Chapter 123 Leisure

Chapter 123: A Leisurely Time

"These are the roses cultivated by General Hong."

"He Zhi" stood in a small greenhouse filled with rampant roses. Vines climbed the trellises, growing toward the sun. Some roses were as crimson as blood, others as dark red as night, utterly mesmerizing.

General Hong stood nearby, watching, and offered, "Would you like one? I can give you a rose."

"He Zhi" asked, delighted, "Really?"

With that, he stepped forward and plucked a rose. He didn't use any tools or wear gloves, simply broke the stem with his bare hands. He thoughtfully plucked off the thorns and smoothed the stem against his uniform so as not to prick the young omega.

General Hong leaned down. Her fiery red lips against the delicate, blooming rose made her resemble a bewitching enchantress. She smiled and said, "Take it."

"He Zhi" accepted the rose with both hands, thanking her shyly.

"You're welcome."

After saying this, General Hong turned her gaze to Chi Yan and the others, a smile curling her red lips as she asked warmly, "Would any of you like one?"

The five people and one snake shook their heads in unison, a firm, synchronized shake.

Although General Hong's roses were indeed beautiful, roses fertilized with human remains... they figured they had no business enjoying such a thing.

Only "He Zhi," in his ignorance, would be naive enough to accept.

General Hong was a bit disappointed. She actually quite wanted to share her roses; since she'd put so much care into them, more people should appreciate them.

Scanning Chi Yan's group, General Hong made a mental note.

Don't want her red roses, huh?

In a few days, she'd pick some roses to make rose pastries. They'd have to eat them—every last one of them.

Hmm... though if the little omega didn't care for them, he could be let off the hook.

Unaware that he had dodged a bullet, "He Zhi" was still admiring the rose in his hand. The rose was truly gorgeous, with full, lush petals and a rich, heady fragrance. With the thorns removed, it was perfectly safe to touch.

He recalled that during their time at the military academy, Qi Yanshen would buy flowers every week, running up debts with Lu Yan. The roses back then were also like this, thornless. Even if they came wrapped, Qi Yanshen would remove the thorns from every single rose.

Glancing at Qi Yanshen, he found him staring right at him. "He Zhi" immediately lowered his head.

Seeing Qi Yanshen's persistent gaze fixed on Chief Ji, Chi Yan felt displeased. He shifted a few steps, blocking Qi Yanshen's line of sight. No more bothering Chief Ji.

Unable to see "He Zhi," Qi Yanshen frowned.

What exactly was Chi Yan trying to do? Opposing him at every turn.

Na An'an noticed Chi Yan's little maneuver and sighed inwardly. Yanyan was really determined to make things unpleasant for Qi Yanshen. And Qi Yanshen too, his brows were so furrowed they could crush a fly.

General Hong didn't notice the little drama around Chi Yan. Instead, she asked "He Zhi," "I have some interesting collectibles. Would you like to see them?"

Before "He Zhi" could answer, Chi Yan urgently interjected, "No!"

"He Zhi" and General Hong both looked at Chi Yan—one puzzled, the other smiling as she asked why.

Chi Yan broke into a cold sweat. Chief Ji might not know about General Hong's reputation, but he did. He had even visited her collection room. Inside... well... let's just say there were various unspeakable things.

Chief Ji's health was so fragile now; what if he got scared?

So Chi Yan stated firmly, "He Zhi is timid. It's better not to take him to see those things, or he might get sick. Master."

General Hong raised an eyebrow, teasing, "Oh? Rare to hear you call me 'Master.' It seems you really like this little omega."

Chi Yan nodded shyly.

General Hong wasn't one to force the issue either. Moreover, she knew her collection well enough; they could easily frighten someone. This little omega was so delicate—best not to risk giving him a scare.

She was afraid that kid from the Qi family would pick a fight with her, and she might not be able to resist castrating him. Then she'd probably be hunted down by Qi Lan and that crazy Yun.

"Alright then, that's a shame. Where would you like to go next for fun?"

Chi Yan was the first to speak up: "The pet zone in the greenhouse garden."

Yesterday they visited the all-plant exhibit. The pet zone had many fluffy pets, which omegas adored.

General Hong said, "Then go ahead. Have fun. Might as well relax while you can. When the real Bug Swarm arrives later, you won't have time to rest."

The six nodded, bid farewell to General Hong, left her greenhouse, and headed for the greenhouse garden.

Chi Yan naturally walked beside "He Zhi," chatting away enthusiastically and introducing the pets in the greenhouse garden, promising him he'd love it.

Qi Yanshen couldn't get a word in edgewise. Seeing the atmosphere between the two grow increasingly harmonious, he grew more and more irritated, and the temperature around him seemed to drop.

Chi Yan stole a glance.

Haven't seen that ice act in a while.

Arriving at the greenhouse garden, Chi Yan, worried that Xiao Bai might bite the pets, put a tiny muzzle on him.

It was similar to an alpha's muzzle, but extremely miniature.

As Chi Yan fitted the muzzle on Xiao Bai, "He Zhi" watched from the side, his eyes full of amusement.

It seemed Chi Yan really cared about Xiao Bai. A custom-made mini muzzle like this would have taken a long time to specially order.

Once the muzzle was secured, the six entered the pet zone together.

As soon as they entered, they saw a long-haired calico cat grooming itself. Behind it, a blue-and-white and a silver tabby were engaged in a playful tussle. Nearby, several small, snow-white teacup rabbits were eating berries.

Na An'an loved fluffy little animals the most. She immediately stepped forward, taking out a cat treat stick to tempt the cats.

Luo Hai had no interest in this. He found a clean patch of grass and sat down, with Lilette sitting closely beside him.

"He Zhi" approached a completely snow-white long-haired cat. It looked very much like Xiaoxue. He wondered how Xiaoxue was doing now.

Chi Yan stood quietly nearby, occasionally shooting dagger-like glances at Qi Yanshen.

Qi Yanshen ignored them all. He felt Chi Yan needed psychological counseling, to stop acting like a directional neurotic.

With no one speaking, "He Zhi" called out "here kitty" and cautiously reached out to pet the white cat. The cat didn't resist, and in that moment, "He Zhi" smiled like a child.

Watching "He Zhi's" smile, a thought suddenly surfaced in Qi Yanshen's mind: he should always be this happy and carefree.

Just like the rose in "He Zhi's" hand, blooming wildly.

Later, after petting the cats for a while longer, Chi Yan wanted to find a way to get rid of Qi Yanshen, but Qi Yanshen was stubbornly refusing to leave. This made Chi Yan curse Qi Yanshen a thousand times in his heart.

By lunchtime, seeing no real opportunity, Chi Yan could only give up. After all, knowing that Chief Ji was still alive and unharmed was the greatest fortune. He wouldn't stoop to arguing with a deadpan-faced jerk.

That afternoon, coinciding with the distribution of the transformed King Insect specimen, Chi Yan told "He Zhi" he had to get to work and gave him his emergency contact number, telling him to call if anything happened.

Chi Yan's intentions were blatantly obvious. He wasn't even trying to be subtle.

With an expressionless face, Qi Yanshen plotted how to get "He Zhi" to delete Chi Yan's number from his contacts.

After Chi Yan left, Qi Yanshen was in a much better mood, and the chill around him noticeably thawed.

Qi Yanshen looked at the rose in "He Zhi's" hand and said, "Do you need me to take that rose for you?"

"He Zhi" was startled for a moment, then shook his head—it was just a rose; it wasn't heavy.

But what Qi Yanshen said next almost made "He Zhi" toss the rose away.

"The rose in your hand was fertilized with compost made from people, which is why it’s so vibrant."

"...Thank you, Brigadier General Qi."

With that, he immediately handed the rose to Qi Yanshen, rubbing his hands together afterward as if trying to wipe off something dirty.

Qi Yanshen took the rose and placed it in his Space Bracelet, saying he'd keep it safe, but in reality, he was planning to find a waste decomposer later to disintegrate it completely.

The rose was an eyesore.

He remembered that General Hong’s pheromone was wild rose, and between alphas and omegas, it was considered a courtship signal.

"Where to next? Back to your room?"

"To the training room."

"......"

"He Zhi" wore a smile, but all he could think was how soon Ji Anjue would get here—he couldn't stand another moment in the Federation.

Walking to the training room in utter resignation, Qi Yanshen usually opted for the public area, but this time, since "He Zhi" was with him, he used his military merits to reserve a private training room.

"You're in terrible shape; you need to train properly. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to run away if you're in danger."

Knowing Qi Yanshen was right, and that his body was indeed very weak, he should get in shape. But Ji Anzhi really didn't want to train.

A body that would be panting heavily after just half an hour of walking really didn't seem like it was worth the effort.

But given the role he was playing, he couldn't avoid it and could only follow Qi Yanshen's guidance on a slow jog.

Ten minutes later...

Qi Yanshen: "......"

He knew "He Zhi's" physique was poor, but this was worse than he'd imagined.

"He Zhi" was crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, his skin an abnormal shade of red. His heart rate was too fast, and his lungs were overloaded.

"How... how did you survive in the wandering star sector before?"

"He Zhi" gasped, practically breathless, saying, "Just... just, just survived. Someone... someone protected me, and I endured... huff... and it was fine."

Seeing how difficult it was for "He Zhi" to speak, Qi Yanshen told him not to talk and to catch his breath first.

After several minutes, "He Zhi" finally caught his breath and murmured an apology.

"No need to apologize. I misjudged the situation. Your physique is indeed too weak for this kind of training. Have you had any medical treatment?"

"He Zhi" shook his head.

Qi Yanshen wasn't surprised and asked, "Do you want to go to the medical room to get some physique-enhancing medication?"

"He Zhi" shook his head even more vigorously. He didn't want to go to the medical room—what if another examination revealed his genes and exposed him?

Qi Yanshen thought "He Zhi" might have some hang-ups and didn't dwell on it, telling him the medical room wasn't scary and that his health was the priority.

"He Zhi" firmly refused, and Qi Yanshen had to drop it.

"Then rest here. This holographic helmet is for you. If you get bored, you can explore the StarNet."

"He Zhi" took the holographic helmet and thanked him, instinctively starting to put it on but then remembering his identity and hesitantly asking, "Brigadier General Qi, how... how do I use this?"

Qi Yanshen realized that while holographic helmets were common among civilians, they were unattainable for people from the wandering star sector.

"Thank you, Brigadier General Qi."

Only after "He Zhi" activated the helmet and logged into the StarNet did Qi Yanshen turn his attention and begin his training.

He hadn't trained properly in the past few days and couldn't afford to fall behind.

Logging into the StarNet, Ji Anzhi chose the account registered under this identity a few days prior.

Entering the StarNet world, Ji Anzhi headed toward the central mall and found a small shop. The shop specialized in creating modification blueprints based on a mech's specs, starting at a million star credits per job, with no bargaining allowed.

Now, the shop had been closed for a week.

Entering the shop, the message board inside was filled with inquiries about when the owner would return.

Ji Anzhi glanced at it, opened the private messages on the board, and entered a password.

"Currently in the Bug Swarm ruin zone. Will send a message to @&%djsnn.skoe upon return."

After entering the message, Ji Anzhi quickly left and wandered around.

With this account, he was broke and could only window-shop.

When the time seemed about right, "He Zhi" logged off.

Removing the helmet, "He Zhi" smelled a strong scent of gardenia. He hadn't smelled it in a year, and it was so strong now that it was overpowering; "He Zhi" couldn't help but cough lightly.

Qi Yanshen, who was doing inverted sit-ups, looked over and noticed "He Zhi" had taken off the helmet and was covering his nose while coughing.

Belatedly, he realized the entire training room was filled with his pheromones. His pheromones were the strong, floral kind, which could be overwhelming.

"Sorry."

Qi Yanshen took out a pheromone neutralizer and sprayed it around the room. Since joining the military, he hadn't used it much and had ample reserves.

"It's... cough, it's fine."

Qi Yanshen used up a whole bottle, increased the air circulation system, and activated the filter. Only when the gardenia pheromones in the air were largely gone did he stop.

He handed "He Zhi" a bottle of water and apologized a second time.

"He Zhi" waved it off and said it was fine, and it really wasn't a big deal. Alphas naturally had strong territorial instincts, and in private spaces, they often let their pheromones flow freely. Moreover, during training, sweat contained a large amount of pheromones, making it unavoidable.

Qi Yanshen saw the light blush still on "He Zhi's" face and asked with concern, "Are you feeling okay? Like a fever, dizziness, anything?"

These were symptoms before an omega goes into heat, impossible for a beta like Ji Anzhi.

"He Zhi" shook his head slightly.

Qi Yanshen was relieved, but felt an odd sense of loss he couldn't explain.

He checked the time. It was almost lunch, perfect for heading to the cafeteria.

"Let's go, time to eat."

"Mm."

Qi Yanshen helped "He Zhi" up, and the two made their way to the cafeteria. After eating, since there wasn't much else to do and "He Zhi" being frail and needing rest, Qi Yanshen took him to the greenhouse area in the afternoon.

He also brought two blankets—one to lay underneath and another to cover up with, to keep from getting cold.

Qi Yanshen sat quietly nearby, just watching him.

Over the past year, nearly seventy percent of his time had been spent fighting on the front lines against the Zerg, twenty percent on missions, and the remaining ten percent split between the training room and the Treatment Pod.

Rarely having such peace and quiet, Qi Yanshen wasn't quite used to it yet.

Gazing at "He Zhi's" serene sleeping face, Qi Yanshen's thoughts drifted. He's so well-behaved... just like before...

He paused. What did he mean by "just like before"?

Qi Yanshen felt a sudden headache and gently rubbed his temples. What was happening to him?

Moreover... Qi Yanshen glanced at "He Zhi." "He Zhi" always gave him a faint, elusive sense of familiarity, and this feeling had grown even stronger after meeting Chi Yan.

Just like yesterday, a voice in his head kept saying not to let "He Zhi" get close to Chi Yan, that Chi Yan would steal "He Zhi" away.

This wasn't normal—he wasn't normal, and Chi Yan wasn't normal either.

Chi Yan had initially looked at "He Zhi" with hostility, but later his gaze was filled with attachment, as if seeing a long-lost friend...

He decided to ask Lu Yan about it that night.