Chapter 59
Unfortunately, even though Lu Fenghan turned off the microphone and camera, it didn’t stop Magelyn and a few others from treating the communication channel like a chat room.
They boldly began typing messages for Lu Fenghan to see.
Magelyn: “I am currently overwhelmed with excitement at the prospect of becoming the richest person in the Expeditionary Force.”
Wayne: “My friend, if you strike it rich, don’t forget about me!”
Duchamp: “My friend, if you strike it rich, don’t forget about me!”
Long Xiyun: “Same here.”
Magelyn: “Whoever heard of someone winning a bet and then having to split the money with three deadweights? Get lost!”
At the same time, while leading the rebels on a chase, Magelyn still found the time to open a separate channel to express her indescribable feelings: “Wayne, did I really see that correctly? The scene just now almost blinded my eyes! It seems the Commander no longer wants the title of ‘No. 1 Bachelor of the Expeditionary Force’!”
Wayne responded thoughtfully: “The Commander probably stopped wanting that title a long time ago.”
Magelyn thought about it and agreed, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous. “I’m really jealous! Qi Yan looks so good, like a painting. He’s obviously a noble young master. I accidentally caught a glimpse of his virtual screen, and those strings of characters were something I’ve only seen in the Technical Department. Plus, he’s a student from the school across the river. Why don’t I have the Commander’s good luck!”
At this moment, Pojun once again alerted that there was a high-density heat signal appearing in the wormhole.
Magelyn tempered her mournful tone and directed the fleet to change formation. Simultaneously, she commanded the turret on the right side of the Chanyuan to rise, aiming a laser beam at the jump point. As the cannon barrels preheated, she instructed Wayne, who was guarding the rear, to feint an attack and lure the pursuing enemy forces to one side.
Magelyn continued to ramble, “Suppose I were gravely injured now, lying helpless in a corner of Leto. Do you think there’s a chance that someone might pick me up?”
“More likely, you’d just die,” Wayne replied, then asked, “What were you saying earlier about good luck?”
Magelyn rolled her eyes. “What good luck could I possibly have? I’m just a soldier flying around in space day in and day out. Who would want to be with me? Right wing, prepare to fire! 3-2-1, fire!”
Outside the porthole, massive flames silently billowed in space. Without sound or temperature, it looked like an illusion.
Detecting the underlying meaning in her words, Wayne exclaimed, “Wait, are you saying you’re tired of sleeping around and want to settle down?”
“Do you think it’s that easy for me to settle down?”
Wayne was genuinely shocked. “You actually want to settle down?”
Magelyn grumbled in frustration, “Of course I’ve thought about it! Look, as a frontline officer, I have to remain vigilant at all times. When I finally found someone I click with, we hook up, have a quick fling, which seems all very dashing and easy. But, damn it, it’s just one night! I haven’t even had time to properly show them a few tricks!”
Wayne’s laughter mingled with the beeping of numerous instruments as he responded, “Haha, so sleeping with multiple men is out of necessity, but sleeping with one man is your goal? No, wait, the real goal is teaching them properly!”
Magelyn couldn’t help but smirk. “Forget it, why don’t I have such luck? It’s all because of the rebel army. Blast them!”
The rebel forces facing off against the Chanyuan suddenly realized that something was amiss with its captain, as her tactics were fiercer than usual!
Inside the command room, Lu Fenghan wrapped his arms around Qi Yan’s waist and didn’t let him go. He then shifted his grip, changing their position, and placed Qi Yan on his lap.
Only then did he ask, “How’s this sitting position?”
Qi Yan had no objections.
He didn’t mind at all. In fact, because of their close proximity, the unease that had been lingering in his mind slowly receded like the ebbing tide.
Lu Fenghan gently patted Qi Yan’s waist twice, then turned on a one-way video call. This way, Magelyn and the others could only see Lu Fenghan’s static picture in the chat box.
Meanwhile, in the channel, Magelyn was asking Long Xiyun and Duchamp, “I’m getting bored with this cat-and-mouse game. If everything’s in order, should I make a move?”
Long Xiyun: “The garrison forces are almost taken care of. What about you, Duchamp?”
Duchamp: “The defense system will shut down in forty-five seconds. Meet up at my location.”
Magelyn: “Alright, I’ll get started then!”
Qi Yan didn’t understand what Magelyn was about to do, but thirty seconds later, everything became crystal clear.
Suddenly, across the starmap, clusters of yellow dots blossomed like flowers, and as they vanished, so did the majority of the dots representing the rebel fleets.
Lu Fenghan muted the sound momentarily to explain to Qi Yan, “The yellow dots represent detonated mines.”
Qi Yan quickly grasped the situation, thanks to his exceptional memory. “While Magelyn is leading the rebels around, she was laying down mines along the route. She waited until the enemy let their guard down, then led them into the trap. Then, taking advantage of the brief period before the explosion, she swiftly withdrew from the blast radius?”
“Pretty much. Before setting off, Magelyn made a special trip to the Technical Department. These mines she laid can only be detected by the rebels’ monitoring systems for a dozen or so seconds before detonation.
“Although this time window is short, it would be easy for the rebels to retreat if they panic. But she didn’t just lead them around for nothing. While the rebels were getting increasingly frustrated by her ‘kiting’ skills, she quietly blocked all the exits, forcing the rebels to stay in the trap and be thoroughly bombarded from both inside and out.”
Lu Fenghan gestured for Qi Yan to observe. “After the explosion, the enemy’s medium-sized starships and main battleships didn’t suffer much damage, but their destroyers and reconnaissance ships were completely destroyed. Their combat power is rapidly weakened, and it’s also a huge blow to their morale.
“In this crippled state, the enemy commander would be wary of whether Magelyn had more ambushes in store. They’d cautiously regroup their fleet, feeling helpless. Meanwhile, Magelyn’s forces are at their peak momentum, ready to deliver the final blow.”
Qi Yan glanced towards the other side. “This rebel force can’t even spare troops to support the military factory.”
“Exactly. Once Long Xiyun arrived, they immediately deployed a signal jammer to intercept distress signals from the military factory. Then, within the limited time frame, he dealt with the garrison forces while simultaneously sabotaging the planetary defense systems. By the time the signal jammer eventually fails, Donald will receive the distress signal, but it would be too late.”
Qi Yan: “Because Long Xiyun and the others have switched from offense to defense?”
“Yes. If it were only Long Xiyun, they could capture it but not hold it. But with Duchamp’s assistance, and the assault teams in place, defending a small planet shouldn’t be a problem.”
This was also why Lu Fenghan ordered Duchamp to assist Long Xiyun.
“Furthermore, Donald’s forces have a fixed number, and many were expended in the previous battle. A large contingent was also deployed this time, so the number of people remaining to guard the base cannot be large. If Donald chooses to support the main battlefield, it would mean completely abandoning the military factory. If he chooses to support the military factory, it’s likely he won’t be able to regain control quickly. In that case, once Magelyn secures victory on the front lines, she’ll immediately turn around to assist at the military factory.”
Lu Fenghan gazed at the starmap. “I wonder if Donald will choose to lose one hand or injure both. Either way, he’s already lost the initiative in this battle.”
In the communication channel, Magelyn’s eyes sparkled brightly. She remained calm when issuing orders, only letting out a mocking cackle when the enemy’s battleship had a third of its hull blown off. “Ha, bald as a plucked chicken!”
Meanwhile, a new dialogue box popped up. Xavier’s voice was so excited it almost cracked. “Reporting! I’ve found the enemy’s new weapon! Mission accomplished!”
“Well done,” Lu Fenghan responded, “But it’s only truly mission accomplished when you return alive.”
In the video chat box, Xavier’s eyes glimmered like flames as he saluted Lu Fenghan. “Yes, I will complete the mission!” His hand hadn’t even dropped when he couldn’t help but grin.
Qi Yan compared the person in the chat box to his memory and couldn’t help but feel that in just half a year, Xavier had changed quite a bit from when he was studying at the First Military Academy.
Then again, it wasn’t just Xavier. Ye Pei and Mondrian had also changed a little.
Watching the unfolding battle, Qi Yan turned to Lu Fenghan again. “Do you think the enemy won’t reinforce?”
With the audio still open, everyone in the communication channel heard it. Magelyn butted in, “That sissy Donald, his courage is smaller than my ear piercing. He’s so cautious that even a slightly larger step makes him afraid of tearing his X. He’s definitely urging his people to get out of there!”
Wayne quickly intervened, “Magelyn, do you even have ear piercing?”
Magelyn snapped back, “Get lost, you want me to pierce your ear with a bullet?”
Wayne’s eyes widened. “Do you have to be so brutal? My ear already hurts!”
Magelyn couldn’t be bothered with Wayne anymore and swiftly gave orders, “The enemy is about to retreat. Stop them! They can leave, but their supply ships must stay! We’re not just aiming to win, we’re aiming to make it worth it!”
Wayne: “Does everyone get a share?”
Magelyn showed no mercy. “No brothers before supply ships! At most, I’ll let you take a look.”
Lu Fenghan was annoyed by the noise, feeling as if the communication channel had turned into a stage for a duet.
No, the stage was too small to contain their brilliance.
As the Chanyuan returned, the personnel from the Technical Department began making their way to the newly captured military factory to study the new weapons of the rebel army. Meanwhile, Vincent had already drafted the article for the second victory.
“The editors at the Leto Daily aren’t up to par. They can’t grasp the essence. I might as well write it myself!”
Lu Fenghan read through the manuscript from beginning to end and approved it, “Alright, send it to the Leto Daily.”
Vincent, pleased with the approval, took the manuscript and went to contact the editor-in-chief. At the door, he happened to bump into Magelyn and Wayne preparing to enter.
Wayne intercepted Vincent, whispering, “Are we still brothers? You didn’t even share such important intel!”
Vincent looked puzzled. “What intel?”
Wayne lowered his voice, wary of others overhearing. “Intel about becoming the richest person in the Expeditionary Force!”
Vincent’s eyes widened. “What kind of intel is that powerful? Even I, who’s in charge of intelligence, don’t know about it! Quick, tell me too. Let’s get rich together!”
Wayne furrowed his brow. Based on their years of friendship, he realized that although Vincent had been in Leto all along, he genuinely didn’t know about the relationship between the Commander and Qi Yan.
After thinking for a moment, he figured if he had to trick someone, he might as well trick his brother. “You can go now. There’s no intel at all.”
Magelyn, standing nearby with her arms crossed, shook her head and sighed, “The world is going downhill, indeed, the world is going downhill!”
The door to the command room closed again. Before the two could sit down, Lu Fenghan said, “Make the most of the time to rest and regroup. Once the Technical Department figures out the rebel army’s new weapons, we’ll go straight after Donald. Oh, Wayne, pass a message to Vincent, tell him to recall the Dingyuan.”
After Magelyn and Wayne reported back, they hastily went to deal with post-battle matters. Only then did Qi Yan ask, “Are you going to handle the trouble yourself?”
“Hmm, Donald’s forces are now dwindling, and their morale is low. It’s the perfect opportunity for complete annihilation. The first two battles were just tests, and the results show that we can strike soon with a high chance of victory.”
As Lu Fenghan spoke to Qi Yan, his pace naturally slowed down, “Do you want to return to the White Tower?”
Knowing that Lu Fenghan was concerned for his safety, Qi Yan shook his head. “I’ll stick with you.”
At that moment, Lu Fenghan’s eyes darkened.
He heard the sound of his own heartbeat.
The sheer pleasure of his possessiveness being completely satisfied filled his veins, spreading throughout his entire body. This sensation was even difficult to put into words.
Lu Fenghan couldn’t help but think that to him, Qi Yan was more than just a semi-contraband.
He influenced his emotions, controlled his heartbeat.
A communication request came in.
Qi Yan returned to the sofa in the corner, opened the virtual screen, and began reviewing the detailed operational data of the new detection system from the recently concluded battle.
In the video chat box appearing on the virtual screen, the head of the Technical Department, Lorenz, was wearing a white lab coat. “Commander, I’ve taken an initial look. Give me fifteen hours, and I can deconstruct it.”
Lu Fenghan, acting like the most demanding client, didn’t even blink. “Thirteen hours, and submit another response report.”
Lorenzo, accustomed to Lu Fenghan’s demands, pondered briefly before replying, “Alright.”
After discussing business matters, Lorenz couldn’t resist mocking the rebels’ actions. “They constantly use the great technological catastrophe to ridicule the Alliance, claiming the technological advancements defy divine authority. Yet, in this military factory, I didn’t see them quietly waiting for the God to bestow cannons and bombs upon them.”
“They openly oppose the Alliance’s technological advancements as blasphemy, yet they secretly rely on technology to reinforce their theocratic rule, labeling all technological achievements as ‘divine gifts,’ elevating theie God to an absolute status, and then enforcing dictatorship in the name of the God. It’s an old trick of the rebels,” Lu Fenghan instructed again, “Have Duchamp and the others transport anything usable back here. As for the unusable, pile it up and blow it to pieces.”
Duchamp responded from off-screen, “Understood! If we see it, it’s ours. We’ll not leave even half a hair for the enemy!”
At that moment, Lu Fenghan’s personal terminal received a message. He opened it to find Vincent reminding him to update the contents of the compensation application form.
The compensation application form was something every active-duty soldier in the Alliance received. With soldiers on the front lines, death was not uncommon. Lu Fenghan had no family, so he used to simply note that if he were to die in battle one day, his compensation would be forfeited.
He even had his epitaph ready.
At this moment, however, his feelings were somewhat different.
His gaze involuntarily fell on Qi Yan. After a few seconds, he replied, “I won’t fill it out. I forfeit the compensation.”
Vincent didn’t understand and asked, “Why?”
That question stirred up a whirlwind of emotions in Lu Fenghan.
He remembered Qi Yan’s bloodied lower lip when the escape pod ejected.
He recalled the dull pain, where he barely dared to breathe, after connecting to Elisa’s communication and hearing every single word.
He recalled their meeting on the bridge, Qi Yan’s greeting, “Hello, General,” and the hand he offered, cold as snow.
Lu Fenghan thought, if he really had to give a reason—
From now on, my life is no longer mine alone.
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