Chapter 26 The Eye of Hermes Disappears! A Spying Gaze Hidden Among the Roses! ...
Inside the Supreme Senate chamber in the First District of the Federal Capital Star, the atmosphere was somber. The attending councilors were solemn, their brows furrowed, and the dozens of people in the chamber were eerily quiet, creating a terrifyingly oppressive atmosphere.
"Whoosh—", the sound of blowing on the tea broke the silence. The woman A, with silver hair and black eyes, sitting in the head seat, was leisurely picking up her teacup and sipping the tea slowly.
Even on the safest capital planet, even inside the heavily guarded Senate, her body was tense, as if she were constantly on guard against something.
The silver-haired woman, A, had fine lines around her eyes. She was not young, but her back remained straight, like a battle-hardened scimitar, steady yet dangerous.
Her legs were slightly apart, and her muscles appeared relaxed, yet she could rise quickly, like a sharp bowstring ready to sever an enemy's neck at any moment.
Any slight movement would be caught and scanned by those sharp eagle eyes, and only after confirming that there was nothing wrong would the gaze casually shift away.
These are habits developed on the most dangerous battlefields.
This is Feng Lin, the current Marshal of the Federation.
Compared to the illustrious backgrounds of other successor marshals, she was born in a small town on a frontier planet, without any privileged lineage.
Feng Lin rose to the position of commander of the First Legion purely through military merit.
He won the position of marshal with an overwhelming majority at the marshal election meeting.
Upon assuming office, many of the former marshal's former subordinates expressed their dissatisfaction and obstructed her. They were disobedient in both political and corps management matters, repeatedly raising objections in an attempt to force her to step down.
But this marshal rose from a lowly soldier to the position of commander of a corps, so he was not someone to be trifled with.
She was swift and decisive, and ruthless in her methods. No one knows exactly what she did, but in just a few days, the former marshal's former subordinates all changed their tune and defected.
Decades ago, when the Federation's energy reserves were nearly exhausted, this marshal overruled objections and strongly supported the research institute and its development projects.
This is why Iset is widely used today, and it is said that Haite Energy also has her support behind it.
The energy shortage was thus resolved, and cleaner, more powerful alternatives were available. The federal people were very satisfied and held the marshal in even higher esteem.
In addition, this marshal reformed many unreasonable laws and regulations, and abolished many legitimate ways for old aristocratic families to gain greater benefits by exploiting the people.
She does not associate with any aristocratic families, and she commands the combat power of the First Legion herself. Most of her subordinates come from the First Legion.
These are his own soldiers, and they only follow the marshal's lead, not being wooed by any force.
The senators, who are mostly supported by powerful and established aristocratic families, are very dissatisfied with this.
Their influence is intertwined and profound, extending to various political fields and major industries.
Each side sought to maximize its own interests, creating a turbulent atmosphere within the federal government. Coupled with the influence of the marshal, who did not belong to any aristocratic family, a strange balance was achieved.
“As you all know,” Feng Lin took another sip of tea, put down her teacup, stood up, and placed her hands on the table, “the Tears of Hermes have been lost.”
It was as if a bomb had been dropped into the water. The once quiet council chamber was suddenly filled with noise, and everyone was whispering among themselves.
Hermes is a legendary ancient Greek god who ruled over commerce, tourism, and theft, and was skilled in sophistry and thievery.
The Tears of Hermes signify something false and unreal, a vessel with the power to steal.
The Federation named it after this, and it is currently the most advanced energy harvesting device, like stealing fire from the gods.
The extraction of this new energy source is extremely labor-intensive and time-consuming. It does contain many times more energy than traditional energy sources, and its energy consumption is extremely low.
But it is like the curse of the gods, Pandora's box, once opened it cannot be closed, and calamities are emanating from it.
During the first mining operation, almost the entire mining team perished. Although the Federation's higher-ups concealed this fact, the powerful clans were already aware of it, except for the common people. Some things couldn't be told, otherwise it would surely cause panic.
The research institute spent several months developing Hermes' Tears, which greatly reduced personnel losses in energy extraction.
Of course, although the Tears of Hermes was the first generation of artifacts, it only served a symbolic purpose. The research institute used it as a template to mass-produce artifacts, and there is no shortage of collectors now.
However, its symbolic significance is unparalleled; its disappearance is more like a provocation, a challenge to the ruling position of the federal leadership.
The Tears of Hermes were kept deep within a heavily guarded research institute, protected by various levels of encryption and multiple layers of defense.
Now it has vanished right under our noses. There must be insiders involved. Feng Lin has always known that these forces in the Federation want to devour and corrupt each other.
She had worked hard for many years, but she had only solved a part of the problems on the surface. The problems that were hidden in the shadows were too deeply concealed or infiltrated, and Feng Lin could not even detect them.
Fortunately, in recent years, everyone has been safe and sound and has maintained a superficial peace.
Unexpectedly, since the beginning of this year, there have been continuous riots at energy plants in various places, and various forces are also stirring up trouble, which is no longer a peaceful place. This is not a good sign.
Feng Lin had experienced war, and war is cruel; it can ruthlessly crush everything precious.
Life is like a bubble; it's so fragile that it bursts at the slightest touch in the face of a merciless killing machine.
She had been trying her best to avoid war, but if the plan she devised with that person failed, then an unprecedented war might break out in the near future.
Feng Lin smiled slightly, wrinkles rippled across her face. There was a scar at the corner of her left eye, just a hair's breadth away from her eyeball; any closer and she would be completely blind.
Even so, the lack of timely treatment on the battlefield led to a significant decline in vision.
But her insightful observations did not diminish in the slightest; instead, they became even more profound thanks to her rich life experience.
Feng Lin stood there, scanning the faces of everyone in the council hall, trying to find something different.
Everyone hid it well, their faces showing just the right amount of anxiety, worry, or something else.
Oh, even so, she still managed to find a few. Her eyes swept lightly over those people, and she secretly made a mental note of them.
"Knock knock!"
Feng Lin bent two fingers and tapped the table with his hard knuckles, producing two heavy sounds that immediately silenced the council chamber.
"Such a huge machine just vanished into thin air. I don't know what the guards at all levels were doing. The government allocates at least several hundred million star coins to the top every year to ensure that the latest weapons and the most perfect equipment are in the best condition."
"This incident is a provocation to us. It shows us that the Federation's military equipment is useless and the Federation's soldiers are cowards." Feng Lin was clearly smiling, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"I have already issued orders that at that time, personnel from all levels of the Inspectorate will accompany you to investigate this incident. I hope that you will not conceal anything."
Like a stone thrown into the water, the news spread throughout the capital planet in just half a day, reaching all the major noble families and nobles. After all, they were all in the Senate and had their own people there.
The Inspectorate is directly under the Marshal, and regardless of rank, it can directly investigate and handle cases.
This matter has far-reaching implications; the research institute goes without saying, everyone involved is implicated. In addition, various security personnel responsible for security checks and leaders will be subject to thorough investigation.
Note that the investigation is merely a starting point; the Marshal was investigating much more than just this matter.
In recent years, the marshal has gradually relaxed his control over his subordinates and turned a blind eye to some cases of corruption and bribery, making them think that the marshal was planning to collude with them.
But they never expected that this was where they were waiting. News had come from inside that this would be a major upheaval and a complete overhaul.
We need to consider cultivating new candidates again; the previous batch is completely useless.
These upheavals, enough to overturn the Federation's top leadership, were quietly unfolding, completely unknown to PL, a planet located in a remote star system.
On Planet PL, it was midnight. Pei Qing pretended to be conflicted for a while, but not for too long, since she was genuinely curious.
She got up and went downstairs; the door opened with a press of the button.
After she left, the door opened again.
Gu Fei had been waiting downstairs for a long time. When he saw Pei Qing come out, he walked over with a smile and said, "Actually, you didn't have to wait until now. You could have just come with me directly, it wouldn't have been a problem."
Pei Qing's lips twitched, she rolled her eyes at him, speechless. What? Was she going to announce to the entire intergalactic world that there was an improper relationship between the two of them?
It's enough to know this yourself; why tell others?
"You're just hoping that the so-called gift you brought will satisfy me, otherwise I'll definitely turn around and leave," Pei Qing said with a forced smile.
“Of course, if the master is not satisfied, then punish me as you see fit.” Gu Fei opened the car door and made an inviting gesture.
“What punishment? It’s clearly a reward…” Pei Qing muttered to herself as she got into the car. “What rose field? It’s so far away, we have to take a car to get there.”
“My room is right in the middle of that rose field. The scenery there is beautiful; I’m sure you’ll love it,” Gu Fei said, keeping her in suspense instead of answering immediately.
Pei Qian stopped talking and began to close her eyes to rest. Since leaving the hospital, perhaps due to sufficient nutrition, her body was much better than before, and she could clearly feel that her mental strength had stabilized considerably.
However, her condition has been declining these past few days. I wonder what kind of medicine the hospital is administering that is so effective. Does she need to go to the hospital every day to supplement her nutrition?
Putting aside the money issue, the time it takes is enormous. She doesn't have that much time to waste, and it's not like it's going to endanger her life anyway, so let's just leave it at that.
Of course, money is something I can't let go of.
After driving for five minutes, the car slowly came to a stop. Pei Qing got out of the car and exclaimed in amazement at the boundless field of fiery red roses in front of her, "It's so big!"
"Such a large rose field, how much money must it have cost!"
Gu Fei walked to his side and said quietly, "The annual maintenance cost will probably be tens of millions."
"So expensive? Is this rose made of gold?" Pei Qing turned to look at him suspiciously.
“If that’s the case, then it’s more like it. These roses are much more valuable than gold,” Gu Fei said, stepping forward and picking a brightly blooming rose, which he then handed to Pei Qing.
"There are tens of thousands of roses here, which can be said to be the best variety in the intergalactic world. Their value is far beyond what money can measure."
Pei Qing took the rose, her fingertips gently tracing the deep red petals. The petals were of just the right thickness, delicate and silky, feeling like the finest velvet.
With a gentle press of the finger, the petals broke open, and juice seeped out.
The pale red juice flowed down his fingertips, dripped into the hollow of his wrist, and then dripped into the soil, creating two small pits.
Pei Qian casually tossed the tattered rose into the rose garden, watching it disappear into the lush rose bushes.
In a few days, it will become nourishment for the garden, and together with the naturally withered flowers, it will nourish the beautiful blooms again, in a continuous cycle.
“Come on, let’s go inside and take a look. My house is right here, and you can enjoy the most beautiful view in the whole garden from the window.”
"Now, please open this gift yourself."
Gu Fei silently walked up behind Pei Qing, put his arm around her neck, and intimately entwined and caressed her, his hands wandering around restlessly.
Pei Qian grabbed the man's hand, which was groping her and then slipping away like it was in a lawless place. "So eager?"
Gu Fei's face was flushed, her dark green eyes were misty, and tears of reason wet her eyelashes.
Feeling the warmth behind him, Pei Qing sighed inwardly. In just a short while, he had actually gotten up on his own...
"Aren't we supposed to open the gifts? Then it's best to do it yourself."
Pei Qing led Gu Fei to the bed, hoping to work in a more comfortable environment if possible.
As for whether Gu Fei likes it or not? Who cares.
The man lay face down on the bed, breathing rapidly. Pei Qing turned him over; his well-fitting suit jacket had already been removed during their earlier encounter.
Gu Fei craned his neck, searching for her face, and was about to lean in to kiss her when Pei Qing frowned slightly and turned her head away.
He wasn't angry; he simply rubbed his wet face against Pei Qing's, smearing her face with sticky saliva.
"Ugh, that's disgusting!"
Pei Qing disgustedly wiped her face with the expensive suit jacket next to her, trying to get rid of the sticky feeling.
It's really strange, why does Gu Fei seem to be on some kind of drug every day, excited for no apparent reason?
Pei Qian violently tore open his shirt, revealing two shiny silver rings standing there, boldly and prominently displayed.
She gave it a mischievous tug, and then sensed that Gu Fei became even more excited.
Pei Qian moved her finger down, and a clinking sound of metal objects rang out. She raised the corners of her mouth, determined to see what this thing was today.
As soon as she peeled it open, Pei Qing was dumbfounded. She had only ever seen this kind of thing inside certain indescribable things.
Gu Fei is really something else. She doesn't even know how to describe it. For someone to be this crazy, it can only be described as a talent.
She tugged at the cage-like thing and asked curiously, "You've been wearing this thing for the past few days, so how do you go to the toilet?"
"Phew... There's a hole at the very top. When you go to the toilet, you use a tube to guide..."
"So much trouble, you're really amazing." Pei Qing's lips twitched as she looked at the thing sitting pitifully in the iron cage and gave a fake compliment.
"Hmm, where are the holes?"
Pei Qing examined it carefully and found that the iron cage was absolutely airtight, with no extra space at all, and he couldn't even see the hole that Pei Qing had mentioned earlier.
"Phew... because, because there's something blocking this machine right now... the mechanism is in a closed state..."
Gu Fei's upper body was hunched over, his fingers gripping the bed sheet tightly, and the veins on his forehead were bulging, as if he was enduring great torment.
That makes sense; spending so much time in such a small cage, any slight disturbance would naturally be torture.
"How do you open this?" Pei Qing tried to figure it out by fiddling with it, but couldn't.
"Hey, what's this?" Pei Qing narrowed her eyes; she seemed to have discovered something very interesting.
A sharp, silver object was sticking out from the top of the cage; no wonder he looked so uncomfortable—it was because of this thing.
But she clearly remembered that the sharp metal object wasn't in this state just now; it was protruding on its own now.
Pei Qing raised her hand and pressed the thing down again. Sure enough, Gu Fei bounced violently a few times, like a shrimp suddenly thrown into hot oil, his face turning red and white.
"Well then, I'd really like to see how you do it yourself,"
Pei Qian sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, leisurely watching the person who lay limp on the bed like a lump of mud.
"Could you also teach me how to open this gift?"
Gu Fei struggled to sit up and leaned against the headboard. His hands trembled as he reached out with difficulty towards the iron cage, touched the silver tip, and slowly pulled it out a little.
Pei Qing then noticed that the back of the silver tip was inlaid with a fiery red gemstone.
The man gently rotated the top of the gemstone, pulling it out little by little, but he was too slow, and after a long time he had only managed to pull it out a few centimeters.
Seeing that he was struggling to pull it, Pei Qing couldn't help but want to 'kindly' help him. She stretched out her hand and smiled innocently, "I'll help you."
"...No, no need...no...I can do it myself..."
Gu Fei's voice was weak, and his fingers were outstretched, indicating a very hesitant refusal.
Unfortunately, Pei Qing took that slight refusal as an invitation. "Alright, since you've asked, I'll help you out," she said to herself.
Pei Qing pressed the large iron cage down, and Gu Fei's hand lightly rested on her arm, trying to stop her, but of course, it was destined to be in vain.
"Hmm!"
Pei Qing suddenly pulled, and the silver substance that seemed to be embedded in the flesh was abruptly pulled out.
The man's body stiffened, as if he hadn't yet reacted, and his physiological functions hadn't kicked in.
A few seconds later... Gu Fei's upper body tensed up...
Fortunately, Pei Qing had realized what was happening and pulled the blanket over herself; otherwise, she would probably be the one facing disaster now.
"What should I do? The whole bed is stained..."
Pei Qian picked up the scattered drops and smeared them on the man's handsome face, her slender fingers brushing over his high nose.
Gu Fei subconsciously looked up.
"Good boy," Pei Qing patted his head like petting a pet, and then smeared the mixed mess of other things on his collar.
“Yes, we can go outside… to that flower field…” Gu Fei said haltingly, his voice coming out in a breathy voice.
"That's good, otherwise such a beautiful view would go to waste if no one appreciates it."
Pei Qing nodded, pulled out his belt, and kicked the man down.
"Then we'll have to trouble you, Young Master Gu."
"I crawled over there."
She swung the belt in her hand, striking the man's back with perfect accuracy.
"Yes, Master..."
Gu Fei struggled to his feet, supporting his heavy body, and crawled out.
With a creak, Pei Qing pushed open the door.
A crescent moon hung in the deep blue sky, which stretched to the horizon. A few scattered stars lingered in the corners of the sky, their faint light making them appear particularly lonely.
The silvery-white moonlight gently spilled onto the vast flower fields, and the night was as cool as water.
A gentle breeze blew by, and the deep red roses swayed in the breeze.
Glistening dewdrops adorned the vibrant rose petals, each one glistening and otherworldly. Like spirits of the rainy night, they seemed to be singing praises to the beauty of the evening.
Gu Fei crawled on his knees on the ground, while Pei Qing occasionally raised his whip and followed behind, swaying as they entered the flower field.
Finally reaching their destination, the man collapsed weakly into the rose bushes. The sharp thorns of the roses mercilessly pierced his skin, staining his pale, lifeless body with a touch of red.
The thorns of the roses scratched his body, but he didn't care. He smiled and opened his arms as if to embrace something.
A large area of the rose bushes collapsed.
"Whoosh—"
That's the sound of a large rose bush breaking.
Amidst the rose bushes, waves of vibrant color surged forth, the ethereal sounds of clouds mingling with the wind, carried far and wide.
A pair of eyes were quietly watching everything that was happening.
He clutched several roses tightly in his hands, the thorns digging deep into his palms, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, his face expressionless.
The chaotic, layered sea of deep red flowers stung his eyes, and he abruptly closed them, only to involuntarily open them again.
Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the vibrant red rose petals, both stained with deep brown mud, creating a strikingly alluring effect…
The man seemed to have noticed something, and casually glanced towards the end of the sea of flowers.
He saw a pair of eyes that were very similar in color to his own.
He smiled, put his arm around the woman's shoulder tightly, and gave her a silent glance.
Those yellowish-green eyes narrowed, flashing with panic, fear, and hatred—he'd been discovered! No, he'd always known he was here!
All of this, from beginning to end, was meant to be seen by him.
He couldn't bear to look any longer, so he threw down the roses that had pierced his palm and ran away.
As the moon gradually disappears and the morning light rises, hundreds of broken roses form a bed, tossing and turning repeatedly, leaping into pleasure.
The next morning, Pei Qing arrived at the restaurant and looked at the steaming food on the table and the empty table, feeling somewhat dazed.
Why is everyone still asleep?
She's been working all night, and everyone's up by now. It's already 10 o'clock; surely no one is still asleep.
"Aunt Zhang, where have your two young masters gone?"
"Yes, Ms. Pei, the young master has already gone to the capital for treatment, and the second young master has also left due to an urgent matter at his company," Aunt Zhang replied, bowing as she set out the dishes.
"No, okay." Pei Qing was still a little confused. She picked up her chopsticks and put a crystal-clear shrimp dumpling into her mouth. Hmm, Aunt Zhang's cooking is still so delicious.
Why are they all leaving in such a hurry? She wouldn't believe it if you said nothing happened. And especially Gu Fei, who came all this way back; surely it wasn't just to have a one-night stand with her?
You can't believe a single word this person says.
What is it that she doesn't know?
After dinner, Pei Qing skillfully pulled Ye Ling out of the blacklist, expertly checked the messages, found nothing important, and expertly finished her perfunctory reply.
Judging from his schedule, he should arrive today.
“Ms. Pei, this is something the second young master asked me to give you.”
Pei Qing was leisurely eating fruit on the sofa when Aunt Zhang took out a box and handed it to her.
Pei Qing took it with a puzzled look. Why wasn't it given to her last night when she was supposed to receive something?
She opened the box and was shocked to find two potions inside, glowing with a pale blue light.
“I set? Complex gene-modifying agent?” Pei Qing picked up the instruction manual that was placed aside and read it word by word.
Gene therapy? Didn't the federal system ban its production many years ago? I heard it was a big deal back then, and it was banned by the higher-ups, with the lower-level people completely unaware.
However, she discovered this while browsing unscrupulous marketing accounts on the internet when she was bored. Some of the marketing accounts' claims were true, while others were false, but one thing was true: gene-enhancing drugs had been off the market for over a decade, and many of those that were previously selling them openly had now fallen silent.
The official media at the time did seem to have reported on this matter several times, and there was a lot of data, side effects, and so on, described in great detail, but it was too long, and she was too lazy to read it.
No one knows exactly what happened back then. Gene drugs, as the name suggests, must be related to genes. They have different effects such as inhibition and promotion. However, it is said that they were banned because of unknown ingredients and excessive side effects. In fact, they are also a type of medical product.
Where does Gu Fei find so many contraband items every day? But considering his identity, it's not surprising.
However, why Aunt Zhang specifically instructed that she keep these two vials of medicine for herself remains to be investigated.
Could he really be some important person? He'd been in a welfare center for over a decade; had he suddenly come of age? All his wealthy relatives had come looking for him, so why didn't they just come and pick him up directly?
Pei Qing slapped herself. Okay, that's the end of my daydreaming.
I set, that name sounds familiar. It seems that Haite Energy Corporation mainly produces this. Isn't this thing mainly used as a functional substance and applied to mechs and other machines? How come gene serums can also add this?
Wait a minute, why do I feel like I've seen something similar somewhere before? Like in a hospital.
The first few times the doctor brought her the nutrient solution, it was normal. But the later times, the nutrient solution seemed to get bluer and bluer, until it was almost as blue as the gene-editing drug.
If the concentration of color represents the concentration added by I set, then the concentration of these two potions is quite high. Looking at the rich blue color, Pei Qing seemed to be deep in thought.
It's best not to touch things of unknown origin easily; the whole thing still feels very suspicious.
Pei Qing ultimately decided to bring the box with her. It wasn't that she was overthinking it; lately, more and more strange things were happening, and her own strange constitution seemed to be guiding something.
However, she herself was kept in the dark. Everyone around her seemed to know something, but no one told her anything, yet it didn't seem like they were hiding anything from her.
The mystery grew ever larger, and Pei Qing's head began to throb again as she stared at the blue potion.
The instruction manual I just read seemed to mention my symptoms. Could it be that I have some kind of genetic disease I've never seen before, and I need to be treated with gene therapy? It's not impossible.
No medicine is cheap. Even the most common cell regeneration medicine can be sold for tens of thousands of star coins, and that's for the least effective kind.
The medical market has very strict controls over this.
Pei Qing picked up the box and went back to her room, tidied up her small package, and stuffed it inside.
Behind all of this, it seems, there is an invisible hand driving things forward, and Pei Qing herself has been swept up in this surging tide without even realizing it.
But life goes on no matter what.
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