Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Wen Jueqian was still sitting on the bed trying to recover when Wen Yanxu had already started getting his stuff together.

Watching Wen Yanxu's retreating back, he suddenly remembered when they'd first started living together.

Jing'an Estate had a few servants who had looked after Wen Yanxu since childhood. Later, when Wen Jueqian said he wasn't used to having other people around the house, Wen Yanxu sent the servants back, and all household chores were handled by the AI butler, Xiao Q.

"While you're here, who takes care of the day-to-day stuff for you?" Wen Jueqian asked.

"Zhuang Yi." Wen Yanxu didn't turn around, adding, "He's also an Alpha."

Wen Jueqian was at a loss for words for a moment. "That's not what I meant."

Wen Yanxu continued organizing, still without turning around. "Mm, just putting a certain wary kitten at ease."

Wen Jueqian was quietly irritated, and since his breathing had calmed down, he grabbed his own luggage from beside Wen Yanxu and said, keeping his head down, "I'll do it myself."

He'd packed a lot of stuff to be prepared for anything unexpected.

He and Wen Yanxu had agreed he'd stay on the island with him for three days, then go back to work.

The Rustfire attack would happen tomorrow evening. The book had spent a lot of time describing that crisis, but the incident itself lasted less than a day.

By noon the day after, reinforcements from Aegis headquarters and the maritime police from the security bureau would arrive.

Even if Wen Yanxu's rut still hit, by then there would be no need for Wen Jueqian to temporarily mark Qiao Yuexun just to keep him clear-headed.

So Wen Jueqian's plan was simple: stick close to Wen Yanxu the whole time, watch for anything unexpected, and wait until everything blew over.

"You coming with me to the office, or staying here to rest?" Wen Yanxu asked, walking over after finishing the packing.

Wen Jueqian put down what he had in his hands. "Coming with you."

When they headed out, Jin Wang drove them to the office.

Wen Jueqian sat in the back seat, kept feeling like someone's eyes were on him through the rearview mirror. But every time he looked up, Jin Wang was focused on driving, eyes straight ahead.

Wen Jueqian averted his gaze.

He was probably just being jumpy.

The office complex was a few silver-gray buildings with a sleek, modern look.

Wen Yanxu's office was on the ninth floor. When the elevator doors opened, someone was already waiting in the reception area.

The man was in his forties, with graying hair that was meticulously combed, wearing the white uniform that marked him as research staff. When he saw Wen Yanxu and the others, he gave a slight nod, with a calm, focused, and rational air about him.

"Wen Jueqian, my fiancé." Wen Yanxu made the introductions. "This is Professor Li Weimin, the lead scientist on the 7th-Gen Inhibitor project."

Li Weimin extended his hand. "Mr. Wen, nice to meet you."

Wen Jueqian shook his hand. This older Alpha scientist kept his presence well in check—humble but still commanding.

"You two talk." Wen Jueqian let go of his hand first and took a step back.

Wen Yanxu glanced at him. "Let's go to the conference room." With that, he led Li Weimin into the adjacent meeting room.

Wen Jueqian walked into the office alone.

The view here was excellent—floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over distant buildings, though Wen Jueqian couldn't make out what area that was.

A photo frame sat on the desk. Wen Jueqian turned it to face him and found it was a photo of them skiing last year. Wen Jueqian was bundled in a thick ski jacket, the tip of his nose red from the cold, while Wen Yanxu stood behind him with his hand resting naturally on his shoulder.

He smiled despite himself.

Then he walked to the sofa by the window and sat down, opening his light computer to start working.

He worked through one thing after another, and time flew by.

At noon, Zhuang Yi knocked and entered, carrying two thermal lunch boxes.

"Mr. Wen, lunch is here."

Wen Jueqian glanced at the lunch boxes but didn't take them right away. "Secretary Zhuang, doesn't the research center have a cafeteria?"

Zhuang Yi replied, "Yes, it's in Building Three, but Boss Wen is usually so busy with work that meals are delivered directly to the office."

"I want to go eat at the cafeteria," Wen Jueqian interrupted.

Zhuang Yi hesitated, then looked toward Wen Yanxu, who had just pushed the door open.

Wen Yanxu had just finished his conversation with Li Weimin. He raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Why the sudden interest in the cafeteria?"

"It's too stifling being cooped up in the office all day." Wen Jueqian said offhandedly, standing up. "I want to walk around a bit."

Wen Yanxu didn't ask further. He walked over and took Wen Jueqian's hand. "Come on, I'll take you."

They called it a cafeteria, but it was really a buffet. Dozens of dishes lined the counters—hot dishes, salads, fruits—with a good variety and decent presentation.

Wen Jueqian slowly walked the whole loop with his tray, feeling a little relieved.

With this kind of self-service format, everyone got their own food, making it way harder to mess with someone's food than with individually delivered meals. And with people coming and going in the serving area, it'd be nearly impossible to do it without being seen.

He trailed after Wen Yanxu, picking up a few random dishes, then the two found a seat by the window.

Wen Jueqian ate with his head down, but he was keeping an eye on the room out of the corner of his eye.

The cafeteria wasn't crowded—people were scattered around in twos and threes. Some wore white uniforms, some black suits, and staff in green uniforms would occasionally come by to restock the food stations. They would occasionally glance over, their eyes lingering on Wen Jueqian for a second before darting away.

Wen Jueqian glanced at his own khaki trench coat and Wen Yanxu's matching black one across from him, then lowered his voice. "Do the staff here have to wear a standard uniform?"

Just then, he locked eyes with a researcher across the room who'd been staring at them.

Wen Yanxu followed his gaze. The researchers who had been eating nearby immediately dropped their heads, pretending to focus on their trays.

Wen Yanxu turned back. "Don't worry about it. You're not staff here anyway."

"You're the boss—it's not a good look to break the rules."

He remembered the coat Wen Yanxu had handed him before they left, which he'd figured was just something he'd grabbed from the coatroom.

Wen Jueqian felt a bit embarrassed. First he'd chased his fiancé all the way to his workplace, and then he'd deliberately worn a matching coat—it would be hard for anyone not to think he was marking his territory.

He quietly ate faster.

Wen Yanxu said, "Slow down, or you'll get a stomachache."

After lunch, Wen Yanxu wanted to take him to nap, but Wen Jueqian said he wanted to walk around a bit.

"Been working all morning, not tired?" Wen Yanxu asked.

Wen Jueqian looked out the window. "Just walking it off."

Wen Yanxu didn't object. "Come on, I'll walk with you."

They stepped out of the cafeteria and strolled slowly along a path lined with low vegetation.

As he walked, Wen Jueqian quietly took note of the layout around him.

Jueying Island was bigger than it had looked from the air.

According to Wen Yanxu's introduction, the research center was divided into five functional zones, scattered across different parts of the island.

Zones One and Two were the core research areas, located deep in the island's interior. They housed all R&D labs, including the 7th-Gen Inhibitor, along with the core databases, under maximum security protocols. No one but authorized personnel could enter. Wen Yanxu pointed to a small hill covered in vegetation in the distance. "The core research zone has the Federation's latest military-grade shield—blast-resistant and earthquake-proof, capable of withstanding a magnitude-8 quake and direct missile hits."

Zone Three was the clinical trial area, along the west coast. It had an independent medical center and observation wards. All clinical trial participants lived in that area—Qiao Yuexun should be over there right now.

Zone Four was the administrative area, where they were now. It was the administrative hub, handling day-to-day management, external communications, and data processing.

Zone Five was the logistics and security center, located at the island's southeast corner, right beside the island's only port. It housed the hangar, warehouse, and power station. Wen Yanxu pointed into the distance. "All supplies come ashore there, and getting in and out requires multiple verification checks."

Wen Jueqian listened quietly, fitting the island's full layout together in his mind, matching it point for point with the plot points he remembered.

"What about security?" he asked.

Wen Yanxu turned to look at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "What, afraid it's not safe?"

He slung an arm around Wen Jueqian and kept walking, a hint of pride creeping into his voice.

"Aegis has top-tier security among all the Federation's major corporations."

Seeing Wen Jueqian listening intently, he added, "Plus, with the island-wide intelligent surveillance system, any unauthorized person or object gets locked onto within three seconds. There's also military-grade autonomous defense AI, automated weapons platforms, and an active defense system."

Wen Jueqian asked, "What about the sea?"

"The defenses at sea are even tighter." Wen Yanxu's voice carried the steady confidence of someone in full control.

"An underwater radar array covers the entire island. Any unidentified object approaching triggers an alarm. The port has two high-speed interceptor boats permanently stationed, equipped with weapons."

He paused, then dropped the most important line: "And the final activation authority for all these systems rests only with me and the head of security."

It did sound impenetrable.

But in the book, Rustfire still found Jueying Island's coordinates and attacked.

Despite heavy losses, they broke through the outer defenses, cut communications, and plunged the island into chaos.

Wen Jueqian lowered his eyes, setting that thought aside for now.

==========Author's Note:==========

Happy International Women's Day to everyone!