Limited Ambiguity Chapter 20

Chapter 20

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Letting go of Qi Yan’s hand, Lu Fenghan lowered his eyes and asked, “Were the fireworks beautiful?”

His tone was light, as if they had really just watched a fireworks show.

Qi Yan’s gaze was still on the surveillance screen that had returned to stillness. He took a few seconds before answering, “Beautiful.”

His eyes sparkled with joy.

Lu Fenghan: “In the future—”

He wanted to say, “In the future, I’ll show you more fireworks.”

But the words abruptly stopped at his lips.

By the time he returned to the front lines, even if he set off fireworks a hundred times over, separated by countless light-years, Qi Yan on Leto would not be able to see it.

Such unattainable promises didn’t need to be spoken.

Lu Fenghan couldn’t tell what kind of emotions were swirling through his heart, but he knew that he didn’t have time to think about them now.

Qi Yan asked Lu Fenghan, “Do you still need the surveillance?”

“No, the long-distance jump point needs regular maintenance. It’s been inactive for so long. The internal stability won’t support heavier traffic. The fact that the rebels could send three starships was already risky.”

Lu Fenghan couldn’t help but marvel at the rebels’ persistence akin to a snake tailing its prey, displayed in the relentless pursuit of Y’s developed starship central control system.

Meanwhile, as the previously severed signal finally restored, Lu Fenghan successfully reestablished communication with Huo Yan.

“Can you believe it? On such a massive fortress, there isn’t a single technician assigned? The only civilian who can operate it went on leave, leaving me, a fighter pilot, reluctantly filling in to repair the signal pathway!”

After listening to Huo Yan’s grievances, Lu Fenghan didn’t hold back in his critique, “No wonder the signal recovery took so long.” He then briefed on the recent events, “Just minutes ago, the third microstarship that came through the jump point took advantage of the chaos upfront, sneaking around to the fortress’ catch bay. But it’s been dealt with.”

Lu Fenghan’s explanation was succinct, yet Huo Yan, immediately grasping the gravity of the situation, broke out in a cold sweat.

In the battlefield, results spoke louder than inquiries. Without pressing Lu Fenghan on how he intercepted the threat, Huo Yan simply reproached himself, “We’ve grown too complacent aboard Fontaine-1. I was utterly oblivious.”

Although Huo Yan was his former subordinate, he now served as the defense chief aboard Fontaine-1. Understanding the sensitivity of the situation, Lu Fenghan refrained from further comment, only remarking, “We shouldn’t expect a fourth ship to appear.”

Therefore, in the vast expanse of space, the sudden appearance of additional lights wasn’t a promising sign. It signaled either a starship’s arrival nearby or imminent threat from enemy munitions.

Either scenario spelled danger.

“We’ve gained control of the situation upfront. It’s just a matter of tying up loose ends. The fighter pilots stationed aboard Fontaine-1 may not be accustomed to combat, but in a four-to-two scenario, any oversight could cost lives. If they fail, they might as well strip off their uniforms and toss them into space.”

This was Fontaine-1’s affair. Lu Fenghan listened, offering a single “Hmm” in response, but refrained from interjecting.

Before ending the communication, Huo Yan expressed gratitude, “Thanks, Commander. When you come back from the dead one day, let’s have a drink together.”

Leaning back against the metallic wall, the smoke of battle dissipating from his form, Lu Fenghan replied, “Only for the Alliance.”

Between them, there seemed to exist a peculiar understanding. After a few seconds, Huo Yan took a deep breath and chuckled. “Only for the Alliance!”

Only for the Alliance, we fight relentlessly and never surrender.

As Lu Fenghan ended the communication, Qi Yan had already relinquished control of the G11-3-25 to the central control room. After shutting down the surveillance, he withdrew from the fortress’ central control system, erasing any trace of his presence.

The entire fortress jolted once again, prompting Lu Fenghan to swiftly usher Qi Yan beside him. “You know how to read lip movements?”

“Not exactly,” Qi Yan mimicked Lu Fenghan, leaning against the metal wall, feeling somewhat cold, but managing to adapt. “I never consciously learned it, and I’m not sure when I picked it up. When I listen to someone speak, I can remember their lip movements and the words they say. If I want to, I can separate each lip movement from its corresponding word and remember them individually.”

Lu Fenghan tried to understand. “So, it’s like your brain stores a table of correspondence, where each word corresponds to a lip movement. When you want to decipher someone’s lip reading, you just quickly reference this table to match them?”

“Something like that.” Qi Yan nodded at Lu Fenghan. “I didn’t intentionally read your lips. I didn’t catch what you said earlier. It’s just that I noticed you suddenly tensed up, so I instinctively glanced at your lip movements.”

“Hmm, I don’t mind,” Lu Fenghan acknowledged.

Lu Fenghan truly didn’t mind.

If one were to compare, it was uncertain who harbored more secrets between him and Qi Yan.

Moreover, just now, although the situation demanded swift action, Lu Fenghan couldn’t ignore the gravity of his actions: unauthorized intrusion into Fontaine-1’s central control system, surveillance tampering, seizing artillery control, and firing without authorization from the fortress defense chief—

Any one of these transgressions would suffice for charges of “illegal intrusion into military systems, theft of Alliance secrets, and betrayal of the Alliance.” Even Lu Fenghan himself would be vulnerable to charges of “exceeding authority.”

However, Qi Yan seemed oblivious to these implications altogether.

When he suggested these things, Qi Yan acted accordingly.

Throughout, Lu Fenghan couldn’t shake the feeling that Qi Yan harbored an incredibly strong sense of trust in him.

This trust extended back to their first meeting, when Lu Fenghan had his hands around Qi Yan’s neck, but Qi Yan’s breathing hadn’t even altered.

Lu Fenghan couldn’t fathom where this almost superhuman level of trust stemmed from or what foundation it was built upon.

It wasn’t until the red light overhead extinguished completely that Lu Fenghan and Qi Yan resumed walking forward, returning to where they had initially split from the others.

Lin Jia was comforting Ye Pei, while Mondrian and Xu Min stood nearby.

Seeing Qi Yan approach with Lu Fenghan, Mondrian and Ye Pei hurried over. Ye Pei scrutinized Qi Yan from head to toe. “Qi Yan, are you alright?”

Even though Qi Yan always seemed calm and collected, Ye Pei couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something fragile about him.

Qi Yan shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Ye Pei patted her chest. “When the attack happened, we were all here except for you. We were worried sick!”

Mondrian added, “Thank goodness you’re okay.”

Lu Fenghan: “What happened? Qi Yan and I heard the broadcast from the fortress and stayed put, afraid of causing more trouble.”

Lin Jia: “It’s nothing major. It seems a group of space pirates accidentally entered the deactivated long-range jump point and ended up near Leto. Both enemy ships have been destroyed.”

Ye Pei, who had lived on Leto, was experiencing her first encounter with so-called space pirates and the tangible threat of “war.” Upon hearing that the pirates had been eliminated after their accidental intrusion, she breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s great. So, can we still stay overnight on Fontaine-1? I’m worried they might send us back to the surface early because of this incident!”

Lin Jia smiled reassuringly. “It’s all taken care of. You can stay as planned.”

However, Lu Fenghan knew that the content of the defense report broadcasted throughout the fortress would also serve as the official statement.

The public would be much less panicked if they believed that the incident was caused by a couple of hapless pirates who accidentally stumbled into Leto’s airspace and were quickly defeated, rather than by a well-organized rebel force with a clear goal of seizing control of the starship’s central control system.

As for how the rebels managed to locate the deactivated jump point and obtain information about the central control system, that was another matter entirely.

Xia Zhiyang’s comment from when he first went out to eat with Qi Yan came to mind: every major region had become like a sieve.

Lu Fenghan’s gaze turned cold—while not necessarily every major region, it certainly seemed like the Alliance’s military was becoming a sieve.

Dinner consisted of uniform spaghetti served throughout the fortress, with several sauces to choose from, and juice was also provided.

Ye Pei, Mondrian, and the others clearly had filters on and found it very delicious. Lu Fenghan, however, having endured the monotonous canned spaghetti at the front lines, managed to muster a lukewarm “It’s alright” as his appraisal.

Glancing at Qi Yan, who hadn’t taken a single bite, Lu Fenghan could tell that this was Little Delicate’s subtle way of rejecting the spaghetti.

However, because of the sudden attack today, many people were shocked and didn’t have much appetite, so Qi Yan’s lack of appetite didn’t stand out much.

After dinner, they followed Lin Jia to Fontaine-1’s space testing ground. A third of the researchers present hailed from Turan and warmly welcomed their visit. They spent more than three hours there, and by the time they returned to their rooms, it was almost time for bed.

The first order of business was taking a shower.

Knowing Qi Yan’s habits, Lu Fenghan offered, “Should I wait outside for you?”

Qi Yan put his hands on the buttons of his clothes and nodded. “Yes.”

Lu Fenghan closed the door behind him.

Leaning against the metal wall beside the door, hands in his pockets, he stood lazily, intending to debrief today’s sudden attack as was his habit. However, his thoughts inexplicably diverged, focusing on Qi Yan instead.

Not having touched his dinner, Lu Fenghan resolved to remind Qi Yan to take a tube of nutritional supplement once he finished showering. The ones they brought along this time seemed to be fruit-flavored, though he wasn’t sure if it would suit Qi Yan’s picky taste.

Despite already being so thin, Qi Yan’s waist was slender enough for Lu Fenghan’s hand to encircle effortlessly. When pressing the launch button earlier as he stood behind Qi Yan, he could faintly feel the shape of his shoulder blades against his chest.

It wasn’t healthy to continue like this without eating properly.

After a while, Lu Fenghan’s thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door behind him. Qi Yan told him, “I’m done showering.”

Straightening up, Lu Fenghan walked into the bathroom.

When it was his turn to shower, Qi Yan didn’t prepare to leave but instead curled up on the bed. “I won’t look.”

Unfazed, Lu Fenghan crossed his arms, pulling up the hem of his shirt and casually tossing it into the laundry basket beside the bathroom.

His physique was well-proportioned, with muscles that were taut and powerful. Due to years spent in space, his skin bore a pallor from lack of sunlight, yet this didn’t diminish his imposing aura. Instead, it gave him the appearance of a classical sculpture from Earth’s ancient times. Whether it was his relaxed arms or his firm legs, they all adhered to the aesthetics of strength.

Qi Yan blinked helplessly, caught off guard by the sight of Lu Fenghan’s muscular physique.

He had seen this side of Lu Fenghan before.

For instance, when Lu Fenghan regained consciousness from the treatment pod, gripping his neck and pinning him against the wall.

But for some reason, this time felt a bit different from before. He only glanced briefly before quickly averting his gaze.

Yet, in truth, whether it was a single glance or a few, there wasn’t a fundamental difference for him.

Once he saw something, he remembered it.

So, as he lowered his head to scroll through his personal terminal, Qi Yan couldn’t help but replay the image he had just seen in his mind.

He attributed this anomaly to curiosity about people who were different from himself.

The bed in the room was just as narrow as Lu Fenghan had feared. If he lay down flat, there would be no room for Qi Yan at all. He turned on his side and patted the space next to him. “You sleep here.”

After finishing a tube of peach-flavored nutritional supplement, Qi Yan regretted his proposal of “sharing a room” — the bed was too narrow. He had already estimated that once he lay down, there would be no gap between him and Lu Fenghan.

But words spoken couldn’t be taken back. Qi Yan, clad in a loose, soft shirt, crossed over Lu Fenghan and lay down in the designated spot.

He instinctively held his breath.

Lu Fenghan quickly noticed and teased, “Nervous about sharing a bed with me? Relax, I’m not going to eat you. Just breathe.”

Only then did Qi Yan realize he had been holding his breath. As he relaxed, he took a deep breath.

Lu Fenghan’s scent enveloped him, filling his nostrils and seeping into his body.

Qi Yan found it difficult to describe Lu Fenghan’s scent accurately—it was cold, rigid, sharp, with a lingering hint of gunpowder, glaring like a deadly blade.

For most people, such a scent was too invasive, instinctively causing unease and prompting them to keep their distance.

However, Qi Yan liked it very much, even indulging in it without restraint.

Lu Fenghan attempted to ease Qi Yan’s tension through conversation, but after considering various topics, he couldn’t think of anything and had to resort to the attack that had occurred earlier that day. “Do you know why those three starships attacked the fortress?”

Qi Yan didn’t dare to look at him. He simply shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“The source architecture of the Alliance starship’s central control system was in the fortress at the time. That was the rebels’ target. But now, it should have been sent to Leto.”

“The central control system? Even if they took it, they wouldn’t be able to use it.”

Lu Fenghan raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

Qi Yan: “The central control system has a complex ‘lock’. Without a ‘key’, it can’t be opened or used.”

Lu Fenghan wanted to ask how he knew, but as usual, he refrained from asking.

He had only just begun to tell the story when he realized that it wasn’t that he didn’t have the talent for storytelling, but rather that Qi Yan was a participant in the events that followed.

There was no point in continuing.

For several nights in a row, Qi Yan stayed up late and didn’t get enough sleep. Whenever he was close to Lu Fenghan, he felt drowsy.

As Lu Fenghan pondered whether to think about something else, he noticed Qi Yan’s dense and straight eyelashes slowly drooping. Eventually, his eyes closed.

Qi Yan had already fallen asleep.

Lu Fenghan turned off the lights and closed his eyes as well.

However, Lu Fenghan woke up in the middle of the night.

When he lay down, he found Qi Yan, who had been lying flat with a neat sleeping posture, nestled in his arms with his nose against his neck. Every breath tickled his heart.

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