CH 39

Thinking of those experimental subjects separated by a wall, both of them fell silent again, with silent anger lingering in their hearts.

Although they knew that the success rate of bionic modification would be very low, and the Holy Order must have killed many people during the experiment, the feeling of seeing it with their own eyes was still very different.

Behind the wall was a deep tunnel, and it was unknown where it led. Ji Xingjue looked back and forth: “According to the Lord Marshal’s experience, which way should we go?”

Qi Qing haft-squatted down, carefully looking at the dust on the ground before getting up and turning to the left according to his brain: “This way.”

It was unknown whether there were hidden ambushes in the tunnel, so the two of them were not walking fast, having the sound of their footsteps intertwined in the empty tunnel. Ji Xingjue pondered for a while: “When you fought against the hoodie man, did you have any idea who he was?”

“I can’t tell,” Qi Qing pondered for a while, and said, “Supposed that we know each other, still it’s a kind of barely knowing each other.”

Qi Qing had been in the front line for seven years, and the people who knew Ji Xingjue in common were all in the Imperial Capital, and those who met the condition of “unfamiliarity” were all over the Imperial Capital as well.

Ji Xingjue shrugged helplessly: “Next time we meet him, let’s peel off his cover.”

Turning a corner, a looming light suddenly appeared ahead, revealing the passage of the tunnel was unexpectedly short.

The two looked at each other and approached cautiously.

What was drilling out of the tunnel, turned out to be the edge of the altar that had fallen before.

There were also countless experimental subjects crowding into the church underneath. Before Ji Xingjue could stand firm, the ground suddenly shook.

Qi Qing supported him in time, glanced around, and frowned: “This place is going to collapse.”

A side hall in the distance collapsed in the tremor, stirring up countless dust and smoke, and the top of the wall was shaking slightly. Once the top also collapsed, this underground palace would be completely buried in the yellow sand.

Ji Xingjue glanced at the experimental subjects who were still rushing into the church under his eyes, sighed before looking away. “Let’s go, we should be able to go back the same way we came here.”

Sure enough, after the two walked up to the altar, there was vibration under their feet, and the altar rose automatically, getting closer and closer to the top of the wall.

It was the same as the suction power when they came down, with a huge suction force coming from the top, and everything was pitch black. Qi Qing clenched Ji Xingjue’s hand tightly, while the two were sent back to the surface of the yellow sand again from below!

Being thrown around, Ji Xingjue couldn’t help but rant, “Don’t they find it troublesome to go in and out like this?”

The nearby yellow sand was rustling unstably, and was continuously sucked in by the vortex quicksand. The two immediately ran towards the direction they came from and got into the starship.

At the moment when the starship took off, the swirling sand quickly expanded its range, and a faint glimpse of the gray underground palace below could be seen. Amid the loud collapse, a dust storm stirred up in the air, causing the vision to be blocked, but it wouldn’t stop Qi Qing from continuing to pull up higher. It could be seen that far away, the vast sea of sand was rushing towards the collapsed place.

After a long time, the ground finally calmed down. The smoke and dust dissipated, but the flowing vortex disappeared on the surface.

The underground palace was completely buried by yellow sand.

Ji Xingjue frowned: “This corpse evidence is destroyed… Dark Star is an ambiguous area, so you can’t always send a large army to dig it.”

He lowered his head and looked at the terminal, and said with a surprise, “The magnetic field disturbance has disappeared. It really is indeed the Holy Order’s doing.”

The positioning information sent out before was already sent out, but it was just a roundabout way, and the two of them didn’t receive a reply until they came out. Qi Qing returned a message to Damel, who was on standby, and controlled the starship to leave the planet. “There may be no equipment suitable for your research on chips on the Doyler base.”

“Have someone send it to the teacher, let the teacher help us examine it,” Ji Xingjue patted the sand on his body, pulled out his chair and sat down, while stretching, “I’m exhausted to death. How come I can’t be idle for a day after meeting you again.”

There was also sand in his hair. Qi Qing reached out and rubbed his hair for a while, and said lightly, “If you’re willing to be idle, I’m very supportive.”

Ji Xingjue was rubbed so hard yet he didn’t pry open his hand. Instead, he smiled and said, “If it’s busy, I’ll be occupied.”

The battleship passed through the atmosphere, then returned to the vast space, and turned toward the distant Doyler base.

After entering the first transition point, the two returned to the range of the Empire.

Ji Xingjue also got sand in his clothes, and it was really uncomfortable to sit, so he abandoned Qi Qing and ran to take a bath to change his clothes. After arranging things, he came back refreshed, and was commented by the Lord Marshal with his arms folded: “Feminine.”

Ji Xingjue, not knowing whether to laugh or angry, standing on tiptoe and rubbed his head, then spread out his palm to show him the sand on it before pushing him to the direction of the rest cabin: “You’re covered in sand and blood, dirty, go wash up, I’ll watch.”

Qi Qing: “…”

Probably the word “dirty” touched the proud and sensitive nerves of the Lord Marshal that Qi Qing quickly got into the bathroom and took a few minutes to take a shower. He returned only after changing the clothes stained with sand and blood. Back in the cabin, Ji Xingjue was slacking on the job and chatting with great interest.

Qi Qing lowered his eyes, using his damp finger to poke at Ji Xingjue’s face, which felt soft to the touch. “Who are you talking to?”

There was a hint of sourness in his tone.

Ji Xingjue didn’t hear it, and showed him the screen. “Little Fatty was suppressed by the teacher to be in the closed laboratory of the Second Galaxy to assist him, hahahaha!”

The food in the closed laboratory was not good, and not to mention that one couldn’t keep in touch with the outside world. Unable to escape, Song Mei was quite depressed.

Qi Qing gave him a glance and sat beside him, with a towel hanging around his neck. The tip of his hair was still dripping wet with water as he looked at him without saying a word.

After listening to Song Mei finish spitting his sufferings, Ji Xingjue sent a message to Mr. Yelis, requesting him to help him study the chip. He then raised his eyes to look at Qi Qing, and tsk-ed. “Young Master, can you wipe your hair before you come out?”

With that said, he still picked up the towel and gently wiped Qi Qing’s hair. “The den here was abandoned by the Holy Order, and we have to look in another direction.”

Qi Qing enjoyed the service with peace of mind, and said, “The Boundless Star Sea.”

The base camp of the Star Pirate was filled with members of the Holy Order.

Compared with the vague area at the junction of the Dark Star, the The Boundless Star Sea was a real den of those thieves.

It was impossible to go to that place if they didn’t prepare well.

Ji Xingjue glanced at the disguised ring that Qi Qing put on the platform. “I’ll upgrade and improve it when I go back. As a reward, can Lord Marshal take me with you?”

Qi Qing asked in return, “Do I dare not take you with me?”

Apart from him, eighty percent of the time, no one could watch Ji Xingjue.

Unless he was locked up. Otherwise, once he forgot to pay attention, he would either slip away to the Alliance alone, or secretly follow behind.

If that’s the case, why not keep him by his side so that he could feel at ease. 

Ji Xingjue laughed sullenly. He put down the towel, inserted his fingers and combed the wet hair of Lord Marshal who looked chaotic: “Obedient.”

The starship took a day and a half to return to Doyler Star.

Compared with the small bases that he had been to before, this base was much larger. After passing through the atmosphere, one could see the huge outline of the base. And the whole base itself was like a giant white iron beast, standing solemnly on the surface, with strict surveillance along the way.

The starship obtained permission and slowly landed at the docking port where Damel had already rushed over when he got the information. There were five or six unfamiliar faces behind him, and when they saw Qi Qing, they all gave a salute. “Marshal! You’re finally back.”

With a sullen face, Damel was left nothing to say. 

When Qi Qing was leaving, he told him, “Take Ji Xingjue to go around the neighborhood.” He thought that the Marshal was just taking a break from his busy schedule and taking his wife on a honeymoon.

How would he know that these two could wander around to the Dark Star, and even ventured into the lair of the Holy Order!

Fortunately, nothing happened.

And, it’s fine if the Marshal went alone, but he had to take a weak and delicate Madame with him, is it appropriate?

Ji Xingjue noticed Damel’s faintly reproachful gaze, and after being silent for a few seconds, he explained implicitly, “Adjutant Damel, I’m actually quite capable of fighting.”

Damel and the others looked at the slender arms and legs of the Marshal’s wife, subtly silent for a second before continuing to look at the Marshal in condemnation.

Qi Qing ignored their gaze and turned to make a brief introduction: “The Protection Squads.” [T/N: SS or Schutzstaffel]

Those who could be chosen to be the Marshal’s Protection Squads were all the elite among the elite. Ji Xingjue friendly greeted them, “Hello, I’m Ji Xingjue.”

The short-haired girl standing behind Damel looked at him with a smile and nodded, “Hello Madam, we finally see you!”

Several people around her also nodded, looking at Ji Xingjue with extremely enthusiastic eyes. “Aiya, I’ve finally met the legendary Madam.”

Damel was the only one who followed the Mashal to the Imperial Capital, and was the first to get first-hand news, so now his face was full of pride: “What I said was right!”

The others also nodded like chickens pecking at the rice: “That’s right, our Madam is so pretty.”

Ji Xingjue: “?”

He looked at Qi Qing suspiciously, raised his eyebrows, a little puzzled.

Why does this group of people… seem to have known him for a long time?

Qi Qing coldly glanced at several people, with stern warnings in his eyes, enough to make those people suddenly frightened and did not dare make a sound again.

He left these people behind and walked out with Ji Xingjue, his face tense: “Don’t worry about it.”

Ji Xingjue turned his head in confusion, while Damel winked at him, and moved his mouth: the Marshal is shy.

His head was caught off guard and was turned back again by a big hand, along with Qi Qing’s words that were filled with murderous intend: “They want to practice until the early morning today.”

Ji Xingjue pondered upon the meaning of everyone just now, and asked hesitantly, “Have you mentioned me to them before?”

How to put it, do these people have such a strange enthusiastic attitude?

Qi Qing: “…”

Qi Qing said firmly: “No.”

Ji Xingjue rubbed his chin, saw the increasingly indifferent expression of the Lord Marshal, and closed his mouth with a smile.

It’s amusing to tease him, but it’s not good if he gets irritated.

What made Ji Xingjue more puzzled was, anyway, it was so-so with the previous base. However, as one of the largest bases on the front line, Doyler base actually… had no spare vacancies.

In this regard, Damel, who followed up, sighed and explained again, “Madam! I’m so sorry. Star Pirates have been so rampant recently, so there are frequent transfers of personnel between the bases, and the new recruits who enter the base also arrive one by one. I originally wanted to arrange a deluxe single room for Madam, but after checking the vacancies, oh, it was gone! There is no other way, I can only aggrieve you and the Marshal to live together. When the room is free, this subordinate will arrange a single room for the Madam. What do you think?”

Ji Xingjue: “…”

It doesn’t seem to be a problem, but it also seems to be a big problem.

Qi Qing was also silent for a while, and warned: “Don’t hack into the firewall of the base casually.”

Ji Xingjue raised his hand innocently: “Okay.”

It didn’t matter, and it wasn’t like living together, he would lose a piece of meat. They had slept together often when they were young, but it was just that it wasn’t very convenient.

He had no idea if it was an illusion, but Qi Qing seemed to be very nervous when he slept in the same bed with him.

Several times when he encountered Qi Qing only half conscious, he could notice that Qi Qing’s muscles were very stiff, and when he occasionally woke up in the middle of the night, he found that Qi Qing was gone.

Ai, they hadn’t seen each other for many years, Qi Qing might not show it on the surface, but in reality the thing between them had become a bit estranged. 

Ji Xingjue thought depressingly.