Chapter 137 Breakup?

Chapter 137: A Breakup?

After passing judgment on Ji Anjue's fate, Ji Anzhi didn't give him a chance to plead for mercy and turned to walk toward the ecological garden.

He had anticipated the garden's sorry state, but upon seeing the group of dead plants and the noticeably reduced number of animals that now hid from people on sight, he tried to restrain himself but couldn't hold back.

Xiaoxue felt a chilling sensation on the back of her neck and desperately tried to make herself inconspicuous, afraid that Ji Anzhi would kill her to make soup...

"Very good, very good..."

Ji Anzhi uttered these words through gritted teeth, making Xiaoxue shrink even more fearfully into a ball, appearing weak, pitiful, and helpless.

Suppressing his anger, Ji Anzhi walked further in, inspecting the entire ecological garden. Comparing it roughly with Ji Anjue's "account," there were no lies.

However, that only meant there were no lies about the numbers. In reality, he was certain it definitely wasn't solely the work of Xiaoxue the cat.

Giving Xiaoxue a flick on the forehead, Ji Anzhi messaged Ji Anjue again: before going to bed tonight, hand over all the Star Cards and Psychic Stimulants to me. If any are found hidden, you can get lost and find someone else to mooch off of.

Ji Anjue hurriedly agreed. If he went out now, plenty of people would want to dissect him—why would he willingly suffer that?

After dealing with the two "little terrors," Ji Anzhi set about repairing the ecological garden. He removed the dead plants to make organic fertilizer and replanted the empty areas.

...

Treatment Room

Lu Yan was still unable to extricate himself from the surreal scene from an hour ago, constantly feeling like he had watched a sci-fi movie... no! That wasn't even sci-fi; that was pure fantasy!

Meanwhile, Yun Huaifeng, who was treating his own child, marveled at Ji Anzhi's precise control.

Multiple fractures, yet the force was just right. The bones hadn't pierced the surrounding flesh or blood vessels; only some tiny blood vessels were damaged. The rest were mostly bruises, and the internal organs were the same, with no fatal injuries.

"Tsk, this control of force is absolutely masterful. An SSSS-level psychic ability really comes in handy..."

Jian Fuxu, wearing a filtration mask nearby, heard this and glanced at Uncle Yun, sighing inwardly.

Could it be more obvious they were biological father and son? Qi Yanshen was in so much pain that his fingertips had drawn blood from his palms, yet Uncle Yun was admiring and marveling at the person who had inflicted this.

However, putting himself in that position, if he were on the receiving end of Ji Anzhi's wrath, he might also praise Ji Anzhi as a genius.

And so, while Qi Yanshen endured extreme agony, the three people present—his father treating him and his childhood friend keeping watch—were all preoccupied with their own thoughts.

But there was nothing to be done. Ji Anzhi had left with a warning, which meant they could offer little help during the treatment; it was mostly about toughing it out.

To prevent him from biting his tongue in pain, a large wad of cotton was stuffed into Qi Yanshen's mouth.

Yet even under extreme suffering, Qi Yanshen remained fixated on one thing: the last memory before losing consciousness, when Ji Anzhi broke up with him.

What did it mean that he had approached with an agenda, and Ji Anzhi had accepted his approach with an agenda of his own? Did it mean that from the very beginning, Ji Anzhi had seen him as a tool to be used and discarded at will?

Qi Yanshen refused to believe it, but his memories tormented him, and his subconscious was also leading him to believe that Ji Anzhi had never loved him...

He wanted to see Ji Anzhi as soon as possible.

Even though his forearm was bruised from gripping earlier, Yun Huaifeng's first reaction was still to care about his child's condition.

Qi Yanshen trembled as he spoke to his father: "Ku... kui dian!"

Yun Huaifeng translated: "Want it to be quicker?"

In response, Qi Yanshen nodded with difficulty. Yun Huaifeng confirmed again: "Are you sure? Your Excellency gave strict instructions. I cannot give you pain-free recovery meds; I can only use the one with the most painful side effects available. It will hurt so much you won't even be able to pass out. Are you sure?"

Qi Yanshen stubbornly nodded again.

Yun Huaifeng knew he couldn't dissuade him and respected his child's choice.

He had Jian Fuxu tighten the restraints; if he broke free later, things could go wrong.

From a pile of refrigerated medical boxes on the treatment table, he took out a pale red potion and injected it into the brachial artery.

Five seconds after the injection, the potion took effect. Qi Yanshen arched his body and struggled like a fish out of water. If not for the restraints, he might have fallen off the bed, writhing in agony, clawing at his entire body, and biting his tongue to end it.

This process was destined to be agonizingly long. Even though this potion was the fastest and most effective under the circumstances, it still required eight hours.

As Qi Yanshen's father, Yun Huaifeng was powerless. He could only worry inwardly and silently pray for his child to pull through.

Time passed minute by minute. For Qi Yanshen, even a single minute was immense torture, let alone twelve hours. But he knew this was what he deserved and had to endure it.

During this time, Yun Huaifeng repeatedly felt his heart aching and wanted to inject painkillers into his child. But remembering Your Excellency's threat, Yun Huaifeng ultimately stopped himself.

Their actions would be completely exposed to an SSSS-level psychic.

Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu were also helpless. They could only watch from the sidelines and silently pray.

Although they felt for Qi Yanshen, they both knew this was the punishment for Qi Yanshen's transgression against Ji Anzhi. The fact that Your Excellency was still willing to cooperate was already fortunate. The punishment Qi Yanshen was enduring was already Your Excellency showing mercy.

Time slowly passed. When the twelve-hour effect of the potion wore off, Qi Yanshen, as if liberated, passed out.

It was already past midnight, and it was unclear whether Qi Yanshen would wake up tomorrow.

"You two go rest."

These words were spoken by Yun Huaifeng to Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu. They had accompanied Qi Yanshen all day and deserved proper rest.

The two nodded and left. It was late, and they were tired. Moreover, the Bug Swarm would officially arrive tomorrow, so they needed to rest well to deal with this year's abnormal swarm.

"Uncle Yun, you should rest well too. See you tomorrow."

After Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu left, Yun Huaifeng gave his child a simple cleaning and then sat nearby for a light sleep.

...

The Next Day

Qi Yanshen only groggily woke up at 11 a.m. Yun Huaifeng was on a call with his wife and didn't notice his child's condition.

"How is your defense line, and have those bad apples been cleaned out?"

"We started cleaning up three years ago; it's almost done now. The remaining ones are just blinded by greed. We'll see how they perform during the Bug Swarm. If they remain unrepentant, we'll assign them to the suicide squad."

Yun Huaifeng approved. Special measures for special times; Qi Lan's approach was correct.

However, Yun Huaifeng still worried: "Remember to prioritize your own safety. You're the commander; don't be stupid and charge the front lines, understand?"

Qi Lan chuckled softly, reassuring him: "Don't worry. Isn't Your Excellency helping this time? Nothing will go wrong."

Yun Huaifeng warned seriously: "Others' help is ultimately unreliable. He might help, but he could also stab us in the back. We must be prepared ourselves."

Qi Lan nodded. Of course, she understood this principle. As a Commander, she had at least that much sense.

"Hmm..."

Yun Huaifeng had originally wanted to snuggle with his partner a bit longer, but a muffled groan came from behind him. Instinctively, Yun Huaifeng turned to look.

Sure enough, his son had woken up, but was clearly uncomfortable, frowning as if on the verge of passing out again.

Yun Huaifeng hurriedly left his partner and rushed to Qi Yanshen's side, asking with concern, "How do you feel? Are you in any terrible pain?"

Qi Yanshen took a moment to collect himself, waiting for the discomfort that felt like his entire body had been disassembled and reassembled to subside before replying, "Just uncomfortable, no severe pain."

Worried his son might be putting on a brave face, Yun Huaifeng asked several times before finally accepting his answer.

He took out a nutrient drink and handed it to Qi Yanshen, saying, "Drink this first to regain your strength. The Bug Swarm will arrive in a few hours."

Qi Yanshen had a hazy memory of this, but felt like he had forgotten something.

After finishing the drink, Qi Yanshen remembered and clutched his father's arm, urgently asking, "Dad! Where... where is Ji Anzhi? Can I see him?"

Yun Huaifeng understood his son's feelings, but it was impossible for him to see Ji Anzhi now.

Yun Huaifeng tried to soften his tone as much as possible, carefully choosing his words, "I'm afraid you can't right now. Ji Anzhi is tied up with something and might not be available for a few days."

Qi Yanshen wouldn't let it go, digging deeper, "What is it?"

Seeing that Qi Yanshen wouldn't give up without an explanation, Yun Huaifeng hesitated for a moment before saying, "He and His Excellency have gone to the Zerg frontlines. The psychic-type Zerg need His Excellency to deal with."

Qi Yanshen froze, then repeated nervously, "The Zerg frontlines?"

Seeing Yun Huaifeng nod, Qi Yanshen immediately made to get out of bed, wanting to go find Ji Anzhi.

Yun Huaifeng quickly pushed him back down. Fortunately, Qi Yanshen had just recovered and was weaker than usual, or Yun Huaifeng might not have been able to hold him down.

Keeping him in place, Yun Huaifeng said firmly, "You. Rest properly now. With your current condition, going to the battlefield would only be a burden. Do you really want Ji Anzhi to see you in such a sorry state?"

These words hit Qi Yanshen's sore spot. After thinking for a few seconds, Qi Yanshen reluctantly chose to lie back down.

If he appeared before Ji Anzhi in this state, it would only make a bad impression. It would be better to wait until he had recovered before seeing Ji Anzhi again.

But Qi Yanshen's mind was filled with the memory of Ji Anzhi breaking up with him. He desperately wanted it to be false, a fabricated memory by that man, but the truth told him these memories were real. Otherwise, Ji Anzhi wouldn't have left him...

Qi Yanshen suddenly grabbed his father's hand again, his voice trembling as he asked, "Dad... Ji Anzhi, it seems he said he was breaking up with me a year ago... I, I... what should I do?"

His voice carried a hint of tears. Yun Huaifeng had never seen Qi Yanshen like this before. Even as a child, when he drank with Lu Yan and got a whipping from Qi Lan, his eyes might have watered, but he never showed weakness or sounded tearful.

However, after understanding Qi Yanshen's meaning, Yun Huaifeng and Qi Lan, who was on the other end of the call, spoke in unison.

"Break up?"

"Break up?"

Their words were identical, but the next second, Yun Huaifeng asked, "Have all your memories recovered?"

Qi Yanshen hummed in affirmation, and Yun Huaifeng immediately felt a headache coming on.

Qi Lan's voice came through, "When did you break up?"

"At the end-of-year assessment in our second year... which was... the minute before I lost my memory."

The timing was indeed delicate. Breaking up just a minute before Qi Yanshen fell unconscious—according to the timeline, what followed was Ji Anzhi piloting Thor to capture the Green Worm, kill all the Zerg, and then disappear into the center of the Bug Swarm, leaving only Thor and Qi Yanshen, who woke up inside with amnesia.

Yun Huaifeng asked, "Do you know why Ji Anzhi broke up with you?"

"He... he said I approached him with an ulterior motive, and he accepted my closeness with his own motives... said we were even..."

Upon hearing this, both Yun Huaifeng and Qi Lan fell silent.

They both knew about Qi Yanshen approaching Ji Anzhi with an ulterior motive. As for Ji Anzhi accepting Qi Yanshen's closeness with his own motives, it wasn't hard to guess. And if Ji Anzhi truly didn't like Qi Yanshen, then they really were even...

Yun Huaifeng looked at his son, heartbroken. To have finally fallen for someone, only to find out that person was using him, while his own child foolishly believed he could make the other like him back.

With a long sigh, Yun Huaifeng carefully chose his words to comfort him.

"Pull yourself together. Let me ask you one thing: do you still like Ji Anzhi? Don't say you like him just because you feel responsible after what happened between you. Ask your heart: do you still like Ji Anzhi?"

Qi Yanshen thought for only a second before nodding firmly, "Yes."

"Then once you've recovered, go find Ji Anzhi and reconcile. Clear the air. Before his identity was exposed, he probably used you as a shield. After realizing he would be exposed, he broke up with you. Maybe he still has feelings for you."

These words put Qi Yanshen's mind at ease. Right now, it was all just his own speculation. How he truly stood in Ji Anzhi's heart needed to be confirmed by the man himself.

Seeing his son finally stop fixating on it, Qi Lan and Yun Huaifeng quietly sighed in relief.

The two exchanged a glance through the video call.

If Ji Anzhi still didn't like Qi Yanshen later... that would be troublesome...

...

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Zerg Frontlines

Star Eagle

Ji Anjue was sprawled on the sofa in the command center, slowly savoring a biscuit he held in his mouth.

There was no other way. Father Ji was angry, and quite furious at that.

Not only had he halved the snacks, but he had also taken away all the Star Cards and psychic-stimulant drugs. Fortunately, the main body in the ecological room hadn't been taken out by Father Ji to vent his anger, or he would have really suffered.

"Ah!... Life as a plant is hard..."

Ji Anzhi, who had just entered, heard this and approached, saying calmly, "After dealing with the psychic-type Zerg, go water and fertilize the plants in the ecological room."

Ji Anzhi said with a smile.

"You can communicate with those plants, so you must know exactly what they need."

Ji Anjue: "............"

Revenge! Blatant revenge!

Just as Ji Anjue was planning how to slack off, Ji Anzhi, who was well aware of his little schemes, continued.

"Oh, and don't think about bullying those plants. I'm currently researching a converter that can read the bio-wave consciousness of plants. If I find out later that you're disobeying orders, I'll arrange for a few boxes of caterpillars to get up close and personal with you."

Ji Anjue: "............"

Damn it!