Evolution - Chapter 140
Chapter 140
While they were full of laughter and cheer, the special forces team sent to retrieve them was not having such a harmonious or relaxed time.
They had been told that Ji Changqing needed two more days of rest before she could withstand interstellar travel, so they were to stand by for two days.
They were only allowed to visit; the security detail was handled by personnel from Yan You Planet.
But when they prepared to visit Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi that evening to confirm the departure time, they were turned away.
They were told to come back the next morning.
How could they not understand that something had changed?
At first, they thought someone was secretly causing trouble, trying to detain their colleagues who had just completed a mission and were severely injured. They were discussing countermeasures and trying to figure out a way to contact Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi.
Then, the other party hinted that everyone was just following orders, so why not wait a bit? Perhaps new instructions from above would arrive soon.
And then, they received new orders. Their mission had been changed.
Although it still seemed to be an extraction and escort mission, the orders clearly stated that they were to cooperate with the arrangements made by the authorities on Yan You Planet.
The valiant and fierce team leader’s expression was grim. The change in orders, though unstated, implied that his team was no longer trusted—at least not for this mission.
He replayed everything in his mind, from receiving the mission to their earlier visit with Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi.
The mission change had occurred after they had met the two operatives. So, was it the deputy commander or the sniper?
He raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose, truly reluctant to suspect the teammates with whom he had faced life and death.
But the facts were laid bare before him, forcing him to consider who it was, and how he could purge the team while maintaining morale.
He composed himself. No matter what, the first step was to keep everyone steady.
As for how to do that, he would naturally tell them that because the intelligence brought back by the two Star Hidden operatives was extremely important, High Command had assigned another team to join them to ensure the mission's success.
He would also sternly demand that everyone be on high alert and perform well, so as not to be outdone by the other team.
As for the departure time, the doctor had said two days of rest were needed, and the other team needed time to arrive, so they would set out the morning after next.
From now until departure, everyone needed to be vigilant and prevent any mishaps.
Even though he suspected that the two Star Hidden operatives had likely already been moved in secret, he still acted as if he were escorting the real people, performing his duties with utmost diligence.
When it was time to depart, he saw that Xiu Jiacheng and his team were also part of the escort. This made him even more vigilant, and he warned his squad that the journey might be dangerous and they must stay alert.
While this team encountered constant trouble on their journey, even fighting a fierce battle, Gu Changjun's warship landed smoothly on Yan Hang Planet.
The journey from Yan You Planet to Yan Hang Planet was one jump and two days of travel.
Meanwhile, for Major General Xie'er to travel from the starfield she guarded, she would need four jumps, a journey of nearly five days.
In other words, Ji Changqing and the others would have to stay on Yan Hang Planet for at least three days.
During those three days, Gu Changjun surrounded their location with an iron-tight defense, terrified that a single moment of carelessness would result in the loss of these five people.
Lieutenant General Lu provided all the necessary support without hesitation, but he himself never appeared.
He himself was not on the list, and it was by chance that Ji Changqing's group had landed in his territory, so he had received some information in advance and was now actively cooperating with the investigation. He was monitoring who needed to be monitored and finding excuses to transfer those who needed to be transferred. In short, to put it plainly, he was swamped with work.
But for such a massive scandal to occur in the Yan Hang Starfield under his command, he was inescapably responsible. Even with the credit for receiving and protecting Ji Changqing's group, and even after fully cooperating with the inspectors to clean house and atone for his oversight, he would likely face a demotion at the very least.
At a time like this, how could he dare to act rashly? If he were to meet with those few people and inadvertently lead their would-be assassins to them, he might as well be asking for an early retirement to make way for the younger generation!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but envy Xie'er. That woman had been charging headfirst for so many years, offending quite a few people. She had even been pushed out to garrison a chaotic starfield, where it seemed all she could do for fun was fight space pirates.
But when a person's luck turns, there's truly no stopping it.
Who would have thought that while she was out gallivanting, chasing down space pirates, she would gallivant her way back with a primary civilization planet?
And who would have thought that Blue Star, this primary planet, would produce one talent after another? First, there was Yu Zhiyao, who was exceptionally admitted into the Academy of Sciences, and now Ji Changqing, who achieved such great merit and insisted on handing the credit over to her.
It had only been ten years, yet things had changed completely.
As more people from Blue Star graduated and entered the Alliance, there would be plenty more occasions for old-timers like them to feel envious!
No comparison, no comparison at all.
He clutched his chest, feeling a pang of bitterness. It wouldn't be long now before one was demoted and the other promoted, and Major General Xie'er's rank would surpass his own.
Bitterness aside, when Major General Xie'er arrived on Yan Hang Planet, Lieutenant General Lu still welcomed her with impeccable grace.
The beautiful woman with silver hair, brown eyes, and delicate features had shed her former flamboyance. Dressed in a standard military uniform, her sharp edges were concealed, yet she appeared all the more powerful and resilient.
"Lieutenant General Lu." Major General Xie'er gave him a proper military salute. Although they hadn't had many dealings, this senior officer was known to be fair and tolerant. Previously, when her rank had been reduced from Major General to Brigadier General during the conferment, he had spoken up for her and tried his best to argue her case.
He probably didn't even remember it himself, but that didn't stop her from maintaining her respect for this senior officer.
Lieutenant General Lu was quite pleased with Xie'er's attitude. Who wouldn't like a young junior who was measured in her actions, composed in both gain and loss, and unfailingly polite?
The smile on Lieutenant General Lu's face became a little more genuine. "Regarding the joint military exercise, I'll have to trouble you to put in the effort, Major General."
Xie'er's lips twitched. She replied meaningfully, "Since Your Excellency the Lieutenant General is willing to overlook the impertinence of a junior, we will naturally do our utmost."
That was right. Major General Xie'er had personally led the main force of the Sixth Fleet here under the pretext of a joint military exercise at Lieutenant General Lu's invitation. In reality, she had two missions: one was to escort Ji Changqing's group away, and the other was to use the Sixth Fleet's personnel to assist the inspectors with subsequent arrests and transports.
After all, who could argue with Major General Xie'er's brilliant combat record?
When she was dispatched to garrison a newly conquered starfield, she had unintentionally wiped out a secret channel used to funnel benefits from the Alliance to the Empire. It was just that at the time, no one knew how much was hidden behind it.
Not until now, when Ji Changqing's group sent back that damning list and evidence.
Everyone took one look and thought, Alright, if you can accidentally take down an entire channel, you must be exceptionally talented. And since Ji Changqing's group specifically requested you for the escort, let's not involve a second party. Be a dear, lend another hand, and help us clean up the Yan Hang Starfield as well.
It wasn't Major General Xie'er's style to refuse meat delivered right to her mouth. When credit was served up on a platter, it would be a waste not to take it. Naturally, she accepted.
It was just a bit mentally taxing. Swallowing it all in one go was a little... filling.
Major General Xie'er stayed on Yan Hang Planet for several days. A large-scale joint military exercise wasn't something to be held casually. The preliminary preparations, personnel deployment, and selection of competing teams from both sides were carried out with great fanfare.
But before the official start of the exercise, individual sparring matches were inevitable. Thus, the military barracks on Yan Hang Planet were particularly lively these few days, with soldiers from both armies seen arranging duels everywhere.
In a major joint exercise, it was an unspoken rule that the top commanders from both sides would not personally participate. After the competing teams were decided, Major General Xie'er hastily took her leave from Lieutenant General Lu, citing other urgent matters and leaving Xiao Xia to follow up on everything.
On her way out, she conveniently brought Ji Changqing's group aboard her flagship and led her fleet away from Yan Hang Planet.
Watching Yan Hang Planet shrink in the viewscreen until it disappeared completely, Xie'er finally revealed a particularly ferocious smile. "Alright, now we can have a heart-to-heart with the little ones."
Ten years had passed, but her adjutant, Mia, still had an adorable round face. She shrank her neck and dashed off like the wind to summon Ji Changqing's group.
The "little ones" Major General Xie'er referred to were specifically Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi.
As for Saiweiyala, her uncle Sith would naturally worry about her. For now, all that was needed was to arrange for a psychologist to observe her mental state.
As for that fellow Nankong, she didn't need to worry about him at all. In fact, she planned to hand Jixin over for him to worry about! She was certain Nankong had probably figured out everything about Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi, even as they thought they were keeping it well hidden.
Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi were different. One was from Blue Star, and the other was from the direct line of a family that had betrayed the Alliance. The merit they had just earned had its pros and cons. Of course, the pros outweighed the cons, but she needed to give these two a nudge to consider how they would walk the path ahead.
He Qingzhi had a clear understanding of his situation. He stated very directly that he would remain in the Peace and Development Special Investigation Department, but he would likely leave the Star Hidden unit.
He might have a dark heart and ruthless methods, but he also liked to live in the sunlight, enjoying the attention and admiration of others. He had no habit of walking in the shadows.
Xie'er simply gave him a pointer: the Peace and Development Special Investigation Department had its own dedicated special forces. If he was confident, he could submit an application when his commendations came through.
With Ji Changqing, she was a little more attentive. "Come to the Sixth Fleet for now. We'll talk about everything else after you've recovered from your injuries."
Even with the lists and related evidence from the Klopp and He families, and even with the Alliance determined to conduct a thorough investigation, Major General Xie'er knew it was difficult to root out everything. There would always be some fish that slipped through the net.
It was better to keep this one under her own watch. For the next two or three years, at least, there was no place safer for her than the Sixth Fleet.
The Peace and Development Special Investigation Department might barely count as another.
That was, provided Ji Changqing's spinal injury could heal completely, leaving no lasting problems.
As the heart-to-heart concluded, drawing on their shared alumni connection to the Fourth Military, Major General Xie'er gave them a tactful reminder: "Nankong has probably guessed your identities, but you absolutely must not admit it to him. Don't talk to him about your mission."
If he asked, just insist you were there by chance and had the bad luck to get caught up in it.
Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi nodded in agreement, then asked Major General Xie'er curiously about Nankong.
Major General Xie'er didn't reveal much to them. Based on Nankong's style, he would likely use this incident to build merit and try to apply to the Peace and Development Special Investigation Department. The dedicated special forces were out of reach, but there were plenty of other suitable positions for him.
His temperament and methods weren't well-liked in the conventional military. His superiors gave him too few opportunities, forcing him to take increasingly unorthodox paths.
In the military, whether it was men and women or Alphas and Omegas, normal relationships were perfectly fine. But his looks were too striking, leading people to assume he was trying to get ahead using his beauty.
All in all, his experiences were rather hard to describe.
But in all honesty, Nankong's personality was quite suited for the Peace and Development Special Investigation Department. He might just thrive there like a fish in water.
He was just unlucky. Because his personal combat skills weren't outstanding enough, he couldn't make a name for himself in the military academy league and missed his chance back then.
She just said meaningfully, "Didn't you hear that saying when you were at the academy?"
"The Fourth Military is full of weirdos, the Second Military is full of beauties?"
Xie'er couldn't help but smile and nod. "Nankong is from the Second Military."
Ji Changqing and He Qingzhi both adopted expressions that were hard to put into words.
The saying, "The Fourth Military is full of weirdos, the Second Military is full of beauties," sounded exaggerated, but it was actually quite realistic.
Legend had it that during one military academy league, the Fourth Military team won match after match with their wild ideas and bizarre tactics, eventually facing off against the Second Military for the championship.
The people from the Second Military were willing to go all out. Their bottom line was that there was no bottom line when it came to victory. They even used a honey trap—which was written as 'seduction' but read as 'an assault on the eyes.' A group of them swarmed their opponents, held them down, and started pulling off their clothes and pants. The Fourth Military team was so shocked and preoccupied with defending their waistbands that their defenses crumbled, resulting in the Second Military winning the championship by a narrow margin.
But who could blame them? The Second Military's championship team that year really did have several outstanding and handsome members. When good-looking people act like hooligans, is it really hooliganism? No, that's called seduction, a honey trap!
That year's military academy league was thus summarized as "The Fourth Military is full of weirdos, the Second Military is full of beauties." Perhaps because the phrase was so catchy, it was passed down through the years, misleading many uninformed young people into identifying with it. With a mysterious sense of confidence, they chose which academy to apply to based on their own "special characteristics," which in turn cemented these stereotypes for the Second and Fourth Military.
And those simpletons were actually quite proud of it!
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