The Dragon Revealed His Little Horns

Sang Jue is a dragon who spent years asleep aboard a spacecraft, dreaming of saving the world alongside a prince. He lands on a land divided by rifts, where pollution has turned living things into indescribable monstrosities. Cockroaches are bigger than a human palm, antlers sprout gorgeous, fallen nightmare flowers, and pollutants disguised as humans roam around swindling people... To survive, humanity has built towering walls and huddled inside vast safe zones. Looking at the monsters who are practically drooling over him, Sang Jue politely asks, “Have you seen my prince?” “My prince is refined, courteous, powerful, and has lots of beautiful jewels.” “Oh, you haven't seen him? Then I'll kill you.” Monsters: ...What kind of human talk is that?! Huo Yanji is the youngest major general among humanity's survivors, and there are more rumors about him than anyone can count... but never a single scandalous one. That is, until he casually brings a beautiful young man named Sang Jue back to the safe zone. Sang Jue is always doing strange things to him. He insists on holding the hem of Huo Yanji's clothes when they walk, invites him to help get dressed after a bath, and keeps saying with an innocent expression that he's scared of being eaten by monsters. But Sang Jue can clearly grab an attacking monster with one hand and stomp its head to pieces with ease. Then, the moment he turns and sees Huo Yanji, he clutches his hem and says, “I'm scared.” Huo Yanji reminds him, “You forgot to tuck your tail away.” Sang Jue hurriedly covers it with his hand. Huo Yanji: “And your horns.” Now he doesn't have a free hand to cover them QAQ. Sang Jue snaps, “Don't you like my tail and horns?” “They're all right.” “Then what do you like?” Sang Jue asks seriously. “I can become whatever you want.” Sang Jue turns into a cat, a species long extinct, and jumps into his arms to roll around. “Do you like fluffy things?” Or he becomes an octopus with long, slender tentacles, clinging to him so tightly that he can't be pulled off. “If eight tentacles aren't enough, I can turn into one with sixteen.” He can even become a little mermaid with beautiful scales. “Do you prefer a fish head and human body, or a fish body and human head?” Before Huo Yanji can answer, Sang Jue asks warily, “You don't like princesses, do you?” He frowns and turns to run. “...Don't run.” Huo Yanji catches the little dragon by the wing. “Show me a few more forms.” #What species and genus is the major general's wife, anyway?# #The major general's wife has so many skins, and seems able to turn into anything in the world# #Damn it, let's steal his wife together!# · The dragon eventually finds his prince, but their relationship isn't quite what he expected. What he imagined: He'd try on the skins of all kinds of creatures and set off on an adventure with the prince, embarking on a quest to save the world. Then, at the top of the world, dragon eyes would meet human eyes in perfect understanding: You're the only partner I'd trust to watch my back! What actually happens: Only he ever turns his back to the other, in the safe zone, in the forest, on the journey to save the world... and at the top of the world. The dragon gets mad. “You polluted me QAQ” What can you do? His wife's human language isn't very good. He calls making love “pollution.” Then let's pollute him a few more times. P.S. 1. Post-apocalyptic wasteland, with a touch of cosmic horror. 2. The little dragon hasn't learned how to be a proper human yet. He has a bizarre set of standards for behavior and a strange way of thinking. 3. This story is entirely fictional. All the characters and settings are products of the author's imagination, and the planet they live on is not Earth. Please don't draw any unnecessary parallels. The story is written in Chinese because the author hasn't even learned cat language yet, let alone an alien language QAQ. A companion story set in this novel's world, Olden Echoes, is available for preorder. If you're interested, check it out in my profile and add it to your collection. Here's the blurb: At the start of the Great Collapse, when all life was hanging by a thread, Li Wei did something truly wicked while standing at the very center of a contaminated zone. Facing the yellowing wind amid the ruins, he gave You E a bloodied kiss just before he died, then let out a long sigh and said with utmost sincerity, “Commander, I've suffered because of you for so long...” You E nearly sat bolt upright on his deathbed. He died with his eyes wide open. Li Wei and You E had been locked in a deadly rivalry for years, trading countless half-truths. Their greatest wish was to make the other submit and become their prisoner. Li Wei knew You E wouldn't believe a word he said. Given this opportunity, of course he wanted to ensure You E wouldn't rest in peace, even in death. Ten years later, the world had become a void, swallowed by severe contamination. Beyond the lighthouse, there was nothing but wasteland. Only then did Li Wei discover that ten years earlier, while he and You E were both at the center of the contamination, their mental forms had silently mingled and eroded each other, leaving him on the verge of a breakdown and hurtling toward self-destruction. But the only person who could soothe his mental form had died long ago, leaving no trace of his remains. Li Wei laughed in fury. “He did it on purpose. Absolutely on purpose.” One night, an even more terrible retribution arrived. Countless shadowy shapes resembling tentacles climbed the lighthouse, coiled around Li Wei's ankles, and wound their way up his long legs. A voice murmured from somewhere in the air: “My dear commander, don't you think you owe me an explanation about that kiss?” Li Wei: ... A worthy nemesis should lie quietly in his grave. - Li Wei is wicked by nature, and You E is no better. Once he realizes Li Wei desperately needs his comfort, he keeps his distance every time Li Wei is in so much pain he can barely stand or is on the verge of losing control. He indulges his cruel streak and says, “If you want something, come over here yourself. Say, ‘Please, I want it.’” He even deliberately leaves Li Wei looking disheveled and undressed after taking advantage of him while he's lost his senses, just to see him fly into an embarrassed rage. “How was last night?” “Not bad.” Li Wei grabs his chin and bestows a languid kiss on him, as if granting a favor. “That's your reward.” “...?” P.S. 1. A powerful couple, shou protagonist, and a touch of ensemble cast. The characters are probably a shou who seems cold and restrained but is actually wicked by nature, and a gong who seems wicked but is even worse inside. Neither is particularly normal, and both are pretty crazy. 2. A cyberpunk wasteland setting with cosmic horror elements and lots of original worldbuilding. Theme: Even in the darkest night, believe that dawn will come