Chapter 60: Resolve

Chapter 60: Resolve

Upon learning Ji Jing's location, Luo Ke wished he could immediately rush to the Jasmine Galaxy to find him, but the current situation did not permit it.

Although they had dispersed this wave of insect swarms, sporadic insectoids still occasionally attacked the Capital Region's defenses, and the guards here could not afford to let their guard down even for a moment.

As the commander, Luo Ke could not spare the time.

The joy of knowing Ji Jing's location was quickly replaced by anxiety. Just as he was considering whether to send someone else to look for Ji Jing, Captain Reiner of the Snowy Owl knocked on his office door.

"Admiral Tang En, an Omega has infiltrated our Snowy Owl!" Captain Reiner reported angrily.

Ten minutes later, Carol was brought before Luo Ke, pale-faced and looking somewhat disheveled.

Luo Ke was well aware of Carol's gender, but he had never found the time to deal with this hidden ticking bomb.

He hadn't expected Carol to sneak into this battle.

"If I'm not mistaken, you and Colonel Ed Grasse both belong to the Falcon, but the Falcon is not part of this operation's deployment?"

Luo Ke narrowed his eyes at Carol in front of him. He wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for him, but if the other party threatened his operational plans, he would not be lenient.

In front of Ji Jing, Luo Ke might act like a love-struck fool, but his early promotion to admiral was inseparable from his exceptional combat skills and excellent leadership abilities.

And such a Luo Tang En absolutely would not tolerate any unstable elements within his team.

However, to Luo Ke's surprise, Carol did not beg for mercy or apologize; instead, he looked straight at him and asked, "Admiral Tang En, is Ji Jing really with you?"

Luo Ke was taken aback, then his face darkened, "This is none of your business. Take responsibility for your own mistakes and don't try to drag others into it."

This person was Ed Grasse's lover, the one who caused Ji Jing's divorce from Ed Grasse.

While Luo Ke was grateful that he helped Ji Jing get divorced, it didn't mean he approved of Carol.

From Ji Jing's perspective, he should hate or at least dislike this Carol.

But when Carol saw Luo Ke instinctively protect Ji Jing, he smiled and reached behind his neck, preparing to unzip his combat suit.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Captain Reiner, whose face had been dark, changed expression dramatically upon seeing Carol's action—

Was this damn Omega trying to seduce Admiral Tang En to escape punishment?

If not for the A/O taboo, Captain Reiner would have pinned Carol to the ground.

But Carol moved quickly, and before anyone could react, he had unzipped his combat suit, though not all the way, only exposing the back of his neck, which was covered by a high collar.

"Admiral Tang En, I am very determined!"

Carol said, turning his back and lifting the hair covering his neck, revealing a rather gruesome scar.

Luo Ke's pupils constricted, and for a moment, he was genuinely shocked by the Omega in front of him.

Captain Reiner also seemed incredulous, "Y-You... You actually..."

Carol let down his hair and nodded, "Yes, I've had my glands removed, so I no longer emit Omega pheromones, which can affect other Alphas.

If you cannot view me as an Alpha, at least treat me as a Beta and give me a chance to prove myself, okay?"

He even deliberately kept the gruesome scar, without any treatment to remove it.

"You... You're really... crazy?" Captain Reiner was stunned speechless.

Luo Ke was also shocked into silence for a long time. Finally, he gave Captain Reiner a look and said, "Captain Reiner, handle this matter yourself."

After all, military regulations prohibited Omegas from enlisting, but Carol's case was special, and Luo Ke couldn't say it outright, so he could only hint for Captain Reiner to handle it himself.

Captain Reiner understood Luo Ke's meaning, realizing he was being told to observe Carol more closely. If Carol truly had the ability to match his ambition, the First Legion would naturally have a place for him.

However, after Luo Ke dismissed him, Carol did not leave immediately. Instead, he asked, "Admiral Tang En, I haven't been able to contact Ji Jing recently. Can you reach him?"

Hearing this, Luo Ke's gray-green eyes narrowed, revealing a dangerous aura, "Why do you want to contact him?"

Carol smiled helplessly, "Nothing much, I just want to tell him about my decision. If you can contact him, please tell him that I have cut off all my retreats. Thank you!"

With that, Carol saluted Luo Ke and turned to leave, leaving Luo Ke with a conflicted expression.

He felt as if he had somehow acquired another rival out of nowhere.

With a complex mood, Luo Ke suddenly received a video call request from Deputy Zhong.

Thinking it was something urgent, Luo Ke answered without hesitation. But after connecting, Deputy Zhong first asked about his recent situation, his health, how he was eating, sleeping, and feeling, rambling on without getting to the point.

The more Luo Ke listened, the more he felt something was off. He frowned and asked, "Did you call me just to ask these trivial questions? You know I'm very busy, spending over ten hours in battle every day."

Deputy Zhong chuckled awkwardly, "I know, I know. I was just laying some groundwork so you wouldn't get angry!"

"What is it?" Luo Ke's patience was almost exhausted.

Deputy Zhong rubbed his nose, hesitating to meet Luo Ke's eyes, and finally said, "Well... Recently, the Narcissus Galaxy has proactively contacted us, expressing a desire to cooperate.

They also said, as a gesture of goodwill, they are willing to send their mermaid prince Semaya... for a marriage alliance.

The designated partner for the marriage alliance is... Ji Jing."

"What?!!!" Luo Ke's eyes widened, his voice filled with uncontrollable anger.

Deputy Zhong shrank back, thankful that he was only speaking to Luo Ke through a screen and not facing his wrath directly. Still, he persisted in finishing his message.

"This matter should have been directly communicated to Ji Jing and his family to seek their opinions, but you know, Ji Jing hasn't been reachable lately. He has already divorced Ed Grasse, and his adoptive parents severed ties with him before his previous marriage..."

Luo Ke was almost amused to the point of anger, "So what?"

"So... someone initiated a poll on the StarNet, asking whether people support or oppose Ji Jing's marriage alliance with Semaya... So far, two hundred million people have voted in favor, and over ninety percent of them are your fans..."

"Huh."

Luo Ke really did laugh, but it was a cold, chilling laugh.

It made Chief Zhong shiver even through the air. Honestly, he thought those people had gone too far.

If the Merfolk truly wanted to cooperate with humans, they should negotiate the terms of cooperation, ensuring mutual benefits for both sides. This would be a good thing, but to bring up a marriage alliance was like shooting oneself in the foot.

Not to mention, even if Ji Jing were to agree, what if he and Prince Semaya of the Merfolk had a falling out in the future? What would happen to their cooperation then?

These voters were clearly idle, meddling in other people's marriages. Their motives didn't need guessing.

They just thought Ji Jing wasn't good enough for Luo Ke and would tarnish his reputation, so they wanted to push this hot potato, Ji Jing, away. And with Prince Semaya of the Merfolk eagerly willing to take him, they were more than happy to fan the flames.

But these people had missed the most crucial point. They all assumed that Ji Jing was clinging to Luo Ke, but Chief Zhong knew that in their relationship, Luo Ke was the one who was emotionally weaker.

Sure enough, not long after the video call ended, Chief Zhong saw an update on Luo Ke's personal social media account—

"Seems you all have plenty of free time, voting on other people's marriages now, huh?

Do you all have partners already?

Are you all earning over ten thousand a month?

Have you all paid off your mortgages and car loans?

Have you all finished helping your kids with their homework?

Have you all saved enough for retirement?

What? Not yet?

Then what are you all making a fuss about?

@Prince Semaya, let's set a time for a one-on-one! If Poseidon's seawater can't keep you sober, maybe my fists can help."

Chief Zhong: ...

Too vicious, way too vicious!

Even he couldn't confidently answer all those questions affirmatively, let alone ordinary people.

Exhausted, he didn't even want to handle the PR fallout.

"Author's Note"

Thank you to "Gugulu," "27066309," and "Qidie" for your support. Thanks, everyone!