Sir, do you want the pheromones? - Chapter 16

Zhou Peng was startled by Pei Xingyu’s cold and stern voice, trembling slightly, “Commander Pei.”

 

Pei Xingyu exhaled and said to Mei Pu, “The space station was bombed because of an attack by ‘Tanlang’. Ziwei Yuan accidentally destroyed it during the counterattack. Commander Mei, you are aware of this, correct?”

 

Mei Pu didn’t care who bombed it, as long as he could deflect the blame. Now, with Pei Xingyu giving him the perfect excuse, he accepted it on the surface, “Yes, yes.”

 

But privately, he thought: Who the hell calls someone “Commander Mei-no-clue!”?

 

Mei Pu gritted his teeth in frustration. Not only had they bombed their space station, but they had the nerve to mock him like this. **Jin Ran**, huh? Well, this grudge has been formed!

 

“I represent everyone at Ziwei Yuan, and I thank you, Commander Mei, and the ‘Tianyi’ ship for your support. Goodbye.” Pei Xingyu finished, turned off the communicator, and said to Zhou Peng, “Prepare for warp.”

 

Zhou Peng quickly responded, “Yes.” After a pause, he asked, “What about Jin Ran? He’s alone, won’t he be in danger?”

 

Pei Xingyu’s expression remained dark, “He won’t die.”

 

Of the three medium mechas, two had been destroyed, and Jin Ran had taken over the last, barely functioning one. He could hear Pei Xingyu’s cold, angry words, “He won’t die.” Clicking his tongue twice, he activated the second backup hatch, following Pei Xingyu’s ship through the warp just in time.

 

The communicator was still on, and after they passed through the warp point, Jin Ran asked, “If I’m confined, who’s going to clean the bathroom?”

 

Pei Xingyu replied, “You’ll clean it when you get out!”

 

Jin Ran felt a bit of a headache. Since they had passed the warp point and entered a safe zone, he connected to Ziwei Yuan’s flight route, letting the ship fly automatically. He stretched his legs, removed his heavy protective suit, revealing the black military uniform underneath, and casually ran a hand through his hair.

 

“Commander.”

 

Pei Xingyu’s eyelid twitched, hearing the light and teasing tone in Jin Ran’s voice. He had a bad feeling about what Jin Ran would say next.

 

Sure enough, Jin Ran continued, “If you lock up your adjutant, who’s going to take care of you? Didn’t you keep me around to take care of you? Maybe don’t lock me up, hmm?”

 

This communicator was linked to the whole cabin, and poor innocent Zhou Peng heard it all. He nervously glanced up at Commander Pei’s cold, piercing gaze and quickly turned away, pretending to enjoy the view outside. “My ears are ringing terribly. Am I going deaf?”

 

Pei Xingyu said, “Say one more word, and I’ll add another half month. Go ahead, I’ll keep track for you.”

 

Jin Ran immediately straightened up, “Are you insane? What good does locking me up do for you? Do you like playing with forced love?”

 

“Acting on your own, taking reckless risks, bombing a space station on your own initiative, and even daring to rob interstellar pirates — what are you, a bandit?”

 

With these charges, Jin Ran would be sent back to Hall and stripped of his military rank.

 

“Commander, just a moment ago, didn’t you praise my bombing? And now you’re turning your back on me. By the way, in all fairness, how did my cover operation to send Bu Yu back go? As for the ‘taking risks’ charge, come on, weren’t you planning to stay behind alone so the rest of us could get away safely?”

 

“You and your mouth.” Pei Xingyu was getting a headache from Jin Ran’s words and directly cut off the communicator.

 

Back at Ziwei Yuan, Meng Ruqian stood on the deck, his neck stretching long like a giraffe with anticipation.

 

He rubbed his hands, pacing back and forth. “Why aren’t they back yet? Weren’t there just three medium mechas? Lin Kaisui should’ve been able to handle that. Could they have been late and missed Commander Pei? It’s fine, it’s fine, no need to panic.”

 

He reassured himself, thinking, “If Pei Xingyu and the others come back safely, I’m willing to lose 100 interstellar credits. No, make that 200.”

 

Standing nearby, Song Sishen remained silent like a flagpole.

 

Zhong Guan echoed Meng Ruqian’s worries in a hushed tone, “I hope nothing goes wrong. Jin Ran went alone to cover Commander Pei’s return, but he’s never been in a real battle. Can he handle it? And Commander Pei returned using a drop pod. Is that safe? Please, nothing go wrong, please let them come back safe.”

 

Song Sishen, irritated by the constant muttering, turned his head to glance at the flowing starry sky and stared eastward in deep thought before lowering his gaze.

 

Zhong Guan noticed and asked, “Hey, Little Song, what are you looking at? Jin Ran and Commander Pei should be coming back from the north. Why are you looking east?”

 

Song Sishen retracted his gaze, “It’s nothing.”

 

“They’re back!”

 

Someone shouted, and the moment the voice fell, a small battleship slowly emerged from the vortex-like warp point, battered and barely holding together.

 

Behind it followed a medium-sized mecha with the emblem of “Tanlang” on it, like a stubborn tail that wouldn’t shake off. Meng Ruqian’s hair stood on end.

 

“Prepare for combat!”

 

Everyone immediately readied themselves. However, after the ship docked, they discovered the man pressing the hatch with one hand was Jin Ran!

 

Zhong Guan let out a sigh of relief, and after spotting Pei Xingyu disembarking from the battleship, he fully relaxed.

 

Meng Ruqian wiped his eyes, his voice a bit choked as he saluted Commander Pei, “Commander.”

 

Pei Xingyu acknowledged with a soft “Mm.” He turned to glance at Jin Ran, who had disembarked from the mecha, carrying a small jar as he walked over. His tall, slender figure, almost blending into the night, stood straight and tall.

 

The black military uniform of Ziwei Yuan suited him perfectly. His dark brows and eyes exuded an aura of dominance and rebellion. Pei Xingyu’s mind suddenly flashed to the image of Jin Ran with a photon gun slung over his shoulder, gripping the handle with one hand, looking like a ruthless overlord.

 

“No alcohol is allowed in Ziwei Yuan.” Pei Xingyu extended his hand, “Give it here.”

 

Jin Ran paused, then placed the jar in his hand. Leaning slightly closer, he whispered in Pei Xingyu’s ear, “Store it for me. I’ll take it out to celebrate on the day I get divorced. Don’t lose it.”

 

Pei Xingyu, leaning into his proximity, whispered back, “Save half of it. I’ll celebrate too.”

 

Jin Ran raised an eyebrow.

 

Their eyes met, and the atmosphere surged with unspoken tension.

 

Meng Ruqian couldn’t hear what was being said, but he sensed that Jin Ran was speaking some kind of blasphemy. Hastily, he said, “Jin Ran, the Commander’s tired too. You should go rest.”

 

Jin Ran waved his hand, “I’m going to the confinement room.”

 

Meng Ruqian asked, puzzled, “Huh? Why confinement again? Weren’t you supposed to… clean the bathroom?”

 

Pei Xingyu withdrew his gaze from Jin Ran’s back and, somewhat wearily, said, “He doesn’t listen. I was originally planning to stay behind and have him bring Bu Yu back, but he put on a protective suit and jumped onto the light cruiser himself.”

 

“Huh?” Meng Ruqian opened his mouth, taking a moment to process, “Wait, so Jin Ran was trying to… protect you? Not let you take the risk? I mean, even if that was reckless, it’s not something you’d lock him up for.”

 

Pei Xingyu fell silent. He wasn’t too sure why Jin Ran acted that way, so he didn’t continue the conversation, instead saying, “When I got back, I had just passed the jump point and saw him blow up the Hall Space Station. Then, not long after, he ran off to snatch something from the mecha of the ‘Greedy Wolf.’ If I don’t teach him a lesson now, who knows how much worse it’ll get.”

 

“He dared to blow up Hall Space Station? That’s some serious nerve—though, I gotta admit, thinking about it is pretty satisfying.” Meng Ruqian chuckled. If he had the guts, he would blow up Hall Space Station too, but he didn’t dare.

 

Pei Xingyu added, “He only survived today because his performance was good—quick reflexes, daring enough. If it had been someone else, or if any of those traits were missing, he would’ve died in front of me today.”

 

Meng Ruqian fell silent.

 

Pei Xingyu tightened his grip on the wine jar and said quietly, “They all have parents. They send their children to me, whole, and how could I let them come to me only to return as nothing more than a memory chip sent back to Hall?”

 

Meng Ruqian didn’t know what to say. Once you join the military, you’ll end up on the battlefield. It’s a road from which there’s no return. Anyone who survives is extremely lucky. Pei Xingyu, however, could never get past that reality.

 

“How long are you locking him up?”

 

“Half a month.”

 

—

 

Jin Ran lay in the confinement room for a while. He reached out his left hand, hooked his right glove with it, and pulled it off, revealing a hand missing one little finger and a sapphire ring on his index finger.

 

This ring was left to him by Jin Xian.

 

Back in the day, Jin Xian was a fleet commander on the *Tianji*, one of the only two female Alphas on the interstellar fleet along with Nola Percy.

 

Jin Ran was born missing a little finger, with silver-gray eyes. Later, a pheromone test revealed that he was congenitally deficient in pheromones. Jin Shaoyuan consulted numerous specialists, all of whom said Jin Ran would never be able to serve as a soldier. His eyes couldn’t see far distances, and even living as a normal person would be challenging.

 

At that time, Jin Shaoyuan had just retired from the fleet and was serving as the deputy minister of the Seventh Legion. Without support, he had little chance for promotion, and even if he were promoted, there would be no one to succeed him. So, he planned to have Jin Ran undergo pheromone catalysis from an early age.

 

Jin Xian couldn’t bear to see her brother suffer, so she resolutely decided to attend military school in his place. After enduring extremely rigorous training, she eventually succeeded in joining the military under the command of General Nola Percy.

 

When the *Tianji* exploded, Pei Xingyu was the only one who survived.

 

Jin Ran clenched his fist, and the ring dug painfully into his palm. Pei Xingyu’s angry words still echoed in his ears: “Jin Ran, when you get back to Ziwei, you’re to be confined for half a month!” He also recalled Pei Xingyu’s hurried return via drop pod.

 

He hadn’t had time to return to Ziwei. If he had, he could have personally led the fleet back and avoided risking his life.

 

He clearly dropped Bu Yu off at the jump point and returned in the drop pod, but why did he? Someone like him should have left his subordinate behind and left on his own.

 

Why did Pei Xingyu come back?

 

Jin Ran leaned against the wall, staring at the ring in his palm, unable to figure it out.

 

Pei Xingyu had ordered him to take Bu Yu and leave, staying behind himself to deal with the space pirates. Even after successfully escorting Bu Yu out, Pei Xingyu still rushed back at the risk of his life. The drop pod had no offensive or defensive capabilities—getting hit would mean certain death.

 

Yet when Pei Xingyu arrived, he didn’t say a word and calmly commanded the Ziwei fleet that had followed to wipe out the space pirates.

 

Pei Xingyu.

 

Jin Ran silently repeated the name twice. He closed his eyes slightly, picturing Pei Xingyu’s cold, stern face again and again. There was an agreement between Pei Xingyu and Jin Shaoyuan that he didn’t know about.

 

Did Pei Xingyu rush back because of that agreement? Or was he afraid Jin Ran would reveal their marriage to the public?

 

“Jin Ran, Jin Ran.” Zhong Guan’s voice came from the door, interrupting Jin Ran’s thoughts.

 

Jin Ran jumped off the bed and opened a small window. “What is it?”

 

“You probably haven’t eaten, right? I snuck some food in for you, and here are some fresh clothes.” Zhong Guan lowered his voice cautiously, “The Commander doesn’t know.”

 

Jin Ran took them.

 

Zhong Guan urged him quietly, “Stop causing trouble, will you? Try to rein in that temper. I heard you even dared to blow up the Hall Space Station. Aren’t you afraid they’ll hold you accountable?”

 

Jin Ran didn’t want to listen, so he waved his hand. “Got it. Go back now.”

 

Zhong Guan knew Jin Ran wasn’t interested in hearing it. Lowering his voice, he asked, “What happened to the injury on your face? Did you get into another fight?”

 

Jin Ran lightly licked the corner of his mouth, “Just beat up an idiot—some fool named Mo Lu from the Eleventh Legion who was badmouthing Pei… Alright, just go. If the Commander sees you…”

 

Before he could finish, a cold voice called out.

 

“Zhong Guan.”

 

Zhong Guan shuddered and immediately turned to salute, “Commander!”

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Zhong Guan stammered nervously, “I… I just brought Jin Ran some clean clothes. I’m sorry. I won’t come again without permission.”

 

“Have you delivered them?”

 

Zhong Guan nodded hastily.

 

“Then leave.”

 

Zhong Guan quickly glanced at Jin Ran as if wishing him luck, then sped away, not wanting to stay a second longer under the Commander’s icy gaze. Too cold.

 

Jin Ran curled his lip, closing the window and preparing to go back to sleep when Pei Xingyu called out, “Jin Ran.”

 

“What?”

 

Pei Xingyu reached out and pushed open the window. His long, slender, pale fingers pressed against the glass, leaving a faint white mark as his fingerprints showed, “Give me your hand.”