Seeing as it was getting late, Ye Ming started heading back.
It was already dark by the time he got back to the starship. There were some people on the ship, but he didn’t know any of them. Occasionally, he would run into his former friends, but he could only pretend he didn’t know them. Because his mood was heavy and low, he just carried his meal tray and sat in a corner of the dining hall.
Ye Ming was silently eating his dinner with his head lowered, when he suddenly saw a shadow falling in front of him. Startled, he looked up and saw Cossen set his meal tray down and take a seat in front of him.
Ye Ming tightened his grip on his silverware. His expression shifted minutely.
Cossen had always lived economically, never extravagantly. He’d always eaten his meals with his soldiers, so Ye Ming did not find it at all strange that he would eat here. In the past, they’d often sit facing each other in the dining hall to eat, just like this…but that was in the past.
Now, he was only a minor reserve soldier. He shouldn’t even know Cossen. So why would he come to eat here with Ye Ming?
Ye Ming stared at the stern-faced man in front of him. His heart swelled with sadness. He really wanted to tell Cossen who he was, but he couldn’t open his mouth. His expression was terribly complicated…After a long moment, he finally remembered that he was currently a low-ranking officer who wasn’t familiar with Cossen. There was no way he should act indifferent upon facing him. He was just about to hastily stand up and salute when Cossen suddenly pressed his hand over Ye Ming’s on the table and looked at him intently. His voice deep, he said, “No need for that. I don’t want to bother everyone.”
Ye Ming felt Cossen’s hand gently covering his. The warmth from Cossen’s palm made him stiffen from head to foot. He hurriedly lowered his eyes to hide the turbulent emotions in his eyes. He quietly replied, “Yes.”
Cossen drew his hand back, his movements natural. His gaze fell onto the meal tray in front of Ye Ming.
Ye Ming’s food was very simple: a neatly cut piece of roast alien beast meat, black pepper sauce, a glass of milk, and two indigo fruits from Star Nass.
Cossen looked at all the food in front of him and felt a stinging pain in his eyes again.
Why…was all of this in front of him also exactly the same as before?
They used to eat together at the dining hall all the time. He saw that Harvey always ate the same meal and asked why. Harvey told him, smiling, I’ve tried every type of meat, but barbecued meat from the base of alien beast wings tastes the best, so I’m too lazy to switch.
Cossen asked him then, You don’t even change up the food you eat—don’t you get bored of it?
Harvey squinted a little then and smiled brilliantly, his eyes bright and shining, willful yet tender. What’s wrong with that? If I like something, I won’t stop. It means my love is long-lived, and I’m not fickle.
Cossen still remembered the way his heart skipped a beat then. He really wanted to ask, Then if you like me, will you not stop liking me, either?
But he hadn’t had the guts to ask.
And later, he never got another chance to.
Cossen slowly clenched his fist tighter underneath the table. He mustered all the strength he had to keep himself from losing control. His gaze slowly shifted, landing on those two blue fruits. Calmly, he asked, “You like indigo fruits too?”
Ye Ming was very nervous. He nodded, saying, “Yes.”
Cossen’s eyes became slightly wistful when he heard that. He said faintly, “I didn’t like indigo fruits before. I didn’t like how sour and tart they were, but there was someone who did and wanted to eat it every time…Later, I really wanted to understand why he liked them, so I tried them a few times, and after I got used to them, I realized that they actually are pretty good. They have a very special sweet and sour taste that no other fruit can replicate.”
Ye Ming looked stunned for a moment, thinking about the past. His voice was very slightly choked, nearly imperceptibly so. “That’s right.”
Cossen looked away from Ye Ming.
He was afraid that if he kept looking at him, he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from killing him. But before anything was certain, he shouldn’t let his emotions affect his decisions.
There would be no benefit from it.
Cossen’s tone was gentle and his expression calm. “Don’t be nervous. I’m just here to see how you’re adapting. I was just casually chatting, so don’t let it weigh too heavily on you.”
How could Ye Ming not be nervous? The person sitting in front of him was once his closest comrade and lover, but now he hated Ye Ming to death…If he knew Ye Ming’s identity, he probably would not be sitting across from him, chatting calmly with him like this.
Even if he had betrayed Xicks in the end, he couldn’t deny that he’d once deceived him.
And what’s more, Cossen believed he was the one who’d betrayed humanity.
Cossen saw that Ye Ming was nervous, and his head remained lowered. Suddenly, his lips curved into a smile. He asked meaningfully, “Why don’t you look up? Are you afraid of seeing me?”
Ye Ming immediately lifted his head. “N-no.”
When he looked up, he couldn’t help but meet Cossen’s deep and serene dark red eyes. Those eyes were staring back fixedly at him, as if they wanted to look deep into his soul. Ye Ming felt as if something was forcefully squeezing his throat—he felt like he was suffocating.
Cossen stared intently at him for a while. Then he suddenly lowered his head and began to eat his food nonchalantly. He said, “Just pretend I’m an ordinary friend. Don’t feel pressured.”
Ye Ming saw that Cossen was no longer staring at him and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, he started eating, but the person sitting right in front of him was Cossen, and his thoughts were filled with all sorts of complicated emotions. After quite a while, he still hadn’t eaten much. Even his hands which were holding his knife and fork shook slightly.
Cossen was right in front of him now. He was sitting so close to him…If he told him right now that Roy was the traitor, would he believe him?
But he didn’t have anything to back up his claims. It would be ridiculous for a low-ranking officer to rashly claim that a senior officer was a traitor. If he were in Cossen’s shoes, he wouldn’t believe himself either.
Right as Ye Ming began to feel unsteady, he suddenly heard Cossen ask him, “What do you think about Harvey?”
Ye Ming stiffened, nearly losing his grip on his fork. His face was pale. After a moment, he forced out, “He’s a traitor.”
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.
Cossen sighed lightly. “He used to be my lover.”
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Jbrrfc’r fsfr kfgf wegxs. Ktbrf vjgx rmjgifa qeqlir kfgf ilxf atf mgsrajiilhjalbc bo j vglfv eq rfj bo yibbv, ifjnlcu yftlcv bcis vfrbijalbc jcv xliilcu lcafca. Lf rjlv, “Dea tf yfagjsfv wf. Lf kjr Wlmxr’r jqbraif, atf fcfws bo tewjcxlcv.”
Ye Ming felt chills all over. The iciness in Cossen’s gaze had frozen his body stiff.
Slowly, Cossen said, “Promoting him, trusting him, putting him in a position of power…was the greatest mistake of my life. I should take responsibility for Fort Frederick’s destruction. I should take responsibility for the innocent civilians and soldiers who lost their lives.”
Ye Ming thought of the people who denounced and slandered Cossen, of their discrediting remarks. There was a terrible, oppressive pain in his chest.
He knew how seriously this person took his responsibilities. He constantly remembered the military’s mission, and he was not afraid of dying for the sake of humanity…He was clearly the person who deserved the most respect, and now, as he faced other people’s groundless criticism…he didn’t fight back at all and instead would say this kind of thing.
What kind of grief and helplessness and sorrow must be laying behind these calm words? It was not something that could be put into words.
Ye Ming felt that any words of comfort at this moment would be futile. The reality was already reality, and those who had died could not be brought back to life. He had no way of playing down the situation and making Cossen stop blaming himself. Finally, he could only say, “It wasn’t your fault, it was Harvey’s.”
Roy wouldn’t have been able to do anything like that alone, without the access privileges that I had…If I hadn’t existed from the start, maybe there would’ve been a different outcome.
Cossen’s hand clenched slightly. He pursed his lips and stared at Ye Ming. After a long time, he sighed, “We were both at fault.”
After speaking, he stood up, turned around, and left.
Ye Ming looked at the fork next to Cossen’s meal tray. It had already been squeezed so hard it changed shape.
You must be suffering a lot, but I can no longer soothe your injured heart now, because all of your suffering…was caused by me.
If we could start all over again, I would rather die than cause you this much sorrow.
………………
When Cossen returned to his room, his mask of calm finally shattered. He punched the metal wall! The force of it created a hole in the hard sina alloy wall.
It was clear that that fork he’d bent just now was a product of his utmost restraint.
Cossen’s eyes were filled with a pained, stifling emotion.
At first, he’d only found Ye Ming suspicious because he was very similar to Harvey, and his intuition told him not to lower his guard. But he hadn’t considered that Ye Ming…might actually be Harvey himself.
But everything he had seen…forced him to be reminded of Harvey.
If he thought of Ye Ming as Harvey, he realized that everything about him felt familiar. All sorts of little details made him feel a sense of deja vu.
It’s you, isn’t it?
But how come you dared to come back? No…a monster like you wouldn’t feel any guilt or fear death. You’re just one of Xicks’s creations. All you know how to do is to obey its orders.
What do you want to get out of me this time?
Cossen’s eyes were frosty. After a long time, he took out his communications device and instructed, “Tell Brody to come here.”
Brody quickly arrived. When he came in, he saw Cossen standing in front of the wall, which had a sinister-looking hole punched into it, while the marshal daren who’d always been so cool-headed and self-restrained was now wearing a fierce expression, with a deep pain in his eyes.
This scene immediately reminded him of three years ago.
Three years ago, when they found out Harvey had escaped with classified information and betrayed them, the marshal had behaved in the same exact way.
Brody’s heart suddenly sank. “Is something the matter?”
Cossen slowly turned around, his dark red eyes chilly. His thin lips parted slightly. “I suspect that Kevin is Harvey.”
When Brody heard this name, his expression changed sharply. He asked disbelievingly, “How is that possible—” But midway through his sentence, his throat choked up. Why—wouldn’t it be possible?
He recalled the cup of coffee which had sugar added to it. He didn’t know why, but a feeling of realization rose up in his heart…
Cossen’s voice was icy. “If Xicks could transform him and hide him in the human military back then, it can very well do it again now. There’s nothing impossible about it.”
Brody’s teeth creaked with how hard he was gritting them. He remembered his deceased little brother and comrades. His eyes filled with deep hatred. Impulsively, he exclaimed, “I’m going to kill him!”
“Don’t be impulsive!” Cossen said lowly. “At the moment, it’s just a suspicion. I can’t completely confirm his identity just yet.”
Hearing this, Brody finally calmed down a little bit, but his eyes were still red. It was hard for him to restrain the wrath in his heart. As long as he thought about how Ye Ming might be Harvey, he really, really wished he could chop him up into ten thousand pieces. He asked, “Then what do we do now?”
Cossen closed his eyes, then opened them again. There was a cold glint to them. “First, we need to confirm his identity. I need you to do something for me.”
………………
After he ate, Ye Ming returned to his dorm.
[Ye Ming: To be honest, the reason I’m always eating the same stuff is just because I have bad indecision, ai.]
[888: Congratulations, your true identity is finally about to be exposed. But it seems to me that the result might be that they’ll execute you or kill you in revenge.]
[Ye Ming: They won’t. I was a bit worried at first, but seeing how calmly Cossen was talking to me today, I don’t think he’ll be so impulsive. On the contrary, it’s little Brody who’s the impulsive child.]
[888: Hehe.]
When Ye Ming woke up the next day, he realized everyone was hastily preparing for something. Just as he was feeling surprised, he saw Brody walking toward him, saying, “Come with me.”
Ye Ming followed Brody suspiciously.
Brody gazed at Ye Ming’s face, trying desperately to repress the frostiness in his eyes. He said, “I have a temporary assignment, but we didn’t bring enough people when we set out, so why don’t you come along with us?”
Ye Ming didn’t hesitate to say, “Yes, sir!”
Brody nodded. “I’ve prepared a fighter ship for you. We’re leaving together in ten minutes.”
As a soldier, it was his duty to obey orders. Ye Ming didn’t ask about anything and directly went to get ready.
Ten minutes later, Brody left the starship with Ye Ming, as well as a small ten-person unit. Their mission was to go and rescue a stranded unit near base C452, which was not far away.
Because base C452 was close to the outer regions of the fortress, it was considered a very dangerous warzone. As a result of a recent defeat, there were no human troops stationed there at the moment. It only acted as a temporary stopover during wartime.
Depending on how one looked at it, this mission could be considered dangerous or non-threatening. If they didn’t run into wandering alien beasts, it would be very easy. But if they needed to fight, it would be dangerous.
At first, it was going very smoothly, but just as they were about to reach their destination, misfortune arrived.
Suddenly, a group of a couple dozen winged serpent beasts appeared in front of them. Winged serpent beasts were cunning and ferocious. Although they usually only traveled together in dozens, which was not too many, they were nonetheless very troublesome. It was especially dangerous when they did not have sufficient manpower or firepower.
Brody immediately commanded everyone to hide, but that swarm of winged serpent beasts had already discovered them. When they realized this was a very small group of humans, they quickly rushed over to attack!
As a new person, Ye Ming could not perform too well, naturally. But because the fight was quickly becoming dangerous, Brody and the others had no time at all to worry about Ye Ming. One after another, they opened fire and evaded the attacks. Finally, Ye Ming’s fighter ship was momentarily caught off guard, and a winged serpent beast knocked into it, causing its side to malfunction.
Of course he couldn’t hold back in this critical situation!
Ye Ming manipulated the fighter craft skillfully, carrying out a difficult spinning maneuver. He immediately pointed laser guns at one of the winged serpent beasts’ mouth and shot right through it!
But very quickly, other winged serpent beasts crowded around him, while Brody and the others moved farther and farther away in order to evade them. Ye Ming kept trying to rejoin them, but the distance between them grew and grew. Seeing that the situation was critical, he had no choice but to escape in the opposite direction!
That swarm of winged serpent beasts relentlessly pursued Ye Ming, who was now alone. Ye Ming’s fighter ship sustained more and more damage. The control screen kept flashing red warnings. Ye Ming evaded attacks while maneuvering his fighter ship into a forced landing. Just then, he saw a familiar mountain range in front of him. Suddenly, his eyes became determined, and he suddenly swooped down in that direction! Then he ejected himself at lighting speed!
Ye Ming remembered this place. Many years ago, he and Cossen had been here together.
Back then, Fort Frederick had not yet fallen. It was very peaceful here. Despite the many bases and countless military facilities built here, it had not yet experienced war.
Back then, this place was very beautiful…This mountain range was a sprawl of emerald green, with clear waters and lively animals.
But now, all that was left was the ravages of war.
Ye Ming remembered that there was a very well-hidden shelter on this mountain.
He quickly rolled to the ground and squeezed himself under a huge stone wall. Sure enough, he found a power switch. He quickly input the password, and a sturdy, heavy metal door soon opened.
Ye Ming quickly rushed inside and closed the door before heaving a sigh of relief. Good thing this place was still usable.
This shelter only had the capacity to fend off those few winged serpent beasts.
Now, the memories of the past finally could no longer be repressed. They burst forth. Pain and nostalgia once again emerged in Ye Ming’s eyes.
At the time, Ye Ming and Cossen had gone to Fort Müller to handle official business. On their way back, Cossen suddenly said that they were not in a rush and that he wanted to take Ye Ming somewhere. Thus, Cossen brought him to this place.
Ye Ming had not really understood Cossen’s actions. He felt that this detour was completely unnecessary. But later, thinking about it…perhaps Cossen just wanted a chance to spend some time alone with him.
Cossen was very resolute during combat, but he was actually a bit clumsy when he was pursuing someone.
A bitter smile appeared on Ye Ming’s lips.
They stayed here for two days. Cossen was like an idiot of a tour guide, dedicatedly taking him around to see the sights. Finally, they arrived at this mountain, and Cossen told him that there was a hidden shelter here.
Ye Ming reached up to touch his shoulder. It was covered in blood. He’d gotten injured.
He pushed down his sadness, not wanting to think about the past. All of its beauty had now turned into thorns that pierced his heart.
Ye Ming slowly walked deeper into the shelter. He turned his head slightly. There was obviously no one next to him, but vaguely, he seemed to see a tall, handsome man standing there. The man was smiling tenderly at him, telling him, Harvey, this is a B-grade shelter. It’s fused into this planet. In total, it has five entrances. If you come in from here and lock the door from inside, those monsters won’t be able to get in.
Ye Ming nodded in understanding.
Cossen added, There are thirty thousand rooms, sixteen dining halls, and a weapons arsenal and storeroom. The stores of food are enough for a hundred thousand people to live off of for one year. This way, in case danger does arise, they’ll still have a chance to be rescued.
Ye Ming found it really amazing.
Cossen smiled and said, We have constructed shelters like this on practically every planet, all of different grades, but at least they can all fend off alien beasts for some time. But it’s very safe here, so they probably won’t be needing it…Though we built this here, just like everywhere else, I hope they’ll never need to use it.
At that time, when Cossen had said that, his eyes were brimming with confidence. Not like how they were now, only containing a profound loneliness…Once, he’d vowed not to let Xicks take a single step into Fort Frederick.
But now, Fort Frederick was gone.
Ye Ming gazed sadly at the mess the shelter was left in. He looked at the dried blood on the walls, the rancid corpse in the corner…This place did get used in the end, he said to himself.
Because it had weathered a war before, much of the shelter’s supplies had been used up. Ye Ming looked around for a bit but was unable to find medical supplies or food. Just as he was feeling a bit anxious, he suddenly remembered something Cossen had once told him, and his eyes flashed.
Ye Ming followed the route according to his memory and easily arrived at a storeroom. The storeroom had been emptied long ago. There was no food left. But he walked straight toward a wall and gently knocked against it, and an electronic screen appeared on the wall.
So this was still here…It hadn’t been used yet.
Ye Ming input the key Cossen had once given him. This was the key with the highest authority, and it could access the shelter’s emergency stores. Cossen had told him he hoped there could be extra safeguards in case things got dangerous.
They were constantly at the forefront of war. He didn’t fear his own death, but he still hoped the person he loved could live on.
A small room appeared. There was not much inside, just simple medical equipment and some solid food.
Ye Ming tore open his clothes, exposing his bloody shoulder. He grit his teeth and took out the medical gun, aiming it at his wound. This kind of medical gun could rapidly staunch bleeding and heal wounds, but it would hurt a lot without anaesthetic.
Ye Ming bit his lip hard. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead. Finally, he got his wound to stop bleeding. Then he just applied some medicine and ate some food.
He sat there, exhausted, and closed his eyes.
He really wanted to tell Cossen, Thank you, what you told me was very useful. It’s too bad that…the current you would probably really regret telling me all of that.
………………
Cossen stood in his starship. He had seen all of that, every single bit of it.
From the moment Ye Ming fell into those mountains, then entered the password in that practiced way and entered that abandoned shelter, he’d already received the answer he wanted.
But still he kept watching.
He watched as Ye Ming walked down that empty hallway and finally arrived at the storeroom without making any detours. He found the last remaining backup supplies and then sat there, skillfully treating his own wounds. He did not hesitate when he did any of it. It was obvious it was not his first time there.
At that moment, Cossen seemed to return far into the past, back when he and Ye Ming were there.
He really liked this person. He was unwittingly lured in deep by him, but he wasn’t very good at pursuing others, and didn’t know much about romance. He’d even waited a long time before confessing because he was afraid of rejection.
He was usually always busy, always fighting—he never even had the time to date. That time, he’d made an exception and delayed their return, making spare time in his busy schedule to bring Ye Ming there. In truth, he’d just wanted the opportunity to spend time with Ye Ming alone.
There was no fighting here, no outsiders, only the two of them. This ought to count as a date for them, right?
It was too bad that he hadn’t thought to prepare a gift. The two of them stayed there for two days. Right before leaving, he brought Ye Ming over to this place and told him how to get into the shelter. He’d even told him his most high-authority key. That was how much he liked this person. He was even willing to die to protect him.
So he’d thought, Even though you won’t need it, I still want you to know it. I’m willing to share everything with you.
I can’t break the rules in order to give you more, but this is just an access key to help keep you safe in emergencies. This I can give to you. This is the first time I’m breaking the rules for someone, too.
I hope you can always live well, the person I love most…
Cossen shut his eyes for a moment. He watched the young man in the shelter through the surveillance cameras, and the tenderness in his eyes slowly dissipated, before finally turning into iciness.
Just then, his communications device made a noise. Brody’s figure appeared in the video feed. With a grave expression, he asked, “I’ve already pretended to split away from Kevin according to your orders, leaving him to face danger alone. May I ask if you’ve confirmed his identity yet? If it’s not him, do you need us to go and rescue him now?”
Cossen slowly looked over. His eyes seemed to be covered in a thick, heavy darkness. He said, “I’ve confirmed it. He’s Harvey.”
When Brody heard these words, his eyes flashed with bone-deep hatred. He couldn’t keep calm any longer and said hatefully, “I’ll go and kill him right now!”
Cossen rested his hands behind his back and didn’t speak for a long while.
Anxiously, Brody said, “Give me your orders! I’ll go and snipe him right away! I promise I won’t give him a chance to escape!”
Cossen’s eyes were shadowy and fathomless, like the wildlands in the most distant corners of the universe. After a long time, he finally looked up toward Brody, his thin lips pressed into a line. He ground out in a bone-chilling tone, “No, go save him. Then bring him back.”
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
thank you for the chapter! Aaaa the angst is too strong in this one. And you can’t say that the MLs deserve to suffer, because they are mostly innocent ;w;
I always confuse this story and the goals of the MC with SCSG. Both make me cry like a baby! This one for all the suffering of the gongs that he has to now correct. The other for all the suffering the MC has to “endure” to teach the scum gongs a lesson.
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
Thank you so much for the chapter. I feel so bad for Cossen and Brody that I can’t blame them for wanting to kill/torture the shou 😭 I am excited to see how our scum shou gets himself out of this mess
Omg we got the same profile picture 😀
UWU
Thank you for your hard work 💖
istg im gonna freaking ripped my heart out right in front of my chest so that it’ll stop fuckING THROBBING EVERY SINGLE DAMN ARC BC KAREN IT HURTS-
This is so sad😭
if harvey was orginal host i would think his IQ decreased a lot after tortured by xick
even though i know the mc planned himself getting recognized that doesnt stop me from all the nerves im feeling at the inevitable😣
sigh, here comes the rap3y rap3y, i honestly hope it doesn’t happen. it’ll completely ruin ML’s chara for me ( even tho i know this scummy bastard Luolu enjoys it 😭 )