After the Breakup, He Washed Away the Memories Chapter 73

Chapter 73

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The Alpha resolutely and ruthlessly aimed the broken fragment at his own neck.

At the same time, there was also the eruption of pheromones from the back of the Alpha’s neck. Even though Rong Qiu was a beta, he could feel the extraordinary nature of Qin Muye’s pheromones; while pheromones released by the Alphas generally had a suppressing effect on betas, Rong Qiu didn’t feel suppressed. He just felt that the concentration of pheromones was too high, like an overly concentrated agarwood fragrance essence being placed under his nose, too intense.

Too strong!

Qin Muye’s determination, madness, and completely out-of-control pheromones left Rong Qiu speechless.

But no matter how out of control the Alpha was, he would never watch a man engage in self-harming behavior. With the posture of Qin Muye embracing him with one hand, Rong Qiu gritted his teeth, curled his elbow to make a fist, and delivered a fierce blow to Qin Muye’s chest.

A muffled grunt.

Due to the pain, Qin Muye’s waist instantly bent.

Rong Qiu completely broke free from Qin Muye’s embrace, and snatched the broken piece of porcelain from the Alpha’s hand. Rong Qiu didn’t know what to say anymore, he looked at the piece of porcelain in his hand, already stained with blood, and naturally knew that the blood wasn’t his own.

The beta’s temperament had always been refreshing and clean, but now Rong Qiu’s suppressed anger burst out almost instantaneously. He fiercely threw away the piece of broken porcelain, his eyes slightly red, glaring at Qin Muye’s crimson eyes, “Do you think I’ll forgive you just because you want my forgiveness? Have you thought about what you’ll do if you damage your glands? With the responsibilities you have in the Thirteenth Military District and your family’s company, you’re willing to dig out your glands and become a useless person.”

The Alpha couldn’t hear his words clearly. Although he hadn’t cut himself yet, his glands still felt like they were about to explode, the bloody air surged up his throat, the rust smell in his mouth made the Alpha frown tightly.

Not to mention the pain from Rong Qiu’s blow to his abdomen.

Qin Muye fell onto the bed in pain.

“I don’t know why your pheromones suddenly went out of control, and I won’t say whether I’ll forgive you or not now, but I can’t let your glands be damaged in front of me.”

The Alpha was in pain, his vision blurred.

But he still looked at Rong Qiu possessively. Rejected repeatedly, the Alpha had long reached the brink of collapse. He wasn’t afraid of anything, only afraid that Rong Qiu wouldn’t forgive him. Rong Qiu, so clear-minded, remembered all the harm he had caused him before.

If only he weren’t an Alpha.

If he were a beta, he wouldn’t have such an annoying gland. A Beta would be more compatible with Rong Qiu; no wonder Rong Qiu had constructed that illusion of a Beta Qin Muye in his mind.

So he thought that as long as he dug out his glands, Rong Qiu would forgive him.

But Rong Qiu stopped him.

How good would it be if this susceptible period could last forever?

He didn’t want to see his beloved Qiuqiu turn into ashes after he woke up.

He wanted to hold onto Qiuqiu and be with him forever.

But only in his dreams could he be so heartbroken and desperate. When he woke up, he would have to turn back into the restrained Commander Qin.

The Alpha on the bed sobbed and gasped for breath.

Rong Qiu had accidentally heard Qin Zixe’s crying voice from Brother Rong Qin’s phone before. As an S-rank Alpha, Qin Zexi wailed and lamented— “Ah Qin, don’t ignore me!” / “I can’t sleep at night without you!” / “Ah Qin, my glands hurt!” / “Ah Qin, I was wrong, sob sob sob…”

Now Qin Muye’s reaction was eerily similar.

Rong Qiu had a headache.

And the Alpha on the bed still stared at him eagerly, jumping at any movement Rong Qiu made.

But soon, he noticed Qin Muye’s gaze resting on the broken pieces on the ground, the Alpha seemed unwilling to give up, because there was a glint in his eyes as he looked at the shards.

Rong Qiu’s expression darkened.

He took a step forward, blocking Qin Muye’s line of sight, and gathered the broken pieces of porcelain to the side.

Qin Muye didn’t notice Rong Qiu’s subtle movements. The blow from Rong Qiu’s elbow just now made him tremble with pain, not only physically but also emotionally.

The hallucinations during this susceptible period were too real.

Rong Qiu would hit him, scold him, and even injure him so severely.

It felt too vivid to be a hallucination.

Now the pain in his lower abdomen had eased a lot. Qin Muye sat up, but he was still breathing heavily, veins bulging from his arm, extending all the way to the Alpha’s hand, with the handcuff chain stretching thirty centimeters.

The Alpha’s eyes were dark.

It was too far. The handcuffs should have been designed to stick together from the beginning, so his hand could always be close to Qiuqiu’s hand.

Qin Muye tugged at the handcuffs, his other hand still clutching his abdomen. He looked like a defeated lion, trembling like a sieve, the veins on his smooth forehead twisted in pain and regret.

“Qiuqiu, don’t go,”

The tear ducts that had been under control earlier now lost control again. Crying, wailing, tears mixed with pheromones streamed down the Alpha’s face like rivers.

Rong Qiu’s long eyelashes drooped. “I’m not going.”

“Qiuqiu will leave. The next time I open my eyes, Qiuqiu will be gone, and I won’t be able to keep him no matter how hard I try.”

“Sob sob sob… Every time during the susceptible period, I can see Qiuqiu, but Qiuqiu won’t forgive me. Qiuqiu sits on the overpass, looking at me coldly, no matter how I struggle, how I pull, Qiuqiu will still jump in front of me.”

“If I had realized it earlier, if I had been good to Qiuqiu earlier, we wouldn’t have separated, we would have gotten married when we graduated, and then lived in a small house on A Star, we would have planted countless golden roses together.”

The Alpha was in tears, the originally deep voice choked intermittently: “But it’s too late… I have no chance anymore, no matter what I do, Qiuqiu won’t forgive me…”

The Alpha, with a tear-stained face, held Rong Qiu’s hand. As he spoke with stimulation, his back couldn’t help but shiver lightly.

Listening to him say so much, Rong Qiu’s deep eyes showed a hint of exhaustion.

Qin Muye’s affection was so genuine, so intense.

Even if he were blind, he could still perceive the Alpha’s pain.

But this time, Rong Qiu didn’t pay much attention, nor did he mention forgiveness.

The Alpha’s intense emotions seemed unrelated to him.

Rong Qiu let Qin Muye hold his hand and cry, letting the Alpha’s pheromones envelop him continuously, as if only in this way could the Alpha settle down.

The sound of the air converter kept decreasing, and the Alpha’s originally strong pheromones finally began to dilute.

Qin Muye’s drowsiness resurfaced. Rong Qiu looked down at Qin Muye, who was lying halfway on the bed, his wrist still tightly grasped by Qin Muye. The man’s palm was very warm, a fire burning from Rong Qiu’s wrist to his forehead, his damp hair covering his eyebrows and eyes.

He was indeed angry and resentful, but all his grievances subsided when he saw Qin Muye’s key slowly sink.

Qin Muye had found his key, but hadn’t given it to him.

He guessed Qin Muye’s intention, which was to keep him here.

Giving him the key now was also an attempt to keep him.

But Qin Muye shouldn’t be so servile.

The sleeping Alpha had a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets. Because of fear, his upper and lower eyelashes were trembling lightly, his lips tightly pursed, and his lips twitched slightly from time to time. But even so, the Alpha still carried his inherent nobility and arrogance.

Rong Qiu propped his chin with his other hand, slightly tilting his head. In the dim light, a fair and attractive nape was exposed, while his deep eyes, like the evening starry sea, gazed lightly at the man on the bed.

His thoughts kept swirling chaotically.

He kept replaying these things.

After the susceptible period passed.

Would Qin Muye regret saying all this?

***

Now it was late at night, the master bedroom was sealed tightly with metal, and moonlight couldn’t penetrate. The light in the master bedroom was dim, specially arranged after investigation by federal professionals, as overly bright lights would stimulate the Alphas and especially S-rank the Alphas to produce indiscriminate aggression.

With such dim light, Rong Qiu sat on the carpet beside the bed.

One of his beta hands rested on the bed, the white shirt hanging loosely, revealing a slender and resilient forearm.

The other hand was the same, except for gently fiddling with the phone, doodling on it. Although there was no signal, he could still draw with the offline drawing app.

Besides the steady breathing of the Alpha and the rumbling sound coming from Rong Qiu’s abdomen, the whole room was exceptionally quiet.

Rong Qiu was hungry.

He had been locked in Qin Muye’s master bedroom since this morning.

Unfortunately, Qin Muye didn’t wake up no matter how much he called. Rong Qiu now vaguely guessed that Qin Muye seemed to be in that mysterious susceptible period.

Rong Qiu had originally wanted to get up, but he stopped in his tracks.

The sound of the handcuffs made the curly eyelashes of the the Alpha flicker up and down.

Qin Muye slowly opened his eyes.

His consciousness became a little clearer, and he wanted to rub his sore brow, but he heard the crisp sound of metal.

The sound of metal…?

Qin Muye’s heart tightened slightly, and his black pupils suddenly dilated in the dim light.

He widened his eyes slightly, but in the dim light, he saw the familiar and slender back of the beta, and further down, Rong Qiu’s clothes were not as neat as usual, for some reason, the collar was still open, giving off a slightly messy feeling. But that didn’t matter. When his gaze fell on Rong Qiu’s wrist, the silver handcuff hidden in the darkness actually emitted a strange light.

Qin Muye’s heart skipped a beat, and the corners of his already wrinkled brows tightened even more.

He looked at his wrist incredulously.

This was his secret.

A secret unknown to others.

But now, he was soberly looking at the handcuffs that bound him and Rong Qiu. Qin Muye felt as if a thunderbolt had suddenly exploded in his mind, splitting his head into pieces and scattering his thoughts.

He was awake, but also dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at Rong Qiu’s face.

Rong Qiu took a step back, but because of the handcuffs, the step back was unsuccessful. However, Rong Qiu still maintained vigilance on his face.

Rong Qiu was afraid.

He was afraid that Qin Muye would continue to have a relapse, and he was afraid that Qin Muye would return to being a crying mess of an Alpha.

So Rong Qiu stepped back slightly to facilitate observation.

But this time, the awakened Alpha seemed normal. Qin Muye stood tall, his black and white eyes no longer filled with tears. Even when looking up at him, he still exuded a cold and reserved aura, showing a significant change in demeanor. He appeared not only refined but also emanated a chilly and restrained aura of abstinence.

Looking into the deep abyss of his cold eyes, Rong Qiu raised an eyebrow with a hint of teasing in his tone, a barely audible sigh escaping from between his teeth. He spoke playfully, “Awake?”

“Mmm…”

“No more whistling?”

“!!!”

***

Qin Muye would always remember this susceptible period.

Thinking back carefully, what had he done all day?

He had thought Rong Qiu’s appearance was just an illusion, acting recklessly within the illusion; he had cried unlike an S-rank the Alpha, attempting to threaten Rong Qiu with the destruction of glands, and even handcuffing Rong Qiu with this pair of never-before-seen handcuffs.

How dare he.

Qin Muye immediately searched for the key to unlock the handcuffs.

But the more anxious he became, the more chaotic his movements were. The delicate silver key needed to be handled with care like the most perfect craftsmanship, but now the key was trembling in Qin Muye’s hand, unable to fit into the keyhole no matter how many times he tried.

In the end, Rong Qiu took the key from him.

Finally, the handcuffs were opened. Even though it didn’t hurt, Rong Qiu couldn’t help but rub his handcuffed wrist. There wasn’t even a trace of a red mark left on his wrist. Throughout the process, Qin Muye dared not look up at him.

The Alpha had done something wrong and bowed his head in guilt.

As his gaze fell, he could see Rong Qiu’s beautiful and delicate ankles under his casual pants, fragile and slender, as if they could be crushed with a twist. But despite appearing fragile, the beta was unusually resilient.

No matter how he apologized, Rong Qiu wouldn’t be moved. Realizing this, Qin Muye’s heart suddenly ached, even his originally calm breathing became chaotic.

Even so, the Alpha smiled, as if trying to break all the previous misery and pain in an instant. Just as he had felt before, no matter how fragile and weak he was in the illusion, once he regained clarity, he must be the strongest Alpha.

Rong Qiu was stunned by his smile.

Seeing Rong Qiu wide-eyed and completely surprised, Qin Muye calmly collected the handcuffs and the key, and when he spoke again, there was no trace of the previous confusion, only the calmness of a high-ranking figure.

“I had a fever, followed by this susceptible period. When my pheromones calm down a bit more, we can leave.”

“Susceptible period?” Remembering something, Rong Qiu’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of understanding appearing in his beautiful eyes and eyebrows. “So all your abnormal changes are because of the susceptible period.”

“Sorry for bothering you, Qiuqiu.” Qin Muye lowered his head, “But those words were what I wanted to say, Qiuqiu, I…”

“I already know.” 

Rong Qiu interrupted him, lowering his head to look at his hands seriously, as if he didn’t want to hear it again. His hair, damp from being locked up all day, had begun to curl slightly.

Now, Rong Qiu’s clean forehead was adorned with a few slightly messy bangs. “So when exactly can we get out? Although I can’t perceive the intensity of your pheromones, I feel like we won’t be able to get out for a while.”

The air converter was running too fast.

Machines couldn’t deceive people.

“Probably three more days.”

“Three days?!”

Qin Muye’s demeanor was aloof and elegant. The Alphas standing in Qin Muye’s position all had inherent pride and wouldn’t lie to him, nor would they bother to lie to him.

So Rong Qiu believed Qin Muye’s words.

But Qin Muye thought Rong Qiu didn’t believe him and inexplicably became nervous. He hurriedly explained, “An Alpha’s susceptible period generally lasts three to seven days. By the third day, my pheromones won’t erupt anymore, and just wearing the pheromone combination ring is enough to control it. By then, the pheromone sensing system here will automatically detect the pheromones, and the door will open.”

Since the last time he forcefully left the military’s solitary confinement during his susceptible period, the Federation had strengthened its control over him. He no longer had the authority to leave solitary confinement on his own.

Qin Muye explained it clearly, and Rong Qiu understood.

“Your… your pheromones often go out of control? Do you have to be locked in solitary confinement every time?”

“Yeah.” Qin Muye spoke without fluctuation in his emotions, emotionally sparse and calm. But Qin Muye’s usual behavior left Rong Qiu feeling inexplicably suffocated. Although the susceptible period of a normal Alpha was severe, it wouldn’t necessitate being locked in solitary confinement; such confinement felt like a cage for a ferocious beast, always giving Rong Qiu a sense of discomfort about Qin Muye’s domestication.

Qin Muye didn’t want Rong Qiu to know too many details. He ran his hand through his hair with one hand, thinking about how to change the subject, when Rong Qiu’s stomach coincidentally growled.

Qin Muye brought him a sealed instant meal. “Have some.”

If he had known that one day Rong Qiu would be in his solitary confinement, he would have definitely prepared more than just compressed biscuits, maybe even oat milk.

But Rong Qiu didn’t mind at all.

On the afternoon of the second day, Rong Qiu finally remembered something.

Rong Qiu lifted his head from the book, “Why didn’t I encounter your susceptible period when we were in college?”

The Alpha replied instantly, “You did. But I always took leave in advance.”

This time, Rong Qiu learned that the previous Qin Muye also had a susceptible period, but it wasn’t as frequent and severe as it is now.

Touching the book cover, Rong Qiu asked, “But today is Monday, won’t it affect your absence from the military district?”

“No need, they know, and it’s already too late for them to send medicine. They can only wait for me to finish here before they can leave.”

“Can medicine still be used now?”

“Not anymore. Medicine are usually used in the early stages of the susceptible period.”

In fact, his frequent hallucinations during the susceptible period were also somewhat related to the problem with soothing agents. The federal doctors had already told him that high-frequency, high-concentration use of pheromone soothing agents could lead to irreversible addiction to glands. Even if Qin Muye cared, he had no other choice.

Even later on, being able to have hallucinations related to Rong Qiu was a wonderful thing for Qin Muye.

Just like the first day.

Qin Muye dared not dwell on it further, lest he become addicted.

After the Alpha’s explanation, Rong Qiu finally understood what the Alpha’s susceptible period was all about.

He realized that he had been ignorant before; as a beta, he only knew about the Alpha and omega’s estrus periods but didn’t know about the Alpha’s the susceptible period. The Alpha’s susceptible period didn’t require marking behavior with omegas like the estrus period did; instead, it was more of a psychological emptiness that required the utmost companionship from a partner.

Rong Qiu listened attentively.

“It’s so troublesome, haven’t you ever thought…”

“Thought about what?”

Rong Qiu shook his head, “Nothing.”

He wanted to ask Qin Muye why he didn’t seek an omega match, but he felt silly for even considering asking that question. Rong Qiu closed the heavy book in his hands and intentionally opened a pack of compressed biscuits to cover his face.

Qin Muye didn’t press further, just pulled out a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Rong Qiu before continuing to “read.”

***

Qin Muye was right.

By the third day, the air converter was half-open and half-closed, and even Rong Qiu, who had been immersed in pheromones, noticed that the lingering scent of sandalwood around him was gradually fading.

During these three days, Qin Muye and Rong Qiu had been eating vegetarian food from the cupboard and drinking bottled mineral water. Rong Qiu hadn’t endured such time-consuming circumstances for a long time.

But he was somewhat unaware of the passage of time.

He had once seen an experiment where people confined in a solitary space gradually became numb, and now he felt the same way. On the first day, he felt time passing quickly because he was taking care of Qin Muye, but on the second and third days, Rong Qiu felt every minute and every second passing extremely torturous.

And his phone was dead.

He could only follow Qin Muye’s lead and read the books he had left in the drawer.

But these books didn’t pique his interest in economics. Qin Muye, however, seemed to be reading them seriously. Whenever Rong Qiu looked up from the book, Qin Muye was always immersed in reading.

What Rong Qiu didn’t know was that this seriousness was deliberately created by Qin Muye. It was awkward for Rong Qiu and him to be in the same room, so Qin Muye tried his best to minimize his presence, making Rong Qiu feel more comfortable.

On the fourth day, as the metal door slowly receded and sunlight reappeared through the window, Rong Qiu felt as if he had returned to the world after a long separation.

The sunlight was too bright. Rong Qiu squinted and raised his arm to shield his eyes, but Qin Muye had already taken a step ahead of him, using the curtain to block the sunlight.

“Let’s go out later, it’s too bright outside.”

Qin Muye’s master bedroom only had a small dim lamp, and sudden exposure to bright light could easily harm the eyes.

Twenty minutes later, after Rong Qiu had adjusted to the natural light in the room, Qin Muye prepared to leave. But before leaving, he handed the bunch of keys to Rong Qiu.

With his head down, the Alpha seemed a bit at a loss, “The keys… I didn’t mean to hide them from you. When you mentioned the keys arriving from Rong Qin, the people I sent out only found the keys in the pond on that day. I didn’t give them to you because I wanted to keep the ring on top.”

Rong Qiu took the keys he handed over, but swiftly dismantled the ring from it, “You keep it.”

Seeing Rong Qiu handing back the ring, the Alpha’s eyes brightened, “Qiuqiu!”

Had he forgiven him?

Rong Qiu turned and put the keys back in his pocket, “I’m leaving.”

***

This ring planted a seed of hope in Qin Muye’s heart, but the people outside the villa didn’t allow the two to continue chatting inside. Since Monday, the beta officer by Qin Muye’s side had been guarding the villa day and night.

He didn’t know when Qin Muye would come out.

But he had already become accustomed to this phenomenon.

It must be the unpredictable arrival of the Commander’s susceptible period again.

So he brought over important military documents, ready to solve any problems that arose with the Commander from inside the solitary confinement room. Besides the Commander, there was also Mr. Rong who didn’t come out of the solitary confinement room.

Both of them looked quite disheveled.

His superior even had a strange smile on his face.

Seeing the beta officer approaching, Qin Muye immediately suppressed his smile, but he still said to Rong Qiu, “Qiuqiu, go back and freshen up first, and then have lunch before you leave?”

There was a hint of caution in his tone when he spoke.

Although Rong Qiu had given him the ring, he hadn’t made any promises to him.

With his hands in his pockets, Rong Qiu didn’t refuse, “Okay, I’ll go order.”

It just so happened that Rong Qiu needed to charge his phone at this time.

His phone had been dead for three days, and charging it would take some time. He went to the room and turned on the light brain, which was covered with messages from his brother—

【Brother Rong Qin: Qiuqiu, did you get the keys?】

【Brother Rong Qin: Why does it still show that the express delivery has not been signed for on my end?】

…

…

【Brother Rong Qin: Qiuqiu, please respond, why aren’t you answering any calls?】

【Brother Rong Qin: Qiuqiu! Qiuqiu!】

Apart from phone messages, there were countless notifications of rejected calls.

Rong Qiu could tell that his brother was now frantic.

Immediately, Rong Qiu connected with Rong Qin through the light brain network.

However, there was no response from the other end even after a long time.

Rong Qiu didn’t panic.

Perhaps his brother was still dealing with pirate matters on the affiliated star. Rong Qiu replied to him via text message.

【Rong Qiu: Brother, I’m fine.】

【Rong Qiu: I didn’t reply to messages these past few days because Qin Muye was in his susceptible period, and we were confined together in isolation.】

【Rong Qiu: I’m out now. When you have time tonight, we can video chat.】

【Rong Qiu: Behaving obediently.jpg 】

***

In contrast to the warm brotherly drama on Rong Qiu’s end, the situation on Qin Muye’s side was clearly more severe.

Qin Muye’s susceptible period came too suddenly, catching the entire military district off guard. Even though the beta officer had plenty of experience, the situation was still very tricky. Moreover, the number of documents sent to Qin Muye this time was three times more than usual.

And the Alpha in the study looked even more solemn.

In just three days, the official army of the Thirteenth Military District on the affiliated star had fallen into a disadvantageous position in the battle against the pirates. Despite having the most advanced weapons and mechas, the official army still made serious strategic mistakes.

Looking at the combat reports from the front line, Qin Muye almost snapped his pen in his hand.

Since the first day he entered isolation, the Thirty-Eighth Squadron of the Thirteenth Military District had acted on their own initiative three times, all of which ended in failure. They even lost half of the official army and half of the mechas.

When had the military operations in the district ever suffered such a huge loss?

Qin Muye’s expression was particularly ugly, “Why wasn’t I informed immediately?”

The beta officer faltered slightly, “Because the application for notification didn’t go through.”

Qin Muye’s situation was too special. Since Qin Muye had broken out of isolation without authorization last time, now, to open the door to isolation, federal approval must be obtained first. However, no matter how many times the beta officer applied to the federation, they were all ignored.

If it weren’t for the suddenness of the situation and the fact that the beta officer really had no other way, they wouldn’t have been waiting outside Qin Muye’s villa all this time. But Qin Muye’s villa was too heavily guarded, and they couldn’t force their way in. They could only wait outside.

Listening to the beta officer’s explanation, Qin Muye understood.

Someone had seized upon his sudden susceptible period and allowed the Thirty-Eighth Squadron of the military district to act on their own at such a critical point. But who was this person? Someone who knew about his susceptible period and could contact the Thirty-Eighth Squadron of the military district.

The Alpha’s superior bone structure made his face naturally dominant, and when he lowered his eyes to look at the documents, there was a natural disdain in his gaze. In Qin Muye’s mind, countless figures appeared, and the suppressed wildness and aggression in the eyes of the man were no longer concealed.

He put down the combat report in his hand, raised an eyebrow, and when he spoke again, he naturally exuded an oppressive aura as a superior.

“What’s the current public opinion outside?”

***

How did the public opinion outside become so chaotic?

Rong Qiu looked at the light brain network, his eyebrows already furrowed.

He hadn’t watched the military district news for a few days, and the situation had changed so quickly. Everywhere online, there were criticisms of Qin Muye.

【Why was the blatantly wrong military route of the Thirty-Eighth Squadron approved by the higher-ups? Are the leaders of the Thirteenth Military District all idiots??】/【Rumor has it that the so-called higher-ups haven’t been seen in the Thirteenth Military District’s office since Monday, and they even skipped today’s military district meeting】/【That S-level the Alpha, I’ve been waiting for him to screw up】/【The federation should investigate. As the commander of the Thirteenth Military District, to be absent from a crucial meeting…】

These were relatively mild comments. There were even more inflammatory ones, inciting conflicts between the families of the victims of the official army and the military.

These words were too filthy, and Rong Qiu didn’t want to read them.

But with his limited political sensitivity, he could roughly tell that someone was targeting Qin Muye.

Everything was too subtle.

Since they couldn’t reach Qin Muye, on the first day the Thirty-Eighth Squadron had begun their losing streak, even the second and third times, their tactics were simply disastrous. Roughly following the real-time accounts posted by military enthusiasts, Rong Qiu could see at least five things wrong.

These were not mistakes the Thirty-Eighth Squadron should make.

The Thirteenth Military District’s Thirty-Eighth Squadron was the one coordinating with Rong Qin’s volunteer army. According to Rong Qin’s feedback, the leader of the Thirty-Eighth Squadron was conservative and not shortsighted. Although the cooperation between the two sides had been slow over the past few months, it had been harmonious and safe, and there was no reason for them to suddenly become so aggressive in their actions.

So something must have happened during this period to make this conservative military force behave like this.

But with half of the official army injured and half of the mechas scrapped, such results were unacceptable in any military district. With such a major accident, it was no wonder that netizens would heap all the blame on Qin Muye as the head of the Thirteenth Military District.

The more Rong Qiu read, the more headaches he got.

The beta officer waiting outside with Qin Muye was probably there for this reason.

But Rong Qiu couldn’t help in this situation. However, if Qin Muye wanted him to testify about his susceptible period, he would be willing to come forward.

But Qin Muye clearly had no such intention.

Qin Muye and the beta officer came out together, both looking composed, as if nothing major had happened.

Rong Qiu didn’t ask.

He just invited Qin Muye and Wei Ming to have a meal together.

Wei Ming politely declined, “There are still matters to be dealt with in the military district. I won’t disturb Commander and Mr. Rong.”

Rong Qiu looked at Qin Muye.

Qin Muye nodded apologetically, “Qiuqiu, you go ahead and eat first. I need to go to the military district now.”

Qin Muye’s demeanor was handsome, but his speech was fast. As he discussed matters with Wei Ming, he buttoned up his military uniform. However, when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped. Qin Muye turned back to look at him, licked his lips, and then bowed his head to leave his car keys with Rong Qiu.

Rong Qiu raised an eyebrow, looking at the extra set of keys on the table.

Qin Muye said lightly, “You don’t have a car. Take mine. It’s the third from the end in the garage.”

Before Rong Qiu could respond, Qin Muye had already left with the beta officer, leaving Rong Qiu alone to ponder over the keys.

In fact, Rong Qiu had ordered a table full of dishes.

But now he was eating alone. Even though he had been eating compressed bread and mineral water in isolation for three days, Rong Qiu found the delicious-looking food on the table still tasteless.

He picked at it casually, barely satisfying his hunger.

Qin Muye’s situation was not trivial, and he couldn’t eat with peace of mind; now Rong Qiu urgently needed more accurate information. Relying solely on guesses from online users couldn’t help him understand the true nature of the situation.

And he couldn’t reach his brother for some reason.

After swallowing the last spoonful of soup, Rong Qiu opened his brain network and retrieved Zhao Nanchen’s contact number. He messaged Zhao Nanchen, but received no reply. Then he called Zhao Nanchen, but still got no answer.

Both Rong Qiu’s brother and Zhao Nanchen were on the affiliated star combating pirates, so it was possible that he couldn’t reach both of them at the same time.

Theoretically, this was the case, but Rong Qiu still couldn’t help worrying.

He wanted to search online for news about Rong Qin’s volunteer army, but the information he found was scarce. This was typical of the Thirteenth Military District, where information about volunteer armies was scarce because they had to ensure the dominance of the official military in the district.

The more Rong Qiu thought, the more confused he became.

In the end, he couldn’t muster any appetite for the food on the table.

After cleaning up the leftovers on the table, Rong Qiu left with the things he had prepared earlier and Qin Muye’s car keys.

He had to find something to occupy himself immediately.

And his phone finally had a bit of charge. A phone turning on was much more shocking than a brainwave network starting up. The missed calls and unread messages on his phone were all from Rong Qin, and the time of the last call happened to be two days ago.

For some reason, Rong Qiu felt very uneasy.

He drove anxiously, heading to the express delivery point near the research institute to pick up his package. Four days ago, the keys Rong Qin sent him had arrived.

If it weren’t for Qin Muye suddenly falling ill, he would have been back home by now.

Now that Rong Qiu had successfully obtained the keys, there were also some mementos Rong Qin had sent him inside.

Among them was a small silver bean threaded on a red string.

It looked like something a child would use.

The letter Rong Qin left said that these were mementos left by their parents for the two brothers. Each brother had one string, but Rong Qin was afraid it wouldn’t be safe to keep it in Rong Qiu’s cradle, so he kept it for him. Unexpectedly, after more than twenty years of keeping it, Rong Qin returned it, returning the item to its rightful owner.

Looking at the string of red thread and silver beans, Rong Qiu suddenly felt familiar. It was because Rong Qin also had a string around his ankle, and sometimes when he raised his feet at home, Rong Qiu could see it clearly.

Imitating Rong Qin’s actions, Rong Qiu tied the string around the same ankle.

The beta ankle was slender, with prominent and delicate joints. Tied with a dark red thread, there was a strange beauty, and the silver beans on it added a touch of coldness against the porcelain-white skin.

He took a picture and sent it skillfully to Rong Qin.

But the message remained unread.

Rong Qiu’s expression darkened once again.

Back at home, the incident in the Thirty-Eight Army of the Thirteenth Military District was still unfolding. By the time he had unpacked everything at his villa, the official department of the Thirteenth Military District had already held a press conference.

Qin Muye acted quickly.

His explanation was also sharp.

He didn’t deliberately evade responsibility, but he explained everything to everyone in a fair tone.

An Alpha’s susceptible period was the nightmare of every Alpha.

The average duration was five days.

Qin Muye appeared on the fourth day, even though he was wearing a black pheromone combination ring, viewers could still see his swollen neck and withered face under the camera, giving the appearance of someone who had been through a lot of suffering. Even so, Qin Muye remained as sharp as a knife, cold and reliable.

This was Qin Muye’s most authentic state at the moment.

Most people said they understood Qin Muye’s explanation, but they couldn’t forgive him, let alone represent the injured soldiers.

This press conference was just the beginning.

Qin Muye stated that all the injured soldiers from the Thirty-Eighth Squadron of the Thirteenth Military District would receive free medical services from the Thirteenth Military District, and the military district would compensate the seriously injured and disabled soldiers. Meanwhile, personnel would be dispatched to take over the Thirty-Eighth Squadron of the Thirteenth Military District. As for the subsequent developments, the military district would continue to hold press conferences.

The press conference ended here.

Rong Qiu closed the live stream, but the latest comments were still pouring in.

Comments from various military district IPs were mixed.

Although dissatisfied, they were still reluctantly acceptable.

But Rong Qiu felt that things were not that simple.

If he remembered correctly, the federal election before the end of the year would take place in two months. Every year, the Little Vote took place at the end of the year, and the fourth year’s grand vote in the height of summer was the most important federal election. In last year’s summer vote, Qin Muye successfully became one of the four deputy commanders of the federation and concurrently the commander of the Thirteenth Military District.

With such an incident happening now, even if it could be managed publicly, Qin Muye’s image would inevitably become negative in the hearts of the people…

When Rong Qiu closed the comments section, his expression was unusually serious.

But when he received Zhao Nanchen’s call, his serious expression suddenly turned into shock.

Rong Qiu’s hand holding the glass trembled violently with urgency. He clenched his teeth tightly, then gently placed the glass back on the table. A breath escaped from between his teeth as he said, “Say it again.”

Zhao Nanchen’s voice was urgent and fast-paced, causing the Alpha to bite his tongue several times, even when repeating the words verbatim.

“Brother Little Qiu, I said that Rong Qin was severely injured and crashed while piloting the mecha. He’s now in the ICU!”

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