“Crack, crack!”
Two crisp sounds echoed as the dislocated arm was snapped back into place.
In the next instant, Cang Bai had already shifted his stance. His arms rose, and his left and right hands respectively pinned down the python’s head and Qin Zhen’s face.
“Enough.”
It was unclear what he communicated to the White Python through their mental link, but to the onlookers, he used only those two words to make the massive beast shrink obediently into a small snake and slip back into his military uniform.
With the threat gone, the heart Qin Zhen had held in his throat finally settled. The fresh scent of water vapor became prominent again, soothing his frantic heartbeat and leaving him feeling refreshed. He could not help himself; he took a small sniff against the palm of the man’s hand.
Cang Bai withdrew his hand as if struck by an electric shock. A rare expression finally appeared on his eternally stoic face: a frown. He shot Qin Zhen a look of faint disbelief before turning on his heel to leave. The sensation in his palm felt damp, as if he had been licked.
Under these circumstances, Qin Zhen had actually licked him!
Qin Zhen felt utterly wronged. Heaven knew that it was merely the sweat dripping from the tip of his nose. Being attacked by a snake that large had left him drenched in a cold sweat. Of course, he was unaware of the misunderstanding. He remained intoxicated by the lingering scent of fresh water, a satisfied smile hanging on his lips.
“Commander,” Lu Yanqiu hesitated for a moment but did not follow Cang Bai. The chaotic scene from moments ago felt like an absurd dream. She looked around, trying to confirm if she was still dreaming.
Suddenly, she realized something. “Qin Zhen!” Lu Yanqiu pointed at the lunch box in Ni Hong’s hands. “The morning sickness is gone! The box is still open, yet your morning sickness has vanished!”
The lunch box was indeed still open. Ni Hong had been so terrified by the White Python’s sudden attack that he had completely forgotten about it.
A master’s self-healing ability is derived from their battle beast, and generally, the healing speed cannot surpass that of the beast itself. Cang Bai was the exception. His body had been modified by the White Python’s genes for over a century. Compared to the python’s massive true form, his smaller physical size became an advantage, allowing him to heal even faster than the snake.
Aside from the dislocated arm, his arm bone had suffered a hairline fracture, but in a short amount of time, it had completely recovered. This level of injury and pain could not affect his logic.
Your theory makes some sense. The fetus in Qin Zhen’s belly is a human infant, which is why it can ignore my energy deterrence. However, we cannot entirely rule out the other possibility: that the beast egg is not completely dead. The little brute inside might be arrogant enough to challenge me even while at death’s door.
“Regardless, there is no energy tethering.”
After more than half a month, they finally had a clear result. Whether Qin Zhen was carrying a human or a beast, it had nothing to do with the White Python’s lineage. The White Python had released its energy to such an extent and still felt no connection. To insist the offspring was its own would be far too forced.
Cang Bai fell silent, which made the White Python feel a bit embarrassed.
We have been partners for a century, after all. I know exactly what you were thinking while watching from the sidelines. So, was my acting convincing or what? If I entered the film industry, I would win Best Actor easily, would I not? Hey, Old White, we had a deal. When we retire, if I want to act in movies for fun, you have to find me some beautiful snakes. You have already had a taste of the good life; you cannot mistreat me. I will not settle for anything less than a national-level beauty. Ordinary little snakes are not worthy of my noble status. Heh, the scripts must be chosen carefully too. No garbage like ‘Rise of the Battle Beast’ or ‘The Underdog Rules the Galaxy.’ If I am going to act, I want something R-rated.
The snake continued its internal chatter, completely unaware that Cang Bai had stopped walking. A familiar warship had just landed next to his starship. The hatch opened, revealing a travel-worn face. The man saw him, and his eyes flickered visibly. “Com, Commander.”
Cang Bai nodded slightly. “You are back.”
There was no secret trick to assisting the Imperial Commander. Aside from the family’s inherited collection of sayings, Adjutant Qi could only rely on guesswork. His commander’s face rarely showed any emotion throughout the year. The phrase “You are back” was not in the recorded sayings. Adjutant Qi panicked as he overanalyzed it. Clearly, the subtext from the Commander was: How did you know I was here?
Adjutant Qi had no idea. If he had known, he would have definitely avoided this timing. He had rushed to the Incubation Center immediately upon returning to the Central Star District to conduct supplemental interviews with other expectant fathers of the 15744th class. He hoped to dig something out of them to save his unsatisfactory investigation results.
It seemed his report from this morning had finally given him away. Adjutant Qi slumped his shoulders and walked dejectedly to Cang Bai’s side to confess.
“Commander, this time I did not just go to the F1901 colonial planet in the Sixth Star District. I also visited the single-soldier academy where Qin Zhen graduated, and then went to the F01 Provincial Star. Oh, after leaving there, I circled back to the C2501 colonial planet to investigate.”
The man had practically run across half the empire in three days, squeezing in time for investigations. He likely had not slept for a single minute.
“The results,” Cang Bai said.
Adjutant Qi hung his head even lower. “The single-soldier legion on F1901 said Qin Zhen was either on missions or training all day long. His academy teachers said he was an excellent student who worked extremely hard. He would be out running laps while studying his books before anyone else was even awake. Then there is the National Welfare Institute in the F01 province. As soon as the director heard I was from the Central Star District, she spoke endless praise for Qin Zhen. It turns out he started giving back to the orphanage before he even graduated. Over the years, the star coins he donated were enough to build an entire building.”
“I asked you to investigate his private life in the legion,” Cang Bai interrupted.
“I did! I did! It was because I could not find any evidence of Qin Zhen having a relationship with anyone that I visited so many places. Later, I rushed to C2501 because I felt that if Qin Zhen were truly pregnant, it must have happened there. You know that half of the soldiers who qualified for integration in this batch are male, and they all stayed at C2501 for at least one night before the integration began.”
“Tell me the result.”
“C2501 was hit by a beast tide. The entire communication network was destroyed. In the building where they took their temporary rest, all the surveillance cameras failed. That is why I wanted to find clues from the other expectant fathers.”
So, there were no results. Adjutant Qi had originally intended to pile evidence of Qin Zhen’s messy private life in front of the Commander. He never expected that after all that effort, he would not find a single thing. Not only that, but the more he investigated, the more he felt that Qin Zhen was actually a decent person.
He had good relationships with his colleagues, cared for his teammates, and was praised by his teachers and the orphanage director. Combined with his status as an orphan who worked his way up from nothing to the threshold of becoming a beast soldier, he was practically a model youth for the new century of the Empire.
“Commander, I do not think Qin Zhen is that kind of person. Maybe those previous incidents really were just misunderstandings.”
“Misunderstandings?”
Cang Bai’s curled fingers quietly rubbed his palm. The damp sensation that had vanished minutes ago seemed to return. “Since you went to the academy, did you check his graduation grades?”
“Yes, yes. He was the top of his class. Because he had no family background, he could not stay in the provincial star and was assigned back to the colonial planet. Many teachers felt it was a great pity.”
“What about his reconnaissance grades?”
“Reconnaissance?” Adjutant Qi was confused. He pulled out his communicator to check the data from the academy. “I found it. Reconnaissance exam score: full marks. Commander, why are you asking about reconnaissance?”
The academy had many courses, and reconnaissance was just one of them. Why would the Commander ask about that specifically? Cang Bai closed his eyes slightly and did not explain.
Everything made sense now. A high-level hunter often disguises themselves as prey. A person with deep thoughts is very good at packaging themselves as foolish and harmless. Qin Zhen had the ability to dodge the White Python’s surprise attack and, in an emergency, could quickly target the only person capable of stopping the snake: himself. These were not just combat instincts; they relied on superior reconnaissance skills.
Cang Bai had not intentionally muffled his footsteps before entering the room. Qin Zhen must have noticed him immediately. The collision was no accident, let alone what happened afterward. Cang Bai clenched his fist, squeezing his damp palm tightly.
Outwardly, his tone remained calm. “No one is perfect. The brighter the surface, the darker the hidden side. You could not find anything because he hides it too well, and your reconnaissance skills are inferior to his.”
Adjutant Qi froze, his eyes widening. My reconnaissance skills are inferior to Qin Zhen’s? I also got full marks back then! And the brighter the surface, the darker the side? Then you, Commander…
Never mind. The one saying this was the Commander, after all. Adjutant Qi quickly shook his head to clear out those rebellious thoughts. “It was my incompetence,” he apologized honestly. He then asked, “Commander, should I continue the investigation?”
Cang Bai looked back at the incubation building and walked toward his starship. “No need.”
There was little point in continuing the investigation. Instead, he needed to think about how to handle Qin Zhen. If Qin Zhen were gestating a battle beast capable of enduring the White Python’s energy deterrence, it would be a pity to remove the sac. If it were a human infant, removing the sac would be a forced abortion, which seemed inhumane.
“Is this beef delicious?”
“Delicious, delicious!”
“The sour and spicy flavor is great, right?”
“Great, great!”
“I knew Brother Qin would love this dish,” Ni Hong smiled. “Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl. Since Brother Qin loves both sour and spicy food, I wonder if the one in your belly is a male or female beast?”
Qin Zhen paused, his face greasy as he chewed. “Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl? That rule applies to battle beasts too?”
“Of course not. It is just folk gossip.” Lu Yanqiu was the one who answered, but she soon joined in on the joking. “If that rule did exist, what gender would you want the baby to be?”
“A son!” Qin Zhen said without hesitation. “It must be a son!”
Ni Hong asked, “Are you favoring boys over girls?”
“Do not talk nonsense. Battle beasts have to accompany us to the battlefield. If I have a daughter, would I have the heart to let her charge into the front lines?”
“Well…”
But were female beasts and daughters the same thing? There were plenty of female beasts in the world far more ferocious than males. That said, Ni Hong did not argue with Qin Zhen. He turned to Lu Yanqiu instead. “Dr. Lu, how long can the effect of this supplementary treatment last?” He did not want to see Qin Zhen tortured by morning sickness again.
“It is not a conventional method, so the effect varies. However, the White Python is the strongest beast in the galaxy. I estimate it should last two or three days.”
“Only two or three days?”
“Psh, it has nothing to do with the White Python anyway,” Qin Zhen smacked his lips. “Your discussion is pointless.”
Ni Hong’s eyes widened. “How can it be pointless? As soon as the White Python released its energy, your vomiting stopped and your appetite returned. The results were immediate!”
“That is because,” Qin Zhen swallowed his words.
He was certain that what stopped his nausea was not the White Python, but the fresh scent of water on Teacher Cang. But who would believe such a reason? Especially Ni Hong, who constantly misunderstood him as liking men. If Ni Hong found out, he would surely think in that direction again. It was dirty, truly dirty.
This was merely the pure and innocent power of an idol! Wait, why was he calling his idol Teacher Cang? “Teacher” was correct, and his idol’s surname was “Cang,” but putting them together sounded so familiar. Qin Zhen unknowingly drifted into thought.
On the other side, Lu Yanqiu gave Ni Hong a look, and the two walked out of the room together.
“Qin Zhen was likely frightened by the White Python, so he refuses to acknowledge the reality. This mindset is a form of subconscious self-protection. It is normal,” Lu Yanqiu hypothesized.
Ni Hong nodded. Recalling that giant python that was taller than a human, he was also still afraid. “What do we do next time? If Brother Qin gets sick again, will we have to ask the White Python for help?”
“Do not worry. Morning sickness is common in early pregnancy. If Qin Zhen starts showing in a few days and enters the second trimester, the reaction will naturally decrease. Besides, even if he is still in the first trimester, it is fine. The White Python is not the only one who can help.”
“You mean”
Lu Yanqiu nodded. “Aside from the Commander’s White Python, other battle beasts are prohibited from entering the incubation building. I will apply to the Dean later to allow my battle beast inside when Qin Zhen’s morning sickness is severe.”
“That would be wonderful!” The worry on Ni Hong’s face faded for a moment, but then he frowned again. “But I think Brother Qin might prefer the White Python’s help.”
“Why? Does he not have a resistance toward the White Python?”
Ni Hong glanced at the open door, tiptoed over to push it nearly shut, and then lowered his voice. “Dr. Lu, have you not noticed that the way Brother Qin looks at Teacher is very different? Today, Brother Qin” He made a hugging gesture. “He hugged Teacher twice. Although the first time might have been an accident and the second was forced by the White Python, he was reluctant to let go both times! And after Teacher left, Brother Qin kept staring at his back and smiling like an idiot!”
“Are you saying Qin Zhen feels that way about the Commander?”
“Shhh!”
“Shhh,” Lu Yanqiu also raised her index finger.
Surprise aside, she understood why Ni Hong was being secretive. There was nothing strange about a man liking another man; there were even people in the world who registered for marriage with their own battle beasts. But for Qin Zhen to like the Supreme Commander of the Empire… It was not wrong, but it would inevitably lead to people mocking him for overestimating himself.
As the two stood there looking at each other, a loud slam against a table suddenly sounded from behind the door.
“Who likes men?! Tell me, who the hell said I like men?!”
“Every single day! Which bastard is spreading these rumors?!”