After Mei Jielin and the others led the team to patrol the star field, the command ship became much cleaner. The only thing that made Lu Fenghan unhappy was that Lorenz would come to Qi Yan from time to time to ask all kinds of random questions.
Most of them were related to the power system, but the power system was too complicated, or the difficulty of countless updates and repairs was superimposed, and a few sentences could not explain it clearly. Most of the time, Qi Yan would follow Lorenz to the technical department to operate it on the spot.
As a result, the people in the technical department found that in the past two or three days, they saw Lu Fenghan more times than in the past six months!
Even Ye Pei whispered to Mondrian: "Why do I feel like I'm back at Turan Academy? The commander goes in and out with Qiyan. Qiyan is digging data in the laboratory, and the commander is waiting on the side. When Qiyan is done, the two will leave together."
She signaled with her eyes, "Look, Qiyan is debugging the data of the power system, and the commander is reviewing documents next to him."
Mondrian's hair was cut much shorter, revealing his forehead, and he looked much fresher. He nodded in agreement, with nostalgia in his eyes: "It's indeed very similar."
Rubbing his dry eyes, Ye Pei couldn't help but say: "But Qiyan is really amazing. He can even repair the power system! I firmly believe that when I was in Turan, Qi Yan must have concealed his true strength!"
Mondrian: "Probably not, maybe Turan didn't give him the opportunity to show his true strength."
"That's right, in the ISCO equipment room, didn't Qi Yan intercept the rebels' invasion of the headquarters' intranet?" Ye Pei was motivated again, "I have to work hard too! I am one of the most powerful scientists in the Future Alliance! I just don't know if Turan will retain my student status after the war and let me go back to school."
Victory always brings hope.
Lu Fenghan sat aside, hearing the conversation between Ye Pei and Mondrian intermittently, and couldn't help but glance in the direction of Qi Yan.
Only his side could be seen. Qi Yan's uniform shirt was still loose, and his waistline could be seen to be thin. He was talking to Lorenz, and there were two technical soldiers beside him who were recording quickly with a clipboard.
I don't know what questions the two people asked, Lorenz just rolled his eyes, and Qi Yan's expression didn't change. He should have slowed down his speech and let the two technical soldiers write down the content.
Just like before, he looked cold and distant, but he was actually very patient.
Just when Lu Fenghan was about to retract his gaze, he found that Qi Yan was looking in his direction almost out of habit.
The two people's eyes met.
Qi Yan seemed to be startled, and quickly turned his head, and very deliberately moved his steps to turn his back.
Lu Fenghan laughed.
I think I can talk to Qi Yan about what "to hide is to reveal".
The communication rang, Lu Fenghan answered it, and heard Mei Jielin's voice.
"Commander, the communication signal here is not very good, I will not dial you!"
Lu Fenghan knew the character of his subordinates very well: "Did you change your hairstyle? Ugly? Don't dare to show it to others?"
"You installed a surveillance camera next to me? There must be more than one!" Mei Jie Lin was a little embarrassed, and finally gave up, "I didn't change it, I was just impatient and was going to repair it twice, but I didn't expect that the princess cut on my left side was cut! Anyway, I'm wandering around in space now, no one can see me, so I didn't cut it!" After
she finished speaking, she quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Commander, I came to report that I found a natural wormhole here. It was blocked by the asteroid belt before, so it was not found. This time I accidentally went around to the other side and was discovered by the detector."
Lu Fenghan ordered: "The natural wormhole is in the asteroid belt, it's very dangerous, retreat after marking and recording, be careful, don't lose your life."
"Got it." Maybe it was because Mei Jie Lin had been wandering outside for two days and had a lot to say but no one to talk to, so she couldn't help but pull Lu Fenghan to chat. "Commander, I found that you have changed a little since you came back this time. It's not obvious, and you may not have noticed it yourself, but you used to have a dull attitude towards 'death'."
Lu Fenghan did not cut off the communication and listened to Mei Jie Lin's continued words with rare patience.
"The most obvious thing is that every time we fight in the simulated cockpit, if someone 'dies' accidentally, whether it's me, Long Xiyun or anyone else, my heart rate will jump. That's the instinctive fear of death. No one wants to die, right?"
"I don't?"
"Of course you don't. You just reminded me to be careful not to die. If it wasn't too far away, I would have to see if someone replaced my superior!"
Lu Fenghan did not deny what Mei Jielin said.
He is indeed insensitive to death, but it is rare to show it normally. Probably only Vincent Mei Jielin and a few others can notice it.
The teacher in the First Military Academy mentioned this issue, and the previous commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army said something similar.
For a soldier, the most important thing is not only to be fearless, but also to be greedy.
Fearlessness allows you to move forward bravely.
And greed allows you to seek a way to survive in dangerous situations.
After leaving the technical department, Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan what he wanted to eat for breakfast.
Early in the morning, Qi Yan was pulled by Lorenz to repair the system. Although there was no obvious time reference, people would feel tired and hungry. Lu Fenghan saw that it was past nine in the morning, which was the time for Qi Yan to eat breakfast.
Qi Yan didn't think much: "I want to eat star flower mushroom noodles."
Lu Fenghan pinched his earlobe: "It's been several days, aren't you tired of it?"
Qi Yan turned his eyes away and answered in two seconds: "I'm not tired of it."
After answering, the itching on his earlobe had not dissipated.
Although he was afraid of pain before, he didn't seem to be so sensitive. But now, every look and every little movement of Lu Fenghan -
every detail was magnified and pondered over and over in his mind.
Thinking of what he said to Eliza in the White Tower, Qi Yan wondered the reason - was this love?
This should be love.
The two went to the kitchen.
While Lu Fenghan was answering the call and handling two logistics applications, he was making noodles in an orderly manner. He was still wearing a military uniform, which was a serious uniform, but his sleeves were rolled up, his collar was unbuttoned, and a pair of white gloves were casually stuffed into his pocket, revealing a few inches of white.
There were almost no similar scenes in Qi Yan's memory.
He stood aside, watching intently, trying to write down every tiny detail for later recollection.
After breakfast, Lu Fenghan took the medicine and poured some water for Qi Yan.
The dosage had been reduced from a large handful at first to only half a tablet now.
Qi Yan swallowed it in one gulp: "By the way, Eliza said that if the test later shows that the levels of hormones and chemicals in my body are normal, I don't need to take medicine anymore."
Qi Yan's withdrawal reaction is not serious now that he has reduced the dosage. The most obvious thing is that he is much clingier. However, Lu Fenghan is still worried: "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"No special feeling, my emotions seem to have never been as rich as others, such as Xia Zhiyang or Ye Pei, their emotions are very rich."
Qi Yan thought, "But when I recall the New Year's Day, I went to the Sky Diamond Plaza with you to celebrate the New Year. The happy mood is very clear. I think I should have recovered."
Lu Fenghan knew that Qi Yan didn't mean it, but every word of this sentence touched the itch at the tip of his heart.
Thinking of the snow: "Well, I was also very happy that day."
On the evening of July 28th, in the command room, Lu Fenghan was talking to Nie Huai Ting.
Nie Huai Ting in the video looked much older than on the day of the founding, and his temples were even frost-stained. In front of Lu Fenghan, he did not hide his fatigue: "How is the situation?"
Lu Fenghan: "Not bad. The First Legion and the Seventh and Eighth Legions are not considered elite rebels, but in less than a month, they have successively wiped out three armies. The rebels will not allow me to be so 'insolent'." Nie Huai
Ting glared at him: "If they don't tolerate you, you won't be insolent?"
"I didn't say that." Lu Fenghan denied it flatly, "But the expeditionary force has shown its current level of combat power, and the rebels will not be helpless. It is very likely that the next time we face will not be an attack from the latest weapons, or a siege by three or four legions."
"Worried?"
"Don't worry, a soldier's duty is to fight." Lu Fenghan said lightly, "We have to fight in the end, it doesn't make much difference if we fight early or late." He turned and asked, "How is Leto?"
Nie Huai Ting pinched his wrinkled brows, "As a former admiral of the Alliance, Hodgkin has held an important position for many years. He knows and controls the secrets as well as I do, but not much less. This has led to Leto being controlled by the rebels, like an isolated island surrounded by the sea. We can't use force alone, we can only find another way."
Thinking of the shooting incident at Turan Academy, Lu Fenghan clenched his heels. Although his tone was similar, it sounded a little more serious. He said very seriously: "Commander-in-chief, the expeditionary force will do its utmost to contain most of the rebel forces. I hope that Leto, the 'Diamond of the Sky', will not be extinguished before dawn."
Nie Huai Ting looked at Lu Fenghan deeply and replied solemnly: "I understand." He sighed again, "It is because of our generation that you have to worry."
Lu Fenghan shook his head: "It is the trend of the times, not the fault of one person. You said that your generation was not up to standard, and our generation is not much up to standard either. No one should blame anyone, and besides, the current alliance still needs you to take care of yourself."
He knew that Nie Huai Ting had always felt guilty about the attack on the founding day and the subsequent retreat to Odin. He couldn't persuade her too clearly, so he could only say a few words.
Nie Huai Ting spoke after a long time: "You speak in a style very similar to your father. Don't worry, I will not die as long as Leto is not taken back and the rebels are not destroyed. I will die when I can close my eyes."
Without saying anything else, Lu Fenghan lightly touched his heels and gave a slightly lazy military salute.
Nie Huai Ting pointed his fingers and scolded with a smile: "You, you really should be taken back to the First Military Academy and take the etiquette class again." As
usual, Lu Fenghan was indifferent: "I have something to do, so I won't chat with you anymore."
After the call was disconnected, Po Jun asked: "General, there is an error in your memory. You don't have any specific schedule next."
Lu Fenghan sat back in his chair and replied to Po Jun: "Obviously, this is a kind of human rhetoric."
He turned on the virtual screen, brought up the calendar, stared at the numbers displayed on it, and did not move for a long time, thinking about something.
In the quiet command room, Po Jun asked again: "General, what are you looking at? I analyzed the focus of your eyes through the camera, and there is nothing special, but you have been watching for six minutes."
Lu Fenghan did not answer, and asked him: "Will Mei Jielin and the others be away tomorrow?"
Po Jun: "Yes, according to the progress reports sent back by several captains, they will not be able to return tomorrow."
"Is Eric on a day off tomorrow?"
"Yes." "
If Eric is on a day off, Vincent will be very busy."
"According to the law of 'conservation of work', yes." Po Jun was very curious, "General, what are you planning? Or, is the date of July 29, 217 in the Star Calendar very special?"
Lu Fenghan grabbed the military jacket draped over the back of the chair and walked out: "Yes."
It is not known whether he was confirming that "something is being planned" or agreeing that "this date is very special."
On the 29th, Qi Yan stayed in the technical department for five hours and set up a detection tool on site, which can accurately screen out specific data points in the damaged area of the power system in a short time, avoiding the technical department's people from having to search hard in the vast data stream every time.
After this tool was made, the people in the technical department only wanted to worship Qi Yan, and even dared to think of competing with Lu Fenghan for people.
But thinking of Lu Fenghan following her every day and keeping a strict and strict attitude, she was forced to give up the idea.
Seeing Qi Yan finished her work, Ye Pei was a little surprised: "Qi Yan, why didn't the commander come with you today?"
She was holding a cup of coffee in her hand, and was in the stage of using coffee to sustain her life. Basically, as soon as the cup was empty, she would die.
Qi Yan's fingers were sore, and she crossed them and moved them twice, and replied to Ye Pei: "He said he had something to deal with, and he would come to pick me up after he was done."
After Qi Yan walked out, Ye Pei took another sip of espresso, and the bitterness exploded on the tip of her tongue. She suddenly thought, is the commander still Qi Yan's bodyguard now? If not, why are the two still going in and out together -
it seems that something is wrong?
Qi Yan left the technical department, and the metal door slid open to the sides. He took two quick steps and walked out the door, but he did not see the person he wanted to see.
His steps slowed down gradually.
Although Eliza told him that the test results were completely normal and his mood had recovered, Qi Yan still continued his previous habit and analyzed his emotions -
it was loss.
He did not see Lu Fenghan, and knew that things were not yet dealt with, but he still felt lost.
Qi Yan found that Lu Fenghan had made him develop too many habits.
And these habits have been integrated into his body over time.
Suddenly, they became a part of him.
Qi Yan suddenly remembered that he had read many articles discussing "love", but the expressions in words were too abstract for him to understand.
Now, he explored the emotions in a relationship, and felt that there were soft, thornless vines gently wrapped around his wrist, pulling at his mind. It was
a wonderful feeling.
At this moment, he wanted to see Lu Fenghan very much.
And he was sure that it was not the uneasiness caused by the withdrawal reaction of reducing the drug that drove him, but simply wanted to see that person.
Just seeing him would make him very happy.
"Po Jun, is the general in the command room?"
Po Jun's voice came from the personal terminal on his right hand: "Chief, the general is in your lounge."
Qi Yan was puzzled: "My room?"
Po Jun: "Yes, the general prepared lunch for you."
Qi Yan didn't think much about it and returned to the room along the route Lu Fenghan took him.
In the room, Lu Fenghan saw Qi Yan coming back and brought out a bowl of warm porridge. He knocked on the edge of the bowl with a metal spoon: "It's time for lunch, star mushroom porridge, try it and see if you can eat it."
Knowing Qi Yan's picky eating, Lu Fenghan would not use words like "Is it delicious?", but was very direct - can it be eaten. But he was still very confident that Qi Yan would not reject the taste of star mushrooms, and making porridge did not require high technical content.
Qi Yan did forget about lunch. In a world made up of frameworks and data, it is easy for him to forget about eating and sleeping. But at this moment, smelling the aroma of food, he suddenly felt a little hungry.
Taking the spoon from Lu Fenghan, Qi Yan sat down, took a bite, swallowed it, and took another bite.
Lu Fenghan raised his eyebrows, knowing that in addition to star mushroom noodles, Xiao Jiaoqi would also eat star mushroom porridge.
So when he was in Leto, it was not that his cooking skills were flawed, but that the ingredients could not keep up.
The amount just fits Qi Yan's appetite. After eating, Qi Yan's pale thin lips had a little more blood color.
Putting the tableware aside, Lu Fenghan asked Qi Yan: "Are you tired in the technical department?"
"No, I made a small tool based on the information I read before. In the future, their efficiency in repairing the power system will be improved a little." Qi Yan wanted to say that his fingers were a little sore and he wanted to rub them, but it had been a long time since they were no longer sore, so he had to give up.
Lu Fenghan then took out a thin piece of white paper.
Qi Yan saw the paper and blinked - the expeditionary army rarely used paper for efficiency and convenient archiving.
After taking another look, Qi Yan saw handwriting on it.
The handwriting was Lu Fenghan's, he recognized it.
Lu Fenghan said: "Today is July 29th. At this time a year ago, we signed a contract in Leto."
Qi Yan nodded.
He didn't know what Lu Fenghan was going to say.
When the seriously injured Lu Fenghan woke up from the treatment cabin, he was very alert. Later, he used 10 million star coins for treatment to make Lu Fenghan sign a contract, promising to protect his personal safety at any time and any place for two years.
This was the only solution he could think of during the two or three days when Lu Fenghan was unconscious.
Now, just one year has passed.
Qi Yan pointed out: "According to the contract, there is still one year left, and it will expire on July 29th next year."
Lu Fenghan handed over the paper in his hand: "Here you go."
Qi Yan took it in his hand, and the handwriting on the paper was iron-painted and silver-hooked, and the content was very familiar.
"Contract," Qi Yan read the top line, looked at Lu Fenghan, and continued reading, "From July 29, 217, Party B will protect Party A's personal safety, no matter when and where. ... Time limit, lifelong. After the expiration, the contract is terminated. Salary, allow, allow my tombstone to be placed side by side with your tombstone."
And in the position of Party B, Lu Fenghan had already signed his name.
Just like the original contract, the horizontal and vertical strokes are heavy, the left and right strokes are wild, and the strokes are sharp.
Qi Yan suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Lu Fenghan.
"General..." His last tone was a little trembling, but he was not sure why it was shaking.
He just felt his heartbeat was speeding up, as if some emotions were about to burst out.
Lu Fenghan replied, "I'm here."
His facial features were hard and his eyes were handsome. Years of experience on the frontline had made him look like a fierce bandit, but this toughness softened in front of Qi Yan.
Qi Yan looked at him persistently and asked, "Do you know what this contract means if it is established?"
"I know."
Lu Fenghan certainly knew.
He also understood what the two-year contract he signed a year ago meant to Qi Yan.
At the time, he was puzzled as to why Qi Yan folded the white paper with the contract in half and carefully put it into a password box.
Now he understood.
That was Qi Yan struggling, trying his best to see if he could live in this world for another two years -
he endured pain and confusion that others could hardly perceive every day, but he still did not give up easily.
Although Lu Fenghan still doesn't understand why Qi Yan chose him.
But he thinks, he understands, he understands Qi Yan's feelings.
Qi Yan's eyes were slightly dim, and he pinched the thin paper with his fingers: "Then you... the contract period..."
His thoughts were confused, and he couldn't even express the complete meaning.
But Lu Fenghan understood.
"What do you want to ask me?"
Qi Yan's eyes met his and he said what he wanted to say: "It's been too long. What if one day in the future, you find that I make you feel tired, and I am not the same as you imagined, what should I do?"
"Nothing can be done, and there is no imagination." Lu Fenghan looked at his slightly panicked eyes, and his tone was light and firm, "Qi Yan, you call me 'General', and I can be your general for the rest of my life."
Qi Yan didn't know what to say for a moment.
He only felt that Lu Fenghan's deep eyes and eyebrows were filled with a storm, which dragged him into it.
He was at a loss and said, "General——"
"Hey, be good, listen to me." Lu Fenghan held the person in his arms, hugged the person, and leaned against the wall, leaning his spine against the wall. He put one hand on Qi Yan's back and fixed his eyes on a certain place.
"I am greedy. I don't want only one year. Two years are not enough. Only 720 days, how can it be enough? So I set a time limit, although I think that 100 years, 36,000 days, is still too little." As
Lu Fenghan spoke, he felt a kind of burning emotion surging in his body, which could not be calmed down. He wanted to drive a destroyer and shuttle through the asteroid belt countless times to dissipate it.
He thought of what Mei Jielin said, that he was insensitive to death.
"I'm used to being alone. I've been living like this for the past ten years, or from the age of eleven to now, eighteen years? I don't save money, my pension has no beneficiary, I thought of my epitaph long ago, imagined the scene of my future death, and prepared to die for the Alliance and sacrifice my life for the stars a long time ago.
But now - I've changed.
Because of you.
I don't want to die in the floating wreckage of a starship, nor do I want to die on a planet, and I don't want to be turned into ashes by a particle cannon.
I have someone I want to see, and as long as I have breath left, I must crawl back to see him or her."
Qi Yan's fingertips trembled slightly, and the hand hanging by his side suddenly grabbed the hem of Lu Fenghan's clothes: "Is it me?"
"It's you."
His parents died when he was young, and many years of being on the front line made him calm and fearless about death. At the same time, he had no lofty pursuits or ideals, nor did he think about leaving his name in history.
He had always lived as he pleased, and there was no one in this world who had to be him. Sometimes he felt lonely as if he was just a speck of dust in space.
He knew what he meant to Qi Yan, and on the contrary, how could Qi Yan not mean the same to him?
Qi Yan was the anchor.
The anchor that bound him and made it easy for him to not die.
Lu Fenghan said with a smile: "So, do you want to sign? Sign your name on the contract. According to the laws of the alliance, this contract will take effect immediately."
Qi Yan signed.
Every stroke was made carefully.
After signing, Qi Yan stared at the two names lined up in a row, and couldn't help but be stunned. He subconsciously distinguished and confirmed that this memory was real.
Lu Fenghan seemed to be able to see through his heart: "Not sure if it's real or fiction?"
Qi Yan nodded.
The next second, his shoulders were grabbed, and after a few wrong steps, Qi Yan felt himself being pushed against the wall. He could also sense Lu Fenghan blocking his back with his hands to prevent his back from hitting the metal wall.
Before he could stand still, with surprise still in his eyes, Lu Fenghan grabbed his chin and kissed him without rejection.