Chapter 24

The speed of the Olin military was faster than Jiang Yun expected.

A vague alarm sounded from afar, becoming clearer and clearer at an alarming speed, like an alarm clock in the early morning, ruthlessly shattering a warm dream.

Jiang Yun subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound, like a teenager who had grown up in an instant, with a trance and sense of separation on his face as if he had been pulled back to reality.

The two of them were silent for two seconds amid the alarm. Lu Huai spoke first, "Should I go?"

Jiang Yun fluttered his eyelashes and nodded: "Yes."

He didn't try to keep him, but Lu Huai didn't leave either.

Jiang Yun thought Lu Huai had something else to say. He waited for a long time, but Lu Huai didn't say anything.

There was no further comforting, no daily conversation to ease the atmosphere, and no mention of the business that had to be discussed.

In the final moments, Lu Huai just looked at him quietly.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Jiang Yun asked, "Aren't you afraid of being exposed?"

Lu Huai said indifferently: "When I retreat later, just move quickly. It's just a group of Orin people, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Colonel Lu is so reckless and reckless, and it turns out he is still as young and energetic as he was seventeen years ago.

If it was during their wedding, when Lu Huai said, "Should I leave now?", Jiang Yun would probably act coquettishly and ask Colonel Lu to stay with her for a while longer.

But now, Foreign Minister Jiang's response to Lu Huai was just a simple "yes".

"Colonel Lu really hasn't changed at all." Jiang Yun chuckled, "And I..."

"You haven't changed much." Lu Huai interrupted him, "Aren't you still a baby who needs me to wipe your tears?"

Jiang Yun's body suddenly froze.

Lu Huai smiled and said, "I miss you so much, baby." Lu Huai looked at him and, as if unable to help himself, repeated again, "Over the years, I have always... missed you so much."

Lu Huai's voice was much lower than before, and it seemed so insignificant amid the approaching alarm, but it made Jiang Yun's heart tremble.

Jiang Yun thought that the reason for his trembling heart was still due to that inappropriate name, and he couldn't help but curl his lips: "Please don't call me Colonel Lu like before. I'm already past that age. Don't forget, our children are all in high school."

If the children heard Lu Huai call him like that in the future, where would his authority as a father be?

Lu Huai was silent for two seconds, then smiled again, his tone relaxed: "Okay, Foreign Minister Jiang, you have the final say."

The alarm had reached a location only across an alleyway away from them, and Jiang Yun could even hear bursts of hurried footsteps.

"Let's go," Jiang Yun urged, "Don't make it harder for yourself."

"Then, see you at the research institute in three days," Lu Huai agreed readily, but when he said goodbye, his true colors were revealed, "——Baby."

Jiang Yun watched Lu Huai's figure quickly disappear around the corner of the alley. Almost the next moment, Lewis's voice rang out behind him: "——Foreign Minister Jiang? Foreign Minister Jiang!"

Not a second too early, not a second too late.

Colonel Lu was still chatting and laughing casually, perfectly controlling the situation.

Within an hour of waking up, he picked up a sniper rifle and shot Wycliffe in the head.

He planned for their reunion, and he also stayed up all night reading to crack the anti-theft system.

He comforted him with hugs and kisses, he made him happy with humorous and heartwarming topics, and he weaved an impeccable dream of reunion for him.

In the end, he even calculated the latest time of departure so accurately.

Colonel Lu will probably never have a moment when he completely loses his mind and releases all his emotions.

Just like no matter how much Lu Huai loves his new wife, he will bury all his true words and say "I'm not in love with you yet" when he thinks he is about to die.

Just like Lu Huai didn't release pheromones to comfort him just now, he didn't ask for Lu Huai's pheromones.

Because Lu Huai knew as well as he did - he knew that the current Foreign Minister Jiang could not have the smell of Alpha pheromones on him, and even less the smell of his late husband.

Just like Lu Huai said, he lost control with him, but he was the only one who shed tears from beginning to end.

How could Colonel Lu cry?

Jiang Yun looked at the corner that swallowed up Lu Huai's figure, and gradually curled the corners of his mouth: "Colonel Lu, you are always so at ease."

You may not know it yet, but you’re not the only one who’s doing it all right now.

If I had spent seventeen years sleeping, I would definitely not cry when I saw you again.

Jiang Yun withdrew his gaze, turned around calmly, and took the initiative to greet the huge crowd.

"There are so many bodies here!" a voice said. "One, two, three... eight, a total of eight!"

"Their fatal injuries all seem to come from cold weapons?"

"What the hell is going on? Has anyone seen the Alliance Foreign Minister?"

"Foreign Minister Jiang?" Jiang Yun recognized Lewis' voice, "I found Foreign Minister Jiang!"

Lewis ran to Jiang Yun breathlessly, looking frightened: "Foreign Minister Jiang, are you okay?"

Jiang Yun said lightly: "It's okay."

"Why did you suddenly disappear from the pub?" Lewis asked anxiously, "We've been looking for you for a long time!"

"From what I've observed, none of you are a match for that assassin." Jiang Yun's tone was filled with sarcasm. "Why don't I just leave on my own and stay there to die?"

Lewis choked and said, “How can you think so? It’s the most dangerous for you to be alone outside.”

Jiang Yunqing raised an eyebrow: "So you caught the assassin?"

"……No."

"It seems I made the right decision."

"Foreign Minister Jiang, may I ask what's going on with these eight bodies?" another Lieutenant Olin asked. "Who are they, and who killed them?"

"When I came here, they were already dead." Jiang Yun looked like he wanted to laugh. "If you ask me, who else should I ask?"

The people of Olin looked at each other, all their doubts and questions were blocked by Jiang Yun's words.

"Now," Jiang Yun raised his hand and casually brushed the snow off his shoulders, "I'm a little tired. Please take me back to the Rescue first, okay?"

The sirens stopped abruptly, and the bulletproof car carrying the important figures rolled over the snow, drove steadily out of the shantytown, and headed towards the port.

There is only a little time left before dawn, and the faint light of stars is faintly visible.

The snow continued to fall, and the shantytown returned to its original backwardness and tranquility.

Fitch is an ordinary miner living in a shanty town. He gets up early every day and is the first to arrive at the mining area to start his day's work.

He had to complete the work hours he had signed with the Orin government as soon as possible so that he could return to the planet Belloc and reunite with his wife as soon as possible.

Fitch was humming a folk song from his hometown as he walked along the deserted alley. Suddenly, he stopped.

A young man blocked his way.

Fitch couldn't see the man's face clearly, but could only judge from his temperament and outline that he was a young man in his early twenties.

The young man sat in the snow with his back against the dilapidated wall, his face hidden in the shadows, his shoulders slightly slumped, and he remained motionless for a long time.

Fitch thought it was another miner who had collapsed from working excessively long hours, so he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Sir? Are you okay?"

“…”

Fitch seemed to have caught a glimpse of something, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are you...are you crying?"

“…”

Not getting a response from the young man, Fitch asked again: "Or, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

The young man finally responded, his voice as low as a candle about to go out: "...My heart hurts."

Fitch was startled: "Hold on! I'll take you to the clinic right away!"

“…”

"Sir, please get on my back and I'll carry you to the clinic!"

"...Thank you for your kindness." The young man thanked Fitch in the darkness. He seemed to have recovered from the pain, and his voice gradually returned to normal: "But it's not necessary."

Fitch said: "Heart disease can easily kill people!"

The young man laughed and said, "But I got this because I saw my wife whom I hadn't seen for a long time. Can this clinic treat it?"

Fitch breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat understanding the young man, but not completely.

He could understand the emotional outburst when reuniting with his wife after a long separation, and he would cry with excitement every time he saw his wife at home.

But why did his heart ache? Could something have happened to the young man's wife?

Fitch didn't dare ask more questions. But because they both had wives they loved deeply, and the young man's voice and conversation were so comforting, he was willing to sacrifice some work time to chat with him for a while.

"Did you have a video chat with your wife?" Fitch said enviously. "It's too expensive to communicate on the Ice Wasteland Planet. My wife won't even let me call her."

The young man hummed, and said, "I hope you can see your wife soon."

Fitch couldn't help but ask, "Um, is your wife okay?"

The young man nodded, then shook his head. "He's grown up and become very capable." He seemed to think of his wife's face and couldn't help but chuckle. "He... he's grown from a little beauty to a big beauty—it seems he doesn't even know how to act like a spoiled child anymore."

From the young man's description, it seemed like he and his wife had been separated for a very long time. Fitch asked curiously, "How long has it been since you last saw each other?"

The young man fell silent again.

Just when Fitch thought he wouldn't get an answer, the young man said, "...a long, long time."

Seventeen years—sixteen years and seven months, to be exact.

Six thousand and fifty-seven days, one hundred and forty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-nine hours.

Really... it's been too long.

"I should go now." The young man stood up, supporting himself against the wall with one hand. Whether intentionally or not, he kept his back to Fitch, his face hidden from view. "Have a nice day."

"Uh, thank you." Fitch was inexplicably flattered. "Have a nice day, too."

The young man waved goodbye to Fitch, turned his back to the dawning sky, and walked into the darkness alone.