Trying on the Captain's Clothes

Once the Resting Place was more or less tidied up, Zhong Xuezhi handed Mu Yi a set of clean clothes and motioned for him to take a bath.

"The room in the back is the bathroom. I've got hot water ready for you."

Mu Yi lowered his eyes to the clothes in Zhong Xuezhi's hands and shook his head. "No need. I'll put my own clothes back on once they dry."

"Just change into these." Zhong Xuezhi held the clothes a little closer. "Yours have several tears in them. Aren't they uncomfortable?"

Mu Yi shrugged indifferently. "Not at all."

Zhong Xuezhi took him by the shoulders and steered him toward the bathroom. "Well, they make me uncomfortable, okay? You walking around in front of me covered in holes is going to trigger my trypophobia."

"Besides, those guys from Team 403 will be here soon. Take a bath and change."

"Then you can stand in front of those six bedraggled losers looking all nice and comfortable. Instant max-level taunt. Wouldn't that feel good?"

Mu Yi considered it and decided he could indulge in that.

So he took the clothes from Zhong Xuezhi and said casually, "I can go in myself. You're dismissed."

"Tch..." Zhong Xuezhi stopped where he stood. "You really know how to get on someone's nerves..."

That mouth was only useful when directed at outsiders.

Annoying as he was, Zhong Xuezhi still raised his voice to call after him. "Don't get your wound wet!"

His answer was a bang! The battered door slammed mercilessly shut.

Zhong Xuezhi: "..."

Inside the bathroom, Mu Yi held the clothes and took in the room's furnishings with a couple of glances.

There was only a table and a tub. Everything else was bare walls.

Well, that's minimalism taken to the extreme.

At least the wooden bathtub was large.

Mu Yi slowly shuffled over to it and noticed quite a few toiletries laid out on the table beside it.

He bent down to identify them one by one, then couldn't help clicking his tongue...

Zhong Xuezhi really was a strange mix, switching seamlessly between a meticulously groomed guy and a rough-and-ready brute.

Mu Yi straightened up, stripped off his clothes in a few quick movements, and climbed into the bathtub.

The water was comfortably warm, tempting him to sink all the way in, but halfway down, he still rested his injured arm outside the tub.

He had no choice. Zhong Xuezhi was too good at nagging. It grated on his ears even more than the Red Weasels' grinding teeth.

Come to think of it, why do my hands keep getting into trouble?

As his thoughts wandered, Mu Yi began scrubbing the blood splashed over his body.

Washing with one hand wasn't particularly convenient, though. It took him quite a while to finish even a cursory wash.

Before getting dressed, he lifted the clothes Zhong Xuezhi had given him for a look. They were the 404 Hunting Team's combat uniform.

When he had mended Zhong Xuezhi's clothes last time, he had only paid attention to the tear in the back. Only now did he notice the number 404 stitched over the left breast of their uniform.

There was also a patch on the left sleeve, with a colorful crystal tower at its center.

It was probably an emblem exclusive to Crystal City.

Quite a nice little detail.

Mu Yi lowered his head and rummaged through the clothes again, finding a white undershirt and... a pair of blue underwear.

He raised an eyebrow. This Beta really doesn't stand on ceremony.

Despite that thought, his fingers couldn't help hooking the piece of fabric up for a closer look.

A moment later, he suddenly clicked his tongue, feeling a little competitive. He had only meant to look, not wear them, but now he absolutely had to put them on.

Never underestimate an Alpha's competitive streak in certain areas.

Mu Yi quickly pulled on the underwear and undershirt, but once he put on the combat uniform, his competitive streak flared again.

He, Mu Yi, could pull off just about anything, yet Zhong Xuezhi's clothes hung loose and baggy on him, with both the sleeves and trouser legs a good bit too long.

"Fuck..."

Gritting his teeth, Mu Yi stubbornly tucked the cuffs and trouser hems inward so the folds would barely show.

Finally, he tightened the uniform's belt, gathering the loose fabric into rather distinctive pleats.

After all that fussing, he had finally adjusted the combat uniform into something close to a proper fit.

Then he lifted his head, puffed out his chest, and strode out of the bathroom.

Just as he emerged, Team 403 arrived at the Resting Place.

As Zhong Xuezhi had said, after fighting a pack of crazed Red Weasels, every one of them looked rather bedraggled.

Their clothes were covered in tears left by the Red Weasels' claws, with blood inevitably seeping from the wounds beneath.

A thoroughly pleasing sight.

Mu Yi couldn't be bothered to waste his breath mocking them. He simply ignored them and sauntered away with a swagger that suggested he owed nothing to anyone.

"You little bastard..." Zhao Qing glared darkly at Mu Yi's retreating figure, his back teeth grinding audibly. "Just you wait!"

His gaze turned vicious, as though he wanted to bore straight through Mu Yi's back with his eyes.

Mu Yi, however, continued strolling along as if he hadn't noticed a thing, even humming a few cheerful notes.

When he stepped into the sleeping room Team 404 had claimed earlier, Zhong Xuezhi looked up and smiled. "Oh? Someone's in a good mood."

Zhong Xuezhi's senses were sharp, and he had heard Mu Yi humming from a distance. There had only been a few scattered notes, but he could still tell Mu Yi had trained. His singing was highly polished.

"Not bad." Mu Yi replied with a curl of his lips, walking over and casually setting his dirty clothes on a stone bench.

At that, Zhong Xuezhi suddenly stood and came over carrying a vacuum-seal bag.

Mu Yi asked, "What are you doing?"

Zhong Xuezhi bent down, picked up the clothes from the stone bench, and quickly stuffed them into the bag. "There's blood on your clothes. Leaving them exposed to the air can attract things."

That reminded Mu Yi of something he had meant to ask. "Does my blood have a special attraction for Variants?"

Zhong Xuezhi considered his wording. "Most Variants crave blood. Your blood has a particularly strong scent, so to their noses... it smells exceptionally sweet and fragrant. They can't resist wanting a taste."

"Those Red Weasels went berserk because they have an unusually intense craving for blood, too. They're every bit as obsessed as a lifelong alcoholic."

"That's why they're also called Blood Weasels."

After listening, Mu Yi rubbed his chin and nodded. "That explains it."

Zhong Xuezhi sealed the bag tightly, watched him for a moment, then asked quietly, "Had you never noticed that characteristic of your blood before?"

"I noticed." Mu Yi shrugged innocently. "But I'd never come into contact with Variants before."

Zhong Xuezhi nodded. "True."

A few seconds later, he added, "Then from now on, you need to be especially careful about protecting yourself outside the safe zone. Otherwise, you're no different from a walking target."

Mu Yi merely broke into a smile, making it clear he wasn't particularly concerned. "Perfect. Saves me the trouble of looking for them."

Zhong Xuezhi: "...?"