Chapter 82
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“So, Ah Qin, you’d better come out voluntarily.”
But to Qin Zexi’s surprise, the person who emerged from the mecha wasn’t Ah Qin.
“It’s actually you.”
The young beta bore a striking resemblance to Ah Qin, but exuded a different aura. Ah Qin was the sharpest blade, always gleaming with a cutting edge against anyone with ill intentions, while Rong Qiu was different. Rong Qiu was restrained, subdued, and perhaps it was his illusion, but Rong Qiu increasingly resembled Qin Muye.
Thinking of Qin Muye, Qin Zexi sneered.
This S-rank Alpha was truly privileged. It even led Qin Zexi’s impression of Rong Qiu to plummet to rock bottom.
However, Rong Qiu didn’t mind. He just smiled lightly. Although he was a beta without rank, his presence before Qin Zexi was no less imposing than that of this Alpha: “I really didn’t expect that the person I’ve been chasing all this way would turn out to be you.”
“Heh, I didn’t expect that. Did you hear all those words just now?” Qin Zexi was still mocking.
Rong Qiu continued to feign submission to Qin Zexi: “I couldn’t understand what you were saying. But you staying here in the mecha… it’s not suitable. If you want to live, you’d better pilot your mecha away soon. This isn’t a place where you can play around, even if you’re an Alpha, you should be careful.”
“Play around? Do you think I’m here just to play around?”
Qin Zexi wasn’t afraid of Rong Qiu. In his eyes, Rong Qiu was just a powerless beta. Even without weapons, he could render this beta helpless with his pheromones alone.
Qin Zexi smirked cruelly, devoid of the softness from before: “What’s the use of saying all this to you? Since you’re here, taking you away is just the same.”
“Take me away? I came here to complete a mission. Where do you want to take me?!”
“You came for the pirates, didn’t you? I’ll take you to the pirates’ lair, and let you have a good look.”
Rong Qiu was utterly bewildered. He portrayed his astonishment at being taken by Qin Zexi to their stronghold perfectly.
Rong Qiu’s clear eyes widened in disbelief. His phone was in his pocket, and how much of their conversation could be transmitted depended on luck. Even if it didn’t work, he would still try to coordinate with Qin Muye when he reached the pirates’ stronghold. This wasn’t his first undercover mission like this, but it was his first time taking the initiative. Qin Zexi wouldn’t kill him, because killing him would mean that his brother, Ah Qin, would never forgive him.
So he had confidence.
However, Qin Zexi was completely unaware of Rong Qiu’s confidence.
In Qin Zexi’s eyes, how powerful could a beta be? Rong Qiu was already like a fish on the chopping board, completely at his mercy.
He didn’t want to waste time with Rong Qiu on this matter.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot, Qin Zexi was the first to act.
As an S-rank Alpha who grew up in the military district, Qin Zexi was quite skilled. But despite Rong Qiu’s full understanding of this purely academic fighting posture, he still ended up getting injured repeatedly. The wounds on his abdomen and forehead were deliberately inflicted.
The two fought for a full twenty minutes.
In the end, Rong Qiu suddenly collapsed, blood oozing from his lips accentuating his porcelain-white facial bones. Rolling on the ground, the slender figure finally came to a halt. Clutching his chest, he stared at Qin Zexi with eyes so similar to Ah Qin’s: “Even if I die, I won’t go with you!”
“That’s not up to you. As long as you’re here, Ah Qin will come.”
Qin Zexi, too, was slightly disheveled. Although he had evaded most of Rong Qiu’s punches, a few landed in painful spots. But even so, his condition was far better than Rong Qiu’s.
At least he could still stand straight.
Mocking Rong Qiu, who was trembling on the ground, Qin Zexi’s contempt was evident: “I told you, you betas are nothing. I haven’t even used my pheromones yet, and look how I’ve beaten you.”
***
Rong Qiu’s mecha had already activated the anti-tracking mode in advance. Now he was tied up, lying next to an Alpha.
Rong Qiu couldn’t help but resent his mistake. If he had known he would end up sleeping in a single-person mecha, he would have left more space next to him. This curled-up posture on the side was really uncomfortable.
Looking up at the mecha’s control panel, Rong Qiu calculated that they had been driving for two hours. Piloting a mecha for two hours wasn’t long, but Qin Zexi was driving too recklessly. Lying on the ground, Rong Qiu felt a strong, jolting force, as if his forehead were hitting a metal plate, or his buttocks were being slammed. It was like water sloshing in a sealed bottle, back and forth.
He would have preferred if Qin Zexi had just beaten him up instead.
Even so, his gaze remained fixed on the mecha’s control panel. The screen showed the direction of the mecha’s travel. If it weren’t for Rong Qiu’s keen eyesight and good memory, he would have been dizzy from the maze-like route through the jungle.
But he could only sneakily look and not let Qin Zexi notice.
His phone had already been found by Qin Zexi, but luckily he hadn’t found anything. He just threw Rong Qiu’s phone out of the mecha halfway through the journey. At present, he had lost contact with Qin Muye and Zhao Nanchen, being forcibly taken to the stronghold by Qin Zexi. Rong Qiu just hoped that Qin Muye would remain calm and detect the abnormality in their conversation over the phone.
And most importantly, he hoped they wouldn’t act rashly.
***
The pirates’ stronghold was a “desolate city” located deep in the rainforest.
The backdrop was towering green vegetation, while underneath was a rundown temporary “urban” area. Countless large camouflage tents were pitched here, surrounded by streams. People walked around wearing plain, old clothes, some even carrying jacks and various tools for rest. The contrast between high-tech military mechas and extremely rudimentary cooking methods created a stark contrast in the depths of the rainforest.
Rong Qiu felt an inexplicable pain in his heart.
In fact, this kind of place was similar to what Rong Qiu had expected.
According to the information he had obtained beforehand, the pirate’s internal system was chaotic. For many years, they could barely make ends meet, unable to enjoy the peaceful and prosperous life like their counterparts in the military districts.
The pirates were fierce on the outside, but there was also a peaceful side within.
For example, Rong Qiu saw several women who had just given birth sitting on blankets outside the tents, basking in the sun while feeding their babies in tattered swaddling clothes. He also saw an old man leaning on a cane, holding a shapeless mass of rice gruel in his hand.
At every moment, in every space, there were the weak.
But he couldn’t afford to be soft.
These pirates had ruined many planets in the Thirteenth Army District, causing massive casualties and economic losses. Despite being capable individuals, they resorted to plundering and pillaging for a living. When a pirate went out to rob, it disrupted entire families.
Rong Qiu withdrew his gaze, refusing to look anymore.
However, the people around couldn’t help but glance at Rong Qiu. These pirates had been drifting for a long time, let alone just relocating from other planets, where their clothing and basic living conditions couldn’t be satisfied. Rong Qiu stood out among them like a rare gem in a chicken coop. Except for the disarray caused by Qin Zexi on his clothes, the rest of his attire was spotlessly white, not to mention Rong Qiu’s fair and flawless skin, which looked more moisturized than that of the pirates.
But no one dared to lay a hand on Rong Qiu or even speak loudly to him. Because the person holding Rong Qiu was Qin Zexi, and no one dared to say more than a few words in front of Qin Zexi.
Qin Zexi finally brought Rong Qiu into a tent. It was evident that the tent had been cleaned as best as possible, but stains were still visible everywhere, and Rong Qiu’s hands were still firmly handcuffed.
Rong Qiu had tried, but he couldn’t open these handcuffs.
Seeing Rong Qiu struggling, Qin Zexi said lightly, “Just stay here quietly and don’t try to escape.”
Qin Zexi handcuffed the other end of the handcuffs to the bedpost. Then he casually took out two packs of compressed biscuits and a bottle of mineral water from the drawer. Remembering something, Qin Zexi raised an eyebrow. “I shouldn’t have thrown away your phone. Otherwise, you could still communicate with Ah Qin… But you’d better stay here honestly. Don’t try to escape. Once you leave my area, you know…”
“?” What should he understand?
“I don’t want Ah Qin to come pick you up, only to find you torn apart by those pirates in an instant.”
***
Zhao Nanchen took twenty-five minutes to arrive at the location where Rong Qiu was tracked, but there was only an old mecha here. According to his memory, this mecha was not Brother Little Qiu’s. Brother Little Qiu’s mecha was his favorite, and he would use it three times a day when he was free, always new and bright.
The deputy team leader accompanying him frowned deeply. “Has Consultant Rong been taken away?”
Rong Qiu’s position in the volunteer army was as a mecha consultant. Everyone in the volunteer army called him Captain Rong or Consultant Rong.
Hearing the deputy team leader’s question, Zhao Nanchen’s face turned as dark as freshly ground ink. This was the second time he had shown such an expression, the last time being when he was given incorrect military information while leading a team.
He tried to contact Rong Qiu’s communication number, but in vain.
Rong Qiu’s phone was interrupted, and there was no signal at all.
From the conditions he now knew, Brother Little Qiu had followed the pirates, but his mecha had disappeared. Only the pirates’ mecha remained. He could vaguely see signs of a fight in this area, with red fruits falling from tall trees, leaving footprints on the green grass. Zhao Nanchen immediately ordered his men to follow the red traces left by the mecha, but these red footprints disappeared when they reached a distance.
“Commander Zhao, the traces have disappeared.”
“I see.”
Listening to the voice of his subordinates in his earpiece, Zhao Nanchen leaned back heavily in the back seat of the mecha.
This was his mistake.
He shouldn’t have let Brother Little Qiu chase the pirates alone. Now the scene was in chaos, and the pirates were extremely vicious. There were only two possibilities now: either Brother Little Qiu was brutally killed by the pirates on the spot, or the pirates took him away in Brother Little Qiu’s mecha. But even the latter was not a good outcome. Brother Little Qiu couldn’t even defend himself against one pirate, so how could he survive facing a group of pirates?
This was the first time Zhao Nanchen regretted his stupidity.
If he had been a little smarter, a little tougher, and stopped Brother Little Qiu from intercepting the pirates alone from the beginning, would Brother Little Qiu still have disappeared without a trace?
But now everything was too late.
Filled with the worst expectations, finally, a call from the military district interrupted his thoughts.
“KJ6985, Zhao Nanchen, please respond.”
Zhao Nanchen’s eyes lit up.
A call from the military district. Wasn’t this the voice of Qin Muye?
“KJ6985, Zhao Nanchen, received, please instruct.”
The instructions were short, only thirty seconds, but it was enough to reassure Zhao Nanchen.
But because his emotions were so tense, Zhao Nanchen didn’t even notice the abnormality of an S-class alpha on the communicator. Not only was their breathing rate off, but their speech speed exceeded that of ordinary people.
“In any case, don’t act rashly. Just observe covertly.”
After disconnecting the communication device, Zhao Nanchen wiped his eyes, which had long been wet with tears. His subordinates around him were still waiting for his response, but the young alpha, when he spoke again, had resumed the calmness of the commander-in-chief of the volunteer army. “Disperse and search on the spot, and quickly contact the communication personnel on the official army side, try to contact Brother Little Qiu’s communication number and the positioning of Brother Little Qiu’s mecha. In addition, everyone should still advance according to the previous deployment plan.”
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