FT DR Chapter 79: A New Journey, New Crisis

Chapter 79: A New Journey, New Crisis

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The scale of the college-organized reception wasn’t large. Aside from the Tungusic faculty, there were only the school leaders, senior professors, and a few administrative staff from Aston Headquarters, totaling no more than thirty people.

Mu, as usual, was dressed in standard funeral attire, a black suit and black shirt, with just a dark blue tie, making him look slightly less intimidating. Because he had been eating more due to the recent pregnancy, he had gained a bit of weight on his face, appearing very young and clean, looking like Wu Chenghe’s brother.

“Welcome to Aston Medical College,” Mu’s smile was almost imperceptibly faint as he faced Mrs. Balon. “I look forward to working with you.”

“We are here to learn from you,” Mrs. Balon replied with a mysterious smile, “I’ve been wanting to come to Aston for several years. Fortunately, my application was finally approved this year.”

“It’s an honor for the college,” Mu clinked glasses with her and took a sip of juice from his glass, saying, “I’m sorry, for health reasons, I can’t drink alcohol.”

“Oh, of course,” Mrs. Balon took a sip of wine and said, “I heard you’re pregnant. It’s right to be careful and stay away from alcohol.”

Mu remained expressionless, only nodding slightly in thanks. Mrs. Balon apologized, “I’m sorry for unintentionally intruding on your privacy, it’s just that Mr. Chen is my good friend, and he felt very guilty last time because of the injury to you, he mentioned it to me during our call.”

Mu said, “Mr. Chen is too polite. I’m completely fine now.”

“He is a very kind person, especially soft-hearted towards patients, it’s a common trait among guides,” Mrs. Balon’s expression relaxed slightly as she talked about her friend. “Speaking of which, Dean, you seem to have always been single. If I may be so bold, do you not plan to start a family?”

“No,” Mu said simply and directly. 

Mrs. Balon asked, “Well, how should I put it, I’m experienced in these matters. It’s best for children to have a complete family. You are so outstanding, don’t you plan to find a partner?”

“Single parents can also raise excellent children,” Mu said, “A happy family doesn’t necessarily have to be complete, or rather, our definition of ‘complete’ may not be the same. I believe love makes it complete. Having biological parents isn’t essential.” He paused and continued, “I’m an orphan.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Balon realized, sympathy showing on her face. “I’m sorry for bringing up your sadness.”

Mu smiled faintly and shook his head, “No need. My childhood was very happy.” He didn’t intend to continue the conversation with her, raised his glass as a gesture, and intended to leave. “Enjoy your evening.”

Mrs. Balon smiled politely but didn’t intend to let him go, subtly blocking his path without leaving a trace, saying, “I must mention something that may seem a bit inappropriate, but out of responsibility, I have to bring it up.”

Mu patiently said, “Please, go ahead.”

“If your child is a guide, please make sure to send him to a guide school. The federation needs your help,” Mrs. Balon said.

Mu breathed calmly, “I doubt I’m that lucky.”

“I’m sorry, no parent wants to hear such words, but it’s my duty,” Mrs. Balon’s expression was unusually sincere. “There are too few guides. Even if it’s only a one-in-a-million birth rate, we can’t ignore it. The Guide Protection Act has been in place for almost fifty years, but our student numbers have not increased significantly. There is still a great misunderstanding among the public, thinking of us as internment camps or concentration camps. You are a doctor, a scientist, I hope such prejudices don’t exist in someone like you.”

Mu’s expression remained unchanged, but his gaze grew colder, “I have no prejudice against you, Madam. The Tungusic School has made outstanding contributions to improving the living environment of guides, I personally admire it very much. But there are consequences for everything. The massacre has only been over for a hundred years, millions of babies were forcibly aborted, guides died in despair behind high walls. These are not just dry statistics, many of their relatives are still living in this world. All of this is more real, more vivid than the Guide Protection Act. To gain the forgiveness and trust of the people, I think your journey is still long, very long.”

His tone was slightly intense. Mrs. Balon was momentarily speechless, sighing after a while, “Even you call it a ‘massacre,’ it seems many people still remember that event.”

“Facts cannot be changed, history cannot be erased,” Mu said lightly, “Although humans like to look forward, they are not forgetful… I was born the year before the massacre ended, Madam.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Balon’s expression changed, “I see.”

Mu didn’t say anything more, raised his glass in a gesture, and turned to leave. Mrs. Balon called after him, “Dean, you haven’t answered my question yet. If your child is a guide, would you send them to a guide school?”

Mu paused for a moment, turned back, “That possibility doesn’t exist, Madam. Last week, I just had a genetic test, and there are no guide genes. It’s a girl.”

“Oh, congratulations,” disappointment flashed in Mrs. Balon’s eyes, then she raised her glass, smiled, and said, “But there’s still a possibility of hidden genes.”

Mu shook his head lightly, without answering her question again, whether there was no such possibility or he wouldn’t send her to a guide school. Mrs. Balon raised the crystal-clear glass to her lips, took a sip of the wine, her eyes completely cold.

Several meters away, under the long window, Wu Chenghe held a round tray, extending his hearing, paying close attention to their conversation. Seeing Mu walk away, he furrowed his brows slightly. He couldn’t determine whether Mrs. Balon’s words to Mu were suggestive or simply came from her position as the “principal,” having to promote the Guide Protection Act to him. But one thing was certain, once she discovered Mu’s guide identity, she would spare no effort to get him into a guide school.

Given Mu’s age and status, once he entered a guide school, he would inevitably face the issues of blind dates and marriage in the short term. Wu Chenghe simply couldn’t imagine such a situation. With Mu’s strong and proud personality, how would he adapt to a subordinate position? How would he adapt to a strong sentinel’s possession and dominance?

Suddenly, there was an extra weight on his hand. Wu Chenghe looked up and saw a guide teacher placing an empty glass on his tray. The person casually grabbed another freshly poured glass and smiled at him, saying, “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Just as the person was about to leave, they glanced back at him, “Oh, are you Dean Mu’s relative?”

“Oh, no, I’m a student here,” Wu Chenghe hastily replied, “We just happen to look alike.”

“Oh, really striking resemblance,” the teacher scrutinized him, looking like they wanted to chat, “I heard the Dean is pregnant, is it true? Can’t tell at all.”

“Hehe,” Wu Chenghe thought there were busybodies everywhere, so he chuckled perfunctorily, “I’m just a student, I’m not too clear about the teachers’ affairs.”

“Oh,” the person seemed very interested in him, “Are you a freshman? How old are you?”

“I’m a sophomore,” Wu Chenghe said, “Do you need anything else? Desserts? I can help you get some.”

“Oh, no need, I’m on a diet,” the person made a funny face, finished the sherry in their hand, and switched to a glass of brandy, “The alcohol here is good, better than Tungusic.”

Wu Chenghe watched as three out of four glasses of wine on his tray were finished by the person. So, he waited for them to finish the last one as well before taking it away. “Isn’t Tungusic supposed to have excellent conditions? I heard from classmates that they have everything there. How come there’s no good wine?”

“Tungusic might have good conditions, but how can it compare to the capital?” the person sneered, “They have ‘green tides’ half the year, high humidity, bad air, even the wine there has a weird taste.”

“Oh. Then why do you stay and work at Tungusic?”

“The salary is good,” the person said, “What about you? Are you interested in working at Tungusic after graduation? Our principal is there, you can try to get close to her, who knows, you might have a chance.”

“…No, thanks.” Wu Chenghe thought he couldn’t escape even if he wanted to!

“But you really look like you belong at Tungusic,” the person finished the brandy, smacked their lips, with an intoxicated expression, “You look like a guide.”

Wu Chenghe was startled, nervously chuckled, “Look like? Where do I look like one? Aren’t you a regular person? Can regular people identify guides?”

“With constant exposure, I’ve accumulated some experience,” the person examined him up and down, “Hmm, you really look like one, slender, fair, your temperament too. It’s a kind of indescribable feeling, you know? The sixth sense.”

“…You’ve had too much to drink, you’d better rest for a while.” Wu Chenghe saw their tongue getting loose, retrieved his tray, and intended to leave. 

But the person grabbed his arm, full of excitement, “Hey, don’t go, let’s chat, what are you afraid of? You’re not a guide, we won’t take you away hehehe…”

“You’re drunk.” Wu Chenghe couldn’t move with their grip on him, gesturing to a classmate at the table to bring a glass of yogurt. 

But the person kept holding him, chattering non-stop, “Listen to me, I have a student, he’s fat, and his quantum beast is a fat chicken, you know, the kind that goes ‘cluck cluck cluck,’ I can’t see it, but other students laugh at him as soon as they see him, making him very upset, always complaining to me. Ah, you know, I dare not eat chicken now, it’s so painful hehehehe…”

Wu Chenghe handed the yogurt to him, finally getting rid of him after some effort, his back wet with sweat. Seeing him being held by someone, Mu came over and frowned, “What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to stay away from them?”

“I was worried,” Wu Chenghe nervously chuckled. 

Mu scolded, “What’s there to worry about? Am I not fine?”

Wu Chenghe continued to smile, “I’m worried about them, you know, you can be quite fierce, and what if you scare someone?”

“…” Mu’s fingers trembled slightly as he tapped his head, “You’ve learned bad habits from Jin Xuan.”

Wu Chenghe leaned in and asked quietly, “Did you really do the check-up? Is it a girl?”

“Don’t pry into the privacy of your superiors, do you want to die, kid?” Mu glared at him, but nodded nonetheless. 

Wu Chenghe sighed, “Oh no, with your fierceness, you’ll surely turn her into a tough girl, and she’ll end up marrying a weakling in the future.”

“Get lost!” Mu’s mood had been slightly sour due to Mrs. Balon, but his spirits lifted a bit with Wu Chenghe’s teasing. He straightened up and said, “Listen to me, you don’t need to worry about my affairs, I can handle them myself. Just focus on protecting yourself, got it?”

Wu Chenghe nodded. Mu sighed again and said, “Don’t underestimate these ordinary people, they can be quite malicious. That guy who just got drunk is not a good person either. Stay away from them in the future and don’t cause trouble for me.”

“I understand,” Wu Chenghe replied obediently.

From that day on, the “Tungusic Group” settled in Aston Medical College for a sixty-day exchange and training program. Most of their hosts were doctoral and master’s students, with a few fourth-year students. Wu Chenghe, a second-year student like him, had little interaction with them, so he didn’t feel threatened.

More than half a month passed smoothly, Jin Xuan’s work became busier, often having to stay overnight at the Information Tower. They could only communicate through holographic videos, making Wu Chenghe somewhat anxious. He had to try to soothe Jin Xuan’s emotions every time they met, hinting to him to focus on his work.

From a biological perspective, sentinels and guides relied on each other mutually. After being marked, Wu Chenghe also had a strong dependency and possessiveness towards Jin Xuan. However, because his guide hormone levels were not as high as the sentinel’s, coupled with his shy personality, it didn’t seem too serious. But on days without Jin Xuan, his mood was always low. He would feel depressed and frustrated over minor setbacks.

Fortunately, Chen Miaomiao’s arrival helped alleviate his depression. This guy was like a live ember, igniting flames wherever he went. Under his influence, Wu Chenghe joined a Go club and watched a baseball game that Marlow participated in. After the game, when Marlow had to return to Marla the Grand Canyon for continued military training, Chen Miaomiao suggested visiting him, urging Wu Chenghe to move with him across the Strategy Academy’s blockade and secretly enter the training base to observe the training.

Wu Chenghe was startled by his suggestion, ordering him not to have such thoughts again, or else he would write to his violent mother and scheming father. Chen Miaomiao reluctantly agreed to his demand, but proposed an additional condition: before the Tungusic group left, Wu Chenghe had to get him a ticket to the final conference.

The final conference, though called a conference, was actually a comprehensive exchange lasting a whole day. It included performance appraisals of the training instructors, technical competitions between students from both sides, as well as a banquet and farewell party. It was said that representatives from Tungusic guide students would attend, so many students in the medical school wanted to participate, making tickets hard to come by.

Wu Chenghe had no choice but to agree to Chen Miaomiao’s condition since he would also be attending. Having one more buddy for support wouldn’t hurt.

On Friday, Wu Chenghe was dragged by Chen Miaomiao to the Go club to study some game records. He returned to the dormitory late at night only to find Jin Xuan back, lying on his bed reading materials.

“Why did you suddenly come back? And without informing me beforehand?” Wu Chenghe hadn’t seen him for several days, and upon seeing him, his mood brightened, and he even took the initiative to hug and kiss him on the corner of his mouth. 

Jin Xuan’s expression, however, was somewhat gloomy. He closed his personal terminal, pulled Wu Chenghe into his lap, and buried his head in his chest, murmuring, “Missed me?”

Wu Chenghe conveyed his longing through telepathy, which slightly lifted Jin Xuan’s spirits. Rolling over, Jin Xuan pressed him onto the bed, kissing him tenderly and passionately.

Their tongues intertwined, Wu Chenghe’s breath gradually became heavier, and a sweet fragrance emanated involuntarily from his body, making the slightly chilly autumn night feel unusually warm and cozy. Jin Xuan emitted a faint growl from his throat, rubbing against him like a hungry lion, his large hands slipping under Wu Chenghe’s shirt, caressing his warm skin, eliciting tiny shivers.

Wu Chenghe’s pheromones were aroused by Jin Xuan’s stimulation, desire surged within him like a rising tide, overwhelming his rationality, leaving no trace of clarity. A small, bright orange shadow flew up from his shoulder, flapping its translucent wings in the air. It was his Morpho butterfly, unable to maintain its transparent mimicry due to its owner’s excitement, revealing its true colors as it fluttered around.

Jin Xuan’s lion emitted a lingering purr, summoning its spiritual mate. The Morpho butterfly flew around its owner for a while before landing on the lion’s head, expressing its love through telepathy and establishing a spiritual connection.

Due to Jin Xuan’s stimulation, Wu Chenghe’s body exuded a rich scent of pheromones, as sweet as honey in the confined room. Jin Xuan closed his eyes and deeply inhaled his scent, unbuttoning his shirt, nibbling at his protruding collarbone, and licking the vermilion mole on his neck… But his pheromones didn’t emanate in response, despite the arousing encounter.

Wu Chenghe gradually noticed his anomaly, suppressing his surging desire, and cupping his face with both hands, asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Are you tired? Or upset?”

Jin Xuan rubbed his chin in his palm, perhaps he had been too busy recently to groom properly, causing some short stubbles to grow there, which felt a bit rough when touched. Wu Chenghe rubbed it with his thumb and said, “It’s grown quite long, shall I shave it for you?”

“No,” Jin Xuan shook off his hand, burying his face in Wu Chenghe’s bare chest, rubbing against it like a spoiled cat, “Don’t move, let me hold you for a while, I missed you so much.”

Wu Chenghe had no choice but to lie still and let him rub against him, while also undoing his hairband and stroking the back of his head to soothe him. That’s how sentinels were; their genes carried strong animalistic traits, which were not very evident due to human suppression in normal situations, but were particularly clear in bed. Jin Xuan was especially schizophrenic in this regard. Due to his education and manners, he appeared exceptionally calm and rational under normal circumstances, more like an ordinary human than most sentinels. However, when facing Wu Chenghe, especially when emotionally moved, he would transform into a clingy, large feline, abandoning his aloofness and preferring to lick, hug, rub against, and be pampered by Wu Chenghe.

 After he rubbed against him for a while and seemed a bit happier, Wu Chenghe tentatively asked again. “What’s wrong exactly?”

Jin Xuan buried his head in Wu Chenghe’s neck, cooing like a lion with a deep “purr” sound for a while before murmuring, “Can’t you see it for yourself?”

Wu Chenghe sighed and said, “But I did see it.”

“Yeah,” Jin Xuan nodded, his smooth long hair swaying and hitting Wu Chenghe’s face, “We agreed beforehand, no crying after you see it.”

You’re the one who’s about to cry, aren’t you? Wu Chenghe inwardly retorted, brushing aside the hair on his face, concentrating his consciousness, and extending two mental tendrils slowly into Jin Xuan’s consciousness cloud.

Although they had been together for several months, Wu Chenghe had always been careful not to pry into Jin Xuan’s privacy. Even when helping him calm his mania, he deliberately avoided probing into the memory part of his consciousness cloud. Wu Chenghe believed that everyone should reserve a part of themselves that others don’t know about. For example, he didn’t want his memories from his past life to be seen by others, and he thought Jin Xuan might feel the same.

But since Jin Xuan actively requested him to look, he wouldn’t refuse.

Jin Xuan’s consciousness cloud was very powerful and deep, but today it was obviously restless. Wu Chenghe gently extinguished some of the less noticeable sparks, helping to calm his restlessness. Then, slowly, he reached into the memory area, browsing through his recent experiences.

The Black Pearl case was nearing its end. The mastermind behind the mercenaries had been exposed, undoubtedly a subordinate of General Lancer. However, the head of the special task force believed that this “mastermind” was not the instigator of the case. Behind him, there was an even bigger conspiracy. Now all the clues were focusing on the hacker who had once tampered with the Black Pearl landing system, but just as the NTU special agents were ordered to arrest him, he escaped due to receiving advance notice.

Whether someone leaked the information to him or his skills penetrated the NTU’s intranet, it was unknown. The only certainty was that this hacker was extremely cunning and might not be acting alone but as part of a criminal gang hired by the “mastermind.”

The Black Pearl case had wide-reaching implications and caused massive casualties. The NTU Commander-in-Chief, furious at several failed attempts to apprehend him, demanded that they capture the hacker and identify the “mastermind” within three months.

As the most outstanding official hacker in the information support department and the member who had made the most contributions to the entire case, Jin Xuan was personally appointed by the Commander-in-Chief and tasked with the overall planning of the hacker apprehension operation. He was to leave immediately to track down the target.

The ridiculous part was clearly stated at the end of the mission briefing: when he caught the person, only then could he come back. If he couldn’t catch him… well, heh, just keep going.

After browsing through his memories, Wu Chenghe finally understood why Jin Xuan was so upset today.

“You’re going on a business trip?” Wu Chenghe retracted his mental tendrils and continued to stroke his big head. After comforting him, Jin Xuan seemed less angry, lazily lying on him, his arms wrapped around his chest, and his toes playing with his toes, picking them one by one, resembling a Barbary lion, just short of licking his paws.

“Yeah, three month deadline.” Jin Xuan took his hand off his head and played with Wu Chenghe’s palm, “Damn it, why do I have to perform so well? I’m just a civil servant, but I’ve been sent to the front line by him. The previous few times were fine, just a few days, but this time… damn!”

Wu Chenghe glared at him, and Jin Xuan stopped saying “damn” and pouted, continuing to play with his toes.

Thinking about not seeing Jin Xuan for three months made Wu Chenghe feel uncomfortable and suffocated, but he was involved in the Black Pearl case, and the scenes of so many deaths and the grief of the relatives were still vivid in his mind. Catching the mastermind had always been his expectation. After some thought, he said, “Then you go early and come back early. It’s a three-month deadline. If you’re lucky, you might catch the hacker in a week, then you’ll be back in half a month, right?”

“It’s not that easy. Before, I used to stay at the frontline headquarters providing technical support. This time, they want me to track the hacker with the field team, keeping track of his movements in real-time.” Jin Xuan sighed, “That guy is extremely cunning, traveling across the galaxy with a large group of agents. God knows how much time it’ll take on the way. Three months is an optimistic estimate. If it’s delayed, who knows when I’ll be back.”

Wu Chenghe fell silent. After a while, Jin Xuan said, “How about you take leave and come with me? I’ll be on field duty, and you can stay on the ship waiting for me.”

“No,” Wu Chenghe blurted out, “I missed a lot of classes last semester, and several courses are piled up for this semester. If I take more leave, I’ll be demoted.”

Jin Xuan also knew he wouldn’t leave school, especially during Mu’s pregnancy. Feeling a bit sour in his heart, he said, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll have a mania episode? The balance drugs don’t work that well for me anymore.”

Wu Chenghe softened at his words, almost agreeing to go with him. He barely suppressed his submissive nature and said, “It’s okay, I trust you. You’ll definitely catch that hacker soon. I’ll wait for you to come back at school.”

Jin Xuan sighed deeply, quietly holding him for a while. Suddenly, he started rubbing against him again, making “purr” sounds for a while, and said, “This is the last time. After I catch the mastermind who hurt you, I’ll leave NTU immediately and stay with you at school, taking care of you every day, feeding you until you’re full…”

Wu Chenghe was touched by his first half of the sentence but got annoyed at the second half. “Speak human language!”

“I’ll love you every day, feed you until you’re full.” Jin Xuan used both hands and feet to hold Wu Chenghe in place and changed his words. Actually, he knew it was impossible to have both, to take revenge and stay together. He hadn’t planned to take Wu Chenghe to the frontline anyway; it was Lancer’s territory, too dangerous, even with the NTU Special Ops team, it wasn’t a hundred percent safe.

Now that he had said it all, he felt relieved. Jin Xuan let go of his previous frustrations and kissed his lover tenderly. Wu Chenghe gradually relaxed, knowing that Jin Xuan had figured it out and accepted reality. He obediently let Jin Xuan kiss him back, sticking out his tongue to respond to him, releasing pheromones to invite him sweetly.

The slightly sweet liquid mingled in each other’s mouths, and Jin Xuan’s body emitted pheromones unique to a lion sentinel, passionate and domineering, blending and reacting with Wu Chenghe’s refreshing scent, bursting out intense bonding heat, engulfing the two of them together.

“Let’s do it until dawn.” Jin Xuan stripped off Wu Chenghe’s clothes, took off his pants, and rubbed against him, spreading his sweat and bodily fluids on his delicate skin like a lion marking its territory, “Three months… I’ll definitely go crazy. I want to take you away with me in my mind!”

“Until dawn… let it be until dawn!” Wu Chenghe was already as hard as iron, his thin chest heaving violently, his voice hoarse, “Don’t drag it out for three months, come back earlier!”

“Ah!”

The author had something to say: Let me explain. Some people may confuse the sentinel/guide setting with ABO, but in fact, they are completely different.

ABO refers to gender settings, similar to male/female. Sentinel/guide, on the other hand, refers to occupational settings, distinguished by skills. A sentinel is akin to a berserker, with explosive physical strength and expertise in output. A guide is akin to a priest, with explosive mental energy, excelling in support and healing. Neither of these have anything to do with gender. Anyone, whether straight male, straight female, gay, or lesbian, could become a sentinel or guide.

Regarding the gender setting in this text, it continues from “1/2 Wastrel.” Within every ten thousand men, there is one male- who can get pregnant, although it’s extremely difficult because they can’t give birth naturally. The fetus has to be surgically removed in the late stage of pregnancy, through artificial gestation. As for others, they are either male or female, no different from now.

That’s how it is~

 

 

 

 

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