Limited Ambiguity Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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Qi Yan was already very used to Lu Fenghan’s attire. After observing him for the past few days, he mentally annotated “difficulty level: SSS” behind “cooking.”

Qi Yan: “I’ll go upstairs to take a shower, call me when it’s time to eat.”

Without waiting for Lu Fenghan’s response, he went upstairs.

Downstairs, only Lu Fenghan and Vincent remained.

Lu Fenghan casually hung the grey checkered apron on the back of a chair with one hand and looked at Vincent. “How did you find me?”

Vincent sat down on the dining chair without hesitation. “Didn’t you ask me to come? When Meng Ge suddenly found me, I knew there must be someone guiding him. But because of the major defeat on the front lines, he was in a difficult position both inside and outside. Few people were willing to associate with him, let alone give him directions. Moreover, even if they did give him directions, the chance of them pointing directly to me is very slim.”

“So?”

“So I became suspicious and deliberately investigated where Meng Ge had been and who he had met these days. I found out that he clearly knows it’s best for him to keep a low profile and avoid attracting attention, so he’s been keeping to himself and rarely socializing. The only exception was the Qi family’s celebration banquet.”

Before Lu Fenghan could ask, Vincent continued, “I did indeed find you from the surveillance footage within the Qi family’s residence. It took me quite an effort, but what I’m curious about is, you never said a word to Meng Ge from beginning to end. When did you tell him to come find me?”

Lu Fenghan’s eyes flickered. “Never said a word from beginning to end?”

Vincent: “Yeah, from the surveillance footage, I saw that you and Meng Ge were always in the lobby, quite far apart.”

Lu Fenghan couldn’t help but glance upstairs.

When he met Meng Ge behind the rockery, he deliberately avoided the surveillance. However, it was impossible to avoid the surveillance when entering and leaving the hall. They would definitely be caught on camera.

But now, Vincent claimed that in the surveillance, he and Meng Ge had been in the lobby the whole time.

Lu Fenghan was well aware of Vincent’s capabilities after serving as his adjutant for three years. He would not make a mistake in something as trivial as checking the surveillance footage.

So, the only possibility was that someone deliberately tampered with the surveillance footage, directly erasing the part where he and Meng Ge left the lobby.

Despite his mind racing, Lu Fenghan remained calm. “Those who have been in Leto for years are sharp. Meng Ge has always been neutral. He knows that I must be exchanging more than just military information for his smooth promotion. However, he didn’t say anything about it. He just followed my instructions and went to find you, without asking or saying anything unnecessary.”

“Indeed, pure exchanges of interest are safer.” Vincent stared at Lu Fenghan for more than ten seconds. It was only now that he finally showed a little bit of emotion that his “former superior was resurrected and I am very excited.”

He joked, “After receiving the news from the front lines, I was sure you wouldn’t die. But in my speculation, either you’d lost a hand or a leg, or you’d be missing an eye, disfigured in some way, but in any case—”

“In any case, not as intact as you are now, looking like a whole person?” Lu Fenghan’s smile remained casual, but his gaze gradually cooled. “If I had died too, who would give those who died an explanation?”

Vincent sat up abruptly. “Was it really a trap?”

Lu Fenghan: “What else could it be?”

Clenching his fist, Vincent habitually pounded the tabletop. “It’s really… ever since news of the major defeat on the front lines came back, I felt something was off. You led the team to support the missing vanguard unit. Leaving aside why the vanguard unit suddenly lost contact, just the fact that you were ambushed immediately right after coming out of the jump point is illogical.”

He curled his lips, but there was no amusement, only a hint of sarcasm. “Since when did the precise coordinates of the frontline military jump points become common knowledge that anyone on the street knows? Can this war still be fought? The Alliance might as well raise the white flag eight hundred years ago.”

Vincent’s gaze grew sharper. “There must be a traitor or a spy who leaked the location of the jump point, right?”

Compared to Vincent’s outward emotions, Lu Fenghan’s tone remained extremely calm. “I understand, no need to ask further.”

Vincent scrutinized Lu Fenghan once again, growing even more puzzled. “Then why aren’t you dead?”

The joy of knowing that Lu Fenghan was still alive had dwindled over the past few days. When he finally saw him, what he was most curious about was how he had managed to survive, and even made it from the Southern Cross Region frontline to Leto!

Lu Fenghan: “I almost died, but someone saved me.”

“Qi Yan?”

“Yes,” Lu Fenghan replied with a faint smile, “I even got shot through the waist.”

Vincent glanced at Lu Fenghan’s waist. “Did you really get shot through? Will it affect any functionality?”

Lu Fenghan’s gaze hardened slightly.

Vincent waved his hand repeatedly. “Forget I said anything, Commander, please continue.”

“I was lucky. The explosion from the command ship propelled me far away with the airflow, and I happened to come across an abandoned supply transit station, so I took refuge there. Otherwise, before I bled out, cosmic radiation would have claimed my life.”

“And then?”

“Inside the supply transit station, I found a non-functional medical robot, a bunch of expired medications, and a bundle of discolored bandages. I managed to patch up the wound as best as I could. I waited for who knows how long until a civilian transport ship malfunctioned halfway and made an emergency stop. While they were opening the hatch for repairs, I stealthily hid inside and made my way back to Leto.”

After listening, Vincent raised his eyebrows in astonishment, “And you survived all that?”

Lu Fenghan: “I spent three days soaking in a type VI treatment pod. It’s hard to die even if you want to.”

Vincent frowned. “A type VI treatment pod? What’s going on?”

Lu Fenghan thought to himself, I’d also like to know.

Type VI treatment pod was the most advanced healing method currently available in the Alliance. As long as there was still a breath left in a person, whether they’d lost limbs or suffered internal injuries, it could heal them completely.

However, due to its remarkable effectiveness, almost like a resurrection, and its exceptionally high cost, it couldn’t be mass-produced. The limited production capacity was exclusively allocated to the Alliance military, not for civilian use.

As far as he knew, there were only four units in the entire Alliance, all deployed at the most intense front lines of the war.

Yet he saw the fifth unit in Qi Yan’s bedroom.

Seeing Lu Fenghan’s silence, Vincent speculated it might be a military secret and didn’t press further.

“So what are you planning to do now?”

“Weiss has taken up the position of acting commander. But with Erich there, he shouldn’t stir up much trouble. The rebel forces have made a significant advancement, but they won’t rashly attack. They’ll likely take time to regroup. Meanwhile, Leto will undoubtedly vie for the position of Expeditionary Force Commander.”

“You don’t plan to return to the front line temporarily.”

“No, if I go back, those lurking in the shadows won’t have the opportunity to act openly. Moreover, with news pouring into Leto from all directions, everyone here is as alert as if they had antennas on their heads. There aren’t many people in Leto who recognize my face, so it’s convenient for me to operate.”

Understanding Lu Fenghan’s plan, Vincent recalled the sight he saw when he entered. “Were you cooking when I came in?”

“Yes, the food outside isn’t good, so I’m trying out some recipes.”

Vincent inwardly sighed. Who on the starship would prefer to eat nutritional supplement every day rather than take a few extra steps to heat up canned mashed potatoes?

You still find the food outside unsatisfactory, Commander Lu. Since when did you become so demanding about quality of life?

“Why did you ask me to come this time?”

Lu Fenghan: “To help me investigate someone.”

“Who?”

“The one who now holds my position, Weiss Will. I want to know who brought him to the Expeditionary Force two years ago.”

With a nod, Vincent gestured upstairs again.

Understanding his meaning, Lu Fenghan simply said, “No need to investigate, he’s not an enemy.”

Before leaving, Vincent asked Lu Fenghan, “You haven’t been back to Leto for almost ten years. Did you visit the Diamond Plaza this time?”

“What for?”

“Isn’t your father’s sculpture standing there?”

Lu Fenghan put his hand on Vincent’s shoulder, pushing him out. “He’s gone, what’s the point of the sculpture? Want to see how much I resemble my old man?”

As the door closed again, Lu Fenghan turned and walked back inside.

His father, Lu Jun, was once a General, while his mother served in a clerical position in the military. At the age of eleven, his parents perished on the front lines, after which he was taken care of by the military.

At fifteen, he was admitted to the First Military Academy against all odds, becoming the youngest student at the academy. It was also the age of competitiveness and rebellion for him, getting into fights and getting injured almost every day.

He usually won, but sometimes, when he lost, he would quietly sneak out of school and go to the Diamond Sky Plaza, sitting in front of Lu Jun’s sculpture, rambling on about his grievances.

However, gradually, he stopped going there.

What was the use of complaining when Lu Jun couldn’t hear him anyway?

Apart from winning his own fights, no one else would help him.

Lu Fenghan went upstairs to call Qi Yan for lunch.

The kitchen was a mess of burnt half-finished dishes—definitely inedible. The only option was to continue eating the Set A meal stored in the lunchbox.

Qi Yan had just changed clothes, his hair still damp. He took a few bites and suddenly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

For three minutes, Lu Fenghan was lost in thought.

Lu Fenghan pinched his chopsticks. “Isn’t Turan Academy about to start classes soon?”

“Yes, there’s still half a month.”

“In your month here in Leto, have you visited the Diamond Sky Plaza?”

“No,” Qi Yan shook his head, then remembered, “On the first day back, Xia Zhiyang picked me up at the starport in a hovercar and drove around the perimeter of the plaza.”

“Then you haven’t been.” Lu Fenghan suggested, “After lunch, shall we go?”

Though sudden, Qi Yan never had objections to Lu Fenghan’s suggestions. “Sure.”

The Diamond Sky Plaza was the center of Leto, a symbol of the city, attracting visitors from other planets year-round. However, due to its large area, it never seemed overcrowded.

Parking their hovercar in the designated area, the two headed towards the center. Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan, “Do you know how Leto got its name?”

Qi Yan shook his head.

Lu Fenghan: “Leto originates from Greek mythology from the era of Earth, meaning ‘nurturer’. In mythology, Leto was a goddess who gave birth to Artemis, the goddess of hunting and childbirth, and Apollo, the god of light and the future. The Second Technological Advancement allowed humans to break through the limitations of Earth and reach the stars. Just from the name ‘Leto’, you can see humanity’s ambition—procreation, conquest, illumination, and the future.”

“……Leto is the new starting point for humanity! At that time, everyone was shouting, humanity is destined to move forward, never to retreat!”

Cheers came from afar. Qi Yan followed the sound and saw two people standing on a stone platform, with a large crowd gathered around.

“Who are they?”

Lu Fenghan glanced from afar and withdrew his gaze. “They’re supposed to be wandering bards, a traditional profession flourishing in the 11th century of Earth’s history. They travel all over the Alliance, propagating their political views and ideas with very noble slogans, all for ‘humanity and ideals.'”

Qi Yan, intrigued, took a few steps closer.

The young man on the stone platform was fervently impassioned. “…After the Third Technological Advancement, we ushered in a period of technological prosperity. However, in just over a hundred years, there was a technological catastrophe!

“The saying ‘the end of science is theology’ was born out of human arrogance. We dared to compare ourselves to gods! If not for humanity’s conceit that we had mastered the keys to the universe, if not for our greed and impatience, if we didn’t challenge the authority of the gods, how could the Alliance have suffered such a technological catastrophe? Countless planets have exploded, three-fifths of humanity has been wiped out, and five of the nine administrative regions that we once conquered have been plunged back into the eternal darkness of the cosmos!”

Qi Yan asked, “Is this person a supporter of the rebels?”

“More or less, the Alliance upholds freedom of speech. Even if someone shouts here on this square that the Alliance is doomed to fail, the military wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on them.”

Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan, “Do you think the technological catastrophe of year 143 in the Star calendar was also due to humanity’s haste for success?”

Qi Yan shook his head without hesitation. “The scientific process is the same, regardless of whether you’re using Earth Calendar or Star Calendar. When new laws are discovered, new scientific foundations are built. This opens up many previously unknown and incomprehensible fields to human understanding. Historically speaking, this is what happened with the cell theory and the theory of relativity. After these discoveries, countless scientists built on these new foundations and expanded the boundaries of human knowledge.

“However, the foundation relied upon during the Third Technological Advancement was hollow and extremely prone to collapse. So, the subsequent technological catastrophe was simply an inevitable fact destined from the beginning. There’s no such thing as ‘challenging the authority of the gods.'”

Lu Fenghan watched the crowd gathered from afar. “But the rebels use this theory to deny science, advocate theology, and deceive people. They even regard all scientists as blasphemers. Based on this, they issued the so-called blacklist.”

Qi Yan decided to express his disdain for this theory through silence.

Watching Qi Yan, Lu Fenghan’s hand suddenly itched a bit, wanting to poke this person’s cheek.

But it was just a passing thought—

What if he poked him and made him cry?

Without stopping for the bards’ speech, they walked past the gurgling fountain and the greenway, arriving at a cluster of statues.

Those who have made great contributions to the Alliance would have a place here for future generations to pay their respects.

Qi Yan looked at each one in turn, his gaze stopping, and he pointed. “You have the same surname as that person.”

Lu Fenghan followed his finger. “Lu Jun? Well, that’s quite a coincidence.”

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