DDT - Chapter 129

Chapter 129: Interstellar ABO (14)

Time flew by, and the night quickly passed. Chi Junluo and Yi Shuhan sat awkwardly on the sofa, dozens of centimeters apart, for the entire night. In truth, it was mainly Chi Junluo who felt awkward. From the moment they had become intimate, Yi Shuhan had already resolved to entrust herself to Chi Chi. But as an Omega with exceptionally high mental power, she keenly sensed Chi Chi's discomfort. Although she couldn't help but feel a little hurt and sad, the thought that her Chi Chi had become this way—unable to remember her—because of those self-righteous fools, redirected all of Yi Shuhan's fury toward those insatiable Alliance families. Since they enjoyed targeting their fellow Alliance citizens, targeting someone so important to her, and even pushing public opinion on the Star Network in an attempt to carve up her family, she had had enough. If others could tolerate it, she certainly could not!

Carefully maintaining a comfortable distance from Chi Junluo, Yi Shuhan mentally subjected the families involved in the incident to death by a thousand cuts several times over. A bunch of useless trash, good for nothing but screwing things up!

Yi Shuhan had already decided to change her plans. She and Chi Chi had to leave Moon Star and return to the Main Star as soon as possible. She would contact her father in advance. Since she had logged in on Moon Star in the Western Star Region using her covert ID, her father should know that she had found Chi Chi. Back on the Main Star, her father had already understood the direction of public opinion regarding the missing Admiral Chi. He surely wouldn't let that group of self-proclaimed clever fools off the hook either.

Because Chi Chi was still unable to speak, Yi Shuhan used her own ID and military privileges to pull up all of Chi Junluo's personal data. After returning to the Main Star, Chi Chi would definitely have to reveal her identity publicly to reassure the people of the Alliance. Chi Chi had amnesia, but this was something that the Alliance and those major families absolutely could not find out. If Chi Chi's physical condition and memory loss were exaggerated and sensationalized, things would likely become even more complicated.

Thinking of Chi Chi's damaged mecha stored in her Space Storage Device, Yi Shuhan grew anxious. The massive mecha certainly couldn't be brought out for inspection in this standard-sized premium hospital room. The only option was to return to the Main Star quickly and take it to her personal research institute for a thorough disassembly and examination.

Pushing aside her chaotic thoughts, Yi Shuhan patiently began to tell Chi Junluo about her identity and some of Chi Chi's past that she knew of.

Chi Junluo's eyes were glued to the light screen filled with the original body's information. Because the distance between them was a bit far, she had to sit up straight, lean slightly toward Yi Shuhan, and crane her neck to read the file carefully. The military's data was relatively complete, but it only began from when the original body joined the military at sixteen. The only information from before that was her place of origin: Gemark Planet, a third-class planet in the Western Star Region. A third-class planet, and in the Western Star Region at that—it was practically a slum. The following pages were all about the original body's movements after entering the military at sixteen. Normally, no one would pay special attention to an ordinary soldier's growth trajectory before they became an admiral. However, the original body's talent was too exceptional. Her super-high-grade mental power and excellent physique had attracted the military's attention during the enlistment examination. The results of that exam were a military secret, and the Alphas and Betas who enlisted with her were completely unaware. But from the moment the original body officially joined the army, various factions within the military had sent people to secretly observe and record her every word and action. Therefore, the file Yi Shuhan now held was a compilation of data collected by several major families. This was also the first time Yi Shuhan had seen Chi Chi's file. When she and Chi Chi met years ago and slowly became best friends, she had never wanted to do something that would destroy their trust and friendship, like investigating her friend behind her back. But this was a special situation. Chi Chi needed to review her military affairs to avoid any slip-ups when facing the military and the media. It was also an opportunity for Yi Shuhan to learn more about the side of her Chi Chi that she had never seen.

The file contained both text and video. A long time had passed by the time they finished. In the meantime, Yi Shuhan had ordered a meal to the room, and the two finally filled their stomachs.

After reviewing the military file, Yi Shuhan began to talk about how they first met and the days they spent slowly becoming friends. Yi Shuhan did all the talking while Chi Junluo listened. Perhaps Yi Shuhan became animated as she reminisced about their time together, for she felt a sweet taste for the first time. She realized then that, long ago, Chi Chi had already become someone extraordinary to her, far beyond a normal person. However, what little rationality she had left reined in her racing thoughts. She would be patient for a few more days. She wanted to test something—what was so different about her name to Chi Chi? She had forgotten everything, yet she still knew her name. And the night before, Chi Chi had said her name was Chi Junluo, even though for so many years, Chi Chi had always used the single name Chi. Could there be some unknown story behind the name "Chi Junluo"? Perhaps it was related to why she only remembered her name?

It had to be said, the intuition and guesses of an Omega with powerful mental strength were terrifyingly accurate.

It was long past a reasonable bedtime. Yi Shuhan stopped talking and helped the dazed-looking Chi Junluo onto the large bed to lie down. She herself went to the companion bed next to it. After all, given what had happened between them and Chi Chi's discomfort, it was better to sleep separately for now.

The way both of their minds worked was rather peculiar in this world. Had it been any other Omega, they probably would have been heartbroken to death if their Alpha showed discomfort and resistance right after marking them.

Before sleeping, Yi Shuhan set the room's lighting to night mode. The lights dimmed bit by bit, and the two lay in the darkness, each lost in their own thoughts.

Before falling asleep, Chi Junluo replayed the beautiful memories Yi Huai had told her about their first meeting and their past. The original body in this world actually had such a rich history with this girl. This was something she had never encountered before. Judging by the girl's incredibly nostalgic tone, the original body's relationship with her had likely reached the stage of being more than friends but not yet lovers. These past two days, she had received so much unprecedented information. Although certain things had already happened, because their physical appearances were almost identical—still that of women—she still felt that the fact she had "rolled" in the sheets with the girl named Yi Huai was a bit beyond her comprehension, touching upon a blind spot in her knowledge. In her original world, she wasn't unaware of the homosexual community, but because it was such a niche group and she was busy struggling to survive, she never had much time to learn about it. Now, as she saw it, were she and Yi Huai what people called lesbians? She vaguely remembered people using the term "yuri" to describe such a relationship. Although in this world, their major genders were different, to Chi Junluo, it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Can women love other women? And what is love, anyway?

Chi Junluo had never been in a relationship—not with a man, and certainly not with a woman. Single since birth, she was completely clueless about love. In fact, because of that incident in her original world, she had developed a psychological trauma and an indelible aversion to men. But as for women, she had never really thought about them in that way.

Perhaps the frenzy from before had consumed too much of her energy. Amid her jumbled thoughts, Chi Junluo soon fell into a deep sleep. Yi Shuhan had been secretly paying attention to Chi Chi's movements. Only after hearing steady breathing from nearby did she allow herself to fall asleep as well.

The night before, Yi Shuhan had set a wake-up service. At a little past 8 in the morning, melodious music began to play in the hospital room. Chi Junluo woke from her sleep only after hearing the music by her ear. Yi Shuhan had gotten up as soon as the music started. After ordering a nutritional breakfast, she went to wash up.

By the time Chi Junluo climbed out of bed and finished washing up, a hot breakfast was already laid out on the coffee table in the living area. Yi Shuhan remembered that the military was holding a press conference this morning, and it was almost time. Once Chi Junluo was seated on the sofa, Yi Shuhan had already turned on the projection screen in the room's living area. The screen automatically connected to the Star Network, where the top trending topic was #AllianceMilitaryPressConference#.

Chi Junluo picked up a hot drink from the coffee table and took a few sips to warm her stomach before starting on her breakfast. Perhaps because this body was an Alpha, she had noticed during dinner last night that her appetite was enormous. She had eaten so much, yet after a night's sleep, her stomach was growling with hunger.

Yi Shuhan opened the military's live stream on the Star Network. The pre-broadcast preparations were in their final stages. Several military officials were already seated, and the seats below were filled with media reporters. Chi Junluo looked closely and saw small, floating black or gray spherical machines hovering around the reporters. The machines remained stable in the air, a feat that Chi Junluo's scientific knowledge couldn't explain.

Seeing Chi Junluo staring at the spheres, Yi Shuhan helped explain, "Those are broadcast machines. All recorded footage is transmitted and stored on the Star Network in real-time."

Chi Junluo nodded. Less than two minutes later, an older-looking man in a dark military uniform, his chest covered in medals, strode from backstage to the center seat at the press table, which had been empty until now.

The man's name and position appeared in front of his seat: "Admiral Torr Derian."

Seeing that the main figure of the military press conference had arrived, the reporters all straightened their backs, their gazes fixed on the people on stage like hungry wolves.

The broadcast machines began flashing as they took pictures. Admiral Derian glanced at the light screen on his arm, confirming that it was the appointed time. He raised his hand slightly in a downward gesture, and the previously buzzing conference hall instantly fell silent. The media had analyzed Admiral Derian's previous post on his personal Star Network account a dozen times and had gleaned quite a bit from it. From his article, it seemed he was hinting that he possessed important evidence. In this day and age, only a recording with an embedded timestamp could be considered evidence, as faking an ordinary video was far too easy with current technology. They simply couldn't imagine what other evidence Admiral Derian could possibly have.

In fact, what Admiral Derian was about to reveal at this press conference was precisely that: so-called mecha recording evidence with an embedded timestamp.

The beginning of the press conference was just like any other military-related one—utterly formulaic. The necessary greetings were made, the due apologies were expressed, and the appropriate anger was displayed. Only after the emotions of everyone present were stirred up did Admiral Derian slowly get to the main point.

From the moment he entered the conference hall, Admiral Derian had schooled his expression. Although he was incredibly excited and happy on the inside, his excellent "professionalism" allowed him to put on an appearance of profound sorrow. On his gradually aging cheeks, the sadness seemed to be etched deep. Admiral Derian leaned on the table with both hands, his eyes filled with desolation. He was like a decaying ancient tree that had just weathered a storm, grieving because he had failed to protect the single phoenix egg nestled in his withered branches, forced to watch as the precious, beloved child was torn to shreds by the tempest. An immense sorrow emanated from him, washing over the audience. The reporters present were all moved, and countless Star Network netizens watching through their screens shared in the deep pain. If the living, breathing Chi Chi weren't sitting right beside her, Yi Shuhan would probably be crying her eyes out at that moment.

Chi Junluo, however, felt nothing. After all, it was the original body's story. Without memories, she simply couldn't feel much of a connection. Yi Shuhan watched with a frown. "That old guy has been sitting at home doing nothing for so many years. If I'd known he had these acting skills, he could have gone into showbiz and won a handful of Best Actor awards by now. Hmph, what a shame his debut was so late."

Hearing Yi Shuhan say this, Chi Junluo couldn't help but glance at her. The little girl was quite the satirist.

After spouting a load of nonsense, Admiral Derian finally played a video with an embedded timestamp on the projection screen beside him.

The timestamp on the video was from the very day of Admiral Chi's incident. The video flickered from time to time, with strange colors twisting across the screen. Admiral Derian explained in a timely manner that when the mecha wreckage was found, the combat recorder was already severely damaged. This footage was what they had managed to recover with great difficulty.

In the vastness of space, a dense swarm of Zerg could be seen in the distance. The video's perspective charged straight into the swarm, followed by the sickening sound of cutting and crushing Zerg. Then, alarms blared from within the mecha's cockpit. The picture slowed, but wave after wave of Zerg pressed forward. Soon, the screen went completely dark, leaving only the terrifying sound of the mecha being torn apart by a powerful external force.

Next came another perspective. The unique silver-white mecha could be seen charging straight into the Zerg swarm. In just a few short minutes, a massive flash of light erupted, followed by scattered debris and the shocked cries of the soldier in the mecha that was recording.

Admiral Derian sorrowfully stated the investigation's findings. After dispersing the Zerg, the military had spent an entire day recovering most of the mecha wreckage. Technical analysis revealed that at the time of the incident, the mecha had suffered a total system failure and become uncontrollable because it had been tampered with.

The entire hall fell silent. A few younger, more impulsive reporters stood up in anger. The more composed reporters behind them gave them a gentle tug, and the young reporters, realizing they were blocking the view, sat back down resentfully.

An older reporter posed a question, "Admiral Derian, have you found out who did the tampering?"

Most people in the room already had an answer in their hearts.

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