It’s been proven that—
No matter how angry or annoyed you are, you should never carelessly make any claims.
Especially something like “taking the initiative to hold hands,” which isn’t entirely impossible to happen again.
“Who… who wants to take your surname?!”
Even though Jiang Ci had gradually become familiar with Huo Xianfeng’s annoying, shameless character, he still found himself choked up and frustrated by his words every time they met.
The major general lowered his voice, but the annoyance in his tone was unmistakable:
“If it weren’t for the fact that you almost jumped down to kill yourself just now, I wouldn’t have…”
As he said this, he tried to pull his hand away, but the young man caught it firmly with his other hand.
“Wait,”
At this moment, Huo Xianfeng leaned in.
He had grown a bit taller recently, so he had to slightly lean over to bury his face into Jiang Ci’s shoulder.
“Lend me your hand for a moment… I can take your surname too.”
After all, surnames didn’t really matter much to him.
But as for the surname Huo, it indeed originated from the Huo Chao.
When he first woke up on Earth with a blank mind, he saw the name of the Huo Chao at the top of a massive Heroes Monument.
In that moment, Huo Xianfeng couldn’t ignore it and felt a strange sense of familiarity, which led him to adopt the surname “Huo.”
The sudden closeness made Huo Xianfeng’s voice sound a bit muffled, and the hoarse voice had a gentle purr at the end, reaching Jiang Ci’s auditory nerves through bone conduction and bringing a shock similar to an electric current.
In fact, Huo Xianfeng’s action wasn’t meant to be flirtatious or ambiguous, but rather a simple and brief expression of dependence. Yet, it accelerated Jiang Ci’s heartbeat more than what any similar closeness had before.
After all, when an alpha, who usually seems invincible and nearly without any weaknesses, suddenly shows a bit of vulnerability, the impact is undoubtedly tremendous.
Jiang Ci felt his whole body heat up in sync with his racing heart, and the hand grasped by the other even unconsciously began to go limp and numb.
Is this because of his sudden closeness, or just that brief sentence?
In any case, in that moment, Jiang Ci froze, no longer struggling.
He could take his surname… Is that okay too?
What… what does that mean?
Even though Jiang Ci knew that Huo Xianfeng often liked to talk big and tease him, at that moment, his mind couldn’t help but interpret his words in a deeper sense.
Even though this interpretation was fleeting, it was enough to make his heart tighten sharply,
“Who… who said I wanted you to take my surname?!”
The major general lowered his voice; his tone was not too pleasant, but his body didn’t show any intention to resist or pull away.
“Hey――!”
A frustrated and scolding male voice came from ahead,
“You two!!!”
Before Jiang Ci could say anything, he felt the weight on his shoulder suddenly lighten.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“…I’m sorry,”
The young man’s voice was a bit hoarse and his back slightly curved, his tone revealing a very intentional hint of vague fear,
“I’m, I’m a bit afraid of heights.”
Jiang Ci: “………”
Afraid of heights???
Unexpectedly, such an answer made even the fierce-looking low-rank disciple choke for a moment.
After all, it is the era of interstellar travel, with various spaceships, mechas, and vessels everywhere, and they have even become everyday transportation means. The term “fear of heights” has almost become extinct.
Huo Xianfeng pursed his lips tightly, quietly pinching Jiang Ci’s palm. The latter’s fingers stiffened, but he immediately understood the meaning.
“Sorry, sorry,”
Jiang Ci truly felt that his acting skills had improved dramatically under Huo Xianfeng’s lead.
At this moment, the posture and positions of the two were like they had just switched roles, with Jiang Ci stepping forward silently to stand in front of Huo Xianfeng and adopting the tone the young man had used just before as he explained softly,
“He is slightly afraid of heights. I… I’ll just hold his hand and help him get past this section. It won’t delay your important business.”
“Tsk!”
The low-rank disciple frowned and turned around, bowing respectfully to West as if to consult his opinion. The latter’s gaze swept past everyone and finally landed on Huo Xianfeng, scrutinizing him for a moment.
At this moment, the young man indeed looked pale, with some sweat on his forehead, and even as an alpha, he appeared to be clinging to the beta’s hand and hiding behind him like a child…
West frowned, showing a look of disdain and contempt.
Could it be that he had misjudged?
This thought brought a sense of irritation and impatience to West, even making him want to immediately throw these two time-wasting fellows out or just kill them outright. However, they were currently in the breeding factory, and neither option was convenient.
Finally, West coldly stared at Huo Xianfeng for a few seconds, said nothing, and turned away to stride forward.
The low-rank disciple barely breathed a sigh of relief, then turned back and scolded Huo Xianfeng and Jiang Ci,
“You two, hurry up!!!”
After speaking, he turned around and followed West respectfully.
Jiang Ci looked back at Huo Xianfeng and saw that, although he was still a bit pale, he looked much better than before.
“Shall we go?”
“Mn.”
Since he said he was afraid of heights and needed to have his hand held, Jiang Ci naturally had to hold Huo Xianfeng’s hand as they slowly crossed the 400-meter-long bridge.
During this time, they didn’t speak at all, and only the sound of bubbles rising from the water below could be heard, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
However, Jiang Ci still hadn’t figured out one thing. Since he had known Huo Xianfeng, aside from his unexplained unconsciousness a few days ago, the only other time he had shown vulnerability was when they first encountered a vast field of Gardenia Roses.
His current state at that time was similar to now.
Although human perception couldn’t see beneath the red water, the mecha’s scanning systems could clearly analyze it.
“A-Ci, that—”
Xiao X briefly described what it “saw,” using very straightforward technical language without any rhetorical flourishes. Yet, this simple description gave Jiang Ci a sense of dread more terrifying than any visual shock.
Fields of Gardenia Roses… a factory possibly meant for breeding Zergs…
After discovering that his most trusted friend had intricate ties with the Church, Jiang Ci clearly realized at this moment that Huo Xianfeng also had some deep, unknown connection with the Zergs or the Church.
“…….”
Whether it was his only remaining relative, Zhou Jiuya, or He Zhun who was like a brother he grew up with, or… or Huo Xianfeng…
Jiang Ci realized that everyone close to him, whom he cared about, seemed to be hiding countless secrets, as if they were all wrapped in a thick layer of fog.
Only he… only he was completely in the dark.
—This feeling of being kept in the dark was truly terrible.
At that moment, Jiang Ci suddenly felt a subtle scratching in the palm of his hand.
[Test… Be cautious…]
Touching each other’s palms with their fingertips seemed to have become a unique way for Jiang Ci and Huo Xianfeng to communicate.
Huo Xianfeng had sensed West’s probing and murderous intent.
In fact, the moment the other party sent the guards to deal with the chimpanzee instead of letting him, a mere laborer, handle it, Huo Xianfeng knew it was a test.
Even the fact that the other party brought them into the factory and showed everything in the breeding factory just now, it was also part of a deliberate test.
Jiang Ci was slightly startled but soon understood the twists and turns of this ploy.
After walking out of the huge Zerg breeding factory just now, the decorations outside began to look more normal.
Cold glass compartments, silver-white metal floors and ceilings were distributed in countless structures resembling beehives. Unfortunately, those glasses were one-way see-through, so people outside couldn’t see what was inside.
Just then, West, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped, as if receiving some urgent command, and his whole body suddenly became solemn.
Then, he glanced at the low-rank disciples beside him and said, “I’ve been told that the big shot upstairs wants to personally receive the experimental materials. I have to go to greet them now.” West paused, didn’t even look back, and casually ordered, “We don’t have time to deal with these suspicious guys. Just take care of them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Although they were standing several meters behind, Huo Xianfeng had excellent hearing and caught every word.
He clicked his tongue lightly.
In fact, he didn’t actually expect that a few words of persuasion could completely dispel West’s suspicions, but he didn’t expect their luck to be so bad that they would start hell mode as soon as they infiltrated.
Jiang Ci felt his hand tighten, and a familiar breathing came close to his ear again.
“The factory building diagram that was just scanned by Xiao X has been sent to Bai Ze.”
It must be said that this A-level mecha was much better than the one Huo Xianfeng had snatched before, as it had all kinds of functions, becoming an essential tool for robbery.
But considering that Jiang Ci’s father was Jiang Jinsheng, the man who could be called the father of the Empire’s technology…
―This was indeed reasonable.
Huo Xianfeng lowered his head and quickly whispered a rough plan in Jiang Ci’s ear. “Later, we’ll split up. I’ll cause a big commotion to lure away all the guards, and you go find the power source device on the structural diagram and blow it up on an one-hour schedule!”
Jiang Ci: “…”
This plan was sudden, straightforward, but equally dangerous and crazy. However, Jiang Ci didn’t have time to ask for more details at this moment.
Boom―!
The door behind them suddenly closed with a loud noise, and the few disciples who were walking ahead stopped abruptly. They didn’t turn around, but their eyes narrowed like sharp and cold blades as their true purpose was revealed.
A layer of frost suddenly condensed in Jiang Ci’s eyes, and his submissive demeanor just now disappeared in an instant, like a silver spear that was suddenly unsheathed.
But the next moment, the major general was grabbed by Huo Xianfeng by the back of his collar and was carried to be behind him.
Jiang Ci: “…”
Is being tall that great?!
The young man put his hands in his pockets, walked lazily forward, and just happened to block the omega’s figure. “Hmm, it seems…” he smiled, “that I need to do some heavy lifting for the disciples.”
“…”
The entire space fell into a deathly silence. In the next second, several disciples simultaneously made their move. Their weapons were different, yet they all aimed them straight at the young man.
Jiang Ci’s fighting instinct made him reflexively prepare to defend or dodge, but in that instant, Huo Xianfeng didn’t take any of the actions he expected.
He remained leisurely with his hands in his pockets, standing still, just curving his fingers slightly, and lightly tapping the glass beside him.
Thud.
Crack!
A nearly imperceptible crack appeared. In the next moment, the huge glass rooms on both sides collapsed and shattered, and sharp fragments flew out like torrential rain.
The omega’s pupils suddenly dilated to the extreme, reflecting a huge monster that blasted out—
The huge body directly crushed the ground, and cracks spread like countless branches in all directions. The metal floor and walls cracked under the terrible force and were even crushed into powder.
In that instant, several disciples didn’t even touch Huo Xianfeng’s sleeve and didn’t even realize what had happened in that instant, as they were directly crushed into a pile of hideous flesh by the monster’s huge mouthparts.
Moreover, the huge body even thoughtfully blocked all the flying debris. This terrifying and terrifying monster was like a guardian, crouching in front of Huo Xianfeng.
“…”
The major general’s brain went blank, and he froze in place.
“How’s that for a commotion?”
Huo Xianfeng turned his head and looked at him with a smile, “Big enough?”
“…”
We start to get some plot. While trying to protect A-Ci, his friends and close ones stay away from him, hurting him in the process :((
Like “I didn’t ask for this(to be protected)”. It’s a selfish act from their part because they don’t take into consideration what A-Ci wants. Which is why Huo Xianfeng is so special, because even though he acts like an ass, he always helps A-Ci, giving a controlled concentration of pheromones so that A-Ci can still survive without him, after all their relationship is merely contractual, right? XD
Also we get some intimate moments for the couple, HXF showing his trust and dependence on A-Ci even though it was only for a moment ;w;
And we get a sign of trust! HXF knew A-Ci was putting the pieces together so instead of being in a passive position and waiting for A-Ci to confront him, he decided to be flashy and show off his powers XD.
Just like a bird flaunting his feathers and asking for praise XDD
On another analysis, HXF is already considered a trusted person in A-Ci’s cognition, since he grouped him together with his long-time close ones like his uncle and his most trusted friend!!! and HXF is different from them bcs he straight up controlled a Zerg in front of A-Ci. He could’ve just played along A-Ci’s feigned ignorance and act as a normal person but he decided to break through that layer of lies and show a part of his heart!
😭😭😭 great progress for the both of them.
Also, here is Xiao X, the jack-of-all-trades AI, it can control Huo Chao’s mecha, help with robberies, also records Jiang Ci’s physical and emotional growth… 🤩🤭
Yesss show off huo xianfeng! I love how open he is with A-Ci slowly but surely after he himself had started putting pieces of his fragmented past together
Thank you for the chapter!! 💖
Thanks for the chapter
Thank you for the chapter 😍 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️