Chapter 15
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Qi Yan took the medicine in the car. A few minutes later, he couldn’t help but frown.
Although accustomed to this feeling, it was still difficult to endure each time.
Over the past eight years, he had been taking these medicines to stay alert and discern the truth of those memories as rationally as possible, so as not to completely succumb to confusion.
Holding the slightly cool transparent medicine bottle, Qi Yan gazed at a vague point in the air, wondering if he would completely plunge into darkness once the medicine ceased its effects.
Perhaps because he had been mentally preparing all along, it seemed that he wasn’t as fearful as before.
Lu Fenghan didn’t set off the car’s system alarm for speeding, which was a rare for him. He turned his head and saw that Qi Yan looked pale and exhausted. His voice lowered involuntarily as he asked, “Do you want to rest for a while? I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”
Qi Yan shook his head slowly. “I can’t sleep.”
He didn’t want to entangle himself in negative emotions, so he found a topic to chat with Lu Fenghan. “The front page of the Leto Daily today reported that the famous female singer, Fugilina, is coming to Leto for a concert.”
Lu Fenghan rested his hand on the control lever, raised his fingers slightly, and tapped twice. “That was yesterday’s front page.”
Qi Yan carefully recalled and found the date information in the memory image—indeed, it was from yesterday.
“I’ve made another mistake.”
“It’s alright if you forget. I remember,” Lu Fenghan continued on the same thread, “Are you a fan of Fugilina?”
Just hearing that name, one could tell she was likely cut from the same mold as many other female celebrities.
“No, I don’t know her. She just appeared on the front page of the Leto Daily, so she must be famous.”
Did he assume he knew Fugilina and that was why he brought her up?
He figured this female celebrity must have some have some merits to be featured in the front of the Leto Daily.
However, Lu Fenghan had spent nearly a decade drifting with the starship in the front line of Southern Cross Region, surrounded either by heaps of battle reports, patrol logs, maintenance requests, or the pitch-black void and distant stars. Everything about the Alliance seemed too distant for him, let alone knowing who the current popular female singer was.
“I don’t know her either.” Lu Fenghan glanced at the empty medicine bottle Qi Yan had been holding the whole time. “Does your medication make you uncomfortable?”
Involuntarily, he recalled that night when he opened the bedroom door to find Qi Yan standing barefoot amidst the glass shards, not even flinching despite the cuts on his legs, his eyes gazing at him with a mixture of confusion and panic, like a trapped animal in the dead of winter, unconsciously seeking his help.
“This one?” Qi Yan shook the small medicine bottle in his hand. “It does make me uncomfortable, but I can’t quite describe it. It’s like… feeling cold and uneasy after taking it.”
He thought for a moment, searching for an analogy, “It’s like being lost, walking barefoot in the snow.”
Lu Fenghan: “Can you not take it?”
“Can’t.”
“Can’t they reduce the side effects a bit more?”
“They’ve already minimized them significantly. This is the improved version, the ninth generation. The side effects used to be worse with the previous versions.”
Lu Fenghan felt inexplicably irritated, muttering to himself, “What rubbish medication. It’s the ninth generation, yet the side effects are still so strong. It’s dragging down the average level of Alliance pharmaceutical technology!”
Upon reaching the school, he activated the autoautomatic driving system as usual, allowing the hovercar to navigate itself to the parking area, while he accompanied Qi Yan towards the direction of the classroom.
Turan had clearly just experienced a light rain, with droplets still clinging to the leaves, perfectly mirroring the weather outside.
It was nearing class time, so the corridors were bustling with people. Jiang Qi stood downstairs, spotting Qi Yan amidst the crowd with just one glance.
Qi Yan seemed lost in thought, not paying attention to the path ahead, almost colliding with someone if not for the bodyguard who had been trailing him, reaching out to pull him back just in time.
The bodyguard, appearing somewhat resigned, muttered something briefly before continuing to shield Qi Yan from the crowd.
As Qi Yan finally approached, Jiang Qi broke into a smile and called out, “Brother!”
His loud call drew many curious glances from those around.
However, Qi Yan seemed oblivious, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Jiang Qi felt a twinge of annoyance. He stepped forward, calling out again, “Qi Yan!”
Hearing his name, Qi Yan halted, by which time Jiang Qi had already hurriedly approached him.
“Brother, I’ve been waiting for you here for so long.” Jiang Qi’s expression was earnest, tinged with a hint of unease. “Are you still angry? You’ve been back for a while now but haven’t returned home. Mom and Dad are really worried. Mom even asked me to inquire if you could come home for dinner tonight. She wants to cook for you herself and has prepared lots of delicious dishes.”
He spoke cautiously, seemingly afraid of Qi Yan’s refusal.
Qi Yan seemed to recognize him only then, “Jiang Qi?”
Jiang Qi’s smile faltered slightly.
Qi Yan declined bluntly, “I’m going to the library tonight. I’m not available.”
Jiang Qi couldn’t help but recall Vice Principal Caroline’s words at the celebration banquet, highlighting Qi Yan’s exclusive access to the principal’s library. A tinge of jealousy welled up in his heart, though his expression grew even more crestfallen. “I see. Mom and Dad will surely be disappointed. But it’s okay, we’ll wait for you next time when you’re free—”
“I won’t be free.” With that, Qi Yan dismissed Jiang Qi and walked away with Lu Fenghan.
The two people who had been waiting nearby to walk to class with Jiang Qi approached. One of them looked at Qi Yan’s departing figure with excitement. “Is he the Qi Yan who created the PVC93? I didn’t expect him to be so handsome! Oh, Jiang Qi, didn’t you mention last time that your brother used to live in a place with poor educational standards, and your dad donated a building just to secure his admission here?”
Jiang Qi pinched his palm with his fingernails and forced a smile. “My brother hasn’t lived in Leto for some reason, and Dad feels very guilty about it. He wants to make it up to him, so he’s very generous with him and hires the best tutors. This time back in Leto is no exception. It took Dad a lot of effort to get him into Turan, you know. Skipping straight to the second year isn’t easy.”
Someone nearby exclaimed, “No wonder he could create that model! Turns out he had private tutoring, why bother claiming it’s self-taught? And about that model, who knows how much help ‘tutoring’ provided. Your father is quite biased, too. He give top-notch tutoring and donate buildings for his own son. But for you, you have to rely on your own efforts to pass.”
Jiang Qi sighed and forced another smile. “I know.”
Another person patted Jiang Qi’s shoulder and comforted him, “Ah, don’t be sad. I used to envy you for having such a talented brother. I thought you could ask him about any questions you didn’t know, and you would definitely get all A’s in the final exam easily.”
Jiang Qi smiled back. “It’s okay. I can earn all A’s through my own hard work.”
“Exactly, you got this! Let’s forget about these depressing things and focus on class!”
The first class was a foundational course in their major. As Laurent entered the classroom, the teacher was engaged in pre-class chatter, mentioning the PVC93 model with admiration. Placing the recording tablet for note-taking on the desk, Laurent couldn’t help but glance towards Qi Yan, who sat at the back.
He used to be the center of attention, but now, everyone was discussing Qi Yan and the PVC93 model that replaced the RN3.
Unaware of Laurent’s gaze, Qi Yan was responding to Mondrian’s inquiries. He had sent Mondrian the simplified process of PVC the previous night, and Mondrian must have stayed up all night to go through it, as he had neatly listed out the parts he didn’t understand.
Lu Fenghan stood outside the classroom.
Vincent was questioning him over the communication channel, “Commander, I’ve scoured the Starnet but couldn’t find anyone matching the criteria for ‘August.’ Are you sure your character description isn’t mistaken?”
Lu Fenghan replied indifferently, “If you can’t find him, then don’t bother.”
Or rather, it was expected that he couldn’t be found. Asking Vincent to find August was more about confirming certain suspicions.
Vincent’s competitiveness was suddenly aroused, “This is ridiculous! Can’t even find a single person? Where does that leave the reputation of my intelligence gathering profession?”
“You’re overthinking it. When your intelligence gathering profession is blocked by Turan’s intranet firewall, there’s no such thing as reputation.”
Leaning against the wall, Lu Fenghan shifted his stance, his eyes briefly scanning Qi Yan in the classroom before typing, “What are the chances of the Alliance encrypting this person’s data?”
Seeing Lu Fenghan’s message, Vincent pondered for a few seconds before responding, “Commander, if you’re certain that this August truly exists and that this name is real, then based on my experience, the probability could be 70-80%, or even higher. If we can’t find anything despite searching thoroughly, it’s likely encrypted, and the encryption level might be quite high. Otherwise, how could we not even find a trace?”
“Hmm,” with his conjecture confirmed, Lu Fenghan changed the subject, “How much do you know about the ‘Trigger’?”
“The ‘Trigger’? The one created by the rebels?”
“Yes.”
Vincent answered while recalling, “The ‘Trigger’ is a headache for the Alliance. Although they’re all called ‘Trigger,’ each one is actually different. That’s the most annoying part. Just when you crack one ‘Trigger,’ the next one you find in a fake hovercar accident is completely different from the previous one. It’s endless.”
He mocked mercilessly, “It’s said that on the rebel side, they call this thing ‘Miracle.’ You know, those rebels, always going on about ‘God’s gift’ every day, as if people are mindless two-legged beasts, waiting around all day for God to bestow miracles and gifts upon them just to survive.”
His tone became sharp, “Commander, was Dison’s death caused by the ‘Trigger’?”
Lu Fenghan: “Yes.”
“Was it really the rebels who did it?” Vincent realized, “Wait, Commander, where did you find such an expert who managed to successfully hack into Turan’s intranet?”
Lu Fenghan couldn’t be bothered to satisfy Vincent’s curiosity. “I have to go.”
Realizing he had asked something he shouldn’t have, Vincent could only force himself to stay silent. Upon hearing Lu Fenghan saying he had to go, he sensed an urgency to end the communication. “Commander, do you have something important to attend to?”
Surely, this should be an acceptable question.
Lu Fenghan’s gaze fell on Qi Yan as he walked inside the classroom, replying, “I have to accompany someone to class.”
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Thanks for the update