FT DR Chapter 63: The Younger Brother Can’t Bear the Injury

Chapter 63: The Younger Brother Can’t Bear the Injury

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

In the strategy Academy teacher’s dormitory, Jin Xuan happily swiped open the door lock, but suddenly saw a figure sitting on the sofa in the living room. The smile on his face faded, and a sharp glint flashed in his phoenix eyes. “Where’s the special agent?”

“Downstairs,” President Jin Zhe gestured for him not to turn on the lights. “Ding—” A sound as a lighter was lit, igniting a candle. “Happy birthday.”

“What are you up to?” Jin Xuan chuckled. “Don’t tell me you came here in the dead of night just to celebrate my birthday.” Damn it, he didn’t even show up for my coming-of-age ceremony! Did you eat something contaminated or what?

“I finally try to be affectionate for once, can’t you cooperate a little?” Jin Zhe’s eyebrows raised. “Come on, blow out the candle.”

“Why do I have to cooperate with you on my birthday?” Jin Xuan sat across from him. On the coffee table was a six-inch light cheesecake with a candle shaped like “2” on top. He couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his mouth. “Are you forgetting my age?”

“It’s February 22nd.” Jin Zhe waved his hand nonchalantly. “Besides, the cake is too small. Can’t fit a ‘5’.”

“… Are you sure you’re here to celebrate my birthday and not to annoy me?”

“Come on, make a wish.” Jin Zhe smiled and patted his younger brother’s handsome head. “Wish that your brother here gets married soon and has lots of children.”

“Why should I make a wish for you on my birthday?” Jin Xuan rolled his eyes at him. “And aren’t you an advocate of singlehood?”

“But I bought the cake!” Jin Zhe patted the back of his head. “Isn’t it normal for a politician like me to do this kind of thing?”

“You shouldn’t openly admit to such things.” Jin Xuan wanted to flip him off but restrained himself. He blew out the candle, folded his hands together. “Wish for myself to get married soon and have lots of children.”

“So stingy, would it kill you to wish me well?” Jin Zhe said discontentedly. “I heard wishes don’t come true if you say them out loud. You just wasted another opportunity.”

“On such a good day, are you cursing me?” Jin Xuan removed the candle, put the cake back into its packaging box, and waved his hand. “The party’s over. If you have nothing else, you can leave.”

“Oh, I haven’t even had dinner yet. Can’t I taste the cake I bought?” Jin Zhe, infuriated for twenty-five years, exclaimed, “That kid is as skinny as a cat. Are you not afraid that a big piece of cake will choke him to death?”

“If he can’t finish it, I’ll play catch with him.” Jin Xuan carefully placed the light cheesecake into the refrigerator. It was Chen’s Sign of Good Fortune special edition, not available outside, only in the military and political center, where Wu Chenghe would definitely like it.

“A grown man but still can’t hold his ground. Damn it, I’ve raised a milk pig for over twenty years just to give it away to Hannibal!” Jin Zhe slapped his thigh.

“Am I raising you or are you raising me? You don’t even know how to use a cooking machine. I used to wash your clothes. In the future, even if you have a son, I’ll have to do it all for you. And you still have the nerve to say that!” Jin Xuan sarcastically mocked his dear brother. Jin Zhe once joked that he would adopt a child in the future.

But now Jin Xuan probably wouldn’t be able to do it — Wu Chenghe’s body could support one or two people, he was solid all over. Jin Xuan couldn’t bear to send him to be tormented by Jin Zhe.

“No need, my son’s mother is already decided.” Jin Zhe chuckled, shaking his head and wearing a blissful expression. Well, actually, he just remembered a certain sadistic doctor who almost knocked his brains out. Too brutal, but the uniform fetish is really my soft spot!

Jin Xuan was surprised. “Seriously? Have you set your eyes on someone’s widow? Going to be a happy father?”

“Get lost! You’re the one going to be a father!” Jin Zhe was furious, throwing a lighter at him. “It’s a Federal level secret, no random questions allowed!”

“Tsk!” Jin Xuan sneered, opened the coffee machine to brew coffee, concealing his joking expression. He asked, “So, what’s the matter? Why did you come to me?” Usually, when the two of them had something illegal or scandalous to discuss, they would choose his dormitory. The confidentiality level at the official residence was too high, and the actions of the President were closely monitored by the special agent team. It was secure but lacked privacy. His dormitory, as the headquarters of “official hackers,” was as private as a black hole.

Jin Zhe remained silent, putting away his smile. When Jin Xuan brought the coffee over and sat down opposite him, he suddenly cut to the chase. “Why the cover-up?”

Jin Xuan set down the coffee cup, squinted his long phoenix eyes. After the Black Pearl incident, he had been preparing for something very dangerous. He had guessed that Jin Zhe would come to him recently, but he didn’t expect it to be on this day, and with such a warm opening.

It’s a good sign.

The corners of Jin Xuan’s mouth curled slightly. He asked back, “What cover-up?”

“Don’t play dumb.” Jin Zhe glared at him. “Why did those mercenaries leave no one alive?”

“… They wanted to harm Wu Chenghe, and I lost control of my emotions.”

“So what about that mercenary who died? The police forensic said he seemed to have been attacked by a guide, causing him to lose control and crash himself.” Jin Zhe asked in a low voice. “Who was that person?”

“If they only said ‘seemed,’ how do you expect me to answer?” Jin Xuan’s pitch-black eyes were unfathomable as he lightly stirred the coffee in the delicate porcelain cup. “At the scene, there were only three of us: me, Wu Chenghe, and Mu. Who do you think is the most suspicious?” 

During this time, he had been assisting the police and NTU in the Information Center. He found out that NTU had been investigating a group called the ‘Free Guide Protection Organization’ for several years. It seemed that this organization was related to the robbery of the Saint Martin Research Center’s potion. Mu was one of the key figures at the Saint Martin Research Center. He didn’t believe Jin Zhe didn’t have a conclusion on this matter. But there were some things he couldn’t expose. To protect Wu Chenghe, he had to protect Mu to some extent.

Jin Zhe looked at his younger brother’s expression and judged that the mercenary who died by his own hand was Mu’s doing. But he also had another bold suspicion — he always believed that Jin Xuan’s killing and silencing wasn’t just because of venting anger, but probably to protect someone’s secret. Wu Chenghe was Mu’s student, and Mu was a guide. So what about Wu Chenghe? Jin Zhe felt somewhat frustrated. Regardless of whether this speculation was true or not, he hoped Jin Xuan would voluntarily confess to him. Between brothers, there shouldn’t be such secrets. In the end, his younger brother still didn’t trust him. But then again, who made him the president? 

Jin Zhe lowered his head, self-mockingly smiled again, and looked at Jin Xuan. He had known for a long time that this guy was annoyingly clever, but now he found him even more irritating. “You’re so bold. One day, I won’t be able to protect you anymore!”

“Then what’s the use of you being the President?” Jin Xuan jabbed at his pride as always.

“… ” Jin Zhe choked on his words, coughed, tapped on the coffee table, and said seriously, “Jin Xuan, my tolerance for you has limits. You killed so many people in the Black Pearl incident, fooled the police, and NTU is not to be trifled with. Now the case has been fully transferred to NTU. The commander-in-chief requested your arrest to assist in the investigation. He believes that you killed six suspects unnecessarily, causing the investigation to stall. So tell me, what should I do?”

Jin Xuan lifted the coffee cup and took a sip, calmly looking at his brother. After a while, he said, “You’re the President. You call the shots.”

“Fine.” Jin Zhe nodded. “You took something from the mainframe at the Black Pearl Spaceport. I want you to hand it over. If it helps with the case, I can persuade the commander-in-chief of NTU to drop the charges against you.”

“I’m not responsible. They deserved to die. I’m just a civilian major. It’s normal for shots to miss. Even if they throw me in for a year or two, at most I’ll get an internal reprimand.” Jin Xuan stood up, approached Jin Zhe, his voice oozing with provocation. “Brother, show me some sincerity.”

Jin Zhe looked into his eyes, took a deep breath after a long while, and said, “This case is none of your business. You belong to the military academy, and NTU won’t let you interfere.”

“I belong to the military academy, but I’m attached to the Information Center. I request to investigate this case with NTU as an information analyst. I want to enjoy first-level access to information about this case, on par with the commander of NTU. I also request to be armed and to join frontline combat when necessary.” Jin Xuan’s expression was calm, but his tone was extremely assertive.

“I want authority in this case. NTU won’t let you interfere.” Jin Zhe slammed the coffee table, making the coffee cup jump. He was furious. “Why don’t you just ask me to appoint you as the commander-in-chief of NTU?!”

“Your authority isn’t enough.” Jin Xuan said calmly. “Do you think I don’t want to?”

“You f*cking…” Jin Zhe was furious, pointing at his younger brother for a while, gritting his teeth. “Jin Xuan, who do you think you are? When I wanted to get you into NTU, you said you wanted to stay at the university to teach. Fine, I let you stay. Now you want to meddle in NTU’s case. Do you think you’re the king of the world? Do whatever you want?”

Watching his enraged brother, Jin Xuan’s gaze softened. After a long while, a pained expression appeared on his face, and he said in a low voice, “Do you know, when I arrived at the scene that day, he was covered in blood, his face as pale as a dead man’s. They shot through his leg with a ray gun and stripped his clothes off… Brother, I’m a petty person, always holding grudges. You know that. So I won’t let go of anyone who hurts him, including those behind the scenes. I’ll eliminate them one by one with my own hands!”

His voice was low and painful, tinged with heavy guilt, and his eyes burned with dark flames. Jin Zhe had never seen his younger brother like this before. Somehow, his heart clenched, and the threatening words he had thought of earlier became difficult to say.

Having a younger brother is really heart-wrenching… After thinking for a long time, Jin Zhe sighed. “Alright.”

Jin Xuan’s expression flickered, and Jin Zhe continued, “You want to avenge Wu Chenghe personally. Although I don’t agree, but… sigh, who made you my brother? Here’s the deal, I’ll convince the NTU commander-in-chief to transfer you to the Black Pearl task force. But from the Information Center, not directly from the military academy.”

“No!” Jin Xuan refused decisively. “I won’t leave the military academy.”

Jin Zhe was furious. “Jin Xuan, don’t push it. If you want to stay close to Wu Chenghe, then be a good student under me. If you want to avenge him, then go to NTU. You can’t have it both ways. I’m the President, not God!”

“I can’t leave him.” Jin Xuan calmly and firmly stated. “I request to be seconded to NTU. After the case is closed, I’ll return to the military academy. I must be with him.” After a pause, he said coldly, “Otherwise, no one will get their hands on the data!”

Jin Zhe glared at his brother, while Jin Xuan met his gaze calmly. In the end, Jin Zhe relented, defeated. “You rascal!”

Jin Xuan lowered his eyes, feeling somewhat guilty. Jin Zhe said seriously, “This is the last time, Jin Xuan. Remember, if you dare to blackmail me with state secrets again, I’ll end you on the spot!”

Jin Xuan also knew he had gone too far this time, but he was a Barbary lion sentinel, the most protective and ferocious race in the world. Just the thought of people who had hurt his mate still living in the same timeline made him burn with anger, unable to eat or sleep!

Silence engulfed them for a long fifteen minutes before Jin Zhe’s consciousness returned to normal. He sighed and said, “Jin Xuan, you’ll regret this. You don’t belong to the military academy; the Federal Legion is where you belong.”

“I only want him.” Jin Xuan said softly. “I’m different from you, brother.”

“You’re just like me.” Jin Zhe looked at his tall and big younger brother. Although he looked like a man now, he was still a child at heart, only knowing how to protect, but not realizing that only by becoming stronger could he protect effectively.

Oh well, one day he’ll understand.

“I’m leaving. I’ll arrange for your secondment within a week.”

“Okay.” Jin Xuan nodded, then asked, “Did you really not have dinner? Shall I make you some nutritious supplements?”

“Wait for you? The food’s gone cold!” Jin Zhe stood up. “I’ve already eaten. I was just testing your filial piety. Damn it, too bad your filial piety is all for Wu Chenghe. I’m heartbroken!”

“How about I slice half of the cake for you?” Jin Xuan achieved his undisclosed goal, his attitude unusually good.

“Get lost! I’ve lost my appetite just thinking about the NTU commander’s face. I have to beg him for your sake.” Jin Zhe walked to the door of the dormitory, unable to resist giving his handsome younger brother’s head a hard slap. “One day, you’ll drive me to my death!”

Jin Xuan raised two fingers to his forehead and saluted, “Not likely, sir! Have a good day, sir!”

“Fuck off!”

The Presidential motorcade slowly lifted into the air, flying towards the military and political center. Jin Xuan watched them leave, gently rubbing the ring Wu Chenghe had given him. Making this decision had been agonizing for him. He wanted to stay by Wu Chenghe’s side, caring for him every moment, but the thought of those who had hurt him in the past, or might hurt him in the future, still alive somewhere in this galaxy, plotting malevolence, made it impossible for him to settle his mind.

In the main control system of the Black Pearl Space Station, he traced the approximate location of the mercenary intermediary and uncovered some very dangerous leads through their connections. Intelligence suggested that the mastermind behind the Black Pearl incident was likely associated with high-ranking officials of the Voyager Army, aiming to obtain some kind of potion related to the guide, which was researched by the free guide organization.

Jin Zhe was right. This matter had too wide a scope for him to handle alone. He could only strive to participate and seize the initiative.

Threatening the President was a last resort and also a utilization of Jin Zhe’s indulgence towards him. Regardless, he couldn’t leave this deep hatred to be resolved by the police or the NTU. He had to personally crush their conspiracy and send those people to their doom!

Looking at the sperm whale ring in his hand, Jin Xuan’s expression softened. The talk of engagement before was just to provoke Mu; he was well aware that Wu Chenghe, being slow to warm up, wasn’t ready to take the next step with him.

Although using compatibility and bonding heat was a shortcut, he hoped they could discard the animalistic part of their genes and deeply love each other with their humanity.

His little guide was already an adult; he believed that day wouldn’t be too far off.

“Consider it your coming-of-age gift,” Jin Xuan kissed the ring, smiling.

As the new semester began, Jin Xuan didn’t apply for any courses, and even resigned from his teaching assistant position at the medical school, awaiting the NTU’s call for secondment. Time became more abundant, allowing him to take care of Wu Chenghe in various ways and cook delicious meals for him.

Wu Chenghe, on the other hand, was much busier. The courses in the second semester of his freshman year were outrageously numerous, and his body was terribly weak. His narcolepsy was unpredictable; he could fall asleep even while eating.

To avoid being caught by the teacher, he dared not sit in the front row to listen to classes anymore. Instead, he always hid in the corner. Over time, he actually gained some experience — the best seat was approximately three-fourths of the distance from the teacher’s podium in the nine o’clock direction, which was basically the teacher’s blind spot and unlikely to be exposed easily.

However, even the wisest plans can fail. In a few days, he was still caught by the teacher and ordered to stand outside for punishment. The reason was that there was someone else sleeping next to him. Two people sleeping together drew too much attention; not even the most outstanding seat in history could save him.

Joining him in the “punishment” was Big Balon. After the Black Pearl incident, the relationship between the Balon brothers and him had improved somewhat. Mr. Balon had even expressed his gratitude to him, but he politely declined — they didn’t share the same values, so maintaining surface peace was enough.

“Come on! Aren’t you a top student? How did you end up like me?” Standing together in the corridor outside the classroom, Big Balon was extremely frustrated.

Wu Chenghe was also frustrated. “Spring fatigue.”

“…Then why don’t you choose a different seat to nap in?”

“This seat is the most hidden,” Wu Chenghe yawned.

“Concealment was my discovery first; I’ve been sitting here since last semester.” Big Balon, nicknamed “Sleep King,” had never been caught sleeping in class because of the “9 o’clock direction + 4/5” golden rule, which was completely ruined by Wu Chenghe.

“Then why don’t you move to the 2 o’clock direction? I’ve observed, that position is also good,” Wu Chenghe suggested shamelessly.

Big Balon exclaimed angrily, “Why don’t you go then? What happened to ‘first come, first served’?”

Wu Chenghe thought for a moment and felt that the 9 o’clock direction was still better. “I suffer from spring fatigue due to excessive blood loss. I only bled excessively to save you guys, so you should be the one to change.”

Big Balon was speechless. After all, Wu Chenghe had saved him and his brother’s lives, so he had to compromise. Later, during the punishment, he sincerely handed over the title of “Sleep King” to his lifesaver — he discovered that Wu Chenghe was leaning against the wall and still asleep.

Kowtow!

Hearing that Wu Chenghe was punished again, Jin Xuan thought of going to see Mu and asking him to inform Wu Chenghe’s substitute teachers. However, this suggestion was immediately rejected by Wu Chenghe. With a deadpan expression, resembling a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, he said, “It’s okay, I’m used to standing now. Besides, I can still fall asleep while standing, so it doesn’t affect me.”

Even though he looked like a dead pig, Jin Xuan still found him adorable. He took out some homemade blood-replenishing snacks and fed them to him. “Let Dean know, your leg injury hasn’t healed yet. This could be considered a work-related injury, right?”

Wu Chenghe loved the traditional brown sugar pastry Jin Xuan made. The crispy pastry wrapped around the sweet brown sugar, mixed with black sesame, walnut kernels, and crushed peanuts, was simply exquisite. While munching on it, he muttered, “No need. Dean is very busy. Recently, he’s been teaching me how to utilize consciousness-blocking compatibility with sentinels after adulthood. Alas, his free time is already limited, don’t disturb him. By the way, I noticed he’s been going to the sperm bank a lot these days, doing many tests. Could artificial insemination be on the horizon?”

“What?” Jin Xuan widened his eyes. “He found a donor? With his eccentric demands, he managed to find a donor?”

“I don’t know, he wouldn’t tell me such a private matter,” Wu Chenghe shrugged. “I just noticed he started taking medication to adjust his body. According to the secretary, he’s been gaining weight recently. He’s too thin, and low body fat is not conducive to pregnancy.” 

Who would have thought that knowledge from the field of same-sex reproduction would be applicable here? It’s amazing how diverse knowledge can be.

Jin Xuan wasn’t interested in the old man’s pregnancy at all, especially the old man who was trying everything to keep them from getting into bed… He handed Wu Chenghe a glass of water, remembering another matter. “Jin Zhe said he invited you to the mansion for dinner this weekend. Why didn’t you refuse him? What’s the point of having dinner with him? It’s better to get some more sleep. You lack sleep, not Presidents.”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do. He was asked by someone else,” Wu Chenghe said. “Mr. Balon insisted on thanking me in person. I declined, so he found Mr. President. Your brother probably did it because he couldn’t swallow his pride. It doesn’t matter, it’s just dinner, having fewer people isn’t a problem.”

“Okay.” Jin Xuan thought it would be nice to take him to the mansion for a change; staying cooped up in school was suffocating. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow afternoon.”

The next afternoon, Jin Xuan arrived early to pick up Wu Chenghe. Wu Chenghe changed into formal attire and yawning all the way, they flew to the presidential mansion. When they got out of the car, Wu Chenghe’s steps were a bit unsteady. Jin Xuan patted his head, “Are you still running a low fever? Do you feel nauseous?”

“Um, not nauseous, just tired,” Wu Chenghe was indeed very uncomfortable. In order to come out in the afternoon, he had rushed a lot of assignments in the morning, and now he felt dizzy.

“The dinner is still two hours away. I’ll accompany you to the sunroom for a nap; it’s very comfortable there.”

Jin Zhe was still busy with “Iron Wing” affairs. They went up to the top floor, where there was a hemispherical transparent sunroom filled with precious plants, many of which were brought from other planets and looked extremely beautiful. In the middle of the room was a comfortable rocking chair, with floral cushions. Wu Chenghe lay down in the rocking chair and felt like he was lying on a cloud — soft and comfortable.

“Take a nap; I’ll wake you up when the guests arrive,” Jin Xuan gave him a blanket and sat on a rattan chair next to him. Wu Chenghe swayed in the rocking chair and slowly fell asleep.

He didn’t know how long he had slept, but suddenly, his consciousness fluctuated. He felt a cold breath spreading around him, and the warm sunlight quickly disappeared without a trace.

Wu Chenghe woke up abruptly, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He wiped it off gently and found that the rattan chair next to him was empty; Jin Xuan had left at some point. As he raised his head, he saw a tall middle-aged woman standing outside the sunroom. She was wearing a black suit dress, with her golden hair tightly pinned up, her expression stern and icy.

That cold feeling seemed to emanate from her. Wu Chenghe looked at the woman for a few seconds, then lifted the blanket and stood up, giving her a polite smile. Through the transparent arch, the woman also nodded slightly to him, then opened the door and walked in.

“Thank you for saving my two sons.” She walked gracefully to his side and extended her hand. “I am Mrs. Balon, the principal of the Guide School.”

 

 

 

 

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