She looked down, her eyes clear, the frantic, manic look gone, not a trace remaining.
Within minutes, the monster army, led by several Class S+ monsters, had been completely devoured by the Evil God.
The ground below, now clean, the monsters gone, the fleeing humans stopping in confusion.
The helicopter descended, and Xiang Er, her excitement growing, fidgeted restlessly.
She looked at her reflection in the helicopter window, her face gaunt and pale, almost ghostly, and she touched her cheek, her voice urgent:
“Does anyone have any foundation? Lipstick, anything?”
But the helicopter was full of investigators, prepared for battle, not makeup, and they exchanged confused glances, shaking their heads.
Xiang Er, close to panic, looked at her reflection, then, with a sigh, she started patting her cheeks, biting her lips, trying to force some color into her face. She adjusted her clothes, the white dress torn and tattered, the blanket they had given her ugly and shapeless…
The helicopter landed on the roof of a shopping mall.
Beside the mall, a massive, dark tentacle monster, taller than the six-story building, stood silently. A tentacle gently reached out, carefully lifting the helicopter, like a toy, and placing it on the rooftop.
Several of the newer investigators jumped out.
A black tentacle, its movements gentle, extended towards the helicopter door, waiting.
Finally, An Yue helped Xiang Er out of the helicopter.
The tentacle, like a black and red carpet, lay before them. Xiang Er extended a pale foot and stepped onto it.
The tentacle trembled slightly, and Xiang Er’s body trembled as well, as she walked forward, step by step.
She was like a child learning to walk, her steps unsteady, yet determined, as she approached the only person, the only being, that mattered to her.
Her torn white dress fluttered in the wind, her long, neglected hair swirling around her, the wind, carrying the scent of time and space, of distant stars, and yet, her eyes saw only that one being.
That being, terrifying and monstrous to others, a source of madness and fear.
Yet to Xiang Er, the sweetest honey, the source of her greatest joy.
She stumbled forward.
And suddenly, a figure in a red dress appeared.
The woman in the red dress, without hesitation, ran towards her.
It was the form Akhe had crafted for her, for Xiang Er.
Akhe would never let Xiang Er come to her alone, she, too, would run, with all her might, towards Xiang Er!
Red dress and white dress, finally meeting.
Xiang Er’s throat tightened, her vision blurring, her mind blank, her arms reaching out, her unsteady legs almost giving way, yet still she reached…
And this time, her hands were caught, held firmly.
Those hands, delicate and smooth, slightly larger than hers, grasped hers, pulling her forward.
Xiang Er instinctively tried to steady herself, but she couldn’t, and she fell into a warm embrace.
It was so warm… warmer than her wildest dreams, softer… she sank into it, her eyes closing involuntarily, her hands held captive, her body relaxing, surrendering to the embrace…
“You… you’re back…”
Xiang Er felt like she was floating in a warm spring, or on a cloud of cotton candy.
A deep, magnetic voice, a cello’s resonance, the voice she had chased in her dreams, the most beautiful voice in the world, the voice that had been etched in her memory since their first encounter, replied:
“Yes, I’m back… I missed you so much, Little Ears, so much…”
Xiang Er closed her eyes, her face pressed against the woman’s chest, inhaling the familiar, yet also strangely unfamiliar, sweet fragrance.
Tears silently traced paths down her cheeks.
She sighed and said:
“You… jerk. I didn’t miss you at all.”
A deep chuckle rumbled in the woman’s chest, its vibrations echoing through Xiang Er’s body. A thick tentacle, from behind, gently caressed Xiang Er’s hair, a tender, loving touch.
Then, a soft kiss on her forehead.
Akhe, in her red dress, as if unable to contain herself, repeated over and over:
“I love you, I love you… I love you, Xiang Er, I love you.”
Xiang Er suddenly covered her forehead with her hand, turning her face away, muttering about wanting to leave:
“No… don’t touch me, I haven’t showered… I… I don’t look good…”
Two tentacles gently but firmly held her in place, and Akhe lifted her chin.
Xiang Er’s gaze met Akhe’s, her face flushing, her heart pounding, a wave of panic.
She gasped for air, her gaze fixed on Akhe’s eyes.
Those familiar, beautiful eyes, usually so serene and composed, were now filled with tears, a burning intensity in their depths, as if looking at a lost treasure, rediscovered.
Akhe looked at Xiang Er, tears streaming down her face, like pearls on her cheeks and chin, her voice hoarse with emotion:
“You’ve suffered…”
Xiang Er wanted to say no, but her voice betrayed her:
“It was… it was hard, without you… so hard.”
But then she smiled, her hand gently wiping away Akhe’s tears, her voice soft:
“Now that you’re back, it’s not hard anymore.”
Akhe’s body trembled, and Xiang Er, her hands cupping Akhe’s face, a fervent, almost reverent gesture…
Kissed her god.
Their lips met, their tongues intertwined, like thirsty fish finding solace in each other’s waters.
They kissed, passionately, until the sky darkened, until the end of time.
To avoid the wind, they took the helicopter back to the city.
Xiang Er clung to Akhe, her arms wrapped around a tentacle, refusing to let go, the other investigators in the helicopter watching them nervously, not daring to make a sound.
Only An Yue looked on with a satisfied smile, she knew, as long as they were together, the planet would be safe, this wasn’t just a relationship, it was a matter of global security!
An Yue tried to discuss the situation with Akhe, but after a few words, Akhe put a finger to her lips, silencing everyone.
Xiang Er had fallen asleep in Akhe’s arms.
Akhe, to make her more comfortable, had conjured several tentacles, forming a small nest around Xiang Er.
Xiang Er, who had been unable to sleep without medication, now, like a small kitten, curled up contentedly, her face pressed against a tentacle, her arm around Akhe’s, slept soundly.
Akhe looked down at her, her gaze lingering on Xiang Er’s thin face, as if looking at her own reflection.
The moment felt eternal, and on the Evil God’s monstrous face, a human expression, the look of someone willing to sacrifice everything for the one they loved.
Her gaze filled with a profound love, she watched over her sleeping lover, the world silent, nothing more important than the person in her arms.
She was a monster, feared and loathed by humans.
But her love was pure, undeniable.
Akhe, carrying the sleeping Xiang Er, returned to their old apartment, the place where it all began, their shared home, carefully built and nurtured.
This old apartment had witnessed so much, the creation of the human facade, the blossoming of their love, the shattering of their trust, their mutual destruction.
And tonight, they returned home.
Xiang Er was carried to her bed, and after a while, she was awakened by a gentle kiss.
Akhe’s lips, her tentacles, caressed her, a gentle, intimate touch, like a small animal nuzzling its beloved, an expression of affection, not lust.
“Mm…”
Xiang Er stirred, a muffled sound, she seemed to have caught a cold. The constant exposure to the wind in the helicopter, her previous manic state masking the symptoms, now catching up with her.
“Little Ears, wake up and have something to drink.”
Akhe’s voice was soft and gentle.
“Hmm?”
Xiang Er opened her eyes, a sudden wave of anxiety, her hand reaching out, touching Akhe’s face, as if in disbelief.
Akhe, a loving smile on her face, let her touch, her hand in Xiang Er’s. Xiang Er, after a moment, her voice hesitant, asked:
“I’m… dreaming again, aren’t I?”
So she had been… dreaming of her return…
Akhe’s smile vanished, as if her heart had been ripped out, a pain so intense it almost broke her.
Her voice trembling, she said:
“No, it’s not a dream, I’m back, Little Ears, I’m really back.”
She pressed her face into Xiang Er’s hand, turned on the light, even offered her tentacles, wanting to show Xiang Er, to prove to her…
This wasn’t a dream! None of this was a dream, and from now on, she wouldn’t have to dream anymore!
Xiang Er opened her eyes, her gaze slowly focusing, taking in the scene before her.
Akhe’s body, Akhe’s face, Akhe’s thin nightgown, and her tentacles, the tentacles she had once loathed, and then… loved.
Everything.
Real, tangible, undeniable.
After a long moment, Xiang Er finally realized:
“Ah… so it’s not a dream…”
She raised her arm, her hand gently caressing Akhe’s neck, her gaze lingering on her beautiful face.
She said:
“I had… a very long dream… in the dream, you said you were going to fight… another one like you, and you left me all alone, I was so lonely… I wasn’t that lonely before, it’s your fault, why did you stay with me? Why did you make me get used to you, then leave, it’s all your fault!”
She lightly punched Akhe’s neck with her trembling hand. Akhe didn’t flinch, just endured it, her eyes filled with pain.
Akhe wrapped her arms around Xiang Er’s waist, pulling her close.
She held her like a child, carried her to the living room, and sat down on the sofa, gently feeding her snow fungus soup with a small spoon.
After finishing the soup, neither of them wanting to let go, they lay down on the sofa, holding each other tightly, as if afraid that the other would disappear.
Akhe’s black and red tentacles wrapped around Xiang Er, gently caressing her skin.
Akhe held Xiang Er captive, and Xiang Er, in that embrace, felt a profound sense of peace and happiness.
Xiang Er’s body was entwined with Akhe’s, her chest pressed against the soft, yielding tentacles, her eyes gradually glazing over.
To distract herself, she asked, a sigh escaping her lips:
“So… when you went to fight… what… happened?”
Akhe’s tongue gently caressed Xiang Er’s earlobe, her voice low:
“It’s a long story… but it’s not the right time…”
A tentacle gently wrapped around Xiang Er’s waist, and Xiang Er shifted slightly, her arms tightening around Akhe’s neck:
“Then what is… the right… ah!”
A wave of intense pleasure washed over Xiang Er. She felt like she was losing her mind, only in this complete surrender, this total merging, could she truly feel…
That Akhe was really back.
And that they would never be apart again.
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