The city has been washed away by heavy rain, and the air is filled with the smell of rust and moisture. Deep in the abandoned laboratory, Shen Yan stood in front of the refrigerator, looking at the figure floating in the freezer, and his fingertips tightened slightly in the tactical gloves.
It was a sample labeled "No. 734." In the green nutrient solution, his eyes were closed, and his face was no different from that of a human being. Only the silver-blue scales spreading on the back of his neck revealed his "alien" identity. A piece of ice beads condensed on the eyelashes fell silently, and actually made tiny holes on the metal table - this is definitely not a density that ordinary creatures can have.
As the leader of the task force to guard mutant species, Shen Yan was only supposed to be responsible for recording and monitoring. But late at night three days later, when the alarm tore through the silence, he saw 734 breaking free from the petri dish and curling up wetly in the corner. Those open vertical pupils were glowing with cold light, but the moment they faced him, they uttered one word in a hoarse voice: "Cold."
Shen Yan's defense completely collapsed at that moment.
Lu Jin is a defective product of genetic experiments. He can tear steel with his bare hands, but he will shrink into a corner when thunder hits. He does not understand human emotions, but he will clumsily brush off the dust on Shen Yan's shoulders with his scaly fingertips when he is cleaning his gun. And Shen Yan, the captain known for his ruthlessness, began to secretly bring hot milk to him late at night, and decisively smashed the monitor when the higher-ups sent him a "destroy order."
"Follow me." Shen Yan pulled Lu Jin's wrist and rushed into the underground pipe that was not exposed to light all year round. Lu Jin's scales shimmered in the darkness, like a string of glowing chains, binding the two together.
The war between humans and mutant species intensifies, and the guns of their former comrades are aimed at them. While escaping, Lu Jin looked at the gunshot wound on Shen Yan's shoulder and suddenly asked, "They said I was a monster."
Shen Yan was pouring medicine on the wound when he heard the words and took action. He raised his eyes, met those clear but confused vertical pupils, raised his hand and pulled the trigger - the bullet grazed Lu Jin's ear, shattering the hidden tracker above his head.
"Then I will be the one who breeds monsters." His voice was filled with smoke, but extremely clear, "From today on, your life is under my control."
There was a distant explosion from deep in the pipe. Lu Jin looked at Shen Yan's fingertips stained red with blood, suddenly stretched out his hand and gently covered it with his scaly palm. It felt cool to the touch, but it strangely calmed Shen Yan's tense nerves.
They are the caretakers and the imprisoned, humans and "alien", the only two shadows that keep each other warm in this apocalyptic world. When Lu Jin's scales reflected tiny pieces of light under the moonlight, and when Shen Yan's gun was aimed at the same kind for the first time to protect the "monster", they finally understood: the so-called differences are just labels given to aliens by the world, and love never needs classification.
Intent: In the midst of prejudice and war among other races, two souls defined as "opposites" by the world use the bond that transcends species to prove that understanding and acceptance are the ultimate responses to breaking down barriers.