Sir, do you want the pheromones? - Chapter 12

“Yo, isn’t this someone from Ziwei?”

Jin Ran had come out looking for water to wash his face, feeling suffocated in the space capsule. Just as he stepped down, he bumped into someone. He furrowed his brow, about to apologize, when he suddenly heard a sneer.

Jin Ran looked up.

“What are you staring at! You bump into someone and don’t know how to apologize?” The man in front, dressed in the blue uniform of the Hall Army, had a silver medal on his chest — a mark of someone who had seen battle and earned merit.

Jin Ran was feeling both nauseous and exhausted, so he had little patience and muttered, “Sorry, step aside.”

But the man blocked his way, holding him back. “Oh? Just leaving like that? Is that how Ziwei soldiers behave? Bump into someone and think a half-assed apology is enough?”

Jin Ran asked him, “What do you want, then?”

The man smirked, cocking his head. A soldier behind him stepped forward arrogantly, “You need to bow and apologize to Colonel Mo Luo. ‘Sorry’ isn’t enough. Where’s your sense of decorum?”

They were at a space transit station where countless ships and war vessels docked to wait for warp jumps or to restock supplies. Members of various military groups stopped here to rest.

Mo Luo and his crew looked at the pale-faced Jin Ran with sneers, blocking his path. “Go on, say it, and we’ll let you pass.”

Jin Ran didn’t want to waste words on them and shoved them aside. “Get lost.”

Immediately, several soldiers surrounded him. From behind, Mo Luo taunted, “Is this what Commander Pei Xingyu’s men are like? Just irresponsible cowards who run away? Haha, like commander, like subordinates, huh? Cowards.”

“Hey, did you know your commander is a coward? He abandoned his comrades and ran away, and now he’s in charge of Ziwei? Maybe one day he’ll leave you behind too.”

Jin Ran’s brows knitted tightly.

The soldiers burst into laughter. “What kind of commander is Pei Xingyu anyway? He stole command of Ziwei; he was never appointed by the Marshal. He’s a thief!”

“A traitor! Who’d dare trust him with military power? What if he runs away again in the middle of a battle?”

The mocking remarks filled Jin Ran’s ears. A crowd started to gather, but most people were just watching from the sidelines, not getting involved.

Due to Pei Xingyu’s reputation, people from Ziwei were generally treated poorly in the Hall forces. These men had noticed Jin Ran’s distinctive black uniform, unique to Ziwei, and that’s why they started mocking him.

Jin Ran had just stepped off a ship and was still pale from the pressure inside. He looked like an easy target.

“Pei Xingyu really is shameless. He should go down in history as a disgrace. How does he even have the nerve to be Ziwei’s top commander? Who knows what kind of dirty tricks he used to get there. Maybe…”

Jin Ran closed his eyes for a moment, his fingers tightening into a fist. He wanted to punch them, but he knew Pei Xingyu would probably nag him about it later. Forget it.

“Pei Xingyu looks so sleazy. Even if he’s an Alpha, I bet…” Jin Ran spun around and punched the man square in the face, knocking his head to the side, his face going numb.

Mo Luo quickly dodged Jin Ran’s next punch and retaliated with one to Jin Ran’s side. Jin Ran didn’t dodge, letting Mo Luo hit him, but Jin Ran’s next blow was even harder!

Mo Luo was kicked to the ground. Jin Ran swiftly pulled out the dagger from his side, shaking off its sheath, and pressed the blade’s tip just half an inch from Mo Luo’s nose.

Mo Luo was terrified, reaching out to grab it, but Jin Ran’s knee pressed into his stomach, making him gasp in pain.

Jin Ran sneered, “Who do you think you are? You’re not worthy of talking about him.”

Mo Luo’s dagger was sharp enough to cut through iron, a prized possession he had bought from the galactic black market. If Jin Ran stabbed him, it would be over. Mo Luo panicked. “Don’t… don’t do anything crazy.”

“Crazy?”

“Put the knife down… put it down.” Mo Luo’s eyes crossed as he stared at the blade, breathing shallowly, afraid he might touch it.

The soldiers behind him were about to rush in, but Jin Ran turned his head and glared at them. “Come on, take one step, and I’ll slice your colonel’s throat. How many cuts do you want?”

This guy wasn’t an easy target — he was a damn lunatic.

“What did you say about Pei Xingyu? Say it again.” Jin Ran pressed down on him with one hand, his knee digging into Mo Luo’s medal, while his other hand held him by the throat, tapping his face with the knife.

Mo Luo was drenched in cold sweat. “I didn’t… didn’t say anything about him.”

“You said Pei Xingyu is a traitor who abandoned his comrades to run away, and that he’s shameless. What else?” Jin Ran tugged at his uniform collar. “Let me help you remember. Repeat it.”

“I…” Mo Luo glanced cautiously at Jin Ran’s face, trying to figure out if he was defending Pei Xingyu or mocking him. Hesitantly, he said, “Commander Pei’s affairs are none of my business, so… let’s just drop it, okay?”

Jin Ran smiled at him. “If I hear Pei Xingyu’s name come out of your mouth again, I’ll kill you. Got it?”

“Yes, yes, I got it.” Mo Luo wanted to curse him but didn’t dare. He shivered as he looked at Jin Ran, then suddenly saw Pei Xingyu approaching in the distance. He immediately shouted, “I’m a lieutenant colonel of the Eleventh Corps! Aren’t you afraid Hall will punish you for beating and humiliating me like this?”

Jin Ran snorted. “What’s Hall to me? If I wanted to kill you, do you think Hall could save you?”

Pei Xingyu arrived just in time to hear this madness and sternly shouted, “Enough of this!”

Jin Ran’s back stiffened. Mo Luo immediately put on a smug face, confidently whispering just loud enough for Jin Ran to hear, “Pei Xingyu is nothing but a disgraceful coward. Yeah, I insulted him. What are you gonna do about it? Hit me?”

Jin Ran’s lips curled into a grin, his hand gripping the knife tighter. “You think I won’t? You want me to prove it?” He raised the dagger high, aiming for Mo Luo’s face.

Mo Luo’s eyes widened in fear, instinctively shutting them and turning his head. Pei Xingyu’s voice rang out sharply, “Jin Ran!”

The dagger grazed past Mo Luo’s ear and plunged into the plaza floor of the relay station, embedding itself a full two inches deep. You could imagine what it would have been like if that blow had landed on Mo Luo’s face.

Mo Luo’s legs went weak with fear. Madman, Jin Ran is a madman!

He actually dared to act violently in broad daylight, in front of his superior no less, treating someone from the 11th Corps like this! This is rebellion, complete rebellion!

Pei Xingyu’s face was grim as he barked, “Jin Ran, stand up!”

Jin Ran got to his feet.

“Come here.” Pei Xingyu’s expression looked as if it was coated in frost, capable of freezing a person alive. His gaze toward Jin Ran was colder than before. But the fire burning inside Jin Ran hadn’t subsided, and he turned to leave.

“Stop.”

Mo Luo, being helped to his feet by several soldiers, finally managed to stand despite trembling legs. He stammered towards Pei Xingyu, “Commander… Commander Pei, are you just going to let your subordinate walk away like that, with no discipline?”

Pei Xingyu already had little regard for the people of the 11th Corps. Hearing this, he cast a glance at Mo Luo, “What do you want?”

Mo Luo replied, “My rank is higher than his, and I’m from the 11th Corps, not under your command. He assaulted me, disobeyed orders. Shouldn’t you give me an explanation? Or is this how undisciplined the entire Ziwei Yuan is?”

Pei Xingyu glanced at Jin Ran and noticed a red mark on his face as well. He then turned back to Mo Luo and said, “I will discipline my men if they’re out of line, but what about the fact that you hit one of mine?”

Mo Luo pointed to his own face, “Who’s more seriously hurt here? He came at me without warning and attacked me. You saw that dagger just now—if I hadn’t dodged in time, I’d be dead by now! If you don’t give me an explanation, I’ll report this to Hall and let the Interstellar Federation punish Jin Ran.”

Pei Xingyu ignored him and raised an eyebrow at Jin Ran. “Why did you fight?”

Jin Ran remained silent.

Was he supposed to say that it was because they kept badmouthing Pei Xingyu, and he got so annoyed that he punched them?

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Bu Yu quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation. “Hey, let’s not get too worked up here. You both got hurt; why don’t we all take a step back? Apologize and let this matter rest. No need to escalate this and make both corps look bad. We wouldn’t want the other corps to laugh at us, thinking we, as commanding officers, can’t even deal with a young soldier.”

Mo Luo, refusing the olive branch, retorted coldly, “No way. Your man threw the first punch. I’m not letting this go without a proper explanation.”

Jin Ran, hearing this, licked his canine tooth and smirked, “Guess I didn’t beat you hard enough. I should’ve finished the job. Dead men can’t twist the truth and talk nonsense.”

Pei Xingyu’s frown deepened at Jin Ran’s rebellious words. “Jin Ran!” He paused and then asked, “Do you realize you broke military regulations by attacking someone from another corps, someone higher in rank? Do you understand your mistake?”

Jin Ran tilted his head, hands stuffed in the pockets of his uniform, showing none of the discipline or seriousness of a soldier. His silver-gray eyes locked onto Mo Luo as if contemplating how to tear him apart.

“Not admitting your mistake, are you?”

Jin Ran lowered his gaze, showing a face that clearly said, “I’ll accept the punishment, but I’m not apologizing.”

Seeing the gathering crowd, Bu Yu realized it wouldn’t look good to let Jin Ran off without some punishment. Pei Xingyu had never gotten along with Lian Jingfeng, the Minister of Operations for the 11th Corps, and if this incident got reported to Hall, it could cause quite a stir.

After some thought, Bu Yu stepped in to mediate. “Commander Pei, Colonel Mo Luo, let me suggest this: give me some face here. Jin Ran just graduated, so he’s still learning the ropes and didn’t recognize you. He got a bit impulsive, which is understandable. How about we punish him with an extra month of intensive training and let the matter rest?”

Pei Xingyu didn’t really want to punish Jin Ran. He didn’t care about Lian Jingfeng’s opinion, let alone that of someone like Mo Luo.

However, the relay station was a bustling interstellar hub, and making too much of a scene would be unwise.

If he didn’t discipline Jin Ran, rumors would soon spread across the station, reach Hall, and potentially the entire galaxy, accusing him of letting the soldiers of Ziwei Yuan run wild without discipline. He had to provide some kind of official response.

So he had no choice but to let Jin Ran take the fall for now.

Pei Xingyu turned back to Jin Ran. “Do you accept the punishment?”

Bu Yu gave Jin Ran a nod and smiled warmly, trying to smooth things over. “You should thank the Commander. Otherwise, you’d be stuck cleaning toilets as your punishment.”

Jin Ran ignored Bu Yu and turned his head to look at Pei Xingyu. He briefly smiled at Bu Yu, not resisting the hand placed on his shoulder. Bu Yu had suggested a month of intense training, and Pei Xingyu actually went along with it.

Jin Ran still had a fire burning inside him, the anger from hearing these idiots insult Pei Xingyu hadn’t dissipated yet, and then he saw these two walking side by side.

So close.