Chapter 19
On the current Ice Wasteland Planet, the research institute is one of the few areas with modern facilities.
The gray-white walls stand in the extreme cold, and reconnaissance planes patrol the sky day and night.
Imperial soldiers wearing polar suits and holding guns set up a human cordon around the area, and the exhaled air formed layer upon layer of white frost on their cold-proof masks.
Because of Jiang Yun's arrival, all the staff of the institute suspended their work.
Eugene, the institute's director, stood in front of the heavy alloy door, looking at the diplomat who always appeared in the conversation of the people of Olin with his cold and beautiful image walking towards him. He subconsciously adjusted the collar of his white coat.
Ian accompanied Jiang Yun to Eugene and began his usual lighthearted opening remarks: "Today is a rare good day. We gather here, we ignore our nationality, we..."
Lu Chao interrupted impatiently: "Let's go pick up my colonel dad."
Being publicly rebuked by a high school student, Ian not only did not get angry, but instead stepped aside sympathetically: "Then the rest is up to you, Dr. Eugene."
"Colonel Lu Huai's remains are kept underground on the first floor." Eugene said with caution, "Please follow me."
The institute has eight floors, three underground and five above ground. The lower you go, the higher the authority required to enter the area.
The elevator slowly descended toward the basement level. As everyone watched with bated breath, the indicator light flickered to "B1."
The space below the ground is cold, damp, and airtight. The pale light shines on the gray walls, creating an isolated and cold world.
After walking through the corridors and passing through the closed laboratories, Eugene finally stopped and said, "We're here."
This is an extremely empty laboratory.
Or perhaps it was because there were too few facilities inside that it seemed unusually empty.
The constant temperature system runs day and night, the white lights on the ceiling emit a dazzling light, and the tightly fitted safes are displayed one by one against the wall - that is where Lu Huai's relics are stored, and the two items that Ian used to negotiate with the alliance came from here.
In the middle of the laboratory is a device similar to a hibernation capsule.
It lay there out of place, its cabin made of special ice crystals emitting a faint blue glow.
The electronic device on the cabin made regular beeping sounds, just like the electrocardiogram monitor next to a hospital bed.
It’s a pity that this is not a hospital where there is still hope. The Alpha lying inside has no heartbeat anymore.
Lu Chao asked angrily, "Why on earth did you keep my father's body here?"
Eugene glanced at Lu Chao and said, "We've discovered that the special ice crystals on Ice Wasteland—the crystal cores—have an excellent preservative effect on corpses. Colonel Lu's body happened to land within the crystal core, and so it remains in the exact same condition it was in when he died seventeen years ago. You might not quite understand what I mean by 'exactly the same.' Even Colonel Lu's body temperature, after seventeen years of baptism, remains warm as it was right after his death thanks to the crystal core."
Jiang Yun's eyelashes trembled silently, so fast that it seemed like an illusion to others when they caught a glimpse of her.
"His body wasn't stiff, his pupils weren't dilated; he still had body temperature, his skin still glowed, as if he were asleep." Even Eugene, a native of Orin, couldn't help but sigh for the young and handsome colonel. "But he really—no longer has a heartbeat. Colonel Lu Huai's heartbeat has stopped forever since seventeen years ago."
Lu Chao suddenly opened his eyes wide and could no longer utter a word.
The boy, who was not yet sixteen, did not understand why he was so sad.
Their father's body was preserved so well that they would even be able to hold his calloused hands, touch his cheeks and forehead, and feel the last warmth of his life.
Isn't this a better thing compared to facing a cold corpse?
But why did he feel even worse?
Everyone fell silent.
Out of respect and reverence for Lu Huai, Eugene and Ian tacitly remained silent.
After waiting for a while, Eugene looked at Jiang Yun and asked, "Are you ready, Foreign Minister Jiang?"
In the room with a constant temperature system, Jiang Yun had taken off his cloak, but was still wearing black leather gloves.
There was a calm indifference between his delicate eyebrows and eyes, and there was not a trace of emotion on his fair and flawless face.
As Colonel Lu's widow, his tone was still cold, even nonchalant: "Anytime."
"Okay, then..." Eugene unlocked the crystal core cabin using his fingerprint and password. Then, he pressed the open button.
laugh--
The sound of gas being released from the crystal core chamber due to pressure relief was heard. For a moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on it.
It's finally here.
The hatch slowly rose, and the white mist condensed from the gas became more and more, inhumanely blocking the view inside the cabin.
His eyes didn't blink, his breathing stopped, and his heart jumped up along with the cabin door.
But the fog was so thick that I couldn't see anything for the time being.
It’s okay, just wait a little longer.
I've waited so long, now I just need to wait two more seconds.
Once the cabin door is fully opened and the white fog dissipates, we can bring Colonel Lu back—
Empty.
The crystal core cabin is empty.
No... There was nothing in the crystal core cabin except a cloud of mist that gradually dissipated.
Lu Huai’s body—disappeared.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Everyone stood in their own position. The constant temperature system was still running silently. The monitoring indicator light was also lighting up the normal red dot. The electronic instrument made another crisp sound.
The only difference from a few seconds ago was that the chandelier suddenly went out of power due to lack of energy.
A white light flashed, and the dazzling light reflected on Ian and Eugene's stunned faces, just like the young colonel's arrogant and sarcastic smile when he looked down on them.
Everyone was stunned where they were, sadness and surprise intertwined on their faces, inexplicably showing a hint of humor.
Lu Chao showed the confused look he had in math class, and managed to hold back the tears that were about to burst out.
Jiang Muda opened his beautiful eyes filled with tears, his expression dull yet a little cute.
In these two seconds of shock, no one noticed that their usually calm Foreign Minister Jiang took a step forward almost at full speed.
His right hand rested on the edge of the crystal core chamber, his fingertips trembling beneath his leather gloves. His other hand, as if trying to confirm something, reached straight into the chamber.
Nothing—still nothing, nothing at all.
Colonel Lu was not inside.
He could not see Colonel Lu's body, nor could he touch Colonel Lu's stopped heartbeat.
From beginning to end, he never personally confirmed Lu Huai's death.
So……
In the darkness hidden by the gloves, Jiang Yun's right hand was so powerful that it almost sank into the thick crystal core.
So, that one percent possibility...is it more than just one percent?
Yi Laizhe, who was the first to react, suddenly turned to Ian and Eugene, and shattered the silence with a sharp question: "Is this what Olin wanted us to see, Sir Ian Tang?!"
"Where's my dad?" Lu Chao turned around and looked around, confused. "Where's my colonel dad? Where did my big Alpha dad go?"
Jiang Mu hugged the rose in a daze: "Excuse me, am I blind?"
"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible!" Eugene said in disbelief. His panic didn't seem fake. "I clearly opened the crystal core chamber and confirmed Colonel Lu's body yesterday afternoon. How come today..."
"'Yesterday'?" Ian frowned. "What about today?"
Eugene spoke rapidly, trying to justify his dereliction of duty: "Frequent opening of the crystal core chamber consumes a huge amount of energy. In times of energy shortage, we only open the chamber for inspection once a day. But the chamber is equipped with monitoring and alarm systems. My colleagues and I check the surveillance every ten minutes. Until ten minutes ago, the surveillance showed that Colonel Lu's body was lying safely in the crystal core chamber! We have never received any alarms of illegal intrusion..."
"Don't you understand?" Yi Laizhe never missed an opportunity to mock Olin. "Your outdated monitoring and alarm network has been infiltrated by hackers."
Zhong Man sneered, "It seems your country's security measures are really on par with your energy technology."
You En felt dizzy and kept muttering, "But, how is this possible..."
"Olin has repeatedly violated the agreement. The Alliance's patience has its limits," Morris pressed. "I'm going to ask you one last time: where is Colonel Lu's body?"
Ian's face was even uglier than when Wycliffe died yesterday. "This incident is indeed beyond our expectations. Please give us time to investigate. We will definitely..."
Yi Laizhe laughed heartily as if he had heard some ridiculous joke. "You haven't even investigated the sniper yet, and now you're investigating Colonel Lu's remains. Excuse me, do you have enough manpower and equipment?"
Jiang Yun's right hand, which was holding the edge of the cabin, quietly lost its strength.
Then he straightened up and turned around slowly.
The rebukes that were heard throughout the laboratory came to an abrupt halt.
"Starting immediately, we will take full control of this laboratory and have the right to supervise and investigate all surveillance, supplies, and networks within it." Jiang Yun's tone was calm, without disappointment or anger, but simply stated: "Anyone who wishes to enter this laboratory must be inspected by us and obtain my personal permission."
Before Ian could speak, Jiang Yun continued, "If any of you have objections to the conditions I have proposed, I can assure your country that the three S-class CY6 battleships held in the public star field will no longer be just military exercises."
Ian's open mouth suddenly froze.
Although the relationship between Olin and the Alliance was tense, it had never been completely torn apart.
Both sides tacitly abide by the same principle - to maintain superficial peace and avoid serious military conflicts.
Reason told Ian that Jiang Yun said this just to verbally threaten Olin.
But when he met those dark and cold eyes, Ian Tang actually had an outrageous idea.
This Omega wasn't kidding, he was really going to do it.
His toughness, his power, and his status gave him the qualifications to do so.
Fortunately, Jiang Yun only wanted the right to supervise and investigate this laboratory. As far as Ian knew, this laboratory only had information related to Lu Huai and no other more confidential information.
Ian gritted his teeth and was forced to make concessions: "Okay, but the area where you can move freely is limited to this laboratory. The rest of the place is still under our jurisdiction."
Jiang Yun didn't comment, only said: "Begin."
Yi Laizhe understood what he meant and immediately led the other diplomats to start their work.
Surveying the site, moving materials, checking equipment... busy, but orderly.
Eugene stood at a loss beside the empty nuclear crystal cabin, not knowing what to do for a moment.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Jiang Yun walking towards him.
Eugene's whole body tensed up immediately, a terrifying feeling of oppression rushed from the soles of his feet to his spine, and his blood seemed to freeze at the sight of that calm gaze.
He didn't dare look directly at Jiang Yun, but only stared down at the black tie on Jiang Yun's chest: "...Foreign Minister Jiang?"
Jiang Yun only said to him calmly: "You are blocking my way, Doctor."
Even using honorifics.
Eugene was stunned for a moment and quickly stood aside.
Jiang Yun walked past Eugene and came to the safe where Lu Huai's belongings were kept. He pulled the door gently and it opened.
The hacker who broke into the room didn't even spare the safe.
A line of file information flashed through Jiang Yun's mind.
Skill Assessment: Long-Range Shooting [Proficient], Ballistic Calculation [Proficient], Network Penetration [Proficient]
From the analysis of the existing clues, whether it is the stabbing of Wycliffe or the theft of Lu Huai's body, the puppet is still the most suspected mastermind behind the scenes.
But if he really was a puppet, why would he steal Lu Huai's body?
What does the puppet want to take away from Lu Huai’s belongings?
Could it be information like a mission log?
Jiang Yun opened the door of the safe.
The relics Lu Huai brought with him were preserved intact by the escape pod. The Olin Institute had already sorted them into transparent boxes, each with a prominent label at the bottom.
Jiang Yun took a quick look and saw that most of the relics were still there.
Colonel's epaulettes, communicator, various firearms...even the mission log is still there.
Among the dozen or so relics left by Lu Huai, only three boxes were empty.
A recording of his suicide note, a photo of his new wife, and—
Bang!
The sudden noise startled Cheng Chi, who was busy beside Jiang Yun.
Cheng Chi suddenly raised his head and saw that Jiang Yun had already closed the door of the safe. The noise just now was made when the door was closing.
But he had never seen such a big movement in Foreign Minister Jiang's hands.
Jiang Yun supported himself with his hands on the safe, his body leaning forward slightly. Not only was his face pale, but his breathing was also a little unstable.
Cheng Chi thought something serious had happened and quickly came over: "Foreign Minister Jiang? Foreign Minister Jiang, are you okay?"
Jiang Yun's voice was so soft, so soft that only he could hear it clearly: "Our... ring."
Cheng Chi was startled: "What?"
Jiang Yun raised his eyes and stared at his left hand that was resting on the safe. He said word by word, "He only took our wedding ring."
——
The alliance's investigation of the laboratory lasted a day and a night.
The next morning, when Morris was allowed into Jiang Yun's office, Jiang Yun was sitting behind the large desk as usual.
He was still wearing the suit he wore yesterday. He looked tired but not haggard, and his skin was still white and smooth, as if it were glowing.
Jiang Yun also seemed to have not slept all night.
What surprised Morris was that there were no documents or materials in front of Jiang Yun.
According to Zhong Man, Jiang Yun did not hold a holographic meeting with any senior officials last night.
Could it be that Jiang Yun just sat in the office all night?
Morris wanted to call out "Jiang Yun", but swallowed the words back: "Foreign Minister Jiang, are you okay?"
Jiang Yun's expression changed, as if he was pulled back from another world.
"We've completed the full investigation of the site," Morris reported to Jiang Yun. "We can't find any signs of forced intrusion. The intruders must have made careful preparations and are already familiar with the research institute's environment."
Jiang Yun said "hmm" absentmindedly.
"Also, we've confirmed that the monitoring and alarm systems in the crystal core chamber were infiltrated and destroyed at 3:00 PM the day before yesterday. This was less than 40 minutes after Wycliffe was shot in the head at 3:37 PM."
Jiang Yun asked, "At the fastest speed, how long would it take to get from the research institute to the farthest sniper range of Wycliffe?"
Morris did a quick calculation and said, "About forty minutes."
Jiang Yun looked like he wanted to laugh: "That's really extreme."
"Minister Jiang, do you still think it was a puppet that took Lu Huai's body?" Morris asked, "Excuse me, but no matter how talented an intelligence agent is, it's impossible to..."
Jiang Yun interrupted Morris unexpectedly: "I don't think it's a puppet."
He admitted that the puppet was excellent, but... there was still a certain gap.
If the puppet had been that good, it wouldn't be Agatha May sitting in the position of Director of the Intelligence Agency now.
Jiang Yun took a deep breath and said, "Remember the three possibilities I told you about before, Lieutenant Colonel?"
"Of course I remember." Morris was a little confused, "But you haven't told me what the third possibility is."
"I didn't say it before because I thought it was just a ridiculous delusion of mine, not worth mentioning to others, but now..." Jiang Yun calmed his breath and continued, "The third possibility, which is only one percent likely - it's Lu Huai."
Morris was suddenly startled: "What did you say?"
"The one who fired that shot was Colonel Lu."
This idea seemed to have been in Jiang Yun's mind for a long time.
As if the idea hadn't come to him because of the shot or the missing wedding ring.
But he had always believed this as early as seventeen years ago when the news of Lu Huai's death came, so that when he said it, it was as if he was stating an established fact.
"Colonel Lu—Lu Huai is still alive."
Morris's face turned pale: "How is this possible?"
Jiang Yun said: "Let me ask you first, if it was Lu Huai, could he fire that dazzling shot you mentioned?"
Morris said without hesitation: "He can definitely do it, but he may not be the only one in the universe who can do it."
"I know, that's why I still thought the possibility was only one percent yesterday." Jiang Yun said, "But now Colonel Lu's wedding ring is missing."
Morris frowned. "I heard Cheng Chi talk about the wedding ring, but what does that mean?"
"I've thought about it for a long time, even the entire night, but I can't imagine who else would take that wedding ring away except Colonel Lu." Jiang Yun looked down at his left hand, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze slightly unfocused. "In this world, that wedding ring only has special meaning to Colonel Lu and me. There's no reason for anyone else to take it."
Morris pondered for a moment and said, "I think the disappearance of the wedding ring proves that it wasn't Lu Huai who took it."
Jiang Yun paused slightly.
"Although Lu Huai loves you, I know him too well. If it were Lu Huai lurking in the enemy camp, he wouldn't allow himself to make any mistake that might expose his identity." Morris's tone became more and more determined as he spoke. "I can tell you with certainty that no matter how much he hates to part with your wedding ring, he won't take it without considering the risk."
"...Is that so?" Jiang Yun seemed to be convinced. He was silent for a moment and then shook his head.
"No," Jiang Yun whispered, "Lu Huai will."
Morris couldn't help but raise his voice: "I know Lu Huai. Colonel Lu on a mission would never let personal feelings affect his actions!"
Jiang Yun closed his eyes and forced himself to suppress the irritation rising in his heart.
He tried to explain patiently, "Lu Huai knew that once I discovered his 'body' was missing, he would immediately seize all of his belongings. He took our wedding rings because he was reluctant to part with them, and also to convey to me that he was still alive. Colonel Lu has always been like this. Can't you, my good brother, see that?"
Jiang Yun couldn't understand why no one could truly understand Colonel Lu, even though he had so many comrades and friends?
They knew what kind of mecha Colonel Lu liked and what Colonel Lu said after the date, but they didn't know what kind of person Colonel Lu was.
This is ridiculous.
"Just like the 1223 Star Track Heist, even while he was concentrating on solving the interstellar pirates, he still remembered that I wanted to drink milk. Absolute rationality and emotional sensitivity can coexist in him at the same time. He can always love well while maintaining perfect control..."
Jiang Yun paused and took back the last word.
Sorry, he almost forgot that Colonel Lu didn't love him - Colonel Lu said it himself.
"What's the basis for your judgment?" Morris was helpless at Jiang Yun's unusual stubbornness. "Besides your intuition, is there anything else?"
Jiang Yun raised his eyes to look at Morris and said coldly: "My intuition is enough."
Morris shook his head, as if he couldn't bear to watch any longer. "Jiang Yun, you have always been a rational person. I ask you to step out of your emotions and intuition and look at this matter rationally."
Jiang Yun's eyes suddenly darkened, and the cold light that suddenly flashed in his eyes made Morris subconsciously want to step back and keep a safer distance from him.
But Morris was an Alpha after all, so he managed to keep his composure.
"Okay." Jiang Yun said flatly, "But first, please tell me what 'rational thinking' is."
Morris gritted his teeth and instead of retreating, he took a step forward towards Jiang Yun.
"First, Lu Huai died seventeen years ago. The Olin Institute discovered his remains and confirmed his death. Lu Huai's heart stopped beating seventeen years ago. There was no chance of him surviving—not even one percent."
"Secondly, if it was Lu Huai who attacked Wycliffe, why would he do it? He couldn't have received the assassination order from the Intelligence Bureau, so what reason did he have to blow Wycliffe's head off?"
"Third, think about it carefully. Eugene said he personally inspected the crystal core chamber yesterday, and Lu Huai's body was indeed still there at that time. Even if he was resurrected yesterday, do you think he could have fired such an amazing shot at Wycliffe in his weak state, almost like a vegetative state, after just waking up? Jiang Yun, I know Lu Huai. Lu Huai..."
"I say, Lieutenant Colonel Morris," Jiang Yun, completely losing his patience, forcibly stopped Alpha from speaking, "could you please stop saying you know Lu Huai very well in front of me?"
Morris was stunned: "What?"
Jiang Yun raised the corner of his mouth in a sarcastic arc: "Just because you can answer a few questions from the children, do you really think you know Lu Huai better than me?"
Morris's Adam's apple rolled, and he met Jiang Yun's piercing gaze and said, "...Isn't it?"
He and Lu Huai knew each other when they were in military school, but Jiang Yun had only been with Lu Huai for three months.
Shouldn't he know Lu Huai better than Jiang Yun?
Jiang Yun looked at the Alpha in front of him for a long time without saying a word, as if he could no longer find any reason to refute.
But just when Morris thought Jiang Yun had finally woken up, Jiang Yun suddenly smiled.
"But have you ever thought that Lu Huai is the father of my two children, my Alpha, and my husband."
A completely different smile from before slowly blossomed on Jiang Yun's lips. His usually calm and indifferent eyes flickered, and a breathtaking beauty flowed from the faint halo: "How many times have I slept with Lu Huai, how many times has Lu Huai marked me, and how many times have our pheromones blended. These - do you know?"
Morris's azure pupils suddenly dilated, and an unprecedented shock froze on his face.
Jiang Yun...what is Jiang Yun talking about?
Did he hear it wrong?
Foreign Minister Jiang - How could an Omega say such words in front of an Alpha?
"You might think I'm not normal right now, but maybe it's because of his meaningless, repeated markings over those two months..." Jiang Yun lowered his eyes, his thick, inky eyelashes casting a heart-stirring shadow. "Even after seventeen years, my glands can still sense him, my sight can still reach him—my heartbeat can always find him."
Morris's face flushed crimson and he could hardly speak.
Jiang Yun paused and said nonchalantly, "So even if there's only a one percent chance, I won't necessarily make a wrong judgment."
Morris froze in place for a long moment, then croaked, "Do you know what you're saying? Minister Jiang, you've lost your mind. You're incapable of effective communication right now."
"Really? Then let me repeat it one last time, Maurice Evan."
In just a moment, Jiang Yun's tone became noticeably calm again, just like his closing statements countless times in diplomatic occasions.
Polite and restrained, concise and precise.
"When it comes to matters related to Colonel Lu, even my intuitive guesses are far superior to the answers others come up with through rational thinking." Jiang Yun looked up at the Alpha, who was half a head taller than him, and said concisely: "Do you understand what I mean, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel?"
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