novelraw Chapter 236: See That? Something’s Up
Chapter 236: See That? Something’s Up
When Jiang Qiuqiu got back, she shared the news with Mo Si.
The Admiral, who was in the middle of an inspection, heard his terminal chime softly. The adjutants around him all looked over. "My apologies, everyone. I forgot to put it on silent."
"It’s fine, it’s fine."
"The Sixth Army needs to manage the intensity of its training regimen during this time. The Federation Star System has almost entirely entered the depths of winter. And while most of our soldiers possess Beast Clan Genes, that doesn’t mean they can withstand extreme cold."
"We are training them to give them a better chance of survival on the battlefield."
As he spoke, Mo Si’s gaze was sharp as a blade. "But training isn’t hazing. We must ensure their safety. We can’t have these soldiers, who protect our planets, dying on the training grounds."
"Yes, sir!"
The commanders from the various military districts saluted.
Qiudao and Changbei followed closely behind Mo Si, walking along the ramparts of the training grounds. The soldiers below seemed to be occupied with their exercises, but many of their gazes were drawn upward.
’It’s the Admiral.’
’The Admiral came to see us.’
As night fell, Mo Si took his leave of the Sixth Army. He, Qiudao, and Changbei then boarded a Teleportation Mecha back to the Federation Star.
Only then did he have time to open his terminal and reply to her message.
The first thing he saw was a message from her, bearing good news.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): Federation University’s public admissions started early this year! I went and registered!
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): The instructor who administered the test kept encouraging me and said I was great!
——Black Hole: That wasn’t encouragement, that was praise. You are great.
...
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): Black Hole, you finally replied! I was starting to think you weren’t going to write back!
——Black Hole: It’s not that I didn’t want to. I was busy earlier.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): The timing is a little too convenient. It makes me feel like it’s connected to that incident.
——Black Hole: ...
Mo Si rarely used ellipses to show he was at a loss for words when chatting.
He almost always had something to say.
Jiang Qiuqiu figured enough days had passed for things to cool down, so she decided to apologize.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): I’m really sorry about the other day. I didn’t realize... It’s just that I was on a Low-level Star before. I didn’t know Genetic Hybrids had tails...
——Black Hole: I’m the one who should apologize. I lost my self-control and revealed... that strange thing in front of you.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): No, no, no! How could this possibly be your fault?
——It was me! I accidentally grabbed the wrong one. If you hadn’t had that drink, none of this would have happened.
Before Mo Si even had a chance to reply, she sent several more messages.
——I shouldn’t have kept petting it over and over. At the time, I didn’t know why I couldn’t let go.
——Your face was so red that day. I was going to apologize that very night, but...
——The very next day, you had to leave on business.
She had given him a perfect play-by-play of the entire incident. Reading it, Mo Si closed his eyes, tilted his head, and pressed his index finger to his forehead.
——Black Hole: Let’s not talk about this over text.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): You replied! I was so afraid you were angry with me.
Her emotions were laid bare in every word. How could Mo Si ever be angry with her?
——Black Hole: I left on business. While some of my personal feelings might have been involved, I was definitely not angry.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): Gasp! So you were embarrassed?
——Black Hole: ...
——Black Hole: Not exactly.
The moment Jiang Qiuqiu saw the ellipses, she knew it was true. She lay in bed clutching her quilt, her fingers tapping away at the virtual light screen.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): I have more good news to tell you!
——Black Hole: What is it?
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): Me! When I tested at Federation University today, my spiritual power went up from B+ to A!
’An upgrade?’
’That’s an ability only someone with both excellent potential and a deep Spirit Sea can develop.’
’Besides, jumping from B+ to A is a significant leap. And in less than half a year...’
——Black Hole: That’s incredible.
——Jiang Qiuqiu (SoldierS): Of course! I’m awesome! I was in such a great mood coming out of the testing booth today. Thank you and Sister Chengyu for training me all this time. When you get back, how about I treat you to an all-bamboo-shoot feast?
——Black Hole: Okay.
Changbei and Qiudao were in the cockpit of the Teleportation Mecha, separated from Mo Si by a pane of glass.
"Hey, look! Look!" Changbei kept poking Qiudao’s hand.
"What is it?"
"Quick, look at the Admiral! Look!"
Changbei pointed to his own face, then at his terminal, and broke into a very punchable grin.
Qiudao: ...
"Why aren’t you reacting?!" Changbei leaned closer to him. "Can’t you see it? Something’s up!"
"I can’t see anything."
"You’re hopeless! You can’t see it even though it’s so obvious! He’s different!"
"Have you been watching too many romance movies or something? What’s so different?"
"There’s no explaining it to you!" For the first time, Changbei felt exasperated with Qiudao’s failure to live up to expectations. "You don’t have a single romantic cell in your body!"