Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Lin Ze's face flushed a deep red.

"Xiu Jin, I'll lie down... you... would that be all right?" The idea of sitting on his face was far too shameful for Lin Ze.

"Not like that."

"I might... dirty your face..."

"I'd like that."

Lin Ze had no choice. Trembling slightly, he slid off his sleep pants, parted his legs, and straddled him.

Looking down, he could see Li Xiujin's stern face, those dark, intense eyes fixed unblinkingly on his most intimate place...

Heavy, scorching breaths washed over him, sending shivers through Lin Ze. He wanted to pull away, but his thighs were gripped and forcefully pressed down. Something rigid and unyielding pried him open, driving deep inside...

He was moved, ground against the bridge of that nose, the tip of it prodding inside, soon making everything slick. Then he was slightly lifted. Lin Ze had barely caught his breath when that shamefully vulnerable spot was entirely engulfed in a hot mouth, tugged, bitten, and sucked...

Lin Ze began to plead, "Xiu Jin..."

Li Xiujin ignored him, holding that plump, tender, succulent flesh in his mouth, licking and teasing it, biting down, waiting for the gush of fluid before swallowing it all, sucking forcefully...

Only when that place grew numb, swollen and tingling, was he released. Lin Ze was pulled back onto his lap, his body still spasming uncontrollably. Li Xiujin took his chin and gently kissed his cheek...

When Lin Ze's senses returned somewhat, he found Li Xiujin's face wet. Realizing he was the cause filled Lin Ze with shame, and he reached out to wipe it...

"A flood wouldn't flow as much as you," Li Xiujin said hoarsely.

"Sorry, I'll... I'll be more careful next time..."

After a moment, Lin Ze asked again, shamefaced, "Then... can I come?"

Li Xiujin gave a low, husky grunt of affirmation.

Lin Ze had prepared himself for refusal. Hearing the answer, he flushed with happiness and hugged him.

It was the first time he had initiated an embrace.

Li Xiujin buried his face in Lin Ze's chest, greedily inhaling his sweet, clean scent mingled with a faint milky fragrance...

*

Li Xiujin agreed to let him go, but he did not agree that his contributions should go disrespected or unrewarded.

Su Wang was working in his office when he looked up to see Li Xiujin sitting across from him, a cigarette between his teeth. He jolted in fright. "You... how did you get in?"

Li Xiujin said calmly, "I walked in."

Cold sweat broke out on Su Wang's brow. He explained, "This time, when I approached Lin Ze, it was to have him provide guidance from the rear, not to send him to the front lines..."

Li Xiujin nodded.

"Then why are you here? You already had my son sent inside. What more do you want?" Su Wang asked warily. A thought struck him, and alarm bells rang. "My daughter just turned fifteen, Li Xiujin, you can't—"

Li Xiujin cut him off, "Commander Su, relax."

Su Wang found it impossible to relax.

"Colonel Lin discussed this matter with me at home. He wishes to provide command from the rear."

"I'm rather henpecked. If that's what he wants, of course I agree."

Henpecked.

Su Wang thought he had misheard, staring at him in shock.

"I can let him come. But in what capacity would he serve?" Li Xiujin's gaze suddenly darkened.

"Don't worry about that. If he's willing to come, the academy will promote him to professor, and there will be a bonus."

"Not enough."

"Double the bonus."

"Still not enough."

"Then what do you mean..."

Li Xiujin enunciated each word clearly, "I want his military rank restored."

Su Wang's eyes widened. "How can that be? At best, his participation could be considered meritorious service to atone for past mistakes. Restoring his rank is impossible."

Li Xiujin gave a cold laugh. "Then we have nothing more to discuss."

Su Wang's mind raced. Back when the incident occurred, there was no concrete evidence proving Lin Ze was responsible. Stripping him of his rank was more about appeasing public outrage.

"This matter is of utmost importance. I need to consult the Prime Minister for his opinion. I'll give you a reply later."

"I'll await your news."

*

After many years, Lin Ze once again stepped onto the familiar training grounds.

The silver-gray gate recognized the license plate and automatically opened. After Lin Ze got out of the car, several soldiers led him to a building brimming with technological aesthetics. Inside, doctors and researchers in white lab coats hurried back and forth.

Lin Ze was taken to an examination room where Su Wang awaited him. Besides Su Wang, there were seven young soldiers.

"Colonel Lin, these are the ones currently selected." Su Wang handed Lin Ze the precise data on their various physical indicators. Lin Ze flipped through the pages, his brow furrowing. Over seven years, the overall physical standards of the entire military had not only failed to improve but had significantly regressed.

These were the best selected, yet they fell far short compared to him and his former teammates.

"Colonel Lin, is something wrong?" Su Wang asked cautiously.

Lin Ze looked up to find Su Wang and the several soldiers watching him with apprehension. He realized his expression had been too grave and relaxed it slightly.

He didn't outright say they were poor.

Most officers leading teams employed humiliating training methods, mercilessly pointing out their shortcomings, even exaggerating them. But Lin Ze was not like that. His language tended to be gentler, more encouraging, while his training methods were ruthless.

"Where are the simulation testing facilities?"

Su Wang took him to see them.

The site for extracting combustible ice was in the extreme cold of deep mountains, perpetually covered in thick snow, with a harsh and extreme environment. An ordinary person would struggle to survive a second there, let alone conduct extraction operations.

Back then, Lin Ze and his team underwent rigorous hypoxic testing and cardiopulmonary function training.

Lin Ze walked up to the hypoxic chamber used for testing. The tolerance values set were much more lenient than those from their time.

"This won't do," Lin Ze said, pressing his lips together.

"This still isn't good enough?" Su Wang was astonished. "But even so, they can't hold out for very long."

"Compromising on standards at a time like this is harming them."

"Turn it down and have them retest how long they can last," Lin Ze said.

His tone left no room for argument. Su Wang almost instinctively moved to obey before catching himself. He studied Lin Ze, finding his clean-cut face calm, yet his gaze resolute and unwavering.

Suddenly, he understood why Lin Ze had been promoted to colonel at just twenty and had so many people following him back then.

Su Wang had his men carry out the instructions, taking new measurements. The selected soldiers' endurance times became even shorter, failing to qualify.

Next, Lin Ze tested their cardiopulmonary function, which still didn't meet his requirements either.

Su Wang let the soldiers rest, then met with Lin Ze and several researchers.

"These are already some of the best picks from the military," Su Wang said helplessly.

"Then you have no choice but to set strict training standards." The soldiers were too young; some things were better left unsaid to them. But to Su Wang, he could be blunt: "Even if they meet the training standards, they might still encounter various uncontrollable dangers. But as they are now, they'd have no chance of survival out there."

"That's exactly why I sought you out," Su Wang said. "So, what should we do now?"

Lin Ze smiled bitterly.

"Draw up a training plan and simulate the climate and environment of the snow-capped mountains."

"You have experience with this. You'll have to take command as Chief Commander."

"I can help you develop a training plan. I can also help you recreate the climate and environment of the snow-capped mountains based on my memories from seven years ago. But I can't take command."

These soldiers were about the same age as his old teammates. If they lost their lives because of him again, he simply couldn't bear it.

After that, Lin Ze began running back and forth. Sometimes, even after returning home, he would still be watching the soldiers' training footage, helping them debrief and adjust their training methods.

Li Xiujin returned after dark. Seeing Lin Ze sitting upright at his desk, he quietly walked over and wrapped his arms around him from behind. Lin Ze flinched slightly: "Xiu Jin, you're back."

"Still up?" Li Xiujin asked with a frown.

"In a minute..."

Li Xiujin grunted in reply, squeezed onto the chair too, holding him from behind. Lin Ze's expression remained unchanged, but the tips of his ears turned red. As if unsure what to say, he continued working.

Li Xiujin had originally intended just to hold him like this, keeping him company while he worked. But he was surrounded by Lin Ze's scent. His throat worked, he kissed Lin Ze's delicate, pink earlobe, slid a hand under his clothes to caress him for a moment, then gently spread his legs.

Even at this point, Lin Ze was still completely absorbed, jotting down notes...

Li Xiujin cupped his entire hand against him, massaging...

Only then did Lin Ze react belatedly: "Xiu Jin..."

"Don't get distracted. Keep working," Li Xiujin said.

"Mmm..."

But Lin Ze could no longer continue working. He shivered lightly in Li Xiujin's embrace, feeling the calloused fingers teasing his sensitive spot until the entire hand was slippery and wet...

"Why won't you take command as Chief?" Li Xiujin asked, nuzzling his nose.

Lin Ze paused, then whispered, "...I don't have what it takes..."

"Afraid they'll get hurt under your command?"

Lin Ze fell silent.

"No one has more experience than you, and no one has richer theoretical knowledge. If someone else takes charge, they'll only be in greater danger."

Lin Ze pressed closer against his body.

"You can't live forever in the failures of the past," Li Xiujin asked. "Remember who said that?"

Lin Ze trembled gently.

He had said it himself.

"Colonel Lin, I believe in you."

The school had a long break, so Lin Ze had much more free time, only needing to go to the training base.

Lin Ze carefully studied each selected soldier, then designed targeted training based on their strengths and weaknesses.

For example, Wang Wei and Zhang Qiang had better endurance, so he assigned them to excavation and blasting. Su Qian and Chen Zi had higher alertness, so they were assigned to sentry duty. The remaining three were responsible for detection...

After assigning their respective duties, they conducted daily training, followed by the most crucial part: practical drills.

Gas hydrates decompose under pressure or when heated, releasing large amounts of methane. The environment where they exist is enclosed with extremely poor ventilation, making explosions highly likely. Once an explosion occurs, it's immediately fatal.

They also faced risks like collapse during extraction and thaw-induced subsidence, which could bury them alive.

After teaching them the steps for extraction and storage, they drilled them over and over again.

"Another explosion." After who-knows-how-many blasts, Wang Qiang threw the substitute material on the ground in frustration. "How can we possibly succeed like this?"

The others also lost confidence.

They were the elite among the elite. Previously, no matter the mission, they could complete it excellently. But this time, they faced repeated setbacks.

Lin Ze placed the materials back in their original position. "Continue."

Wang Qiang didn't move.

Su Qian spoke up directly: "Colonel, this is just a simulation. If we keep failing here, will we even make it back alive when it's for real?"

"If you've already lost confidence now, then you definitely won't make it back alive," Lin Ze said.

"Keep going. It's not as difficult as you imagine."

Still, no one moved.

"If it's not as difficult as we imagine, then why were you the only one who came back?" Wang Qiang asked.

"Actually, we had already located the specific position of the gas hydrate and were preparing to extract it. At that time, my teammates and I were confident we could not only extract it but also return alive," Lin Ze said softly. "And then..."

Lin Ze smiled. "My teammates' deaths might have been caused by me, or they might not have been. I'm not clear on that. But what I am clear about is that if that accident hadn't happened, the Regeneration Plan would have succeeded."

Back then, he and his teacher had already seen the substance they would rely on for survival in the future. It was sky blue, crystal clear, beautiful like a gemstone.

"Really?" Su Qian asked.

Lin Ze nodded.

"I won't let what happened seven years ago happen again."

*

After training ended, Su Wang found him.

"How did it go?"

"Feeling a bit down, but overall okay."

"What about Su Qian?"

"Tougher and more hardworking than I expected."

Su Wang fell silent, just waving to a subordinate.

The subordinate placed something on the table. Seeing what it was, Lin Ze froze.

"Your military uniform and rank insignia are all here, Colonel Lin," Su Wang said.

Lin Ze remained motionless for a long moment, then gently placed his hand on the uniform.

"The incident from seven years ago hasn't been fully investigated yet. I'm afraid I still can't put it on..."

"You have to put it on. If you don't, General Li won't let me off the hook," Su Wang quickly added.

"General Li?"

"Yes, before you got here, he came to see me. He said he wouldn't agree unless your rank was restored," Su Wang sighed. "So I had to go to the Prime Minister."

"Fortunately, the Prime Minister agreed," Su Wang continued. "He authorized you to command this Regeneration Plan with the rank of colonel. If it succeeds, it will be considered atonement for your past mistakes."

Returning home, Lin Ze gazed dazedly at his military uniform.

It had been seven years since he took it off. He had resigned himself to being a sinner for life, never imagining he could wear it again one day...

It was Xiu Jin who quietly fought for this on his behalf...

"Colonel, aren't you going to put it on and let me see?" a low, husky voice suddenly came from behind.

Lin Ze turned around to find Li Xiujin had returned at some point, leaning in the doorway, appraising him.

"Su Wang said it was your demand, to have my rank restored..."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch," Li Xiujin walked over and embraced him. "Of course I can't let you work for nothing."

"Thank you..." Lin Ze's eyes grew slightly moist.

"Don't mention it," Li Xiujin's voice was hoarse. "I have my own selfish reasons too."

"Selfish reasons?"

"Seven years ago, you had just successfully completed your mission and were being interviewed. You wore a crisp military uniform, the buttons fastened meticulously up to your neck. Your pale, handsome face looked incredibly dignified on camera..."

He had been standing outside the screen, watching, and got turned on. He went back and dreamed about you all night.

"Colonel Lin, why don't you put it on for me?"