In-depth

The sounds of breathing rose and fell, echoing continuously in the small, enclosed space.

Milo closed his eyes, and reality and illusion overlapped.

The white python he had seen before darted and slithered through the dense thicket of the Heavenly Maiden's Tears, hissing and flicking its tongue. Soon, its body coiled around the hind leg of an iguana, its muscles tightening continuously.

The iguana's body gradually twisted as it was entangled, and it was on the verge of suffocating.

The white python's forked tip, coated with venom, enveloped the iguana's head. As it continued to probe deeper into the iguana's throat, the python's circular muscles contracted and propelled it forward, the barbed keratin layer scraping against it with a dull thud.

A very short sound escaped from Milo's throat.

The corner of the wobbly bed was covered with papers.

Blaze braced himself against the wall with one hand, sweat dripping down his nose and onto Milo's chest. He took a breath, looking at the not-so-conscious face below, unsure if the other person had fainted, so he freed his other hand and scratched Milo's chin, his large palm almost covering Milo's entire face.

Blaise raised his finger and shook it slightly: Does it hurt?

Milo said something that Blaise heard, but he could have easily ignored it. However, he didn't dare to go too far, so he immediately slowed down, but didn't back down.

Hot breath mixed with a twisted desire, Milo's voice floated: "Pinch me."

Blaise was momentarily dazed, then looked down.

Milos, with a glistening sweat, turned his head and actually bit his hand, his eyes misty with tears.

This sight startled Blaze, his heart aching with tenderness. He moved his hand down, hesitantly grasping Milo's neck, his fingers tightening slightly, and red marks immediately appeared on her fair skin.

The intense tension and apprehension of the past few days seemed to finally burst forth, allowing everything to escape. Milo felt waves of heat coursing through his body; the alcohol and cigarette smoke mingled in his blood, making every cell in his body scream with rage.

Pain is the most extreme sensation, but only such a sensation can make him feel that he is still alive.

Make it heavier, tighten it even more, ideally depriving him of all the air he can breathe, so that he can see what a person can see when he is close to death.

The feeling of suffocation was accompanied by a physiological struggle for survival. Milo forcibly suppressed all his physical struggles, only tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.

Just as he was about to reach the critical point between life and death, a tremendous drag forcefully pulled him back. Air rushed into his lungs again, like a floodgate being opened, completely engulfing him.

A pair of warm, damp hands encircled his neck, heavy breathing echoed in his ear, accompanied by a rapid heartbeat.

Milo opened his eyes. In the pitch black, he could feel Blaze gently kissing the tears at the corners of his eyes.

Milo felt a lump in his throat, but quickly held it back. He immediately chuckled and tried to get up to find a cigarette: "This is boring."

Blaise wouldn't let him move, rubbing Milo's cheek with his fingertips: No.

"No, you still don't like it?" Milo was pinned to the spot and chuckled. "Then what do you like? Do you like me slapping you, or do you like me treating you like a dog? Too bad you can't bark, you're a mute dog."

Blaise did not respond.

Seeing that Blaze remained unmoved, Milo slapped him hard across the face. Blaze gritted his teeth and smiled.

"You really enjoy it when I insult you?"

Blaze simply watched Milo quietly, offering no resistance whatsoever.

The more docile he became, the more Milo felt a lump in his throat.

"Why aren't you moving?" Milo wrapped his arms around Blaise's neck. "I haven't had enough fun yet."

Milo's whisper was right next to my ear, like ripples on the water, spreading outwards and reaching my mind.

In the darkness that seemed both real and unreal, Blaze felt as if he had been parachuted into a rainforest and fallen into an unknown vortex. In the boundless darkness, he could only feel leaves brushing against his face and scraping his skin, and sharp thorns scratching and biting him. It didn't hurt at all, but he felt a shiver run through his body.

Blaze gripped Milo's wrist, and from this angle, one could see Milo's long neck, covered with marks left by Blaze's earlier grip.

Milo's proactive response made Blaise's brain spin.

He desperately wanted to bite him to death, eat him up, or be eaten or killed himself, as long as they could be together forever, he didn't care what happened.

A long and rapid emergency landing eventually resulted in a crash.

Milo lay quietly on Blaise, turning his head away. Although he longed to see his face, to look into his eyes, and to hear him whisper something in his ear, Blaise suppressed his intense desire and simply stroked Milo's back gently, one stroke at a time.

Blaze finally saw it: in the dark rainforest, the iguana's pupils expanded into two small dark dots in the darkness, and it was completely swallowed by the white python, its bones and blood merging into one.

*

Why are you looking at me?

As dawn broke, Milo downed a cup of tea, finally clearing his groggy head. But he couldn't stand the person across from him peeking at him from time to time.

In contrast, Blaze looked radiant. Hearing this, Blaze reached out and stroked Milo's neck, her lips slightly pursed in a guilty expression.

Milo instinctively touched it and could feel a little pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the scratches on Blaise's open collar. The fragmented memories of last night suddenly flashed back, and everything he should and shouldn't remember surfaced at this moment, making him feel particularly embarrassed.

Milo turned his head and kicked Blaze in the process: "Eat your food."

Milo's kick was solid, without a trace of coquettishness, but Blaze interpreted it differently. Blaze smiled, obediently pulling her leg back and sprawling onto the folding table, looking just like a large, outstretched bat.

Milo was actually a little embarrassed about repeatedly trying to get Blaze into bed. The incident in Gan Valley was a product of a mix of impulse and planning, but what about last night? He couldn't possibly have let his animalistic instincts run wild over a mere cactus. He was clearly in control of everything, yet he didn't feel any sense of effortless control. Now, this guy was actually playing him for a fool.

With that thought in mind, Milo coldly retorted, "What's wrong with sleeping with you for a bit?"

Blaise pursed his lips and quickly replied: Not just once.

Milo's eyelids twitched, and a fire ignited within him. Although it was the truth, he was very unwilling to admit it when he was of his mind. While he wouldn't blush like a little girl, he certainly wasn't as thick-skinned as he thought.

"Shut up," Milo cursed. "You talk too much."

I didn't hear a sound for quite a while.

Milo frowned, only to see Blaze propping his face up with his arm, remaining silent and not turning to look at him. Milo immediately regretted his actions. Blaze was clearly mute, yet he had told him to shut up… it felt like stabbing him in the heart.

He's good at sweet-talking, but only to people like Yuuma and Jesse. As for oddballs like Blaise, he's completely clueless.

"Okay, I didn't mean it that way." He wasn't one to deny responsibility after he'd already done his job, especially since he was clearly in the wrong last night. "Want me to buy you something else to eat?"

As he spoke, Milo stood up. When he returned with the bowl, he expected Blaze, who had been looking listless, to look up at him. However, Blaze was in high spirits and glanced at him, indicating that he should put the bowl down.

Since returning to Wudong Port, Blaze has been living in abject poverty, relying on him for everything from food and drink to daily necessities. Apart from running errands, he follows him around like a ghost all day long.

Milo immediately realized that he had been played.

When did he learn this move? It's a bit scary.

Milo sat down, feeling a bit annoyed. When he was annoyed, he wanted to smoke, a bad habit he picked up after returning from Gan Valley. But he didn't want to do it in public, so he simply watched Blaise eat to distract himself.

As Milo watched, he suddenly noticed that when Blaise ate, the veins on his neck would bulge out along with his bones, and his beautiful, sharp jawline would be exceptionally clear with each chewing and swallowing motion, with the skin and flesh fitting together perfectly.

For some reason, Milo suddenly recalled Blaze's slicked-back hair and printed shirt in the Gan Valley, and couldn't help but be slightly distracted.

Blaise is still very handsome.

The thought flashed through his mind for a second before Milo forcibly suppressed it. He looked away and felt an itch at his feet.

Looking down, he saw a dirty little stray dog ​​with its tail between its legs lying at his feet. Milo picked up a duck leg from Blaise's plate and threw it on the ground. The little yellow dog sniffed it a few times and then quietly began to eat it.

Blaise, with a good temper, watched Milo's actions and gestured: Do you want to keep it?

Milo's expression suddenly turned cold, and he retorted icily, "I don't want to."

Blaise disappeared without a trace.

Milo realized he might have been a bit harsh; his temper had been getting increasingly volatile lately, which wasn't a good thing. Not wanting Blaise to notice anything amiss, Milo decided to start a conversation.

Even with hearing aids, people with hearing impairments still habitually stare intently at the other person's lips when talking to them. But Blaise is different; his every move, expression, and posture is almost identical to that of a hearing person. It's unclear whether this is due to habits formed from his first eighteen years of normal life, or whether he is consciously maintaining this "normal person" state deep down.

"Why don't you get a cochlear implant?" This question suddenly popped into Milo's mind.

Blaze paused for a moment, then belatedly realized that Milo was actually asking about him. He slowly thought for a while before starting to sign: "If you have a cochlear implant, you can't do strenuous exercise."

"Oh." Milo seemed indifferent, but was actually deep in thought.

Although he knew it had nothing to do with how much money he had, and had guessed that the conditions might not be met, he never expected this answer.

In other words, Blaise can regain his hearing, but more important than improving his hearing is his ability to perform tasks. Without strenuous exercise, his ability to engage in activities in the rainforest is essentially over. This is probably why Sigon didn't recommend surgery.

Thinking this, Milo silently had an inappropriate thought.

He actually felt a little sorry for Blaise.

No, wait, has he gone mad? He actually feels sorry for Blaise? He must be so drunk he's practically rotting his brain.

Blaise, completely unaware of the turmoil in Milo's mind, naturally gestured: When are you going to the company?

Milo shook his head: "I'm not going today."

Because of what happened on that trip to Tokyo, Milo got a very long period of peace and quiet with Miles.

Miles seemed to understand that when a spring is compressed to its limit, it will either break completely or bounce back from the bottom. So he was happy to loosen the reins on Milo, granting him some freedom for the time being, given that the overall situation was already settled.

Blaise then asked: "Do you want to see that person?"

Milo knew who he was referring to.

Indeed, for him right now, Yu is the most troublesome problem. He can neither make him disappear completely to eliminate any future troubles, nor can he send him out of the country on his own under the watchful eyes of the Jesse Police Department. As for using Blaise's hand... Milo dares not easily entrust his vitals to anyone again.

Yuzhen became a hot potato in his hands.

After reflecting on his four-year friendship with Yuuma, Milo was momentarily astonished at his own cowardly behavior of not even daring to meet her. Perhaps Miles was right; he didn't have the courage to hear Yuuma say that everything she did was for money, that she had only approached him and betrayed him.

Milo ultimately declined: "Green Contract Company is coming tomorrow. Let's focus on the present first, and talk again after things are settled." Milo paused, "After all, your matter is the most important today."

Hearing this, Blaze nodded knowingly. He hadn't intended to persuade Milo to see that person, and it was best if he never did. He could see the look in Yuma's eyes when he looked at Milo, and he knew what was hidden in those eyes.

Milo seemed to have thought of something and asked somewhat uncertainly, "Have you ever done business with anyone in the Gan Valley? I mean the kind of peaceful, no-nonsense business."

Blaise thought for a moment, then shook his head firmly.

Milo made the decision: "I'll go with you today."