Shafulai was a little surprised and turned around to follow him.
Father said he wanted to show him something at this critical moment. Could it be related to Moonlight? Father knew about their last visit to Moonlight, but he never mentioned it. Could it be that he also knew in advance that they would be blocked outside by the gate?
During the not-particularly long journey, Shaflay had a lot of random thoughts.
Yes, Marshal Chen Wei and my father were close friends back then, and they even decided on his engagement with Chen Ci together. The Marshal must have told my father all the secrets he knew.
The Emperor did not take Shaflay to his study, but directly to his bedroom.
Shaflay stepped in and saw a woman in a dark green dress sitting at the table, sipping scented tea. Her blonde hair was tied up behind her head, her blue eyes were as clear as a girl's, and her skin and figure were well maintained.
It was the current Empress, Shaflay's mother, quantum physicist and astronomer Karina Rostova.
Karina usually likes to stay in the laboratory and do her own research. She rarely even participates in major banquets among the nobles. She concentrates on her career and was once regarded as a role model among Omegas by all walks of life.
She had been observing at the Southern Observatory in Cerro Paranal, Chile, for the last few months and had come back unexpectedly.
"Mom, when did you come back?"
Shafley sat down next to his mother. It was funny that he was already 25 years old, but he was still used to being close to his mother.
Karina put down her teacup gracefully. "Last night, I heard that you were going to Moonlight, and I wanted to see you before that."
Shafley: "...It's as if I can't take back what I said."
Karina glared at Shaflay, the emperor sitting on her other side.
This is a scene that Shaflay is very familiar with. He grew up in the palace under the watchful eyes and company of his parents.
It was August, but the fire was still burning in the fireplace, and Shaflay couldn't help but take a second look.
Karina poured him a cup of tea: "You've been busy lately, right?"
Shafley: “Not bad.”
Karina laughed. "He has to help Chen Ci cover up, fall in love, attend classes, handle affairs, and maintain procedures. Is that all right? It seems my son is also a master of time management."
Shafley was not surprised. His mother, who had been working away from home, also heard the details: "It's all your good genes. But I've basically turned down all my government affairs in the past few days and am concentrating on preparing to go to Moonlight."
Karina: "Go with Chen Ci and Chen Nian, and be sure to be safe. Ah, come to think of it, I haven't seen the child yet."
Shafley: "You can see him anytime you want. He's been painting in his bedroom these days, but I think he's a little nervous."
"Then let's wait for you to come back. Don't let this matter affect your departure."
Karina paused and sighed, "Back then I blamed your father for getting you involved in this matter."
Back then? Shafley immediately realized that his mother was referring to his engagement with the Chen family.
On the surface, this marriage contract bound the Chen family to the royal family, making the two Chens, who had special blood, subject to the royal family.
But if you look at it from another perspective, Shafla was also forced to participate in a series of major events related to moonlight.
If there had not been this engagement, Shaflay and Chen Ci might have only met each other a few times, and naturally there wouldn't have been so many stories that followed.
Karina: "Anyway, you're going there anyway, and there are some things I have to explain to you in advance. I want to see my son come back safe and sound."
Shafley turned his gaze to his father, who took out a stack of papers from under the table and placed them in front of Shafley.
"Take your time and read it."
Shafley raised his head subconsciously, and heard his father say in a deep voice: "Don't worry, all the devices that may be monitored by the beacon have been removed."
Shaflay nodded. As the real protector of cinnabar for decades, his father's ability was much better than his. His rich work experience could not be replaced by mere talent.
The words on the thick stack of papers were all handwritten, and the notes were obviously from his father.
There is so much content, I don’t know how long it took me to finally finish writing it.
Shaffley suddenly thought of the top-secret files that he and Chen Ci had used the authority of the Elector and the Crown Prince but had not been able to find. Perhaps the real secret was not stored in the database, but in his father's mind.
This is the safest and most secluded place.
The beacons' words "be careful" echoed in Shaffley's mind, and it seemed that his father had also noticed this.
Shafley calmed himself down and carefully read the manuscript that his father had spent several months writing.
The young Alpha's brows gradually wrinkled. Opposite him, the Emperor and the Empress lowered their eyes and sipped their tea. They both tacitly kept silent so as not to disturb their eldest son who was concentrating on thinking hard.
Twenty minutes later, Shafley had finished reading the entire thing.
He took a deep breath, stood up the papers on the table and rearranged them, his violet eyes full of complexity.
"dad--"
"No need to say anything, just go do your thing." The emperor said calmly, "I just hope these things can be of some help to your next journey."
"Okay." Shafley nodded, "Then these things..."
"Burn it."
Shafley got up and walked to the fireplace, and finally realized why it had to be lit.
He silently recalled everything he had just seen, making sure he had memorized every detail, and then threw all the manuscripts into the fireplace.
The flames licked the paper, and the words turned into black ash and disappeared without a trace in the crackling sound.
The Emperor and Empress stood up and each gave Shaflay a hug.
Shafley's father patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go and get busy. We'll be waiting for you to come back."
"Yeah, I'll be back."
After leaving the bedroom, Shafley stood in the corridor, looking out the window at the courtyard, silent for a long time.
A few minutes later, he remembered that he was supposed to check on the team, sent a message to the officer saying he might be late, and started walking again.
Chen Ci and Chen Nian were sitting on the bed, making final preparations.
They took off their shirts, revealing the moon birthmarks on their shoulders. The dark crescent looked no different from usual.
If Chen Nian had not seen it shining on Chen Ci's shoulder with his own eyes, he would not have believed such nonsense as the seal.
Chen Nian reached out and gently touched the birthmark on Chen Ci's shoulder. The skin felt delicate and soft, just like his own, but touching someone else was much more stimulating than touching oneself.
When Chen Nian's dishonest hand tried to move downwards, Chen Ci realized his true intention and slapped his brother's hand away.
Chen Nian: “Hehe.”
The black hair was tidied at the tip of his ear, and there was a smile in his amber eyes. The younger brother was always mean to his older brother, but why not? It wouldn't affect anything.
They exude the same light scent of tuberose, and different Alphas have kissed and licked the glands on the back of their necks, blending their own scent into it.
The skin, which is always covered by clothes and away from the sun, is tight and warm.
Chen Ci took a deep breath, and they looked at each other as if they were looking into a mirror.
Chen Nian changed the subject tactfully, as if nothing had happened before: "I hope there won't be any problems this time, so we can go in smoothly and end everything."
Chen Ci: “Yes.”
Chen Ci is neither an optimist nor a pessimist. He only thinks from a realistic perspective in the most rational and coldest way.
But since he recovered from his emotional recovery, the situation has changed slightly. He also hopes that everything will go well so that Fu Tianhe can recover.
"You have to have a good meal tonight. You may not be able to have a good meal when the moon is bright."
As Chen Nian wished, they had a big dinner tonight. The four of them treated it as the final relaxation, eating and chatting, and before they knew it, it was already past nine o'clock.
With the idea that this might be his last meal, Chen Nian drank a lot of wine and enjoyed himself while he could. This way, even if something unexpected happened in the moonlight, he wouldn't have too many regrets.
No matter how much the boy could drink, he couldn't stop drinking in such a wild way, and he gradually became drunk.
Shafley half-carried and half-embraced Chen Nian back home. In the corridor, he made an appointment with Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe to meet again tomorrow morning, then he pushed the door and walked into his room.
Chen Nian was not drunk to the point of being unconscious. He was more like taking advantage of the alcohol to go crazy towards Shafulai. There was a gleam of light in his narrowed eyes, and his fingers were deliberately rubbing the Alpha's arm through a thin layer of clothing.
No matter from which angle you look at him, he is a charming and attractive young man.
"If you drink so much, what if you wake up with a headache tomorrow?"
"No... I know what I'm doing."
Chen Nian's face was flushed, and every breath she took was filled with the smell of alcohol, mixed with the sweetness of tuberose.
For a moment, Shafla couldn't even tell whether the pervasive smell in the air came from the wine Chen Nian drank or the sherry pheromones he was emitting.
You don't need to look to know that the tattoo on Chen Nian's lower abdomen must be bright in color at this moment.
Schafflet had created the marks with his fingers, lips, tongue, and other more extreme tools.
They will set off tomorrow, and Shaffley is not sure whether it is appropriate to go through it again tonight, but it is obvious that the Omega is looking forward to more intimate contact.
Shafley took two seconds to think, and finally decided not to be so rational.
It just so happened that the inside of Moonlight was the birthplace of Ashes, and he and Chen Nian had some in-depth exchanges and were able to gain corresponding immunity.
After weighing the pros and cons, it's easy to make a choice.
The heartbeat on the right side can be clearly felt in the palm of his hand. The gradually rising temperature, the sweetness in the breath, and the deliberate tone when acting coquettishly always easily touch the softest part of his heart.
This was the lover he would deliberately make petty, so vivid, so lively, that Shafley suspected for the umpteenth time today that what he had read in his father's manuscript that morning was actually fake.
Whether it is true or false, nothing will change.
He will try his best to keep Chen Nian in his hands.
On the other side of the wall, Chen Ci walked into the bathroom and took a bath before going to bed as usual.
Fu Tianhe also drank some wine. Under the influence of alcohol, he was much braver than usual. Just as Chen Ci was about to close the door, he squeezed in through the gap and stood behind the young man.
Chen Ci turned around to look at him, and as soon as their eyes met, he understood what Fu Tianhe wanted to do.
He glanced at the terminal on his wrist. It was half past nine. After another hour of rest, he would still be able to sleep for a long time.
Fu Tianhe reached into his trouser pocket and took out the injection that he had placed there in advance.
Chen Ci took it, lowered his eyes, undressed Fu Tianhe's shirt, and injected the Alpha contraceptive pill into his arm.
On a clear morning, a team of more than 120 people set out from the top of Cinnabar and took a flying vehicle to the long-sealed Greenland Snow Plateau, where they will explore the collapsed moonlight.
Chen Nian leaned against the porthole, looking at the vast white clouds and undulating mountains below.
Today is a rare sunny day on the snowy plateau. The sunlight shines on the ice, reflecting an extremely dazzling light, like a sword of light piercing straight into the eyes, stinging the pupils.
You'll have to wear goggles when you land, otherwise it would be terrible if you get snow blindness.
As they approached the moonlight, many aircraft began to slow down and reduce their altitude.
The red dot on the map representing their location overlapped with the place they had been to. Chen Nian rested his forehead against the glass and tried his best to see. Their footprints and traces of camping had been smoothed over by the wind and snow, and the urinary pit must have disappeared long ago.
The gray-black building lay on the ice field. Before this, Chen Nian had always thought that it was just a pile of ruins. But when he saw it with his own eyes, he realized that everything was so exquisitely designed as if it had been calculated.
It is not dead, but crawling and curling up its body, resting in secret.
The aircraft landed outside the gate. Dozens of small aircraft landed like black birds, leaving "footprints" on the snow.
Well-trained special forces members dressed in protective clothing walked out of the cabin, loaded with live ammunition, with masks covering their faces, revealing only their eagle-like sharp eyes.
Fu Tianhe made sure that his equipment was properly worn for the last time, and heard Chen Ci beside him whisper, "If you feel uncomfortable, be sure to tell me immediately. I will always stay by your side."
"good."
During the process of finalizing the plan, Shaffley originally wanted to let Fu Tianhe stay. After all, he was directly lured into a serious condition by Ashes last time and his life was in danger. Even with biological factor reagents and artificial eyes, it is hard to say that he is absolutely safe.
But Fu Tianhe disagreed no matter what.
After going through so much hardship, they are finally going to explore the final secret, how can they not take him with them!
Besides, he has to accompany September. Chen Nian has Shafulai to accompany her. If September is alone, she will be very lonely. If something serious happens, there will be no one to help.
Although it is also possible that something happened to him and September helped him.
Chen Ci was also reluctant. The main purpose of his trip was to find a way to cure Ashes for Fu Tianhe. No matter the truth or his life experience, they had to be put aside in front of Alpha's life.
What if there is really a cure in the moonlight, but it is inconvenient to carry it? Let Fu Tianhe follow, so that he can take it as soon as possible.
Chen Nian understood that both sides had their reasons. Shafley was more cautious, while Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe's reckless behavior was reasonable.
Finally, he patted Shafley's arm and said, "Let's go together. We have to bring the medical team anyway. If Fu Tianhe is not in good condition, we can let him wait in the medical cabin."
Fu Tianhe took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated on feeling the inside of his body, the blood rushing in his veins, the beating organs in his chest and abdomen, the flesh attached to his bones, and the nerves connecting his entire body.
He could not sense the presence of any foreign objects, as if the luxuriantly growing purple crystals had completely disappeared due to the effects of surgery and medication.
But no one knows whether these existences that have been following him like a shadow and hidden in his body for sixteen years will suddenly explode and take his life at any moment.
The light scent of tuberose lingered around his nose. He absorbed a lot of sweetness from last night's tenderness. Even on the backs of their necks, there were still teeth marks that had not faded, tightly wrapped by protective clothing.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
Fu Tianhe felt more peaceful than ever before. He had reached the final step. With the support and company of so many people, what did he have to be afraid of?
If it weren't for September, perhaps months ago, Ashes would have pushed his prosthetic eye out in severe pain and itching, and died in the dark and low plastic shed in the dungeon.
Now every breath he takes, every second of his life, is a gift from fate.
Chen Ci opened the cabin door and stepped into the snow. The powdery dry snow made a slight squeaking sound on the soles of his shoes, and the wind made the air even drier.
Compared to last time, they really had a good time today.
The special forces members lined up neatly, and Shafley, their top commander, stood straight in front and saluted everyone.
"Everyone, ever since the Moonlight collapsed nineteen years ago and Marshal Chen Wei led the army to evacuate, no one has ever set foot in it again. Now all the clues indicate that the Moonlight was the source of Ahses's leak, and there is a high possibility that there is another hidden story behind it."
"We need to find out the real reason for the collapse and find a way to heal the Ashes."
"I was here once last month. Ashes has already broken through the outer wall and spread to the surrounding areas. The situation inside Moonlight must be even more serious. Everyone must protect themselves. If you find any danger of infection, evacuate immediately."
"The medical team will be stationed here. I hope there won't be any casualties in this operation and everyone can return safely."
The sound of salutes echoed in the hunting wind. Shafulai turned around. Chen Nian was infected by the solemnity of waiting and could not help but straighten his back and chest.
It's not like he had never seen Shafla training in the military academy before, and he even participated in it himself, being taught by Shafla how to use a sniper rifle.
But Alpha's dashing and heroic demeanor at that time was completely different from what it is now. No matter how gentle Shafuli was in private, he was still the real crown prince and the true superior if he could do whatever he wanted.
Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe walked around, observing the situation around them.
The surrounding terrain has changed slightly compared to the last time I came here. At first, Chen Ci thought it was caused by the wind and snow.
Later, he raised his head and kept changing the angle, and finally realized that a collapse had occurred somewhere dozens of meters away.
Dense purple crystals crazily occupied the outer wall, and from a distance they looked like rotten and smelly pieces of flesh from a dead steel monster.
After they left, the moonlight changed again. No one knew whether it was caused by the gate being triggered or by the attraction of Ashes in Fu Tianhe's body.
Fu Tianhe was also looking up at Zijing, and didn't feel uncomfortable for the time being.
He remembered that creatures such as birds would peck at the crystals and carry them to other parts of the world during their flight.
Judging from the current situation, it may not be long before there is news of another small-scale outbreak of Ashes.
The sound of talking came from the headset, the team was doing the final communication test.
The special forces will move with them and go deep into the Moonlight.
Chen Nian, Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe spent several days learning the terminology and how to use the professional equipment, and were equipped with weapons.
Chen Ci already knew how to use a gun, and Chen Nian had experience in the game, so under his guidance he applied it in real life, combined with his mental strength, and the effect was quite good.
The only real novice was Fu Tianhe. He had acquired powerful fighting skills from fighting since he was a child, and he could use anything he picked up as a cold weapon.
But they didn't know much about firearms, so under Shafla's personal guidance, they trained intensively for two days.
Chen Nian had nothing to do so he squatted aside and watched, taking the opportunity to take pictures and practice sketching. He also deliberately joked that now was the time for the two Alphas to put on their couple badges.
The couple badge that had been selectively forgotten by the two Alphas was brought up again, and it was impossible not to feel awkward.
But Chen Ci acted so calm from beginning to end, as if he didn't think there was any problem at all.
All in all, Fu Tianhe was a man of great talent. No Alpha could resist the temptation of heavy firepower. He studied under Shable and quickly mastered the art.
He had no mental strength and could not provide any support, so his accuracy was slightly inferior to the other three, but his fighting ability, which he had trained in wild fights, was comparable to that of Shafley, who was a regular student in the military academy.
"Okay, let's start." Shafulai came to the three of them.
Chen Ci and Chen Nian looked at each other, and the two brothers walked to the door.
The purple crystal that was originally attracted by Fu Tianhe quietly disappeared at some point, and the door still looked the same as it did at the beginning, with mysterious and complex patterns engraved on it, forming two half-moons that eventually merged into one.
Chen Ci took off his gloves, and for a moment, he began to worry, what if it still didn't work this time?
The boy took a deep breath and calmed down in an instant.
There won’t be any problem. Chen Niancong saw the light emanating from his shoulders with his own eyes, and he would not allow any problem to occur again.
The hands at 36 degrees Celsius were exposed to the air of minus ten degrees Celsius, and the heat was quickly lost. Chen Ci and Chen Nian counted down in a low voice.
"Three, two, one."
In the next second as the final countdown ended, both of them put their hands on the door at the same time.
Chen's thoughts are on the left, Chen's words are on the right.
When my palms touched the metal door, the cold instantly spread from my palms to my entire body. It was the coldness that had been frozen in the endless wind and snow for more than ten years.
However, soon, a strange feeling of warmth flowed along the nerves, paralyzing all the coldness.
Chen Ci felt a tingling pain emanating from the fingertips of his five fingers.
Blood flowed out from his fingertips, spreading silently along the lines under his fingertips.
Light.
This time Chen Ci finally saw it. A strong light penetrated the protective suit and burst out from his left shoulder, and also from Chen Nian's right shoulder.
As dazzling as the moon.
The bright red blood flowed, not freezing in the temperature of more than ten degrees below zero. It seemed to have life and maintained strong vitality, filling all the patterns on the door.
The blood finally gathered towards the center, as if attracted by some strange force, and flowed towards the other side, finally touching the tight door gap and the blood flowing from the other side.
The blood of the two brothers merged at this moment.
At the beginning of pregnancy, their blood mixed in the common placenta and flowed into each other's bodies through the umbilical cord, without distinction between you and me.
Those distant memories could not be perceived by a life that was still an embryo, but the wonderful feeling at this moment was so clear, as if in an instant, he was able to communicate with his brother's thoughts.
They should have been the two closest people in the world, but they were separated since childhood.
Completely different personalities, completely different experiences, fingerprints also change in acquired life.
But finally at this moment, they arrived at the door that was created for them.