Chapter 16#
Accompanying#
Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Oh ho~ They could enjoy the gossip while it was still fresh!
They quickly retreated to the corners to make space, found good spots, and stood there, not wanting to miss this rare opportunity.
Ning Feng: …
Ning Feng usually enjoyed a good gossip too, but when it landed on his own head, it was always a bit unpleasant. However…
He let out a low chuckle, turned his head, and lifted his eyelids. “What a coincidence, isn’t it? Commander, why not invite them in to discuss together?”
Yin Beichen frowned slightly, but ultimately allowed them in.
So, the moment Josie entered the room, he immediately became the center of attention.
He usually stayed in the lab and didn’t have much contact with frontline officers. Now, a room full of burly men crowded into a corner, their eyes carrying a strange gleam. He couldn’t help but swallow hard and sidle closer to Yin Beichen.
“C-Commander.”
“Did Qu Yan send you?” Yin Beichen looked down at him.
“Yes, Professor Qu wants to look up information on the Zerg.” Josie nodded obediently.
Accessing the Empire’s database required high-level clearance. In the entire base, only Ning Feng and Yin Beichen had access. Anyone else needing to consult materials had to be accompanied by one of them the whole time.
“Now?” Yin Beichen frowned.
“Ha, the sooner the better, of course.” Ou Jingshan quickly chimed in. “As you just said, to deal with the Zerg, we need the Research Department’s help. Josie is an expert on Zerg research. The more he knows, the better for us.”
Yin Beichen glanced at the bandage on Ning Feng’s foot and then said, “I’ll go with you.”
Josie shyly lowered his head. Ning Feng thought he would gladly agree, but unexpectedly, he declined.
“Commander, with the current tense situation, you have many matters to handle. This would take up too much of your time.” Suddenly, Josie looked at the man. “How about troubling Deputy Adjutant Ning to go with me?”
As soon as the words fell, the others’ expressions turned rather amused, and they all looked at Ning Feng.
“Me?” Ning Feng was taken aback. Even Yin Beichen frowned.
“Is that alright?” Josie bit his lip, nervously clutching at his clothes.
It wasn’t a question of whether it was alright.
Wasn’t this kid interested in Yin Beichen? Before, he had been scared of him like a ghost, avoiding him at all costs. Then, for some unknown reason, he started sending messages every day inviting him to meals. Lately, he’d finally calmed down and stopped messaging, and now he was proactively asking Ning Feng to accompany him?
Ning Feng wanted to refuse, but on second thought, it was just looking up materials. Whoever went was the same.
He doubted this guy would dare to pull any tricks.
“Of course.” He generously raised his chin. “Let’s go.”
“Thank you for the trouble.” Josie adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, a faint blush creeping onto his face.
The two saluted Yin Beichen and left the command room. The latter stared at the tall, broad back for a long time before finally looking away.
Having hoped for something explosive to happen, but nothing did, everyone was a little disappointed. Yet they couldn’t help speculating whether some conflict might arise later. After all, rivals in love tend to see red. They wondered if Brother Feng could hold back.
“See that? That’s the difference between people.” Ou Jingshan chuckled from behind. “Putting aside personal grudges for the sake of doing one’s job well.”
Hearing this, Yin Beichen’s expression gradually cooled. “Captain Ou, what difference are you referring to?”
Catching the cold tone in his voice, Ou Jingshan cleared his throat and rubbed his bald head. “Commander, I meant that Josie is an outstanding researcher.”
“Every comrade in the base is outstanding.”
“Of course, of course, but Josie is even more outstanding.”
“Are you saying Josie is more outstanding than you?”
Ou Jingshan… Ou Jingshan was at a loss for words, stammering and unable to speak.
“The base is full of people with loose tongues, and everyone gossips among themselves—that’s normal.” Yin Beichen paced over to the burly man, his hard boot soles striking the floor like hammers on everyone’s hearts.
“But if I hear any more talk that undermines morale…” He stared intently at the bald head, his eyes as sharp as blades, radiating a chilling light.
“Understood, Commander!” Ou Jingshan instantly tensed up.
Everyone held their breath, and for a moment, the air was suffocating.
His blue eyes swept over the faces of the group. Yin Beichen narrowed his eyes slightly, making sure everyone had taken in his words, before withdrawing his gaze. He tapped his optical computer to pull up a communication and put it on speaker directly.
The standby music rang for a long time before someone picked up. Qu Yan’s sleepy voice echoed through the command room. “Commander, what’s the matter?”
Yin Beichen said in a calm tone, “I’ll arrive at the Research Department in fifteen minutes. Make preparations.” Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call, turned around, and scanned the tense faces.
“Follow me to the Research Department.”
Only after he left the room did the others secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Especially Ou Jingshan—in that short time, he felt his back was already soaked with sweat.
They were all seasoned military officers, used to speaking bluntly and without restraint. Everyone was accustomed to it. They had said far worse things before, and Yin Beichen had never scolded them.
Why just now…?
The group exchanged glances and immediately understood—
They could freely gossip about Major General Yin’s personal affairs, but they must never say a single bad word about Deputy Adjutant Ning!
**
Ning Feng led Josie to a large door. He greeted the two armed guards on either side, pressed his finger on a fingerprint scanner, and the door swung open.
After walking through a quiet corridor, they stood at the end. Ning Feng entered a series of commands on the white wall. A laser scanned his iris, and with a soft hiss, the tightly sealed iron wall split open a crack, slowly revealing a spacious secret room before them.
The room was filled with equipment, with colorful flow lines arranged neatly around the walls, all converging on a communication console placed in the center. Beside the display screen were buttons of various sizes, which could rotate and move in four directions, showing real-time calculations of various categories of icons representing the situation inside the base. In a sense, this place monitored and recorded everything happening in the base every second.
This was the base’s data terminal and the only entry point to the Empire’s database.
His fingers dancing across the console, Ning Feng quickly entered the key and scanned the iris lock again. A search interface popped up.
“Here, you can search now.”
Ning Feng turned to step aside, but found Josie staring straight at him, his eyes carrying a heavy scrutiny. Ning Feng frowned slightly, feeling uneasy.
What’s with this guy?
But soon, Josie averted his gaze, breaking into a sweet smile again.
“Thank you.” He sat down on the swivel chair and began to look through the materials seriously.
Instantly, the vast space was filled only with the beeping of instruments and the rhythmic clatter of the keyboard.
Ning Feng watched Josie’s focused profile—his delicate nose, slender eyebrows. Every feature was exquisitely refined, making him appear gentle and endearing. He was competent in his work, good-looking, and though his social circle was a bit narrow, he was docile and never talked back. Compared to him, Ning Feng felt he could never inspire any desire. Anyone would naturally prefer Josie’s type.
No wonder Yin Beichen had stood him up.
Ning Feng’s lips twitched into a weak smile. Forcing his attention away, he closed his eyes and let out a silent sigh.
Waiting always felt long.
Having had little rest over the past few days and after a morning of intense brainstorming, Ning Feng was already drowsy, unable to stop himself from yawning behind his hand. He rubbed the back of his burning neck and stared at the information-filled screen, forcing himself to stay alert.
He had been hit by a Zerg stinger earlier, and his leg injury hadn’t fully healed. If his resistance dropped, the bug toxin in his body might get agitated and cause trouble again.
He couldn’t let that happen.
He’d have to tell Beichen later and head back early to rest.
Just as Ning Feng was lost in thought, Josie suddenly spoke.
“Deputy Adjutant Ning, have you ever studied the Zerg?” His voice was very soft, almost lulling one to sleep.
“Do you mean alive or dead?” Ning Feng stifled another yawn.
“You have a great sense of humor.” Josie chuckled softly, his slender fingers tapping rapidly on the buttons, his work pace unaffected by the conversation. “In truth, the Zerg are one of the most ancient creatures in the star domain, even older than humanity. Their genes are more advanced than any life form we know, and their numbers are staggering. Sometimes I wonder—can the Zerg really be eradicated?”
Just then, footage of a battle against the Zerg appeared on the screen.
The image flickered, the signal was poor, and the sound cut in and out, but Ning Feng could still tell it was a recording from a Marine Corps soldier on a mission.
When the picture cleared up, he saw low hills and plateaus under a reddish-brown sky.
In his ears were the sound of machine-gun fire, the explosion of grenades, urgent reports, the roar of a fighter jet crashing overhead… It all came to an abrupt halt amid desperate screams, and the screen showed distorted, scrambled signals.
The final frame froze on the moment a hideous Zerg lunged forward.
Staring at that grotesque, ugly insect face, Ning Feng’s brows knitted tightly. The stinging pain at the back of his neck intensified.
Josie stared fixedly at the screen, the light reflecting off his lenses in a white glare.
“Such an ancient, advanced, beautiful species—its fate is decided so casually.” He reached out and gently touched the screen. “Humans truly are arrogant creatures.”
Ning Feng couldn’t see the other’s expression, but he could hear the indescribable fascination in his tone. His dark eyes flickered, somewhat puzzled. The first face that came to his mind was Qu Yan’s—exhausted, tired, yet excited.
Was it that all researchers’ brains were wired differently from normal people’s?
“Do you still want to search or not?” He frowned.
“Of course.”
Josie smiled and dropped the subject. He tapped away again, downloaded the data, and while waiting, turned to look at the man. “By the way, what do you think Major General Yin is like?”