Chapter 130 Notification

Chapter 130: Informing

The Abyssal Starfield

Ji Anjue was undergoing ascension. To prevent his psychic blades from tearing the Star Eagle apart, he chose to advance in the void of space.

This time, due to excessive nourishment, he had produced eleven fruits in total. One had already been used by Ji Anjue to awaken Xiaoxue’s sentience.

Xiaoxue, having just had her intellect awakened, remained deep in slumber. Later, she would need to be taught how to wield her spiritual energy safely—lest she harm herself.

After all, she was his guardian beast; he couldn’t treat her poorly.

As for Ji Anzhi, he wouldn’t survive until then. Keeping him alive would only be a waste.

Speaking of which, it was fortunate that none of this batch’s fruits possessed intelligence-awakening properties. Otherwise, Ji Anjue might have hesitated to use them—creating yet another rival for resources.

Ten emerald-green fruits floated around Ji Anjue, and beside him stood a small shrub—his original plant form.

Ji Anjue, like the moon encircled by stars, wore a radiant golden robe and trousers. His luminous golden hair streamed freely in the air, and his fair skin, paired with that sacred visage, rendered him indistinguishable from a divine angel.

Unfortunately, the angel had a stick of spicy jerky in his mouth—ruining the image entirely.

After finishing the last strip, Ji Anjue casually wiped his slender fingers and lips clean, tossing the tissue aside.

It would be shredded by his psychic blades anyway—no need to retrieve it.

Prepared, Ji Anjue manipulated the surrounding fruits with his spiritual energy, slowly melting them until they fused into a single, viscous liquid.

The final result was a mass of emerald-green, custard-like fluid.

The concentration of spiritual energy in these fruits was unusually high this time, Ji Anjue mused. According to his inherited memories, most Divine Trees bore fruit only once every fifty years—yielding three or four blossoms at most, occasionally five or six, and sometimes just one.

Not only were those fruits half the size of his first harvest, but their pure spiritual energy content was also only half as potent.

By comparison, this was sheer abundance—or utter scarcity.

With an inward sigh, Ji Anjue prepared to absorb the pure spiritual energy before him and ascend.

Reaching 5S shouldn’t be difficult.

He extended his hand above the fluid. Just as he was about to begin absorption, a sharp pain lanced through his mind.

“Mmm…”

Ji Anjue pressed a hand to his temple. The pain was brief—but undeniably real.

Moreover, he could clearly sense that the spiritual energy thread he’d anchored to Ji Anzhi had depleted its power and vanished.

A jolt of panic shot through him. Was Ji Anzhi in danger?

But he had no way of knowing—not now. And his immediate priority remained absorbing this mass of spiritual energy. In two more days, it would lose all potency.

Frustrated and anxious, Ji Anjue ultimately concluded: distant water won’t quench a nearby fire. He would absorb the energy first.

Reaching out again, he began drawing in the pure spiritual energy fluid.

Time was short, so Ji Anjue opted for the fastest—and most agonizing—method recorded in his inherited memories.

By absorbing the entire fluid at once, he could fully assimilate it within a day. The side effect, however, was excruciating pain.

His spiritual energy sea would temporarily hold energy far beyond its capacity. Even though this energy was perfectly attuned to his own, it would feel like an overinflated balloon—on the verge of bursting at any moment.

The same applied to his spiritual energy sea. Yet pure spiritual energy could also expand it. As long as he repaired and reshaped his spiritual energy sea before collapse, he could not only absorb all the energy—but also heighten his perception of spiritual energy itself.

His body rapidly shrank, reverting to the form of Xiao Tuanzi. The golden robe hung loosely on him, and his face contorted in agony.

Hold on…

Faster…

A few minutes later, the condensed spiritual energy fluid was fully absorbed. Ji Anjue’s physical body lapsed into unconsciousness, while his consciousness returned to his true form beside him—beginning the slow process of digesting the energy.

Upon closer observation, one could see cracks appearing across the jade-green leaves—only to be instantly repaired the next moment.

Crack. Repair. Crack. Repair.

An endless cycle.

…

Bug Swarm Ruins Zone

A full day passed. Ji Anzhi remained unconscious—but Qi Yanshen woke first.

Upon waking, Qi Yanshen saw his father standing beside the bed, accompanied by his two childhood friends—and the Marshal.

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But… why did it feel like the Marshal was deliberately avoiding his gaze?

Seeing his son awake, Yun Huaifeng stepped forward to help Qi Yanshen sit up, asking how he felt.

Qi Yanshen’s mind was foggy—he hadn’t yet grasped what had happened. Instinctively, he replied, “I’m fine. Why—”

Before he could finish, fragmented memories flashed through his mind—freezing him in place.

He… had forced himself upon “He Zhi.”

Worse still, *he* had removed the muzzle—and called out another’s name while assaulting the omega.

Recalling those scattered fragments, Qi Yanshen seized his father’s hand and urgently asked, “How is He Zhi? Has he… has he received treatment?”

It seemed Qi Yanshen hadn’t lost his memory this time—he still remembered.

Had any other alpha committed such an act, he would have faced a torrent of scolding, followed by deliberately painful treatment—to teach him a harsh lesson.

But Qi Yanshen was, after all, his own child. Moreover, due to the neglect he and his partner had shown during the boy’s early years, Qi Yanshen had developed psychological issues. Yun Huaifeng had always carried guilt over this—so his tone was markedly gentler.

While releasing soothing spiritual energy, Yun Huaifeng reassured him, “He is currently undergoing treatment—and is not in life-threatening danger.”

Qi Yanshen敏锐地察觉到不对劲—his grip tightened as he pressed further: “Is he conscious now? And what time is it?”

Yun Huaifeng sighed. When it came to matters of the heart, this child had never shown perceptiveness—but he was astonishingly sharp at reading expressions and detecting anomalies.

"It's eight in the morning now, and he... is still unconscious."

Qi Yanshen went still for a moment, then struggled to get out of bed, but Yun Huaifeng held him down firmly.

"Rest properly now. If you want to apologize or anything, wait until Ji Anzhi wakes up."

Qi Yanshen looked anxious, his usual calmness gone, and immediately wanted to talk to his dad.

"Dad! I..." He stopped mid-sentence, then repeated, "Ji Anzhi?"

Seeing that Qi Yanshen had stopped struggling, Yun Huaifeng released his grip, ruffled Qi Yanshen's hair, and said, "You guessed it. He Zhi is Ji Anzhi."

Qi Yanshen was shocked but quickly accepted it. He had already suspected "He Zhi's" identity before, and now his guess was just confirmed.

However, Qi Yanshen was still puzzled: "What about the previous inspection report?"

Yun Huaifeng replied matter-of-factly, "How would I know?"

*If you want to know, ask the marshal.*

Qi Yanshen somehow got this idea from his father's expression and silently chose to drop the topic.

For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent. Lu Yan quietly moved closer to Jian Fuxu, feeling a little scared.

After a while, Qi Yanshen asked, "Then... when will he wake up? And can you tell me about the memories I lost?"

Yun Huaifeng and Levin exchanged a glance. Levin turned away—this was their family matter, and it wasn't appropriate for him, as the marshal, to interfere.

Yun Huaifeng turned back, sighed again, and nodded to Qi Yanshen.

"I won't hide it from you anymore. When you were at the military academy, you fell in love with Ji Anzhi, who was in the same dorm as you."

At this point, Yun Huaifeng watched his son's face carefully. Seeing no surprise or shock, he asked curiously, "...You already knew?"

Qi Yanshen nodded and said, "I only knew we dated."

As Qi Yanshen spoke halfway, Lu Yan wanted to bolt. But in such a situation, it was impossible for him to go, so he could only continue hiding behind Jian Fuxu, hoping they wouldn't remember him...

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side. Yun Huaifeng's gaze instinctively fell on Lu Yan and saw him shrink under his gaze, instantly identifying the target.

Xiao Yan (m) wouldn't have volunteered the information, so it seems Yan Shen set him up.

"Time."

"A month ago."

Yun Huaifeng calculated—it was after taking on the surveillance mission for Ji Anzhi. It seemed his child had also noticed something unusual, which was why he tried to fish for information.

After understanding, Yun Huaifeng recounted everything that happened during Qi Yanshen's time at the military academy.

From the initial purposeful approach, to the sudden rut, the subconscious attempt to mark Ji Anzhi that ended in an explosion, the dogged pursuit afterward, getting together, and finally encountering the Bug Swarm during the final exams, with Ji Anzhi plunging into the swarm and disappearing.

During this, Jian Fuxu and Lu Yan added details, making the account more comprehensive.

Especially the huge debt Qi Yanshen owed Lu Yan—over ten million credits.

If it weren't for knowing that Qi Yanshen would repay it and that his childhood friend always kept his word, Lu Yan wouldn't have dared to lend so much. Money doesn't grow on trees.

After listening, Qi Yanshen finally understood why there were so many things in his Space Bracelet that didn't suit his needs and why he had felt so drawn to "He Zhi."

After they finished speaking, Levin chimed in, "We don't know exactly what happened that day. You should also know that Thor, in a sense, is similar to us humans because Thor also has a spiritual sea."

"There's a wisp of spiritual energy in Thor's spiritual sea that doesn't belong to it. Because of that wisp, Thor is unable to disclose what happened at the time."

"But based on my speculation, something bad must have happened to you back then."

Qi Yanshen pressed further, "Why?"

Levin looked directly at Qi Yanshen and said, "Thor's cockpit was filled with Ji Anzhi's pheromones, and scattered traces of blood were found near the pilot's seat in the corner."

Qi Yanshen froze.

Beta pheromones usually don't leak out. Even during intense activity, only a small amount is released. A large amount of pheromones only occurs in one situation—massive bleeding.

From this perspective, something bad must have indeed happened.

But what could it have been?

There was no way to know, otherwise Levin and the others wouldn't have been so troubled back then.

Seeing that Qi Yanshen had fallen silent and noticing that his smart device was filled with messages from Xiaoxiao urging him to go back and rest, Levin said, "Take your time talking. I have things to attend to."

With that, he walked toward the door. Just as he reached it, as if remembering something, he turned back and said, "When Ji Anzhi wakes up, it's best if you don't appear in front of him right away."

After Levin left, Qi Yanshen remained silent.

After learning "He Zhi's" identity, Qi Yanshen didn't know how to face Ji Anzhi. They were the same person, yet he had pursued him twice...

But thinking of this, Qi Yanshen suddenly recalled Chi Yan and asked, "Why does Chi Yan hold such deep hostility toward me?"

Lu Yan, who had witnessed the drama up close back then, immediately answered, "Chi Yan really likes Ji Anzhi. He had also encountered scumbag alphas before. Back then, there was a huge gap in status between you and Ji Anzhi. He was afraid you were toying with Ji Anzhi, so he was determined to break you two apart."

"Later, wasn't there the Bug Swarm incident? You came back, but Chief Ji didn't. He probably blamed you for Chief Ji's disappearance, which is why his hostility is so intense."

Qi Yanshen: "........"

Although it felt somewhat absurd, upon closer thought, it made sense.

Given the huge gap in status, if he had truly wanted to toy with Ji Anzhi and ruin his future, even the military academy might not have been able to protect him.

Humans are social animals, and there are too many unavoidable circumstances.

The three of them chatted intermittently. Yun Huaifeng didn't participate—some details could only be answered by Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu, who shared the dorm with Yan Shen. He simply listened quietly.

However, Yun Huaifeng was also surprised. From the details, it seemed his child had truly been deeply in love back then, even going so far as to learn molecular gastronomy.

He remembered trying to learn it himself years ago. After just half an hour, all the equipment gathered dust, forgotten in some corner.

Yun Huaifeng checked the time. It was almost time to eat, so he ordered meals through the cafeteria system to be delivered to the medical room.

When the doorbell rang, Yun Huaifeng went to answer it.

Taking the four meal boxes, Yun Huaifeng thanked the delivery person, turned around, and said, "Take a break. Time to eat."

The three of them took their meal boxes, thanked him, found seats, and started eating.

Qi Yanshen wasn't seriously injured—he just couldn't control his pheromones and felt somewhat weak.

Yun Huaifeng looked at his child and sighed once again. How did he end up with such a troublesome son? Xiao Jin was the same—neither of them gave him peace of mind...

"By the way, your mother and I have discussed it. If Ji Anzhi doesn't forgive you, as long as his demands aren't too excessive—short of crippling you—we'll agree to them."

Lu Yan, who was eating, choked on his food at these words, coughing fit to wake the dead. Jian Fuxu silently patted his back, hoping he wouldn't cough himself to death right there.

Qi Yanshen didn't choke, but he wasn't doing much better.

For a moment, he really wanted to confirm one thing.

Was he truly their biological child?

Yun Huaifeng saw what Qi Yanshen was thinking and said with a smile, "What's the rule I taught you? Whether it's an omega, an alpha, or a beta, as long as they haven't actively provoked or insulted you, you must respect others. Do you think you did nothing wrong this time?"

Qi Yanshen was left speechless. Although the main fault didn't lie with him, he had indeed forced himself on Ji Anzhi—an undeniable fact.

Qi Yanshen said solemnly, "I understand, Dad."

Yun Huaifeng didn't say anything more, telling Qi Yanshen to eat up, and then brought up yesterday's incident.

"The preliminary investigation results are out. It's almost certainly the work of those alpha hardliners. This time, a total of eight people died, and thirty thousand were injured, with six thousand seven hundred still receiving treatment in the Treatment Pods."

"The biggest problem is that the usable military force in the ruins area has been reduced to only sixty percent. In a few days, the Bug Swarm hits, and the Marshal is in meetings about troop deployments."

"So you concentrate on getting better. Before this is over, you might have to see the battlefield as well."

Qi Yanshen nodded, indicating he understood.

Being a Commander's son, he would inevitably end up on the battlefield one day.

It was only a matter of time.