Chapter 38: Landis’s Separation Anxiety

Chapter 38: Landis's Separation Anxiety

After the results of the morning's combat competition were confirmed, the event was officially declared over. Class A, which had never participated in combat evaluations before, jumped from being the last-place team in the entire year to securing the second-place position. Xiao Sa, in particular, caused a sensation, becoming a name that was like thunder to the ears of all mech pilot cadets—a name that made them grit their teeth in frustration whenever it was mentioned.

The other teams silently watched as the notorious spoiled brats of Class A stood on the first-place podium of the team competition. Their expressions were blank.

Feng Yu, with a complicated and admiring look, said sincerely to Xiao Sa, "Congratulations, I truly didn't expect you to really succeed..." successfully carrying a group of teammates who were dead weight.

His eyes shifted to Kaman and the others standing next to Xiao Sa. The light in their eyes had completely shifted, becoming more confident and calm. They showed no dissatisfaction about being mere 'tag-alongs' that were carried.

They used to run amok in the academy, but that was only because they couldn't gain recognition through legitimate means.

When Feng Yu's gaze met Kaman's, it was as if an invisible spark passed between them.

Unable to contain himself, Kaman gloated, "Well, what do you have to say now?"

Feng Yu sneered, "It's all thanks to Xiao Sa. How much effort do you really think you put in?"

Kaman wasn't upset at all. He held out his hand, showing a small gap, "Not much, just a bit more than you."

Feng Yu scoffed, "Spoiled kid."

Kaman shot back, "Arrogant jerk."

They glared at each other, both irritated, before turning their heads away.

Xiao Sa looked at them with a wry smile, suddenly feeling like a junior high homeroom teacher.

According to the rules, students who passed the assessment would be awarded a Junior Mech Pilot Certificate. Professor Vera patted the students on the shoulder approvingly, "Keep up the good work! Your families will be proud of you."

Everyone else was excited, but Xiao Sa remained calm, his face impassive as if it were only natural.

Soon, it came to the part Xiao Sa was most concerned about—the allocation of slots in the Exploration Legion. Class A successfully secured three slots. Colonel Aige, the deputy commander of the Exploration Legion, specifically came over to greet Xiao Sa.

The Exploration Legion consisted of three regiments, each belonging to different military districts. Their main tasks included resource exploration, mining rare new energy sources, and discovering new species, among other things.

Colonel Aige looked at Xiao Sa with an appreciative gaze, "If you're willing, you can choose any of the three regiments."

Xiao Sa nodded, "Thank you, Lord. I will consider it carefully."

Not only had Colonel Aige, but also Colonel Floren from the First Legion also extended an olive branch to Xiao Sa. Outstanding and rare talents needed to be secured in advance, as they would be poached by others by the time the mech pilot cadets graduated.

The third prince Moyang came slowly forward with his snow leopard, hinting meaningfully, "Gold will shine wherever it is. I'm very pleased that talented individuals can serve the empire rather than languish in obscurity."

Xiao Sa's gaze lingered on the snow leopard for a moment before he silently drew it back.

In the instant he brushed past Xiao Sa, the third prince suddenly lowered his voice and said, "If Lord Landis tries to stop you, or if you ever need help in the future, you can seek me out."

Xiao Sa raised an eyebrow and gave him a suspicious side-eye, but maintained basic courtesy by nodding slightly and responding coolly, "Thank you, Third Prince."

This third prince was always mysteriously strange, and Xiao Sa couldn't help but wonder why he paid special attention to him.

Xiao Sa touched his face and silently shook his head. Being too handsome had its disadvantages.

Next to them, Landis's face visibly darkened.

The luxurious mini airship flew smoothly through the air, with Xiao Sa and Landis sitting side by side in the rear seats.

Landis sat with his legs crossed, leaning back in the soft leather chair, his posture as steadfast and upright as always, but his furrowed brows and the tense lines of his cheek muscles made him look particularly cold and stern, his face full of displeasure.

The way the third prince looked at Xiao Sa caused him discomfort. The phrase "languish in obscurity" made it sound as if he had locked Xiao Sa away.

After enduring for a long time, Landis finally couldn't resist and turned to Xiao Sa, "Why do you want to join the Exploration Legion? You can go anywhere you wish, and I can send people to protect you. But the Exploration Legion is far from Central Star, going to undeveloped and desolate planets, where unknown dangers could arise at any time."

More importantly, it would take Xiao Sa out of his line of sight. Landis, in the honeymoon phase of his relationship, found it utterly unbearable to be away.

He moved a little closer to Xiao Sa, their arms touching, and grabbed one of his hands, holding it in his lap, his fingers tightly interlocked, as if only then he could find some peace.

Xiao Sa looked at him in surprise. It wasn't just his imagination—Landis seemed more and more like an omega deeply marked by an Alpha, always craving skin-to-skin contact.

It was as if he had suddenly developed some kind of skin hunger, needing to press against him even at night. Their high body temperatures made Xiao Sa feel excessively hot every night.

Such dependency was commonly seen among newlywed AO couples on his home planet, often due to pheromonal imbalance. For example, if one party had not released or received pheromones for a long time, a sudden short-term surge in pheromones could trigger specific physiological or psychological changes.

Of course, Xiao Sa, lacking knowledge of AO physiology, only had a vague understanding of this.

He casually glanced at the other man's flat abdomen and secretly shook his head. It was probably his own overthinking. How could Landis possibly turn into an omega? Their physiological structures are obviously different.

Perhaps it was just his old habit of excessive protectiveness and possessiveness resurfacing.

Xiao Sa let the other man hold his hand and said, "Landis, I have my own things to do, just like you have your work every day. I have my own goals."

"What goals? What do you want to do?" Landis gazed at him intently, puzzled. "If it's because of the bet we made before, then I admit you won. I underestimated you. I must acknowledge that your talent is extremely rare even among high-level individuals."

"But what else do you want to do? Whatever you desire, I can get it for you. You don't need to handle it yourself, and there's no need for you to put yourself in danger."

He paused, suddenly recalling something. "Do you like rare crystal minerals? I know of a resource-rich planet that produces amethysts so rare and beautiful that the luxury items made from them sell for sky-high prices every year. If you like, I can buy that mine for you."

Xiao Sa: "..."

Even though he was accustomed to all kinds of luxury back on his home planet, he couldn't help but feel speechless at Landis's lavish nature.

He rubbed his temples in frustration. "No need, Landis. I don't need luxury items."

Seeing Landis's puzzled expression, Xiao Sa thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember when we had our matchmaking, I told you about the incident where my clan's ship crashed, and we went missing?"

Landis nodded. "I remember," he said.

He looked at Xiao Sa with a complex expression, filled with subtle regret and sympathy. Generally, in the universe, the chances of survival in such accidents are minimal. For Xiao Sa to have been rescued was nothing short of a miracle.

The Dawn Empire had similar spaceship accidents every year, and it had never been heard that most of the victims survived.

Even with Landis's lack of emotional sensitivity, he understood that this was a time for comfort, not to add salt to the wound.

For Xiao Sa, as long as there was no confirmed body, there was still a glimmer of hope.

He thought for a moment and said, "So, you want to find your family members who were involved in the incident?"

Xiao Sa nodded. "Yes," he said.

Although the probability of a spaceship accident was high, the spaceship his clan members were on was top-tier. There were also various escape pods on the ship, and they were powerful themselves, making it more likely that they are simply lost somewhere.

This was why Xiao Sa had always strongly believed that his clan members were still alive. If he could survive without a scratch, it was likely that others could too.

Landis thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, you can tell me the names of your family members, what they look like, preferably with photos or video footage. What country were they from, or what galaxy did they come from? What route did you follow? And the model of the spaceship. Try to provide as much detailed information as you can."

"I can help you search via the immigration office."

Xiao Sa instantly fell silent: “……”

Could it be that even the Dawn Empire allows immigration for aliens?

It was awkward; there was no way he could provide that information.

There was no way he could tell a military leader of this country that his clan had arrived in huge warships, originally planning to occupy Central Star and rebuild their home, right?

Either Landis would think Xiao Sa had lost his mind, or, as an Imperial Admiral, he would detain this alien 'invader' for dissection.

Xiao Sa hesitated for a moment in his heart, and finally, with his eyes flickering, he said vaguely, “Most of them have the surname Xiao. I don’t have any photos either. As for the rest, I don’t know anything. Our country is far away and was destroyed by war.”

Landis fell silent: “……”

That was about as useful as saying nothing.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and earnestly advised Xiao Sa to give up, “In this vast universe, searching blindly will only make it harder, won’t it?”

Xiao Sa simply ignored the latter part of Landis’s words. There was some truth to what he said. It would indeed be difficult to find them on his own. However, once his Black Knight persona won the championship in the Heavenly Ascension Arena, broadcasted across the entire Stellar Network, it would be much easier to place an ad or use a code to let any surviving clan members find him.

Xiao Sa felt a surge of confidence. He was brilliant!

He also couldn’t abandon the Broken Peak pirate group route. They had seen and heard a lot, often dealing with people from various planets, making them the fastest at spreading information.

It had been a long time since he last contacted Broken Peak. He wondered if they had any leads.

Xiao Sa decided and said, “Landis, I’ve decided to join the Exploration Legion.”

Even if he couldn’t find his clan immediately, he could also scout for habitable planets. It wouldn’t be good to actually have to fight the Dawn Empire for territory in the future. Their physiology differed from that of humans in the star sea region. Perhaps planets uninhabitable for humans here might be suitable for them.

They were immigrants from another planet, but they had no intention of being “invaders” or provoking conflict with the native humans here.

Landis furrowed his brow deeply, silently staring at him for a long while. Seeing that Xiao Sa had no intention of changing his mind, he had no choice but to compromise:

“Alright, but you have to promise me that you’ll only go to military regions close to the Central Star, absolutely no areas near the frontlines, and you can’t be gone for too long. You must maintain constant contact; your communicator must remain on...”

“I might as well assign a squad of guards to temporarily join the Exploration Legion and go with you.”

He rambled for a long time, and the more he spoke, the more absurd it became. Xiao Sa's brow twitched, and finally, he covered Landis's mouth with his hand.

"Landis, I'm going for military training, not a picnic!"

Xiao Sa was extremely helpless. The last time Landis opposed his entry into the Mech Academy, it was because he was low-level and had a disability. Now that he had proven his strength, it was as if Landis saw him as a child who couldn't take care of himself before a long journey.

Xiao Sa found Landis's stubbornness about this utterly unreasonable, and Landis equally found Xiao Sa perplexing.

When he was young, his father was often absent, and his mother passed away early. He learned to survive independently at an early age, never experiencing the feeling of being deeply loved and protected. His stepmother lavished all her love on his younger brother, afraid he would suffer the smallest amount of hardship or injury.

Landis, aloof and cold, silently observed all of this and was filled with envy of that love. That was probably what love was. He vowed that if he ever had a partner in the future, he would give them all the love he had longed for but never received.

He had worked hard, but Xiao Sa never seemed to appreciate it.

Landis grabbed his wrist and pulled it away, frowning as he said, "Xiao Sa, I don't understand what you're upset about. You're not in good health, and I built a sanatorium for you, which you didn't like, so I let it be. You wanted to learn mechs, and I agreed. Even if you want to go to the Exploration Legion, I reluctantly agreed to that too."

"I give you the most affluent material life and the safest shelter. Even if you wanted the moon, I would try to get it for you somehow. All I ask is that you stay safe by my side. Can't you even grant me this one request?"

Xiao Sa also furrowed his brow and said, "Landis, I don't need you to get the moon for me. I have my freedom. Where I want to go and what I want to do are my rights. No one says that just because you're married, you have to live together all the time."

"Look, I've never held you back, right? Whether you're a workaholic or going into battle, I've never told you, 'Landis, you can't go; you have to stay home with me.' No one is required to live according to someone else's wishes."

When will Landis correct his self-righteous bad habit?

The last time he nearly had a mental breakdown, he locked himself in the closet, wanting to be taken away.

Landis habitually offered things without ever asking if it was what the other wanted.

Xiao Sa narrowed his eyes. On his home planet, it was always the Alpha who worked, fought, and provided for the family, while the omega remained at home to take care of the household. It was bad enough that Landis had reversed the natural order, and now he had the nerve to complain after Xiao Sa had so graciously tolerated his pettiness and controlling behavior?

Suppressing the slight emotion that had been stirred up, Xiao Sa's thin lips firming as he silently and resolutely looked at Landis.

When he was silent, his brows slightly lowered, and his pupils deepened to a dark black as the temperature dropped.

Xiao Sa was usually mild-tempered, but he was definitely not someone who would easily give in.

The two equally unyielding men silently confronted each other in the narrow back seat of the flyer.

Just as Xiao Sa thought Landis was going to continue arguing with him, Landis slightly raised his eyebrows and his tone suddenly softened, with the corners of his mouth even curling up a little.

Landis leaned in, resting his one hand on the back of the seat, his icy blue eyes blinking: "Are you complaining that I don't spend enough time with you? Sorry, I've been too busy with work and neglected you. I'll take a holiday this weekend and stay home with you."

Xiao Sa: "……?"

How in the world did this guy interpret that?

Landis's jump in reasoning was beyond his understanding.

He deeply suspected that Landis had some automatic magical filter in his brain that automatically filtered out what he didn't want to hear and retained what he did.

Seeing that Xiao Sa still looked unhappy, Landis leaned in and kissed his ear: "Don't be mad."

He paused, a little embarrassed, and tried to mimic the nickname Xiao Sa had called him earlier: "Baby."

Xiao Sa: "!"

His eyes widened instantly, staring at Landis as if he had found a new world. Damn, how did this guy learn so quickly when it came to seducing him?

Xiao Sa took a deep breath and firmly pushed the other man's head away. He was still mad, still.

Landis's severe separation anxiety really needed treatment. What would happen if, after the six-month marriage agreement ended, he left after obtaining the necklace? What would happen to Landis?

Xiao Sa was suddenly jolted, realizing that things had been too good between him and Landis lately. He had almost forgotten his purpose for coming to Central Star, which wasn't a good omen.

As he furrowed his brow in thought, a furry tail somewhat wound around his calf.

Xiao Sa lifted his eyelids and caught a pair of round golden pupils. Black Flame was squatting beside his feet, tilting his head and using his soft, pink paw pads to pull at his pants.

Xiao Sa quickly turned his head to look at Landis beside him, but the latter turned his face away, smugly pretended to admire the scenery outside the window.

Xiao Sa narrowed his eyes: "Hmph!"

Hard tactics weren't working, so he switched to soft ones, huh?

Landis, with his thick eyebrows and seemingly righteous exterior, was becoming increasingly cunning with his schemes.

Did you think this would work on me?

Xiao Sa sneered—turns out his guess was right.

His hands skillfully scratched Black Flame's chin, and the big cat narrowed its eyes, tilting its neck to nuzzle into his arms.

Is there anything wrong with a big cat? It just wanted to be petted. Xiao Sa obliged thoughtfully, stroking it from its large head down its spine to the tailbone. The smooth, silky fur felt wonderful to the touch.

Beside him, Landis was stiff as a stone statue, maintaining his posture without moving a muscle. If not for the tightly fitted military uniform accentuating his waist, Xiao Sa would have thought his cat-petting skills had regressed.

"Landis," Xiao Sa's eyes shifted, and a mischievous smile spread across his lips, "Do you know what my cats loved to play with me the most?"

Landis had a gut feeling that Xiao Sa was definitely scheming something bad.

Somehow, Xiao Sa's image as a 'simple and kind' stray dog was long gone, replaced by that of a cunning little wolf cub who liked to play innocent.

"I don't know," Landis said, tugging at his collar, his lips pressed into a tight line as he glanced at him discreetly, trying to suppress the itching sensation on his back.

Xiao Sa smiled slightly, his hands stroking back and forth on Black Flame's back. He leaned in close to Landis's ear, lowering his voice as he chuckled in a deep tone, "It loved when I patted it here."

"Pat! Pat! Pat!" Several soft thuds echoed in the confined back seat.

Both man and lion shuddered involuntarily, staring at him with wide-eyed disbelief, perfectly synchronized in shock and embarrassment.

It was unclear whether the sensation was pain, itchiness, or a fiery feeling coming from behind. Xiao Sa's hand wasn't heavy, but the gesture was filled with suggestive passion, even a hint of playfulness. Following the immense shame, there was an inexplicable mix of pleasure and confusion.

Landis, an S-rank Admiral and the respected general of the Empire, someone who could make everyone around him nervous with just a frown, never imagined being treated this way in his own aircraft.

"Xiao Sa!" Landis's voice was hoarse, low, and filled with barely suppressed anger. His usually serious and composed face was now almost contorted, his ears and the back of his neck flushed red.

Xiao Sa almost burst out laughing. It was the first time he had seen such an expression on Landis's face, and it was truly enticing.

Suddenly, the space in his arms was empty as Black Flame had already disappeared. In the next moment, a shadow fell over him, and Landis pinned him forcefully against the back seat, biting hard on the corner of his mouth.

"Ow—" Xiao Sa felt his lips were about to be bitten again. "Landis, how dare you say that?"

So who's the one that loves biting?

Landis eased his grip, sucking deeply on Xiao Sa's lips, mumbling fiercely, "Don't push it too far, you little troublemaker! I won't always let you have your way..."

The sticky, lingering kiss made his threat utterly unconvincing.

"Huh? Who’s giving in to whom, Landis?" Xiao Sa emitted a low laugh from deep within his chest. "When I don’t ‘give in’ to you, I’m afraid I might scare you."

"Ha." Landis clearly didn’t take this seriously.

The aircraft slowed and swooped down, landing gently in the center of the helipad.

Neither of them got out; only the driver quickly and silently departed.

In the back seat, the sound of metal buttons scraping against each other flashed briefly as Xiao Sa wrapped an arm around Landis’s shoulders, pulling the hem of his white shirt out of his pants.

Xiao Sa’s fingertips also had a thin layer of callus, but his alpha healing ability was stronger, making it easy for the calluses to fade.

This thin layer of callus brushed over Landis’s lips and then caressed his skin. Landis kept his eyes tightly shut, a sharp, involuntary sound escaping from his throat.

The quiet aircraft was once again filled with a rhythmic, peculiar sound.

"…Stop it!" Landis raised his hand to cover his closed eyes, damp golden hair clinging to his forehead.

Xiao Sa chuckled, his voice low and deep. "We’ll see if you dare make decisions for me again next time."

Landis glared at him with narrowed eyes, and Xiao Sa returned the look with a calm, composed gaze.

Landis’s muscles suddenly tensed, then relaxed like a bow that had finally released its arrow, slowly leaning into Xiao Sa’s embrace, his throat dry as if about to catch fire. "Do you really think I can’t do anything about you…"

Xiao Sa responded lazily, "What do you think?"

Landis thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with any tough words, finally sighing in utter helplessness—Xiao Sa had guessed right.