Chapter 91
After much hesitation, Feng Ran ultimately decided not to bring Fran along. The team Luo Le was participating in was already short-handed; taking Fran along would only create more trouble. Leaving Chilia, she didn't go directly to Franklin but instead went to Laplace. The base she had established in Laplace had a well-equipped laboratory, prepared for her by Kobana. Moreover, gathering intelligence and transporting covert agents was much more convenient there; the alien crystal core that Hilde had dissected for her was also delivered there.
However, due to the unexpected discovery of a foreign virus, it was uncertain whether the crystal core was attached to any virus. As a result, the transportation of the foreign crystal core was changed to a route with fewer personnel, and the expected delivery time was delayed.
Orville departed later than Feng Ran. He was kept in the hospital for two days before being allowed to have the pins removed and be discharged. The things Feng Ran asked him to deliver were actually nothing special—just a batch of Class A protective suits and a new type of xenovirus inhibitor, to be sent to Franklin Star. Although they currently had no clue about the xenovirus, having protective measures was better than nothing.
As for what Orville would think and do after realizing the situation on Franklin Planet, that was beyond her consideration. She always wanted to give people a chance to prove themselves. Feng Ran was quite looking forward to seeing how Orville's unwavering sense of justice would turn after witnessing the darkness. It would be a kind of altruistic act to cruelly reveal the truth of the world to a naive idealist.
After the alien extermination operation in Black Hole No. 5 began, Shen Shiqian replaced Feng Ran's bodyguard with someone else, but Feng Ran was too lazy to explain to anyone that he was going to Laplace Star, so he kicked the new bodyguard aside and left.
But this touched a nerve with Shen Shiqian. Before she could even land, a communication request came her way. Feng Ran was used to being alone and didn't have the habit of reporting her actions to others. In fact, this time, the incident was so sudden that she hadn't even thought of a specific plan or how to tell others. But Shen Shiqian's surveillance of her only fueled her already irritable mood.
So she squinted and transferred the communication request into the holographic space.
At the temporary base of the distant Black Hole No. 5, Shen Shiqian saw the holographic request. Before he could even think, the button on the screen lit up green, automatically clicking "Agree." The security door to the command room locked automatically, and the ambient lighting from the holographic projection dimmed the entire space, leaving only a large screen emitting a soft white glow.
Feng Ran sat in the command chair in front of the screen, leaning lazily against the back of the chair and tilting his head to pick at the texture on the chair arm. He didn't give Shen Shiqian, who had suddenly entered, any glance. His indifference was accompanied by an indescribable sense of dominance.
The content filling the holographic space is entirely determined by the consciousness of the communication initiator, that is, the room owner. The originally empty command room was turned upside down by the lights after Shen Shiqian entered, and finally became so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
"Ranran, what's wrong..."
Feng Ran didn't speak. The footsteps grew closer until she gently bumped into Shen Shiqian's arms and was supported by him. The long-awaited embrace seemed to have a slightly murky smell.
The smells of blood, gunpowder, and dust, along with other lingering odors, mingled with slightly bitter pheromones, creating an eerily sexy atmosphere.
In absolute darkness, they couldn't even see each other. Feng Ran let him hold her, raised her head, and, based on her memory, reached out and placed her hand on Shen Shiqian's neck.
Feeling the slight trembling warmth in her palm, the enticing pheromones swirled uncontrollably around her, while Feng Ran's destructive urges slowly and calmly subsided. She released her hand, and the holographic world finally returned to brightness.
She pushed him to the ground, sat on Shen Shiqian's waist, her eyes slowly imprinting his expression, her face still showing lingering annoyance: "Stop doing things that annoy me like this, stay obediently at the war zone base, and wait for me to come find you, okay?"
Shen Shiqian paused for a moment, then gently and obediently twirled a strand of her hair that had fallen down: "I'm sorry, I was just worried about you. Why did you suddenly leave Qiliya? Did something happen?"
Feng Ran stared at him for a while before pulling him up from the ground. She nestled in his arms with her head down and replied with little enthusiasm, "There are some things to take care of." She then frowned and added, "But you're meddling too much, which is a bit annoying, so I've decided to teach you a lesson."
Shen Shiqian wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat and finally turned into a soft "hmm".
"Shen Shiqian, if I had told you about Project 4601 when I first questioned you, would you have chosen me again?"
The girl's dependent posture looked obedient and gentle. She tilted her head, her ear rubbing against Shen Shiqian's heart, and looked directly into Shen Shiqian's eyes.
"But this explanation sounds strange. I don't know why I'm so fixated on this. Is it because you're standing too high, so I'm always trying to reach you down? Or is it because you were the first person to affirm me, but in the end, you joined others in criticizing me, making me feel betrayed and resentful for a long time..."
"Burning!"
Shen Shiqian interrupted her softly.
"I will, Ranran. I've said it before, I'm not as noble as you think. I'm not so blindly loyal that I can forgive His Majesty's betrayal. I just chose to ignore it because of various concerns. I deceived myself into thinking that if I had a premonition in my heart, I could accept everything. I was naive and arrogant, to the point that I still feel a little ashamed when I recall my parents' faces."
"If it were me back then, facing the truth behind the world, I would have been so shocked that I would have abandoned those superficial positions without hesitation and chosen you, whom I believed was truly right. But now, I don't need you to do anything anymore. I will always stand by your side. You are my lifelong pursuit."
In fact, whenever Feng Ran heard Shen Shiqian say these words, he didn't feel particularly moved. Instead, his body warmed up on its own, his heart felt filled, and its function slowed down.
Feng Ran: "Is this absolutely true?"
Shen Shiqian looked directly into her eyes, his whole being plunged into that purple haze. He had no desires whatsoever, yet he inexplicably felt this person's heavy love, like honey flowing from a nest, sticky and clinging to his heart.
Feng Ran straightened up and kissed Shen Shiqian, lightly touching his chin like a dragonfly skimming the water. It was just a simple act of affection for someone who wasn't good at expressing their joy, but it made Shen Shiqian lower his head and kiss her back.
As the tongue slipped inside, Feng Ran felt the hand pressing hard on her waist. Her slow-moving heart suddenly trembled and her whole body went numb. She thought resignedly, "Fine, I'll let him have his way this time."
But she had very little patience. Not long after, she pinched Shen Shiqian's chest hard because she couldn't breathe. When they separated, Feng Ran felt that her eyes were still blurry.
Shen Shiqian's pained voice was ambiguous and melodious, and the pheromones surging from every corner of his body were entangling Feng Ran, as if he were trapped in a scorching swamp.
With a "crash," a connector component of the holographic projection device fell off, and the device system itself was overloaded and disconnected due to the excessive simulated mental power. Feng Ran was still sitting in the command chair when the sudden electrical noise startled her so much that her face turned pale. Her heart stopped for a moment before struggling back and forth in the void until the fresh air from the air purifier dried the thin layer of sweat on her body, making her shiver from the cold.
After the holographic communication was disconnected, it automatically switched to the terminal communication. On the projected screen, Shen Shiqian was dressed neatly, but his face was flushed and he was sitting with his legs crossed awkwardly.
Feng Ran slowly rubbed her temples, looking at them expressionlessly. It was as if she was experiencing the aftereffects of something withdrawal—sweetness, pain, anticipation, anxiety, desire, sorrow… The emotions that belatedly surged up made her particularly dissatisfied with the current sense of distance, but she was also caught in an uneasy state of gain and loss because of the troublesome alien virus.
She really should take some action, after all, the alien virus spread from i5926, which is the Fifth War Zone where Shen Shiqian is located. Shen Shiqian may also be infected and suffer from physical collapse. How long can a 3S-level physique withstand this kind of virus? Feng Ran did not want to study this question.
She only wanted to nip this possibility in the bud and maintain the absolute subordination between her and Shen Shiqian. She could not tolerate any betrayal caused by external factors.
She'll go crazy.
"Ranran?"
"Um?"
Feng Ran snapped out of her daze, and Shen Shiqian suddenly moved closer. His worried expression filled the entire screen, and she belatedly realized that she had accidentally torn the armrest of the chair, and her fingernail was also cracked and bleeding along the outer edge. Her expression probably wasn't very good either.
Shen Shiqian: "Is there anything that's bothering you?"
Feng Ran frowned and tore off the other half of her split nail. The stinging sensation at her fingertips pulled her out of her irritation slightly. She exhaled and took a moment to calm herself.
Feng Ran: "Because it was discovered on planet i5926, I have temporarily named it the MCVI-1 virus. Of course, viruses are also a type of organism, but the Empire's research on alien organisms is still limited to the common phylum Chordata. So, in theory, I shouldn't be concerned about this. But if I don't, then all of humanity will probably be wiped out due to the collapse of our immune system. Although the source of infection is within the war zone, thanks to the use of new inhibitors and the isolation and protection of mechs, there are currently no symptomatic cases in your army. The hardest-hit area is Franklin, which is not far from i5926."
Whether it's because Feng Ran is too naive and has always been oblivious, or because her inherently wicked personality makes her enjoy fooling others, she always drops bombshells during calm conversations, leaving the recipients dizzy and unable to keep up with her erratic thinking, sometimes even forcing them to question the authenticity of the world.
So the person taking a deep breath became Shen Shiqian. Fortunately, he had learned to unconditionally trust everything Feng Ran said and quickly pieced together the information according to her thoughts.
"Is the situation with this alien virus very serious?"
"It should be considered serious. There have already been more than thirty severe cases and deaths, but it's been kept under wraps and not reported. I guess Sena wants to wait for the news of the epidemic in the war zone to come out first before reporting it, and then say that Franklin's epidemic was caused by you guys. Oh, you should remember the banned drug that White Sand sold before, right? It was a temporary breakthrough drug made with alien plant ingredients. The potential side effect is that after the breakthrough, the values will drop not long after and then the patient will suffer from physical exhaustion. This virus is more troublesome, after all, it causes physical collapse. The cycle from infection to death is only about fifteen days, and alien organisms are almost inert to any drugs that are suitable for humans."
Feng Ran spoke casually, staring at his reddened fingertips, seemingly lost in thought. But Shen Shiqian was filled with unease. How could they dare to keep something like this a secret? How desperate must the people of the Empire, who were being held captive on Franklin Star, be?
Feng Ran suddenly looked up at him: "If I stood by and did nothing, would you be disappointed in me?"
Shen Shiqian said righteously, "Ranran, you didn't stand by and watch her die. The fact that you're willing to tell me this already shows your attitude. The empire is already lucky enough to have someone like you."
Feng Ran: "Hmph, sweet talk."
Shen Shiqian: "Is there anything I can do?"
Feng Ran: "Wait for me obediently."
Shen Shiqian: "Okay."
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