Chapter 48
The morning light filtered through the observation windows of the medical cabin, casting dappled shadows on the metal floor. Wen Ling awoke to the rhythmic ticking of instruments and found Miao Weizhen standing at the medical table as usual, carefully adjusting the monitoring equipment.
"The wound healing rate is 15% slower than expected," Miao Weizhen said without looking up, his fingertips sliding rapidly across the data pad. "From today onwards, the intensity of rehabilitation training will be increased to 120% of the original plan."
Wen Ling propped herself up with her arms and sat up, feeling a faint pain in her injured right leg. "Is this your unique way of caring?"
"This is necessary to ensure you don't die from lack of stamina during your next operation."
Miao Weizhen's tone was calm, but when he turned around to get his training equipment, Wen Ling noticed that he had deliberately adjusted the angle of the equipment to avoid letting the light shine directly into his eyes.
In the physical therapy area, Miao Weizhen oversaw every training exercise with near-rigorous precision. His instructions were concise and precise, as if he were training a delicate instrument. But when Wen Ling frowned slightly at a stretch that irritated her wound, Miao Weizhen would immediately pause the timer and calmly adjust the training plan. This meticulous attention to detail, hidden beneath a cold exterior, was more heart-wrenching than any outward expression of concern.
During a break in training, Ah Yuan walked in, carrying a newly developed nutrient supplement. The fluorescent orchids she cultivated were now blooming throughout the base, their pale blue light adding a touch of life to the cold metal space.
"This is a nutrient supplement extracted from a new type of fluorescent orchid," she said with a smile. "Old Lin said it reminded him of the specialties he tasted at the Sailiang border before the war."
Miao Weizhen took the nutrient solution, tasted it himself first, and then passed it to Wen Ling after confirming that the temperature was appropriate.
In the afternoon, Luo Yan hurried into the training room, a look of unusual anxiety on his face. "Minister, the Federation has made a breakthrough in their gravitational weapon research. They've successfully created a small gravitational singularity."
Everyone immediately moved to the newly discovered crystal cave. This naturally formed space had been transformed into the base's core command area. The crystals on the cave walls emitted a soft glow, illuminating everyone's face with exceptional clarity.
The data displayed on the holographic projection was shocking: the Federation's next test would be conducted in seventy-two hours, and the resulting space shocks could trigger a chain reaction in the star debris belt.
Miao Weizhen stood before the projection, his face looking exceptionally stern under the crystal light. His fingertips tapped lightly on the console, producing a rhythmic, soft sound.
"We can exploit their technological flaws." His voice was eerily calm. "We can arrange a perfectly timed 'accident'."
After the meeting, Miao Weizhen left Wen Ling alone. In the deepest part of the crystal cave, he activated an encrypted projection. The image showed an ancient Sailiang building, its stone walls covered with the marks of time.
"The Imperial Secret Archives." Miao Weizhen's voice was low. "We believe it contains the key to anti-gravity weapons."
Wen Ling carefully studied the building's structural diagram: "This place has been completely blocked since the coup."
"So a special method is required to enter." Miao Weizhen took out an ancient badge engraved with the coat of arms of the Sailiang royal family. "Use this to activate the royal secret passage."
Even Wen Ling had never seen this badge, but Miao Weizhen obtained it through secret means.
When Wen Ling took the badge, his fingertips accidentally brushed against Miao Weizhen's palm. At that moment, he clearly felt the other person's fingers tremble slightly.
"You planned all this a long time ago." Wen Ling said softly.
"From the day you were injured," Miao Weizhen's voice remained calm, but the complex emotions that flashed in his eyes betrayed him, "I can no longer let you face the federal artillery directly."
As night fell, Miao Weizhen brought Wen Ling to a secluded corner of the Crystal Cave Academy, which had been transformed into a comfortable resting space, with specially crafted lounge chairs fashioned in the shape of natural crystals.
"Lao Lin has tested it and found that the crystals here have special healing frequencies." Miao Weizhen gestured for Wen Ling to sit on a recliner, and he sat in the adjacent seat.
Wen Ling leaned back in her chair, feeling the comfort brought by her surroundings. "You haven't been getting enough sleep lately."
This wasn't speculation, but a firm statement. Even though Miao Weizhen always maintained perfect composure in front of outsiders, Wen Ling could read the carefully concealed fatigue in the subtle wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the occasional slowdown in his speech.
"The Federation's movements require round-the-clock monitoring." Miao Weizhen downplayed it, but his slightly tightened jaw revealed the truth.
Wen Ling reached out and gently touched the crystal wall beside him, feeling the faint energy flowing through it. "Remember how you were when you were in the Sailiang Foreign Affairs Department? Always cool and calm, so unpredictable."
"It's the same now." Miao Weizhen tilted his head slightly, the light of the crystal flowing in his deep brown eyes.
"No." Wen Ling turned her head and looked him in the eyes. "You are more real now."
The cave fell into a brief silence, with only the subtle humming of the crystal echoing in the air. In this quiet moment, the emotions flowing between the two were more moving than any words could express.
When Wen Ling was about to leave, Miao Weizhen suddenly spoke, his voice so low that it almost blended into the hum of the cave: "Remember, I want you to come back intact."
This sentence was said very simply, but it carries more weight than any oath.
Just as Wen Ling was preparing for the mission, Lao Lin quietly found him and handed him a modified communicator.
"This is modified from ancient crystal," the old technician said gruffly. "The signal is more stable and safer." Luo Yan prepared detailed intelligence about the surrounding area of the archives for him, with every possible danger point clearly marked in red. A Yuan even prepared a first aid kit filled with her latest medical supplies.
These seemingly ordinary preparations all reveal the care and concern of their companions. In this dangerous and chaotic world, they have long become each other's most solid support.
Far away in the Federation Research Station on the other side of the Star Debris Belt, Lei Huan stood before a monitoring screen, staring at the base's energy readings. A cold smile played at the corner of his mouth, and his fingers tapped lightly on the console:
"It's time to end this charade, my dear Minister."
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