Chapter 26
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
As someone drifted off to sleep, Lu Fenghan found his mind wandering aimlessly once again. If he was so afraid of thunders, how did he get through previous stormy nights? Noise-canceling earplugs?
Not necessarily.
Qi Yan once said he never forgets sad and scary things. If something in the past made him afraid, even earplugs wouldn’t help. He’d still know it was storming outside.
Watching Qi Yan huddle in his own shadow, Lu Fenghan couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Poor thing.
Lu Fenghan, worried about the person lying next to him, didn’t sleep well that night. When he woke up the next morning, he found that Qi Yan had once again burrowed into his arms, his left hand still loosely clutching his clothes.
Lu Fenghan couldn’t help but doubt if the vigilance he had cultivated over the past ten years had all gone to the dogs—he had no idea when Qi Yan had snuggled up to him.
Lu Fenghan’s biological clock was always accurate. He should be getting up and doing physical training now, but as soon as he moved slightly, Qi Yan’s grip tightened on his clothes, as if he had sensed something.
Refusing to be deterred, Lu Fenghan slowed down his movements to prepare to get up, but as soon as he shifted, Qi Yan’s previously relaxed brows furrowed.
Resigned to his fate, Lu Fenghan settled back down, propping his arm behind his head. Thoughts swirled in his mind as he pondered. Skipping a day of training… wouldn’t really hinder much.
Just one day.
Relinquishing his steadfast commitment to early morning exercises, Lu Fenghan closed his eyes once more, surrendering to sleep.
Rarely did Qi Yan manage a full night’s rest during a thunderstorm, devoid even of dreams. Yet upon waking and spotting Lu Fenghan beside him, Qi Yan found himself momentarily stunned. “You—”
Lu Fenghan preempted his words. “Someone here had a death grip on my clothes, forcing me to abandon today’s morning exercise routine. Shouldn’t there be compensation?”
Still groggy from sleep, Qi Yan followed Lu Fenghan’s lead. “Compensation, yes.”
Reaching out to wipe away the traces of moisture at the corner of Qi Yan’s eye, Lu Fenghan asked, “And how do you propose to compensate?”
Qi Yan was momentarily stumped.
He lacked experience in such matters.
Observing Qi Yan’s clear gaze fixed upon him, his skin glowing like porcelain beneath the black robe, Lu Fenghan couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch his cheek. Fearing any lasting marks, he refrained from applying too much pressure, merely holding it gently for a few seconds before releasing.
“There, compensation complete.”
As Lu Fenghan rose, Qi Yan sat on the bed, touching his own face—was compensation merely… a cheek pinch?
In the following days, Turan first disclosed the specifics of Laurent’s collusion with the rebels, and then successively found out that a total of thirteen students from all year levels had close contact with rebel spies.
Soon after, Turan updated its official page, and upon the issuance of the thirteen expulsion notices along with the descriptions of the incident, a tremor rippled through Leto.
The war on the front line of Southern Cross Region had been raging for years, but it felt far away to the people of Leto and the Central Region.
Whether it was the Expeditionary Force or frontline reports, they typically only appeared as lines in the Leto Daily, lacking tangible impact. Even the previous incidents of rebels targeting individuals on the blacklist merely served as fodder for casual conversation among ordinary folks.
However, this time, when the people of Leto realized that someone among them could potentially be a “tentacle” of the rebels, everything began to feel ominously real.
Within the café’s private room, a holographic projection cast aurora-like patterns onto the ceiling. Qi Yan sat on a light brown sofa, engrossed in a game.
Lu Fenghan sat on the other side of a glass wall, talking to Vincent.
Vincent wore a classic long coat, a hat, and a pair of glasses, looking like any other young man in Leto who was into the retro trend.
Influenced by Lu Fenghan, he stood with a slouched posture, giving no indication of his past on the front lines.
Summoned out of the blue for a meeting, Lu Fenghan asked, “You have nothing better to do?”
Vincent shrugged. “I truly am idle. Especially after you died in the front line, it felt like I suddenly entered retirement life.”
When Vincent was first transferred back to Leto from the front lines, everyone knew that he was the Expeditionary Force’s eyes in the capital star.
So when news broke that Lu Fenghan was planning to install his own adjutant in the military intelligence department, some people in Leto started to get nervous.
The front lines were a long way from Leto. Sometimes, there were things some didn’t want Lu Fenghan to know right away. With careful maneuvering, they could keep it hidden for a couple of days. But if Lu Fenghan himself stationed eyes there, it was a different story.
Yet, with the Expeditionary Force’s illustrious record, ultimately, no one dared to object. So, with begrudging approval from the Central Army, Vincent was kicked back to Leto by Lu Fenghan.
Everyone knew Vincent was Lu Fenghan’s confidant. Now that Lu Fenghan was dead, his significance in Leto diminished.
Casting a glance at Qi Yan, whose posture had hardly changed, Lu Fenghan impatiently skipped pleasantries. “What’s the purpose of summoning me here?”
“Well, it’s not really urgent,” Vincent began. Seeing Lu Fenghan about to leave, he hurriedly added, “Come on, doesn’t our camaraderie deserve even a minute of idle chatter?” Then, swiftly steering back to the point, he continued, “I just feel something’s off.”
Lu Fenghan leaned back against the wall again. “Be more specific.”
With a background in intelligence, Vincent and his colleagues sifted through countless pieces of information daily, which over time honed their professional intuition.
Lu Fenghan trusted him. During his time on the front line, Vincent had relied on this professional intuition to anticipate the rebels’ plans on several occasions.
When pressed for specifics, Vincent grew troubled. “Honestly, I’m not sure how to explain it. It’s just that in recent days, I’ve been feeling increasingly uneasy, tossing and turning with a sense of unrest.”
He gripped the wide-brimmed hat in his hands. “From the major defeat on the front line to the Expeditionary Force’s retreat to the Turin Star. Then, issues arose with Leto and Turan’s defense systems. Rebels’ photonic pressure bombs even blasted into the principal’s office, and there were twenty-one assassination attempts within the Alliance territory.” He listed them one by one. “The deactivated jump points were activated by the rebels, Fontaine-1 was attacked, the Intelligence Bureau uncovered a string of spies… It’s all too dense. The occurrence and conclusion of these events, one after another, all seem like—”
Lu Fenghan: “All seem like just the tip of the iceberg.”
Noticing Lu Fenghan’s habitual gesture, Vincent took out a metal box from his bag and opened it, revealing several cigarettes inside.
These cigarettes were standard issue on the front line, listed on the military supply list. They were harmless to the body, non-pungent, non-addictive, mainly serving to stabilize emotions.
Lu Fenghan took one out but didn’t light it, merely holding it between his fingers.
Vincent held the metal box. “Yes, that’s what I wanted to say. Usually, only the tip of an iceberg is visible, but humans can’t determine the size of the iceberg beneath the surface. It’s like the calm before the storm. Don’t blame me for being pessimistic, but I can’t shake the feeling that something big is about to happen in Leto.”
Lu Fenghan twirled the cigarette in his hand, then abruptly brought up, “In the past month, space pirates have raided transport starships 27 times at the borders of the three major regions. And those are just the incidents reported in the Leto Daily. During the last attack on Fontaine-1, when Huo Yan initially identified the attackers as space pirates, I felt something was off. Later, when I inquired, he mentioned that among the enemy vessels, there was one with the model designation ‘One-eyed Dragon.'”
Vincent looked puzzled. “One-eyed Dragon?”
“You probably don’t know this, but I found out through Lu Jun. The ‘One-eyed Dragon’ was the flagship relied upon by space pirates who roamed space, plundering everywhere. It had high carrying capacity and low fuel consumption. A crew could stay on board for several years without setting foot on land.”
Vincent’s tone grew somber. “You suspect—”
Lu Fenghan lowered his gaze. “Just as you suspected.”
“If the rebels and space pirates join forces, their combat strength, no,” Vincent realized a crucial point, “Ever since your father decimated the space pirates, they’ve vanished for over twenty years! The rebels have attracted most of the Alliance’s attention, and no one has bothered to check whether that small group of space pirates is still alive, let alone how strong they’ve become.”
“That’s not all,” Lu Fenghan shook his head. “What if the rebels and the pirates didn’t just form an alliance recently? What if they’ve been working together for ten years, or even twenty?”
Vincent cursed under his breath.
The struggling remnants of self-destructive space pirates and the space pirates who had been supplied by the rebels for more than a decade were not the same breed at all!
The former was like a crippled hyena, while the latter was a formidable enemy, worthy of being taken seriously.
He quickly regained his composure. “If the rebels had been in league with the space pirates from the beginning, then for these twenty years, the space pirates weren’t hiding because they were crippled, but rather they were biding their time, preparing for something significant.”
“Hmm,” Lu Fenghan’s eyes were as deep as a abyss as he continued, “If that’s the case, then it explains why their first move was to launch an ambush and deal a heavy blow to the Expeditionary Force.”
Only when the Expeditionary Force was severely weakened would the front line be relieved of pressure, allowing the rebels to free up their hands. Lu Fenghan’s death not only weakened the Expeditionary Force but also left the position of frontline commander vacant, a position Leto vowed to contend for.
Only when the Alliance was preoccupied and the Expeditionary Force was no longer what it used to be could the rebels make their moves.
“But it’s all just speculation,” Lu Fenghan remarked casually, seeing Vincent’s tense expression, attempting to comfort him. “Just think, even if the rebels joined hands with the space pirates, consider how many in the military have ties to the rebels, openly or covertly. When you put it that way, doesn’t it all seem less significant?”
Vincent remained silent for several seconds before sighing. “I can’t believe I actually find that reassuring. It’s already bad enough, I don’t mind if it gets worse.”
“Exactly, whether the rebels collude with the space pirates or infiltrate everywhere with the intent to overthrow the Alliance, soldiers only need to pick up their weapons.”
“And protect the stars behind us.” Vincent sighed again. “After all, when the particle cannons come blasting, there’s a commander up front taking the brunt. If someone’s going to die, it won’t be me first.”
Lu Fenghan playfully kicked at him. “Get lost!”
Vincent left the café just as he had arrived, his wide-brimmed hat shadowing half his face, dressed in a loose-fitting trench coat.
Lu Fenghan returned to the sofa. The coffee Qi Yan had ordered for him had gone cold, but he didn’t mind. He lifted it and took a sip, the slight bitterness making his tongue tingle.
His casualness while speaking with Vincent was just instinctual for him.
These worries were supposed to be the responsibility of leaders.
If the rebels had begun incorporating the space pirates into their ranks twenty years ago, then within this time frame, many things could have happened.
Perhaps even Lu Jun’s death at the hands of the rebels played a pivotal role in facilitating their alliance?
Lost in thought, Lu Fenghan quickly finished his coffee, only to realize afterward that Qi Yan, who was sitting beside him, had been staring at him.
Perplexed, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qi Yan’s gaze shifted downward, landing on the empty coffee cup. “You finished my coffee.”
Lu Fenghan was momentarily taken aback before chuckling. “Well then, shall I compensate by giving you mine?”
Qi Yan reluctantly agreed, then reopened the news page he had been reading earlier, continuing to peruse the updates.
Lu Fenghan glanced over as well and caught sight of a brief message in the corner of the page: A civilian transport ship in the Kepler Region had lost contact and was currently being searched for with all available resources.
This was typically a tactic employed by space pirates.
Lu Fenghan slightly narrowed his eyes. He leaned against the back of the sofa, lost in thought. The shadows cast by the aurora on the ceiling accentuated the sharp lines of his profile.
Still holding the cigarette he took from Vincent, Lu Fenghan noticed the metal lighter on the table. He sat up straight, pinching the cigarette between his teeth, and lit it with lowered eyes.
With Qi Yan right beside him, Lu Fenghan had initially intended to take just one puff to calm his emotions. He didn’t expect that Qi Yan would watch him, and suddenly reach out and take the cigarette from between his fingers.
Lu Fenghan was generally not on guard against Qi Yan, so he only reacted when his fingers were empty.
As soon as he looked up, he saw Qi Yan put the cigarette between his lips, right where the bite marks were.
Qi Yan’s features were already striking, but with the faint swirl of smoke around him, he exuded a sense of cool decadence.
He took a careful drag.
In that instant, sparks flickered.
Lu Fenghan watched silently. Snatching his cigarette, was a cup of coffee not enough compensation?
At that moment, he felt like his heart was being scratched gently by a cat’s paw.
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
