Chapter 64 – Is There Anything I Can Do…

Chapter 64 - Is There Anything I Can Do...

"No, I won't leave until I hear from him," Huo Lanjing replied, lifting his gaze to glance at Feng Cheng.

"Haven't you heard from him at all?" he asked.

Ordinarily, Feng Cheng wouldn't have answered Huo Lanjing, but the circumstances were different now. He shook his head honestly. "Not at all."

Huo Lanjing paused, looking down at the tea in his hand. His dark red eyes held an unreadable emotion.

"Did you two have any special means of communication?" Qin Chen pondered aloud.

Feng Cheng lowered his gaze in thought. The only way for him and Luo Le to connect... that.

"No, I'll check which spaceship he boarded again," Qin Chen said as he walked over and picked up a document from the table. "Alright, go ahead and investigate further."

Wind City acknowledged and turned to exit the room.

Upon leaving, he sought an unoccupied stairwell.

With a tap, a holographic screen appeared before him, displaying the sole means of contact he had with Luo Le.

There were no messages from Luo Le in his intelligent brain, in any form.

Anxiety rising, he hurriedly tried to reach out, only for the call to be disconnected after one ring, with the number now deactivated.

Wind City bit his thumbnail. Could something truly have happened to Luo Le?

No, he needed to find him quickly.

Rising to his feet, Wind City jogged out the door.

In the office, Qin Chen glanced silently at the person beside him. "Are you worried about Luo Le?"

Huo Lanjing remained silent, merely lifting his gaze slowly to cast a fleeting glance at him.

Noticing the look in his eyes, Qin Chen waved his hand. "I was going to tell you he's alright, but if you don't want to hear it, forget it."

Huo Lanjing turned to him upon hearing this. "Speak."

"That spaceship didn't crash—it self-destructed. Moreover, all data and flight records were erased beforehand."

Anyone could initiate the self-destruction of a small spacecraft, but deleting data and flight records required the owner's authorization.

This meant that Luo Le had done it himself.

Luo Le didn't want to be found by him.

Huo Lanjing suddenly felt as if his heart had plummeted into a bottomless abyss, leaving only the sensation of freefalling.

Did Luo Le truly hate him this much?

So much so that he would go to such lengths?

"Wind City must cease further investigation into this matter. No matter what methods you use, keep a close eye on him for now."

Qin Chen: "Don't worry, he won't be able to trace it that far. But do you want to go back to the Empire and take a look? He might be lurking there."

It was unlikely that Luo Le would return to the Empire.

But... one can never be too careful.

Forget it, he'll ask Uncle Wang to send some people to search as well.

In the Empire, the Huo family's influence was second only to the military region. Once, when the young master of the Li family went missing, they sought help from the Huo family and found him the very next day, even faster than the Imperial Police Force.

Huo Lanjing nodded and got up. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he turned to Qin Chen. "Reply to his message."

With that, he left without any hesitation, confident that Qin Chen understood.

Qin Chen, exasperated, grumbled, "Mind your own business."

Huo Lanjing heard this but didn't bother responding. He continued walking out without pausing.

As soon as the door closed, Qin Chen sprawled on the sofa, propping his head up.

Huo Lanjing was only six years his senior, yet for some inexplicable reason, Qin Chen felt a sense of unease whenever he saw him.

Despite the insectoid affair being virtually resolved, Huo Lanjing unexpectedly left, entrusting the conclusion to him. This essentially meant passing the credit onto Qin Chen.

Initially, he had refused, but after Huo Lanjing said one thing, Qin Chen relented.

Forget it, I might as well send a message to the old man.

At that moment, the bearded elder in the Empire was feeding fish when a sudden urgent ringtone interrupted him. Upon recognizing the caller, he beamed, passing the fish bait to someone behind him.

"Finally, you've decided to contact your old man."

"What brings you to find me?"

Every time Qin Chen laid eyes on him, he couldn't help but feel irritable.

"This year, come back."

Qin Chen: "…"

"That matter, I really can't grant your request. There are laws for the country and rules for the family. Yet, are you really willing to sever ties with us over this? Your younger brother misses you a lot."

"Miss me? He probably wishes I were dead." Qin Chen smiled as he said, "Old man, I've told you before, I'll ascend to that position just as you did."

The old man wanted to say more, but the call was already disconnected. He let out a sigh.

At that moment, in the outskirts of the Second Planet.

Luo Le was walking home with a bag bearing the hospital's logo and a bag of food.

Recalling the healing pod in his space, he sighed, realizing that his wallet was empty again.

"What are you sighing about at such a young age?"

A deep voice echoed, causing Luo Le to furrow his brows and look towards the source of the sound.

To his right stood a man in his twenties, neatly dressed with a pair of glasses perched on his nose. The chain connected to the frames disappeared behind his ear, vanishing into the collar of his shirt.

He didn't seem like a bad guy, but appearances could be deceiving.

Luo Le shifted to his left, his expression cautious. "Who are you?"

Noticing his movement, the man smiled and waved dismissively. "You must be the new neighbor. I saw you the other day, but I doubt you saw me. I live right next door."

The man pressed his lips together. For some unexplained reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and warmth towards Luo Le from the very first glance, longing for proximity.

Luo Le hummed in response, quickening his pace as he headed home.

At the entrance, the robot scanned him first. "Gu Zhiwei, Unit 3, Building 6, 3201. Identity verified. Welcome home."

Hardly had I stepped through the gate when an affectless yet strenuously cutesy voice issued from behind me, belonging to a robot.

"Gu Heting, Unit 3, Room 3202, Building 6, identity verification successful, welcome home."

It turns out that he does live next door.

However, it seemed he had never seen this man before.

Moreover, the fact that such specific residential information was read out about him indicated that, like Luo Le, he was also registered in the military district's system.

Luo Le twirled the recording ring on his right hand and continued walking forward.

"Hey, wait for me."

Looking at the person who had gotten so close, Luo Le silently stepped to the right to create some distance before continuing on his way.

Since he was also recorded, it meant he had an unclear background as well. It was best to keep a safe distance from him.

"Don't be afraid. I mean no harm. Is that heavy? Let me help you carry it. It's on my way anyway."

Luo Le quickened his pace, not wanting to engage with him.

He ignored the man throughout their journey, but the man showed no signs of being upset.

This person was truly too peculiar.

In no time, Luo Le arrived at the doorstep and swiftly shut the door behind him.

His attitude has been quite clear, and the person named Gu Heting should have understood his intentions by now.

Luo Le placed the items in his hand on the counter, washed them, chopped them up, and threw them all into the pot to cook, before covering it with a lid.

He had just arrived, and while it was advertised as being move-in ready, there was still a certain degree of untidiness.

Yesterday, he tidied up the bedroom and the sofa, but he hasn't had the chance to attend to the rest yet.

After refrigerating the remaining items, he headed to the bathroom to fetch a basin of water and placed it on the coffee table.

The coffee table was still a bit low. Luo Le's belly was now rounded, and even a slight bend would press against it, causing discomfort.

He could only slightly spread his legs, reach for the cloth, and wring it out.

After wiping and arranging the small items neatly, Luo Le carried the basin to pour out the water and returned with the cloth to wipe the coffee table.

As he wiped, suddenly, a sharp cramp struck his right calf, sending a piercing pain. His knee buckled, but fortunately, he managed to brace himself against the coffee table, preventing him from collapsing.

His legs still wobbled slightly, so Luo Le leaned on the coffee table and stumbled into the sofa.

It took him a while to regain his composure.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Luo Le turned his head towards the entrance. He didn't know anyone here; who could it be?

Could it be that strange person from earlier?

Luo Le activated his smart brain, and a holographic screen appeared, displaying the image of whoever was outside the door.

Indeed, Gu Heting was standing at the doorway.

What on earth is this person up to?

Luo Le pondered for a moment before pressing the button. "What is it?" His tone was detached.

Gu Heting revealed a smile and said, "My students have given me a lot of fruit, and I can't finish it all. Could you help me eat some of it?"

"No need, take your time."

"Receiving favors binds one to gratitude."

Gu Heting bowed his head in thought, looking quite troubled: "Actually, I'm allergic and can't eat it. I don't know many people here, and I can't just give it away to the students. Alas, I..."

The sentence was left unfinished as the door was pulled open, revealing Luo Le with one hand propped against the door frame, half his body inside.

"Thank you." Luo Le felt a slight headache, desiring some peace and quiet.

Upon hearing this, Gu Heting smiled and waved his hand, "No need for formalities."

Taking the bag of grapes, Luo Le looked at the person still standing by the door without uttering a word.

"A cramp in your leg?"

Luo Le frowned at the figure before him, whose upper body was mostly concealed. How could this person tell? Could it be that...

Recognizing Luo Le's thoughts, Gu Heting explained: "I am a teacher at the Military Literature Academy. I have a friend who is researching the relationship between the degree of Omega's pregnancy reactions and fetal development, as well as ways to alleviate them. I have heard a bit about it from time to time. I deduced this based on your expression and condition."

Luo Le paused, the person's reasoning was sound, leaving him without a retort.

"No worries, it's all good now."

"Here, this contains the nutrients needed for an omega during pregnancy."

Luo Le stared at the medication in his hand for a while but didn't take it.

"Really, I got this from my friend, it's still sealed. If you're unsure, you can have a doctor examine it."

Luo Le shook his head. "No need, thank you."

Gu Heting sighed and said, "How about this, I'll sell it to you at the market price, three hundred. You can take it for testing first, and then use it after the testing is done. I'll collect the money after it proves to be effective, is that okay?"

Luo Le gazed at the medicine, a subtle glint flickering in his eyes. After some consideration, he decided to take it.

"I insisted that there was no need."

Gu Heting sighed and did not insist further.

On the second day, Gu Heting came again twice for this reason.

Feeling it too troublesome, Luo Le decided to simply buy it from him.

Suppose it proves useful.

Besides, the nutrient solutions here are somewhat expensive, and the same goes for other food items.

These past few days, he had been subsisting on the corn that was abundantly produced on this planet.

Delicious though it is, the nutritional content is rather too simplistic.

From that moment on, it was as if a switch had been flipped.

On his way home, he always runs into Gu Heting. Usually, it's Gu Heting who talks incessantly, while Luo Le is forced to listen.

Over time, Luo Le would occasionally join in with a few words.

Another two weeks had passed in a blink of an eye.

Luo Le had been searching for a new job these days, but no one was willing to hire him once they saw his visibly pregnant belly.

"What's the matter, why do you have such a worried look?"

Luo Le looked up and saw Gu Heting.

After some thought, he pursed his lips and asked, "How long have you been here? Do you have a good understanding of the situation?"

"Well, I've been here for three years, so I'd like to think I have a decent understanding. What's the matter?"

In this place, Luo Le didn't know anyone else; the only person he could somewhat claim to know was him.

After a moment of thought, he lowered his head and asked softly, "Is there... anything I can do to help?"

Gu Heting stopped in his tracks, casting his gaze upon his round belly. He was about to ask about his Alpha, but upon seeing the bowed head, he could probably guess what had happened. In the end, he didn't voice his question.