FT DR Chapter 24: When the Wind Rose

Chapter 24: When the Wind Rose

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The next day, with school still on the agenda, Wu Chenghe went to bed early. Hannibal was alone in the study dealing with the day’s emails. When he came across a report from the “Quadrant” fleet, he paused thoughtfully, tapped his fingers on the desk twice, then dialed his secretary Yuna’s number.

“Commander,” the secretary, who was on standby for twenty-four hours, immediately came online.

“How is the progress of the anti-terrorism operation against the Free Revolutionary Army on the Second Army Group’s side?” Hannibal asked.

“It’s in the final stages. With the assistance of the Quadrant fleet, the Second Army Group has destroyed twelve strongholds of the Free Revolutionary Army, eliminating over two thousand six hundred people. Currently, apart from the last two strongholds, there are only some scattered remnants fleeing. It is estimated that they will be completely eradicated within three months.”

“Good,” Hannibal said, rubbing his temples with his index finger, seemingly warding off some discomfort. With a slight hiss between his teeth, he continued, “Then let the Quadrant withdraw. The remaining tasks can be handled by the personnel of General Lancer.”

“Commander,” Yuna seemed a bit surprised. “Is it wise to withdraw the Quadrant now? Wouldn’t it nullify our previous efforts?”

“This is an order,” Hannibal’s temple veins bulged, he took a deep breath, controlled his trembling right hand, took out a syringe from the thermos, and said, “We’ve encroached on someone else’s territory, so we must give them some benefits. The operation is nearing its end, and the Second Army can handle it completely. Let the Quadrant withdraw and give the credit to the Second Army. It’s also a bit of compensation for General Lancer.”

“Yes, Commander,” Yuna responded respectfully and unquestionably.

After the call ended, a faint red mist surged in Hannibal’s eyes. He reached for the syringe and aimed it at his neck, pulling the trigger. The icy medicine spread instantly in his bloodstream, calming his restless mind.

As the red mist faded from his eyes, Hannibal breathed a sigh of relief, returned the syringe to the thermos, and suddenly noticed the holographic frame on the corner of the desk. Inside, a loop of images played, showing him and his wife’s three-dimensional images from courtship to marriage to childbirth. Everything appeared so harmonious and perfect.

This perfection would continue until he reached eighty, or a hundred… Any discordant notes must be eliminated!

At school, Wu Chenghe officially joined the research group of the teaching and research office.

The ten interns were divided into five pairs, each participating in five small projects, including meteorology, soil, fauna, and flora research. Wu Chenghe’s group, the Biological Medicine Base Cultivation Team, had a teacher as the team leader, an assistant as the deputy team leader, and a familiar acquaintance as his intern partner.

“Senior, it’s great to be in the same group as you!” a junior from ninth grade grabbed Wu Chenghe’s hand gratefully as soon as he saw him. “I haven’t thanked you for last time. If it weren’t for you, I would have been minced meat that day!”

Indeed, this child was the third-generation single-passed junior whom Wu Chenghe saved during the fan war on the first day of school. His surname was Chen, named Chen Miaomiao. Although he was thin and small, like poorly developed soybean sprouts, his background was as prominent as Marlow’s—his father, Chen Zhen, was the husband of Lena Popova, the General of the Third Army of the Voyager Army, and had succeeded in artificial insemination after seven times. 

Lena Popova was the only female among the eight Generals of the Federation, of Russian descent, and was said to be unmatched in single combat, even compared to Hannibal. Of course, to marry such a woman, Mr. Chen Zhen was also extraordinary. He was born into the “Chen Fook Kee” family, a prominent family in the Federation’s underworld, and because of his guide gene, he was sent to a guide school at a young age. After growing up, he met the iron-blooded Miss Popova at the graduation ball, fell in love at first sight, and got married.

To avoid delaying his wife’s career, Mr. Chen Zhen voluntarily took on the responsibility of reproducing offspring. Therefore, Chen Miaomiao grew in his father’s belly. After Chen Miaomiao was born, his extraordinary mother had no time to take care of him. His gentle father wanted to play the role of father and son bonding, but as the exclusive guide of the General, he had to accompany his wife at all times. Thus, Chen Miaomiao became a child left behind, living with his grandparents in the Gabriel Military Harbor.

Hearing about the miraculous family structure of Chen Miaomiao’s family, Wu Chenghe broke out in a cold sweat. Referring to Mr. Chen Zhen’s resume, Wu Chenghe could basically imagine the fate he would face after his identity was exposed—finding an iron-blooded woman, having a child, and then following his wife around.

So he further strengthened his determination to keep hiding!

Chen Miaomiao’s parents were a guide and a sentinel, but miraculously, he himself was a purebred human with no mutant genes. Moreover, because both his grandparents were senior intellectuals and did not spoil him, his character was particularly kind and cheerful, with almost no major flaws except for fanatical admiration for Jin Xuan.

Wu Chenghe was very pleased to be grouped with such an ordinary human being, and they shared the same ideals—to become doctors. So they got along well and quickly became good friends.

The work in the laboratory was not complicated, mainly recording data and cleaning up. Wu Chenghe, who was meticulous and tidy by nature, quickly won the favor of the project team leader and decided to take him to the experimental base on the asteroid for work at the beginning of next month.

When Wu Chenghe received the work schedule from his teacher, he was surprised to find Jin Xuan listed under the “personnel” column. It turned out that their pharmaceutical cultivation laboratory on the asteroid was controlled by neural intelligence, and this “Neural Intelligence Laboratory” was one of Jin Xuan’s research topics.

Since he had already decided not to be influenced and to pursue his own ideals, Wu Chenghe didn’t dwell on it too much. He calmly accepted the teacher’s arrangement and, before leaving, sent the itinerary to Hannibal, informing him that he would be staying on the asteroid this weekend and couldn’t go home.

Receiving his son’s email just after finishing a meeting, Hannibal glanced at the holographic screen silently for a moment before sending a reply: “Listen to your teacher, stay safe, and don’t wander around.”

Wu Chenghe: Understood!

With his son’s assurance, Hannibal’s lips curved into a meaningful smile. He called his secretary Yuna, “How did the first phase of the special forces training turn out? When will the next phase begin?”

“The instructors are processing the training data, and it will be sent to you shortly,” Yuna respectfully replied. “The special forces members returned to Gabriel yesterday morning for short-term recuperation and will return to Base 28 for the second phase of training next Monday.”

“Very well,” Hannibal nodded. “Who is the interim team leader?”

“It’s Ivanov, the former squad captain of the ‘Scout’ Cavalry.”

“Ah, good. With a background in the Cavalry, he’s well-suited to be a member of the special forces,” Hannibal said. “Summon him; I want to meet him.”

“Yes.”

That morning, Hannibal canceled the staff meeting and held a half-hour confidential discussion with the acting team leader of his vanguard team. Even Yuna, who was usually calm, couldn’t help but wonder silently why the commander valued a cavalryman so much and personally instructed him for such a long time. Was it because he had saved Mr. Charlie?

On Friday afternoon, as soon as school was over, Wu Chenghe returned home early, packed his luggage, and before nightfall, the small flying saucer sent by the school landed at his apartment door, picking him up to transfer to the starship, heading to the asteroid for a two-day pharmaceutical cultivation experiment.

When he boarded the small flying saucer, Wu Chenghe wasn’t surprised to see Jin Xuan there. Even during work hours, Jin Xuan always maintained a decent appearance, wearing work overalls, jeans, and a tie, although he couldn’t restrain his inner flamboyance and dyed a few strands of his long hair blue and purple, which were barely noticeable when tied into a ponytail but sparkled brightly when the light changed.

Noticing that Wu Chenghe was looking at his hair, Jin Xuan blinked, “It’s the weekend today, so I can be a bit casual.”

Wu Chenghe grinned and sat down in the seat next to him. In fact, he had gotten used to Jin Xuan’s sensational hairstyles before, but lately, Jin Xuan had been meticulously dressing like a young talent every day, which made Wu Chenghe feel a bit bored.

Indeed, tastes were hard to change once they escalated. Once you got used to luxury, it was hard to go back to simplicity…

Feeling a sense of resignation over having his integrity tested, something was handed to Wu Chenghe. He lowered his head to see a paper box with a cartoon bear printed on it, emitting a faint sweet scent.

“It’s a snack I made for you.” The car was autonomously driven, and there were only the two of them in the car, so Jin Xuan didn’t need to adhere to the “pretend to be strangers” agreement. He said softly, “Traditional Chinese pastries with sweet fillings. I spent hours making them yesterday.”

Wu Chenghe liked sweets, especially pastries with crispy crusts and fillings. As soon as he heard the word “pastries,” his mouth began to water. Jin Xuan’s craftsmanship was incomparable to Lilith’s. He could sell the pastries he made, whether they were Chinese or Western.

Opening the box, there were rows of bear-shaped pastries inside, with eyes and noses drawn on them, looking extremely cute. Wu Chenghe picked one up and took a bite. The sweet taste spread in his mouth, crispy and soft, incredibly delicious.

“Is it good?” Jin Xuan asked eagerly.

“It’s delicious!” Wu Chenghe praised generously, wanting to add more details, but then heard Jin Xuan proudly say, “These are Wife Cakes, specially made for wives.”

Wu Chenghe… didn’t know whether to laugh or cry with a mouthful of “Wife Cake.” 

Two more classmates joined them halfway, and when they arrived at the port, Wu Chenghe received a message from Hannibal. The message said that Ivanov’s unit was training at Base 28, which was very close to the asteroid. Hannibal instructed him to contact the base directly if he had any issues. A string of communication codes was attached.

Wu Chenghe replied with a “Understood” and saved the code.

In the waiting hall, the other members of the group had already arrived. Chen Miaomiao came over to greet Wu Chenghe first, then blushed and secretly glanced at Jin Xuan, whispering, “I can’t believe I’m working with King. I can die without regrets!”

Wu Chenghe felt a pang in his heart for some reason at the phrase “die without regrets,” and his right eyelid twitched fiercely twice. He said, “We’re going out, don’t say such unlucky words.”

Chen Miaomiao stuck out his tongue, hooked his arm around Wu Chenghe’s, and followed him onto the starship, occasionally stealing glances at Jin Xuan with his big eyes. Jin Xuan had been thinking about Wu Chenghe all along, and the corner of his eye swept over him. When he saw Wu Chenghe sit down and secretly take out the Wife Cake to eat, a smile couldn’t help but appear on his lips—this feeling of a clandestine rendezvous was simply too blissful!

Although there were more than a dozen people in the project group on the ship, Jin Xuan wisely ignored everyone except his little boyfriend—they were all wallflowers!

Author’s Note: 

Jin Xuan: A date is beautiful. The bedsheets on the asteroid, wait for me to defile you… 

Author: You’re thinking too much. What’s waiting for you is the ultimate move from your future father-in-law… 

Jin Xuan: Are you kidding me?! Am I still the man in this relationship? 

Author: emo, emo, e, mo, e, mo, e, mo! 

Jin Xuan: I’ll kill you, you unscrupulous author!

Yesterday, a reader questioned the combination of a work jacket and a tie. Actually, this is a very common attire for scientific researchers. It’s not just suits that can be worn with ties; business jackets, windbreakers, sweaters, vests—all can be paired with ties. The world of men is just that monotonous =，=