Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"You've gotten thinner again from all the work these past few days. Eat up, it'll help you get your strength back."

Li Xiujin stood at the doorway, peering through the slightly ajar door. Inside, he saw a plainly dressed girl with delicate features—likely an omega—speaking.

On the table sat a white ceramic pot, wisps of steam rising, releasing a rich, fragrant aroma.

The uniformed colonel, his fair face wearing a gentle smile, spoke softly to the girl, "Thank you. I've really put you out these past few days."

"No trouble at all, I'm happy to do it..."

It seemed the two were about to share heartfelt words next, but Li Xiujin ruined the moment, shoving the door open.

The door swung open violently, and both people inside turned to look.

Li Xiujin's face gave nothing away. "Am I interrupting?"

Lin Ze was slightly surprised. He had expected him to come, but not so suddenly. Seeing his dusty, tired look, Lin Ze awkwardly tried to rise, supporting his waist, but a hand came down coldly on his shoulder, pressing him firmly back down.

Lin Ze stared at him. "Xiu Jin, why didn't you tell me in advance..."

Li Xiujin snapped, his expression dark. "If I had informed Colonel Lin, I probably wouldn't have caught this tender moment, would I?"

Then, without giving Lin Ze a chance to explain, his gloomy gaze shifted to Luan He. "Miss Luan, you're quite the cook."

Over the past few days of observation, Luan He had realized Lin Ze was a pretty high-ranking officer. Soldiers who came to see him always had to report first. This alpha who'd just barged right in made her freeze, then sent a shiver down her spine.

He seemed even more commanding and intimidating, and likely held a higher military rank.

Uncertain of exactly how senior this officer was, just one look from him had Luan He's knees shaking. She said, "It's nothing much, as long as he likes it."

"Oh? So Colonel Lin enjoys it very much?" Li Xiujin pushed.

"Yes, he doesn't have much appetite for anything else, but he really loves this soup..."

Watching Li Xiujin's face grow increasingly stormy, Lin Ze was forced to make an excuse to have Luan He leave first.

"Drink the soup while it's hot," Luan He insisted before leaving.

Lin Ze slowly stood up. His clothes hid his pregnant belly, but a slight curve was still visible. He walked to Li Xiujin's side, noticed snow on his shoulders, felt a flicker of shyness, then went up on his toes to brush it off.

"Xiu Jin, why didn't you wear something warmer? That jacket's so thin, you must be freezing."

Lin Ze reached for his hand; it was indeed icy.

"Colonel Lin has time to worry about me?" Li Xiujin mocked.

"I... I do care about you."

"She's the owner of a nearby shop. The soldiers were sick of eating rations, so we asked her to bring some home-cooked meals."

"Hmph. Were they really for the soldiers, or specifically for you?"

The heating inside the room was intense. Although Lin Ze typically ran cold, his palms had been sweating these past few days. Lin Ze tightly grasped his hand, but even after a long while, it didn't warm up.

"Your hand is so cold?"

"Cold?" Li Xiujin said. "It seems in my absence, you've been holding warm hands."

"I haven't held anyone else's hand," Lin Ze pressed his palm firmly against the back of Li Xiujin's hand. "Xiu Jin, let me warm you up, okay?"

Li Xiujin's expression softened slightly.

Seeing this, Lin Ze unbuttoned his uniform jacket. Underneath was a thick woolen knit sweater. His belly stretched the wool sweater into a round curve. Lin Ze took Li Xiujin's hand and placed it against the side of his belly, where it was soft and warm.

Li Xiujin glanced at his pregnant belly, then finally, with a deep frown, pulled him onto his lap.

This wasn't home; soldiers could enter at any time. Being seen sitting on his husband's lap would be incredibly embarrassing. But seeing the dark circles and stubble on Li Xiujin's face, Lin Ze, who had been struggling slightly, suddenly stilled. "Xiu Jin... you came as soon as your work finished, didn't you..."

Li Xiujin didn't reply, instead burying his face against Lin Ze's chest, nuzzling and sniffing like a child.

Feeling shy and aching with heartache, Lin Ze held his head. If they weren't in a work setting, Lin Ze would have unbuttoned his shirt to let him suckle for a while...

Once he was done, Li Xiujin lifted his gaze, staring at Lin Ze's flushed lips, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Xiu Jin, do you want to kiss me?"

Li Xiujin nodded.

Lin Ze's fair face flushed a deep red. He lowered his head, pressing his lips against Li Xiujin's. After being licked and nibbled for a moment, Li Xiujin patted his bottom, his voice hoarse. "Feed me your tongue."

Blushing slightly, Lin Ze extended his tongue into Li Xiujin's mouth, allowing him to suck on it fiercely.

"Colonel! Colonel!" Lu Mo's anxious voice approached, and the closed door was pushed open.

"We found something at the theft site..."

Before he could finish, Lu Mo and the soldiers behind him froze in place.

They saw Colonel Lin, who always led them with such calm, sitting on his husband's lap. The colonel, of normal height though somewhat slender, appeared almost petite in his husband's arms. More importantly, the colonel, who always kept his uniform buttoned to the top, now had it slightly open. When the door was pushed open, they could see a large hand withdrawing from inside his clothes.

Lu Mo and the soldiers stood there stunned for a moment before hurriedly closing the door.

A few minutes later, they heard Lin Ze's voice from inside. "Come in."

It was only then that Lu Mo and the soldiers ventured back in.

Inside the command center, Lin Ze had returned to his usual appearance, his handsome face composed once more. Apart from a slight flush on his cheeks, nothing seemed amiss.

Meanwhile, Li Xiujin sat back leisurely, legs crossed, but he was staring at Lu Mo with a dark, intense look.

Cold sweat broke out on Lu Mo's back.

"Lu Mo, what is it?"

"A soldier found a suspicious object at the location where the combustible ice was stolen."

"Do you have photos?" Lin Ze asked.

"We took some pictures, but they're blurry. I'm afraid you'll need to see it in person."

After Lu Mo finished speaking, he felt Li Xiujin's gaze on him grow even colder.

"Alright, I understand. You may leave first."

"Xiu Jin, I'll go with them to take a look..."

"No."

Quite some time later, Lin Ze emerged, all bundled up, his lips red and swollen.

"Lu Mo, let's go."

They boarded the plane, and Li Xiujin got on too. Lu Mo, who had originally intended to sit beside Lin Ze, tactfully gave up his seat for Li Xiujin.

Li Xiujin sat down beside Lin Ze. Lin Ze's expression remained unchanged, but his eyelids trembled slightly.

"Alright, explain. What's going on?" Li Xiujin began questioning after the plane took off.

Lin Ze spoke up: "The site where combustible ice was discovered seven years ago was mined out in secret. The site we're mining now is a new find. We're extracting it while also investigating who had the audacity to do this."

After hearing this, Li Xiujin said nothing, his expression inscrutable.

After the plane landed, they took a tracked vehicle the rest of the way.

As soon as they stepped out, an even more biting cold wind lashed their faces.

Several soldiers stood beside the blasted tunnel entrance.

"Colonel, we found unused explosives inside."

The kind of explosives that can blast through this hard permafrost aren't bought on the market; they're specialized military-grade. They have batch numbers, which lets us trace when they were produced and through whose hands they passed.

However, when Lin Ze saw the actual item, he was slightly taken aback.

Li Xiujin took it, frowning as he examined it carefully. "It's not military issue."

"I've investigated commercial explosives before, never seen this type," Lu Mo said.

"Could it be people from another country?" Lin Ze questioned.

Li Xiujin: "That possibility can't be ruled out."

Next, they examined the blast marks; they were more powerful than the ones they used.

They took the clues and headed back to the central control room.

"There are several possibilities. One is that these explosives were a deliberate decoy. Another is that this was indeed done by another country, because it's not just us who need combustible ice; other nations are facing shortages too..." Lin Ze analyzed.

"But how would they know the exact location? It's not like they could have scouted it out secretly, could they?" Lu Mo raised a question.

"Then there's another possibility: someone who knew the exact location colluded with another country."

Li Xiujin had been sitting there quietly until now. "Does Su Wang know about this?"

"He hasn't been told yet."

"Hmm."

Li Xiujin studied the explosives thoughtfully. All the data from seven years ago was currently in his possession. He could access the list of people who participated in the Regeneration Plan back then and those who knew the exact location of the combustible ice... A cross-check would immediately reveal who it was. And this person was very likely the one who killed Lin Ze's teammates and teacher.

But the fact that it was becoming so straightforward made Li Xiujin frown. He went out to make a phone call, authorizing Yang Yu to quickly retrieve the list.

About an hour later, Yang Yu called back. "General, the Systems Department is currently screening for spies. All files are locked down and can only be opened by authorized personnel."

Li Xiujin sneered, "Not even me?"

"Hmm..."

"How long?"

"The lockdown is for 48 hours."

After hanging up, Li Xiujin's gaze turned somber.

When he returned, he saw that female omega again. She was nervous but said, "I brought food."

The other soldiers' meals were packed together, but one meal was in a separate lunchbox. Li Xiujin followed her, watching as she handed it to Lin Ze.

"Hurry up and eat. You all are really something, getting so busy you forget to eat."

It seemed addressed to everyone, but it was really meant for one person.

"Colonel, you should eat quickly too."

Lin Ze glanced covertly at Li Xiujin, then said to Luan He, "From now on, just deliver meals to them. I don't need any."

"How can that be?"

"Indeed," Li Xiujin said with a thin, insincere smile, "Colonel Lin shouldn't disregard someone's kind intentions."

Lin Ze felt slightly flustered. It was only after Li Xiujin arrived that he became aware of Luan He's girlish feelings for him. Just as he was planning to seriously tell her he was already married, Luan He suddenly said, "Weren't you asking me before if I'd seen any strange people over a month ago?"

"I suddenly remembered last night, I did see some over a month ago."

"Tell me."

"He wasn't from our country. He had yellow hair, blue eyes, several people together. They came to buy alcohol, and like you, they wore matching clothes."

"Not military uniforms?"

"Don't military uniforms have badges on the shoulders? They didn't."

"Describe them roughly."

"They were all in black, with a lion's head embroidered on the chest," Luan He recalled.

Lu Mo immediately searched on the computer. When an image came up, he showed it to Luan He. "Is it this?"

"Yes, exactly like that."

Li Xiujin glanced at the picture, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Foreigners."

He instructed the soldier beside him: "Tell Su Wang to immediately dispatch additional personnel here."

Lu Mo continued searching: "They are indeed foreign. It's a gang specialized in seizing resources. Several countries have been ambushed by them before."

"And this group has a characteristic in how they operate. They don't just steal once and leave. They return to the scene for a second theft."

The additional personnel dispatched by Su Wang arrived quickly. Everyone entered a state of alert.

And right at this time, a middle-aged woman with a cheerful appearance came, reported Lin Ze's name, and was brought to the central control room.

"Luan He sent me," the middle-aged woman said with a smile.

"Is there something?" Lin Ze asked.

"She sent me to propose to him on her behalf."

Lin Ze's expression went completely blank for a moment.

"She's the only daughter, and they want you to marry into her family. You might think their shop isn't much, but she's actually the wealthiest person around here. They own a lot of land and have countless cattle and sheep..."

Lin Ze hadn't expected it to come to this. He interrupted her: "My work comes first at the moment."

"Luan He isn't in a hurry. You can get engaged once your work is settled."

Lin Ze saw no alternative but to tell her the truth: "Please tell Luan He that I'm already married."

After she left, Lin Ze covered his face with his hands. He had thought Luan He just had a bit of a crush on him—he never imagined it would reach the stage of marriage proposals. At the same time, he felt guilty. He should have told her about his marriage earlier; then such a major misunderstanding wouldn't have occurred...

The news quickly spread throughout the whole army. Li Xiujin had been gone for less than half a day with Lu Mo to strengthen deployments. Yet on his way back, he heard that his wife was about to become someone else's live-in son-in-law.

Seeing his grim expression, Lu Mo hurriedly explained on Lin Ze's behalf: "There's nothing between the Colonel and her. He approached her to inquire about clues regarding the stolen combustible ice. And to save me, the Colonel's leg was burned. Since her family had ointment that prevents scarring, he bought some from her. She saw our soldiers always eating instant food and enthusiastically offered to cook meals for us. That's how they gradually became familiar..."

"His leg was scalded too," Li Xiujin said coldly.

Lu Mo quickly added: "It was all to save me that his calf got burned in the explosion. Don't be fooled by how normal he seems now—it was quite severe at the time. The skin on his entire calf was red and blistered. The Colonel limped for several days..."

After speaking, Lu Mo noticed that Li Xiujin's expression hadn't softened at all—if anything, it grew even darker.

"Colonel... didn't he tell you about this?"

No response.

Lu Mo soon realized he had spoken out of turn.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Ze—who was working at his desk while waiting for Xiu Jin's return—felt his heart inexplicably race faster, a vague sense of foreboding creeping over him...