Chapter 30: Show No Mercy, Electrocute Him Directly

As lines of comments scrolled across the air, the tension that had gripped Lu Shiling’s body for so long finally began to ebb.

Gu Lin was Yun Fu’s beast-kin mate. Now that he had been soothed and regained his sanity, he would no longer pose a threat to her. Yet, the fact that he had been unable to help at all—that he could only wait here while his female was in danger—left Lu Shiling feeling deeply frustrated. Drained of strength, he slumped over his chair, the once-lustrous fur he had carefully groomed seeming to lose its sheen.

*Buzz.*

Lu Shiling received a message from Warren. It echoed what the comments had said: Yun Fu was currently safe. Uncertain of the specifics regarding Gu Lin’s condition, Lu Shiling remained uneasy. He instructed Warren and the others to stay at the villa and keep watch, ready to restrain Gu Lin at the first sign of trouble.

Glancing at his messaging interface, where Yun Fu still hadn’t replied, Lu Shiling shut down his neural link. He relayed Warren’s update to the other beast-kin at the detention center who were worried about her, telling them to get some rest. Lu Shiling himself, however, could not sleep. He spent the night working out on the equipment in his confinement cell, eyes fixed on his neural link, staying awake until dawn.

When Yun Fu awoke, she was enveloped by a dragon’s tail, pressed tightly against Gu Lin. His large hand rested on her waist, while her own hand lay against his firm, muscular chest. Yun Fu’s eyelashes fluttered—it was quite solid and resilient. Seeing that Gu Lin’s eyes were still closed, she gently withdrew her hand and reached for the tip of his tail, hoping to nudge it aside.

Before she could move it, the dragon tail shifted on its own. Realizing he was awake, she looked up and met Gu Lin’s sharp, handsome face. Only now, that calm expression was marred by clear guilt.

"I’m sorry. Did I hurt you last night?"

As he spoke, Gu Lin retracted his massive wings to avoid bumping into the delicate female in the confined space. In truth, after returning from the contaminated zone, Gu Lin had clung to his last shred of sanity, refusing his adjutant’s suggestion to take him to the villa for Yun Fu’s soothing, insisting instead on being taken to the detention center. He knew the extent of his destructive power during a mental breakdown; even knowing Yun Fu could soothe him, he dared not gamble with the possibility of hurting her while he was out of control.

But waking up in Yun Fu’s room, Gu Lin understood: he must have escaped the adjutant and the others while they were transporting him, his instincts driving him back to the villa to find her.

"Just a little. When you lost control, Commander Gu, you were quite affectionate. I had no other choice but to electrocute you to calm you down. You don’t mind, do you?"

Yun Fu looked at him with clear eyes, her slightly parted red lips like a rose adorned with dew, looking luscious and tempting. Having not seen her for a few days, her small, fair face seemed even more radiant, her expressions vivid. It seemed as if, had he said he minded, she would have indignantly bitten his arm to vent her frustration.

Gu Lin couldn't help but let his gaze linger on her crimson lips. For a fleeting moment, he even wanted to pull her close and offer his arm for her to bite. He suppressed this reckless thought and shook his head.

"You did the right thing. Male strength is great, our vitality is tenacious, and we are quite durable. So don’t overthink it when this happens; using the electric shock is the best method." Gu Lin paused, adding sternly, "Whether it’s me or the other mates, if they lose control, do not hesitate. Just shock them."

This, at least, was music to Yun Fu’s ears. She smiled. "Your contamination levels are still quite high, but you should be able to control yourself, right?"

"Lu Shiling is already at the detention center. I really don’t want you to be locked up there too. It’s becoming a gathering place for my mates."

The detention center was full of fluffy creatures, but those beast-kin were far too enthusiastic. She couldn't just pet one when she visited, and it was exhausting to pet them all.

*[Haha, the second female lead is pretty miserable. She has four powerful mates, but all of them have sky-high contamination levels. Watching the black dragon have to keep company with the fox is just helpless.]*

*[It sounds like the second female lead has a high opinion of the black dragon. She doesn’t want him locked in the detention center; she wants him to stay at the villa so she can help soothe him.]*

*[Isn't that normal? The black dragon is a dragon-kin, he has wings, he’s a commander, and he’s so handsome. It’s pure Mary Sue protagonist vibes—it’s hard not to love him.]*

Gu Lin’s ears burned. Did Yun Fu really want him to stay at the villa? He had assumed that because Lu Shiling’s beast form was so popular with females, Yun Fu favored him more. It turned out that, in Yun Fu’s heart, perhaps he was the preferred one?

"I can control myself. I won’t be locked in the detention center, I promise." Gu Lin gave his word. He planned to make a trip to the detention center, and as long as he passed the tests showing no signs of losing control, he could apply to stay at home and receive his female’s soothing. After all, it wasn't easy to get a soothing session at the center; if one had a female who was capable of providing it, it wasn't difficult to stay at home—the Empire encouraged it, in fact.

Yun Fu trusted Gu Lin. Even in the throes of a mental breakdown, he had only become clingy and sought physical closeness with her, without ever harming her. With that kind of self-control, he was bound to succeed in anything he did.

Yun Fu noticed Gu Lin’s pitch-black dragon tail and the horns on his head. "Can you retract your tail?"

Gu Lin paused, observing her to see if she was disgusted by it. He wasn't worried about the horns—Yun Fu had previously said his horns were beautiful and that she wanted to treasure them.

"Not for the moment. I can only retract the wings. Do you dislike it?" Gu Lin wondered if he should hide in his room during his recovery, only coming out after he was cleaned up and soothed, so as not to be an eyesore to Yun Fu.

"It’s fine. The shape of your dragon tail is quite beautiful. It’s just very long, and I worried it made it hard for you to walk. If you can’t retract it, that’s okay. We can just lay down some carpets in the villa."

Yun Fu’s praise caused Gu Lin’s cold, dark tail to heat up, and it uncontrollably wound itself around her ankle. Gu Lin meant to pull it back, but seeing Yun Fu hold the tail and stroke it repeatedly, he stopped and stood stiffly, waiting for her to have her fill.

Gu Lin’s dragon tail had a dark, gothic aesthetic, and Yun Fu quite liked it. But before she could finish playing, there was a knock at the door.

Gu Lin looked at the camisole nightdress Yun Fu was wearing—the thin straps sinking into her fair, fragrant skin—and her delicate shoulders and beautiful collarbones. His face flushed, and he averted his gaze, blocking Yun Fu from going to the door.

"I’ll go. You should change your clothes before coming out."

Gu Lin was still wearing his combat uniform, complete with military gloves. Because of his transformation during the mental breakdown, the fabric had been stretched and torn by his tail and wings, leaving the garment in tatters. Thinking of appearing before Yun Fu in such a disheveled state, Gu Lin frowned. As a qualified mate, he should maintain his best appearance before his female lead. Yun Fu was kind and didn't mind these things, but he could not afford to be so unrefined.

Gu Lin reflected silently, opened the door, and was met with the face of Qin Min, whose faint, pleasant smile vanished the moment he saw him.