Limited Ambiguity Chapter 56 Part 1

Chapter 56.1

Three days after Qi Yan boarded the command ship of the Expeditionary Force, the debugging of the new detection system was completed. Going by his work speed at the White Tower, it shouldn’t have taken this long, but comparing it to his previous speed at Leto, it should be quite the same.

Once again reminded by Pojun to drink water, Qi Yan leaned back against the edge of the table, holding the water glass. “Got it, I’ll take a break.”

In Leto, Lu Fenghan would always remind him of these little details. Now that Lu Fenghan wasn’t always around, Pojun executed with meticulousness according to Lu Fenghan’s orders.

Pojun enjoyed chatting with Qi Yan. “I found millions of pieces of information about ‘fatigue and sudden death’ in the Starnet. Your workload is too heavy, you need adequate rest, otherwise you’ll easily get sick.”

“Well, the debugging is done, and I don’t have any projects to start for now. I won’t be busy for a while.” Putting down the empty water glass, Qi Yan’s gaze inadvertently fell on his fingertips, the nail edges neatly trimmed. Qi Yan looked quietly for a moment, then suddenly asked softly, “Why do people cry?”

Without waiting for Pojun to answer that question, he changed his question, “What is the General doing now?”

However, after asking this question, Qi Yan suddenly realized, “He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force, should I not ask about his whereabouts and schedule?”

“No, the General has already issued relevant orders. All of his information is open to you. You can confirm his location and activities at any time.”

Pojun quickly added, “The General is chatting with the former acting commander of the Expeditionary Force, Weiss.” He corrected himself, “It’s a rather unconventional chat.”

Interrogation room.

Lu Fenghan’s white military jacket was unbuttoned, his sleeves pushed up to reveal his muscular arms. He casually pulled out a chair and sat down, casting a glance at Weiss seated across from him. He asked Vincent, “Started the torture?”

“We are the clean and honorable Expeditionary Force, and we never resort to inhumane methods like torture!” Vincent protested, appearing entirely innocent. He added, “It’s just that from the moment he was brought back until now, he hasn’t been allowed to sleep.”

Weiss’ light brown hair, untrimmed for months, partially obscured his sunken eye sockets. It was evident that the months spent in hiding had taken a toll on him.

Lu Fenghan surveyed him. “You were sixteen when your parents died, and their deaths were indirectly related to the great technological catastrophe. From that point on, you must have harbored hatred towards the Alliance.”

Weiss, with his prominent cheekbones due to thinness, lips dry and cracked, retorted, “Wouldn’t anyone resent it? If not for the technological catastrophe, various threats wouldn’t have been left behind, particle storms wouldn’t have disrupted routes, and my parents’ starship wouldn’t have met with tragedy!”

“Everyone here has undergone interrogation-related training, so spare us the theatrics and logical fallacies,” Lu Fenghan responded impassively. “What about the children of those who died because of your collusion with the enemy and deliberate act of defeat? Whom should they resent? The Alliance, the rebel army, or perhaps, you?”

Weiss avoided Lu Fenghan’s icy gaze and remained silent.

Lu Fenghan didn’t dwell on the question. “Let me guess. You leaked the coordinates of the jump point during the first major defeat. Your superior and accomplice, Dison, opposed the leak, so you forced him back to Leto and put him under control. After he witnessed the major defeat, you used the ‘Trigger’ to stage a hovercar accident and eliminate him, didn’t you?”

Weiss’ eyes were filled with scorn and disdain. “He was afraid of being discovered by you. He was too cowardly to act. His lover was aboard the same starship as my parents. After her death, not even her remains were found. He kept talking about revenge, but in the end, he proved to be nothing but a coward!”

Lu Fenghan wasn’t particularly curious about the motives of people like Weiss, but it had to be documented in the reports submitted above, so he followed protocol and asked a few questions.

For instance, Laurent, who shared classes with Qi Yan, was willing to frame classmates and provide research data to the rebel army for money. Jiang Yunyue tasted power and willingly colluded with the rebels, showing no regard to human lives. Klimo, to maintain the military’s privileges, engaged in nonsensical and detrimental schemes.

Everyone had secrets, reasons, but he didn’t have the energy to understand or empathize with them all.

Because in certain matters, right was right, and wrong was wrong.

If one were wrong, they had to face the consequences.

“Donald has abandoned you. You should have realized that by now. To the rebels, you’re barely worth the face Donald is selling me.” Lu Fenghan’s tone was casual, but his words weren’t pleasant. “Don’t glare at me. I’m speaking the truth, and you know it.”

Weiss knew it all too well.

Otherwise, after hiding and living in fear for months, sending hundreds of distress signals to the rebel army, Donald wouldn’t have only picked him up as an afterthought during a mission.

Of course, he then thoughtlessly handed him over to Lu Fenghan.

Lu Fenghan continued, “Since you came aboard, you haven’t said a word. I assume you think Vincent isn’t worthy of your attention and were waiting for me to come personally?”

Vincent couldn’t hold back. “I’m still the adjutant to the Expeditionary Force’s Commander-in-Chief, a genuine core member and trusted confidant!”

Weiss locked eyes with Lu Fenghan, and due to the angle, a sliver of white showed beneath his pupils, lending him a somber appearance. “I’ll write down every name I know, without exception. Let me go.”

Lu Fenghan raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to bargain with me?”

“I understand that I’m at your mercy now. Whether I live or die is entirely up to you, Commander Lu. But the information I possess is valuable to you,” Weiss’ speech quickened. “As long as you release me, I won’t hide anything!”

Vincent glanced at Weiss, then at Lu Fenghan, but said nothing.

He thought to himself that Weiss’ mind wasn’t quite sharp. After all these years in the Expeditionary Force, he still hadn’t realized that threatening Lu Fenghan would only hasten his demise.

Lu Fenghan’s expression remained unchanged as he lightly tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “So, I’ll give you a choice as well. Option 1: write down the names without exception, and I’ll give you a quick death. Option two: refuse, and I’ll have my men use interrogation methods on you until you talk. Which one will it be?”

Exiting the interrogation room, Lu Fenghan asked Vincent with amusement, “Do I look like a kind-hearted person? After he caused the deaths of so many of my subordinates?”

Vincent shook his head. “Weiss is blind.” He shook his head again. “And not very smart either. This is probably his only leverage.”

Lu Fenghan’s gaze turned cold. “Once he speaks, have someone verify the list thoroughly. Handle it as necessary.”

Vincent nodded. “Understood.”

The deceased could not be brought back to life. All the living could do was provide a complete account.

Meanwhile, after Qi Yan messaged Lu Fenghan to inform him that the detection system had been debugged, he prepared to return to his room to rest. As he turned two corners in the corridor, he caught sight of a figure and hesitantly called out, “Mondrian?”

“Qi Yan?”

Ye Pei was still wearing her hair in the same high ponytail as before. When she saw Qi Yan, she initially thought she was hallucinating. It wasn’t until Mondrian called out Qi Yan’s name that she hurried over, her eyes red, countless words on the tip of her tongue, yet she didn’t know what to say.

Just six months ago, they were still second-year students at Turan. Now, their reunion was on board the Expeditionary Force’s command ship.

Qi Yan followed them to the break room of the Technical Department.

Seeing Ye Pei’s red-rimmed eyes, he found a topic, “What are you doing here?”

Ye Pei proudly pointed to the uniform she was wearing. “We’re both serving military personnel now.”

Her eyes still shone as brightly as before, but there seemed to be something else in them.

“On the Foundation Day, after we separated from the Diamond Sky Plaza, I took Mondrian back to my home. My parents wanted to leave Leto to avoid trouble, but halfway through the journey, the rebel army’s attack struck.

“There was a bomb that exploded not far from our lane. It was terrifying. We had no choice but to turn back home.

“Later, when Leto fell, General Nie Huaiting and the Secretary-General had to go to Kepler Region. My parents did everything they could and finally managed to leave Leto with General Nie.”

Ye Pei recalled the chaotic situation, still haunted by it to this day.

“After arriving in Odin, Mondrian and I applied to enlist together. Since we were already adults and had Professor Fu’s recommendation letter, we were assigned to the Expeditionary Force as technical soldiers. After the five-month assessment period, Mondrian and I were assigned to the Technical Department of the command ship.

“I still remember when we, along with other recruits, departed from Odin. Because there were too many people being transported to the front lines, Odin’s starport closed civilian channels and allocated them all to military starships. Family members weren’t allowed to see us off.”

Ye Pei’s tone carried a hint of gravity. “That was the first time I truly felt what it means to be in a state of war.”

Mondrian added, “Qi Yan, do you remember Xavier? He also joined the Expeditionary Force and is now in the destroyer squadron, already a captain. We’ve met briefly twice.”

Qi Yan nodded. “I remember.”

On the Foundation Day, they had gone to the launch tower together to seize the source architecture of the starship’s control system. When Lu Fenghan asked about his plans, he said he wanted to join the Expeditionary Force.

Speaking of ranks, Ye Pei smiled again, pointing to her epaulettes. “Look! Lieutenant! I also have a rank now!”

Her smile slowly faded from her face. “We once promised that if we had the chance, we’d go on a trip to Woz together.”

Qi Yan replied, “Once Leto is reclaimed, we can go together.”

Although no one knew how long it would take for those words to come true.

Qi Yan asked, “What about Xia Zhiyang?”

Mondrian replied, “Xia Zhiyang is still in Leto. The rebel army have imposed strict control, cutting off all external communication. We’ve completely lost contact.”

In truth, Ye Pei wanted to ask Qi Yan why he suddenly appeared on the command ship, and also where Qi Yan’s bodyguard with the surname Lu was and whether he was safe.

But Qi Yan didn’t offer an explanation voluntarily, implying that the reasons might not be convenient for others to know. Neither Ye Pei nor Mondrian dared to ask outright.

They chatted about their time at Turan Academy. Ye Pei couldn’t help but sigh. “It feels like a dream. If the events during the Foundation Day hadn’t happened, I should be a third-year student at Turan now, probably preparing for exams. If I did poorly, I might have quietly hidden away to cry.”

The three of them fell silent.

At that moment, both Ye Pei and Mondrian’s gazes subtly focused, as if they were listening intently to something.

Qi Yan knew that every person on the starship had a communicator implanted in their personal terminal. The sound was directed straight to the auditory nerve, ensuring real-time communication that wasn’t limited by distance and couldn’t be easily intercepted.

As he had expected, after about fifteen seconds, Ye Pei said, “There’s a notice for everyone in the Technical Department to attend a meeting. There’s a new system we need to familiarize ourselves with. Qi Yan, we’ll leave first. Can you find your way?”

Qi Yan nodded, “Yes, I can find my way.”

Ye Pei seemed somewhat reluctant. “Then let’s chat together next time we get the chance!”

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))