There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 317

Chapter 317: Chapter 309. Rotten Roots

"Can I see you again?" Xue Ren stared at Zein with sparkling eyes, although he managed to hold back from holding the older guide’s hands—their espers had been busy making sure there was at least a meter of space between them during luncheon.

"Why not?" Zein shrugged. "Maybe after everything’s over."

"It’s a promise!" Ren pointed to the older guide, and repeated once again before being ushered inside the car.

Zein watched the car leaving the guild compound and chuckled when Bassena waved at it, looking happier about their departure than their arrival, even though they were basically allies now.

"Why are you still getting jealous?" Zein asked during their journey back to the top floor, and Bassena pursed his lips as he replied quietly.

"...because you think he’s cute,"

Zein raised his brow and tilted his head. "Even though I already confess my feelings for you?"

"Th-this and that is different!" Bassena pressed his lips and turned his face away in clear embarrassment.

"How?" Zein grabbed the esper’s jaw and turned the man back to face him--half because he wanted to see Bassena’s flustered face. "Is there a need for you to feel insecure?"

Bassena pressed his lips tighter, which made his pinched face look funny. "It’s just...reflex?" the voice that came out tapered out into a pitiful squeak so Zein let the esper’s face go. Bassena bit his lips and, two seconds later, groaned loudly inside the elevator. "Agh! I just couldn’t help it, okay? It’s just happened!"

Looking at the mighty Serpent Lord buried his reddened face in his palm, Zein couldn’t help but roll his eyes and sighed. "It’s good that you’re cute, so I don’t have to feel like hitting you."

"Cuter than that guide?" Bassena peeked out behind the curtain of his fingers. Zein chuckled and grabbed the esper’s jaw again to pull the man closer and kiss him right as the elevator arrived at the top floor.

And so, they had their kiss cut short by a certain Crimson Summoner yanked them off each other so the man could walk between them, out of the elevator. "Just go home if you want to flirt."

Zein and Bassena looked at each other with raised brows at the annoyed tone in Radia’s voice. It was rare for the man to do that, after all, since Radia usually just treated them like a bunch of kids with belated teenage hormones.

Bassena, who suddenly recalled the short anger Radia showed him during his outburst the other day, scurried over to the summoner. "Hey, about Joon—"

"I don’t want to talk about it," Radia cut him off immediately.

Zein looked at Bassena and asked in surprise. "What? You know about them already?"

Bassena opened his mouth to reply, but paused immediately, blinking and staring blankly at the guide. "...you knew?!" his mouth hung open for a few seconds as his mind tried to put things back in order. "Since when?!"

"My first week here," Zein told him casually.

"What?! And you didn’t tell me?!"

"It’s not my secret to tell," Zein shrugged, before patting the esper’s cheek with a smile on his face. "And it’s kinda fun seeing you getting jealous of Joon."

Bassena parted his lips, looking scandalous. He started to recall the time he got jealous—or rather, insecure—about how Zein looked rather close to the soldier. He recalled the time he said he had no confidence in contending with Han Joon in that regard, and...and Zein said he already knew, during all those times, that Joon and Radia had some kind of relationship?!

What kind of betrayal is this?

Ignoring his shocked boyfriend, Zein walked alongside Radia. "Anyway, he’s still MIA?"

"Mm,"

"Is he not contacting Shin either?" Zein asked, to which Radia simply answered with a shaking head and furrowed brows. "Have you tried other sources? The military perhaps?"

"No," Radia paused for a bit, jaw clenched and frown deepened. But he took a deep breath and in the next second, his face returned to his usual, casual expression. "We are never to get close to any military stuff, ever—that’s the only thing my grandmother is very adamant about," he shook his head as they entered his office. "We don’t even supply equipment to them."

Zein wanted to ask more about the Mallarcs’ apparent feud with the military, but Radia already closed the door to this topic. "Haa...let’s just talk about what’s important."

And what was important right now was to get to the bottom of the abduction case. So Zein let it go because Radia had started to light his golden needle and it was a signal for them to shut the fuck up.

"Is that all you want to do? Cutting the rotten fruit?" Zein asked.

"Of course,"

"Do you think it’s enough?"